Old madam gasped for a while and looked at Lin shi’s expression.
“What, you are unwilling to accept the facts?”
“This daughter-in-law doesn’t dare…,” Although, she said that she didn’t dare but she was truly unwilling to accept the facts!
Old madam raised her voice and called, “Servants! Servants!”
Lin shi didn’t know why she called the servants. She panicked a bit. After maid Zisu came in, she heard old madam say, “Go! Find your second madam to borrow two account books. One from the household and one from the business.”
Zisu complied, turned and left.
Lin shi asked panicked, “What does old madam want to do?”
Old madam ignored her. She closed her eyes. When Zisu returned with the two account books, she opened her eyes and said, “Hand them to madam and let her read aloud!”
Read aloud…
Lin shi’s face paled. Moreover, it was in front of the maid, she felt very ashamed. She said with lowered head, “Old madam knows that I don’t know much letters…”
Old madam sneered, “Right! You don’t know much words, but you know how to count numbers, right? Read aloud!”
Lin shi felt helpless. She could only pick up the account book and read aloud as she stammered and missed some words.
After she read about ten lines, old madam said, “Stop!”
Lin shi sighed from relief and used the handkerchief to wipe the sweat from her forehead.
Old madam didn’t look at her and said, “From what you have read, how much did you receive and how much did you spend?”
“This…this…,” Lin shi couldn’t answer. “Isn’t old madam making it difficult for this daughter-in-law? You have to let me calculate slowly…”
Old madam humphed once and said, “Alright! I won’t urge you. Calculate slowly!”
Lin shi felt incessant grievances in her heart, but it wasn’t good for her to disobey. She could only begin to calculate with a sullen face. After a while, she reported a number.
Old madam didn’t even lift her eyelids, “Wrong!”
Lin shi’s expression stiffened and calculated again.
“Wrong again!”
She continued to calculate.
“Still wrong!”
After calculating for five times until Lin shi’s face was so red and she was unable to raise her head did she hear old madam ridicule here, “Truly not easy. You finally got it right!”
There was a thin layer of sweat on Lin shi’s forehead. She threw that account book on the table in a haste.
When old madam saw her like this, she sneered, “You don’t understand even the simplest account book and it took you so long to calculate a few sums. You still want to take care of the business with such capabilities?”
Lin shi couldn’t take down her face and muttered, “There is the bookkeeper…”
Old madam scorned endlessly, “You have to have the ability to see whether the accounts are correct to be able to let the bookkeeper do the work. Being like you, do you want to hire a bookkeeper to scam you of money?”
Lin shi was very ashamed and felt unable to show her face.
“Give up!” Old madam spoke sarcastically. “You can only count how much money you have in your purse or put on the façade of the mistress of the household to fool people. As soon as you open your mouth, you will be exposed. Inside, you are just a straw bag. Moreover, it was one who had begun to rot after being in the same place for too long!”
These words were very vicious. Even Zisu felt embarrassed hearing that, not to mention Lin shi. She cried from being taunted sarcastically.
Having talked for such a long time, old madam was already exhausted. When she heard Lin shi cry, she felt even more annoyed and directly drove her out, “Unable to accomplish anything but liable to spoil everything! Get out! In the future, obediently put on your façade and eat your meals. Take decisions of your own and don’t get involved in things that you can’t do at all!”
Lin shi went out as she cried. Old madam felt even more irritable. She felt cold. She let Zisu close the window and said that she was thirsty and wanted to drink tea. After tossing from side to side, she still felt uncomfortable. She called Zisu again to help her get up and lie on her side.
When Zisu went to help her, she felt very warm when she touched old madam’s body. It was burning the hand. She jumped from a fright and looked at old madam who was lying on her side. She (OM) was in a state of delirium and wanted to sleep. She (Z) quietly walked out and called someone to go call the doctor.
When the doctor arrived, old madam went into coma because of the burning fever. Even after they fed her two bowls of medicine, the temperature didn’t reduce. This made the doctor angry that he scolded, “Didn’t I say that she shouldn’t tax her body and have to rest?”
The maids looked at each other and couldn’t answer.
Gu Xihe was very anxious and asked, “Would something happen if old madam continues to be in a coma like this?”
The doctor glared at him, “What do you think?”
Gu Xihe was stumped for words.
That doctor flamboyantly wrote a prescription. Then, he put away the brush and said, “Go buy the herbs for this medication and take it three times. If it doesn’t work, then, find another better doctor!”
After he finished, he left. Chen shi anxiously ordered people to go pay the consultation fee and let them find another doctor to come have a look. The maids were busy wiping old madam’s forehead and body to reduce the fever. Some also used a small spoon to feed her the medication. They were busy for the whole day before old madam had finally woken up once. She hasn’t regained her consciousness yet and kept calling, “Xihe…Xihe…”
Even when Gu Xihe was sleeping, he was inside of old madam’s room. Hearing her call him, he quickly went over and grasped her hand. He said, “Old madam, I’m here. What do you want?”
Old madam opened her eyes forcibly and said muddle-headed, “Go, go call your second big brother back…”
“I will go, I will go!” Gu Xihe quickly said. “What else does old madam want? There is millet porridge, have some, alright?”
Old madam looked at him. Her eyes showed some unwillingness to part with him. Originally, she wanted to speak some more, but her strength was not enough. She closed her eyes and didn’t move anymore.
Gu Xihe felt sorrow. He cried on spot. He hugged old madam’s body and wailed miserably. Finally, a maid pulled him away and anxiously persuaded him, “Fourth young master! Fourth young master, be gentler! Old madam wouldn’t be able to withstand such rubbing!”
“Old madam, she didn’t…didn’t…,” Gu Xihe jumped up. As he wiped his tears, he explored old madam’s breathing. He discovered that she was still breathing. It turned that it was a false alarm. He immediately didn’t know whether he should cry or laugh. In the end, he still sobbed for a whole before he gradually regained his senses.
When he wiped his tears, he hesitated again and didn’t know if he should go find Gu Xiran as old madam told him to do. Of course, he was willing to do it. Like that, he could at least have a pillar to support him and he would also not feel so terrified and helpless like now. However, if he truly went to find him (GXR), he was afraid that if he was gone for two days, old madam would pass away. Then, wouldn’t he not even be able to see her for the last time?
No matter how he pondered about it, he couldn’t decide.
Lin shi still harbored hard feelings at old madam’s scolding. She felt that her vicious and sarcastic words were just the rage after her (OM) authority had been offended. She didn’t think that she was so useless at all. Hence, she didn’t want Gu Xiran to come back. She persuaded, “Old madam just said that casually, why do you take it so seriously? I think it’s better for you not to go. Just stay two days in another room. When old madam asks about it afterwards, just say that you already went but your second big brother doesn’t want to come back.”
If she didn’t say this, then forget it. Now that she said it, Gu Xihe immediately jumped up and said, “I still haven’t asked madam what you said to old madam to make her angry like that!”
Gu Xihe was only young. He was no fool. That day, Lin shi spoke with Gu Xiren. The same night, he run away with Gu Xuan. Then, old madam had been angered. When he connected how she stopped him from going to look for Gu Xiran, her intentions were exposed completely! He suddenly felt that Lin shi was repulsive. He hated her for being unscrupulous in go fighting for the family’s inheritance.
However, although he hated her, she was his mother. Perhaps, she did all these for him. He couldn’t even scold her. He restrained himself so much that his face got red. He stood there for a long time. In the end, he wiped his tears and ran out.
