Grandpa Chu walked in holding a small jar and immediately tapped Chu Chu’s calf with his cane. “Scream! Do you even know what illness he has?”
“He…” Chu Chu stared at Xiao Jin Yu, who was lying on the bed in so much pain that he was barely conscious, and stammered.
All she knew was that he had rheumatism, a weak stomach, and a fear of darkness and filth—though the fear of filth could hardly be considered an illness…
While Chu Chu was lost in thought, Grandpa Chu had already approached the bedside with the jar. He removed the lid, and the room instantly filled with the strong, mingled scent of alcohol and medicine. Forcing Xiao Jin Yu’s mouth open, Grandpa Chu poured the dark brown liquid from the jar down his throat. After nearly half the jar had been emptied, Xiao Jin Yu suddenly leaned over the edge of the bed and began to vomit. Chu He quickly handed him a spittoon.
At first, Xiao Jin Yu vomited only stomach contents, but then he suddenly coughed up a mouthful of dark, reddish-black blood. Only then did Grandpa Chu set the jar aside and check his pulse. “Good… he’s pulled through.”
“Then… what illness does he have?”
Grandpa Chu turned and glared at Chu Chu. “Why don’t you ask him what illness he has?”
Chu Chu shrank back. Grandpa Chu looked at her sternly and asked, “Chu girl, what exactly does this man do for a living?”
Chu Chu retreated into Grandma Chu’s embrace. “He… he’s a big merchant from the capital. He sells tea…”
Grandpa Chu thumped his cane heavily on the ground. “You’ve learned to lie after just one trip out! A tea merchant… where would a tea merchant catch such a severe case of cadaveric poison?”
Seeing Chu Chu’s eyes widen in shock, Grandma Chu grew anxious and patted her shoulder. “Chu girl, how come you don’t even know what illness he has? Hurry up and tell us, what does this young man really do?”
“Chu Chu didn’t lie… It was I who concealed the truth…”
The family’s attention had been fixed on Chu Chu, but at the sound of a faint voice from the bed, they all turned to look.
Xiao Jin Yu had regained consciousness. Though he was still in pain, it was noticeably less intense. With great effort, he propped himself up, and Chu He supported him, helping him sit up against the headboard.
“Thank you…”
Xiao Jin Yu looked calmly at Chu Chu, who was still frozen in Grandma Chu’s arms. Summoning his strength, he spoke weakly but clearly, “I do indeed deal in tea, but that’s not all I do… I also hold an official position in the capital, as an investigator. I concealed this earlier for the sake of convenience and hope you can forgive me.”
Chu He’s eyes widened as he stared at the man who could barely sit upright. “You… you’re an official from the capital?”
Xiao Jin Yu nodded slightly.
“Then… what rank are you?”
“I hold no specific rank… but I have jurisdiction over any case.”
Chu He’s eyes nearly popped out of his head. “Then… you must be even higher than Zheng County Magistrate!”
Xiao Jin Yu nodded. “A little higher…”
Chu Chu’s father looked cautiously at this official who didn’t look the part at all. “Did you contract this cadaveric poison while investigating a case?”
“Yes… it’s been three years now. During one investigation, I was careless and got locked in a broken coffin with a decaying corpse… I was trapped for three days before being rescued. Later, I realized I had contracted cadaveric poison, and I haven’t been able to stay in dark places since…” Xiao Jin Yu gave a faint, bitter smile as he looked at Chu Chu. “I was afraid she would despise me, so I didn’t dare tell her.”Chu Chu grew anxious, breaking free from Grandma Chu's embrace and rushing to the bedside, where she threw herself into Xiao Jin Yu's arms and burst into tears. "I don't mind you! Not at all!"
Under the collective gaze of the Chu family, Xiao Jin Yu's face flushed slightly as he reluctantly raised a hand to gently pat Chu Chu's back. "Thank you..."
Suddenly, Chu Chu released Xiao Jin Yu, turned to grab Grandpa Chu's arm, and lifted her tear-streaked face, pleading in a choked voice, "Grandpa, please save him... He's a good person! A truly good person! I promise!"
Grandpa Chu's expression remained stern as he studied Xiao Jin Yu's pale but composed face for a moment. Waving his hand with a sigh, he walked to the table and laid out brush and ink. While writing, he said, "I'll write a prescription. You and your grandmother go get the medicine from Doctor Qin... Cadaveric poison is a sinister thing. Few people get infected, and most doctors don't know how to treat it... If your great-grandfather hadn't been infected before, I wouldn't have a clue either... He's been suffering for three years now—it's reached his bones. It won't be cured quickly; he'll need gradual recovery..."
Chu Chu wiped her tears, took the prescription from Grandpa Chu, and ran back to hug Xiao Jin Yu again. "You'll definitely get better."
Xiao Jin Yu gave a faint smile and nodded. Watching Chu Chu and Grandma Chu leave the room, he bowed his head toward Grandpa Chu and said sincerely, "Thank you, Grandpa..."
But before he could raise his head, the three men of the Chu family knelt before him in unison.
Countless people knelt to him daily, yet never had such a gesture made him so uneasy. Startled, Xiao Jin Yu urgently said, "Please rise... I dare not accept this..."
Not only did the three not rise, but Chu Chu's father even kowtowed. "You're the high official investigating cases—sooner or later, you'll find out... We'd rather confess first!"
Xiao Jin Yu froze. Chu He quickly added, "If we confess ourselves, it counts as turning ourselves in, so the punishment won't be severe, right?"
Almost involuntarily, Xiao Jin Yu shook his head. The logic was sound, but he had no idea what they were referring to.
What serious crime could such a family possibly have committed?
Grandpa Chu looked up at Xiao Jin Yu. "When you said you wanted to marry Chu girl, you were actually here to investigate her origins, weren't you?"
Xiao Jin Yu's heart sank abruptly, his expression shifting slightly.
Grandpa Chu sighed. "I knew it... Even the poorest families in the village look down on us Coroners Family. Why would a high official from the capital come to this small place to propose marriage?... If Chu girl had anywhere else to go, we wouldn't want to hold her back her whole life... Such a wonderful girl, just because she's from a Coroners Family, gets scorned for this and that—no family is willing to marry her..."
Xiao Jin Yu furrowed his brow, his voice trembling faintly. "Who exactly is Chu Chu..."
Chu He gritted his teeth. "My father found her in a coffin."
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