Old Madam Hu happened to turn around just as Hu Lihua asked her a question. She sighed in relief when she saw Hu Lihua's lips moving.
"Hmph! Who are you trying to fool here? Still pretending to care," Old Madam Hu scoffed coldly. She immediately picked up her chopsticks and began eating, not inviting Hu Lihua to sit. She wanted to punish her a little longer.
"It's a relief that Grandma is fine. Hua'er can feel at ease," Hu Lihua replied calmly.
[Huh! What a nasty old lady! Oppressing her own granddaughter while treating trash like a treasure. Aiyo! My father really inherited her blindness perfectly!]
Old Madam Hu choked on her food and started coughing upon hearing Hu Lihua scolding her.
Hu Zhangwei quickly picked up a cup of tea and handed it to Old Madam Hu.
"You!" Old Madam Hu's face flushed red, and her eyes bulged as she stared at Hu Lihua. But when she saw Hu Lihua looking at her with a worried expression, her anger intensified. This stinky girl! Her face and heart are so different! How could she scold her if she looked like this?
"Grandma? Why are you angrier at Hua'er?" Hu Lihua asked, lowering her head. Her face was filled with sadness, and her body trembled slightly.
Seeing Old Madam Hu's body tremble violently, Hu Zhangwei quickly stood behind her and lightly massaged her shoulders. "Mother, calm down. Look, Hua'er is scared. She really cares about you. Don't scold her anymore."
Not only was Hu Zhangwei's face stiff as he said this nonsense, but even Old Madam Hu's eyes twitched violently.
[Eh? My cheap father still dares to defend me in front of Grandma? Isn't he terrified of that old monster?]
Hu Zhangwei's hand slipped when he heard Hu Lihua's inner voice, causing Old Madam Hu to hiss in pain.
"Enough! No need to massage anymore!" Old Madam Hu snapped. "Everyone, sit back down. Let's start eating!" She wanted to finish breakfast quickly. If she stayed here any longer, she wouldn't need to wait for a stroke—she might just die from anger today!
"Alright, alright. Hua'er, come sit down. Let's start breakfast," Hu Zhangwei urged.
Everyone ate in an orderly manner, with no one speaking. Hu Lihua kept her head down, appearing focused on her food, though her mind was elsewhere.
[It seems… I need to figure out a way to make a lot of money!]
The other three people ate quietly, but their ears were alert, and their brows furrowed slightly in confusion. Why did Hu Lihua want to gather a large sum of money?
[Besides that, I need to find a way for my mother and me to sever ties with the Hu family as soon as possible!]
Old Madam Hu's body shook violently upon hearing this. She was furious! How dare Hu Lihua think about severing ties with the Hu family! But her anger turned to fear when she heard the next words.
[Before the General Hu Residence is destroyed, we must leave here. Eh? Why did Grandma faint?]
"Madam!" Aunt Dong, Old Madam Hu's trusted servant, screamed when she saw the old woman collapse to the floor.
"Mother!" Hu Zhangwei ran over, bent down beside his mother, and carried her back to her room.
"Tao'er, quickly call Physician Liu!" Song Xiuyan ordered. She then followed Hu Zhangwei into Old Madam Hu's room.
Hu Lihua, still feeling a bit hungry, hesitated briefly but eventually set her chopsticks down and walked toward her grandmother's room.
Hu Lihua: [Why did Grandma suddenly faint?]
Xitong: [She just experienced a great fright.]
Hu Lihua frowned: [A fright? Why?]
Xitong: [I can't gather any information about this.]
Hu Lihua grew even more confused. She hadn't seen anything shocking earlier. Why the fright?
[Was there a worm in the vegetables we ate earlier?]
Hu Zhangwei happened to overhear Hu Lihua's thoughts as his daughter entered the room. A worm? Clearly, it was her words that shocked his mother into fainting!
Hu Lihua stood calmly beside Hu Zhangwei, acting like a dutiful granddaughter concerned about her grandmother's health.
Not long after, Physician Liu arrived to check Old Madam Hu's pulse. After a while, he said, "It seems Old Madam Hu just experienced a great fright. Was there anything shocking earlier?"
Hu Zhangwei and Song Xiuyan exchanged glances before Song Xiuyan replied with a slight shake of her head, "It seems not."
Physician Liu frowned. How could Old Madam Hu feel frightened without any cause?
Seeing Physician Liu's furrowed brows, Hu Zhangwei hesitated briefly before quickly saying, trying to cover his guilt, "Maybe… maybe there was a worm in the vegetables my mother ate. She's terribly afraid of worms."
[Ah! My guess was right! Incredible! I'm truly a genius!]
Hu Zhangwei pouted, feeling a bit helpless. Alright… as long as it made his daughter happy!
Physician Liu walked to the table, picked up a brush and paper, wrote a prescription, and handed it to Aunt Dong. After explaining how to prepare the medicine, he sat back down on a chair near the bed.
"I will perform acupuncture to wake Old Madam Hu," said Physician Liu. He carefully inserted the acupuncture needles one by one. Fifteen minutes later, he removed them.
"Physician Liu, when will Grandma wake up?" Hu Lihua asked.
"We can wait for about half an incense stick," Physician Liu replied. He glanced at Hu Lihua briefly before turning his attention back to Old Madam Hu.
Physician Liu didn't concern himself much with the private lives of the Hu family, as he only came when someone needed medical help. He had only heard rumors about the First Miss Hu being selfish and lacking etiquette. However, observing her recently, those rumors seemed fabricated to tarnish her reputation. His wife was right—not to believe rumors too easily.
After half an incense stick, Old Madam Hu finally opened her eyes. The first thing she did was look at her eldest son, Hu Zhangwei, with eyes full of fear. Her lips trembled as if trying to say something with great difficulty.
"Mother, don't say anything yet. Rest for a moment," Hu Zhangwei said.
Old Madam Hu glanced at Hu Lihua and understood what her son meant.
"Madam, the medicine is ready. Let me help you drink it," Aunt Dong offered, stepping forward to help Old Madam Hu sit up against the bed.
After that, Old Madam Hu waved her hand. "Leave. Let Hua'er help me drink the medicine."
Hu Lihua was momentarily stunned but snapped out of it when Song Xiuyan nudged her arm.
"Alright, Grandma," Hu Lihua replied obediently. She stepped forward, sat on the edge of the bed, and took the bowl of medicine from Aunt Dong. She began feeding Old Madam Hu spoonful by spoonful, appearing full of affection.
[Why me? She's scolded me endlessly for the past two years. Always dissatisfied with me in every way, blindly trusting Hu Rui'an. Isn't she afraid I'd hold a grudge and secretly poison her?]
Old Madam Hu's face stiffened. Had she truly been that bad to Hu Lihua? She was only trying to discipline her!
[Ah… thinking about everything that's happened, my heart feels so heavy. I'm always framed by Hu Rui'an. Just because I grew up outside, I'm treated like an uncultured outsider. Everyone trusts her without question.]
The three people who could hear Hu Lihua's thoughts felt uncomfortable, especially Old Madam Hu. Was what Hu Lihua said about Hu Rui'an true? She still found it hard to believe, after all, Hu Rui'an had grown up by her side.
[I wonder what Grandma's face will look like when she finds out her death will be caused by Hu Rui'an!]
Old Madam Hu's vision darkened again upon hearing this.
"Grandma!"
"Mother!"
Everyone panicked when they saw Old Madam Hu faint again. Physician Liu rushed over and pressed several acupuncture points to wake her. After a while, Old Madam Hu regained consciousness.
Hu Zhangwei, afraid Hu Lihua might cause his mother to faint again, said to Song Xiuyan, "My wife, how about you take Hua'er to choose some hairpins at Ruyi Pavilion? Didn't you send someone to Zhubao Jewelry Shop this morning to buy some new jewelry?"
Song Xiuyan understood Hu Zhangwei's intention and immediately held Hu Lihua's arm. "Hua'er, let's go. Let your Grandma rest."
"Alright, Mother," Hu Lihua agreed. She didn't want to stay here any longer anyway. Her mother's invitation felt like an oasis in a desert.
Hu Lihua bowed to Old Madam Hu and said, "Grandma, your granddaughter will take her leave for now. I'll come back later to check on you."
"Mother, I'll leave too," Song Xiuyan said, bowing respectfully.
Old Madam Hu weakly waved her hand, signaling for Hu Lihua and Song Xiuyan to leave first. She also asked all the servants and Physicians Liu to leave her room. After ensuring everyone was gone, she turned to her eldest son with a pale face. "Zhangwei, tell me, what's really going on?"