The sharp clanking sound resounded in the pavilion in midst of the calmness.
Being surprised, Hui Lan had dropped the red bean cake on the table. Hence, the cake laid lonely alone on the table.
Hui Lan looked up to her mother who was sitting in front of her and quickly got up in shock, "Mother, are you alright?" She then made her way fast to sit beside Feng Furen.
Meanwhile, Feng Furen was staring at the red cake in silence.
...It should not be like this.
Just a minute ago, the hot tea that was in the teacup that had been in Feng Furen's hand had unexpectedly dropped from the middle-aged lady's hand and had ended up going all over Feng Furen's other arm.
Hui Lan gently raised Feng Furen's arm up closer to her and ever so carefully lifted Feng Furen's wet sleeve away from Feng Furen's arm. Once the sleeves were lifted up, Feng Furen's arm was slightly red, but the good thing was that it was not yet swollen.
After Hui Lan had finished observing Feng Furen's hand, she quickly stood up and quickly instructed Su Rong and the maidservant that had brought her mother to the pavilion who were both still slightly shocked from the sound, "Su Rong, get a cold water bowl for me! You find some ice in the palace and bring it fast."
Feng Furen left her eyes from the small red cake in front of her to the young lady that had already sorted things out within seconds.
Hui Lan then turned to look at her mother and spoke with a worried voice, "Mother, I'll bring some burn ointment. When Su Rong comes with the cold water, please put your arm in it." Having finished saying everything, Hui Lan got up and left to find the ointment that was in her room. She was focused on taking care of Feng Furen's burnt wound that she did not see Feng Furen's weird look that was looking at her.
Nevertheless, Hui Lan went running back to the tearoom that was around 10 meters away. She didn't really care much about her dress and just ran straight forward as fast as her weak body could.
As she ran, her dress blew behind with the cold wind which made her look like a fairy was floating along with the wind. Meanwhile, Xiao Mao followed her from above but his eyes were drowsily opened.
Hui Lan was so focused on getting herself to the tearoom that she did not realize small rashes were building up on her hand.
Behind her, Feng Furen watched as her 'daughter' was running to her room to get some...ointment.
...An ointment?
As she thought back to the Hui Lan a moment ago, she felt so unfamiliar with the familiar face she had been seeing for over 20 years. It was as if she was looking at a stranger and the person in front of her was not her daughter.
Her daughter...her Hui Lan would not have known what to do and would have just called the Royal Physician. Her daughter would not have been that composed in handling the situation in face of danger like this. She would not even dare to look at the wound and even stare at it like she knew anything about healing a person.
That red cake had red bean and that red bean would make Hui Lan catch some rashes. So ever since she was a child she would always avoid it. Growing up, Hui Lan would not have to think about the red bean and would always reach for the peach cake. It was an unconscious thinking of her daughter that was like a habit.
However, if the person was changed then those habits would not be there any longer...
At first, she had made all these cakes just to see if...what she thought was not true. When she saw Hui Lan's same old smile, she had completely brushed those thoughts away. However, when Hui Lan reached for that red bean cake, it became somewhat clearer to her eyes.
...Oh, Hui Lan ah...
Before Hui Lan, Su Rong had already arrived inside the pavilion where Feng Furen sat unusually still. Nevertheless, the young lady placed the cold water bowl in front of Feng Furen. However, seeing the elder not responding, she spoke, "Aunt Feng, please, you should put your arms in the water."
Feng Furen turned to look at Su Rong. She hesitated before asking, "Su Rong ah, tell me, how did Hui Lan know how to do all of this?"
"Hm? Oh, so the thing is, Aunt Feng, Hui Lan has been into medicine these days. Yesterday, she had been making medicines with the Royal Physician and got some burnt ointments along with other ointments. She looked all knowledgeable while making that herb oil scent of hers, I think Hui Lan is now changing herself to be stronger! So, Aunt Feng, please..." Su Rong spoke of the reasons why and went back to the main topic which her Aunt should be focusing on her wound first.
Feng Furen revealed a weak smile. Hui Lan hated medicine. She hated the smell and the taste of it since she was young because she was always sick.
Although Su Rong was Hui Lan's best friend, she was Hui Lan's mother. With just this, Hui Lan's actions were not that of her daughter's anymore.
Slowly, Feng Furen got up, "Su Rong, I'm going. Tell Hui Lan...just tell her I've left and she does not need to come to see me." The middle-aged lady then strode out of the pavilion. She then jumped into the air and in no time, the middle-aged lady was out of sight.
Su Rong walked out of the pavilion speechless.
...Why did Aunt Feng just leave like that?
On the other hand, Hui Lan walked out from the tearoom in a hurry. However, she had just missed Feng Furen in a split second.
When she walked down the stairs and was about to head to the pavilion, her footsteps grew slower. Hui Lan puzzledly looked at Su Rong's concerned face and to the pavilion.
Su Rong averted her eyes to Hui Lan who had just walked out and slowly shook her head.
Hui Lan's soft black brows became slightly creased.
...Where was Feng Furen?
In the end, Hui Lan quickly made her way to Su Rong. When she arrived, she could not help but bend down to catch her breath.
...Aiya, all the running made her pant this bad.
"...Su...Rong...cough...where's mother?"
Su Rong tilted her head slightly before speaking, "Aunt Feng just left."
Hui Lan straightened her back immediately, "Haa? Why? But her wound..."
"She also said that you don't need to go see her." Su Rong passed her aunt's words to Hui Lan.
"Ah? But..." However, Hui Lan had to hold back what she wanted to say and turned to take a look at her right hand that felt like it was stinging. When she finally saw it, her hand was slightly red from afar, but when she brought her hand closer to her eyes, there were small rashes all over it and it was beginning to get itchy.
...What was this ah?
Su Rong who had been looking at Hui Lan in the very first place could see the rash on Hui Lan's hand and instantly, her eyes grew wider, "Hui Lan! Let me see your hand." Su Rong did not only speak but pulled Hui Lan's hand to take a closer look.
"Hey, don't touch it too hard, it's starting to itch ah." Hui Lan furrowed her brows as she did not understand what had caused that rash. It looked like an allergic reaction to something, but she too was not sure.
"....Hm, this looks like the same old rash when you smudge your hands in red bean powder when you were younger."
"There was such a thing?" Hui Lan tilted her head, she did not remember having such...memories.
Oh...there were such memories. Her brows became furrowed again as she tried to recall what happened next after she smudged her hands in that red bean powder. However, the more she thought about it, the more her legs began to lose its balance.
Su Rong quickly went to hug Hui Lan's left arm before her friend would faint again, "You ah, let's go inside first."
Hui Lan could only nod in silence.
However, there was this weird feeling that she could not brush off.
...She was allergic to red beans? How did she not know that?
Hui Lan could only turn to take one more look at the pavilion that was left alone.
...What went wrong?