"Auntie, were you beaten?" Linlin asked bluntly. "No, let me see."
Tang Zhuyun: "..."
What a domineering young CEO!
As they were talking, the domineering CEO stepped forward and tore off her veil.
The Prince of Jin's gaze fell upon her face, swollen beyond recognition. His aura shifted abruptly, emanating a chilling aura as he asked, enunciating each word clearly, "Who—hit—this—!"
Yanran burst into tears. "Sister, sister, what's wrong?"
Linlin bit her lip hard, her little fists clenched tightly. "Auntie, who hit you?"
"No, I bumped into it by accident." Tang Zhuyun was really afraid these people would make things worse. "Alright, alright, are you all hungry? Go wash your hands and have some snacks."
The two children refused to leave, and it was only after the Prince of Jin spoke that Xiu'er led them into the room.
Prince of Jin cornered Tang Zhuyun against the wall, his voice low and icy, like shattering ice. "I'm asking you, who hit me!"
Tang Zhuyun: "It's nothing, you don't need to worry about it."
Is this guy channeling a domineering CEO? This kind of ambiguous behavior will make her overthink things.
But then she thought about how ruthless he was at dislocating people's jaws, and she couldn't help but shudder.
"I don't care?" Prince of Jin sneered. "Even when beating a dog, you have to consider its owner. You're mine now."
Huh? Pah! You're the dog! You dog of a man!
"Alright, alright," Tang Zhuyun said impatiently, "Don't you know what's going on between us? I can handle my own affairs. If you really want to help, then stop my father from submitting his resignation these next few days."
After a moment of digestion, the Prince of Jin said decisively, "It's your grandmother!"
"Who else could it be but her?" Tang Zhuyun said. "Alright, move aside, I need to go see the two children."
The Prince of Jin narrowed his eyes and looked towards the main room, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.
In the latter half of the night, when everyone was asleep, a shrill scream suddenly came from the main room where Madam Song was staying.
Song Cui'er shouted, "Snake! There's a snake!"
The noise startled everyone, and everyone except the two children ran to the main house.
Song Cui'er was sleeping on the couch, sound asleep when she suddenly felt a chill on her leg. Something had wrapped around her. She reached out and touched it; it was slippery and icy cold, instantly waking her up.
Song Cui'er threw the snake to the ground, clutching the blanket and screaming in panic.
"This snake isn't poisonous," Tang Zhuyun said after only one glance. "Put your clothes on first."
She glanced at the bulging human figure behind the bed curtains, but remained silent.
Tang Mingfan said, "It's normal for insects and snakes to appear in summer. As long as they're not poisonous and won't harm people, that's fine."
However, the Tang Family father and son also noticed something was wrong.
--How come the Madam Song wasn't awakened after all that commotion?
Tang Mingfan stepped forward and lifted the bed. "Mother, Mother!"
He checked Madam Song's breath with trembling hands and breathed a sigh of relief.
Madam Song was shaken awake by Tang Mingfan. She slowly opened her eyes, only to find that she could neither move nor speak. In her anxiety, she could only manage to utter "ah ah ah ah" sounds with all her might.
"Mother, what's wrong with you?" Tang Mingfan asked in a panic.
"Father," Tang Zhuyun said, "Quickly, fetch a doctor!"
Tang Baixin tugged at her, stopping her from speaking.
The swelling on his sister's face made him unable to feel any sympathy for the old hag in bed.
It would be best if he were dead!
Tang Zhuyun, however, did not think so. The old witch could not die. If she died, her father and elder brother would have to resign from their official posts and return to their hometown to observe mourning.
And that would be too easy on her.
The old hag can't die a good death; she can only linger on!
She originally thought that everyone would notice Madam Song's abnormality the next day, but unexpectedly, a snake entered in the middle of the night... It seems that even God is against Madam Song.
Tang Mingfan panicked. "Alright, alright, I'll go fetch a doctor right away. Baixin, come on, you go too, let's split up, I see your grandmother's illness is progressing rapidly, let's hurry..."
He had no direct experience with Tang Zhuyun's medical skills and had forgotten about it.
Tang Baixin didn't want to move, but after seeing his sister's signal, he gritted his teeth and went out.
"Cui'er, aren't you going to help carry the lanterns? And Xiu'er, hurry up and go help look for people, I'll take care of things here!"
She dismissed everyone else, leaving only Old Madam He to watch over the two sleeping children.
Tang Zhuyun sat down by the bedside, touched her face, and said with a forced smile, "Grandmother, isn't it worth it that this slap has left you unable to move or speak for the rest of your life?"
Madam Song stared at her, her Zidu popping out of their sockets, veins bulging on her forehead.
--It was her, that little vixen who ruined her!
Tang Zhuyun calmly replied, "Grandmother is old, and after coming to the capital, she indulged in rich and fatty foods, which caused her to suffer a stroke..."
She could do something without the doctors here noticing.
"Grandma, don't you feel really comfortable after dinner when I massage your back and shoulders?"
She pretended to please Madam Song, but in reality, she was taking the opportunity to do something underhanded.
Tang Mingfan felt very guilty towards her and had fully prepared himself emotionally.
Madam Song was in a panic. The person in front of her was not her granddaughter, but a demon.
"Grandmother, don't worry," Tang Zhuyun smiled and reached out to touch her wrinkled face, "I will take good care of you from now on. Every day, every moment, I will take good care of you."
Madam Song was terrified.
She's going to die! She's going to be tortured to death by this little hussy!
No, no, no, she didn't want Tang Zhuyun to serve her!
When the doctor arrived, just as Tang Zhuyun had said, everyone said that Madam Song was old and had suffered a stroke, and there was nothing that could be done.
Tang Mingfan aged rapidly.
"Father, I'll take Xiu'er and Song Cui'er to serve Grandmother." Tang Zhuyun volunteered in front of Madam Song.
Madam Song immediately became agitated, struggling to move her fingers and making painful sounds.
She's protesting! She's protesting!
Both Tang Mingfan and his son realized it.
Tang Baixin sneered, "Fine, you don't appreciate kindness. Father, buy two more old women to serve Grandmother."
Tang Zhuyun thought to herself, "That won't do. She feels disgusted just looking at that old hag."
Moreover, she didn't want to resort to violence repeatedly—she was secretly pricking Madam Song's acupoints with needles, which couldn't actually last long.
She wanted to get Madam Song to the countryside as soon as possible, and then find someone who could control her.
Tang Mingfan: "Let me think about it some more."
Tang Zhuyun pretended to be obedient and filial in front of Tang Mingfan every day, but then threatened Madam Song behind her back, causing Madam Song to lose a lot of weight.
"Father, Grandmother misses the countryside. Why don't we send her back? It'll be more lively with more people at home... If you're worried about that, we can hire someone else to take care of Grandmother. We'll give them more money, okay?"
Tang Mingfan was somewhat tempted. "Is there a suitable person who can take good care of Grandmother?"
"Of course, just give it to me."
Tang Zhuyun had already decided on a candidate, and as soon as Tang Mingfan agreed, she could immediately go and ask for the person.
"Your Highness, it was Tang Zhuyun, it really was Tang Zhuyun who did it! After I released the snake, I heard her say it with my own ears from the rooftop!" Song Jingyang said confidently.