Chapter 817 - 820: Guarding

Chapter 817: Chapter 820: Guarding

Gu Wenheng knew that even if they called for a doctor, it wouldn’t be fast. Not having a doctor in this village was truly inconvenient.

"Yuanjin said there were too many people inside and asked us to wait outside. Tell me, we’ve watched over him properly for so many years, so how did he end up drinking?" Gu Yuanshui was burning with anger but couldn’t vent it, so he couldn’t help but complain a little.

Gu Wenheng turned sideways and urged, "Go see if Madam has arrived yet."

Jin Qianqian always had two medically skilled maids by her side, which was much better than them just worrying anxiously. She had gone with the other daughters-in-law to visit a sick elder in the village, but upon receiving the news, she had already instructed Ming Dan, who was skilled in medicine, to go ahead.

Not long after Gu Wenheng spoke, someone walked in. Before she could even bow, Gu Wenheng stepped inside the room. "Go in first and see how he’s doing." Ming Dan didn’t dare to delay and followed closely behind.

As soon as Gu Wenheng entered the wing room, he saw several people gathered around the brick bed. "Step back for now and let Ming Dan take a look."

Gu Yuanjin was confused. "Old Seventh, this is...?"

If he remembered correctly, Ming Dan was Qianqian’s head maid. Why was she adding to the chaos at a time like this?

Gu Wenheng said, "Ming Dan learned from a doctor for a while. Let her see what’s going on first."

Hearing that she had some medical training, the people originally gathered around the bed immediately scattered, making room for her. Seeing that Ming Dan was taking the pulse, Gu Wenheng said to the others, "It’s useless for so many of you to keep watch here. Leaving two people behind is enough; the rest of you should wait outside."

The already small house felt even more crowded with him and Ming Dan coming in. As the eldest, Gu Yuanjin immediately asked his two younger brothers nearby to leave first.

Smelling the stench of alcohol and the aroma of food in the room, Gu Wenheng understood what had happened.

"We just called out to him for a long time," Gu Yuanjin whispered, now standing next to Gu Wenheng. "But Father didn’t react at all. I’m worried..."

Gu Wenheng replied, "...We’ve already sent someone to fetch the doctor." Saying this now was useless; they could only wait.

Ming Dan spoke up. "Mr. Gu, this servant has no way to treat this condition.

"It’s best to urge the doctor to hurry!"

As a female physician, she was more skilled in common ailments of women and had some knowledge of poisons. Gu Wenheng naturally understood this. It wasn’t a secret that his wife had a medically skilled maid by her side. If they didn’t step forward now, people would inevitably gossip later.

Gu Wenheng nodded and told her to step down. Ming Dan lightly touched the silver needle pouch at her waist but ultimately retreated. Just now, when she felt his pulse, it was already extremely weak. Even if she used acupuncture, she didn’t have even a ten percent chance of success. She couldn’t bring trouble to Mr. Gu and Madam.

Gu Wenheng glanced at her, then walked over to support Li Cuicui. "Mother, don’t worry. The doctor will be here soon."

Li Cuicui grabbed his hand. "Tell me, he was doing perfectly fine. Why didn’t he listen to advice?

"He always thought I was treating him harshly, but did he ever think that the only reason he was living so well was because we followed the doctor’s orders?

"I used to hate him to death, but seeing him like this... it leaves a bitter taste in my mouth."

Listening to the old woman’s constant murmuring, Gu Wenheng narrowed his eyes at Gu Dashi, who was lying motionless on the bed. No one knew what he was thinking.

The people keeping watch in the house felt time pass incredibly slowly. During their wait, the clan elders arrived, the clan members arrived, and finally, the doctor arrived.

Doctor Huang, whose hair was entirely white, stepped forward to check the pulse with the support of his attendant. Seeing the expectant looks in everyone’s eyes, he shook his head regretfully. "I’ll try some acupuncture to see if it can wake him up for a moment."

Huang Zhong’an administered needles to him and worked for a while, but in the end, Gu Dashi still had no reaction. His tone was full of reprimand. "Didn’t I repeatedly warn you not to let him consume alcohol or greasy food? How much did he drink? The smell of alcohol in this room wouldn’t be this strong otherwise."

Gu Shulin looked at the Gu family brothers. "Is there any other way now?"

Huang Zhong’an replied, "It will be within a day or two. Make your preparations."

This was essentially pronouncing a Death Sentence, causing everyone in the room to pale. Li Cuicui’s entire body went limp, and Gu Wenheng quickly supported her.

Gu Yuanjin and the others turned even paler, pleading with Huang Zhong’an. "Doctor Huang, is there really no other way? I remember I still have a ginseng root saved up. How about we steam it for him to drink..."

"It’s useless. He previously broke his leg and suffered a stroke. Even though you’ve nursed him well over the years, his body still has many underlying ailments.

"The alcohol and greasy food are just a Death Sentence. Even if you went to the palace and invited an Imperial Physician, they wouldn’t be able to save him."

Furthermore, Gu Dashi’s foundation was poor to begin with. Even after using many premium medicines later on, he hadn’t been able to recover.

After Huang Zhong’an finished speaking, he signaled the attendant beside him to help him leave. If it weren’t for Mr. Gu’s family, his old bones wouldn’t have made a house call. Now he had seen the patient and administered the needles. Only the final breath remained, and it was truly beyond his power to reverse the situation. He would leave this final time to the family.

Watching the old doctor leave, the atmosphere grew even heavier. In this brief moment, many people had a lot on their minds, and everyone cast worried glances at Gu Wenheng. Gu Wenheng shook his head at the crowd. "Give the orders." What else could be done now? They could only face the truth.

In the end, Gu Dashi didn’t manage to hold on for two days as the doctor had predicted. He stopped breathing that very night.

Gu Wenheng immediately wrote a memorial requesting a Ding You leave and had someone deliver it post-haste to Shangjing.

In the mourning hall, Gu Yuanjin quietly asked Gu Wenheng, "Old Seventh, what about your official duties?"

Gu Wenheng stared at the candlelight ahead. "The most urgent matter right now is to handle Father’s funeral arrangements. Nothing else matters."

He actually hoped he could hide out in Gaoling Village and enjoy a few years of peace and quiet, but he feared things wouldn’t go as he wished. However, Gu Wenheng wouldn’t mention these unknown variables even in private, let alone answer in such a setting.

Gu Yuanjin and the others understood clearly in their hearts that once a Ding You leave was taken, making a comeback in the officialdom would be extremely difficult. That was why they had done their best to nurse the two elders’ health over the years. They just never expected that they still couldn’t prevent this.

"Yuanjin," Gu Yuanhuo had long accumulated a pile of questions in his heart. Now that only the brothers were keeping vigil in the mourning hall, he naturally had no more reservations. "Are we just going to let Gu Yuanfeng cower in the Shi family’s home?

"I told you all a long time ago, she’s a troublemaker. She hasn’t caused us any shortage of trouble over the years.

"As her older brothers, it would be fine if we just endured it, but what did she do this time?

"If you ask me, calling her an animal is a compliment. I don’t believe she didn’t know what her actions would bring upon Father!"

"Yuanhuo, don’t always be so hot-tempered," Gu Yuanshui said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "The top priority is to settle Father properly. She won’t be able to run away from the reckoning she deserves."

"HMPH, it’s always this kind of brush-off." Gu Yuanhuo snorted heavily and turned his head away.