Chapter 75: Returned Home

Upon hearing Lu Ying’s report, Princess Changting demanded, “She was perfectly fine this morning. How did she suddenly become so ill? Explain!”

Lu Ying, in tears, explained, “Third Young Madam didn’t seem right when she returned from Crane Hall this morning. She was crying uncontrollably, saying she hadn’t wronged anyone but was burdened with two lives. She mentioned feeling tired, missing her mother, and wanting to sleep. As soon as she went back, she laid down and fell into a deep sleep. When I went to wake her, I found her face flushed, body burning like charcoal, unresponsive to any attempts to awaken her. Huang said she might not make it. Waaah…” She didn’t dare utter the words “want to go home.”

Princess Changting, filled with fear and sorrow, tearfully said, “Poor child must have been frightened upon hearing about Zhanwei going to war.” Instructing the servants, she added, “Summon the imperial physician to attend to her. We must save her at all costs, my husband needs her, and I can’t bear to lose her.”

The imperial physician hurriedly grabbed his medical kit and followed Lu Ying. Jiang Zhanwei trailed closely behind. His long strides carried him swiftly, reaching Orchid Pavilion in half a quarter hour.

Before entering the room, cries of distress from the maids could be heard.

Jiang Zhanwei rushed into the bedroom and was shocked by Lu Man’s condition. Her face was flushed, lips dry and cracked, eyes tightly shut. Touching her face, he felt the intense heat radiating from her, even her exhaled breath felt scorching.

His mind went blank. She had been fine that morning, arguing vehemently with him, how had she deteriorated so rapidly? The audacity to engage in such dramatic actions suggested she had courage, so why was she displaying such timidity now?

The imperial physician arrived, administered a shot, and instructed for a fever-reducing medicine to be administered to Lu Man. He sighed, “Third Young Madam’s condition is severe. The strain from caring for the old Marquis and today’s events, combined with prolonged melancholy, has allowed external pathogens to enter her system, causing a high and persistent fever. If she wakes up tonight, all will be well. If not, it’s dangerous. If anything happens to her, the old Marquis… Oh!”

Jiang Zhanwei shook his head, muttering, “How could she not wake up? She’s so lively, didn’t even die from hanging herself, always ready to argue. How could fear be her undoing…”

Lu Man’s spirit had drifted out of her body, floating back to the modern world. Seeing the familiar skyscrapers, she felt a wave of joy. If only she could spend a few minutes in the modern era instead of many days, she could still slip back into her past body and wake up again.

However, her spirit didn’t obey her commands. Instead of drifting towards the hospital, it led her to her past home… She had finally returned home!

Her mother’s hair was now completely white, sitting on the bed lost in thought. The small room remained as clean and tidy as when she was alive, her phone still on the bedside table, her large portrait hanging on the wall, a curling iron on the dressing table, and a glass vase with fresh flowers in full bloom… It seemed as if she had just left for work, forgotten her phone, and would return in the evening.

Lu Man reached out to touch her mother’s white hair, but her hand passed through. It seemed like her mother could see her as she turned in her direction, her eyes empty, slowly saying, “Manman, they say our mother-daughter bond was only meant to last for thirty-one years, and now that time has come to an end. In the days without you, my life has been miserable, and I truly didn’t want to live. However, I also didn’t want to die. As long as I’m alive, I can think of my Manman every day. In my heart, you’re still alive. If I die, then everything will be gone, and Manman will truly be lost…”

Tears streaming down her face, Lu Man cried out, “Mom, Mom, Manman is here, Manman has come back to see you. Without Mom, Manman has been suffering, bullied, alone and helpless…” She stared at her mother, pouring out endless longing and grievances from being separated from her.

She wished desperately for her body to be intact so she could return to it. But according to her mother, she had been dead for a while, and her body had long turned to ashes.

Suddenly, a powerful force pulled Lu Man into a black hole, enveloped in blinding light, unable to move. Forced through thick black mist, she found herself back in ancient Orchid Pavilion.

She saw the ancient Lu Man lying on the bed, with Jiang Zhanwei’s expression cold and stern, staring blankly at her, almost like a statue. Jiang Zhankui and Jiang Jiu cried profusely, with a few maids wiping away tears, not allowing the siblings to enter the room.

Jiang Jiu cried, “What will we do if Third Sister-in-law is dead? She’s so pitiful, Jiu can’t bear to lose her, can’t live without her, waaah…”

Jiang Zhanwei didn’t lift his head, gazing at the lying Lu Man, murmuring, “She won’t die. She didn’t even die by hanging, she’s got a tough life.”

Lu Ying cried out, “Hanging is just a rope, it doesn’t equate to two lives. The old Marquis’s life is already hanging by a thread, suffocating our mistress, and now with the Third Young Master’s life, our mistress is being crushed alive.”

Jiang Zhanwei, enraged, turned to Lu Ying and shouted, “She isn’t dead yet!”

Lu Ying, with resolve, continued tearfully, “The imperial physician said if she doesn’t wake up tonight, it’s dangerous. But it’s already evening now… waaah… Third Young Master, weren’t you hoping for Young Madam’s death? Your wish is coming true…”

Jiang Zhanwei’s fists clenched, gritting his teeth, he growled, “Shut up! I never wished for her death, I…”

Jiang Jiu’s cries grew sharper, shouting, “How could Third Brother hope for Third Sister-in-law’s death? She’s so good, beautiful, kind, with a lovely voice. Besides my brother, she’s been the best to me. She reasoned with us, cooked delicious meals, waaah… Third Brother is bad…”

Jiang Zhankui cried and wailed, “Third Brother only wanted my sister and me to live well, but Third Sister-in-law not only wanted us to live but also be happy. Since she came here, it has been the happiest time for us. She taught us that crying won’t bring love and respect, even if it earns sympathy, we shouldn’t seek it… For us, she stood up against the elders, insisting my sister shouldn’t be alone in the courtyard, urging her to learn from the older generation and interact more, to develop a good character rather than resort to hanging when faced with difficulties… waaah… Her words were heeded by our grandmother and mother, rewarding us with treats and being kind to my sister. Whenever Fifth Brother returns home, he visits us… If Third Sister-in-law dies, my sister will be pitied… I will be pitied… waaah…”

The cries of the two children pierced the serene atmosphere of Orchid Pavilion, their sorrow echoing through the air.

Lu Man felt touched, she remembered all the little moments she shared with these two children.