tallest building

Chapter 116 Initial Recovery from Illness

Wen Mingqian finally opened his eyes on the morning of the third day.

Sang Er and Gong Chang'an were asleep, lying on either side of her bed.

A ray of morning light shone in, illuminating the fine hairs on Gong Chang'an's ears clearly, reminding Wen Mingqian of what he looked like when he was just born. He couldn't help but reach out and gently touch them.

Gong Chang'an woke up immediately and was overjoyed to see Wen Mingqian looking at her: "Mother, you're finally awake! You scared me to death!"

"How long have I been asleep?" Wen Mingqian's voice was terribly hoarse.

"I've been sleeping for three days now, I was so worried about you." Gong Chang'an choked up as he spoke.

"Mother, you're awake!" Sang Er also woke up, overjoyed and not knowing what to do.

“You’ve both lost weight.” Wen Mingqian looked at the two children with heartache in his eyes. “You must not have been eating or sleeping well these past few days. You’ll have to make up for it properly later.”

Gong Chang'an reached out and touched Wen Mingqian's forehead. He had done this hundreds of times while Wen Mingqian was unconscious.

"That's great, it's not hot anymore." Gong Chang'an was even more relieved. "The imperial physician's skills are truly extraordinary."

"The Feng family already knows you're back, right?" Wen Mingqian asked.

“They knew I was back the day I returned. My sworn brother and his young mistress even came over, but my mother was already ill at that time,” Gong Chang’an said. “During the days you were sick, they sent people to inquire about you twice a day and brought many gifts.”

Not only their household, but several other families, upon learning of Mother's illness, also sent people to inquire about her condition.

Wen Mingqian knew these were all favors, and he would naturally repay them one by one once he recovered.

"Mother, have some tea to soothe your throat." Gong Chang'an placed another pillow behind Wen Mingqian, while Sang Er brought over a cup of pleasant tea.

Wen Mingqian felt lightheaded all over, except for his head.

She hasn't been this seriously ill in many years; the last time she was this badly ill was when she was a child.

Then Zhang Ma brought in some noodle soup: "Miss, you haven't eaten or drunk anything for three days. This is not good. The weather is too hot now, and taking too many tonics will only harm your health. This noodle soup is the best. Drink half a bowl slowly, and if you have an appetite, you can have some snacks."

Wen Mingqian drank half a bowl of noodle soup, and a slight sweat appeared on his forehead. He was too weak and just wanted to lie down.

At this time, Madam Wei had finished serving the old lady breakfast and came to Wen Mingqian's place. She was very happy to see that she had woken up.

“Amitabha Buddha, you’re finally awake! You scared us all. The old lady is still asking about it. I was afraid she would worry too much if she knew the truth, so I had to keep it from her,” said Mrs. Wei while chanting Buddhist prayers.

"Sister-in-law, you've worked so hard these past few days. I've heard from Zhang Ma and the others that it's all thanks to you taking care of things in this yard." Wen Mingqian was very grateful. To be honest, the person who made her feel the warmest in this home was never Gong Xu.

“Why be so polite among family? Besides, I’m just here to make my presence known. Your people are handling everything perfectly, so I don’t need to worry about anything,” said Madam Wei. “No wonder people say that a strong general has no weak soldiers.”

He added, "Do you have an appetite? What would you like to eat? If it's something we can't make at home right now, I'll send someone to buy it from outside."

“The First Madam truly treats our Lady like a younger sister,” Sang Er said. Ever since entering this household, she genuinely felt that Madam Wei was a rare and kind person, “making us quite envious.”

“Silly girl, if I don’t love your wife, who will I love? We’re in the same family, just like sisters,” said Madam Wei. “Those who aren’t mothers don’t understand your wife’s heart. If this child is missing, it’s like tearing out a mother’s heart and soul.”

Mingqian is incredibly patient; anyone else would have collapsed on the spot. She's just putting on a brave face; once Chang'an returns, she won't be able to handle it anymore.

"Have all those people been caught?" Wen Mingqian was very concerned about this.

"They've all been caught, including Shao Si, Ma Daguang, and the two mute men who had escaped," said Madam Wei. "They must be severely punished no matter what!"

"Has no one else been implicated?" Wen Mingqian frowned.

“I haven’t heard of that. Ma Daguang is adamant that he was the mastermind, trying to kidnap Chang’an and extort money from our family,” said Madam Wei. “Who else do you suspect?”

"To be honest, sister-in-law, I've always suspected that Song Xiang was behind this," Wen Mingqian said. "To kidnap someone in broad daylight, lock Chang'an up without food, is this what a normal kidnapping looks like?"
This time, it was thanks to Chang'an's quick thinking that he ran back on his own; if he had made even one mistake, it would have been…

“What you said makes sense. Song Xiulian is dead, and of course Song Xiang is unwilling to accept it. He must also resent our family.” Madam Wei sighed. “But even if Ma Daguang used torture, he refused to confess to anyone else. We also don’t have any solid evidence to prove that Song Xiang was involved.”

"The Song siblings are both exceptionally cunning. I imagine Song Xiang had already devised a plan to escape before he made his move," Wen Mingqian said with a slight sneer. "I'm afraid he won't give up anytime soon."

“That’s what’s truly worrying! He always harbors thoughts of harming us, and he might strike at any moment.” Madam Wei looked distressed. “I have to tell Jing’an and Yu’an that they must take Chang’an with them to and from school from now on, and never leave him alone.”

"I heard that the Second Madam has woken up, so I came to see her." Xu Mama, who served the old lady, came in with a young maid. "I know that the First Madam is here as well."

"Please sit down, Aunt Xu." Everyone quickly offered him a seat, after all, she was an elderly woman who served the old lady, and the younger generation had to show her respect.

"The old lady didn't know that the second madam was so ill, but we all knew, and we were very worried about her. Now that we heard you've woken up, we were overjoyed and had to come and see you," said Madam Xu with a smile after sitting down.

“Thank you for your concern, Mom. In another day or two, I will be able to get out of bed and go to pay my respects to the old lady. At that time, she will naturally feel at ease,” Wen Mingqian said.

"Sigh! Being sick is so exhausting. In just a few days, the Second Madam looks like she's lost a lot of weight," said Madam Xu. "It's hot and not good for recuperation, so please be careful. There's no need to rush to pay your respects to the Old Madam; she's always considerate of the younger generation."

Just then, the doctor came to take Wen Mingqian's pulse. He was very happy to see that Wen Mingqian had woken up: "I said yesterday that it was no longer a big deal. How about it? You woke up today! I will prescribe a few more prescriptions with milder medicine. After taking them for a few days, you will be completely fine."

Wen Mingqian naturally thanked the doctor again.