Chapter 172: The Old Madam’s Health
A long while passed before Wen Jun finally withdrew his hand.
“Jun’er, what’s wrong with your granddad?” Wen Xiuyi asked anxiously, casting a worried glance at Old Man Wen.
Old Man Wen glared at him. “Don’t look at me like that. I’m not dying.”
But when he turned back to Wen Jun, his expression shifted into a warm, genial smile. “Our Jun’er is truly capable. How long has it even been since you started studying under Physician Jin, and you already know how to check pulses? Come on, tell your granddad, what’s wrong with me?”
Wen Jun performed a few more basic checks on Old Man Wen before furrowing his brows. “Granddad, have you been eating too many sweets lately?”
If his diagnosis was correct, the old man was showing early signs of high blood sugar. If they didn’t get it under control now, it would be a massive headache if it developed into full-blown diabetes later.
In this era, contracting such a disease was practically a death sentence. Even if Wen Yao could purchase the necessary medication from her space, the physical toll it took on a person was no joke.
Caught off guard by the question, Old Man Wen guiltily averted his gaze and stammered, “No, of course not. What nonsense. Don’t talk rubbish.”
Old Madam Luo had been anxious at first, but upon hearing Wen Jun’s words, the realization dawned on her. She knit her brows, glaring at Old Man Wen. “Did you sneak into the cupboard and steal the pastries while I was busy?”
Ever since Qiu Rongrong struck up a close friendship with Wen Yao, she had been sending items over every few days. Even when she couldn’t make the trip herself, she would have Datou and the others cart things back. Consequently, Old Madam Luo’s cupboard was constantly stocked with pastries bought from the town, all of which were cloyingly sweet.
She had been too busy lately to keep a close eye on the stash, only letting the younger kids help themselves whenever they got a craving. She never imagined that while the little ones hadn’t touched them, the old one had beaten them to it.
Old Man Wen had possessed a sweet tooth his entire life, a fact Old Madam Luo knew only too well. In the past, when times were hard, he had to suppress his cravings. Now that their circumstances had improved, he had started to lose all self-control.
The more Old Madam Luo pressed him, the more flustered Old Man Wen became. Without another word, Old Madam Luo stood up, grabbed Wen Yao’s arm, and marched toward the door.
“Hey, old woman, don’t…” Seeing her stance, Old Man Wen knew she was heading straight to rummage through the cupboard. Wouldn’t his secret snacking be completely exposed then?
Looking around at the rest of the family members who all had their eyes pinned on him, Old Man Wen desperately wished he could slap himself across the face. Why on earth had he casually asked his eldest grandson to check his pulse?
“Hey, wait, don’t go! Fine, yes, yes, I ate them.” Old Man Wen decided to just throw caution to the wind.
Old Madam Luo halted in her tracks, turning back to face him with a chilling, superficial smile.
Feeling increasingly defensive, Old Man Wen mumbled, “I—I didn’t eat that many.” He had just grabbed a piece to satisfy his cravings now and then, that was all.
Old Madam Luo let out a humorless laugh. “And here I thought the pastries in the cupboard were dwindling because those rascals were being greedy. Turns out it was actually you the whole time! Little Jun, speak up. What kind of illness does your granddad have?”
She was absolutely determined to straighten the old man out today.
Wen Jun maintained a perfectly solemn expression as he explained, “Grandmother, it’s actually not that severe yet. Granddad has just consumed too much sugar recently, and his body is having a bit of trouble handling it. If he takes a break for a while and lets the sugars in his system break down and digest, he’ll be fine. As long as he sticks to a normal diet from now on, there won’t be any major issues.”
“And what if he refuses to listen?” Old Madam Luo pressed on.
Wen Jun glanced at Old Man Wen. Ignoring the old man’s pleading look that begged for a shred of grandfather-grandson solidarity, he spoke up clearly. “If Granddad continues to consume sweets without any moderation, the accumulation of sugar in his body will eventually lead to high blood sugar. Once the blood sugar levels exceed a certain threshold, it will turn into diabetes. There is no cure for that disease.”
Wen Yao silently gave a thumbs-up to the walking, talking medical encyclopedia that was Dr. Wen.
The moment he heard there was no cure, Old Man Wen nearly slipped right out of his chair.
“What? It’s that serious? It was just a few pastries!” Old Man Wen couldn’t believe his ears. How could a few measly pastries lead to something so catastrophic? Besides, he had never even heard of this disease before. How could it be incurable? If that were true, how were the wealthy folks in the city managing to stay alive?
“Even your master can’t cure it?” Old Man Wen asked, refusing to give up hope.
Wen Jun nodded. “Yes.” His master couldn’t cure it, but he technically could, provided he had the medication. However, there was no need to disclose that to the old man. After all, this was for the sake of his grandfather’s health; elderly people were supposed to cut down on sugar and salt anyway.
Old Man Wen was instantly consumed by deep regret.
Old Madam Luo continued to pour oil on the fire, remarking nonchalantly, “Little Jun, don’t mind him. Just let him do as he pleases. Our family’s circumstances are much better now, and the ducks will bring in good money in another month or two. Our best days are still ahead of us. If he wants to court death, let him.”
Old Man Wen puffed up with indignation. “You old woman, how can you say such things? I… I… I…”
“I what? If it weren’t for Jun’er checking your pulse today, no one would have noticed a thing. If you really wait until it becomes incurable, you can cry all by yourself.” Although Old Madam Luo spoke with a harsh tongue, Wen Yao, who was standing right next to her, could feel that her grandmother had actually panicked the moment Wen Jun mentioned the disease was incurable.
“Alright, alright, Grandmother, please calm down. Granddad won’t sneak any more treats in the future. Right, Granddad?” Wen Yao quickly shot a meaningful look at Old Man Wen.
Though crestfallen, Old Man Wen hung his head and nodded dejectly. “Mmh. No more.”
Wen Jun added, “Sugar is still a necessary nutrient for the human body, so he shouldn’t cut it out entirely. Just regulate the portions from now on. Grandmother, please don’t be angry either. Granddad’s condition has only just begun, so it’s easy to manage. Please sit down, let me take a look at you. I’ve noticed your complexion hasn’t been very good lately.”
Old Madam Luo waved it off dismissively. “What could possibly be wrong with me?” Although she was up to her ears in work every single day, the thought that it was all for the sake of their future prosperity kept her from feeling weary.
At Wen Jun’s stubborn insistence, Old Madam Luo finally sat down and allowed him to conduct a thorough examination.
However, unlike the relaxed demeanor he displayed while checking Old Man Wen, Wen Jun’s expression grew increasingly grim. The time he spent checking her pulse lasted significantly longer than it had for the old man.
This caused the anxiety Wen Xiuyi had just managed to suppress to surge right back into his throat.
Perhaps sensing that everyone’s expressions had turned grim, Old Madam Luo forcefully yanked her hand back. With her usual air of disdain, she snapped, “I told you there was no need to look. It’s just fatigue. What is wrong with the expressions on all your faces?”
Wen Jun caught Wen Xiuyi’s eye and shot him a warning glance, prompting Wen Xiuyi to swallow his urgent questions. It was Old Man Wen, however, who grew visibly frantic.
“Little Jun, what’s wrong with your grandmother?”
This was the wife who had accompanied him through a lifetime of hardships. Even though she constantly nagged and bossed him around, he absolutely did not want anything to happen to her.
After a brief hesitation, Wen Jun finally spoke. “Grandmother is fine. She’s just been pushing herself too hard lately and needs plenty of rest.”
Old Madam Luo let out a sigh of relief, her tone returning to its usual smugness. “See, I told you it was nothing. You all just spend your days worrying over absolute nonsense.”
Wen Jun remained silent, merely casting another quiet look at the old lady without saying another word.
Once the occupants of the old residence had departed, the family of three huddled together.
“Dr. Wen, what exactly is wrong with the old madam? Give your father the honest truth,” Wen Xiuyi asked urgently. Having experienced parental affection anew in this life made him treasure these hard-won family bonds beyond measure.
Wen Yao’s heart was similarly suspended in mid-air. Right now, if Dr. Wen gave the word, she wouldn’t hesitate to pull a piece of diagnostic equipment straight out of her space.
“My medical skills are still rudimentary at the moment. I can only tell that there’s a slight issue with Grandmother’s liver. For the exact specifics, I’ll need to ask my master to take a look.” In this era without sophisticated medical instruments, performing a comprehensive checkup on the old lady would be no easy feat. Their only recourse was to pin their hopes on his master.
As those words left his mouth, a heavy silence fell over the three of them.
The pressing dilemma now was how to get Physician Jin to examine the old lady thoroughly without raising her suspicions and scaring her out of her wits.
