Chapter 56 Panic of Illness
The Jin family has been in turmoil these past two days, with one accident after another causing chaos throughout the entire household.
Firstly, the real princess returned to the mansion, causing an uproar. The foolish princess who had served them for sixteen years turned out to be a fake princess. The real princess returned and took up residence in the Jin mansion openly, interfering in the operations of the Jin mansion.
The first thing Huangfu Feng did was to meet with Steward Mingjing and take care of the affairs of the manor. She questioned Mingjing about everything he handled, both openly and subtly, until Mingjing was sweating profusely.
It stirred up some waves, but didn't delve any deeper, stopping short of going too far, instead entrusting Mingjing with more extensive and practical matters. Whether it was a good thing or a bad thing, the dark circles under Mingjing's eyes never disappeared again.
Secondly, after spending one night in the palace, Master Jin fell seriously ill upon returning home, suffering from a persistent high fever and unable to get out of bed. He required constant care, needing someone to attend to him day and night. During his illness, he wanted to see Jin Shiyu, but the young master refused to see him, nearly causing Master Jin to faint.
That's not actually the case.
This is the third point: Jin Shiyu also fell ill. He seemed to have caught a chill and wouldn't leave the house. Not only did he not go out, but he wouldn't let anyone who brought him food into the house, leaving it at the door; and he wouldn't even let anyone who brought him medicine into the courtyard, telling them to get out.
Therefore, she refused to see him, saying she was afraid of passing on her illness to her scumbag father.
From this perspective, Kim Si-ok is actually the one who causes the least trouble in the family.
Jin Suiqing, who moved into the side courtyard early, became a marginal figure in the Jin family. She achieved her life goals ahead of schedule, sweeping the house and drawing pictures every day, secretly making some strange little gadgets, and remotely learning about the layout of the mines in Jiangnan Road to prepare for the construction of the factory.
Jin Suiqing, an idle member of the Jin family, heard that Jin Guizhong and Jin Shiyu were ill. After hesitating for a moment, he went to see Jin Guizhong first.
Because of her identity, she couldn't enter the house, let alone see anyone. Jin Suiqing wasn't annoyed and went straight to Jin Shiyu's courtyard. It just so happened to be lunchtime, and Jin Suiqing was in high spirits. She took the opportunity to sneak into the kitchen, grab a couple of dishes, and bring Jin Shiyu's medicine and a special meal for the sick as a gift.
Jin Suiqing knocked on the door, and someone inside said, "Put the food at the door."
Jin Suiqing remained silent, fanning the aroma of the medicine into the room. Jin Shiyu, with her keen sense of smell, immediately shouted, "Get out of here, you medicine delivery person!"
"Get out!" Jin Suiqing said in a high-pitched voice, repeating it in an affected manner, "The medicine delivery person, get out!"
Almost instantly, the door opened.
I thought Jin Shiyu would be disheveled, unkempt, and listless, but to my surprise, apart from being a little pale, he looked no different from usual.
She looked like she had been ill, but not seriously. Her face was as white as jade, but the illness added a touch of fragility and vulnerability, making her even more beautiful and charming.
Jin Suiqing picked up the food box and medicine box, beaming with pride, and said smugly, "Then I'll get lost?"
Jin Shiyu frowned, took a half step back, and covered her mouth and nose. "Why are you here?"
Jin Suiqing leaned against the door like a thug and said, "Come to your place for dinner. Didn't I say we'd eat together next time?"
Kim Shi-ok was taken aback.
That statement was actually the truth; it wasn't something she made up to deceive him.
However, Jin Shiyu was conflicted. He wanted to let Jin Suiqing in and have dinner with her, but he was also afraid that if he passed on his illness to her while he was still recovering from his cold, she would feel uncomfortable.
Hesitantly, Jin Suiqing said softly, "Jin Shiyu, come and lend a hand. I can't carry these two food boxes anymore."
Upon encountering Jin Suiqing, Jin Shiyu's body, acting on instinct, always moved faster than his mind. He immediately reached out to take the food boxes from her hands. However, Jin Suiqing was not polite at all. She threw both food boxes into his hands, one on each side. Taking advantage of his occupied hands, she pushed open the door and slipped into the house.
Looking around and seeing that there was nothing inappropriate, Jin Suiqing calmly sat down at the table and took the initiative, saying, "What are you standing there for? Sit down, drink your medicine and eat."
Jin Shiyu almost laughed out of exasperation, "Did I let you in?"
Jin Suiqing glared and puffed out his beard, "So you're leaving now?"
Jin Shiyu decisively closed the door. As he put down the food box, Jin Suiqing watched his back with a smug look. "Little brat, throwing a tantrum like a child. Watch me get you."
She turned around and cheerfully tidied the table, opened the food box, and took out the food and medicine.
Jin Shiyu took another step back, leaned against the roof beam, crossed his arms, and said coldly, "I will not eat with you."
"Who said I was going to eat with you?" Jin Suiqing feigned shock, waving her hand to show him the dishes on the table: light porridge with fresh stir-fried vegetables, braised pork with chili and honey sauce, all arranged clearly in a distinct way. She said, "I'm eating at the same table with you, not sharing a bowl of rice. We're eating separately, so you won't catch my illness. Eat while it's hot; you'll have the energy to recover if you're full."
Jin Shiyu felt a surge of warmth in his heart.
Having known each other for sixteen years, he never knew that Jin Suiqing was such a considerate person.
Then he thought again that from childhood to adulthood, Jin Suiqing had always been able to precisely step on his bottom line and get closer step by step, so that before he even had time to feel disgust, she would rush into his arms.
Only then did he realize that, although it seemed that he was the one who raised Jin Suiqing, it was actually Jin Suiqing who was shaping him.
Step by step, she molded him into someone who couldn't live without her.
After hesitating for a moment, Jin Shiyu sat down opposite Jin Suiqing.
Just as he picked up his bowl to drink the porridge, Jin Suiqing put down her chopsticks and stopped him, saying, "Hey, I asked the doctor, and this medicine is nourishing; you have to drink it before meals."
Jin Shiyu's face, which had just begun to warm up, immediately fell, and he said coldly, "I won't drink."
Sick people are like children. Jin Suiqing knows how to handle people with ease, so she rolled her eyes at him and said, "Fine, I won't drink then."
Jin Shiyu was taken aback again. Seeing that Jin Suiqing was completely unburdened and continued to eat heartily without even glancing at him, he couldn't help but feel secretly annoyed.
In the past, when Jin Suiqing was sick, he would watch her take her medicine. Although he couldn't say anything to comfort her, he would find her candied fruit and sweets so that she could eat the candy after taking the medicine. But when it was his turn to take his medicine, she didn't even try to comfort him.
Jin Suiqing was halfway through her meal when she noticed the person opposite her wasn't eating. She asked, "Not going to take your medicine? You're not even planning to eat?"
Jin Shiyu hesitated for a long time, picked up his chopsticks but didn't use them, his eyes kept glancing at the bowl of medicine beside him, and occasionally glancing at Jin Suiqing.
After waiting a while, seeing that she still didn't speak, Jin Shiyu silently put down his chopsticks, picked up the medicine and drank it all in one gulp.
Jin Suiqing nodded in satisfaction, "Did you finish drinking it? Was it bitter?"
"It's bitter," Kim Shi-ok shook his head. "Not that bitter."
Despite his stubbornness, Jin Suiqing secretly rejoiced, quietly taking out a sweet plum from her sleeve, standing up, stepping over the table, and stuffing it into his mouth. "Good boy, eat your food."
The sweet and sour taste of plums in his mouth dispelled the bitterness, and the sweet and sour flavor spread. Jin Shiyu was stimulated by the bitterness, and his tightly furrowed brows relaxed. He stared blankly at Jin Suiqing opposite him.
Jin Suiqing: "It was prepared in advance, so it's not bitter anymore. Come and eat."
Jin Shiyu lowered his upper eyelids, his thick eyelashes casting shadows that obscured the glint in his eyes as he slowly put a plum in his mouth, crunching the pit with a clear sound.
He chewed on it for a long time, then licked it with the tip of his tongue for a moment before spitting out the plum pit and picking up his chopsticks to eat.
Jin Suiqing knew he was used to eating and sleeping in silence, so she quietly buried her head in her food, showing off her cool demeanor throughout the meal. Jin Shiyu would occasionally look up at her, wondering if she hadn't eaten so quickly before. Perhaps since moving to the side courtyard, the servants weren't bringing her food properly, and she'd been hungry these past few days?
Recalling her childhood, when she lived with her mother in a secluded courtyard and their food, clothing, and daily necessities were indeed not very good, she couldn't help but feel a pang of heartache when she looked at Jin Suiqing.
He was too sick to serve her food, and was about to say a few words of concern, assuring her that it was fine for her to come and freeload at his place, when Jin Suiqing stood up before he could even open his mouth.
Jin Suiqing touched her mouth and said, "I'm full. I'll pack up my dishes and take them with me. You can have the servants clean up yours."
Jin Shiyu opened his mouth, but couldn't say anything for a long time. After Jin Suiqing had finished packing, he finally managed to stammer out, "Just... leave like that?"
"I just came here to eat, and incidentally to watch you take your medicine. Of course I have to leave after I finish eating. Thank you for the treat..."
Jin Shiyu gazed at her, his eyes still cold, but Jin Suiqing could discern something in them. She carefully observed and guessed that perhaps he didn't want her to leave? Jin Suiqing raised an eyebrow. "Then shall I sit a little longer?"
Jin Shiyu's expression remained calm, but his eyes lit up, and he nodded, "Whatever you say."
"You're so stubborn," Jin Suiqing said, sitting down again and watching him eat, resting her chin on her hand.
Kim Shi-ok eats in a very graceful manner. Except for the step of picking up food and putting it in his mouth, he doesn't open his mouth to chew. He even swallows very quietly, eating as quietly as possible, and he hides the sound of his chopsticks hitting the porcelain wall as much as possible.
Jin Shiyu used to make her eat like this too. After sixteen years of suppressed rebellion, Jin Suiqing burst out with a mischievous smile, resting her chin on her hand. "The weather hasn't been cold lately, Brother Shiyu, how did you catch a cold?"
She had hoped to tempt him to break his vows and force him to talk to her during meals from now on, but Jin Shiyu glanced at her, swallowed the food in his mouth, and said indifferently, "I caught a cold that day when you took away the blanket."
Realizing he was in the wrong, Jin Suiqing chose to keep quiet.
After a long while, Jin Suiqing realized something was wrong. He must have spare bedding, so how could he have caught a cold because she took the blanket?
Jin Suiqing made a move to ask a question, but as if they were of one mind, Jin Shiyu also looked up at her, his eyes full of warning.
Sixteen years of suppression had not yet dissipated, so Jin Suiqing shut his mouth. When he wanted to speak again, there was no longer a suitable opportunity.
Kim Shi-ok lowered his eyes and ate quietly, but his mind was in turmoil.
He was indeed sick that day, but it wasn't entirely because of that blanket.
He hadn't slept all night, and the cold had seeped into his body, making him feel feverish. He thought it was just his mood, so he took a cold shower.
The suppression was short-lived; the fever rebounded extremely fiercely, like an overwhelming tidal wave, burning out all the coldness that had entered the body from the previous twenty-two years due to cold water.
He was burning up so badly that he was oblivious to the world around him. In his delirium, he felt as if he were carrying a bundle of burning firewood through the freezing cold, and in his daze, he felt that the firewood was him. His body was clearly burning painfully, yet he was curled up on his side on the bed, shivering uncontrollably from the cold.
By the time he regained consciousness, it was already evening of the next day.
After a day of suffering, Jin Shiyu was nearly killed by the fire. As he lay on his back on the bed and looked at the bed curtains, he felt as if he had survived a catastrophe.
A serious illness also cleared up the pent-up frustration in his heart.
He got up, his clothes still damp with sweat, and lit the crocus lamp by his bedside. The orange-yellow flame reflected in his amber eyes, like jewels gleaming in gold, incredibly beautiful.
This lamp, made of gold and green, was extremely crude. He had used it for several years without replacing it. The gold base was unstable, and the flame was about to fall.
He stared at the blazing lantern flames for a moment, and Jin Shiyu thought, "If it's not my sister, that's fine too."
As long as she is Jin Suiqing, that's fine.
He longed for Jin Suiqing to wait for him a little longer, until he recovered, so he could pursue her like any other young man. He hoped she would reciprocate his feelings, and if she was willing, he would propose to her.
Jin Shiyu craved warmth and didn't want to care about anything else; he just wanted to live a good life with Jin Suiqing.
I hope Jin Suiqing can give him this opportunity.
Thinking this, Jin Shiyu also felt that the dining table was too quiet. Just as he was about to say something intimate, Jin Suiqing stood up, picked up the packed food box, and was about to leave.
Jin Shiyu's heart skipped a beat, filled with lingering fear. She laid bare her vulnerability and told the truth, "I haven't finished eating yet, where are we going?"
Jin Suiqing said, "I came to see Brother Yu on the way here. I have plans for this afternoon."
"What arrangements?"
Jin Suiqing was somewhat displeased by his detailed questions, but out of consideration for the patient, she patiently replied, "The princess wishes to have a chat with me this afternoon, and will likely bring a friend along."
Jin Shiyu pressed further, "Friend? Hers?"
Jin Suiqing pondered for a moment and replied, "They should be considered our mutual friends."
Upon hearing this, Jin Shiyu became even more alarmed.
When exactly did Jin Suiqing become close to Huangfu Feng?
After their identities are reversed, they agree to meet again and even discover they have mutual friends.
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