Chen Mama carefully placed Qing Shu on the bed and covered her with a water-red silk quilt embroidered with large peony flowers. 

Qing Shu leaned against the porcelain pillow painted with landscapes and asked eagerly, “Where’s my mother?” 

Chen Mama lovingly touched Qing Shu’s forehead and said, “The County Magistrate’s wife invited your mother to admire chrysanthemums. She won’t be back until after lunch. I estimate that she’s on her way back now.” The County Magistrate’s wife, Lady Wei, was a close friend of Qing Shu’s mother, Gu Xian. 

“I miss my mother.” 

Seeing Qing Shu’s pitiful appearance, Chen Mama held back tears. In just six days since she returned to the Lin family, the originally plump and pretty girl had become unrecognizable. In the future, she must never let the girl go to Taohua Village alone. 

Holding Qing Shu’s hand, Chen Mama spoke softly, “Don’t worry, young lady. Your mother will be back soon.” 

Qing Shu shook her head and said, “Don’t cry, I’m fine.” In her previous life, she had no knowledge of a person like Chen Mama. Even the matters regarding her maternal family had never been told to her, not even by Zhang Shi. She had been kept by Old Madame Lin’s side and rarely interacted with outsiders, leaving her completely unaware of the situation regarding the Gu family. 

This statement made Chen Mama extremely angry. In just a few days, the innocent and naive girl had learned to console others. What had happened to her in the Lin family these past few days? 

Doctor He, who was highly respected by the Gu family, was on good terms with them. He had been overseeing Qing Shu’s growth, so when he heard that Qing Shu was unwell, he brought his medicine box to her. 

After examining her pulse, Doctor He looked at Zhang Shi with an angry expression and said, “When a child is sick, they should be carefully taken care of. How could you feed her unclean food?” 

Chen Mama was shocked and asked, “Doctor He, what’s wrong with the young lady?” 

Doctor He’s face was dark as he said, “She has an evil wind in her body, and her spleen and stomach are injured. Fortunately, this child has a good constitution; otherwise, she would have been seriously harmed by this ordeal.” 

He treated Qing Shu like his own niece, which was why he was so angry. 

Chen Mama was both angry and worried. She shouted at Zhang Shi, “What did you feed my daughter?” 

Zhang Shi hadn’t expected the situation to be so severe. She dared not speak the truth, fearing the consequences. “She only had red date congee and some rice dishes. She vomited all of the rice dishes. Besides that, she didn’t eat anything else.” 

Chen Mama glared at Zhang Shi angrily and turned to Doctor He, saying, “Doctor He, please make sure to treat the young lady well. She’s so young, we mustn’t let the illness take root.” After just a few days, the girl had been reduced to this state. Something was clearly amiss. 

Having been married into the Lin family for so many years, Chen Mama had a clear understanding of the people in the Lin family. Apart from Zhang Shi, there wasn’t a single good person in the Lin family. Unfortunately, Gu Xian didn’t listen to Chen Mama’s advice. 

Doctor He reassured her, “Don’t worry too much. As long as she’s properly taken care of, the illness won’t leave any lasting effects.” 

Qing Shu’s mind turned, and she intentionally asked, “Does that mean it will cost a lot of money? Our family is not wealthy.” 

Doctor He was quite surprised. 

Chen Mama, enraged, held back her tears. She said, “Young lady, don’t worry. Even if we have to eat ginseng and bird’s nest every day, we can afford it.” 

Qing Shu clenched her fists tightly. Not only was her maternal family wealthy, they were probably wealthier than the richest person in Taifeng County. Yet, the people in the Lin family had misled her, making her believe that the Gu family was fallen. 

Her mother’s dowry was so rich, but in the end, she had never seen any of it. The Lin family had swallowed her mother’s dowry and even allowed Lin Rutong to mock her mother as the daughter of a fallen family. They were truly shameless. 

As she thought about it, her head suddenly began to ache. 

Doctor He hadn’t left yet. He saw Qing Shu touch her head and wince in pain, so he came over and took her pulse. 

After retracting his hand, Doctor He looked at her with a serious expression and said, “You’re still young. It’s not a good thing to worry too much. If there’s anything on your mind, tell your mother and grandmother; they will take care of it.” 

“Alright.” 

True care and concern didn’t breed suspicion. Instead, they only worried about her physical well-being, rather than suspecting that she was possessed by some supernatural entity. 

After taking the medicine, Chen Mama handed her a piece of preserved fruit and said, “Put it in your mouth; it won’t taste as bitter then.” 

Following her advice, Qing Shu placed the preserved fruit in her mouth. Soon after, she fell asleep. 

In her dreams, Qing Shu heard a soft sobbing sound, which caused her to wake up. 

When she saw the person reaching out to touch her face, Qing Shu froze. Oval face, willow-leaf eyebrows, phoenix eyes, cherry lips, and skin as clear as jade. Even though she was pregnant, her beauty remained undiminished. 

Qing Shu never expected her mother to be so beautiful. Unfortunately, she hadn’t inherited her mother’s beauty; from childhood to adulthood, she had always been on the rounder side. 

Gu Xian held Qing Shu and blamed herself, “Hongdou, it’s mother’s fault. Mother shouldn’t have sent you to the countryside.” 

It was also because Old Madame Lin had said she missed Qing Shu and wanted her to return and stay for a few days. Gu Xian couldn’t resist and had to agree. 

“Mother…” After calling out, Qing Shu burst into tears. 

She had suffered so much in these years, it was like being soaked in bitter cold water. She wanted to confide in someone, but unfortunately, there was no one to confide in. Now, seeing her biological mother, all the grievances in Qing Shu’s heart surged forth. 

What kind of suffering had her child gone through in these past few days to make her feel so heartbroken? 

With red-rimmed eyes, Gu Xian asked, “Hongdou, tell mother, who bullied you?” 

Qing Shu could only cry and cry, continuously, heart-wrenchingly. 

Seeing this, Gu Xian’s heart felt like it was being twisted with a knife, and her tears fell like pearls off a broken string. 

The maids who witnessed this were also affected, their eyes welling up with tears. 

Chen Mama was filled with hatred, her eyes also reddening. But knowing that Gu Xian was pregnant and couldn’t handle too much stress, she held back her anger and said, “Madam, you’re carrying two lives now. You must take care of your health!” This pregnancy had already been quite difficult; it couldn’t withstand any more turbulence. 

Hearing this, Qing Shu stopped crying, wiping Gu Xian’s tears away with her hand and saying, “Mother, don’t cry, I’m fine.” Her voice had become hoarse from crying so much. 

Gu Xian held Hongdou tightly and cried, “Hongdou, it’s mother’s fault. Don’t worry, I won’t let you go to the countryside alone again.” 

Taking the handkerchief from Gu Xian’s hand, Qing Shu wiped her own tears and said, “Mother, I’m hungry.” 

After vomiting the food she had eaten earlier, her stomach was empty, and she felt uncomfortable. 

Upon hearing this, Chen Mama wiped her tears and hurried to the kitchen to bring back a bowl of bird’s nest and wolfberry porridge. 

Seeing that Qing Shu didn’t move, Gu Xian thought she didn’t want to eat and forced a smile while coaxing her, “Doctor He said that your spleen and stomach are injured. You can only eat light and easily digestible food for a while. This bird’s nest is not only easy to digest but also good for your stomach. Have some now, and when you’re better, I’ll ask Aunt Li to make your favorite braised pork for you.” 

Qing Shu loved eating meat; she could be described as a meat lover. It was also because of this that she had a plump figure. 

But because she had overindulged her stomach, she struggled to lose weight multiple times without success. After getting married, she simply gave up. 

Qing Shu nodded and said, “Okay.”