The atmosphere in the Zhu family household became tense in the next few days. The servants were careful and quiet, like they were walking on eggshells. One wrong move and they might face an unimaginable wrath.
Ming Jing was nowhere to be seen. Even Zhu Xiangxiang had no idea about her whereabouts.
On Sunday morning, the servants discovered that Old Madam Zhu had fallen ill. They rushed to tell Lin Qing.
The matriarch had always been healthy. She rarely got sick, but she had grown old, after all. It wasn't uncommon for her to have some health problems. More to the point, Nanny Zhou had noted that Old Madam Zhu had had no appetite recently, and could not sleep well at night, either. When once was well along in age, they couldn't bear even the slightest inconveniences. It was only a matter of time before the Old Madam succumbed to the stress.
Lin Qing immediately called 120, then informed Zhu Wentao.
The company had been a mess of late, and Zhu Wentao hadn't even come home for three straight days.
Being the filial son that he was, Zhu Wentao grew anxious after hearing that his mother was sick. He took a while to calm down, then asked Lin Qing to take good care of their elder. His hands were tied, and he couldn't afford to slip out. Once he had taken care of his business affairs, he would go straight to the hospital. As if on cue, Lin Qing heard his assistant calling him for a meeting. Zhu Wentao said a few last reminders before hanging up.
Lin Qing was at a loss. From the way it had sounded, it seemed like a disaster had befallen the company.
The matter of Shaodan hadn't even been resolved yet. Now, the Old Madam was sick, and their business was in dire straits. It was almost as if a big block of misfortune had fallen on their roof, and the foundations of their family were crumbling one by one.
This had only begun happening after Ming Jing came to the household. Perhaps that girl was cursed to bring the Zhu family to its demise.
Lin Qing raised her head to find the girl in question walking down the stairs. She was wearing a white cotton robe. With her cold and blank face, Ming Jing looked like a fairy floating down from the heavens.
She didn't even glance at Lin Qing as she walked past the older woman. It was worse than being treated like air. Lin Qing seethed, and was about to berate her errant daughter when Ming Jing passed by her again toward the opposite direction. The faint scent of sandalwood mixed with a hint of mint wafted into the hair, giving off the feeling of standing in the middle of the woods.
Though barely there, the scent had a profound effect. It instantly calmed Lin Qing's raging heart.
Then, still in a daze, she watched as Ming Jing walked to the second floor and entered Old Madam Zhu's bedroom.
The old woman was lying on her bed, pale and moaning in pain. Nanny Zhou was at her bedside, tending to her with a sad face. When she saw Ming Jing come in, she perked up and got to her feet. "Miss Ming Jing."
Ming Jing walked to the head of the bed and gazed down on Grandma Zhu. Without warning, she reached out to check the matriarch's pulse.
Nanny Zhou gasped in surprise. "Miss, do you also know how to treat the sick?"
But Ming Jing did not answer. It was at this point that Lin Qing burst into the room, having followed her upstairs. "She knows how to treat the sick?" she echoed with a sneer. "Are you kidding me?"
Ming Jing ignored her and turned to Nanny Zhou. "Tell me everything that Grandma has eaten and done in the last few days."
The other woman nodded and complied.
"Go to my room," Ming Jing instructed. "Inside the bedside drawer is a black bag. Bring it over."
Nanny Zhou scurried away to d her bidding.
Ming Jing checked Grandma Zhu's eyeballs and nails and instantly determined what was ailing her.
Nanny Zhou returned shortly after and handed her the black bag. It was made of canvas and was secured with a drawstring. Ming Jing opened it to reveal rows of silver needles of varying sizes.
She ran her slender fingers over the spindly things and said calmly, "Remove Grandma's shirt."
Nanny Zhou was swift and had the old woman undressed in no time.
Just as Ming Jing lifted a needle, Lin Qing strode over and grabbed her wrist. "What do you think you're doing?" she demanded. "Are you planning to kill your own grandmother?"
Ming Jing still didn't look at her and just said, "Let go."
This was how she had always been. No one had a clue what she was feeling at any given moment. It was precisely because of this uncertainty that people feared her.
Lin Qing's instincts told her to let go. But then she remembered that she was still the mother, while Ming Jing was her daughter. How could this girl speak to her so impertinently? In the end, her anger triumphed over her fear.
"Do you even know anything about medicine? Stop messing around! If you make your grandmother's condition worse, you won't be able to pay for it even If you had ten lives."
Ming Jing flicked her wrist ever so slightly. In the next second, Lin Qing cried out in shock, and her entire body was jolted backward. The length of her arm had grown numb.
"Keep her away," Ming Jing murmured. "Do not disturb me." After saying that, she twirled the needle in her deft fingers and pushed it squarely in the acupoint located on Grandma Zhu's chest.
The old woman groaned and began to struggle. Ming Jing's fingers moved quickly, piercing Grandma Zhu's skin at various acupoints around her torso. The matriarch gradually calmed down, and her breathing turned slow and steady.
"The Old Madam's face got its color back!" Nanny Zhou exclaimed. "Ming Jing you are a gift from the heavens above."
Ming Jing started to withdraw the needles. "I am no such thing. I just happened to learn some medical theories from Grand Master. Grandma is suffering from hyperthyroidism. There's no need to worry too much. She should avoid spicy and well-seasoned food for the time being. I'll write you a prescription, please go and buy some medicine. We will have to make a tonic and make Grandma drink it. She will be fine in less than a week. Ah, I shall also give you a medicinal menu for Grandma's meals to aid her recuperation."
Ming Jing was writing as she said this, and she gave the slips of paper to Nanny Zhou, who in turn sent someone to get the medicine. She wanted to standard by Old Madam Zhu's bed.
Lin Qing opened her mouth to say something, but the fight had already gone out of her.
Just then, the sound of ambulance sirens came, and a middle-aged man rushed into the house. His name was WU Zheng, and he was a specialist in a big hospital. He was also the Zhu family doctor, and was usually on call when one of them was feeling out of sorts. When he had heard that Old Madam Zhu was unconscious, he expected her condition to be serious, and so had brought an ambulance with him.
"Doctor Wu!" Lin Wing ran over to him. "Hurry! Please check on mother. I'm afraid couldn't stop this girl from performing acupuncture just now. Hurry and make sure nothing is wrong! What does a girl even know? She might have only made things worse for you."
Wu Zheng glanced at Ming Jing. He had no opinion other than she was tall and silent. She had slipped out of the room the moment he had arrived.
Well, he didn't have time to waste. He went over to the bed and checked the Old Madam's vitals. "Old Madam Zhu is suffering from hyperthyroidism," he said after a while.
"It's just as Miss Ming Jing said!" Nanny Zhou piped up.
Wu Zheng grew pensive. Perhaps that little girl did have some skills.
"She did well by performing acupuncture. The lack of treatment would have made it dangerous for the Old Madam otherwise."
"Miss Ming Jing is truly gifted," Nanny Zhou said almost immediately. "She even gave me some prescriptions."
She took it out proudly and gave it to the doctor. Wu Zheng hummed in satisfaction. "Chinese medicine focuses mainly on the nourishment of the body. It is most suitable for the elderly. These prescriptions are very good, indeed. It seems that your precious daughter is actually an expert in the field."
"Why don't we bring Grandma Zhu to the hospital and have her undergo a comprehensive check-up?" Lin Qing insisted. "I'm just not convinced. I can't be at ease until I hear the hospital's findings."
Wu Zheng smiled kindly. "The Old Madam is already old. She cannot stand any unnecessary stress. More importantly, the environment at the hospital won't be good for her recovery. Since you have an expert in your house, you shouldn't worry too much. She knows how to take care of the Old Madam very well."