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Chapter 41: Wen Jing’s Relapse
The weather in July grew hotter by the day, making Mu Rong Shu even more reluctant to go out. She spent her time in the Gui Ning Courtyard, reading books, enjoying iced sour plum juice made by Xiao Tao, and flipping through the picture books her brothers secretly brought back. Life was delightfully carefree.
Before her transmigration, Mu Rong Shu couldn’t imagine living without air conditioning. But after arriving here, she realized that as long as one had money, everything was manageable. No need to leave the house, no work to go to, and being waited on every day, it was the epitome of luxury.
Even so, she still missed the convenience, cuisine, and communication tools of the modern world. However, she accepted her circumstances. Since there was no way back, she might as well enjoy the present.
That afternoon, Mu Rong Shu was lounging in the courtyard, enjoying the breeze and eating chilled fruit when Er Zhu barged in with Wen Ye.
“Miss Mu Rong, forgive our intrusion, but my third brother has had a relapse. Please come with me to the Wen residence at once.”
Mu Rong Shu was so shocked by the news that the fruit in her hand fell to the ground. Just yesterday, she had been exchanging letters with Wen Jing. How could he suddenly fall ill today? She quickly stood up.
“Second Master, please wait a moment. I’ll grab my medical kit and be right there.”
She rushed back to her room, picked up her medical kit, and hurried to follow Second Master Wen out of the residence. At the gate, they encountered her eldest brother, Mu Si Shu, who had returned home early. After explaining the situation, Si Shu immediately offered to take her to the Wen residence on horseback.
Second Master Wen could only instruct the carriage driver to hurry back while he followed on foot. Though anxious, he firmly believed that as long as Miss Mu Rong arrived, she would find a solution.
Wen Residence – Listening Bamboo Pavilion
Because of Wen Jing’s sudden relapse, the Listening Bamboo Pavilion was in utter chaos. The old madam cried so much that she nearly fainted, while the first and second madams tried to console her.
The first madam considered asking her pregnant sister-in-law to return to her room, but the sight of the chaos made her hesitant to leave. She shook her head, signaling her refusal, and the first madam chose not to press further.
“Zhi, go to the gate and see why your second brother hasn’t brought Miss Mu Rong back yet,” said the head of the Wen family. Wen Jing had locked himself in his room, as he always did during a relapse. Though they couldn’t enter, they could faintly hear his pained and repressed cries.
The head of the Wen family was wracked with guilt. He had believed that finding the person who could break the curse would free his son from such torment. Yet only a few months later, the illness returned.
Could it be that breaking the curse didn’t completely stop the illness but merely reduced its frequency? The thought weighed heavily on him. Looking at his young grandson, he felt a surge of despair.
Wen Zhi, not daring to delay, sprinted to the gate. Normally calm and composed, he now regretted not personally going to the general’s residence to escort Miss Mu Rong.
Just as he reached the gate, he saw Mu Rong Shu and Mu Si Shu arriving on horseback.
“Miss Mu Rong, thank you for your trouble. Please follow me,” he said hastily.
“Lord Wen, pardon us, we’ll go on ahead,” replied Mu Rong Shu. She didn’t want to waste any time and signaled her brother to carry her the rest of the way.
Before Wen Zhi could react, he watched Mu Si Shu use light-footed martial arts to swiftly take his sister toward the pavilion. Left behind, Wen Zhi rushed back to the Listening Bamboo Pavilion.
With Mu Rong Shu leading the way, Si Shu maneuvered past the servants and arrived at the pavilion without delay.
Mu Rong Shu wasted no time on pleasantries and immediately asked,
“Where is the patient? Why did the relapse occur so suddenly? Is the patient still conscious?”
Her direct questioning stunned everyone present. Fortunately, the head of the Wen family quickly regained his composure.
“Miss Mu Rong, Zi Yu locks himself in his room during every relapse. By the next day, he usually recovers on his own,” he explained.
Mu Rong Shu was dumbfounded. Illness without medical attention? Locking the patient alone in a room? What kind of logic was this?
She attempted to push the door open, but it wouldn’t budge. Turning to her brother, she commanded,
“Kick it down!”
Although they were at the Wen family’s residence, Mu Si Shu, seeing the anger brewing on his sister’s face, reacted faster with his foot than his brain. He kicked the door, and with a loud crash, the tightly shut door collapsed.
Mu Rong Shu stepped directly into the room, medical kit in hand. Si Shu, knowing his sister disliked being interrupted while treating a patient, stood guard at the doorway.
The sudden commotion left everyone outside stunned. The old madam forgot to cry, the first and second madams were dumb founded, and little Wen Yu stood next to his grandfather, his mouth agape in shock.
The head of the Wen family opened his mouth to explain but found himself at a loss for words. However, seeing Mu Rong Shu’s worry for his son brought a measure of relief to his heart.
The old madam wanted to rush in to check on her son, but her husband shook his head, stopping her. Left with no choice, she sat in the courtyard, waiting anxiously.
When Mu Rong Shu entered the room, she was taken aback. Wen Jing, who usually laughed and joked with her, now lay pale and curled up in a blanket. His brow was tightly furrowed, his whole body trembling as though he were trapped in a frozen hell. His consciousness seemed distant, lost in another world.
Mu Rong Shu’s heart ached deeply, a pain that seemed to resonate from her very soul. She placed her fingers on Wen Jing’s wrist to check his pulse and found it chaotic and unstable, as if his body were enduring both searing heat and biting cold simultaneously.
“Zi Yu,” she called softly.
Wen Jing slowly opened his eyes. When he saw Mu Rong Shu, his gaze sharpened with a fleeting clarity. Gripping her hand tightly, he said with effort, “Shu Er, you’re here. Don’t worry, I’m fine. Don’t be afraid.”
Mu Rong Shu felt her heart tighten painfully. She reached out to touch his forehead, trying to smooth the lines of his furrowed brow. As her hand brushed against him, a wave of icy coldness passed through her, cooling her entire body. To her surprise, Wen Jing’s trembling seemed to lessen, and his breathing began to steady.
Wen Jing still held her left hand tightly. She tried to free herself to perform acupuncture but found his grip only tightened further.
Left with no choice, Mu Rong Shu coaxed him gently, “Zi Yu, let go for a moment. I’ll hold your hand again after I finish.” Miraculously, Wen Jing seemed to understand her words. He slowly released her hand, allowing her to retrieve her needles.
Mu Rong Shu quickly performed acupuncture on a few key points. Afterward, Wen Jing appeared to grow restless again, weakly calling out for “Shu Er.” This time, Mu Rong Shu took the initiative to hold his hand, and only then did he gradually calm down.
She tested this pattern several times, only to find that Wen Jing would immediately become agitated whenever she let go. If she didn’t know better, she might have suspected he was playing tricks on her.
An hour later, Mu Rong Shu called the Wen family and her brother into the room. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to leave, Wen Jing simply wouldn’t let go of her hand.
When they entered, they were surprised to see Wen Jing lying quietly on the bed, as if peacefully asleep, with no sign of his earlier distress.
The Wen family members were astonished, and even Mu Si Shu was taken aback to see his sister’s hand still firmly held by Wen Jing.
Mu Rong Shu cleared her throat awkwardly. “You’ve seen Zi Yu’s condition. It’s stable for now. However, the moment I leave…” She trailed off and glanced at her hand, then suggested, “Maybe one of you could take over?”