“There, there, Yuan’er, be good, open your mouth. Drink this, and Grandma will buy you candied hawthorn.”

“Yes, yes, Yuan’er, be a good boy and drink your medicine, then you’ll get better and can have your candied hawthorn!”

…

After just a few words of coaxing, the boy — who had just quieted down — burst into loud wails again. “No… I want candied hawthorn! I want it right now!”

“Fine, fine, right now, right now!” Master Gu immediately gave the order. “Someone, go buy candied hawthorn at once! Quickly!”

At this, the boy quieted down, but still refused to open his mouth.

Yingzi, not one to act on impulse, pulled Physician Gu aside and asked in a low voice, “What’s wrong with the child? Is it serious?”

“Serious? He’s just caught a cold and has a fever. This family really does spoil this little ancestor of theirs,” Physician Gu said helplessly.

At this, Yingzi felt as though someone had struck him hard in the chest — he nearly choked with anger.

This — this was too much!

“What’s wrong, what happened to our master?” Physician Gu asked, startled.

“They only got halfway through the needles on our master! What were they thinking!” Yingzi ground out, word by word, teeth clenched. If it weren’t for the fact that they were guests here, dependent on this family’s goodwill, if it weren’t for the bigger picture at stake, he would have already exploded.

“What!” Physician Gu was alarmed and immediately turned to leave without another word.

If the needles were only half-inserted and left too long, all the effort of the past month would be undone! They’d persisted with acupuncture for over a month now — how could Physician Hua and Master Gu have done such a thing!

And their master’s condition was already so unstable — acupuncture required the utmost care, how could it possibly be interrupted halfway through!

But just then, Gu Meiting called out to stop him. “Physician Gu, come here a moment.”

“Young Mistress, I’m sorry, but my master’s acupuncture session isn’t finished. I must return at once!” Physician Gu said coldly, and turned to go.

“Stop right there!” Gu Meiting blocked his path, speaking as though it were the most natural thing in the world. “Physician Gu, the acupuncture can wait a while. My son is ill — just come check his pulse, it won’t take long, will it?”

“My master cannot afford the delay!” Physician Gu, lacking Yingzi’s patience, spoke angrily and walked off without a backward glance.

“He… what does he mean by that! Him!” Gu Meiting only now came back to herself, both furious and utterly baffled.

Master and Madam Gu exchanged a glance, both clearly noticing the displeasure from Physician Gu and Yingzi.

“You… how could you be so thoughtless!” Madam Gu said in a low voice.

“Wasn’t I just worried about our little ancestor here!” Master Gu said helplessly. He’d always doted especially on his elder daughter, and while he’d never much cared for his son-in-law, he adored this grandson down to his very bones!

“Go check on him quickly!” Madam Gu urged anxiously, her eyes full of worry.

Physician Gu and Yingzi were Jun Beiyue’s right and left hands — if they let their displeasure show and it reached Jun Beiyue’s ears once he woke, that would spell no end of trouble later on!

“Mother, delaying the acupuncture half a day isn’t going to make that much difference — it’s not like it’s a whole day. Physician Gu is really making too much of a fuss over nothing!” Gu Meiting said, displeased, in a low voice. Seeing her mother say nothing, she added, “Mother, why don’t you go find Physician Gu and have him come look at Yuan’er? One more doctor’s opinion can only mean more peace of mind.”

Gu Meiting’s every thought was fixed on her son. Though she was worried about Jun Beiyue too, and hoped he’d wake and restore the Gu family’s glory, if she ever had to choose between Jun Beiyue and her husband and son — even over the slightest conflict — she would never yield an inch.

“Physician Hua has already examined him. Are you still not at ease?” Madam Gu finally spoke.

This grandson had never been sick a day in his life; she was worried sick herself, and would have liked every physician available to examine him, just to set her mind at rest.

But moments ago, Physician Gu had clearly been displeased — if she invited him now, wouldn’t that only anger him further?

Madam Gu hesitated, and Gu Meiting muttered again, “It won’t take that much time anyway, and he’s already here.”

Madam Gu sighed softly, and only when she looked down at the grandson who had, without her noticing, fallen asleep in her arms did her furrowed brow finally ease.

Gu Meiting was about to say more when her younger sister, Gu Suying, quickly shot her a look and said in a low voice, “Enough, enough. So many doctors have already checked him — he’ll be fine. Stop bothering Mother.”

Gu Meiting glared right back at her. “What do you know? If something happens to Yuan’er, can you take responsibility for it?”

Gu Suying pursed her lips helplessly and said no more, but Gu Meiting wouldn’t let it go, continuing to press her mother. “Mother, why don’t you have Physician Gu come check on him again once the acupuncture is finished?”

Madam Gu still didn’t answer.

Gu Meiting refused to give up, holding onto her mother’s hand and continuing to press. She was determined to give her son only the very best — this child had, since infancy, consumed no small amount of the Gu family’s most treasured medicines, all to build a body resistant to illness. Even the slightest ailment, and she wanted every doctor to confirm there was nothing wrong before she could rest easy!

“Mother, please just agree. What if Physician Hua made a mistake in his diagnosis? One more doctor means one more layer of insurance! Mother, I really am worried!”

Physician Hua, standing nearby, kept his head bowed and didn’t dare say a word. He was Master Gu’s personal physician, having watched the eldest young mistress grow up — he knew exactly what kind of temperament she had.

Whenever it concerned her son, if Madam Gu didn’t agree, there was no telling how a small matter might blow up into a huge one.

Madam Gu clearly understood this as well, and said helplessly, “Fine, fine. I’ll go fetch Physician Gu myself later!”

Gu Meiting was overjoyed, nodding in satisfaction at last. “I knew Mother was the best, I knew Mother loved Yuan’er — not like Father!”

“What did your father do?” Madam Gu asked helplessly.

“The moment Father heard the acupuncture session wasn’t finished, he didn’t even care about Yuan’er,” Gu Meiting muttered.

“Meiting, how have I always told you? You should understand perfectly well how important Beiyue is to our Gu family! And besides, he’s your brother!” Madam Gu said earnestly.

“I know, I’m hoping he wakes up soon too! Haven’t I spent these past days helping search for medicine, which is exactly why I haven’t been able to look after Yuan’er properly? But Beiyue’s already been unconscious for so long, and his condition’s been stable this whole time — delaying a little bit shouldn’t matter that much. Yuan’er is still just a child! What if the fever damages something? What would we do then?” Gu Meiting said, displeased.

Madam Gu glanced, almost without meaning to, at Jiang Chen, who still sat off to one side, expression unreadable, her eyes hiding a wealth of complicated feelings. She carefully handed her sleeping grandson to a servant and said in a low voice, “Meiting, come with me.”

Even as Madam Gu walked off some distance, Gu Meiting still wasn’t at ease — she wouldn’t allow the servants to touch her son, entrusting him instead to Gu Suying’s care, before finally following after her mother with peace of mind.

Watching her mother stand with her hands clasped behind her back at the cliff’s edge, Gu Meiting seemed to sense something, and slowly walked over, head lowered.

“Meiting, do you remember — a long time ago, your mother stood right here and said something to you?” Madam Gu said flatly.