CHAPTER 313: CHAPTER 157: DELIVERING A LETTER (PART 2)

Mrs. Lu actually came over herself to greet and comfort us, all smiles and talking a basketful of kind words. "You mustn’t blame the mother-in-law," she said, "the mother-in-law is also heartbroken for the sister. The sister caught a cold a few days ago and is now seriously ill in bed, receiving constant medical treatment. You all come here insisting on taking her away; how could the mother-in-law not be angry? If the brother-in-law were here, it might have been alright, but the brother-in-law is nowhere to be found. The mother-in-law is already upset about it, and with this added frustration, it’s inevitable that her words became a bit too fierce. But the mother-in-law was just letting off steam, with no other intention. See, she also realized she went too far and has sent me here personally to take good care of you!"

Mrs. Lin felt she had gained face after hearing these words, and her anger somewhat dissipated. She quickly smiled and made polite small talk, smoothly apologizing, admitting that it was her own lack of eloquence that had provoked the lady of the house to anger, and that it had nothing to do with her.

But then Mrs. Lin worried again, what use was face at this moment? Not being able to take the person back would still leave her unable to escape a good scolding!

"Is the Second Madam really sick? Is it serious?" Mrs. Lin asked tentatively.

Mrs. Lu sighed: "Yes, it is serious! Even though the sister has returned home, she has always been depressed in her heart. Alas! How could any woman be happy after experiencing what the sister has? A few days ago, the maid was not paying attention, and somehow, she opened the window and sat by it alone for half the night. The next day she developed a high fever, and these past few days she has been coughing severely, the medicine has been continuous! In such a state, the sister absolutely cannot return with you. She is already frail, sick, and with this weather, how can she withstand being moved around and the long journey? Also, my mother-in-law wouldn’t be at ease! However, you’ve come from so far, we can’t let you go back empty-handed, or it wouldn’t be good for you either! How about this, after lunch, I’ll take you to see the sister. You can get a letter from her to bring back, so you can report back!"

Mrs. Lin was overjoyed and couldn’t help but say with a grateful smile: "Good, good! Thank you, Young Madam Lu, let’s settle on that. After a while, you take this old servant to see our Second Madam!"

"Of course!" Mrs. Lu smiled: "I’ll have someone prepare the meal right away. Eat first! I still have some matters to attend to!"

Mrs. Lu noticed that when Mrs. Lin heard about how serious Zhou Jingyi’s illness was, there wasn’t a hint of worry on her face, nor did she ask any further questions. She was initially full of concern for her own errand, but after hearing what Mrs. Lu said, Mrs. Lin’s face lighted up with joy, showing no concern for Zhou Jingyi at all. Mrs. Lu couldn’t help but feel a chill in her heart, sighing for Zhou Jingyi. Poor girl, once cherished and raised in the palms of her parents and siblings, had to suffer like this after getting married!

Having resolved the difficult issue, Mrs. Lin’s mood suddenly brightened. The lunch prepared by the Zhou family was very abundant, and Mrs. Lin along with her group ate generously and happily to give face.

After the meal, Mrs. Lu truly kept her word and took Mrs. Lin to Zhou Jingyi’s room.

As soon as they entered the room, a strong smell of Chinese medicine hit them, and it took Mrs. Lin a few frowns to manage to breathe evenly as she entered.

On the canopy bed inlaid with raden and gilded with landscapes and figures, under the coral fabric mosquito netting, Zhou Jingyi lay messily in her pink inner wear, her forehead tightly bound with a cloth, cheeks flushed, lips turned pale. Upon seeing someone entering, she stared blankly, her eyes hardly focusing.

"Second Madam! Second Madam! The old servant has come to see you, it’s Mrs. Lin!" As Mrs. Lin approached the bed, she spoke with a smile.

"Mrs. Lin?" Zhou Jingyi paused, and with a weak smile said, "Oh, it’s you. Why are you here?" She struggled to sit up as she spoke.

Mrs. Lu hurriedly stepped forward to hold her down, softly saying, "Dear sister, you must rest properly when sick. Don’t move around!"

"Yes, Second Madam! Just get some rest! Your health is what’s important!" Mrs. Lin also busied herself with laughter, adding, "The Second Lady said that since the New Year is coming, she specifically sent this old servant to take you home for the holidays! Who knew you’d fall ill! Ah!"

"The mother-in-law sent you to fetch me!" Zhou Jingyi suddenly became agitated, unable to hold back a bout of coughing, and struggled even harder to get up.

This time not only Mrs. Lu and maids like Su Qing and Su Bi were worried, but even Mrs. Lin felt it was a struggle to see her like this and quickly advised, "Second Madam, don’t hurry, lie down! You’re sick like this; of course, you should stay and recover. We can talk about going back after a while! However, Second Madam, could you write a letter for this old servant to take back as proof?"

Mrs. Lu and the maids like Su Qing looked rather displeased. Even though they knew Zhou Jingyi was feigning illness, someone who "fell ill" to such an extent and Mrs. Lin was still single-mindedly fixated on getting a letter. It was clear how low Zhou Jingyi’s status was in front of Second Madam Shi.

However, Zhou Jingyi herself didn’t feel there was anything wrong. The mother-in-law and those around her had always been this way. If the mother-in-law was half as kind as her big aunt, why would she not have been able to continue and instead have to contrive a way to escape back to her natal family?

"I, I—sister-in-law..." Zhou Jingyi stuttered the word "I" several times, looking at Mrs. Lu helplessly, as if seeking rescue.

Mrs. Lin couldn’t help but feel a chill in her heart, growing anxious: Oh no, Second Madam must hold on, if I can’t bring anything back as proof, the lady will surely flay my skin!

"Sister, don’t worry. How about this – you tell me your thoughts, and I’ll write in your stead. After I write it, I’ll read it back to you. We can revise it together, what do you think?" Mrs. Lu gently patted her hand and spoke softly.

Before Zhou Jingyi could respond, Mrs. Lin was already beaming with joy and said: "Yes, yes, that’s a great idea! Young Madam Lu is so clever! Second Madam, this way you won’t have to trouble yourself!"