Except for Chen Dong, everyone present was shocked, with Lin Cuie gasping in disbelief. Lin Fang tightly covered her mouth and turned her head away. Having spent years with the Tong family, even if the eldest son’s household wasn’t versed in medical knowledge, they had heard enough cases from Tong’s casual conversations to understand the gravity of this “indecency.” Moreover, Lin Fang had already memorized Tong’s medical texts thoroughly.
Tong, however, did not answer Chen Dong’s question. Instead, she turned to Lin Fang and said softly, “You accompany Miss Sima back. I’ll send more charcoal over immediately to warm the room, but remember to ventilate it regularly to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning.”
Lin Fang nodded silently, her body feeling as heavy as lead. Her already unsteady steps faltered as she staggered toward Chen Dong. Understanding Tong’s intention to have Lin Fang speak with her privately, Chen Dong followed silently behind, still holding Chen Shiyuan’s small hand tightly in hers. Due to her nervous tension, she gripped the child’s hand so hard it hurt, but the little one gritted his teeth and endured without making a sound.
After just a few steps, Tong called out, “Fang’er, let Qi Shi accompany you. Miss Sima, leave young Shiyuan with me. I need to examine his bone structure further to select a suitable martial art for him to practice.”
Despite her tension, Chen Dong knew what was important. She whispered a few words of reassurance into Chen Shiyuan’s ear. Though frightened, the child obediently shuffled toward Tong, still shaken from the earlier playful examination that had scared him.
Once the two girls left, Li Cuimei quickly asked Tong, “Aunt, is there any way to treat Miss Sima’s condition?”
Pulling Chen Shiyuan closer, Tong examined his bones from head to toe, front to back, then shook her head. “The chances are slim.”
Cold constitution could stem from many causes—some innate, others acquired.
Some people are born with a naturally cold constitution, prone to cold limbs and heightened sensitivity to cooler weather, their faces paler than most. They dread winter but tolerate summer heat better.
Most cases of cold constitution, however, are acquired—due to living in cold environments, indulging in cold foods, overexertion, or anger damaging the body’s yang energy. These are common factors that lead to a cold imbalance.
Additionally, genetics play a role. If parents have a cold constitution or are older at the time of childbirth, their declining yang energy can imprint a cold predisposition into the child’s genes.
For women, a cold constitution demands extra caution. It can lead to scanty menstruation, irregular cycles, or even infertility. During special physiological phases like menstruation, pregnancy, or postpartum, women are more vulnerable to cold limbs due to physical weakness. Without timely prevention, this can result in low spirits and chronic chills.
A cold constitution isn’t incurable. With mindful daily habits and long-term adherence to a healthy lifestyle, it can be effectively managed or even reversed.
Since cold constitution often stems from yang deficiency, spring and summer—seasons of yang growth—are ideal for exercise and staying active late into the night. Autumn and winter, being yin-nurturing seasons, call for more rest, early nights, and indoor exercises to build muscle. Above all, staying warm in cold weather is crucial to preserving yang energy.
Avoid cold foods, keep the waist and abdomen warm, and steer clear of cold water or raw fruits during menstruation—opt for warmed alternatives instead. Prioritize warming foods like dog meat, lamb, and beef.
Chen Dong’s cold constitution, however, was deliberately inflicted. At such a young age, before her body could fully develop, she suffered this cruel act. Though she survived, her organs were damaged, making recovery a long and arduous process. Even with persistent care, her quality of life might improve, but she would likely never bear children of her own.
This outcome was too cruel for Tong to voice outright—especially for a young girl already cast aside by her family. Sending Lin Fang and Qi Shi along was a precaution, lest Chen Dong, unable to bear the news, lashed out and harmed herself or others. Chen Shiyuan, already skittish, would only be further traumatized by her reaction, complicating matters further.
Lin Fang wished she could brush it off with her usual carefree grin, joking, “Don’t worry, my second grandmother loves teasing—she’s just scaring you!” But she knew it wouldn’t work. She and Chen Dong knew each other too well to mistake truth for jest. Besides, Tong, as an elder and a physician, would never joke about something so serious.
In both past and present lives, Chen Dong had repeatedly told Lin Fang that if she ever had children, she’d cherish them like treasures, sparing them the suffering she endured, no matter the cost.
In her previous life, she survived like a wildling. In this one, as a persecuted illegitimate daughter, she endured. Just as she began to feel paternal love from Sima Lao Ye, hoping for familial bonds to replace her past rootlessness, she was abandoned again. Now, even the chance of motherhood might be stolen from her. How could she face such cruelty?
Delaying the truth wouldn’t help. Lin Fang steeled herself and relayed Tong’s diagnosis. After a moment of stunned silence, Chen Dong threw her head back and wailed—a heartrending cry of anguish.
Exhausted from weeping, she collapsed. Qi Shi stepped forward, pressing her acupressure points to induce sleep, then carried her to bed and tucked her in. Tong returned with Chen Shiyuan, quietly instructing the boy to watch over his sister at night, lest she “disappear.” Leaving Qi Shi to guard the siblings, Tong took Lin Fang away, berating herself for stirring trouble. Perhaps ignorance would’ve been kinder—Chen Dong’s fate was sealed, diagnosis or not.
Witnessing Chen Dong’s pain was unbearable, but regret changed nothing. Lin Fang comforted Tong: “Second Grandmother, it’s not your fault. This is her destiny. Knowing early lets her plan ahead. Imagine if she married, only to be rejected later for her condition—wouldn’t that be worse?”
Yes, foreknowledge allowed preparation—just as Lin Fang’s congenital heart disease in her past life had prepared her family for her early death. Perhaps her parents and brother grieved less, knowing it was inevitable.
“Fang’er! Fang’er! What’s wrong? Da Lang, Cuimei—quick, fetch the heart pills!”
Mid-self-reproach, Tong noticed Lin Fang swaying and caught her just as she fainted. A frantic pulse check confirmed a heart episode. Though Lin Fang hadn’t had an attack since her mild condition was diagnosed, Tong always kept heart pills ready, and Da Lang’s household stocked them.
Lin Fang’s jaw was clenched shut, making it impossible to administer the pill. As her face turned ashen, Tong dissolved the medicine in water, but spoon-feeding failed—Lin Fang’s lips stayed sealed. In desperation, Li Cuimei drank the liquid herself and fed it mouth-to-mouth to Lin Fang.
With Lin Fang’s baby teeth still growing in, gaps allowed some medicine to seep through, though most spilled down her cheeks. Undeterred, Li Cuimei repeated the process until color returned to Lin Fang’s face, leaving the family drained. Tong’s guilt deepened—she’d avoided confronting Miss Sima’s pain, delegating it to Lin Fang, her only friend. Yet she’d forgotten her granddaughter’s heart condition, however mild, couldn’t withstand such emotional shocks.
For most children Chen Dong’s age, the implications of her diagnosis might’ve been lost. But Lin Fang, wise beyond her years and versed in basic medicine, cherished her friend deeply. Witnessing Chen Dong’s despair—her wails to the heavens—was too much to bear.
As Tong wallowed in regret, the monk Zixing on the mountain clasped his hands in silent prayer.
So fate unfolds as ordained. When he’d diagnosed Chen Dong’s cold poison, already damaging her organs, he’d withheld the truth, fearing the blow would crush her spirit across two lifetimes. Yet Tong’s arrival had laid it bare. The young benefactress was destined for this suffering—may Tong’s expertise in gynecology ease her pain.
But Fang’er’s severe heart attack, given her typically mild condition, was unforeseen. Had his spiritual insight failed? Was her past karma not fully resolved?
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage