Blissful Days After Widowhood - Chapter 366

In the afternoon, when Mrs. Wang was free, she refrained from seeking her out. Often, once she had fallen asleep, she would awaken to find Song Shiliu gone in the middle of the afternoon.

Sleeping in any longer would amount to resting the entire day.

“No, no, this slave still needs to rise early,” Song Shiliu replied, her cheeks flushed with humility.

The more Gu Yin observed her, the more she found her endearing. If it weren’t for the seriousness of the current situation, she would have been tempted to tease her further.

Following Song Shiliu, Xiao Feng entered the house. As he stepped inside, he promptly removed his cloak and greeted everyone with a salute.

Gu Ye immediately reached out to him and said, “No need to be so formal, just behave like you used to before.”

Xiao Feng gazed at him, his heart inexplicably warmed. In the past, he had assumed that Gu Ye was merely the son of a prosperous merchant and was willing to befriend people like himself. Little did he know that his friend was such a prominent young master. “Prominent” no longer seemed sufficient to describe him, and he was at a loss for how to repay such respect.

As Gu Ye explained in a few words that someone had tampered with his butter tea, Xiao Feng was taken aback. The elderly doctor examined his pulse and inquired, “Your throat has been dry and itchy recently, correct?”

Xiao Feng nodded, and the elderly doctor continued, “I’ll provide you with some antidotes. If you take a good rest, you should recover to your previous state.”

Upon hearing that, Brother Xiao Feng’s expression grew more serious, and he inquired, “How long will I need to rest?” The elderly doctor pondered for a moment before responding, “Without an antidote, I’d estimate a year and a half at the least, but it could take longer, perhaps up to two years.”

He took a step back, his face paling. Losing his voice would undoubtedly require a hiatus from performing during that time. If all went well, he’d need a year and a half of rest, but if not, it could extend to several years, jeopardizing his singing career altogether.

The elderly doctor offered consolation, saying, “Not being able to sing during this period doesn’t mean you won’t be able to speak.”

Brother Xiao Feng shook his head, his face drained of color.

Why had he agreed to let open the night show during this time?

Perhaps it was because the leader realized he was getting older, nearing retirement, and wanted to seize that opportunity to earn more money, not for himself but for the entire troupe. He wasn’t concerned about finding a way out for himself, but rather the people with the small roles in the troupe—the supporting actors who lacked skills and were no longer young. If he didn’t save up some money for them, they’d have nowhere to turn.

What weighed most heavily on his mind at that point wasn’t who had poisoned him but the fear that he might no longer be able to support the livelihoods of these people.

Gu Ye silently patted his shoulder and asked about the butter tea.

Xiao Feng replied, “Today’s butter tea was brought by the owner of the theater. We didn’t have a good relationship, and I was hesitant to touch the drink he gave me. But now that I think about it, my senior often brings rare foods for us to share… I found it strange before, thinking that he wasn’t someone who paid much attention to his appetite in order to maintain his figure. However, I asked him, and I think he came to dispel my doubts. So this time, the butter tea was brought by the owner of the theater.”

The medicinal powder wasn’t a colorless and odorless poison. It would be easy for people to notice the taste was off when added to ordinary food. That was why they chose an unfamiliar food that Xiao Feng had never eaten before.

Unexpectedly, it was this choice that led Gu Ye to bring the butter tea home, and Gu Yin, who knew what butter tea should taste like, discovered the discrepancy.

“These two wicked individuals!” Gu Ye said indignantly to Gu Yin, “Mother, should we report them to the authorities?”

Gu Yin furrowed her brow in thought. After a moment, she replied, “The old doctor mentioned that this kind of medicine is uncommon among the general populace. It’s typically concealed by high-ranking families. How did the theater owner and that senior obtain it? If we report them to the authorities, they won’t be able to escape, but there’s no guarantee they’ll reveal the truth due to the other party’s status. It won’t be easy to investigate further.”

“So, what should we do?” Gu Ye was anxious and habitually scratched his head.

Gu Yin glanced at the elderly doctor and gave him an ingratiating smile.

The elderly doctor felt a chill down his spine at her smile and hastily said, “If you have something to say, don’t smile at this old man. You’re making me nervous!”

Gu Yin responded indignantly, “You are Qingyi’s master, and therefore, you’re my master as well. There’s no difference. How could Master speak like this? I treat you as my own master. What’s wrong with smiling at you?” The elderly doctor was even more anxious than she was, urging her to come up with a solution quickly and not leave the issue hanging.

Gu Yin smiled and said, “I would kindly ask the Master to provide some of this medicine.”

The elderly doctor felt helpless. He was a medical doctor, not an expert in poisons. He had never dispensed poison before. His earlier statement about knowing very little about the high-ranking families’ medicinal powders meant that they were essentially asking him to perform a miracle.

But Gu Yin was like his daughter-in-law, and he really couldn’t refuse, so he could only nod his head and say, “I know, I’ll go back and read the classics, and I’ll match it for you in two days.”