Chapter 4 Cooperation

Chapter 4 Cooperation

Tang Yuan had been resting with her eyes closed in her mother’s arms.

She kept it from her father but didn’t want to hide it from her mother; she needed someone’s help to act more convincingly.

The key was that with her mother’s assistance, she could better handle her father.

Unexpectedly, the most detested aunt came over to assert her presence.

Could she let that slide?

In her previous life, she grew up in the countryside with her grandparents (a childhood habit of calling them so). Without her parents around, she naturally became a target for bullying by other children, and her response was to fight back!

With each fight, her fighting skills steadily improved.

Later, when her grandmother, along with her stepmother and aunts, tried to seize her property in the city, she didn’t hesitate to give them a sound beating.

During college, she even enrolled in self-defense classes, learning techniques thoroughly regardless of their professionalism.

She was tall, while her aunt was petite, making her no match.

With a swift motion, Tang Yuan poured the murky gray water into her aunt’s mouth.

When liquid is forced in, one instinctively swallows to avoid choking.

Tang Yuan made sure her aunt swallowed every last drop of the bowl of ash water.

Mother Tang, having just received a hint from her daughter, was still in shock and hadn’t recovered.

Her straightforward daughter had actually learned to be cunning and devious!!!

Dad Tang was genuinely stunned and couldn’t react in time to pull his daughter away.

He had heard his daughter talking nonsense earlier, but seeing her unusually agile movements now truly frightened him.

Was that really his daughter just now?

She had been resting in her mother’s arms, then suddenly sprang up like a calico cat pouncing on a bird, pinning her aunt to the bed.

It happened too fast!

Father, don’t scare Yuanyuan like that; she’s your own granddaughter!

Father, please, don’t scare my daughter anymore.

Only when the aunt turned into a screaming, flapping moth did Dad Tang snap out of it and quickly pull his daughter away.

Tang Yuan was still waving the large, rough ceramic bowl, “I am the General who holds the bowl before the Jade Emperor. You demon, I will subdue you!”

Auntie, once she regained her freedom, bent over and coughed violently, as if trying to cough out her lungs.

"Crazy, crazy!"

She stumbled out, running to tell Grandma Tang about the situation.

Grandma Tang was also shocked by her disheveled appearance.

She had already burned paper money for the old man and her in-laws, so why wasn't it working?

That water ghost was indeed powerful.

Auntie's hair and clothes were soaked, and her face was covered with ashes, making her look quite comical.

But she didn't care. "Mother, quickly call Zhonghe to give an injection."

Tang Zhonghe was the barefoot doctor of Tangjia Village Brigade.

However, Grandma Tang refused. "People will laugh at us."

She and Tang Zhonghe's mother didn't get along well; they had quarreled before, fearing that the other would make a spectacle of the situation.

Auntie: "Zhonghe won't talk nonsense."

Grandma Tang: "Can he cure it? If he could, there wouldn't be any fools or madmen in the four surrounding villages."

In those days, every village always had a couple of people with mental issues. Apart from those whose conditions improved due to good family care, most only worsened until death.

None were cured by doctors!

Their village had a female madwoman and a male fool who hadn't improved after all these years.

At this moment, Dad Tang came over to ask his mother to call a doctor. "Mother, Yuan is delirious from the fever; just one injection will help her recover."

His mind was entirely on his daughter, not bothering to care about his sister-in-law or apologize for his daughter's behavior.

Auntie was unhappy; the second son truly spoiled his daughter.

Yuan's arrogance and willfulness were the result of being spoiled by her parents.

She was very dissatisfied that Tang Yuan's parents showed no concern for her after Yuan's rampage.

But she was used to pretending, as she still needed their help to arrange a marriage for her son through Yuan's recovery.

With a concerned expression, she gently said, "Second Uncle, Yuan is fine; don't worry too much. Look, you're so scared you can't even think straight."

Dad Tang was indeed like that.

He also asked his mother to call Yuan's soul back, fearing he might do it wrong, and his father always listened to his mother.

Grandma Tang muttered to herself that burning paper and offering incense hadn't worked; perhaps the fever had made the water ghost stronger.

She agreed with Dad Tang to call for a doctor and urged Mother-in-Law to go to work, warning her not to talk about it outside and not to make a spectacle of things.

Mother-in-Law wasn’t reassured; she needed to watch Tang Yuan’s treatment, as it couldn’t delay her son’s marriage plans.

Tang Yuan heard the mother and daughter-in-law whispering outside and immediately started screaming, "Big Bowl, the limping water ghost sent matchmakers and lackeys! Quickly let them in!"

Grandma Tang hurriedly pushed Mother-in-Law away.

In the east wing, the eldest brother's little girl was woken up by the commotion, so Grandma Tang quickly went over to soothe the child.

Mother Tang didn’t know how her daughter had suddenly become clever enough to come up with the idea of feigning madness, but she knew she couldn’t hold her daughter back.

She hadn’t given birth to a son, which had made her husband feel ashamed and caused her daughter to suffer indignities.

Hearing her daughter’s words, it seemed that Mother-in-Law wanted Yuan to exchange marriages for Tang Wu?

It looked like her daughter had no choice and was being forced into this.

It was all because she was useless.

Thinking this, she felt even more heartbroken and guilty, tears streaming down her face.

When Tang Zhonghe arrived, Mother Tang had already cried until her eyes were red and swollen, holding her daughter, looking lost.

"Zhonghe, Sister-in-Law, Sister-in-Law begs, begs you, please cure Yuan."

Mother Tang and Dad Tang weren’t eloquent people; they were usually reserved and not good at expressing emotions. Words like "please," "thank you," or "beg" were too embarrassing for them to utter.

But today, for her daughter, she put aside her shame.

What was the difference between feigning madness and being truly mad?

As her mother, she ached.

Tang Yuan, however, unaware of her mother’s thoughts, secretly gave her a thumbs-up.

Her mother had real acting talent!

Clearly, her mother’s honesty was forced, unlike her father’s innate simplicity.

Indeed, a daughter sold by her parents for two buckets of cornmeal to survive would, even if not mistreated by her in-laws, still feel inferior due to the constant reminders of her origins.

Afraid of being driven away, afraid of having nowhere to go, afraid of starving, she had to be meek and honest, never retaliating against insults or blows.

Tang Yuan understood her mother’s deeper feelings and felt even more heartbroken, hugging her tightly as she trembled from the lie.

Mother Tang also hugged her daughter tightly in return.

To Dad Tang, this was clearly his wife feeling sorry for their daughter, who was scared of everyone except her parents.

Dad Tang said gently, "Daughter, this is your Brother Zhonghe. Don’t be afraid."

Tang Zhonghe, twenty-nine years old, handsome and gentle, always smiling and friendly to everyone.

Tang Yuan wasn’t worried about Tang Zhonghe seeing through her act; she knew he never initiated conflicts and wouldn’t expose her even if he suspected something.

Tang Zhonghe had already briefly learned about Tang Yuan’s situation, knowing she had fallen into the river, gotten cold, and been frightened, causing her to have a fever and confusion.

Seeing Tang Yuan’s flushed cheeks, he took out a thermometer and asked Mother Tang to place it under her armpit.

He examined Tang Yuan’s face by the window light, noting her rosy cheeks and bright eyes, which didn’t look like those of someone confused by fever.

After removing the thermometer, Tang Zhonghe checked the reading against the light, "39.2°C, high fever. Why didn’t you get fever-reducing medicine earlier?"

Even a low fever is uncomfortable for adults, let alone a high fever of 39°C, which must be excruciating.

Both Dad Tang and Mother Tang were very distressed.

Dad Tang rubbed his hands, "Indeed, she’s so confused. Give her a fever-reducing injection quickly."

Tang Zhonghe: "No need. Two tablets of fever-reducing medicine will do."

Old Lady Tang, hiding outside the window, whispered, "Zhonghe, just give two tablets. They’re expensive, don’t waste them."

If not for Tang Yuan’s madness, she wouldn’t have spared any thought for fever-reducing medicine.

A few tablets cost ten cents, quite expensive.

Two tablets wouldn’t exceed five cents, equivalent to an egg, acceptable.

Tang Zhonghe, knowing Old Lady Tang’s temperament, prescribed three tablets, "Fever often recurs for two to three days. Break one tablet into halves, take half three times a day, don’t overdose."

Overdosing has side effects.

Mother Tang fetched water to give her daughter the medicine.

Tang Zhonghe: "Second Aunt, wait. Don’t take it on an empty stomach; it might hurt your stomach. Have Grandma make Yuan some egg flower soup."

Nutrition helps recovery when sick.

Dad Tang went to tell Old Lady Tang.

Holding her great-granddaughter, Old Lady Tang’s eyes widened when she heard Dad Tang asking for an egg for Tang Yuan.

"Do I look like an egg to you?"

Dad Tang’s face turned red. He had always been hardworking and never asked for food, even enduring hunger.

But the girl has a fever, and taking medicine on an empty stomach would harm her stomach.

He stammered, "Mother, Yuan has a high fever, 39.2°C, Zhonghe said to be careful not to burn out her brain and make her silly."

Old Lady Tang scolded, "Look at how she's acting crazy today; she must have already lost it."

Thinking that Tang Yuan might calm down once her fever subsides, she finally relaxed and no longer hesitated to give up that egg.

No matter how much she disliked her granddaughter, a girl raised could still work and bring in a dowry. If she really went mad, it would be a huge loss.

Seeing his mother relent, Dad Tang quickly went to the main room to light a fire and boil water for the egg flower soup, lest the old lady change her mind.

The water boiled quickly, and he worked efficiently, soon finishing the egg flower soup.

He then used another coarse porcelain bowl to cool it down by pouring it back and forth.

Once it wasn't too hot to drink, he brought it to Tang Yuan.

Tang Yuan was indeed hungry after all the commotion.

Smelling the slightly fishy egg water, she found it a delicious and nutritious meal at this moment.

Her parents rarely had eggs throughout the year, so she couldn't help but offer them a sip first.

How could Dad Tang and Mother Tang bear to drink it? They coaxed their daughter to drink it quickly and take her medicine to lower her fever.

Tang Zhonghe watched, feeling secretly moved. People often said Tang Yuan had a bad temper and was unreasonable, but he thought she was quite nice.

Every time they met, she smiled and called him brother, asking if he was treating patients again and praising him for his skills in saving lives.

Look, even when she was sick and delirious, she remembered to let her parents drink the egg water first.

Her downfall was that she didn't know how to sweet-talk her grandmother.

But even if she did, it wouldn't matter. She was a girl, and Grandma Tang didn't like her anyway, especially since she had no brother. Naturally, Grandma Tang disliked her even more.

After drinking the egg soup and taking half a tablet of antipyrine, Tang Yuan fell into a deep sleep.

Old Lady Tang leaned against the door of the east room and asked how she was doing.

Mother Tang replied that she had taken the medicine and was now in a deep sleep.

Old Lady Tang felt reassured that her son and daughter-in-law could handle the situation.

On any other day, she wouldn't tolerate her son and daughter-in-law idling around; they would have to work.

Today, however, the circumstances were exceptional, so she allowed Dad Tang to continue working while Mother Tang stayed home to watch over their daughter.

Tang Zhonghe left with Dad Tang, carefully inquiring about Tang Yuan's symptoms along the way.

Dad Tang didn't want to admit his daughter was acting crazy, so he tried to downplay it. After all, the doctor could only treat the fever, not the spiritual disturbance. Saying otherwise might make people think something was wrong with his daughter.

Dad Tang: "Zhonghe, you..."

Tang Zhonghe: "Second Uncle, don't worry. I won't tell anyone. However, Yuan's condition can be serious or minor. I think she's confused due to mental stress. Try to minimize her stress to prevent her condition from worsening."

Dad Tang felt a jolt in his heart, "Isn't it just a fever?"

Tang Zhonghe: "It is a fever, but the fever is just a trigger. The root cause lies in the mental stress. In any case, being cautious is always better."

His words implied that someone with a strong temperament was more likely to have issues when under significant mental stress.

Based on his experience, Tang Yuan's behavior resembled a reaction to mental stress, but he observed that her eyes were clear and she knew to let her parents drink the egg water first, indicating she wasn't completely delirious.

Perhaps it was intermittent?

If Tang Yuan truly went mad due to mental stress, he was worried, but he suspected she might be... pretending?

He usually didn't meddle, so he focused on treating her fever and advised the family to minimize her stress.

Naturally, Dad Tang took note of everything and urged Zhonghe to visit more often to check on his daughter.

Tang Yuan had already informed her mother of the plan. Seeing her father's concern and believing that Grandma Tang trusted her act, she felt that things were halfway successful.

With no burden on her mind, she slept deeply after taking the medicine.

In reality, her sleep was restless, her soul trapped in a painful abyss, unable to wake up.

The loud noise caused by her second brother almost shook her soul out of her body.