Gu Youyou was speechless for a moment, then followed the maid into the inner chamber.
Behind the thick, plain curtains, a young woman’s violent coughing could be heard.
The maid hurriedly lifted her skirt and ran up to kneel before the woman’s bed, crying out, "Miss, we are saved, I have found a doctor for you."
"Doctor?" The woman lifted her head and saw Gu Youyou had already walked in. "Who are they? Is this the doctor you spoke of? Cuiya, don’t tease me."
"Miss, Cuiya isn’t teasing you. This truly is a doctor, Doctor Gu from Jisheng Hall, the only female doctor in Beijing. Look, this is Miss Lin, Doctor Gu is Miss Lin’s cousin."
The woman brushed aside the messy hair on her forehead and finally saw Gu Youyou and Lin Qianqing clearly.
Lin Qianqing, she recognized. Back then, before marrying the second young master, she had been the young miss of the Du Family and had the chance to meet Lin Qianqing once.
It had been so long, though. Lin Qianqing was only a few years old at that time, and she looked somewhat different now, so she did not recognize her right away.
Lin Qianqing stepped forward and said, "Sister Du, it’s me. Do you still remember me?"
Similarly, Lin Qianqing had seen Sister Du from the Du Family from a distance once, but the difference between that image and what she saw now was too great.
Back then, Sister Du of the Du Family was very charming. She had asked Xie Qinyun about her, "Who’s that elder sister? She’s really pretty." Xie Qinyun jokingly said that she was her elder sister.
But who didn’t know that Miss Xie Qinyun from the Jie Family was the only young miss in the Jie Family, without any elder sisters?
Later, Sister Du became the legitimate wife of the second young master of the Jie Family, and since then, she had never seen her again.
It had been five or six years now, yet unexpectedly, when she saw her again, she was in such a state.
Looking at the present Sister Du...
The woman on the bed had become almost skin and bones, with deep-set eyes and pale skin.
Even so, one could tell that her features were more exquisite than ordinary people’s, at least much prettier than the concubine of the Du Family she had seen before. Looking at the calculating expression in the concubine’s brows, it was clear she was a deeply shrewd woman.
Gu Youyou couldn’t understand how such a beauty could be discarded and lose to that heavily made-up woman, seeing the scheming in the concubine’s eyes, she knew she was a woman with a calculating heart.
While Lin Qianqing was randomly dredging up a non-existent past with the second young lady, Gu Youyou had taken out a set of silver needles she carried with her.
"The second young lady has been ill for a long time, she might need to use needles if she wants to recover quickly."
Seeing Lin Qianqing talking endlessly, Gu Youyou had no choice but to interrupt and remind her.
Don’t forget the second young lady is still sick.
"Right, right, let’s tend to the illness first," Lin Qianqing said with an awkward smile. "I hit it off with my sister-in-law at first sight and talked a bit too much. Sister-in-law, I hope you don’t find me too noisy."
Sister Du shook her head gently and said, "Other than Cuiya, it has been a long time since anyone has spoken so much to me. I don’t mind."
Gu Youyou took Sister Du’s pulse, examined her tongue, and inquired about the duration of her illness. With a clear idea in mind, she then stood up.
"Miss Cuiya, please help your mistress undress. I need to use needles on her."
With the doors all locked, she feared she couldn’t go out for medicine now; it was only possible to use needles first. As for the medication, they would have it sent over later by Xie Qinyun after returning.
"Yes! Thank you, Doctor Gu," Cuiya quickly responded.
After arranging the needles, Gu Youyou sat by the bedside and said to Cuiya and Lin Qianqing behind her, "You two go out first, it might take some time."
They left the room and closed the door. Sister Du, weakly, said, "Thank you for your troubles, Doctor Gu."