Binding Spring Love

"That's not what I meant."

After Lingyun finished speaking, she reached out to hug the golden tiger, but Lin Jiayue dodged to the side and refused to give it to her.

"I'll take her inside to play for a bit, then I'll give her back later."

The golden tiger was heavy, and it was so well-behaved and obedient when held in her arms. The cat's affectionate behavior made Lin Jiayue feel like crying.

She went back to her room and had someone cook chicken breast. She then put the golden tiger in a bamboo basket, tore it apart, and fed it to the tiger.

"That cold woman took good care of you. It seems she's not as aloof as she appears."

The golden tiger let out a howl and swung its tail as if in response to Lin Jiayue.

"You're really dirty, I don't know where you went to play."

Lin Jiayue washed the little guy with a warm towel and dried him off. Then she smelled a fishy smell on his breath and exclaimed in surprise, "You didn't go to the pond to catch fish, did you? Eating raw fish will cause parasites."

She paused, momentarily hesitant to touch the golden tiger.

Two little girls, about eight or nine years old, walked in from the outer veranda. They were both dressed in indigo dresses and had their hair tied in maid's buns. Lin Jiayue knew they were low-ranking maids from the Marquis's residence, so she asked, "Where did Lingyun go?"

"I just saw Sister Lingyun heading towards the main courtyard. Is Miss Lin looking for her?"

Upon hearing that Lingyun had gone to complain, Lin Jiayue's face turned ashen with anger. She pointed at the little maid and demanded, "Is there a veterinarian in the manor?"

"some."

There are stables on both the east and west sides of the gate. The horses in the Marquis's mansion are all top-quality steeds, and their value is so high that even a hundred servants couldn't compare to them. Naturally, there are veterinarians who take care of them.

The young maid didn't know what Lin Jiayue wanted to do, so she obediently said, "The veterinarians are all in the outer courtyard, and only the servants can go there. If you want to see them, you have to ask the master first. This servant doesn't have the authority to let anyone into the inner courtyard."

"No, no, can you at least go get me something?"

Lin Jiayue rolled her eyes, and only after seeing the little girl nod did she say, "Go and find me some insect repellent, something safe for external use, and bring it back to me."

"This servant understands."

The little girl ran off to find the old woman guarding the place, and soon returned with the items to Lin Jiayue.

"Alright, you may leave."

The little girl pursed her lips, and seeing that she had no intention of giving her a reward or saying a single kind word, she walked out feeling wronged.

"I'll help you get rid of the bugs because your owner is so pitiful. She might have to rely on you for the rest of her life and live a lonely life."

Lin Jiayue opened the paper package and looked at the white powder inside with some concern. She knew that pets needed deworming, but she didn't quite understand the specific procedures.

The golden tiger, smelling the medicinal powder, slowly became restless. It tried to leave, but Lin Jiayue grabbed it and said, "Don't think I'm being too harsh. I didn't mean to, but I can't just ruin my own love because I pity her, can I?"

"When I met Jiang Xingjian, he was a perfectly innocent bachelor. How could he have known that your master would inexplicably marry a dead person?"

Lin Jiayue muttered to herself, then reached out and grabbed some medicinal powder, applying it directly to the golden tiger's body.

"Should this work?"

Cats have an extremely keen sense of smell. When the pungent powder stuck to its body, it twisted its body and tried to lick it off. Lin Jiayue panicked when she saw this: "Don't lick it! You might eat it and die from the poison!"

Seeing that the golden tiger was licking more and more enthusiastically, Lin Jiayue hurriedly picked it up and put it into the copper basin.

She wanted to clean the golden tiger, but as she washed it, she noticed the little creature in her arms was breathing heavily and its body was gradually stiffening. She panicked more and more, and kept rinsing the golden tiger's body. It wasn't until the cat started foaming at the mouth that she cried out.

"Help! Help!"

Jiang Xingjian had just returned from outside the mansion when he saw Lin Jiayue rushing out of the house carrying a soaking wet golden tiger.

"Jiang Yi, please save it, please save it."

Jiang Xingjian frowned: "What happened to it? What did it eat?"

"I don't know, I don't know. I just saw that it had worms on its body and thought I would treat it, but I didn't expect it to ingest the medicine. I specifically told the vet to make sure it was safe and had low toxicity. I really don't know how this happened."

Lin Jiayue was very flustered, her hands trembling as she held the golden tiger.

Jiang Xingjian offered a few words of comfort and then sent the servants in the courtyard to fetch the family physician. Lin Jiayue was in a panic when she saw Hengwu carrying a bell in the distance, swinging it back and forth and calling out to Jin Sihu.

"Go and invite Hengwu over."

Hengwu was brought over by the little maid. When she saw that the golden tiger was soaking wet and foaming at the mouth, she turned pale and burst into tears.

"Sister, sister, come quickly and see the golden tiger."

Hengwu hugged the golden tiger tightly and ran towards the main courtyard like a madwoman.

The reason Miss hasn't been driven mad by the torment of widowhood these past few years is largely due to the presence of the golden tiger. The little fellow is extremely intelligent and adept at making people happy; without it, everyone confined to Longxiangzhai these past few years would have long since succumbed to the urgency.

Although the young lady never said it, she treated the golden tiger like her own child. If it were gone, I don't know how heartbroken she would be.

Hengwu cried and called out to Song Wan all the way. When Song Wan took the golden tiger from her, the little guy had already started to convulse.

"What happened?"

"The old man said he took some medicine and has already called the doctor from the manor."

Song Wan held the golden tiger, which was still foaming at the mouth, and trembled with panic. When Jiang Xingjian entered the room, he couldn't help but reach out to support her.

Its precarious, shaky appearance was truly heartbreaking.

"I'm sorry, I... I didn't mean to, I just wanted to..."

"see a visitor out."

Song Wan scolded, and Lin Jiayue was pushed out by Hengzhi.

Jiang Xingjian frowned slightly upon seeing this, but swallowed his words when he saw Song Wan's crimson eyes.

The once plump and majestic golden tiger now lay soaking wet and utterly disheveled in Song Wan's arms. The little creature's legs were stiff, only its large, round orange cat eyes were still blinking. It was panting, but inhaling was becoming increasingly difficult.

Song Wan couldn't help but hug it tightly, tears streaming down her face.

"Meow..."

The tiger's weak cries broke Song Wan's heart. She quickly pressed her cheek against the golden tiger's little face and gently comforted it, "Little tiger, don't be afraid, Mommy's here."

The kitten stretched out its little paws, trying to touch Song Wan's face, but before it could even lift its paws, it began to twitch uncontrollably.

Tears welled up in the cat's eyes as she looked at Song Wan with her large, watery eyes, as if she had something to say but didn't have time to say it.

"Miss, the royal physician has arrived. Let him take a look."

Xiangcao, dragging the family physician along, waited outside the courtyard. At this moment, she disregarded the proper separation between men and women and kept calling to the gatekeeper to let her in. But instead of her young mistress, she waited for Hengzhi to come out.

"Please go back, sir. The golden tiger..."

Hengzhi choked slightly but dared not shed a tear.