Upon hearing this, Chen's expression changed instantly. She had thought that the Tang family was being unreasonable and wanted to break off the engagement at will, but she never expected it to be a sudden illness.
Miss Tang is so young. If something really happens to her, how heartbroken will Old Scholar Tang and his wife be?
"What illness does Miss Tang have? Why did you come in such a hurry?"
When the engagement was made some time ago, Chen saw the girl with her own eyes. She had fair and rosy skin and looked very healthy. Who would have thought that she would become so ill in such a short time?
We were just talking about getting married at the end of the year at the dinner table, what are we going to do now?
Granny Tang sighed and said, "We don't know what the ailment is. We've consulted several doctors, and they all say that Miss's illness came on suddenly. In just five or six days, her face turned so sallow that it's heartbreaking. My mistress has fainted from crying several times..."
Ms. Chen was alarmed upon hearing this, but she still accepted the invitation to annul the engagement. If something really happened to Miss Tang, she didn't want her son to be known as a jinx.
Kang Xiucai was also a little anxious. Although he had only met Miss Tang once and didn't have any deep feelings for her, he had been sick for many years and could empathize with her. So he felt particularly sorry for Miss Tang's plight and said to Chen Shi, "Mother, let's take some things and invite my sister-in-law to visit her tonight."
Once the engagement is broken off, he becomes an outsider and it's inconvenient for him to visit, otherwise it would ruin the girl's reputation.
Mrs. Chen thought her son made sense, so she said, "Okay, I'll go in a bit."
As soon as she finished speaking, Madam Chen suddenly remembered He Jiuniang, who was still eating at her house, and said to Granny Tang, "Granny, you should know that my Zhi'er has been sick for many years and was cured by Doctor He from Yuyuantang. Should we also ask Doctor He to come and take a look at Miss Tang's house?"
"Dr. He? Is it that female doctor?"
Tang Mama's eyes lit up, and Chen Shi nodded repeatedly.
Tang Mama said somewhat dejectedly, "My master also wanted to ask Doctor He to take a look at my young lady, but Doctor He went to the prefectural city and I heard that he is not seeing patients during this period. We were just planning to ask him again in a few days!"
Chen immediately said, "Isn't this a coincidence? Dr. He is having dinner at my house right now. If your family is willing, I'll go and ask Dr. He what he thinks!"
"Very well, thank you in advance, Madam Kang!"
Granny Tang twisted her handkerchief with excitement. It turned out that Doctor He hadn’t been seeing patients because he had returned. What a coincidence!
Chen responded, glanced at her son, and turned to find He Jiuniang.
She sincerely hoped that her son could get married as soon as possible, since he was not young anymore and would be laughed at if he did not get married soon.
If Dr. He can cure Miss Tang's illness, then there's no need to break off the engagement, and the wedding at the end of the year might still proceed as planned.
This is a good thing, but we should ask Doctor He's opinion first, as she knew she couldn't make the decision for He Jiu Niang.
Just as He Jiuniang finished eating and put down her chopsticks, Chen Shi came in, smiled apologetically, and said to Sun Shi, "Sister Lu, I'm so sorry for today. Miss Tang had some trouble, and I was thinking of going over to see her. I feel really bad for not being able to entertain you properly!"
Madam Sun immediately said, "It's nothing, it's nothing. You all go ahead and do what you need to do. We've all eaten, so we should head back now."
Mrs. Chen hurriedly explained, "No, no, no, don't rush off. Please stay a little longer at home. I'd like to ask Dr. He for a favor."
She continued, "Miss Tang has suddenly fallen seriously ill. They say they've consulted many doctors, but none of them can help. I'd like to ask Doctor He to take a look. I wonder if that's possible?"
She said this to He Jiuniang, seeking her opinion.
He Jiuniang, who had nothing else to do, said, "Okay, let's go take a look. We're quite full, so going for a walk is a good idea."
Lu Baichuan also stood up and said, "I'll go with you."
He Jiuniang refused without hesitation: "No need. Miss Tang is an unmarried girl after all. It wouldn't be good for you to go. You stay here with your children and parents and wait for me for a while. I'll be back soon."
Madam Sun nodded repeatedly: "Go ahead, go ahead, we'll wait for you to come back."
Chen thanked He Jiuniang and then personally led her out. Kang Xiucai thought about it and ultimately decided not to go with her, staying behind to entertain the guests.
The Tang family's school was not far from the Kang family's school. The Tang family also ran a school. They went to the Tang family's backyard with Granny Tang and the others. Granny Tang went to inform them first and then led them in.
"Dr. He, I'm so sorry tonight. I was just inviting you to dinner, but I still troubled you to make this trip. Granny Tang told me that they went to the prefectural city to look for you before, but were told that you were not seeing patients recently, so they couldn't find you."
Chen tried her best to explain, wanting to tell He Jiuniang that the Tang family really wanted her to help with the medical treatment, but they couldn't find anyone, and she didn't want He Jiuniang to overthink things.
"It doesn't matter."
He Jiuniang smiled. Actually, she didn't think there was anything wrong with it. Being invited to see a doctor just for having a meal meant that she was a good doctor with a great reputation.
Most importantly, she also wanted to calm down, as she felt quite guilty being with Lu Baichuan.
A moment later, Granny Tang came out, followed by a well-dressed woman. Madam Chen introduced her in a low voice, "That is Madam Tang."
He Jiuniang nodded to indicate that she understood. When the others came in front of her, before He Jiuniang could speak, Madam Tang and Madam Chen started talking together.
Madam Tang was not in good condition, but she still tried to smile when facing Madam Chen.
After exchanging pleasantries with Madam Chen, he turned to He Jiuniang and said, "This must be Doctor He, right? It's truly a pleasure to see you in person. Not only are your medical skills excellent, but you're also so beautiful!"
"Hello, Madam Tang."
He Jiuniang introduced herself to them briefly before they went inside together.
Madam Tang said to Madam Chen, "Sister Kang, it was truly not my intention to propose breaking off the engagement. My Xuan'er has become so thin these past few days, I really..."
As she was about to start crying again, He Jiuniang, fearing they would take too long, interrupted, "It's getting late, let's go see Miss Tang as soon as possible."
Chen felt a little embarrassed to have summoned He Jiu Niang so late at night, and not daring to waste too much time, she quickly asked Madam Tang to lead the way.
Madam Tang readily agreed and led Chen ahead.
The Tang family's academy was larger than the Kang family's because only Kang Xiucai lived there normally, while Chen and the others lived in the countryside and only came to stay for a few days occasionally, so they didn't need a large academy.
He Jiuniang only glanced at it briefly before looking away; seeing the doctor was the priority.
Meanwhile, Tang Xuan was resting in bed when she heard her maid rush in to report, "Miss, something terrible has happened! Madam Kang is here!"
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