Lily looked on enviously and said, “If I were seriously ill, there’s no way anyone would treat me like this.”

Charles Clark casually replied, “Then hurry up and get yourself married, find a husband.”

A blush instantly appeared on Lily’s face, but she suddenly felt that this son-in-law was quite easygoing, and she felt a bit closer to him. She quickly leaned in and said, “Sir, let me serve the young lady instead. You must be tired—please sit and rest for a while.”

After Ethan Foster took her medicine, she looked at Charles Clark with satisfaction and fell asleep. Charles Clark took the opportunity to check her pulse, tucked her in, and then went to look for ""Nü Jie"" to read.

It wasn’t until evening that Charles Clark remembered he hadn’t eaten dinner. Someone had brought a food box at noon, but he’d been preoccupied with Ethan Foster’s illness and it had long gone cold. He asked Lily to warm it up, ate a few bites to fill his stomach, and after the meal, Ethan Foster woke up again. This time, her reaction was much more intense, and she started coughing violently. Yvonne Foster was startled, quickly brought over a copper basin, and said, “What’s wrong? Why is her condition getting worse?”

But Charles Clark noticed that Ethan Foster’s face had gained a bit of color—a sign of recovery—and finally breathed a sigh of relief. He said, “Quick, heat up the decocted medicine and bring it to Chenxi right away.”

Lily was so frightened she lost her wits, but upon hearing Charles Clark’s words, she dashed out to fetch the medicine.

Chapter 007: Miraculous Hands Bring Spring

The medicine prescribed by Charles Clark had already been given to Ethan Foster for two days. During these two days, everyone in the Wen household was on edge. It was said that the steward had already received orders from the master to buy a coffin in advance, since even renowned doctors had declared that the eldest young lady didn’t have long to live. Although the old matriarch had said to let Charles Clark try, everyone knew it was just a matter of doing all they could.

After taking the medicine, Ethan Foster’s coughing grew worse each time. Last night, in the middle of the night, the whole household was disturbed. The old matriarch was awakened and tossed and turned, unable to sleep. After dozing off briefly in the morning, she woke up looking even older.

The old lady was someone who accepted fate, but seeing her beautiful granddaughter in such a state, she couldn’t bear it and felt miserable. After having some tea and snacks in the morning, she was about to send a maid to check on the patient when William Foster arrived.

William Foster was probably going to preside at the town magistrate’s office later, so he wore a gold-embroidered flying fish robe and a seven-beam crown, looking very imposing. But when he entered, his tiger-like eyes were less sharp and more gloomy, and he greeted the old matriarch with a somber face, asking, “Mother, did you sleep well last night?”

The old lady had never been fond of William Foster. Sitting on the couch, she took a sip of tea and snorted coldly, “Do you still care about this family? Chenxi is this ill, and you’re still nowhere to be seen for days on end. Are there really so many things outside that need you? Would the magistrate’s office collapse without you?”

William Foster’s eye bags were dark, clearly he hadn’t slept well these days either. The old lady’s harsh words were truly unfair to him, but William Foster didn’t defend himself. He knew her temperament—she just needed to vent.

Cautiously, William Foster said, “Mother, your criticism is right. I know I was wrong. But yesterday I already paid respects to an imperial physician named Liu. He retired from the palace and is highly skilled. In a day or two, he’ll come to the residence to take a look.”

The old lady sneered, “We’ve already invited at least eight or ten doctors. Imperial physicians, famous doctors—I’ve long since lost hope in them.”

William Foster said, “That’s still better than letting that fellow surnamed Liu mess around. I heard that after Chenxi took his medicine, her mild cough became much worse. Didn’t you hear the commotion last night? In my opinion, that Liu fellow is just an ignorant charlatan. It was my recklessness to believe that Taoist’s words and bring such a person in—now Chenxi’s condition has only worsened.”

The old lady said, “No matter what, he is your son-in-law…” Though she said this, her expression was uncertain, and she too felt that Charles Clark was unreliable.

William Foster was best at reading her mood. He half-closed his eyes and, seeing her tone soften, continued, “I’ve already had the Northern Magistrate’s Office investigate this man. He’s just a bookworm who got lucky and passed the county exam, then lost his title. No one ever said he knew medicine—he’s just a smooth talker.”

The old lady lightly leaned on her cane and said, “Is that so?”

William Foster sneered, “So my idea is, once the imperial physician arrives, we should just send this Liu fellow away and let Chenxi focus on recovering. The rest can be dealt with later.”

From the start, William Foster had looked down on Charles Clark. He’d been misled by the Taoist and couldn’t find a better candidate at the time. Now the marriage to ward off bad luck was done, but the illness had worsened, and William Foster was already blaming Charles Clark for it.

The old lady closed her eyes and thought for a moment. She felt that William Foster made some sense. Now that Ethan Foster was gravely ill, she was already irritable, so she said, “She’s your daughter—you decide. When will the imperial physician arrive?”