The Wealthy Eldest Sister Rules Supreme

Bitterly smiled.

Though not quite old herself, but no longer considered a child, she is still clearly just a child.

Being an orphan, she has suffered a lot. She has grown up too fast, taking on adult responsibilities such as earning a living and taking care of the family. Perhaps she has forgotten that she is only a child.

Zhuang Yonghe felt both proud and distressed about Zhuang Qingning’s capabilities and current situation.

Zhuang Qingning sat vigil by Mrs. Wen’s side until the rooster crowed twice.

Unable to resist, Zhuang Qingning yawned hugely and rubbed her sore, gritty eyes due to staying awake all night.

Zhuang Qingsui woke from his sleep, disregarding his shoes and hurried from the room to Zhuang Qingning’s side, “Big sister, it’s almost dawn, why didn’t you call me? You must be exhausted from staying up all night.”

As he spoke, Zhuang Qingsui poured a cup of water for Zhuang Qingning and handed it to her, then looked over the bed, “How is Aunt Wen doing?”

“The high fever is gone, hasn’t come back, she’s probably better. Uncle Yonghe couldn’t find a doctor last night, we’ll wait until dawn, wake Aunt Wen and go to see a doctor.”

Zhuang Qingning said, “I guess Aunt Wen was upset about yesterday’s matter, and she overthought it, which caused the fever. It would make sense to rest, but Aunt Wen is old, we should still see a doctor, and it will ease our minds.”

Zhuang Qingsui nodded, “Alright big sister, you should get some sleep, I’ll watch here. If anything happens, I will call you.”

As Mrs. Wen’s fever has subsided, Zhuang Qingning agrees and decides to rest briefly in another room.

After instructing Zhuang Qingsui to watch over Mrs. Wen for any signs of fever, Zhuang Qingning left for the other room, laying down with her clothes on.

Perhaps due to excessive fatigue, Zhuang Qingning sank into a deep sleep as soon as she closed her eyes.

Zhuang Qingsui sat nearby, preparing warm water as instructed by Zhuang Qingning, and kept an eye on Mrs. Wen’s temperature.

Zhuang Mingliang entered the hall carrying two bowls and saw only Zhuang Qingsui watching over Mrs. Wen, so he lowered his voice, “Did big sister Ning go to rest?”

Zhuang Qingsui replied, “Yes, my sister stayed up all night. I told her to rest while I watch over Aunt Wen.”

“I’m sure Big Sister Ning is exhausted. I came here a few times last night, offering to take her place, but she wouldn’t let me. So, I went to the tofu shop to get busy.”

Zhuang Mingliang put the bowls he was carrying on the table, “Here’s some freshly-made tofu pudding with some sugar added. It’s not much, but it’s edible. You must be hungry from being up all night, eat quickly. I have another bowl for Aunt Wen in the kitchen when she wakes up.”

“Since Big Sister Ning is resting, I’ll put her portion over the tofu shop’s stove to keep warm. She can eat it when she wakes up.”

“Okay, thank you Brother Mingliang.” Zhuang Qingsui was indeed hungry, so she picked up the bowl and started to eat the tofu pudding.

This tofu pudding is different from the one made with tender tofu and brine. It is actually just freshly-made tofu pudding, sweetened with some white sugar.

The delicacy of the tofu pudding, the richness of the soy milk, and the slight sweetness of the sugar make it particularly appetizing.

Zhuang Qingsui loved this taste and quickly finished half a bowl.

Seeing Zhuang Qingsui enjoying her food, Zhuang Mingliang smiled. He told her to call him if anything happens and returned to the tofu shop to continue his work, bringing Zhuang Qingning’s bowl of tofu pudding with him to keep it warm for her.

The rooster crowed three times, and the eastern sky began to display a hint of a white belly. The sun climbed over the horizon, spreading morning light across the land.

The families in the courtyard began to wake up, tidy up, clean the court, and start their day’s work.

Mrs. Wen opened her eyes and instinctively wanted to get up.

However, from having a high fever half the night, she was feeling weak and her head was throbbing. She couldn’t help but frown at the discomfort and lay down again.

“Aunt Wen, you’re awake.” Seeing Mrs. Wen awake, Zhuang Qingsui was overjoyed. She reached out her little hand to feel Mrs. Wen’s forehead, then compared it to her own, “Good, the fever hasn’t returned.”

“Aunt Wen, how do you feel now? Are you uncomfortable anywhere?”

Even though Mrs. Wen felt weak all over, when she saw Zhuang Qingsui’s worried gaze, she couldn’t bring herself to express the discomfort, “I’m fine, just feeling weak and very thirsty.”

“What happened to me? Why are you here? Where’s Ning girl?”

“Last night, you had a high fever. You were hot all over. Thank God that Sister Ning woke up in the middle of the night and came to check on you. She wiped your body with warm wine and fed you some water. By late night, the fever seemed to have subsided.”

Zhuang Qingsui obediently replied, “Big Sister was with you all night and is very tired now. After I woke up, I told her to rest while I watch you.”

“Last night, Uncle Yonghe wanted to get a doctor, but the doctor happened to be out. Since your fever has subsided, we decided to wait until morning to get a doctor.”

“Big Sister told me that if you wake up, you should drink lots of water. The water is still warm, why don’t you drink some?”

Zhuang Qingsui helped Mrs. Wen sit, brought water over and handed it to her.

Being terribly thirsty, Mrs. Wen quickly emptied the cup. Zhuang Qingsui poured another one for her. She drank most of it before stopping.

“There’s tofu pudding warming on the stove. Are you hungry, Aunt Wen? Would you like a bowl?” Zhuang Qingsui looked up and said, “I just had a bowl, it’s delicious.”

“Let’s wait a while,” waved Mrs. Wen, “I don’t feel hungry yet, you don’t need to hurry.”

She indeed didn’t feel hungry at the moment, just had two cups of water and was a little full. There was no appetite for food.

However, Zhuang Qingning…

Mrs. Wen looked towards the other room and could see the edge of Zhuang Qingning’s clothes from where she lay.

This girl, she must have been exhausted last night.

A wave of warmth welled up in Mrs. Wen’s heart. She told Zhuang Qingsui, Tm feeling better now. There’s no need to rush to see the doctor. Let’s wait awhile longer.”

This way, Zhuang Qingning could get a bit more sleep..