Chapter 307 Begging on My Knees Through the Long Night
Qiao Lingling sat in the living room, the letter in her hand already soaked with sweat.
She stared at that sentence for a long time, her mind completely blank.
How is that possible?
No one saw her steal the prescription. Old Master Chen was in the inner room with the old lady at the time, and Su Wantang didn't notice her either.
But the letter clearly stated that her father's illness relapsed because he ate seafood.
Qiao Lingling's hands were shaking violently.
She remembered that the night before last, her father said he wanted to eat some seafood, so she went and bought two pounds of shrimp. After her father ate it, he started coughing that night, and it got worse the next day.
She thought the medicine wasn't strong enough, so she increased the dosage.
But now it seems that it wasn't the medicine that was the problem; it was she who harmed her father.
Qiao Lingling sat on the sofa, tears streaming down her face.
There was a rapid knocking at the door.
She wiped away her tears, stood up, and went to open the door.
Her husband, Zhang Jianguo, stood outside the door, his face frighteningly pale.
"Lingling, something's happened to Dad!"
Qiao Lingling's heart skipped a beat.
"What's wrong?"
Zhang Jianguo was panting heavily.
"Dad just threw up all over the place and he's passed out. You need to come to the hospital with me right now!"
Qiao Lingling's mind went blank.
She grabbed her coat and ran outside with Zhang Jianguo.
......
The hospital corridor smelled strongly of disinfectant.
Qiao Lingling sat on the bench, her hands tightly gripping the hem of her clothes.
Zhang Jianguo paced back and forth beside him, his face full of anxiety.
The emergency room door opened, and the doctor came out, taking off his mask.
"The patient's condition is very bad right now. We can't find the specific cause of the illness, so we can only keep him on IV fluids for now."
Zhang Jianguo rushed forward.
"Doctor, what's wrong with my dad?"
The doctor shook his head.
"Judging from the symptoms, it seems like food poisoning, but it's not quite the case. You'd better think about what unusual things he might have eaten recently."
Qiao Lingling turned pale upon hearing this.
She knew the reason.
It's that prescription.
She is the one who ruined her father.
The doctor left after speaking, leaving the two of them standing in the corridor.
Zhang Jianguo turned his head and looked at Qiao Lingling.
"Lingling, do you know anything?"
Qiao Lingling bit her lip, not daring to speak.
Zhang Jianguo walked over and grabbed her shoulder.
"Speak up! Dad is lying inside, his life hanging in the balance. If you know anything, tell me now!"
Qiao Lingling felt dizzy from his shaking, and tears fell again.
“I…I used a prescription for Dad, which I got from Old Chen.”
Zhang Jianguo was stunned for a moment.
"What prescription?"
Qiao Lingling said, crying.
"It's a prescription for conditioning the body. I saw that it worked well for Grandma Chen, so... I secretly copied it."
Zhang Jianguo released his grip and took a step back.
"Are you crazy? That's someone else's prescription, how can you just use it like that?"
Qiao Lingling cried even harder.
"I was only trying to do what was best for Dad, who knew something like this would happen..."
Zhang Jianguo took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.
"It's no use talking about this now. You should go find Old Chen and ask him what the problem is with that prescription."
Qiao Lingling wiped away her tears and nodded.
She ran out of the hospital, flagged down a car, and headed straight for the Chen family's house.
The lights were still on in the Chen family's courtyard.
Qiao Lingling knocked on the door for a long time before the guard finally came out to open it.
"Mrs. Qiao, is there anything I can help you with so late?"
Qiao Lingling didn't bother with formalities and rushed inside.
"Is Old Chen here? I need to speak with him urgently!"
The guards couldn't stop them and could only follow behind.
Old Chen was sitting in the living room drinking tea when he saw Qiao Lingling rush in, and his brows furrowed.
"It's so late, is there something you need?"
Qiao Lingling knelt on the ground and cried as she spoke.
"Old Chen, please, please save my father!"
Old Chen put down his teacup and looked at her.
What happened to your father?
Qiao Lingling cried so hard she could barely breathe.
“I…I took the prescription you gave to Grandma Chen and used it on my father, but he is now unconscious and the doctors can’t find the cause of his illness…”
After hearing this, Old Chen's face darkened.
"You said you took the prescription I gave to the old woman?"
Qiao Lingling nodded.
"Yes...it was my fault. I shouldn't have stolen the recipe, but I did it for my father's own good..."
Old Chen gave a cold laugh.
"Do you know that prescription was specially written for the old woman by Madam Lu? Everyone's constitution is different. If you use it casually and something goes wrong, who will you blame?"
Qiao Lingling cried even harder.
"Mr. Chen, I know I was wrong, please save my father..."
Old Chen stood up, put his hands behind his back, and took a few steps.
"I can't save them."
Qiao Lingling raised her head, her eyes filled with despair.
"Old Chen..."
Old Chen turned around and looked at her.
"That prescription was written by Madam Lu. If you want to save your father, go find her."
Qiao Lingling was startled.
Go find Su Wantang?
But after how she treated them, would they save her father?
Old Chen looked at her, his voice as cold as ice.
"Mrs. Qiao, let me give you a piece of advice: you should have a bottom line. When you stole the recipe, did you ever think that this day would come?"
Qiao Lingling knelt on the ground, unable to speak.
Old Chen waved his hand.
"Guard, see the guest out."
The guard came over and helped Qiao Lingling up.
"Mrs. Qiao, please."
Qiao Lingling was pushed out the door and stood in the yard, her mind a complete mess.
She remembered the words in that letter.
"Is the prescription your father took taken with seafood?"
That "Bai Zhu" already knew she had stolen the recipe and also knew her father had eaten seafood.
All of this is a trap.
Qiao Lingling stood in the darkness, trembling all over.
She now only has one path to take.
Go find Su Wantang.
He knelt down and begged her to save his life.
Late at night, the Lu family's courtyard was quiet.
Qiao Lingling stood outside the door, looking at the tightly closed door, her hands clenched into fists.
She took a deep breath, stepped forward, and knocked on the door forcefully.
No one answered.
She knocked a few more times, but still no one answered.
Qiao Lingling gritted her teeth and knelt at the door.
"Madam Lu, please open the door!"
Her voice carried far through the night.
The lights in the yard came on.
Lu Jingyan pushed open the window and saw Qiao Lingling kneeling at the door. His brows furrowed.
"Wantang, Qiao Lingling is kneeling at the door."
Su Wantang was sitting on the bed reading a book when she heard this, so she put the book down.
"She's finally here."
Lu Jingyan walked over and sat down on the edge of the bed.
Do you want to see her?
Su Wantang shook her head.
No rush.
She stood up, walked to the window, and looked at Qiao Lingling kneeling at the door.
"Make her kneel."
Lu Jingyan frowned.
"Wantang, you're pregnant, don't be angry."
Su Wantang turned her head and looked at him.
"I'm not angry."
She paused, then continued.
“I just wanted to see how far she would go for her father.”
Lu Jingyan stood up and pulled her into his arms.
"Then you should go to sleep early and ignore her."
Su Wantang leaned against him and closed her eyes.
"Um."
Outside the door, Qiao Lingling was kneeling on the ground, her forehead already bleeding from kowtowing.
Her voice grew louder and louder.
"Madam Lu, please, please save my father!"
"I know I was wrong, please open the door!"
Her cries startled the entire compound.
The neighbors turned on their lights and opened their windows to look outside.
Who's crying?
"It seems to be Qiao Lingling."
"What is she doing kneeling at the Lu family's door?"
"I don't know, I guess he's asking someone for a favor."
The discussion grew louder and louder.
Meng Wan and Lu Zhenguo were also awakened.
Meng Wan walked out wearing a coat and saw Qiao Lingling kneeling at the door. Her face turned ashen.
What's going on?
Lu Zhenguo walked over, glanced at it, and snorted coldly.
"Serves you right."
Meng Wan turned her head and looked at him.
"Old Lu, what do you know?"
Lu Zhenguo recounted how Qiao Lingling stole the prescription.
Meng Wan's face turned even uglier after hearing this.
How could she do this?
Lu Zhenguo sneered.
"Human greed is like a snake trying to swallow an elephant; now that things have gone wrong, they know to come begging for help."
Meng Wan sighed.
"What did Wan Tang say?"
Lu Zhenguo shook his head.
"Wan Tang didn't say anything, probably because she wanted to leave her hanging."
Meng Wan thought for a moment and nodded.
"That's good, let's teach her a lesson."
Outside the door, Qiao Lingling's legs went numb from kneeling.
Blood was streaming down her forehead, and tears mixed with the blood dripped down her face.
"Madam Lu, please open the door..."
Her voice was hoarse.
The neighbors looked at her; some felt sorry for her, while others watched coldly.
"Poor Qiao Lingling, kneeling like this for her father."
"What's so pitiful about her? She did something wrong, and now she knows to beg for help?"
"Exactly. She was so enthusiastic about going to the Lu family before, who knows what she was up to?"
"I heard she stole someone else's prescription and harmed her own father."
"Serves you right!"
The murmurs grew louder and louder, and Qiao Lingling could hear them clearly.
She knelt on the ground, trembling all over.
She knew that she had become the laughingstock of the entire compound.
But she couldn't care less about any of that.
She only wanted to save her father.
Time passed by, and the sky gradually brightened.
Qiao Lingling knelt all night, and her body was already stiff.
Her forehead was still bleeding, and her eyes were swollen like walnuts.
The door to the Lu family's house finally opened.
Su Wantang walked out wearing an overcoat, stood at the door, and looked down at Qiao Lingling kneeling on the ground.
Her eyes were cold, devoid of any warmth.
Qiao Lingling looked up, saw Su Wantang, and a glimmer of hope flashed in her eyes.
"Mrs. Lu..."
Su Wantang didn't speak, she just looked at her quietly.
Qiao Lingling said, crying.
"Madam Lu, please save my father... I know I was wrong. I shouldn't have stolen the prescription, I shouldn't have gotten close to the Lu family... Please, save my father..."
After hearing this, Su Wantang smiled faintly.
"I can save your father."
Qiao Lingling's eyes lit up.
"Really?"
Su Wantang nodded.
"However, you can't afford my consultation fee."
Qiao Lingling was stunned for a moment.
"Mrs. Lu, whatever amount of money you want, I'll give it to you!"
Su Wantang shook her head.
"I don't want money."
She paused, then continued.
"I want you to publicly apologize to me and the Lu family for what you did before."
Qiao Lingling was startled.
Su Wantang looked at her, her voice as cold as ice.
"Then tell me, who instructed you to approach the Lu family and find out my prescription?"
Qiao Lingling's face was whiter than snow.
She didn't expect that Su Wantang even knew that she had someone behind her.
She knelt on the ground and began to struggle violently.
On one side is her critically ill father, and on the other is the mastermind behind the scenes whom she cannot afford to offend.
What should she choose?
Su Wantang looked at her without urging her.
She simply stood there quietly, waiting for Qiao Lingling's answer.
The neighbors also gathered around, watching the scene unfold.
"Does Qiao Lingling have someone backing her?"
Who is it?
"I don't know, I guess they want to find out the Lu family's secrets."
"This woman is too cunning."
The discussion grew louder and louder.
Qiao Lingling knelt on the ground, trembling all over.
She looked up at Su Wantang.
"Madam Lu, I..."
Su Wantang interrupted her.
"I'll give you one night to consider. If I don't receive a satisfactory answer before dawn, then you should start preparing for your father's funeral."
After saying that, she turned and went back into the house.
The door was slammed shut, cutting off all of Qiao Lingling's hopes.
Qiao Lingling knelt on the ground, tears streaming down her face.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com