Chu Chu hurried over, "Mr. Gu!"
Gu He Nian frowned slightly and spoke unhurriedly, "Fortunately, he has the will to fight and has been holding on, otherwise even a deity couldn't save him... I'll have someone deliver the medicine shortly. You must make sure he drinks it all and give him plenty of water. Don't let him eat anything for now. If he can survive these two or three days, the fever breaks, and he can eat again, then he'll be fine..."
Grandpa Chu was taken aback, "So he's saved?"
"I never said that! Whether he lives or not depends on himself." Gu He Nian added gravely, "There's one thing you must be extra careful about—his meridians are damaged. When his organs and meridians circulate at night, the pain will be excruciating. But you must not give him any medicine during those moments. He has to endure it, otherwise further disrupting his meridian flow will truly cost him his life."
Chu Chu nodded repeatedly, "I'll remember!"
Whatever method Gu He Nian had used on Xiao Jin Yu, although he still lay quietly, there was now a faint hint of vitality in his face, and his breathing had become more even and steady.
Chu Chu caressed his face, crying and smiling at the same time. She would have the chance to marry him while he was still alive—how wonderful, how truly wonderful...
In less than half an hour, guards delivered several packages of medicine. Xiao Jin Yu remained unconscious and couldn't be roused, but he could barely swallow with great difficulty. They could only feed him little by little. Worried that the cooled medicine might hurt his stomach, Chu Chu decocted one dose first and slowly fed it to him while Grandma Chu prepared another dose. They kept switching to warm bowls until a full dose had been administered—by the time one medicinal formula was completely fed, they had already decocted four portions.
That night, Xiao Jin Yu was awakened by the pain in his organs. His body trembled uncontrollably as cold sweat poured from him, and faint, unconscious moans escaped his throat. He kept murmling Chu Chu's name incoherently. Chu Chu held him, kissed him, and gently patted his body until the next morning when Xiao Jin Yu finally exhausted himself and fell asleep.
The high fever persisted for three days, and this scene repeated itself for three days. In just these three days, Xiao Jin Yu had become gaunt beyond recognition. On the rare occasions he opened his eyes, they lacked any spark of life, and though he tried to move his lips, no sound came out. Yet whenever he opened his eyes, he would inevitably search for Chu Chu. Once he found her, his gaze would linger on her, following her wherever she moved. If Chu Chu stepped out briefly, he would stare fixedly at the doorway until she returned, then his eyes would cling to her again until she embraced him once more, when he would drift back into unconsciousness.
During these three days, Gu He Nian visited once daily, saying little but changing the medicinal formula each time. On the fourth day, Gu He Nian examined Xiao Jin Yu carefully with a deep frown before letting out a long sigh. "Just make him whatever he wants to eat..."
The Chu family being in the funeral business, Chu Chu had heard such words many times before. Hearing them now from Gu He Nian's lips, her heart turned cold instantly. Her knees weakened and she suddenly knelt before Gu He Nian, looking up at him with tears streaming down her cheeks. "But... but his fever has broken! Please don't give up on him... Try again... try again! He can endure it, I know he can! If I've been caring for him wrong, just tell me! I'll change, I promise I'll change!"Before Gu He Nian could speak, Chu He, who had followed him into the room, pulled Chu Chu to her feet and glared angrily at Gu He Nian. "Chu girl, we don't need to beg this wandering quack doctor! Our Chu family members are tough as nails. I can tell he has a lucky face—even if you stuffed him into a coffin, he'd crawl right back out!"
Gu He Nian stamped his foot in fury, his beard bristling as he glared at Chu He. "Who said anything about stuffing him into a coffin? Who said that! I said he's pulled through and can eat now! After starving him for so many days, shouldn't we make him whatever he wants to eat? What's with all this impatience! You little brat... Who are you calling a quack doctor?"
Chu He hastily bowed and scraped, "Me, me... I'm the quack doctor... I am, I am..."
Grandpa Chu, Grandma Chu, and Chu Chu's father all came in upon hearing the commotion. Gu He Nian grabbed his medicine chest and made to leave, but Chu Chu's father quickly said, "Doctor, you haven't taken your payment yet... Just tell us how much we owe you."
Gu He Nian glanced at the bed. "When he recovers, have him settle the bill with me himself..."
"Where is your clinic? I'll tell him when he wakes up."
"Just tell him it's Old Man Gu—he'll know where to find me."
After Gu He Nian left, Grandpa Chu approached the bedside and skeptically felt Xiao Jin Yu's pulse. Finally, he muttered, "This kid's really tough—he truly takes after our Chu family..."
Chu He scratched his head, looking at Xiao Jin Yu sleeping peacefully. "Now that you mention it... If that Young Master Wu hadn't escaped from Doctor Qin and been found by Lord Jing, who rescued him in time, who knows what state Doctor Qin would have reduced him to... That Young Master Wu was so thin he looked like a skeleton, couldn't even move, had to be carried into court to file his complaint, and gasped for breath after every few words—so pitiful..."
Having been completely preoccupied with Xiao Jin Yu's condition these past few days, Chu Chu only now had the mind to ask how he had ended up like this. "Why was Doctor Qin tormenting him?"
"According to Young Master Wu's testimony in court, Doctor Qin wanted to become a miracle healer, so he captured living people to test his needles and medicines on. Those hundred-plus people all died from his experiments..." Chu He frowned. "I heard that by the time Lord Jing arrived, Doctor Qin was already dead in the cellar. Before they could bring the body out for examination, someone accidentally set fire to the cellar while lighting candles... The body and the cellar both burned up..." Chu He looked at Xiao Jin Yu again. "But seeing how badly he was tortured, what Young Master Wu said must be true."
"None of that matters now..." Grandma Chu gently interrupted Chu He, pulling Chu Chu into her arms. Noticing the exhaustion on her face, she patted the back of her head. "Chu girl, tomorrow is the ninth already... In his condition... what about the wedding?"
☆、61 Four Happiness Meatballs (XX)
Chu Chu answered without hesitation, "Tomorrow, as planned!"
She didn't want to wait a single day longer. If she could marry him right now, she would gladly bow in the wedding ceremony immediately.
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