Chapter 177 Standard

"Enough!" Jiang Ran frowned slightly and shouted sharply, "The old man is still unconscious. What kind of behavior is this, making such a racket here!"

Si Yanxiao was taken aback by Jiang Ran's sudden assertiveness. He wanted to retort, but couldn't find anything wrong with her words. Then his eyes turned cold.

Si Jiliang also composed himself, lowered his eyes slightly, and remained silent.

A moment of silence fell over the room. Jiang Ran watched the two of them arguing back and forth, and a wave of irritation rose in her heart.

Does she owe the Si family something?

Not only do we have to treat the old man's illness, but we also have to deal with their household affairs.

Just as the stalemate was at its end, Si Jiliang glanced at Jiang Ran and saw his displeasure, so he took the initiative to back down: "I just came to check on his condition. I'm relieved to know that he's alright for the time being."

As he spoke, he paused slightly, looked up at Jiang Ran, and then continued, "If you encounter any troublesome situations and need help, you can come to me."

"Mm," Jiang Ran replied casually.

Si Jiliang smiled slightly, then gave Si Yanxiao a meaningful look before turning and leaving.

Watching his retreating figure, a cold glint flashed in Si Yanxiao's eyes. His face showed disdain, and he scoffed, "Do I need his help? What a joke!"

Having said that, he ignored Jiang Ran's expression and walked towards the room.

Jiang Ran sensed the sarcasm in his words, pursed her lips slightly, but did not utter a word in rebuttal.

After all, he and Si Jiliang disliked each other, and there was no need for her to provoke him at this time and cause him unnecessary unhappiness.

After taking a few steps, Si Yanxiao paused slightly, turned to look at her, and a strange light flashed in his eyes: "Are you and him very close? He came to see you as soon as he returned to the country."

Jiang Ran's eyes flashed, she rubbed her forehead, and said helplessly, "He came to visit the old man, you're overthinking it."

"Is that so?" Upon hearing this, a dark glint flashed in Si Yanxiao's eyes, his face filled with mockery, and he coldly rebuked, "Don't forget your place! If I hear any rumors..."

Before he could finish speaking, he turned and left.

As Jiang Ran listened to his warning and watched his figure disappear around the corner of the stairs, her brow furrowed, and a hint of disdain welled up in her heart.

What is that?!

Why meddle in other people's business when you clearly want to distance yourself from them?

Why didn't he consider whether his ambiguous relationship with Bai Zhuwei was appropriate? And now he's blaming himself?

This is a classic case of "the magistrate is allowed to set fires while the common people are forbidden to light lamps!"

Jiang Ran was indignant, but considering other factors, she had to suppress her displeasure.

As time went by, even she, not knowing the location of the lesion, could only temporarily stabilize his condition, not cure it completely, and could only try one medicine at a time.

Moreover, the treatment requires a wide variety of herbs, some of which are very precious and difficult to find, further increasing the difficulty of the treatment.

Because they were worried about the old man, Si Zuochen and Si Youlin would come over to help him after school and on their days off.

Even when the illness relapsed, he had to stay by Jiang Ran's side all night without taking off his clothes, assisting her.

Jiang Ran looked down at Si Zuochen and Si Youlin helping the old man wipe his body, a hint of relief flashing in her eyes.

When Si Yanxiao pushed open the door and entered, he saw such a harmonious scene. His eyes flashed and a warm feeling rose in his heart.

Si Zuochen and Si Youlin turned around and greeted each other before continuing what they were doing. Si Yanxiao reached out and took the handkerchiefs from their hands, and continued what they had been doing.

She said softly, "This kind of thing can be left to the servants. You just need to whisper in Grandpa's ear."

Upon hearing this, Si Zuochen's eyes darkened, and he explained in a low voice, "We just wanted to do what we could..."

Seeing this, Jiang Ran spoke up, "The things they do can soothe the anxiety in our hearts. Don't underestimate them because of their young age; we've often been grateful for their help."

Si Yanxiao felt a surge of displeasure as he listened to the two of them talking back and forth. They were making it seem like he was the outsider.

His gaze sharpened instantly, and he changed the subject, turning to Jiang Ran and asking coldly, "Any progress lately?"

Jiang Ran keenly sensed a hint of hostility emanating from him, slowly shook her head, and replied, "The cure for him is still under development, and there has been no progress yet."

"So we're just going to keep dragging this on like this?" A cold glint flashed in Si Yanxiao's eyes, and his expression towards Jiang Ran was full of displeasure.

Jiang Ran was surprised that he suddenly turned his attention to her. Her eyes narrowed, and she was about to retort when Si Zuochen spoke up first.

“Daddy, you’ve misunderstood. She’s been working day and night on the illness and doesn’t mean to delay.”

Si Youlin quickly chimed in, and Si Yanxiao, seeing that both of them believed her and had clearly taken sides, lowered his eyes slightly but did not utter a word of rebuttal.

Only after wiping her body did she speak, "Go downstairs and get some talcum powder."

The old man had been lying in bed, and in order to prevent pressure sores and skin breakdown, in addition to turning him over regularly, it was also necessary to ensure that his body was dry.

Having taken such good care of him for so long, Si Zuochen and Si Youlin naturally knew the benefits of talcum powder, and readily agreed before heading towards the door.

Jiang Ran realized that he had deliberately sent the two away. Before she could ask, Si Yanxiao's eyes turned cold. He looked up at her seriously and sneered, "You're quite capable, managing to fool them completely."

Hearing the sarcasm in his words, Jiang Ran instantly understood, raised an eyebrow slightly, and a cold glint flashed across her face: "Liar? Do you think they don't even have a standard for judging good and evil?"

He paused slightly, a hint of disdain playing on his lips, before speaking again in a cold voice, "Even now, your hostility towards me is still so obvious. I volunteered to treat the old man; do you think I made a mistake in treating him?"

"What? Do you want to take him back to the hospital for continued conservative treatment?"

As Jiang Ran spoke, her brows furrowed tightly, and her tone grew increasingly cold. It seemed that no one would be willing to take on such a task if it weren't for the old man's previous kindness to her.

And they keep threatening me?

joke!

Si Yanxiao's eyes turned cold as he listened to her words, and he said sarcastically, "So what? It's still much better than living in fear here with you!"

Her words were full of doubt, and Jiang Ran frowned, about to lash out, when Si Zuochen and Si Youlin happened to push the door open and enter. They could vaguely sense that the atmosphere between the two was a bit off, and there was a tense atmosphere between them.

Si Zuochen raised an eyebrow, looked at Jiang Ran, and asked directly, "Did you two have a fight?"

To avoid arousing their suspicion, Jiang Ran quickly shook her head and denied it, saying, "No, it's just that we have some disagreements about the treatment plan."

Hearing his explanation, Si Zuochen looked at them suspiciously. After his gaze lingered on the two of them for a moment, he slowly responded, though it was unclear whether he believed him or not.

Si Yanxiao stayed in the room for a while, then walked out on his own.

Although he and Jiang Ran had been arguing endlessly, he hadn't lost his temper. He had only said some angry words earlier. Jiang Ran was right. Compared to conservative treatment in the hospital, it was better to let her try it. It couldn't possibly lead to a worse outcome.

Si Yanxiao also vaguely sensed that this matter was strange, and given that it occurred very close to the time when Si Zuochen and the others encountered danger, it was clear that something was definitely amiss.

Thinking of this, Si Yanxiao's eyes sharpened, and a sinister look flashed across his face. He then walked to the back garden and, sure enough, saw him standing by the pond, looking down at the fish and casually scattering fish food.

Si Yanxiao walked slowly to his side and said softly, "I knew you would be here."

The butler smiled slightly and replied softly, "These fish are the most precious things to the old master when he's awake..."

Si Yanxiao knew that he was also filled with many thoughts. The two had been companions since they were young, and had gone through thick and thin together for so many years. On the surface, he was a butler, but in private, they were very close friends.

She then pursed her lips slightly and slowly replied, "Don't worry, things will get better."

His face was full of determination as he spoke, but then his eyes flashed as he remembered the purpose of his visit. He quickly said in a deep voice, "By the way, there is something I need you to investigate in secret."

Upon hearing this, the butler's face flashed with surprise, and he quickly asked, "What?"

As Si Yanxiao spoke, a ruthless glint appeared in his eyes.