Master Yan smiled. “Foolish child. Ah.”

How could he not understand in his heart that this illness was simply incurable — since ancient times, there had been no remedy for it. But Yan Qing insisted with such certainty, and he said nothing to contradict her. To let one’s loved ones hold onto a thread of hope and not spend their days in despair — that, too, was a good thing.

Yan Qing tended to Master Yan until he fell asleep. She had taken his temperature, and it had dropped by one degree compared to when she had first arrived. Though it was only one degree, it was enough to lift her spirits considerably.

The main manifestations of consumption were persistent low fever accompanied by coughing, night sweats, and similar symptoms — in the later stages, patients would cough up large quantities of blood and suffer from chest tightness and difficulty breathing.

Yan Qing carefully observed Master Yan’s condition. His symptoms came and went intermittently, suggesting he was still in the early stages of the illness. If she could develop an effective treatment before his condition worsened, Master Yan might yet escape this calamity.

But easier said than done.

Yan Qing quietly eased the door shut. The moment she stepped out, everyone in the room — servants included — took several steps back, as though afraid she would transmit the illness to them.

Yan Qing swept her gaze around the sitting room full of disdainful faces and laughed coldly in her heart.

These people ordinarily clustered around Master Yan, all day long fawning and flattering — “Master this” and “Master that.” Yet the moment he truly fell ill and needed someone to care for him, they all kept their distance, leaving only two inattentive servants to look after him.

Master Yan had been thirsty with no one to promptly bring him water. The towel on his forehead had gone unchanged. Whether he had even eaten a proper meal was anyone’s guess.

Before Yan Qing had even crossed the threshold into the sitting room, Madam Yan quickly called out, “Wait — you can’t come in now. The physician said the Master’s illness is contagious. You’ve been in there so long; your body is probably carrying the germs.”

“Exactly. You’ll infect all of us,” Yan Qin said with undisguised contempt. “Why don’t you just go back to the Shi Family where you belong, and stop being an eyesore here.”

Yan Qing acted as though she hadn’t heard a word they said, and stepped steadily over the threshold. Yan Qin immediately let out a shriek: “Told you not to come in — are you deaf?”

Yan Qing paid her no attention and said coolly, “If you’re all afraid of dying, then keep well out of the way. From this moment on, I will care for Father. If you’re afraid of infection, don’t set foot in this courtyard again.”

“What kind of thing is that to say? As if we would be afraid of infection,” Madam Yan said quickly. She felt she could not leave at a time like this — if Master Yan were to leave behind a will and she wasn’t present, what would she do? Master Yan had always been biased in favor of this daughter. If he were to hand over the entire Yan Family fortune to her, what would become of the rest of them?

“Whoever isn’t afraid, stay.” Yan Qing looked at her coldly. When dealing with people like these, she had no desire to maintain even the most surface-level politeness. “Those who are afraid, leave immediately — and don’t make noise disturbing Father’s rest.”

“Who do you think you are?” Yan Qin suddenly rushed to stand in front of Yan Qing. “This household has Madam here — it’s not your place to be giving orders. You are nothing more than water that’s already been poured out. If you have the nerve, go back to the Shi Family and throw your weight around.”

Seeing Yan Qin’s aggressive posture, Murong quickly stepped in front of Yan Qing.

“You brazen servant — are you defying your superiors?” Knowing that Murong was skilled in martial arts, Yan Qin didn’t dare act rashly.

“Fifth Miss wants to stay and care for Father — Murong, step aside and let her,” Yan Qing said coldly.

“Who, who said I wanted to stay?” Yan Qin’s eyes went wide. “Yan Qing, stop putting words in my mouth.”

Yan Qing’s eyes held a cool, detached light. “I’ll say this one more time: I am staying to care for Father. Those who do not wish to stay may leave now.”

“Alright, alright.” Second Concubine Guo Yanrong quickly stepped in to mediate. “Sixth Miss has come back to do her filial duty. I can see that Madam is exhausted as well — why don’t we let Sixth Miss stay for now, while everyone else goes back to rest? Once you’ve rested, you can come back to visit the Master.”

“That’s right, Madam. You’ve been tending to the Master for so long, and you’re looking a little worn. Fifth Sister, please accompany Madam back to rest. With the Master ill, Madam absolutely cannot exhaust herself — what would become of this family then?” Yan Ling said, dabbing at her eyes with her handkerchief.

At this, Madam Yan also rose. “Then let Yan Qing stay here. We’ll go back for now.”

“Madam.” Yan Qin looked at Madam Yan, reluctant to leave.

Madam Yan gave her a meaningful look, and only then did Yan Qin huff loudly and stalk away — not forgetting to shoot Yan Qing a fierce glare as she left.

“Sixth Miss, that leaves things in your hands then. We’ll come back later,” Guo Yanrong said to Yan Qing with a bow.

“Second Concubine, please go ahead,” Yan Qing replied.

Once everyone had gone and the clamor around her gradually faded, Yan Qing finally sat down in her seat.

“Miss, you’re tending to the Master, but you must also take care of yourself,” Murong said with concern. “Otherwise the Master will worry.”

Yan Qing gave a bitter smile. “Father has contracted this kind of illness, and no one knows how long he can hold on. Yet I can do nothing.”

In this family, Master Yan was the first person who had given her warmth and let her experience a father’s love. Yan Qing, who had grown up without parents of her own, clung to that warmth.

She dared not imagine what she would do if Master Yan were truly to pass.

All this time, he had sheltered and protected her, yet she had never done anything for him — she had simply accepted everything he gave her without a second thought.

“Father.” Thinking of how good Master Yan had been to her, Yan Qing could not hold back her tears, and they streamed silently down her face.

She had originally planned to come spend time with him once she had dealt with the recent bustle of affairs — she had not expected it to happen like this.

“Miss, don’t be sad. The Master is a person of good fortune. Nothing bad will happen to him.” Seeing Yan Qing cry, Murong could not help but wipe her own eyes as well.

At that moment, the sound of coughing came from the room — starting light and growing heavier, gradually becoming severe.

“Murong, go and fetch some medicine. I’ll go in to care for Father.”

After handing Murong the prescription she had written out, she turned and went into the bedchamber.

Under Yan Qing’s care, Master Yan’s spirits improved considerably compared to before. Madam Yan and the others would still come to check on him, but they always stood in the doorway, inquiring through the open gap — as though terrified of infecting themselves.

One day, Madam Yan came to the outer sitting room and had a maid summon Yan Qing out.

“Yan Qing,” Madam Yan said. She was wearing a mask and gloves, bundled up thoroughly against any possible exposure. When she saw Yan Qing approaching, she instinctively stepped back, maintaining a certain distance. “You can just speak from where you are.”

Yan Qing looked at her and asked coolly, “Does Madam need something?”

“Yan Qing, I’ve come to discuss something with you. While the Master is still lucid, could we have him divide up the assets?”

“Divide the assets?” Yan Qing was startled at first, then let out a cold laugh. “Father isn’t even dead yet, and Madam is already eyeing his assets?”

“Isn’t this also for the sake of our Yan Family? The Master’s illness has no cure — he is barely clinging to life. It’s better to settle the matter of dividing the family assets while he’s still of sound mind. The Master once said the Yan Family would not be divided, but someone needs to be in charge of this household. I believe it should be handed to your eldest brother Yan Qi…”

Listening to Madam Yan speak at length about her plans for the future, the hands hidden in Yan Qing’s sleeves gradually clenched into fists.

“Madam, Father is not going to die. It is far too much for you to be saying all this now.” Yan Qing cut Madam Yan off. “If you wish to discuss the matter of assets, then wait until Father has recovered and speak with him directly.”

“The Master has consumption. Since ancient times, no one who has contracted it has survived. The Master is merely holding on for now. Rather than making plans after he’s gone and letting the household fall into chaos, it’s better to arrange everything properly while we still can.”

“Your meaning is that the Yan Family should be handed to Elder Brother. Then what about Second Brother and Third Brother? What about Second Concubine and Yan Ling? What becomes of them?”

Madam Yan laughed derisively. “A concubine and the children born of concubines — do they think they can take a share of the Yan Family’s assets? Even if they had the desire, they would need the means to make it happen. Children of concubines are ultimately lowly goods.”

“Madam, I was also born of a concubine. Has Madam included me in that insult as well?”

Madam Yan had been speaking too freely and now realized that Yan Qing’s mother had also been a concubine. She forced a smile. “That’s not what I meant. Third Concubine, though a concubine, was the one the Master loved most dearly — she was not the same as those lowly servants. Moreover, Yan Qing, you are now the Seventh Young Madam of the Shi Family. How could your standing be compared to someone like Yan Ling? How about this…”

Madam Yan was no longer afraid of infection now. She closed the distance between herself and Yan Qing. “Yan Qing, there are only the two of us here. Why don’t we speak plainly? So long as you say a few good words on my behalf to the Master, I will give you one-tenth of the Yan Family’s assets. What do you say?”

Yan Qing’s eyes held a faint trace of cold amusement. “And then?”

“As for Second Concubine’s branch, at most I’ll give them a house and a few shops, and let them go and live separately from this point on. After that, the Yan Family will have nothing to do with them.”

Madam Yan intended to completely drive Second Concubine’s branch out of the Yan Family. Once Master Yan was dead, the Yan Family would be entirely in her branch’s hands. She had a son and a daughter, and could enjoy every bit of the wealth and glory Master Yan left behind. Second Concubine’s branch would be kicked out of the game entirely — with only a few shops to rely on, they likely wouldn’t hold on for long.

Madam Yan had planned it all out very carefully. The one prerequisite was that she had to win over Yan Qing. Who in the Yan Family didn’t know how much influence Yan Qing had with Master Yan? So long as she agreed, Master Yan would certainly go along with it.

Seeing that Yan Qing wasn’t responding, Madam Yan grew somewhat impatient and furrowed her brow. She seemed to weigh things in her mind for a moment before finally gritting her teeth. “Two-tenths, then — how about that? You are, after all, a daughter who has married out of the Yan Family. Strictly speaking, you shouldn’t be receiving another share of the Yan Family’s assets. But the Master has always been deeply fond of you, so two-tenths would be fitting.”

Madam Yan thought to herself: two-tenths of the Yan Family’s assets was no small sum. Yan Qing should be delighted — practically beside herself. Though it did sting a little, a little suffering now was worth the greater prize to come. Compared to what she stood to gain, what was the cost of handing over these two-tenths? It was no more than a bit of charity.