How could this have happened?!
“Gong Ze, what’s wrong with you…? Just a few days ago, you were fine. How did you get so sick?! Why didn’t you tell me?!”
Lu Youling’s tears fell like beads from a broken string, pattering onto the floor.
With outsiders present, Gong Ze didn’t dare openly hug him for comfort. He only gently pulled Lu Youling back slightly.
Coughing, he said in a hoarse voice, “At first it was just a little heatiness. I didn’t think much of it. I never expected it to get this bad… Auntie has been thoughtful and bought me plenty of medicine. Maybe I’ll get better in a few days. Don’t be sad.”
His smile was pale and fragile.
Yet he still spoke softly, trying to comfort the young woman.
When he said “maybe I’ll get better soon,” he looked as if even breathing was a struggle. No one present believed him.
“Gong Er, why didn’t you call a doctor if you’ve gotten this bad?!” the village chief exclaimed in shock.
Before seeing Gong Ze in person, the village chief never could have imagined he would end up like this.
The young man standing beside Old Mr. Feng was even more blunt. “You need to go to a hospital in town right now. Relying on a few herbal remedies in a small village like this is just waiting to die.”
“Xueping!” Old Mr. Feng gave his grandson a disapproving look—watch your mouth.
The young man, Feng Xueping, added an awkward “Sorry” under his grandfather’s stern gaze.
Gong Ze shook his head, unbothered. He smiled and said, “I know he meant no harm. To be honest, even I’m surprised by how quickly my condition has worsened…”
“Let me check you!”
Lu Youling took Gong Ze’s wrist to feel his pulse. His mind was completely focused on healing Gong Ze, and he didn’t care that he was currently in women’s clothing and should maintain some distance.
Gong Ze understood that Lu Youling was worried about him and didn’t pull away.
The village chief asked, “Lu Youling knows medicine?”
Old Mr. Feng added from the side, “Not only does this young lady know medicine, her skills are very good. After she rescued me, her herbal medicine saved my life. Otherwise, I would have already gotten sick from that freezing river water.”
Hearing this, Feng Xueping’s sharp demeanor softened considerably. “Then I truly owe Miss Lu and this Mr. Gong a debt of gratitude. Grandfather, rest assured. I will remember their kindness and repay them both.”
Old Mr. Feng nodded with satisfaction, then looked at Lu Youling taking Gong Ze’s pulse, his expression growing somewhat worried.
In his younger days, the old man had traveled far and wide and seen many things. His peripheral vision quietly swept over Old Lady Gong, who was fidgeting uneasily while supported by her servant woman. The old man formed a guess in his heart and let out a soft sigh.
When Old Lady Gong heard that Lu Youling knew medicine, her already panicked heart sank even deeper into the abyss. She gave a dry laugh and said loudly, “Yes, my Gong Er fell ill for no reason. As his aunt, my heart is so worried! That’s why I didn’t want anyone disturbing his rest. Oh, right! I’ve already bought plenty of medicine to cure him!”
Unfortunately, no one believed her explanation.
The village chief, his face dark, shot her a silent glance.
Old Lady Gong broke out in a cold sweat. “What? You’re not suspecting me, are you? People get sick just like the sky rains. What does that have to do with me? I’ve been taking good care of him, feeding him well. Who in the Gong family doesn’t know that?!”
No one paid attention to the old woman, who was practically screaming “I have something to hide” with every desperate attempt to defend herself.
Only Gong Ze, seeing his aunt’s fear, weakly sat down on a round stool and, with his gentle, kind nature, sided with her.
Coughing, he smiled and said to everyone, “That’s right. Auntie and I had some disagreements before, but she was gracious enough to prepare a big feast and clear up the misunderstandings. After I fell ill, she even had the kitchen make me plenty of nourishing soups.”
“My aunt may have a sharp tongue, but she’s actually a very good person.”
Old Lady Gong: …For some reason, even though this little beast Gong Er is defending me, something about the way he says it feels… off?
The old woman, who had no understanding of “green tea bitch” tactics, didn’t overthink it and nodded frantically. “Yes, yes.”
Seeing this, Gong Ze’s smile grew even gentler.
But the village chief and Old Mr. Feng looked at him with pity and heartache, then glared viciously at Old Lady Gong.
Feng Xueping was the most direct. His gaze toward Old Lady Gong was sharp as he gave a cold, “Hmph!”
Meanwhile, Gong Ze, who had not suspected his family member at all, continued to sing his aunt’s praises.
He thanked her for supporting him in managing the Gong family and for caring about his health.
The village chief and Old Mr. Feng could hardly bear to listen anymore.
What a kind, filial, good child.
Yet he was stuck with such a malicious stepmother! They didn’t even know how to break the truth to him.
The village chief clutched his pipe and shook his head. “Sigh… Gong Er, you’re a good child. It’s just a shame that—”
“Uncle, what are you saying?” Gong Ze looked utterly confused.
Feng Xueping was less tactful than the two old men. Young and impetuous, he had already keenly discerned the truth. This man had saved his grandfather—he was his benefactor. So Feng Xueping already felt favorably toward Lu Youling and Gong Ze.
Moreover, he found that this man named Gong Ze had looks and character far beyond anyone he knew, which only increased his admiration.
So when he figured out the truth, it made him angry. Seeing this Gong Ze still making excuses for his clearly suspicious aunt, Feng Xueping couldn’t hold back his youthful impulsiveness and said sarcastically, “You’re filial, all right, but how can you be so stupid?”
Gong Ze was stunned by his words.
“Xueping!” Old Mr. Feng scolded his grandson.
Feng Xueping frowned, unconvinced, and said directly, “Haven’t you figured it out yet? This isn’t an illness at all. What kind of ‘illness’ turns a person this frail in just five or six days with no warning? Hah, it sounds like poison to me!”
After he spoke, the expressions in the room shifted.
Gong Ze looked incredulous.
Old Mr. Feng and the village chief were silent.
Old Lady Gong and her servant woman stiffened—one trembling with fear.
After taking Gong Ze’s pulse, Lu Youling pulled open his collar and saw the ulcers on his neck and the base of his thumb. His hands began to shake.
Unable to believe it, he urgently grabbed Gong Ze’s palm and held it up to his eyes, carefully examining every fingernail. Finally, on one of them, he found a white line…
As if his heart had fallen into an abyss, Lu Youling felt a chill from the soles of his feet to the top of his head.
He desperately asked Gong Ze, “Recently, have you been having headaches, stomach pain, difficulty breathing, vomiting, a metallic taste in your mouth, poor sleep, and unexplained, unbearable tightness and pain in your chest?”
Gong Ze looked astonished. “Those are all my symptoms. And recently, I’ve also been unable to control my temper.”
“…”
Lu Youling held Gong Ze’s hand, silent for a moment. Then, eyes red, he suddenly shot up and lunged at Old Lady Gong, ready to punch her. “You old hag! You poisoned him! I’ll fucking kill you—”
“Murder!” the old woman shrieked, dodging. The others noisily pulled Lu Youling back.
The thought that the man’s pulse revealed massive damage to his internal organs—that his perfectly healthy boyfriend had been ruined by this venomous old witch—made Lu Youling want to fight her to the death.
“These symptoms are clearly heavy metal poisoning! What did you feed him?!”
Lu Youling’s teeth were clenched, tears streaming uncontrollably down his face. His bloodshot eyes glared viciously at Old Lady Gong as he struggled and roared.
“Tell me! What did you feed Gong Ze?!”
“His internal organs are riddled with damage! You abused him in every way when he was a child, and now that Gong Ze is the only heir left of the Gong family, why are you still trying to harm him?!”
Lu Youling’s heart ached with rage.
Thinking of how Gong Ze had still defended this woman, hoping to earn his aunt’s approval, he couldn’t stop the tears of heartbreak for his boyfriend.
How could anyone be this vicious?
The others were furious as well. The village chief pointed at Old Lady Gong and cursed, “Confess now, or don’t blame me for dragging you to the village ancestral hall!”
Old Lady Gong stubbornly denied it. “I don’t know what you’re talking about! Don’t falsely accuse me! Poisoned? What does a little girl like her know about medicine? Even if he is poisoned, why do you assume I did it?!”
Lu Youling let out a hateful, cold laugh. “You won’t admit it? Fine, let’s call another doctor over. These symptoms are already very obvious. Anyone who’s seen heavy metal poisoning wouldn’t mistake it.”
“Actually…” Shuisheng suddenly spoke up. Seeing everyone’s eyes on him, he timidly shrank his neck.
He licked his lips before saying quietly, “I’m very close with Musheng, who works in the kitchen. One day when we were playing together, Musheng told me that ever since the day six days ago when the old woman hosted that banquet for Second Master, the leftover food from the Gong family hasn’t been eaten again, nor has it been given to the servants or fed to the pigs. Instead…”
“It was taken away by the old woman’s personal servant woman…”
Old Lady Gong and the servant woman’s faces drastically changed.
Shuisheng continued, “Everyone thought the servant woman was taking it for herself, and they were very upset. But just this morning, someone saw her take that food not to her own home, but to the grove west of the village.”
“Today, Second Master was too sick to get out of bed. The other servants said that the meals were brought up and taken down untouched—the old woman didn’t seem to have eaten a single bite.”
“…”
After saying all this, Shuisheng timidly glanced at the old woman.
The blood drained from Old Lady Gong’s body.
Seeing her trembling, what else was there to understand?
Feng Xueping snorted coldly. “I say, an old woman who dares to kill her family’s only heir might as well be shot.”
Even Old Mr. Feng was somewhat angry. “Are you trying to end the Gong family line, you foolish woman?”
Listening to everyone’s words, Gong Ze turned even paler. He stood up and looked at his aunt in disbelief. His body swayed and he nearly fell, but Shuisheng, who was wiping away tears, steadied him.
Lu Youling, who had been ready to tear Old Lady Gong apart, saw Gong Ze nearly collapse. He quickly pushed aside the people holding him back and supported Gong Ze’s arm. “Gong Ze, how are you?”
Gong Ze only shook his head, his eyes red.
With moist, dark eyes, he quietly gazed at Old Lady Gong.
“Auntie… is what they’re saying true…?”
Since she had been found out, Old Lady Gong stopped pretending.
Her wrinkled face twisted. “Yes, yes, I did it all!”
Gong Ze stiffened, then broke into a violent fit of coughing, looking as if he might not live much longer. Even Feng Xueping’s gaze showed a hint of concern.
“Gong Ze—!”
Lu Youling quickly massaged his acupoints.
His heart ached so much he wished he could hold the man tightly in his arms.
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