However, in the end, the old lady still didn't say anything, as if she really just wanted to see her granddaughter before she died.
Zhu Jiayu wasn't in a hurry. She believed that even if the old lady didn't say it now, she would eventually. She could wait.
Now, the one thing she has in abundance is time.
After Zhu Jiayu left, the smile on Old Madam Qiu's face, who was lying on the bed, quickly faded. She looked in the direction her granddaughter had left and sighed, "This child really doesn't resemble her mother at all."
Her daughter was spoiled by her family from a young age and was always indecisive. The most outrageous and daring thing she did was to disobey her parents' orders and have an affair with Zhu Congjian without a matchmaker, and marry him far away to Suiping.
However, Zhu Jiayu was quite the opposite. She was resilient and tactful. Her actions and words, though seemingly shocking or even unconventional, were always within a reasonable measure upon closer examination.
She was such a clever woman, and in all the time she had been in Heling, she had not left anyone with any grounds to attack her.
"Such a mindset and approach are quite suitable for that place." She smiled slightly and turned to the old woman, "Go and invite Doctor Lin over."
The old woman frowned: "Madam..."
With difficulty, Madam Qiu raised her hand to stop her from continuing, and said calmly, "My mind is made up, so don't try to persuade me anymore. Rather than using medicine to keep this broken body afloat for a year or two, I'd rather use that potent medicine and use my last bit of strength to secure a better future for the Qiu family. Besides, you've seen it for yourself... she is indeed the right person."
She was indeed at her limit; she had only said a few words and was already exhausted.
If she hadn't met Zhu Jiayu, and had simply lived for another year or two before passing away, she wouldn't have had anything to say. But now that there was still a glimmer of hope, how could she turn a blind eye and give up?
"Go ahead. We were master and servant, you don't want me to die without peace of mind, do you?" she said after calming down for a long time.
Upon hearing this, the old woman suppressed her sorrow, curtsied, and withdrew, turning and leaving the mansion to go to Doctor Lin's clinic.
Dr. Lin was seeing patients at the clinic. After he finished seeing the last patient, the old woman came up to him and told him about her mistress's condition.
After the old lady fell ill, it was Dr. Lin who prescribed medicine to help her recover. If she had been kept alive with herbal medicine, she could have lived for another year or two, though she would probably have spent more time in a coma than conscious. But if she had been given strong medicine, she would only have two or three months left, but she would have been able to speak and act normally, unlike now, when she is weak, sleepy, and mentally foggy all day.
But the old lady had never mentioned this matter before, and Doctor Lin even thought she had forgotten about it. But unexpectedly, her maid came today and asked him for that potent medicine.
Doctors are compassionate, and this was a friend of over ten years, so Dr. Lin couldn't help but ask the old lady why she had suddenly made up her mind.
The old woman shook her head: "The old lady has always had her own ideas."
After speaking, she fell silent, unwilling to discuss the matter further, and only said, "After the medicine is prepared, please come with me to the mansion. The old lady wishes to see you."
Dr. Lin stroked his beard and said, "That's natural."
Old Madam Qiu had been waiting for Doctor Lin, but she seemed preoccupied with something on her mind. Unlike usual, she wasn't conscious for long before becoming very tired. So when Doctor Lin and the nanny rushed back, she was still leaning against the headboard, her eyes clear, and she hadn't fallen asleep.
"The old lady seems to be in good spirits today," Doctor Lin said with a smile.
Madam Qiu smiled slightly and said, "We've known each other for over a decade, so there's no need for such formalities. I know my condition, and so do you. Let's not say anything nice. I invited you here, sir, because there's something I'd like to ask you."
"Please speak freely, Madam," Doctor Lin said solemnly, looking at her.
"What if the potent medicine you mentioned earlier is discontinued after use? Or what if a milder tonic is used instead?"
The old lady spoke slowly, each word trailing off with a long, drawn-out tone. However, Dr. Lin and the nanny beside her did not find it annoying; instead, they felt a sense of sorrow.
Many people in Heling City still remember how decisive and swift the old lady was after the passing of the old patriarch of the Qiu family. She not only dealt with the Qiu family uncles who wanted to seize the family property, but also raised her sons by herself, treating them equally regardless of whether they were legitimate or illegitimate, which led to the current situation where the Qiu family has three sons supporting the family.
Doctor Lin and the old lady's maid who had been by her side since the capital were naturally among them.
But such a remarkable person is now so old that he has difficulty speaking. How can this not make people sad?
Such is the nature of sorrowful events in the world; you can only watch them flow away like water, ceaselessly, day and night, knowing full well that human effort cannot save them, and can only remain a bystander.
Putting aside his chaotic thoughts, Doctor Lin answered the old lady with difficulty: "It's not that bad. Although this potent medicine can make you no different from an ordinary person for a short time, it is actually a violent drug that robs you of your life force. Once you start taking it, it will cause permanent damage to your body."
"Even if we stop the medication or switch to a gentle, nourishing formula, it won't help. That's why I came today to discuss this with you, Madam. Please consider this carefully!"
"Enough! Enough! Enough!" The old lady sighed heavily. "It must be my fate, sir, please administer the medicine."
She closed her eyes, unwilling to listen to their advice any longer. She began to recall the past, remembering her father saying she was strong-willed and always worried that she would suffer because she wouldn't be willing to suffer losses; remembering when she was young, she went with her mother to burn incense at a Buddhist temple outside Yujing, where a young novice monk told her that how one's old age is is all the result of the karma of one's youth…
Her father's worries were justified. If she hadn't been so strong-willed and unwilling to admit defeat, she wouldn't have been living in this cramped place with her son for so many decades. Now that I think about it, perhaps the little monk was right. Her current situation might be the retribution for all the scheming she's done in her life.
But it doesn't matter anymore.
She didn't have many years left to live anyway, so her reputation and what happened after her death were no longer important. What mattered was how she could pave a bright future for her children and grandchildren right now...
As she pondered, she drifted off to sleep without realizing it. Doctor Lin had already gone to instruct the maids at Songhe Pavilion on how to prepare the medicine. After the nanny covered her with a light brocade quilt, she quietly withdrew.
The outside world is unaware of what happened at Songhexuan. Zhu Jiayu would never have imagined that she would become a crucial piece on her grandmother's chessboard before she even knew it.
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