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These three individuals were suffering from heart conditions and came from very poor backgrounds, showing no allergic reactions to Digitalis. Tongren Hall provided them with free treatment, medication, and a monthly stipend of one hundred taels for a year, under a signed agreement. Their medication not only included Digitalis but also a moderate amount of Bai Hezi to counteract the toxicity of Digitalis.
While they were essentially test subjects, Lu Man emphasized that their lives came first. If anything went wrong, Lu Ying would administer acupuncture to detoxify them.
To minimize unnecessary complications, absolute secrecy was crucial in this matter.
Lu Man felt conflicted about using them as test subjects. Despite conducting experiments on rabbits, human trials were still necessary. Although she had minimized the risks as much as possible, she had to turn to the impoverished and pay them for their participation.
On the morning of the 16th day of the twelfth month, Lu Man finally had some free time and headed to the Crane Hall, where the Second Madam, Third Madam, Eldest Young Madam, and others were already present.
Upon hearing that Lu Man’s new home was renovated and furnished, Princess Changting stood up and said, “Let’s go and take a look. If it’s too shabby, you, as the main mother, aunt, and sister-in-law, mustn’t be stingy, you should bring valuable gifts.”
The Third Madam and the Eldest Young Madam, seeing Princess Changting’s enthusiasm, joined in, saying, “Yes, we’ve been wanting to see it for a while.”
While the Second Madam didn’t say anything, she smiled and got up as well. She remembered how Lu Man had helped her son recover and was keen to offer something nice when they moved.
Upon hearing this, the old Marquis in the recovery room also rushed out to join them. Princess Changting nodded, and apart from Dewen, everyone else followed.
The elders were dressed in thick cotton robes, draped in heavy cloaks, as they exited the Crane Hall.
Three mule carts were waiting in front of the Gate.
The masters rode in the carts, while the servants walked. Within a quarter of an hour, they reached Donghui Courtyard.
Exiting the carts, they entered through the side gate. Old Marquis Jiang glanced around, then shook off the Imperial Physician supporting him and hurriedly dashed towards the side wing, running from the side corridor of the wing to the main hall. He shouted excitedly, “Mother, Mother, your son has returned!”
Old Marquis Jiang not only ran but also raised his voice and spoke faster than usual, resembling a normal person, or more precisely, a joyful child.
Princess Changting, Lu Man, and the others were both surprised and delighted. The Imperial Physician and the servants hesitated to rush to support him, staying by his side, ready to catch him if he stumbled.
Although the old Marquis seemed a bit unsteady as he ran, he managed not to fall. He dashed into the main room, searching through several rooms, but found no one.
It dawned on the old Marquis, tears welling up in his eyes as he said, “Mother has passed away, and my sister has married into the Zhu family. Father favored his concubine over his wife, and we were driven here by Shi and those illegitimate sons, where we’ve lived for many years. I was useless, it was Changting who eventually sent them away.”
Then, he sat down and began to sob.
As the old man’s condition improved, memories flooded back. Initially overjoyed, Princess Changting felt a pang of sadness seeing him cry. She approached him, saying, “Ping, don’t be too distressed. Mother is gone, and your sister married, but you have more family now. We have sons, grandsons, great-grandsons, daughters-in-law, granddaughters-in-law—over twenty of us in total—it’s quite lively. As for Shi and the illegitimate sons, except for the third son, the rest are long gone.”
Lu Man also tried to console the old Marquis, tugging at his sleeve, “Yes, Grandfather, you have grandmother and us, your descendants, the family is livelier now. Let go of the past grievances and enjoy the present.”
The old Marquis seemed to come to a realization, gazing at Princess Changting for a moment, then at Lu Man, and finally at the others, before saying, “Yes, I have Changting, my granddaughter-in-law, and Yuanhong, Yuanchong, Yuanzhao, Zhanju, Zhanyan, Zhanyu, Zhankun, Zhanpeng, Zhanxun, Dewen, He, Deyu, Sweet Pea, Little Jiu, Qichang, and Sweetheart.”
He listed off names of his sons, grandsons, and great-grandsons, almost completing the roster, mentioning even Sweet Pea, Jiang Jiu, Qichang, and Sweetheart, but he omitted Jiang Zhanwei and Jiang Zhankui.
As he recalled past events and stood in the familiar yet disheartening Donghui Courtyard, he grew even more disdainful towards the illegitimate children subconsciously.
His gaze returned to Princess Changting and Lu Man, and with tenderness, he said, “Changting, I still remember when you were a bride, so beautiful, just like my granddaughter-in-law.”
Such frank compliments were rare. Blushing ensued not only for Princess Changting and Lu Man but also for everyone present, except for Jiang Jiu.
Princess Changting composed herself, chuckled, and said, “You old scamp, aren’t you afraid of making people laugh?”
Lu Man jokingly remarked, “Grandfather, those compliments for Grandmother should be kept private.”
The old Marquis obediently agreed, “Alright, when none of you are around, I’ll only say it to Changting.”
This lighthearted exchange elicited laughter from the group.
Unwilling to let it go, Lu Man asked, “Grandfather, you missed mentioning two grandsons earlier. Can you recall their names?”
Without hesitation, the old Marquis replied, “One is… (snorted), and the other is… (hmmmp).”
He remembered them after all, with one name featuring “Zhanwei” as snorted sounds and the other with “Zhankui” hmmp sounds.
This was a moment of naked shame!
Lu Man blushed with anger. This foolish old man, recalling past incidents, was now even more audacious in teasing the illegitimate children.
Raising her voice, she exclaimed, “So, I’m (snort’s sound)’s wife?”
The old Marquis hurriedly corrected himself, “No, you’re a granddaughter-in-law, and also… also… Wei Zhanwei’s wife.” He couldn’t bear to refer to Lu Man as (snort’s sound)’s wife.
Jiang Zhanwei only had a name because of Lu Man.
Princess Changting, observing the silly expression on the old Marquis’s face, Lu Man’s flushed face, and the tears in Jiang Jiu’s eyes, quickly intervened, saying, “Good child, your grandfather’s health isn’t fully restored yet, please don’t tease him.”
Lu Man shot a glare at the old Marquis, then helped Princess Changting lead the group to tour the new home, exploring the front courtyard, middle courtyard, and the western wing.
As Princess Changting commented along the way, she bluntly stated it was too simple.
Lu Man silently criticized the extravagance, feeling even more rejected.
Previously, she had inspected the estate’s main storage, finding their furniture and decorations to be of medium quality. The furnishings were made of rosewood, chicken-wing wood, and nanmu, with even a couple of small purple sandalwood pieces. Decorations included jade, jadeite, agate, coral, and marble items, among others. Yet, compared to higher-quality and exquisitely crafted furnishings, there was indeed a noticeable difference.
During the tour of the western wing, the Eldest Young Madam casually remarked, “Grandmother has a keen eye, the small screen she gifted to Little Jiu fits perfectly here.”