Ask the mountains and rivers

Chapter 13 Urgent illness
Suddenly, Madam Lu collapsed straight down.

Those around her quickly helped Lu up and called out anxiously.

Pei Qinghe's smile froze, and she quickly got up and went over.

Lu felt dizzy and saw stars. She couldn't even see the people in front of her. All that remained was her mouth, which was as hard as a dead duck: "I'm fine."

He was alright. His face was deathly pale, his eyes unfocused, and his chest heaving rapidly. He looked like he was about to stop breathing altogether.

Madam Lu was proud, bad-tempered, stubborn, and obstinate. She had repeatedly provoked her, the clan leader, only to be ruthlessly thwarted each time. These past few days, Madam Lu had been sulking, refusing to ride in the prison cart despite her advanced age, insisting on walking herself. Evenings were spent kneading dough and making steamed buns, with Madam Lu helping out from start to finish.

As a result, this is what happened.

Pei Qinghe frowned and turned to say, "Sister Yun, please ask the doctor to come over."

Pei Yun responded and left.

Madam Lu gasped for breath and managed to squeeze out, "I'll be fine after a rest, no need for a doctor."

"If you want to live, shut your mouth and don't say a word." Pei Qinghe felt a surge of nameless anger and her expression was icy: "If you're really tired of living, find a suitable place tomorrow, dig a hole and lie down in it."

Mrs. Lu was so angry that she rolled her eyes.

Feng was terrified and grabbed Pei Qinghe's hand: "Qinghe, say less."

How could Pei Qinghe not be furious?
In her past life, the Lu family was the same; they didn't last long before dying. If things continue like this, they will inevitably repeat their old mistakes and be buried in a foreign land.

People who don't value their lives don't deserve any sympathy or pity.

Pei Qinghe said to everyone, "I'll stay here and keep watch. You all go to sleep. Get up at dawn tomorrow."

Over the past few days, Pei Qinghe has established a very high level of prestige, and the clansmen are very obedient and soon disperse.

The young doctor arrived carrying a medicine box; his fairly handsome face was even paler than Lu's. His hand trembled slightly as he opened the box and took out a fine needle. He pricked the needle firmly, and blood immediately gushed out.

The dying Lu cried out in pain as she was stabbed.

The young doctor's hand trembled again.

"Wait!" Pei Qinghe frowned. "Do you even know how to treat illnesses?"

The thirteen-year-old girl was slender and had delicate features, yet she exuded a fierce and domineering aura that was completely inconsistent with her age and physique.

Stared at so coldly by her, the young doctor felt guilty and flustered, and managed to stammer, "Yes...of course I know. My master is the only doctor in the county, nicknamed 'the next Hua Tuo' (a legendary Chinese physician). I started learning medicine from him when I was nine, and it took me ten years to complete my apprenticeship..."

"How old are you?" Pei Qinghe asked abruptly.

The young doctor reflexively replied, "Nineteen."

Everyone: "..."

It turned out he was a newly apprenticed doctor.

Judging from his trembling appearance, he must have never properly treated a patient before!
Pei Qinghe asked, "How many patients have you seen?"

The young doctor, eager to save his life, quickly replied, "I've been there when you're treating patients, sir, so I'm very experienced. This old lady has excessive internal heat, is overly worried, and is too tired. A few doses of medicine, good food, and plenty of sleep will do the trick for a month or two."

He hadn't even had a private consultation before. Perhaps he hadn't even completed his apprenticeship. He was just "invited" here by the guard.

This is not the time to dwell on this.

Pei Qinghe suppressed her anger and said in a deep voice, "Stop the acupuncture. Just prescribe the medicine and brew it."

The young doctor visibly relaxed, and his movements as he removed the needles were swift and efficient. He was also very skilled at preparing and decocting the medicine.

The medicine was brewed and cooled for a moment. The young doctor rubbed his hands awkwardly: "The old lady is still unconscious, this medicine..."

Pei Qinghe extended her hand.

The young doctor was taken aback.

Pei Yun, who was standing nearby, handed over the medicine bowl. Pei Qinghe took the bowl, grabbed Lu Shi's chin with her left hand, and then forced her to drink the bowl of dark medicine.

Lu choked on the medicine, coughed violently a few times, and her pale face instantly turned bright red.

My drowsy mind instantly cleared.

Mrs. Lu opened her eyes, panting, and glared angrily at her granddaughter: "Are you trying to choke me to death?"

Pei Qinghe said expressionlessly, "By causing yourself all this trouble, you just don't want to live anymore. What difference does it make whether you close your eyes sooner or later?"

Lu's blood boiled, and she trembled with rage: "Pei Qinghe! I am your grandmother! How dare you speak to me like that!"

"This is disobedience and unfilial piety!"

Pei Qinghe said indifferently, "When you get to the Yellow Springs, you can complain to my father and ask him to avenge you."

Lu: "..."

The young doctor was speechless.

This has truly broadened my horizons!
Pei Yun silently got up, glancing at the young doctor as she left. The young doctor finally realized what was happening and hurriedly went out.

Lu's chest heaved, and his breathing became rapid.

Pei Qinghe said coldly, "If you want to continue causing trouble, no one will stop you."

"It's not surprising if anyone dies on the road to exile. Just wrap them in a straw mat and bury them by the roadside. It's fine if they become a lonely ghost after death."

After saying that, he got up and lay down on the straw that had been laid out to the side.

Madam Lu was furious and wanted to curse, but she had neither the strength nor the confidence, so she could only glare angrily. The medicine she drank slowly took effect, and she drifted off to sleep again.

When I opened my eyes again, it was already broad daylight.

This section of the official road was not smooth, and the prison cart bounced around frequently, making Lu feel dizzy and nauseous.

Chen held Lu's head and held the water pouch to her lips: "Drink it while it's still warm."

After drinking the medicine, Lu felt even more nauseous.

Chen said, "Qinghe specifically instructed that you are not allowed to spit out the medicine after drinking it. Otherwise, we will just lift you out of the car and throw you on the side of the road."

Lu's eyes twitched with anger: "That bastard!"

“Sister-in-law,” Madam Chen said with a grim face, “What time is it now? All the men in the Pei family are dead, and Feng’er and the others are too young. The one who can take on responsibilities and support the family is Qinghe.”

“These past few days, she has been busy and worried about the livelihood of the Pei family, and it breaks my heart to see her like this.”

"She is the clan leader, and to control the clan members, she needs to establish absolute authority. What has she done, as your own grandmother?"

"He undermines her in public, complains behind her back, and is always trying to oppose her."

"What kind of grandmother are you? What exactly do you want by making such a fuss?"

Lu was so choked that she almost couldn't catch her breath.

They'd been sisters-in-law for decades, and she'd never won a single argument with Chen. Pei Qinghe wasn't asking Chen to take care of her; she was deliberately coming to provoke her!
"Cousin Qinghe, I hope Grandmother won't get sick from all this anger!" Pei Yan whispered in Pei Qinghe's ear.

Pei Qinghe casually replied, "It's hard to say. Grandmother has such a temper; she might just close her eyes in anger."

Pei Yan sided with her cousin Qinghe without hesitation: "Grandmother is biased; she only has eyes for cousins ​​Feng and Yue."

"At this age, instead of taking good care of yourself, you insist on causing trouble. Getting sick is your own fault."

It is clear that Madam Lu was not a very good grandmother.

Even her own granddaughter doesn't like her.

Grandmother Lu is not a villain; she is simply a rigid elder with outdated and conservative ideas about social norms and etiquette. The intense clash between her and Pei Qinghe is a battle between two completely different souls.
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(End of this chapter)