Chapter 166 The Gentle Mother-in-Law
Dead silence.
An eerie silence.
Immediately following was an even more violent uproar than before!
"She's gone mad! I think she's really gone mad!"
The doctor was the first to jump up. He pointed at Atractylodes macrocephala, his hands trembling, and his white coat was shaking with anger.
"Our entire expert team is at a loss, and you, a mere young girl, are spouting off about 100% certainty? What do you think this is? Buying cabbage at the market?! This is an insult to medicine!"
"Lu Jingyan! Look at this! Look at the kind of woman you've chosen!"
Lu Zongren's old face turned a deep purplish-red, and he pounded the ground with his pear wood cane.
"She's trying to murder the old man in front of everyone! Are you still going to protect her? Where's your filial piety? Where's your conscience?!"
"Yes! We can't let her in!"
"Throw her out! She's a witch!"
The members of the Lu family's collateral branches were once again agitated. Their gazes were filled with venom and fire, as if they wished they could burn Bai Zhu to ashes on the spot.
Lu Jingyan was about to speak and use even tougher methods to suppress this group of so-called relatives.
Just as this commotion was about to spiral out of control, a gentle and calm voice, yet carrying an undeniable power, came clearly from the end of the corridor.
"Shut up, all of you." A cold voice abruptly silenced all the shouts and curses.
Everyone turned around in unison.
A middle-aged woman dressed in an elegant gray suit was walking briskly towards them.
She was around forty or fifty years old, with her hair neatly styled in a bun at the back of her head. She wore no jewelry, yet her elegance was undiminished.
Time seems to have been exceptionally kind to her, leaving few traces on her face, but adding a scholarly air and a wise insight into the world to her clear eyes.
She walked quickly, but there was no sign of panic in her steps. Instead, she exuded the composure and poise unique to university professors on the podium.
The visitor was none other than Lu Jingyan's mother, Meng Wan, a literature professor at Peking University.
"Mom!" When Lu Jingyan saw the person who came, his tense body finally relaxed a little.
"Professor Meng..." The doctor, who had been indignant before, softened his tone upon seeing Meng Wan and greeted her respectfully.
Meng Wan ignored the wailing and lamenting elders and collateral relatives who were about to complain to her, and she didn't even go to see her tottering son right away.
Her first step was to walk up to the attending physician, nod slightly, and ask calmly:
"Director Wang, thank you for your hard work. Could you please tell me the most detailed information about my father again?"
Her attitude was calm and rational, without any sign of the family's breakdown or emotional outburst. Instead, it was as if she were conducting a rigorous academic discussion.
Director Wang was taken aback for a moment, but was immediately impressed by her calmness. He composed himself and recounted the diagnosis and rescue process in more professional and detailed language.
Meng Wan listened quietly, nodding occasionally, without interrupting.
After listening, she bowed deeply to Director Wang and said, "Thank you and all the doctors. You have done your best."
This action moved Director Wang and the other doctors present, and their anger at being contradicted by an "outsider" vanished without a trace.
After doing all this, Meng Wan turned around and walked towards her son.
She reached out, not to pull him, but gently, with a soothing force, patted Lu Jingyan's muscular back, which was bulging from the effort.
"Jingyan, Mom is here."
A simple sentence caused Lu Jingyan's tall and upright body to tremble slightly.
Then, Meng Wan's gaze finally passed over her son's shoulder and landed on the young girl he was firmly protecting behind him.
Bai Shu was also looking at her.
Their eyes met.
In that instant, Bai Shu clearly sensed that this future mother-in-law was different from everyone else she had ever met.
In those eyes, there was no critical scrutiny of a mother-in-law looking at her daughter-in-law, no disdain of an elder for a younger generation, and no panic or blame in the face of disaster.
It was a pure, almost penetrating insight into people's hearts.
Meng Wan was looking at her.
Look at her, standing tall and straight like a pine tree even in the eye of the storm.
Look at her breathtakingly beautiful face, with a calmness and fortitude that belies her age, as if she had been weathered by endless hardships.
I also saw the ultimate trust between her and her son, a trust that required no words, just a glance or a gesture, enough for them to completely entrust their backs to each other.
Meng Wan's gaze lingered for a second on their tightly clasped hands.
Then, she gave Bai Shu a very faint, yet incredibly gentle smile.
"Child, your name is Bai Shu, isn't it?" Her voice was like a stream under the warm spring sun, making people unconsciously relax.
“Jingyan told me everything on the phone. Thank you for being there for him during his most difficult time.”
Not a single question was posed, not a single doubt was expressed.
The first thing he said was thank you.
Su Wantang's heart was gently touched by this sudden warmth. She could clearly tell that this was not just politeness, but genuine sincerity.
This woman possesses such a wise and powerful heart.
She maintained Bai Shu's demeanor, nodded politely, and said in a cool but respectful voice, "Hello, Aunt Meng."
"Yes," Meng Wan responded, her smile deepening.
She turned her head, her gaze returning to her son, her tone filled with complete trust and support.
“Jingyan, Mom trusts your judgment and the person you’ve chosen.”
These words were like a silent slap in the face to Lu Zongren and the others, leaving them looking at each other blankly, unsure of what to say next.
Meng Wan didn't give them a chance. She continued, "Since Bai Shu says she has a way, let her try. If anything happens, I, your father, and the entire Lu family will take care of it. Mom supports you."
What is a backbone? This is it!
What does it mean to have the demeanor of a matriarch? This is it!
With just a few words, she shifted all the responsibility from Lu Jingyan and Bai Shu to herself and the entire main branch of the Lu family, completely blocking any possibility of collateral branches trying to take advantage of the situation.
Lu Zongren opened his mouth, but under Meng Wan's calm and insightful gaze, he couldn't bring himself to say the words, "She will kill the old man."
Trying to reason with a university professor? Trying to explain rules to the matriarch of the Lu family?
He's not that senile yet.
“But, sister-in-law… this… this is against the rules…” Lu Wende still wanted to struggle a bit more.
Meng Wan glanced over indifferently and said only one sentence: "Fourth brother, now lives are at stake. Are rules more important than Father's life?"
Lu Wende fell silent instantly.
The entire corridor fell silent once again.
This time, the silence was one of genuine acceptance.
Looking at the elegant woman before her, Su Wantang felt a vague longing for the word "family" for the first time.
In her past life, she fought against death alone on her sickbed for ten years.
In this life, she thought she would still be fighting alone.
Unexpectedly, she found a man who would unconditionally trust and protect her.
Now, there's another one: a reasonable, wise, and capable future mother-in-law who can shield her from all criticism.
This feeling is unfamiliar, yet... not bad.
Meng Wan ignored everyone and walked to the closed door of the emergency room, reaching out to gently touch the cold iron door.
Her eyes finally welled up with tears.
But she didn't cry. She just took a deep breath, turned around, and instead of looking at her son, gazed intently at Bai Shu. In an almost entrusted tone, she whispered:
"Child, I'm entrusting my grandpa to you..."
There was no probing, no reservations in those eyes, only complete and unreserved trust.
At this moment, Bai Shu knew that she not only had to save Old Master Lu, but also could not fail this heavy entrustment from her two closest relatives.
She nodded emphatically.
"Don't worry."
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