Chapter 32 The Third Son’s Illness

Chapter 32: The Third Son's Illness

Inside the carriage rattling towards the town's outskirts, only the rhythmic clip-clop of hooves and the coachman's occasional shouts at the horse broke the stifling silence.

Squire Li was merely two years younger than Old Dr. Li. The brothers had married in quick succession; less than six months after Madam Li gave birth to Jin Hui, Li Yingbai was born. He was five years older than Jin Rong and considerably older than Jin Tong, yet he appeared more aged than Jin Hui, with wrinkles already etched around his eyes.

At this moment, the eldest brother's expression was somber. He let out a deep sigh and said, "My parents have utterly spoiled our third son, making you witness such a spectacle."

Jin Rong glanced at him. "I see nothing amusing about it."

Li Yingbai flinched, then forced a bitter smile. "Indeed."

Li Jintong added, "Eldest Brother, Third Brother's illness is not easily cured. You must prepare Second Uncle and Aunt for what's to come."

Hearing this, Li Yingbai sighed deeply once more. "We can only do our best."

The coachman urged the horses on, and the carriage arrived at the Li residence at least a quarter of an hour sooner than usual.

Just before dismounting, Li Yingbai hesitated, then said to the two siblings, "Third Brother's current state is truly... quite unbearable to witness..."

Li Jintong replied, "As healers, we've seen much. Eldest Brother, there's no need to dwell on it."

Li Yingbai managed a weak smile and nodded in agreement.

The three descended from the carriage. This time, Squire Li and his wife personally greeted them in the courtyard. Upon seeing Jin Rong and her brother, they clasped their hands, tears streaming down their faces.

After offering a few words of comfort, Li Jintong quickly joined his second sister to see the patient.

Fearing his parents would be distressed by their third son's condition, Li Yingbai gently persuaded them to return inside and led the way himself.

Li Yingsong's courtyard was substantial, boasting over a dozen rooms of various sizes. Two or three servants attended to the courtyard alone. Some time ago, a handsome man and beautiful woman, both opera performers, had also resided there, but Madam Li had expelled them after Li Yingsong fell ill.

As soon as Jin Rong and her brother entered the courtyard, they heard the sounds of smashing and vile curses emanating from the main room—the language was utterly offensive.

Li Yingbai awkwardly wiped sweat from his brow. Jin Rong listened intently for a moment, then remarked, "His vital energy is still strong, at least. That's a good sign."

Upon entering the room, they saw Sun Yushuang standing expressionlessly in a corner, staring coldly at the chaotic mess on the floor nearby.

As Jin Rong and Jin Tong entered, his gaze lingered on Jin Tong for a fleeting moment before dropping.

Li Yingbai asked, "How is Third Brother today?"

Sun Yushuang replied, "The same as always."

The siblings looked towards the bedroom. The door was ajar, but its frame was barricaded with crisscrossing wooden planks, layer upon layer, leaving only a narrow gap at the bottom for passing items through. On the floor beside the doorframe lay a hammer, scattered nails, and several haphazardly stacked planks.

Inside, Li Yingsong was pressed against the wooden planks nailed to the doorframe, peering out through the cracks. The single eye visible through the gaps was filled with malevolence. His fists pounded against the planks, creating loud thuds, and wood chips continuously fell to the ground.

Perhaps sensing the presence of newcomers, the pounding from within ceased, but he remained motionless, glaring fiercely at the newly arrived siblings.

Jin Rong walked towards the door. Li Yingsong's breathing became noticeably heavier and more rapid. When she was about five or six steps from the wooden planks, Li Jintong quickly stepped forward, grabbed his second sister's shoulder, and stopped her.

*Bang!* Seeing this, Li Yingsong retreated a few steps in a fit of rage and slammed his fist against one of the planks, shattering it and revealing his entire face.

His face was mottled with red rashes and festering blisters, some oozing yellow pus—a truly nauseating sight.

Jin Rong showed no change in expression. She turned back and asked, "Why is he confined? This illness won't spread to others if precautions are taken during contact."

Li Yingbai's face betrayed his struggle to speak, while Sun Yushuang calmly stated, "He said he wants to sleep with me."

Jin Rong's brow furrowed.

For a moment, the room was so quiet that a pin drop would have been audible.

*Bang!* The sudden noise in the profound silence made everyone's hearts skip a beat.

Li Yingsong slammed against the wooden boards again, acting like a madman. He thrust his hand through the newly broken gap, pressing his face against the opening, desperately reaching towards Jin Rong and Jin Tong while screaming, "Why are all of you perfectly fine when I'm not?!"

"What does this have to do with anyone else? If you hadn't caroused outside, how would you have contracted this filthy disease?" Li Yingbai fumed. "Third Brother, Second Sister and Little Brother are here to treat you. Can't you spare everyone some worry?"

Li Yingsong sneered, "Don't try to coax me into obedience. I know I'm finished. Which of the prostitutes in the brothel who caught this disease lived long? You just want me to stay quietly in this room and die without a fuss, without infecting any of you!"

He then glared at Sun Yushuang, gritting his teeth. "You bitch, it's not like when you begged me like a dog to have you. You fucking lied to me, saying you were pregnant—that's why I married you. But you haven't even produced an heir! If it weren't for me, you and your poor parents would have starved long ago!"

"Now you're not sucking up to me anymore, Sun Yushuang. Let me tell you, you won't get off that easy. If I die, you'll have to join me in the grave!"

Li Yingbai was so enraged he stamped his feet. Pointing at his brother, he exclaimed, "You've lost your mind, to utter such things!"

He then tried to reassure his brother's husband, saying, "Yushuang, Third Brother is just delirious from the illness. Please don't take it to heart."

Sun Yushuang lowered his eyes and remained silent, while Li Yingsong resumed his barrage of vulgar insults.

Li Jintong watched silently for a while, then took his second sister's arm and gently led her away, saying, "Let's go out first. We need to discuss this."

...

Although the Second Young Master was away, Jian Ru was far from idle.

On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, everyone dined together in the main house. Between cooking and cleaning, the day quickly passed.

With the two children away for the festival, Madam Li was in low spirits.

After finishing the chores, Jian Ru stayed behind to chat with Madam Li for a while.

Upon returning to his room, he completed the calligraphy practice he had missed that day.

Fortunately, during his leisure time a few days earlier, Li Jintong had written several sheets of characters for him to use as copybooks, so even with the Second Young Master absent, his progress remained unimpeded.

Jian Ru was quite dedicated to learning and recognizing characters—not merely to compensate for past deficiencies. He didn't aspire to write as beautifully as the Second Young Master, but he at least wanted his handwriting to be presentable, so he wouldn't feel embarrassed in front of others.

He had always admired those young men who could earn their own living, who were eloquent, and skilled in both writing and arithmetic. Now that he had the opportunity, he was determined to seize it.

Today, he practiced calligraphy with exceptional vigor, completing an entire extra sheet more than usual.

Earlier, while chatting with his mother-in-law in the main house, the eldest sister, Li Jinhui, had mentioned the clinic's reopening tomorrow. The small clinic was manageable—Jin Hui had always overseen it, so there would be no issues. However, the main clinic currently only had Jin Feng. With many people likely having postponed seeing a doctor during the New Year, there would undoubtedly be a surge of patients right after reopening. They would surely be overwhelmed.

Jin Hui said, "For non-urgent cases, we can delay them. Prioritize the critical ones first. If it's still too much to handle, I'll send someone from my side to help, shuttling between the two clinics to manage the rush." The Li Family Clinic didn't just rely on the siblings for consultations—they also employed several experienced physicians.

The Eldest Young Master said, "That's the only way."

Madam Li then looked at Jian Ru and said, "With our youngest away these days, why don't you go take a look at the clinic too?"

Jian Ru was overjoyed. He immediately nodded and said, "Great! I'll go to the main clinic with Eldest Brother. While there's not much else I can do, I can certainly handle all the errands."

Madam Li had precisely that in mind and smiled, saying, "Then it's settled."

Li Qinglan hesitated, then said, "Perhaps I should go too."

Madam Li looked at her daughter-in-law and seemed about to speak, but Granny Jin, standing nearby, subtly tugged at her clothes from behind. She closed her mouth, merely letting out a "tsk."

Jin Feng then said, "You've just recovered your health, and I'll be too busy to look after you. It's better to rest more at home."

Li Qinglan could only nod in agreement, and that was the end of the matter.

However, Jian Ru then remembered something else, his expression falling. With everyone present, he kept it to himself.

After the eldest brother and sister-in-law had left, and Granny Jin had gone out to attend to her tasks, leaving only the mother-in-law and eldest sister Jin Hui present, Jian Ru hesitated and said, "Perhaps I shouldn't go after all."

"Why?" Jin Hui asked in surprise, having seen how excited Jian Ru was to help at the clinic just moments before.

Jian Ru bit his lip and remained silent.

Madam Li shot him a look. "Since when did you become so indecisive!"

Jian Ru, swallowing his sadness, replied, "I'm just afraid my face might frighten patients and affect the clinic's business!" Zhang Jiao had told him to avoid going to the shop where Jiang Maocai worked because the owner was afraid he would frighten the customers.

Upon hearing this, Madam Li smacked his arm and scolded, "You're not some demon! No matter how much you're fed, you remain skinny as a twig—who could possibly be so timid as to be scared by someone as thin as you, who could slip through a crack in the door? If you don't want to work, just say so. No one will blame you for staying home quietly!"

Jian Ru's face turned bright red. "It's not that I don't want to work, you're really..." He gritted his teeth. "Fine, I understand. I'll go!"

Jin Hui laughed beside them. "That's more like it."

After finishing his writing practice, Jian Ru was still thinking about going to the clinic the next day as he prepared for bed. Though the bed felt emptier without his husband, he didn't dwell on it too much.

Just before falling asleep, he sniffed the bedding on the second young master's side, caught the familiar scent, and soon drifted off peacefully.

Early the next morning, after breakfast, Jian Ru set out with the eldest young master. Xiao Ning, having nothing to do at home, went along as well, and the two of them helped the eldest young master with errands.

The eldest young master wasn't one to fuss over others. Once at the clinic, he busied himself with his own work and didn't think to assign a reliable assistant to guide his brother-in-law.

Fortunately, Jian Ru had been to the clinic before to pick up medicines, so the physicians and assistants all knew him.

He wasn't shy by nature, and he quickly found tasks to do. Before long, he was busy helping out.

It was only after working for quite a while that Li Jinfeng remembered to check on his brother-in-law. Stepping out of the consultation room, he saw Xiao Ning greeting and seeing off patients at the entrance, while Jian Ru was intently weighing medicines at the counter, so focused he didn't even notice Li Jinfeng's arrival.

The eldest young master grew concerned. Although Jian Ru had learned something about medicines since marrying into the family, and the medicine cabinets were clearly labeled, the stakes were high. If he made a mistake in preparing a prescription, it wouldn't just be a matter of failing to treat an illness—mixing incompatible herbs could be fatal.

He pulled aside an assistant who was also weighing medicines behind the counter and asked in a low voice, "How could you let a novice handle this?"

The assistant smiled. "Don't worry about a thing! I've been keeping an eye on him. This young master Jian is quick-minded—he remembers everything after hearing it once. His hands are deft, and he's careful and attentive. I haven't found a single mistake all morning!"