"Duke An, could you sit down and let me speak slowly?"
Zhihua tightly clutched the hem of Chen Mo's robe, looking up at him with tears in her eyes.
"You... stand up first."
Chen Mo said, reseating himself by the tea table.
Zhihua filled Chen Mo's cup with tea, trying hard to calm her emotions, and began to speak slowly.
Zhihua was born into a family that valued sons over daughters, both her parents were rural peasants. After being married for many years without pregnancy, they sought out a well-known doctor from a neighboring village to examine them. Upon diagnosis, the problem was found to be with Zhihua's father.
Fortunately, the issue wasn't too serious. The doctor prescribed a remedy, saying that as long as he took the medicine on time and got proper rest, he could recover.
Although the doctor said the illness could be cured, to Zhihua's father's ears, it was like a bolt from the blue.
