Lian Musu wanted to go, concerned that his younger brother might not handle the matter well, he requested Miss Lih to let Qian Chen go instead. Qian Chen, being highly skilled in martial arts and known for his calmness and lack of impulsivity, was more suitable than his brother.
Seeing that someone had gone to gather the herbs, Divine Doctor Huang relaxed once again, becoming leisurely and unbothered, he asked them to bring a stool over, saying he was tired and wanted to sit.
Once he sat down, his expression suddenly changed, and Divine Doctor Huang pointed at them, furiously scolding them, "Overthinking and accumulating fatigue, hanging by a thread day and night without sleep, how can you not deteriorate? Don’t you know how to take care of someone, just letting her lie there day after day?"
"The wind outside is too strong, isn’t she used to wind? Foolish children, knowing nothing and acting blindly, her mind is already burdened, and confined to this small space, only seeing this section of the roof, how can she open her heart, how can she let go of her emotions? Can’t she wrap herself in blankets if the wind is strong outside? Are you all fools?"
"What? You asked her if she wanted to go out and just let her be when she didn’t want to? Haven’t you ever heard the phrase ’dying of depression’? People who are depressed think in circles, why bother rationalizing so much with her, absurd, absurd!"
"You think it looks tiring? Afraid it would tire her? How could I possibly discuss logic with a foolish child like you, letting you lie down day after day without getting up, I tell you, in less than a month, you’d be completely laid up, your vitality depleted, would it not be tiring? You’re not young anymore, don’t you understand such simple logic? Talking to you, it really infuriates me."
He, his younger brother, and his father, all hung their heads as they were thoroughly scolded, each acknowledging that Divine Doctor Huang was right, indeed they had not taken good care of their mother.
Only his father responded in a low voice, defending himself. For every word he uttered in defense, Divine Doctor Huang harshly reprimanded him tenfold. Despite his old age, he was constantly called a foolish child, his face turning red and his neck thick, yet he was unable to retort.
In the end, Divine Doctor Huang pointed at his father and scolded, "Foolish child, rash and ignorant, the only good thing about you is how you treat your wife, and even that nearly harmed her. Utterly useless, if not for the blessings of your ancestors, your wife would have been tormented to death by you."
His father was immeasurably ashamed and could not help but cover his face and weep.
Finally, Divine Doctor Huang grew tired of scolding and mentioned he was hungry, claiming his old age made it hard to cope.
So, he arranged for some food, letting Divine Doctor Huang eat, and arranging for everyone to eat; after being busy for so long, everyone was starving, but apart from Divine Doctor Huang, no one had the appetite.
Seeing that he was the only one at the table, Divine Doctor Huang muttered spitefully before eating, "It’s bad enough that you’re no help; what, are you going to wait for a few to faint from hunger before I have to save them?"
As he spoke, his gaze drifted deliberately towards Lian Changhe.
Lian Changhe could no longer sit still. Wiping away his tears, he quickly urged everyone to join in.
The dining table was immediately packed.
Upon seeing it, Lian Wanzhen was struck dumb, the dishes today were all a blazing red, even the rice had chili peppers?
He looked towards Lian Musu in shock and suspicion. Had his elder brother’s taste changed after a trip to Taiyuan Prefecture? He had never heard that Taiyuan could eat spicy food?
Divine Doctor Huang didn’t care what they were thinking; he began to eat first, continuously complaining that the food was both spicy and unpleasant, criticizing the greens for containing chili peppers, almost spicy enough to kill an old man like him. Luckily, his ancestors blessed him, having been to many places, he could handle a bit of spice.
Lian Changhe didn’t notice and followed by eating as well, but after a few bites, his face turned thoroughly red, and he couldn’t stop coughing.
Lian Musu hastily handed a bowl of water to Lian Changhe, who was quite helpless. The chili was added by Qian Chen during cooking. As Qian Chen stood by the stove to tend the fire, he sprinkled a handful of chili into each dish before it was taken off the stove, and it was too late to stop him. If it weren’t for Changhe’s intervention, even the porridge made for his mother would have been spiced up.
However, if Qian Chen were present, he wouldn’t care what others thought, since both the Young Master and he enjoyed spicy food, and he wasn’t concerned about the others.
Lih Qingshu’s normally somber face gained a hint of redness and a touch of liveliness. She uneasily stated that when Qian Chen returned, she would prepare some non-spicy grilled fish for everyone.
Upon hearing this, Divine Doctor Huang scraped a few more bites of food, then stopped eating and dropped his chopsticks, declaring that he would wait for the grilled fish instead.
The food was so spicy that aside from Lih Qingshu and Divine Doctor Huang, who had a sharp tongue, a few others could barely take a few bites before giving up.
As everyone put down their chopsticks during this interlude, Lian Musu asked Divine Doctor Huang about the current condition of his mother.
With a stomach no longer empty, Divine Doctor Huang’s mood had significantly improved, and with a smile on his face, he told Lian Musu that his mother was suffering from physical exhaustion and poor circulation of blood and qi, which had severely weakened her, almost to the point of exhaustion. Just now, he had used acupuncture to stimulate the flow of blood and qi through several major acupoints, thereby activating her body’s functions to repair the exhaustion and rejuvenate her vitality.
Later, she would also need a medicinal bath, which would help to relax the muscles and bones throughout her body, allowing her to fully unwind and facilitate the circulation of blood and qi, initially preserving her physical form.
At this point, his father had revived and caught the essence of what was said, asking softly, "Doctor Huang, what do you mean by ’preserving this physical form’?"
Fiddling with his beard, Divine Doctor Huang responded leisurely, "Her spirit has been overly tense, and she has been unable to sleep for a long time. I have made her fall asleep—"
His father hurriedly expressed his gratitude, "Thank you, Divine Doctor Huang. Had it not been for you, my wife wouldn’t have had a restful sleep; I was oblivious..." he said, before breaking into self-reproachful sobs again.
Divine Doctor Huang glanced at his father and deliberately continued the conversation, "As for whether she will awake, that depends on your capabilities."
Lian Musu, along with his father Lian Changhe, his younger brother Lian Wanzhen, Lih Qingshu, and Wu Sheng, were all shocked. They hadn’t expected such a turn of events.
They had just listened to Divine Doctor Huang’s stern rebuke, detailing the illness precisely and devouring his meal voraciously while discussing treatment methods. They had thought that by following the Divine Doctor’s instructions, everything would be fine.
They had assumed that Divine Doctor Huang’s scolding was merely to vent his frustrations, pointing out their shortcomings and suggesting they make amends, which left them feeling guilty and grateful. Had it not been for Divine Doctor Huang, they would have remained unaware of these issues.
They hadn’t anticipated this plot twist, and the situation had taken a drastic turn. It turned out his mother was in critical condition!
Lian Changhe almost collapsed on the spot, but Divine Doctor Huang casually remarked, "Such a young one is utterly useless. Your wife is waiting for you to save her, and at this moment, to give up is truly useless." With these harsh words, he forcefully persevered, bearing the burden.
Lian Wanzhen was deeply distressed and started furiously shouting at Divine Doctor Huang, repeatedly gasping, accusing him of deliberately tormenting them. He challenged how they, not being doctors, could know any remedies. He accused the old doctor of deliberately putting his mother to sleep without ensuring she would wake up, calling him cruel-hearted.
Divine Doctor Huang remained indifferent to the scolding, calmly admitting, "Certainly, if I hadn’t allowed her to sleep, she would have died soon anyway. It’s better to let her sleep comfortably."