Chapter 224: The Orphanage’s Plight

Chapter 224: Chapter 224: The Orphanage’s Plight

"Jiang, here are the silver needles you wanted."

Li Qian’Er ran back, panting for breath.

Seeing the silver needles, Jiang Fan felt a surge of relief.

"Stand guard outside the door. Don’t let anyone in to disturb me."

All he could do now was try his utmost to save the Matron’s life and then replenish the Essence, Qi, and Spirit—her Vitality—that she had lost.

He wasn’t sure if it would work, but it was the only method he could think of.

"Okay!"

Li Qian’Er looked like she wanted to say something, but seeing the grim expression on Jiang Fan’s face, she swallowed back her words.

She dutifully stood guard at the door.

Meanwhile, Jiang Fan had already inserted most of the silver needles into the Matron’s body.

His speed and precision were so incredible that anyone watching would have been left in awe.

But even so, the Matron’s life was like rootless water, in danger of being cut off at any moment.

The biggest problem was that Jiang Fan had no medicinal herbs on him.

And there was no time to get any.

But the next second, as if struck by a thought, Jiang Fan’s head shot up.

"Qian’Er, get in here! Now!"

Hearing Jiang Fan’s shout, Li Qian’Er quickly pushed the door open and entered.

"What is it, Jiang?"

"Watch the Matron. I’m going to the backyard to get something. Whatever you do, do not touch these needles."

With that, Jiang Fan shot out of the room like a whirlwind.

He ran straight to the old room where the Matron and the late Director used to live.

He purposefully pulled a small box out from under the bed.

The small, black leather box was covered in dust.

As his fingers touched it, a look of joyful surprise spread across Jiang Fan’s face.

’It’s still here!’

He opened it to find a wrinkled old ginseng root resting quietly inside.

A rich, medicinal aroma instantly filled his senses.

By his estimate, this ginseng was at least a century old.

When he was very young, the Matron had told him that when he eventually got married, this was to be given to his wife.

Childbirth took the greatest toll on a woman’s Vitality, and this was the best thing to replenish it.

It was said to have been left behind by the late Director.

The Matron had never been willing to use it herself.

But this was no time for hesitation. He grabbed the ginseng and rushed to the kitchen.

After slicing off just two small pieces, Jiang Fan put the ginseng back.

Too much would be worse than not enough; its medicinal properties were so strong they could overwhelm the Matron’s body.

Two slices were more than enough to buy him plenty of time to prepare the rest of the medicine.

As long as he had time, he was confident he could help the Matron make a full recovery.

Once that was done, Jiang Fan sped back to the Matron’s bedroom. He placed one slice of ginseng under her tongue and crushed the other for her to swallow.

"Is... is that the Matron’s Old Mountain ginseng?"

"She never let me give it to her. She said she was saving it for you."

Seeing the ginseng, Li Qian’Er couldn’t hold back her tears any longer.

A warmth filled Jiang Fan’s heart, but he knew this wasn’t the time to be sentimental.

"You stay here and watch Grandma. I’m going out to prepare the medicine."

"Li Qian’Er, I’ll deal with you when I get back."

"Grandma’s condition got this bad, and you’re only just now calling to tell me? You’re really something else. Just fantastic."

Jiang Fan jabbed a finger hard against Li Qian’Er’s forehead.

He then turned and left, completely ignoring the girl’s hurt feelings.

He drove to the nearest traditional Chinese pharmacy and had them fill a large prescription he had written.

While there, he also bought a clay pot.

He prepared the decoction, brewed it, and finally administered it to the Matron before removing the silver needles.

By the time he finished, the sun was rising outside.

Jiang Fan and Li Qian’Er both had dark circles under their eyes, making them look like a pair of pandas.

"Call Jun. Tell her to come over."

Jiang Fan said as he put away his silver needles.

"Huh? Call her now?"

Li Qian’Er was clearly intimidated.

"Yes."

"If we hide this from her, she’ll hate us for the rest of her life."

"I didn’t tell her last night because I was afraid she’d panic and make things worse."

The Matron’s condition was stable now. With careful recuperation, regular medication, and slowly replenishing her body’s Vitality, it was certain she could return to her former robust health.

Seeing there was no room for argument, Li Qian’Er had no choice but to take out her phone and call Jun Yue.

The person on the other end was silent for three seconds after hearing the news, then the line went dead.

Less than twenty minutes later, Jun Yue appeared before them, looking like she had rushed over. Upon seeing the Matron lying in bed, she raised her hand and slapped Jiang Fan across the face.

"Why didn’t you tell me sooner?! You were here, so why didn’t you tell me?!"

Tears streamed down Jun Yue’s cheeks. She was on the verge of a complete breakdown.

Growing up, only Jiang Fan and the Matron had treated her with the utmost kindness. They were the light in her life during her darkest moments.

They had pulled her out of despair. But now... The most tragic thing in the world is to want to care for your loved ones, only to find they are no longer there.

"Hey, why’d you hit me? I worked my ass off all night to stabilize Grandma’s condition. She’ll probably wake up soon, and the first thing you do when you get here is slap me."

"You could have at least asked what was going on first!"

Jiang Fan felt incredibly wronged.

"Ah..."

Jun Yue’s expression froze on her face. With tears still on her cheeks, she looked particularly ridiculous.

"So, Grandma isn’t..."

She stammered, unable to finish her sentence.

"No! She’s fine. She’s just sleeping right now."

"Don’t you think you owe me an apology?!"

Jiang Fan rolled his eyes dramatically.

"I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry! I really didn’t mean to."

"Just now..."

Jun Yue began to explain herself in a flustered panic, but in the next second, she suddenly spun around. "Li Qian’Er, where do you think you’re going?!"

"Um... the children are probably waking up. I’ll go check on them."

Li Qian’Er said meekly.

"What you should be doing right now is explaining to me why Grandma ended up like this! I told you to take good care of her, and this is what you call taking care of her, is it?!"

"If you don’t give me a reasonable explanation today, I’m going to skin you alive."

Jun Yue said, pointing at her furiously.

"Why is everyone blaming me? I’ve been wronged, too! They’re just bullying us because the orphanage has no connections!"