The concubine is a man, and the illegitimate son of a divine physician has a spatial ability.

Zhang's gaze fell on Aunt Li's bloodless, pale face. She gently took Aunt Li's hand and pulled her to the bedside.

Zhang said softly, "You two chat! I'll be going now. You haven't seen each other for a long time, catch up!" With that, Zhang turned and left.

Aunt Li's gaze then turned to Yin Zijin lying on the bed. She looked sickly and her breath was so weak that it seemed like a candle flickering in the wind, as if it could be extinguished at any moment.

The bird's nest porridge in the jade bowl beside the bed had barely been touched. Watching this, Aunt Li felt as if an invisible hand was gripping her heart, the pain making it hard for her to breathe.

For a moment, Li felt her mind go blank, devoid of any thoughts. The only thought that filled her mind was to take good care of the poor person in front of her. So, she slowly sat down in front of the bed and instructed Ah Tian, ​​who was serving her, "You can leave now! I can handle things here."

After Ah Tian left, Madam Li, fighting back tears that were about to spill, trembled as she reached out and picked up a spoon. She scooped a full spoonful of bird's nest porridge from the jade bowl and said lovingly, almost pleadingly, "Child, eat quickly! Only by eating the porridge and drinking your medicine can you get better soon." However, at that moment, a deep sense of regret suddenly welled up in Madam Li's heart.

She couldn't help but recall her unbearable past—born into a brothel, she shouldn't have even dreamed of having children.

Looking back now, she realized she shouldn't have given birth to this child. If it weren't for that, Sixth Miss Yin Zijing wouldn't have had to suffer like her, being raised as a girl and enduring such pain and torment. Thinking of this, Li Shi could no longer hold back her tears, which streamed down her cheeks like a burst dam.

Yin Zijin lay there, his heart filled with a jumble of emotions, leaving him momentarily at a loss.

When his gaze fell upon Li Shi before him, an indescribable mix of emotions welled up within him. Since the day he was born, he had interacted with Li Shi very few times, less than ten times. Though they were blood relatives, they were like the most familiar strangers. Yet, regardless, he had indeed been born from Li Shi's womb.

At this moment, gazing at Madam Li before her, Yin Zijing felt a faint, long-lost sense of maternal love. This feeling was both unfamiliar and warm to her, causing her to involuntarily open her mouth and begin to savor the bowl of bird's nest porridge. Madam Li, her face filled with self-reproach, softly said, "Sixth Miss, it's all my fault, terribly wrong!"

I didn't have the ability to protect you properly. Why did I bring you into this world? Now you're suffering along with me...

Yin Zijing remained silent, mechanically swallowing mouthful after mouthful of bird's nest porridge. As for what the bird's nest porridge tasted like, he had no time to care, and could even say he didn't taste it at all.

Actually, it wasn't that he didn't want to respond to Li, but rather that he genuinely didn't know where to begin. Did he harbor resentment towards Li? Even he himself couldn't give a definite answer.

The root cause of all this tragedy was not Li herself, but the patriarchal system of ethics that was like a demon, devouring people without spitting out the bones and killing without shedding blood. And the poor Li, like herself, was nothing more than an innocent victim under this cruel system of ethics.

After finishing the bird's nest porridge, Madam Li gently put down the porcelain spoon in her hand, then carefully picked up the still steaming medicinal soup beside her, and gently and skillfully fed it to Yin Zijing spoonful by spoonful. Every spoonful of the soup seemed to carry her deep concern and love.

After Yin Zijing finished the last drop of her medicine, Madam Li slowly put down the bowl, her gaze remaining fixed on Yin Zijing's face, which appeared exceptionally tired and pale as paper due to her prolonged illness. She reached out and gently stroked Yin Zijing's cheek, her eyes filled with pity.

Then, Li carefully helped Yin Zijing sit up and gently laid her back down on the bed. Yin Zijing's eyes were slightly closed, as if she had exhausted even the strength to open them. Li pulled the quilt over Yin Zijing's body, carefully covering her, afraid that even a trace of cold air might seep in.

After doing all this, Madam Li sat quietly by the bed, gazing at Yin Zijing, wanting to speak but hesitating. Yes, so many years had passed since they last met, and although she had a thousand words in her heart, she didn't know where to begin.

After hesitating for a moment, Madam Li said softly, "Zijin, I was hoping to chat with you more, but seeing you like this, I really can't bear to bother you any longer."

You still don't look too well, why don't you get some more sleep? Your aunt will stay here with you and hum a little tune for you. It's a tune your mother used to hum to you when you were little..."

As she spoke, Li cleared her throat and began to hum softly. The melody was melodious and gentle, like a spring breeze caressing the lake, gently soothing the soul. Before anyone knew it, Yin Zijing had fallen asleep.

………………

Three days later, in the Green Bamboo Pavilion, Yin Zijin leaned against the bed, staring blankly out the window. Outside the window was a bamboo forest, the bamboo had turned yellow, and the snow weighed down the branches, as if it would break the bamboo.

Before long, Granny Zhou came over with five soft persimmons. She quickly closed the window and couldn't help but say, "Miss, you're still not well. Why did you open the window?"

Yin Zijin said, "It's so stuffy inside that I can't get out of the house. I want to get some fresh air."

Granny Zhou hung five soft persimmons from the beam above the bed and said, "Miss, it's time to eat persimmons. These persimmons were just taken out of the ice cellar and are very fresh."

However, you can only lick it to savor it. The juice of that persimmon is incredibly sweet.

If you bite into it, you can't fully savor its sweet flavor.

Granny Zhou helped Yin Zijing kneel on the bed, and Yin Zijing slowly licked the persimmon. Granny Zhou smiled and asked, "How is it? Is it sweet?"

Yin Zijin shook her head and said, "The persimmon hasn't split open yet, so I haven't tasted it yet."

Granny Zhou, standing to the side, said, "Then the girl needs to work harder. If too much time passes, even the best food will no longer be delicious."