Chapter 162: Illness Comes Like a Mountain
The old man of the Xu family had two major hobbies in his life. One was military strategy, and the other was irreplaceable, which was playing chess.
The old man who has been obsessed with chess for half his life has superb skills and is no match for ordinary people. Sang Zhixia, the shivering rookie who is holding the chess box, is even more unable to catch up with him.
To be fair, the old man favors Sang Zhixia, the eldest grandson's wife, even more than Xu Yu today, and the other younger ones cannot compare to him.
But when it came to the chessboard, the old man no longer treated her with the gentleness and kindness of the past. He was ruthless and merciless, like an autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves.
After being disciplined for a few days, Sang Zhixia became as wilted as an eggplant hit by frost. There was a lingering melancholy on his forehead, with the words "afraid of losing" clearly written on them. He caused a lot of jokes at home, and even tried his best to burrow into the ground, hoping to avoid the old man's terrible edge.
But she couldn't hide for long.
The old man's illness has worsened.
The old man's dull cough was heard from the room. Xu Yu, Xu Mingyang and others were waiting inside.
Sang Zhixia personally saw the doctor out, and her brows furrowed as she listened to the doctor's repetitive speeches.
"Doctor, my old man used to be in very good health. As you said, he just caught a cold. How could he be so sick that he can't even get up?"
The doctor was probably used to hearing this kind of talk, so he waved his hand and said calmly, "Illness comes like a mountain falling, and goes like a thread being pulled out. The old man is getting worse day by day. How can he be as good as he used to be?"
"It's okay, just take good care of it."
Sang Zhixia forced a smile and nodded in response. Turning around, she saw the medicine stove on the specially built small stove emitting white smoke, and her heart sank.
The old man has been ill in bed for more than ten days.
Unlike the minor coughs before, his energy and spirit seemed to be getting worse day by day. Yesterday, he even coughed up a mouthful of blood and fainted.
As the old man's condition worsened, Xu Yu and Uncle Xu invited more than ten doctors to treat him. Even Xu Minghui in the county town took the time to invite a famous doctor home.
But the doctor who came to the house could not tell me anything. He just said it was a cold and told me to rest.
Can a wind chill be that serious?
How come I'm getting sicker even though I've been taking all these old medicines continuously?
Sang Zhixia felt inexplicably flustered. She rubbed the hem of her clothes in a distracted manner, and tried to look relaxed as she walked into the main room.
The old man's illness seems to be very serious. After finishing the work outside these days, the younger generations in the family have been guarding his bedside day and night.
The eye sockets of several little ones were also red.
Sang Zhixia pretended not to see it, walked over and calmly squeezed Xu Yu's hand, then pulled a stool to sit beside the bed. She looked at the old man with a smile and said, "Grandfather, didn't you say that the stewed Sichuan Fritillary Pear you had that day was very satisfying? How about I stew another one for you today?"
The old man had been ill for a long time and his eyes were filled with an ominous gray. When he heard what Sang Zhixia said, he pulled the corners of his mouth and forced a smile.
"You are a handy child, and you are good at everything you do."
Sang Zhixia quickly blinked away the tears in her eyes and deliberately tried to please the old man: "Grandfather is always good at teasing me."
"You're just saying everything I cook is good, but why didn't you eat the licorice and bitter melon stew I made for you a few days ago?"
Xu Mingxu didn't understand the reason for the lingering sadness in the old man's eyes. He lay on the bed, grasping the old man's rapidly withering fingers, and said naively but honestly, "Because bitter melon is bitter!"
"Grandfather doesn't like to suffer!"
Xu Jinxi, who was a little older, also curled her lips and said, "It tastes bitter!"
"Jinxi won't eat it, and Grandfather won't eat it either!"
Sang Zhixia nudged Xu Yu with her arm and raised an eyebrow, "If no one wants to eat, then you will eat?"
"If you don't eat it, then all my efforts are in vain, right?"
Xu Yu also disliked bitter melon.
But he still smiled cooperatively, with an inexplicable gentleness between his eyebrows: "Okay, I'll eat it."
Seeing that his face, which had been gloomy for many days, finally had a hint of a smile on it, Sang Zhixia breathed a sigh of relief without making a sound.
The old man is not only the pillar and backbone of the Xu family, he is also an elder whom Xu Yu respects and loves very much.
When Xu Yu was less than two years old, he was taken away by his grandfather to be raised personally.
He had very few opportunities to see his father, and was raised by the old man, holding him in his lap.
Among so many children in the Xu family, Xu Yu has the deepest relationship with the old man.
If there is any mistake in the old man's illness, then...
Sang Zhixia took a deep breath and didn't dare to think about it anymore. She made a few more jokes before rolling up her sleeves and going out.
Just as the steamer with Sichuan Fritillary Pears on the stove started to boil, the half-closed door was pushed open.
Xu Minghui walked in, exhausted, followed by an unfamiliar doctor.
When he entered the house and smelled the strong smell of medicine in the yard, his brows furrowed. Without even taking a breath, he said, "Sister-in-law, is Grandfather's illness getting better?"
Sang Zhixia subconsciously wanted to cover it up, but thinking of Xu Minghui's anxious look at doctors one after another recently, the words turned around and she lowered her voice and said softly, "I've seen a lot of doctors these past two days and I've taken a lot of medicine, but it hasn't been very effective. Your eldest brother and the others are staying with me in there."
After she finished speaking, Xu Minghui's eyes quickly dimmed.
Sang Zhixia subconsciously glanced behind him and raised her eyebrows subtly: "Is Second Uncle busy?"
Ever since the old man became seriously ill and bedridden, Uncle Xu has sent several letters to the city.
This is Xu Minghui's sixth time returning home.
Uncle Xu never came once.
Xu Minghui lowered his eyes, concealing the coldness in his eyes. He calmed his breath before saying, "The boss only has two accountants. If I leave, the other one won't be able to leave."
"Sister-in-law, please go ahead and do your work. I'll ask the doctor to come in and take a look at Grandpa."
Sang Zhixia nodded: "Go ahead."
Half an hour later, the doctor left a similar prescription and was sent out of the Xu family's gate. The old man was exhausted and fell asleep.
Xu Yu gently tucked in a corner of the quilt and walked out of the main room side by side with Xu Minghui.
Xu Minghui pursed his lips tightly and said, "This won't work."
The doctors said comforting words, but they could see with their own eyes how serious the patient's condition was.
The old man's current condition doesn't seem to be harmless.
Xu Yu had endured many days of toil, and a small dark spot appeared under his eyes. He leaned against a pillar, closed his eyes, and said, "It's not working."
"I've already found someone. If we act quickly, they should be here within ten days."
"Ten days?"
Xu Minghui glanced tensely towards the main hall and said in a low voice, "Grandfather, can you wait ten days like this?!"
"How about I take you to the street and rob a doctor who can treat you?!"
The two brothers stared at each other with red eyes, and their faces, which were about 40% similar, were filled with anger that they dared not express to others.
The old man is sick, and they are more anxious than anyone else.
Xu Minghui knew he had lost his composure. He clenched his fists and took a deep breath. He turned in a circle like a trapped animal and said through gritted teeth, "I know someone who might be able to do it. I'll go ask him for help."
Xu Yu narrowed his eyes: "Who?"
"Chen Nianhe."
Xu Yu raised his eyebrows.
Xu Minghui took a deep breath and said, "I heard in the county that Chen Nianhe arrived at the Northwest Camp three days ago, and he was accompanied by the imperial physician."
They tried to invite all the doctors they could, from the county clinic, the town pharmacy, and even the famous village doctors in the nearby villages, but it didn't help much.
Unwilling to believe that the old man's illness was indeed beyond repair, the only thing they could think of was that the doctors' medical skills were poor.
The imperial physician is different.
He is a genius from the palace, and his medical skills are naturally better than those of the country doctors. If the imperial physician can be invited back, the situation may be able to be turned around.
However, Chen Nianhe, who was accompanying the imperial physician, had a grudge against the Xu family.
This grudge is also related to Xu Yu.
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