Chapter 39: Those Long Ill Often Run Low on Vitality

Chapter 39: The Dimming Vitality of the Long-Ailing

At the hour of the Tiger, the sky had yet to brighten.

Yunjiao sat at the bedside, meticulously feeding medicine to her grandmother. Watching the old woman struggle to swallow the concoction before spitting it back out, Yunjiao could only sigh and reach for a handkerchief to wipe away the stains.

"Old man..." Madam Qian suddenly grew agitated. "You, get out! Don't stay here... the children are afraid of you. Why did you bring Shijiang and my grandson too? You are a dead soul; you cannot stay here. Go away, don't frighten the children..."

Yunjiao’s hand paused, and she exchanged a look with Nanny Li, who stood nearby. Both women sighed; this was not the first time Madam Qian had been like this over the past few days.

"Look... what is that?" Madam Qian suddenly pointed toward the wall behind the bed.

Yunjiao and Nanny Li both looked. Jianjia, full of curiosity, poked her head forward to peer, but apart from the wall, what else could there be? She worried her own eyes were failing, so she rubbed them vigorously, but still, there was nothing.

"Hehehe... interesting, interesting... someone is cooking in the cracks of the wall. Are they going to eat all that food? Why is one person cooking so much...?"

"They’ve killed such a big sheep... hanging it in two halves... right there in the wall’s crack. I want to go too... give me a share... let Yunjiao have some..."

As Madam Qian spoke, she struggled to rise, intent on moving toward the wall. Yunjiao and Nanny Li hurriedly held her back. Madam Qian did not resist further and simply lay back down, continuing to mutter fragments of disjointed speech.

Jianjia pulled her collar tight, feeling her hair stand on end. She quickly scanned the room; how could the old mistress say such terrifying things? She prayed nothing truly awful would crawl out from the cracks in the wall.

"Look at that state you’re in. These are just delirious ramblings; you’re actually taking them to heart?" Yunjiao settled her grandmother and turned to see Jianjia’s expression, finding it amusing. To be frightened so easily—she really was useless.

Jianjia shrunk her neck in embarrassment, her face flushing. "Miss, you... aren't you afraid?"

"Enough, enough. If you’re really that scared, go outside and wait. I’ll call you if I need anything," Yunjiao waved her hand.

"Thank you, Miss." As if granted an amnesty, Jianjia ran out like a gust of wind.

Yunjiao shook her head with a faint smile.

"Are you not afraid, Miss?" Nanny Li asked with a gentle smile.

"I am not." Yunjiao was indifferent.

"Truly not afraid?"

"Nanny," Yunjiao smiled, "there is nothing to fear. Grandmother is simply delirious from her illness and speaking nonsense. What is there to be afraid of?"

"I’ve heard it said that those who have been ill for a long time possess a dim vitality and are prone to seeing things..." Nanny Li trailed off, afraid of frightening Yunjiao, yet feeling she had to speak.

"Are you trying to say that what Grandmother sees is real?" Yunjiao thought for a moment before laughing. "Even if it were real, so what? The living and the dead walk different paths. It has nothing to do with me, and I have done nothing to trouble my conscience. Why should I fear it? If it truly dared to harm me without cause, I would simply become a vengeful spirit myself and fight it to the death!"

Nanny Li was amused by her words. "You have a point, Miss. Now I am not afraid either; we are all ghosts in the making, so who should fear whom?"

After they chatted for a while, Nanny Li tentatively asked, "I wonder if you’ve heard, Miss, that when someone is critically ill and sees departed relatives or other... ominous things, it often means the person is nearing..."

"I know." Yunjiao interrupted her.

She was usually quiet and well-mannered, never one to cut others off. But today was different. Even though she understood the implication, she did not want to hear Nanny Li say it aloud. She knew Nanny Li wanted her to prepare for the end. For days, her grandmother had barely eaten and had been rambling constantly.

"I know you don't want to hear it, Miss, but I must remind you... your Third Uncle..." Nanny Li sighed. She knew she shouldn't burden a ten-year-old girl, but apart from Yunjiao, she didn't know who else to turn to. She had served Madam Qian for most of her life and couldn't bear to see her depart with regrets, unable to close her eyes in peace.

"Third Uncle should be arriving soon," Yunjiao said, glancing at her grandmother with a slight frown. Qin Nanfeng’s message should have been delivered long ago; why hadn't her uncle arrived yet?

"Does this mean you had already prepared, Miss?" Nanny Li was surprised. She knew Yunjiao was meticulous and reliable, but she hadn't expected such foresight.

"Grandmother has been calling Third Uncle’s name for days, so I made preparations. Since Grandmother is so ill, no matter what, Third Uncle should come to see her." Yunjiao felt a touch of sorrow.

Yesterday, the youngest aunt, who lived the furthest away, had arrived. Now, the four sisters were staying in a vacant courtyard nearby, likely still asleep. They lived far apart and rarely met, so they naturally had endless stories to share. They probably didn't even know about the commotion that had shaken the Qian household last night.

In her childhood, Yunjiao had loved the New Year most of all. It wasn't for the new clothes or the food, but because every second day of the New Year, these aunts would gather here at her grandmother’s. It brought a spark of joy to her otherwise solitary life. Even now, she could recall that harmony as if it were only yesterday.

Unlike the other children who chased each other, playing and setting off firecrackers, Yunjiao always stayed by her aunts' side. She loved listening to their gossip—tales of rural life, local customs, petty family squabbles, and sometimes, coarse language. At first, they were cautious around her, but after testing her and finding her quiet and unobtrusive, they relaxed and let her listen. Eventually, they would even feel something was missing if she wasn't there.

It was only natural for sisters to reunite, but coming here because of her grandmother’s illness and remaining so carefree... it was truly...

Yunjiao sighed softly. She missed her own mother, Concubine Qian. She wondered how her mother was faring at home. Surely, she was just as anxious and worried about Grandmother’s condition. But the First Madam would not easily let her out. After all, the First Madam only recognized the Lian family as the legitimate in-laws. As the mistress of the house, how could she tolerate a concubine attending to the deathbed of someone other than her own parents? Wouldn't that be telling the world that her own position as the First Madam was not legitimate?

That was the very excuse the First Madam had used to prevent Yunjiao from coming to care for her grandmother. Although she hadn't been able to stop Yunjiao in the end, she had blocked all of Yunjiao’s maids, leaving only Jianjia and Mujin.