mtl008 Chapter 1008 Sha Yanwen's Illness
Chapter 1008 Sha Yanwen's Illness
Just as Gui'er was about to ask, light footsteps came from outside the door, and Fourth Madam walked in with Sha Lili.
"Gui'er, you've come!" Fourth Concubine's face was all smiles, but there was a hint of unease in her eyes. "I heard you were coming, so I came all the way here."
With a forced smile, Master Zhao greeted his fourth concubine and Sha Lili, "Please have a seat, in-laws."
Fourth Concubine sat down with a big smile and immediately started talking. She talked about how she had recently ordered an expensive cheongsam and how she was playing mahjong with some wealthy upper-class lady. It sounded quite lively, but even Gui'er, who was slow to notice, could tell that she was trying to make herself look good. However, she didn't mention her son, Sha Yanwen, at all.
Gui'er originally only wanted to see Sha Yanwen briefly before leaving, since he was Sha Yanxiao's younger brother and she was fulfilling her duty on his behalf.
Just as the fourth concubine started talking about which high-ranking official's wife she and Shalili had recently gone to the theater with, Gui'er finally couldn't hold back anymore.
She interjected, "Where's Third Brother? I heard he's not feeling well, so I came here specifically to check on him."
After these words were spoken, the entire living room fell silent.
Master Zhao paused for a moment before saying, "My son-in-law hasn't been feeling well these past few days, so we've arranged for him to recuperate elsewhere. Since Miss is here, let's have him come out and meet our guests."
Gui'er quickly said, "No need, I'll go by myself. He's not feeling well, so he shouldn't move around. Is your sister-in-law here?"
"Oh, she went out to watch TV... her child wasn't feeling well, so she took him to see the doctor." Mrs. Zhao changed her words halfway through, but Gui'er had already noticed. However, being an outsider, she didn't want to pry too much, so she just smiled.
After exchanging a few more polite words, Madam Zhao instructed a servant, "Take Miss Sha to see her son-in-law."
Fourth concubine and Sally also got up and followed.
The group followed the old woman upstairs. A faint smell of medicine wafted through the corridor, along with a sweet scent that Gui'er had smelled in the fourth concubine's courtyard when she was a child. She immediately remembered that it was the smell of opium.
Entering the innermost room, the curtains were drawn tightly, leaving only a dim lamplight. Sha Yanwen lay on the large mahogany bed, emaciated, his cheeks sunken, his lips bluish-purple, his breathing as weak as a candle flickering in the wind. An old woman sat by the bedside, feeding him water with a small spoon. Although terminally ill, she was still taking good care of him and appeared dignified. Sha Yanwen resembled the fourth concubine and possessed the imposing physique of a great general; even now, he still looked like a sickly but handsome man.
"My son-in-law hasn't eaten or drunk anything these past few days, he's just clinging to life with opium," the old woman said in a low voice. "The doctor came to see him, and said... said he only has a few more days left."
Gui'er stood there stunned. She turned around and glanced at Wu Mingqiang. No wonder he had called her over. It turned out he was well-informed and knew that Sha Yanwen was dying.
At this moment, the fourth concubine and Sha Lili were standing by the bed. Seeing the once respectable Sha Yanwen in this state, their eyes unconsciously reddened.
Gui'er, who was watching from the side, turned to the old woman and said, "Mother, you've worked hard. Here's a few coins to treat you to a cup of tea." As she spoke, she took out a few copper coins and handed them to her.
The old woman accepted it with a smile, and quickly bowed, saying, "Oh, thank you so much, Miss. Everyone says you are the most compassionate. Don't worry, I will definitely take good care of my son-in-law."
Gui'er nodded and said, "Thank you very much. We haven't seen Third Brother for a long time and would like to have a chat with him alone. Please go out for a moment."
The old woman bowed and scraped as she backed out.
Gui'er then gestured to Wu Mingqiang and Acheng, who nodded and tactfully left, closing the door behind them.
At this moment, the fourth concubine finally shed tears and rushed to Sha Yanwen's bedside, crying, "My son, it's all because your mother is incompetent. With the outbreak of war in the mainland, your two uncles were too busy to take care of themselves, and your in-laws looked down on you. I was barely able to protect myself, and I had no way to make them treat you well."
Gui'er frowned. She looked around. The room wasn't luxurious, but it had a high bed and soft pillows, and the old woman served her well. Logically speaking, the Zhao family had already done more than enough. If an ordinary family had a son-in-law who smoked opium, they would probably be kicked out of the house.
Sha Yanwen weakly shook his head and said, "It is my fault for being so useless. I cannot take care of my mother and I have also burdened my sister. I am afraid that my days are numbered. There is one thing I cannot let go of now. My little daughter Biyun is only a few years old. Her mother is young and playful and I am afraid that she will not be able to keep her. It will be difficult for her to make a living in front of others. If possible, I would like to ask my mother and sister to help her out from time to time."
With red eyes, Shalili said, "Brother, don't say that's unlucky. As long as you don't smoke that stuff, you'll get better soon."
Sha Yanwen shook his head with a wry smile, turned around and saw Gui'er. He nodded politely and said weakly, "Sister Gui'er, I really didn't expect you to come. Thank you for your kindness. In the past, in the Marshal's Mansion, to avoid the First Madam's sharp edge, I pretended to be stupid and play around. I never expected to get addicted to this stuff. I've tried to quit several times but couldn't, which led to my current state. It's too late to regret it now. I'm so useless. You're in Hong Kong, so I should have taken care of you, but I can't even take care of myself. But you still remembered to come and see me. I appreciate your kindness. Thank you."
Hearing his words, Gui'er felt a lump in her throat, as if they were spoken between relatives. She said, "Third Brother, don't be so pessimistic. As long as you quit opium and get better, that will be fine. Since you're worried about your youngest daughter, you should take care of her yourself. Now that our eldest and second brothers are on the front lines of the war against Japan, their fates are uncertain. We're stranded in Hong Kong, so we should be even more self-reliant."
Upon hearing this, Sha Yanwen fell into a moment of contemplation and asked, "Is there any news about the two of them now?"
Gui'er knew that neither Fourth Aunt nor Sha Lili were pushovers, so she didn't dare to tell the truth. She said, "Before I left, I heard news about my eldest brother. He was transferred to Shanghai, and there has been no news of him since. My second brother's fate is also unknown."
Sha Yanwen looked up at the sky and sighed: "When my father was alive, the Marshal's Mansion was so glorious. I never thought that after he died, it would fall apart in just a few years. It really is true that the fate of the country is the fate of the family."
Fourth Concubine said, "You should stop thinking about the Marshal's Mansion. Anyway, when the old man was alive, he was extremely biased. Otherwise, he wouldn't have just watched as the eldest son's side pressured you to pretend to be crazy without doing anything."