William Foster relaxed, just about to respond, when the maid Grace from the old lady’s room hurried in, gave a curtsey, and said in utter disbelief, “Old Madam, Master, the new son-in-law and the young lady have come to pay their respects.”

William Foster felt annoyed at the mention of “new son-in-law,” but couldn’t show it in front of the old lady, so he asked, “He should be treating Ethan properly—why is he bringing Yvonne here?”

Grace replied, “It’s not Second Miss, he’s accompanying the Eldest Miss.”

Upon hearing this, both the old lady and William Foster were stunned.

The Eldest Miss… Has Ethan already recovered enough to get out of bed? How could that be possible? Doctor Hu is one of the most renowned physicians in the city, and even he was at a loss. Ethan was on the verge of death—how could she possibly come to pay respects?

The old lady was first astonished, then overjoyed, and exclaimed, “What? Ethan is cured?”

William Foster, however, didn’t believe someone could recover so quickly, and said angrily, “That man named Liu is really out of line. With Ethan so ill, he’s still coaxing her to come and curry favor.”

As he spoke, the curtain outside was lifted, and a cool breeze swept in. Then Charles Clark entered, supporting Ethan Foster, and the two stepped in together. Charles Clark looked a bit haggard, but his spirits were high. As for Ethan Foster, she still appeared frail, but her complexion was much better than it had been two days ago.

Seeing the two enter, the people in the room were both shocked and delighted. Judging by Ethan Foster’s appearance, she seemed almost fully recovered—nothing like someone who had been at death’s door just recently.

The old lady sprang up, thumping her cane hard on the floor, and said, “Ethan… how did you get here?”

As for William Foster, after a brief moment of joy, he shot Charles Clark a deep look, but still kept a stern face, unwilling to soften his expression.

Ethan Foster gave a gentle smile, bowed slightly, and said, “Ethan greets Grandmother. Is Father well?”

Charles Clark also saluted the old lady and nodded to William Foster.

The old lady beamed with joy, repeating, “Good, very good.”

At this moment, William Foster looked a bit awkward, but since his daughter had just recovered from a serious illness, his spirits were much lifted, and he didn’t put on too harsh a face.

The old lady quickly ordered Grace to bring two brocade stools for Charles Clark and Ethan Foster to sit. After Ethan Foster sat down with a slight bow, she said softly, “This time, thanks to my husband’s treatment and care, Ethan feels much better. Thinking of how Grandmother and Father were worried, I came here with my husband to put your minds at ease.”

The old lady beckoned Ethan Foster to sit closer, grasped her hand, and said happily, “Your recovery is truly a blessing from the Bodhisattva. But you’re still weak—it should be Grandmother visiting you instead.”

Ethan Foster smiled sweetly at Charles Clark, then said, “My husband said that getting out and about more is actually good for my health.”

When Ethan Foster mentioned Charles Clark, the old lady’s gaze fell on him as well. Seeing Charles Clark sitting upright and silent on the brocade stool, her impression of him improved a bit, and she asked, “Even Doctor Hu was at a loss—how did you manage to cure her?”

Charles Clark smiled lightly and said, “Actually, what Ethan caught was just an ordinary cold. The previous doctors’ diagnoses weren’t wrong at all. They just prescribed the wrong medicine.”

William Foster, being from the local government office, immediately narrowed his eyes at the mention of a wrong prescription, a hint of severity flashing in his gaze. “Could it be someone is trying to harm the Wen family?”

Charles Clark shook his head, smiling, “Not at all. A cold is a minor illness. Most doctors, after diagnosing it, prescribe medicines to dispel wind and heat—things like ephedra and tremella. The problem lies with the tremella. Normally, tremella is mild and a good remedy for dispelling wind, but for patients with sore throat and a mild cough, it shouldn’t be used. Ethan already had a bit of a cough, but still took tremella for two months, so instead of getting better, her illness worsened.”

After hearing Charles Clark’s explanation, the old lady and William Foster finally understood—it was the previous incompetent doctors who prescribed the wrong medicine. The old lady’s face turned stern, and she said coldly, “Incompetent doctors nearly killed our Ethan.” Then she complained to William Foster, “It’s your fault, inviting all those so-called famous doctors and imperial physicians. Luckily, Charles cured her, or else would Ethan’s life have been saved?”

William Foster was at a loss for words and dared not make a sound.

Charles Clark, however, thought to himself that those famous doctors couldn’t really be blamed. In this era, people simply hadn’t noticed the issue with tremella in treating colds. Even Li Shizhen, the great physician, when compiling the Compendium of Materia Medica, only generally included tremella as a remedy for colds, without distinguishing cases involving cough. It wasn’t until the late Qing dynasty that Chinese medicine began to note that patients with colds and cough shouldn’t use tremella indiscriminately. In 1909, a medical book called “Ben Cao Zheng Yi” amended the Compendium of Materia Medica on this point.

Charles Clark was confident that no matter how skilled a physician in this world, they probably wouldn’t have noticed this problem—such are the limitations of the times.