CHAPTER 279: CHAPTER 276: ASHAMED

Xie Liangchen accompanied Old Mrs. Song for a meal and then went to the small kitchen to make almond tea.

The housekeeper said beside her, "You are a guest in our house, how can you busy yourself in the kitchen again?"

Xie Liangchen replied, "It’s the right time to have almond tea, I also make it for my grandmother and younger brother at home."

On the small stove, Xie Liangchen gently stirred the rice slurry in front of her, in which she had put prepared osmanthus sauce, releasing a fragrant aroma of almonds and osmanthus.

"No wonder the old lady likes to eat it," the housekeeper smiled with squinted eyes, "It smells particularly fragrant, different from what the chef makes."

Xie Liangchen said, "I brought a jar of sweet osmanthus; if the old lady wants to eat it, have the chef put some in."

The nearby chef quickly responded.

The housekeeper didn’t know how to express her thanks properly: "The master is at war outside, and the old lady is worried, her appetite isn’t good, but today she ate quite a bit."

The almond tea was ready; Xie Liangchen ladled it out, sprinkled dried walnut pieces on top, and asked the housekeeper to help serve it outside.

As she was about to leave the small kitchen, Xie Liangchen glanced around, and the chef met her gaze, full of respect.

Xie Liangchen nodded; ever since she entered the small kitchen, she always felt there was a pair of eyes secretly watching her.

This chef was chosen from the Song Family ancestral home to make medicinal diets for the old lady.

Xie Liangchen approached the chef, "Are you going to make autumn pear porridge for the old lady?"

The chef was organizing herbal ingredients in the kitchen; hearing Xie Liangchen speak, she immediately replied, "Preparing to have a bowl for the old lady before bedtime."

Xie Liangchen’s gaze swept over; the chef seemed natural, yet she threw the rhizoma atractylodis into the pile of rhizoma bletillae.

"The old lady had almond tea," Xie Liangchen said, "Don’t use autumn pear today, you can make red jujube porridge with poria."

The chef nodded.

Xie Liangchen explained the preparation of the red jujube porridge with poria to the chef and then turned to leave the small kitchen.

Watching Xie Liangchen’s figure gradually disappear, the chef finally exhaled deeply, looked for poria in the herbal box, and saw the misplaced rhizoma atractylodis, palms cold with sweat.

No wonder she was nervous; that Miss Xie is someone who cannot tolerate the slightest imperfection — it feels as if she can see through people with just one glance. If she hid anything in the herbal box, it would probably be discovered by Miss Xie.

The chef took a deep breath, calming her frantic heart.

No problem, she merely used the medicine gradually; no one would notice. Even if the doctor came, as said by the lady, they wouldn’t detect anything unusual right away.

The chef silently repeated these words in her heart; during such times, she mustn’t make any mistakes out of panic, or else ruin the lady’s affair, leaving herself with no way out.

...

Old Mrs. Song felt exceptionally comfortable in body and heart after eating the almond tea.

Old Mrs. Chen chatted with Old Mrs. Song for a while longer, then got up to say goodbye.

After seeing Old Mrs. Chen and her grandson off, Old Mrs. Song immediately seemed fatigued, instructing the housekeeper to help her rest.

"I’ll sleep for a while, don’t call me unless there’s something significant."

The housekeeper responded, reaching out to close the room door securely.

Old Mrs. Song slept until the evening, and even as Song Qizheng entered, she hadn’t gotten up.

Song Qizheng went straight to Old Mrs. Song’s courtyard: "Has she been sleeping for more than an hour?"

The housekeeper answered, "The old lady has been without energy these past two days, perhaps tired from talking with the old lady from Chen Family Village today, so she rested a bit longer."

Song Qizheng nodded.

"Who is it?"

Old Mrs. Song’s voice came from inside the room; after the housekeeper went in to report, she welcomed Song Qizheng into the room.

The interior had a faint herbal scent.

Song Qizheng frowned slightly, stepping forward to support Old Mrs. Song: "Did Mother take medicine?"

Old Mrs. Song nodded, "Took a pill and now feel much more comfortable."

Song Qizheng spoke in a low voice, "Did you invite Doctor Jiang?"

Old Mrs. Song looked at her son, eyes clear: "No, I had Miss Xie from Chen Family Village come."

The housekeeper walked out, secured the door tightly, leaving the mother and son to speak softly alone inside.

Listening to these words, Song Qizheng immediately understood: "Do you suspect Doctor Jiang has issues?"

"Who knows," Old Mrs. Song said, "You’ve investigated for so long; have you figured out how many people in this family are untrustworthy?"

Song Qizheng’s head involuntarily lowered.

Old Mrs. Song continued, "I don’t distrust Doctor Jiang, but as you said, we shouldn’t alert the enemy. Inviting Miss Xie as a guest, I had the child help me check my pulse."

Song Qizheng recalled the young lady known by villagers as "Sister Chen," who was knowledgeable in herbs and reportedly learned medicine from a female doctor, but...

Song Qizheng remained worried about Old Mrs. Song’s health: "Can she manage?"

Old Mrs. Song smiled, "No one is more suited than her."

The affection his mother held for the girl from Chen Family Village surprised Song Qizheng; it had been a long time since she praised anyone this way.

Leaning against the pillow, Old Mrs. Song sighed internally; it was a pity the timing wasn’t right. If she had consulted her grandson and arranged the marriage, she would proudly praise this granddaughter-in-law to everyone she met.

Old Mrs. Song said, "Someone tampered with my meal; shortly, it might cause an internal wind leading to illness."

Anger flashed in Song Qizheng’s eyes; he never expected someone would reach into his mother’s quarters.

Old Mrs. Song glanced at her son coolly: "Is this method familiar to you? When Xian was at the ancestral home, the family was constantly plagued with such trivial matters. How did you blame Xian then? Now that he’s out fighting, do you also believe Xian is responsible for this?"

Song Qizheng’s expression stiffened, showing some shame.

Old Mrs. Song continued, "Currently, you are in Dingzhou searching for internal traitors, while Xian leads troops to the Northwest, about to achieve great merit. Someone couldn’t sit still."

Months ago, the family had such issues, and perhaps Song Qizheng might have hesitated; but now, everything confirmed his inner suspicions.

He pretended ignorance just to catch her red-handed.

"I’m just an old woman; whether I live or die originally doesn’t matter," Old Mrs. Song looked at her son, "But my life can be used to control you; the one who truly needs to be careful is you."

A chill ran through Song Qizheng’s heart; the people around him had been plotting against him. He didn’t want to believe it, yet now he couldn’t help but accept it.

"A woman, going to all lengths to harm her husband, what do you think the reason is?" Old Mrs. Song sighed deeply, "It seems you hardly matter at all to her."

Song Qizheng’s face turned red, feeling the heat rush to his forehead; he recalled the mocking gaze of Song Xian’s biological mother — though now it didn’t anger him but left him deeply ashamed.

Old Mrs. Song said, "Keep watching; she may astonish you."

Song Qizheng clenched his fists; he guessed what Mrs. Rong was planning to do. This time, whether he liked it or not, he had to witness the bloody truth firsthand.