When the Old Madam woke up, she realized that the debuff of weakness on her had disappeared.
Over the past few days, she had been bedridden with illness, and at one point yesterday, she thought she saw Gu Jing's father, her late husband, waving at her.
The old man looked just as he did before his passing, wearing his favorite suit, stern and expressionless, yet his eyes were soft as he gazed at her: "A-Yue, come with me..."
Hearing this long-lost nickname, "A-Yue," the Old Madam couldn't help but shed tears.
She instinctively nodded and reached out toward the old man.
Just then—
"Cluck-cluck~"
A crisp chicken cry rang out from behind, snapping the Old Madam back to her senses. She turned her head and saw a little yellow chicken with a human face.
Though its features were unclear, its striking emerald-green eyes were impossible to miss.
The little chicken flapped its wings and said to the Old Madam, "You haven't finished watching the finale of 'The CEO Falls for Me After Menopause,' so you can't leave yet, cluck-cluck~"
The Old Madam was fully awake now.
That's right, she hadn't finished that cringey yet addictive short drama.
"I'll join you in a few years, old man. I'm going back to watch the drama," she said.
With that, the Old Madam hurriedly followed the little yellow chicken back.
And then, she woke up.
"Mom, you're awake."
Gu Jing hadn't left her side, sitting by her bed the whole time. Seeing her open her eyes, he quickly called out to her.
Upon waking, the Old Madam was surprised to find that the unbearable pain she had felt before was gone.
Though there was a metallic taste of blood in her mouth, which was unpleasant.
"How do you feel? Any discomfort?"
Given how long she had been poisoned, Gu Jing was worried that even the most effective antidote might leave some side effects.
The Old Madam sat up on her own without needing assistance.
"I feel fine."
Aside from feeling a bit weak, her body felt surprisingly good.
"Hand me my tablet and reading glasses. I haven't finished that drama yet."
Gu Jing, looking disheveled: "..."
The Old Madam patted her son beside her: "The antidote was from the Ji family, wasn't it?"
Gu Jing nodded: "Yes."
The doctor conducted a full check-up on the Old Madam, asking her a few questions, and was equally amazed.
"No side effects at all?"
In response to Gu Jing's question, the doctor nodded: "So far, there don't seem to be any issues. The Old Madam says she feels fine."
"We can continue to monitor her condition."
Gu Jing nodded.
If there were truly no side effects, and she had only vomited a bit before recovering, the effectiveness of the antidote was almost... miraculous.
"But how did you know it was from the Ji family?"
Gu Jing hadn't had the chance to discuss the deal with the Ji family with the Old Madam before her condition worsened.
The Old Madam, who was being helped to rinse her mouth, pondered for a moment.
"Probably because... I dreamt of that child from the Ji family."
Those emerald-green eyes were unmistakable, even if the face was unclear.
Gu Jing: ?
Gu Xiuyuan, who had been hiding in his room ever since being spanked, forgot his embarrassment upon hearing that his grandmother had recovered. Ignoring his father, he rushed to her side.
"Grandma."
Seeing that her complexion had improved significantly, Gu Xiuyuan's eyes welled up with emotion.
The Old Madam patted his head: "Xiuyuan, don't cry. Grandma's fine now. Look, the dark spots are gone."
She rolled up her sleeve to show him.
Seeing the dark spots on her arm had indeed faded, Gu Xiuyuan's eyes lit up.
Though the Old Madam doted on him, she also treated him as the family heir. She didn't hide the truth from him.
She straightforwardly explained how she had recovered.
Realizing belatedly that Ji Nian had visited his grandmother to help her, Gu Xiuyuan's face tightened.
So, their little adventure had been meaningful after all.
Even though he had been spanked, Ji Nian had saved his grandmother.
"Xiuyuan, do you know how you should interact with the young lady from the Ji family from now on?"
The Old Madam looked at him with a mix of sternness and affection.
She knew that Gu Xiuyuan got along well with the adopted daughter brought back by the Ji family head, and the two children even chatted privately.
But there seemed to be some friction between him and Ji Nian.
Gu Xiuyuan's gaze slowly grew determined.
"I understand, Grandma."
From now on, if Ji Nian wanted to see his pet bull, he wouldn't refuse.
Seeing that her grandson had grasped her intentions, the Old Madam nodded with satisfaction.
"Good boy."
...
Ji Nian rubbed her nose.
"Who's thinking about me?"
She muttered to herself.
But soon, she focused back on the task at hand.
"According to the previous experiment, two drops should be enough."
Ji Nian was making incense.
Incense for Ji Tingzhou.
"Ugh, this isn't the right scent."
She irritably put down what she was holding.
[You're being too picky. A similar scent would do.]
Ji Nian shook her head: [No, Ji Tingzhou isn't this scent.]
She wanted to create a fragrance that suited Ji Tingzhou even better than the one he usually used.
Something warm, sweet, and slightly ethereal, with a rich, luxurious base note.
Why was Ji Nian suddenly making a gift?
Because Ji Tingzhou's birthday was coming up.
She had overheard it from Zhi Le, just last week.
Ji Nian instinctively thought that she should prepare a gift.
But the system had reminded her: [Ji Tingzhou doesn't celebrate his birthday.]
[In the original story, there's a scene where the female lead accidentally finds out about his birthday and secretly prepares a gift for him.]
[She gives it to him on his birthday, but Ji Tingzhou refuses to accept it, even looking visibly upset. The female lead, thinking she had angered him, becomes frightened, and they end up in a cold war.]
[Of course, they reconcile later, but the female lead never brings up his birthday again, afraid of upsetting him.]
Ji Nian thought there must be some hidden reason.
[Well, whether he celebrates it or not, what I'm giving isn't a birthday gift. Besides, I might not even finish it by his birthday.]
Because this incense was just too hard to perfect!!!
"Sandalwood... it has to be aged sandalwood."
Ji Nian was determined to do it perfectly. She wouldn't even buy pre-made essential oils from the market.
She jumped down from her step stool, tidied up, and headed out to find Ji Tingzhou's incense specialist.
This was actually Ji Nian's first time making something like this by hand. In her past life, the most popular gift she gave to friends was anti-harassment spray.
It was a small device placed near the entrance, equipped with a motion sensor. If a suspicious man lingered outside for more than ten minutes, the device would automatically release a gas.
It wouldn't kill anyone, but it would give them severe diarrhea—so severe it might feel like their butt was about to explode.
It was a little gadget she had made with a programmer friend. They didn't sell it to avoid legal trouble, but it was a hit among their friends.
But she couldn't give something like that to Ji Tingzhou.
Who would dare harass Ji Tingzhou?
Wei Yang would gouge out their eyes before Ji Tingzhou even had to lift a finger.
"Miss."
The incense specialist greeted Ji Nian with a smile: "You're here again."
At first, she had been a bit reserved when Ji Nian came to see her, but after spending a few days together, she had grown quite comfortable with the girl.
Especially since Ji Nian was such a likable child—sweet-talking, well-behaved, and not at all spoiled or arrogant.
Ji Nian had no qualms about asking her questions.
Feeling a bit guilty for visiting so often, she even brought gifts.
But after learning that the specialist earned 100,000 a month, Ji Nian stopped feeling guilty.
Yes, a specialist whose sole job was to light incense for Ji Tingzhou—not even make it, as there was someone else for that—earned 100,000 a month.
