"A hidden illness?"
i Qingdai’s eyes widened, stunned by the revelation as if struck by lightning.
What kind of hidden illness could a man have? Divine Doctor Leng had practically spelled it out.
As i Qingdai stared at the humiliated and enraged Yu Fuce, her heart sank. It was as if all the bitter herbal dicine she had consud over the past ten years had turned into a lump of searing bitterness in her mouth.
Bitterness she couldn’t voice.
"Bang!" Yu Fuce kicked the potted plant next to the armchair with force. The waist-height plant tumbled to the floor, rolled a full circle, and shattered against a pillar, splitting in two.
Leaves scattered everywhere.
"Bastard!"
Startled, i Qingdai froze for a mont as Yu Fuce’s sinister gaze turned toward her.
It wasn’t the gaze of a husband looking at his wife.
It was the glare one would give a sworn enemy.
Layered with a heavy warning.
i Qingdai opened her mouth, "Ace..."
"If I hear any rumors spreading, you should know the consequences."
i Qingdai’s eyes welled with tears. What could she say? Did she have no regard for her own dignity?
After issuing his warning, Yu Fuce turned and stord off.
Once his figure was gone, the suffocating pressure he exuded began to ebb. i Qingdai slumped into the chair, gripping its armrests tightly, the veins on her pale hands bulging.
The maid tiptoed into the room and crouched to clean the ss on the floor.
Suddenly, i Qingdai thought of the old mystic she encountered at the foot of Chaning Temple.
"Long-lived elders curse their descendants."
These seven words echoed relentlessly in i Qingdai’s mind like an eerie mantra.
"Clink!" She flinched like a startled bird.
It turned out she’d accidentally knocked a porcelain cup off the table.
She couldn’t tell whether it was her great-aunt’s unnaturally long life cursing her descendants, or if it was the Yu family’s myriad sins that brought this childless fate upon them.
Either way, she couldn’t accept it.
She had to co up with a solution...
i Qingdai took a deep breath and slowly rose to her feet.
"I’ll go visit Grandmother."
——
As i Qingdai stepped into the courtyard, the sound of shattering porcelain erupted from the living room. Fragnts of the broken teacup spilled out through the gaps in the door, evidence of the perpetrator’s rage that had nowhere else to go.
i Qingdai’s lips twitched into a fleeting sneer. But in the next mont, her expression switched to one of grief as she stepped delicately into the room.
"Grandmother..."
Her operatic upbringing shone through—graceful, sorrowful, enough to move anyone who heard.
i Lvge sat in the place of honor, her face twisted in an unsightly scowl that she hadn’t bothered to mask. Her wrinkled, weathered face was shrouded in darkness, more terrifying than any ghost story.
i Qingdai’s heart tightened, a hint of unease surfacing in her expression as she lowered her head in lant.
"Grandmother, I truly don’t know what to do..."
"Why are you crying? I’m not dead yet." i Lvge snapped sharply.
i Qingdai thought to herself, the old woman’s voice still had so power to it. She hung her head even lower.
"Grandmother, I always thought the problem was with . I’ve consud countless herbal redies over the years, but I just learned from Divine Doctor Leng today—the issue is with Ace..."
"Shut your mouth!" i Lvge’s voice turned sinister and venomous.
i Qingdai’s knees buckled, and she instinctively dropped to the floor.
"Grandmother, if Sister-in-law finds out I can’t have children, how could I ever hold my head high in the Yu family? I might as well divorce Ace now and return to the i family to save myself from future ridicule..."
"It’s not as dire as you think. dical advancents are improving every day; there are always options."
i Qingdai lifted her head abruptly, a glimr of hope flashing across her eyes.
"Grandmother, do you an..."
"The floor’s cold. Stand up first."
Zhu Qing approached and helped i Qingdai to her feet.
i Lvge spoke slowly, "There’s an international research institute specializing in infertility. Their success rate is over seventy percent. I’ve already sent your information to them for evaluation. Prepare yourselves—you and Ace will head abroad soon."
i Qingdai’s heart tightened. So Grandmother had already made plans in secret.
Over the years, she had tried countless thods in private, but none had worked. She had even lost a fully-ford male fetus. Could foreign technology truly be better?
In her mind, the problem wasn’t with technology but the Yu family’s tainted feng shui. If that wasn’t resolved, no matter how advanced the thods, she wouldn’t be able to keep a child.
Not to ntion, in the end, it was always her body that bore the brunt of these ordeals. After all the tornt, not only did she lose her children, but she also damaged her health.
But since Grandmother had already said so much, she didn’t dare refuse and could only agree for now.
She would give it one more try. If it didn’t work, she would think of sothing else.
"Alright. You may leave for now. Once the tickets are booked, I’ll have soone inform you."
i Lvge rubbed her temples, her weariness evident.
"Grandmother, please take care of your health. I’ll return to see you tomorrow."
i Qingdai exited the room.
Once her footsteps faded, i Lvge suddenly began coughing violently.
Han Yue quickly grabbed the spittoon and rushed over, gently patting i Lvge’s back to help her breathe.
i Lvge spat out a mouthful of phlegm, took the tea that Zhu Qing handed over, sipped it, and finally felt as though she were alive again.
"Old Madam, your cough seems to be getting worse."
But i Lvge’s thoughts were elsewhere. "Have you found out the identity of the person who took the Purple Ganoderma?"
Han Yue lowered her voice, "It’s the young master of the i Fei Family."
i Lvge narrowed her eyes. "What business does their family have ddling in this?"
"Madam, the i Fei Family holds significant influence internationally. That young master, in particular, is notoriously arrogant and overbearing. I’m not sure if we..."
"This is Hua Country, not Siland. Do you think the Yu family is afraid of them? Inform the Jing family and the Xiang family—no matter what it takes, I want that Purple Ganoderma."
"Yes, Madam."
i Lvge took a sip of tea, placed the cup down, and reclined against her pillow, breathing heavily.
The Yu family’s next generation remains uncertain. She had to stay alive.
As Han Yue began walking out, she suddenly paused and turned back. "Madam, there’s news from the Leng family."
i Lvge raised an eyebrow, "What about Leng Shan?"
"Mr. Leng is hosting a recognition banquet in half a month."
i Lvge sat up straighter. "Is he adopting an heir from the collateral line?"
The thought of the old man’s plight brought her a rare sense of comfort.
"It seems to be a young man around the sa age as Miss Ruohuan. He carries the unmistakable arrogance of the Leng family—likely soone adopted from a collateral branch."
Like the Gu family, the Leng family had thrived for over a millennium, with collateral branches scattered far and wide.
Although the Yu family wielded power, they had neither the history nor the deep-rooted foundation of these ancient families.
"Haha, that old man finally yielded to reality. Prepare a gift to send over when the ti cos."
As Han Yue was about to leave again, i Lvge stopped her. "Wait."
i Lvge pondered for a mont. "Have Ruohuan deliver it personally."
Han Yue paused briefly before understanding the madam’s intent. She thought to herself, the old truly are the wisest.
i Lvge relaxed against her pillow, hoping that the Leng family’s new heir wouldn’t be as cunning as the old patriarch.
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