Have You Written Your Will Today?
Chapter 121 Awakening

Chapter 121: Chapter 121 Awakening

Pear garden.

"Madam hasn’t awakened yet? The room is breezy, and the smell of alcohol has dissipated; I’ve fed her the hangover tea several times already."

Yicui fretfully moved in and out.

Finally, there was a stir from the inner room. She rushed in swiftly and lifted the canopy curtain.

The woman on the couch had her eyes half-opened at some point, staring blankly at the top of the canopy.

The bell made of jade had a delicate and well-measured glossiness. With a slight sway in the breeze, it sounded crisply.

This...

The girl’s eyes gleamed for a moment as she slowly turned her head, her gaze landing on Yicui who had her hair combed into twin flat buns.

She’s back?

Shen Hua sincerely sighed with relief, her lips just forming a smile, about to say something, when suddenly a heart-wrenching, bone-aching pain surged throughout her body.

The girl’s face turned as pale as paper in an instant, and cold sweat beaded her forehead.

By the time Yicui noticed something was wrong, she was already clutching her abdomen, curled up. A sickly sweet taste rose up her throat, and dark blood flowed down from her mouth corners.

Her eyes closed, and she fainted.

"Madam!"

Yicui’s mind went blank, overwhelmed by terror; her whole body shook, and she tried to move forward but instead ran out tumbling and crawling.

"You, girl, are usually so composed, how..." Nanny Cheng said with a smile teasingly.

Her voice dwindled to a murmur and finally disappeared between her lips; Yicui’s expression made her heart skip a beat.

Before she could even ask, she heard Yicui screaming heart-wrenchingly.

"Go find Doctor Ni!"

The pear garden fell into eerie silence.

Cheng Gui and Ningzhu exchanged glances, both dashing outside.

They split into two groups, one headed to the Marquis Yangling Mansion, the other to the nearest medical hall, clearly worried about the difficulty of gaining entry and finding people at Marquis Yangling Mansion.

The weather was cold, yet there were quite a few people on the streets.

A carriage slowly stopped outside Marquis Yangling Mansion, servants brought a step stool, Nanny Fang lifted the carriage curtain, and Cui Xuan was helped out of the carriage.

She smiled lightly: "The Peony Pavilion performance today was really good, especially the young actor’s Kunqu opera, it truly touched the heart."

Nanny Fang: "This is a new opera troupe in Shengjing, I heard they became quite famous in Hui Province. Madam, if you really liked it, perhaps we could invite them to perform at the mansion."

Cui Xuan genuinely considered it.

Dowager Cui dislikes going out but loved opera in her younger days; inviting them would be worthwhile to bring a smile to her mother-in-law.

As they were talking, her gaze narrowed slightly as she observed Cheng Gui, who was stopped outside the mansion, utterly at a loss.

Cui Xuan moved up the steps.

Approaching, she asked, "What’s the matter?"

The guard put down his spear, not daring to look directly at Cui Xuan, slightly bent over in a respectful gesture.

"Madam, this person claims he’s looking for Doctor Ni but has no token of any sort."

There have been hundreds, if not thousands, seeking Doctor Ni; just by his word, how could we trust him?

If we permitted this, wouldn’t the Marquis Mansion be thrown into chaos? What’s more, the Buhuo matter hasn’t been thoroughly settled yet. We must be cautious.

As a guard, he naturally followed the rules and stopped the man.

"When I didn’t let him through, he then mentioned seeking the Marquis. He also said their lady was acquainted with the Marquis."

But Cheng Gui isn’t a servant from a noble family, nor does he belong to any prominent household. The Marquis is famously indifferent to women—how could he be acquainted with a common girl?

It was clearly a string of lies.

The security at Marquis Yangling Mansion was tight; Cheng Gui, a sizable man, was stopped outside, his eyes turning red.

"I am telling the truth," he said.

He was also clever, suddenly kneeling down in front of the dignified Cui Xuan: "Doctor Ni has been diagnosing my lady for days, if Madam distrusts, a simple inquiry would clarify. My lady’s condition is really bad, and I truly have no other options. Please, Madam."

Cui Xuan was uncertain whether to believe him or not; she looked back at Nanny Fang who whispered a few instructions to a servant behind her.

The servant, given the orders, quickly ran inside.

Ni Kang soon came running out, carrying a medicine box; perhaps in haste, his clothing was somewhat disheveled.

Shen Hua’s condition, he is well aware, yet this only makes him all the more anxious.

Ni Kang paid his respects to Cui Xuan and then turned to Cheng Gui: "What are you dazed for, hurry up and go!"

Watching the two hurriedly leave, Cui Xuan didn’t pay much attention. She didn’t bother the guard, but said gently.

"Next time something like this happens, whether it’s true or false, it wouldn’t hurt to run once."

The guard was ashamed.

He didn’t expect that he really knew her!

Cui Xuan didn’t say anything more, but as she stepped over the threshold, she sighed unconsciously: "Ni Kang is indeed not getting any younger; it’s about time for him to marry. Seeing his urgency, one can tell. But I wonder which family’s girl it is."

The guard, feeling uneasy, bowed his head, thinking she was asking him.

"Madam, I heard it clearly; it is the pear garden."

Cui Xuan was silent, her expression grew solemn.

She turned to look at Nanny Fang, her words coming out almost incredulously.

"The pear garden?"

Nanny Fang too was quite surprised.

She whispered: "That belongs to the Second Young Master."

It was the least conspicuous of Cui Yun’s properties, yet also one that Cui Xuan and others knew about.

Cui Xuan remembered clearly, back when Cui Yun encountered trouble, fearing for her worries, he specially purchased that secluded and suitable pear garden for recuperation.

He stayed there for a full half year, bringing only Ying Yi and accompanied by Sanqing Taoist, even Ji Qing was not there to serve him.

Ever since Cui Yun moved in, the pear garden had been quiet day and night. Ying Yi, skilled in Qinggong, delivered meals three times a day without leaving any trace, making sure no one in the alley noticed someone was living in the pear garden.

Cui Xuan’s eyelids twitched.

She turned to look down the street, but Cheng Gui and Ni Kang were no longer in sight.

————

"I’ve been practicing medicine for many years, yet my abilities are limited; perhaps you should consult another doctor?" This was said by the doctor Ningzhu had brought.

By saying so, the doctor was dampening his own reputation. But he truly felt powerless.

Yicui stayed by Shen Hua’s side, her fingers continuously trembling as she intermittently checked her breath, repeatedly looking outside.

Eventually, Ni Kang arrived.

Ni Kang alighted from the carriage and strode in.

"My wife drank alcohol last night and has been intoxicated since. She woke up at noon in unbearable abdominal pain and then vomited blood."

Yicui had already cleaned up the bloodstains around Shen Hua’s mouth, and the girl lay there exceptionally fragile, as if she would break upon touch.

Yicui presented the stained black handkerchief.

Shen Hua’s pulse was still the same, and after Ni Kang looked at the handkerchief, his expression finally changed.

He took out a silver needle and pricked Shen Hua’s fingertip.

The silver needle did not change color; the bead of blood was bright and dazzling.

Ni Kang: ...Great, it’s another symptom that will keep him up all night reviewing medical texts.

His medical skills have been in constant doubt ever since he met Shen Hua.

Ni Kang couldn’t diagnose anything.

He was at a loss. He could only prescribe a medicine to nourish the body.

And 15 minutes later, everyone anxiously watched as the girl’s eyelashes trembled slightly.

The moment Shen Hua opened her eyes, she met several pairs of eyes.

Ni Kang: "Do you feel unwell anywhere?"

Shen Hua was well aware that her condition was abnormal. She glanced at Ni Kang.

"No."

"It troubled Doctor Ni to make this trip again."

Ni Kang: "It’s no trouble."

He felt a pang in his heart.