A Good Country Wife
Chapter 564 - 558

Chapter 564: 558

Seeing Lin Yue speak like this, Madam Lin Zhou began to fear. She feared that Lin Yue would truly neglect her son. These past days, as her son fell ill, she and her husband had not only spent all their silver, but had also accumulated a considerable amount of external debt. At first, people were willing to lend them money, but after repeatedly borrowing, no one was willing to lend anymore for fear that if Lin Qing’s illness did not improve, Lin Fuan and his wife would be unable to repay the debts. If it hadn’t been for today’s news that Lin Yue had arrived in Shanglin Village, Lin Fuan and Madam Zhou would have been prepared to seek out the Zhao Family Village, no matter what. They couldn’t just watch their son continue to suffer from his illness. Moreover, the siblings had been close since childhood. Even if Lin Yue neglected her aging parents, she would surely take care of her own brother.

"Don’t be like that, Yueyue, your brother is seriously ill. How can you ignore him? Even if you resent me and your father, your brother has always been good to you since you were little. You can’t be so heartless, can you?" Madam Lin Zhou, who was prone to being soft-hearted, now spoke in a much softer tone, her voice filled with a pleading sentiment, fearful that Lin Yue would just turn around and leave without caring for Lin Qing. For the sake of her son, she was willing to swallow her pride, even if it meant lowering herself to her own daughter. Nothing mattered more than her son.

"Just a few days ago, my brother was fine. How come he’s suddenly ill now? Are you trying to deceive me, wanting to swindle my silver?" Lin Yue did not fully believe Madam Lin Zhou’s words and asked with some skepticism. With such an unworthy mother, who knew if there was a single truthful word in her mouth.

"You ungrateful girl, what are you saying? Am I that kind of person? Besides, you should know your mother—I would curse myself before joking about your brother’s health. He’s my lifeline. I beg you, please save your brother. Your father and I only have this one son. What will we do if something happens to him? Qingqing is still so young; he mustn’t have any mishaps. Yueyue, didn’t you hire the famous Doctor Zheng from Xin’an City to treat your cousin’s illness? Why not have him take a look at your brother too?"

There were many things Lin Yue did not believe, but one thing Madam Lin Zhou said was true: even if Madam Lin Zhou cursed herself, she would never curse Lin Qing—that was her lifeline, and she could never bear to see him suffer. Moreover, this time Madam Lin Zhou didn’t mention silver or any benefits; she just wanted to invite Doctor Zheng to treat Lin Qing’s illness. It seemed Lin Qing was indeed sick.

"Alright, although I have severed ties with your family, I must admit that my brother has been kind to me. At the very least, he is the only one in the family who has been concerned about me. Since my brother is ill, I will not ignore him." Lin Yue said and then instructed Xixi to invite Doctor Zheng to the Lin Youfu household to treat Lin Qing.

Madam Lin Zhou felt ashamed upon hearing Lin Yue’s words. It was a fact that she had not been good to her daughter, and if she had been even slightly better, things might not have come to this point. But the deeds were done, and regret was useless. Besides, who would have imagined that this unprofitable daughter would one day have such good fortune? Nevertheless, for now, Madam Lin Zhou could think of nothing else—she was just grateful that Lin Yue was willing to have Doctor Zheng treat Lin Qing.

"At least you still have some conscience," Madam Lin Zhou remarked. After years of oppressing and abusing her daughter, she still found it difficult to act humble in front of Lin Yue. Once she heard Lin Yue agree, she became somewhat unruly again, quietly snorting a few times. Lin Yue simply couldn’t be bothered with her.

As for Xixi, she was truly upset. Even though Madam Xu had taught her to be cautious with her words, she couldn’t suppress her nature and couldn’t help but ask, "Madam, is she really your birth mother? What kind of mother behaves like this in the world?"

Lin Yue was indifferent, showing no hint of disappointment at Xixi’s words. After all, she wasn’t the true owner of this body. Who cared how worthless those foster parents were? She sneered and said, "Who knows? Maybe she picked me up somewhere, but it doesn’t matter. My attention to her is only for the sake of my brother. I just hope my brother’s illness isn’t as serious as it seems?"

Lin Yue heard Mrs. Lin speaking so gravely. Although she felt that Mrs. Lin’s words might not be entirely reliable, she was still very worried. Although Lin Youfu and Mrs. Lin were not good parents, Lin Qing was truly a good brother.

Lin Qing had also visited Zhao Erhu’s home a few times. Xixi had a quite favorable impression of Lin Qing and did not want Lin Yue to worry, so she comforted her, "Madam, please be at ease. Your uncle is a good man, and he will be blessed by the heavens and be safe. Moreover, Doctor Zheng is highly skilled in medicine. After he has attended to your uncle, he will surely be able to cure the illness."

"I hope so. I wish it won’t be some strange incurable disease. Otherwise, I might even suspect that Shanglin Village has bad Feng Shui, with everyone contracting strange diseases."

It’s no wonder Lin Yue thought so. What Zhao Yunxiang had contracted was indeed a strange illness. Although Doctor Zheng said it was poisoning, it was unclear what the poison was or when the poisoning occurred. This left a lot of room for speculation. Like Zhao Yunxiang, Lin Qing was also from Shanglin Village, and it was possible that he could be affected as well. Furthermore, Mrs. Lin had exaggerated the severity of Lin Qing’s condition a bit, claiming he couldn’t get out of bed and had poor spirits, which indeed seemed similar to Zhao Yunxiang’s initial symptoms.

Fortunately, after Doctor Zheng had felt Lin Qing’s pulse and examined him, he confirmed that Lin Qing merely had a cold, and not some strange disease. However, medicine was not advanced in those days. If a cold was not properly treated, it could potentially turn into a serious illness or even be fatal. Lin Qing’s condition was already starting to worsen.

"Mrs. Lin, your brother’s cold has worsened due to some delay and improper treatment. It’s fortunate that you called for me today. If it had continued like this, the condition could have become increasingly severe, even endangering his life. I will prescribe the medicine shortly; there’s still enough for one dose in the medicine chest. Have someone prepare it today and administer it to your brother. Tomorrow, I will bring the rest of the required doses when I return," said Doctor Zheng, who was planning to come to Shanglin Village the next day anyway, so there was no need for Lin Yue to send someone to get the medicine. He would bring it with him.

"Doctor Zheng, thank you. I understand. Is there anything else we should pay attention to?"

"Nothing else in particular. Eat light food, drink plenty of boiled water, and make sure your family takes good care of the patient. You must not be careless. Your brother’s condition is already severe. If it deteriorates further, even I cannot guarantee a cure," Doctor Zheng advised.

After seeing off Doctor Zheng, Lin Yue did not leave. She felt that her step-parents were unreliable and she couldn’t trust them, so she decided to stay and take care of Lin Qing herself. It wasn’t that she was afraid her step-parents would neglect Lin Qing; rather, there were some matters of common sense they did not understand.

Mrs. Lin, although unpleasant in her manner, did not object. Most importantly, Lin Yue was staying. If Lin Qing’s condition worsened, she could still call for a doctor to treat him, sparing them the expense. It wasn’t that they were reluctant to spend money on their son, but the family was truly impoverished and simply didn’t have the funds for medical expenses. Otherwise, Lin Youfu and Mrs. Lin would have called for Doctor Zheng sooner, rather than delaying until the condition had become serious.

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