Chapter 10: Inferring the Cause of Illness

  Xiao He asks everyone to collect it, thank you!

  ………

  "Ah!" The crowd around him suddenly exclaimed in surprise when they heard this news, with different expressions on their faces.

  The implication was clear, and everyone fell silent for a moment, speculating about the truth. Only one straightforward woman exclaimed in disbelief: "But isn't Madame Liu actually Second Miss Qin? Even if the Qins and Lius don't get along, it's impossible for the daughter-in-law to poison her mother-in-law, right?"

  As soon as she spoke, the people around her suddenly changed color. Many things are understood in one way when they are thought about in private, but saying them out loud is another matter altogether. The Liu and Qin families were extremely influential in Baishi Town, and this woman's words had clearly crossed a line; whether intentionally or not, she would be hard-pressed to avoid punishment from both families.

  The woman apparently also realized that she had spoken too hastily and committed a taboo, suddenly turned pale, and hurriedly left the scene, running back home to hide. The crowd around her was also in an uproar, and they all quickly dispersed in silence.

  Everyone dispersed, and Du Feiyun also left with them, walking towards home. However, as he walked, he muttered to himself: "Beef? Full of pus-filled boils, completely crimson?"

  As he thought of this, Du Fei Yun suddenly remembered that in his past life, he had seen some messages about dietary taboos. Among them were several cases where people had contracted strange illnesses or even died suddenly after eating beef.

  As he thought of this, Du Fei Yun's tightly furrowed brow gradually relaxed, and a hint of speculation arose in his heart - could the old lady of the Liu family also have been infected with the strange disease like those people?

  Although Du Feiyun vaguely guessed some clues in his heart, thinking of the hardships his mother had suffered over the years, the scolding and cold eyes were all bestowed by the Liu family. His gaze gradually turned cold, unwilling to pay attention to this matter anymore.

  As soon as he returned home and walked into the small courtyard, Du Feiyun heard a low sobbing sound in his ear, accompanied by soft and gentle comforting voices.

  Following the sound into the room, I saw my mother, Du Shi, sitting on the edge of the bed, clutching a handkerchief in one hand and sobbing softly. Du Juan Qing was pulling on her arm, comforting her in a low voice.

  When Du Feiyun walked into the room, Madam Du finally wiped away her tears with a handkerchief and stopped crying, but still choked back some sobs.

  Seeing this scene, it's not hard to guess with Du Feiyun's intelligence that his mother probably also knew about the news of Mrs. Liu's serious illness and her life hanging by a thread, which is why she reacted like this.

  Thinking of his mother and the Liu family, Du Feiyun's heart surged with many complex and inexplicable emotions, and for a moment, he didn't know how to speak.

  After a moment's consideration, he came to his mother's side and sat down, holding Du Shi's hand and saying: "Mother, don't worry too much. The Liu family is now wealthy and influential, with their wealth and power, it shouldn't be difficult for them to find famous doctors and spiritual medicine, they will definitely be able to cure Old Lady Liu's illness."

  "But even the great doctor Xue of Qianjiang City was helpless, who else can save your grandmother?" Du Shi's face turned even paler with grief. Upon hearing Du Feiyun's consolation, she still furrowed her brow and sighed softly.

  Upon hearing the words "grandmother" from Du's speech, Du Feiyun's mouth curled up in a sneer: "Mother, have you forgotten all the hardships we've suffered over the years? Didn't our family of three end up in this difficult situation because of the Liu family?"

  Indeed, for over a decade, Du has rarely gone out. One reason is that he has been seriously ill and finds it inconvenient to move around, but a more important reason is that he fears his neighbors will point at him behind his back, gossip about him, and give him the cold shoulder.

  After all these years, the two poor children followed their own sufferings, and Du's heart was also filled with sorrow and pity. At first, she had a deep hatred for the Liu family in her heart. However, after so many years have passed, her mood has gradually changed.

  "Fei Yun, your mother knows you bear a grudge against the Liu family, and this is also reasonable. However, it's only when one raises children that they come to know their parents' kindness; once you've established your own career and started a family, you'll understand. Even if the Liu family treated me poorly, your paternal grandmother is still my mother after all. Moreover, it was your paternal grandfather who made the decision to drive us out of the Liu household back then; your paternal grandmother has always been on my side from start to finish."

  "When you were very young, you couldn't go up the mountain to pick herbs. At that time, our family of three relied on your grandmother's secret support for a living. You just didn't know about it. From start to finish, your grandmother never blamed me, and I never hated her!"

  As Du said this, she couldn't help but shed tears again, thinking of her loving mother who had always been by her side for so many years and was now soon to leave the world, her heart aching even more.

  When Du Feiyun heard his mother say this, although he still had no good feelings towards the Liu family, his impression of Old Lady Liu had changed slightly. At least, he would not be as cold and distant as before.

  With a sorrowful expression, Madam Du wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes and slowly began to tell Du Fei Yun and Du Wan Qing about how Old Lady Liu had secretly helped and taken care of their family when they were young. One by one, she recounted the past events in her memory for the benefit of her children.

  Time slipped away quietly, and by the time Du Shi finished telling those trivial past events, it was almost dusk. Having learned many things he didn't know before, Du Feiyun's impression of Mrs. Liu also changed, and thinking back to the comments from the residents of Baishi Town in the afternoon, it wasn't hard to imagine that Mrs. Liu must be a kind-hearted woman with a good heart.

  Thinking of the messages revealed by Li Dazui, Du Feiyun opened his mouth to tell them to his mother. Of course, he didn't mention the miserable situation after Mrs. Liu fell ill, so as not to make Madam Du feel even more distressed after hearing it.

  "Although Qin Yan had always been at odds with her mother, how could she possibly poison her?" After hearing Du Feiyun's words, Madam Du furrowed her brow even more, and for a moment, she couldn't distinguish between truth and falsehood. She thought it over carefully but couldn't find any motive for Madame Qin to poison her own mother, yet the circumstances were too coincidental, making people inevitably suspicious.

  Seeing his mother frowning and deep in thought, Du Feiyun's heart moved, and he asked: "Mother, is Old Lady Liu's dental health still good?"

  “...” Du was startled out of his reverie by Du Fei Yun, and although he didn't understand why Du Fei Yun asked this question, he still gave an answer: “Your grandmother's body has also deteriorated over the years, and her teeth are not as good as they used to be. Now, I'm afraid she's lost half of her teeth.”

  Upon hearing Du's words, a glimmer of sharp light flashed across Du Feiyun's eyes, and the corners of his mouth revealed a hint of "as expected".

  "Mother, I think I might know why Old Lady Liu suddenly fell severely ill."

  "What? What did you say? Fei Yun, you...!" Du clearly hadn't expected that Du Fei Yun would understand these things, and her eyes suddenly sparkled with an incredulous light, a joyful expression appearing on her face. After a moment's thought, she guessed that this was probably something taught by Du Fei Yun's "master", and hastily grabbed hold of Du Fei Yun's arm, saying: "Fei Yun, is this something your master taught you? Can your master cure your grandmother's illness?"

  "It must be so, your master is definitely a high-ranking person in the world, and it's very likely that he has a way to cure your grandmother's illness!"

  A person who has lost all hope, when seeing a glimmer of light, can't help but feel excited and will find excuses to convince themselves, giving themselves hope. Du's current state of mind and expression are just like that.

  Since his mother thought so, Du Feiyun did not refute her. After all, the reason was inexplicable, and he could only smile and nod in agreement.

  Seeing Du Feiyun nod in agreement, Du's face became even more joyful, and his pale complexion also showed a hint of spirit. He hastily grabbed Du Feiyun's arms and said: "That matter shouldn't be delayed, Feiyun you quickly go find your master, go beg him to lend a hand and save your aunt!"

  "This..." Du Fei Yun hesitated, his face showing an unwilling expression. After all, he extremely disliked the Liu family and didn't want to set foot in their household at all.

  As soon as she saw his expression, Du understood and quickly comforted him: "Fei Yun, I know you don't want to set foot in the Liu family's gate. But your grandmother's life is at stake now, so for my sake, go ask your master to help treat her. If it's really not possible, then don't go yourself, just let your master take down the notice and bring the medicine-seeking notice into the Liu residence."

  Seeing his mother's bitter pleading, Du Feiyun couldn't help but sympathize with her filial piety. After some deliberation, he finally nodded in agreement.

  The so-called master is naturally a figment of the imagination, and even if he goes to the Liu family to take down the notice, only he can treat him. Although he was very reluctant to enter the Liu family, he couldn't bear to disappoint his mother, nor did he want Mrs. Liu, an old lady with compassion, to suffer or die, so he finally agreed.

  Seeing Du Feiyun nod in agreement, Madam Du finally felt relieved and secretly prayed that Du Feiyun's "master" really had profound skills, so her mother's illness could recover as soon as possible.

  After dinner, Du Feiyun took advantage of the night to leave. Mrs. Du naturally thought he was going to find his master for help, but she didn't know that Du Feiyun was actually going to secretly investigate and gather information. Although he had already guessed eight or nine out of ten about the situation, in order to ensure that nothing went wrong, he still decided to personally investigate before making a decision.