RFF - Chapter Four (Part 1)
Tao Tu Yun had a coughing fit in her bedchamber.
'Mistress, do you want me to ask second master Tao to call a physician to examine you?' Su Wu asked.
'No...' Tao Tu Yun said and coughed. 'Su Wu, can you get me hot ginger tea? I'll be alright after I drink ginger tea.'
'Mistress, you're severely ill and bedridden,' Su Wu said. 'Mistress, you need a physician to examine you.'
'Su Wu, I only have a small cold from the cold weather,' Tao Tu Yun lied. 'Don't bother Tao Fang Ao over something small.'
Tao Tu Yun suppressed her chest pain and smiled to reassure Su Wu.
'Yes mistress,' Su Wu said. 'Mistress, stay here and rest. I'll go make you hot ginger tea.'
Su Wu walked to the kitchen, and Li Tai Fang and Feng Yu visited Tao Tu Yun's bedchamber.
'Lady Tao, I heard you coughing in the morning,' Li Tai Fang said. 'I came to see if you're well.'
Li Tai Fang and Feng Yu walked into Tao Tu Yun's bedchamber uninvited. They were happy to see Tao Tu Yun bedridden.
'Thank you lady Li for caring about my health,' Tao Tu Yun said.
Tao Tu Yun understood Li Tai Fang was wishing she'd be sick forever.
'Who said I care about your health?' Li Tai Fang asked. 'I only came here to see how long you'll shamelessly stay in the Tao Manor. You're a fake, you should stop seducing Tao Fang Ao and leave the Tao Manor.'
Tao Tu Yun supressed her cough. Her pneumonia was more severe than she expected.
'Lady Li, I'm sorry,' Tao Tu Yun said. 'I'm sick. Can you please be quiet so I can rest?'
'You...' Li Tai Fang said.
'Lady Tao, are you in your bedchamber?' elder Jiang asked.
Li Tai Fang walked to the door, and closed the door behind her so elder Jiang couldn't see the bedridden Tao Tu Yun.
'Elder Jiang, is something wrong?' Li Tai Fang asked innocently.
'Oh... lady Li, you're here too,' elder Jiang said. 'Second master Tao, invited lady Tao and lady Li to eat dinner in his courtyard.'
Elder Jiang was suspicious why Li Tai Fang was standing guard in front of Tao Ta Yun's bedchamber.
'Lady Tao is feeling unwell,' Li Tai Fang said. 'Elder Jiang, I'll go meet Tao Fang Ao first.'
'Is lady Tao severely ill?' elder Jiang asked. 'Does she need a physician?'
Elder Jiang looked suspiciously at the closed doors behind Li Tai Fang. He was worried something bad happened to Tao Tu Yun.
'Elder Jiang, you don't need to worry,' Li Tai Fang said. 'Lady Tao is only tired. After a nap she'll be well again. We shouldn't disturb her sleep.'
'I don't want to disturb lady Tao's sleep,' elder Jiang said. 'I'll escort lady Li to second master Tao's courtyard.'
Li Tai Fang was jealous why everyone at the Tao Manor loved Tao Tu Yun but hated her.
Tao Tu Yun heard everything from her bed. She didn't expose Li Tai Fang's lies because if she and Tao Fang Ao weren't meant to be, it was better if they didn't see each other.
Tao Tu Yun wanted to know when she could leave the Tao Manor because she was running out of time.
At night, Su Wu checked up on Tao Tu Yun. She touched Tao Tu Yun's forehead, Tao Tu Yun had a fever.
Su Wu ran to find elder Jiang. Elder Jiang immediately called a physician.
The servants gathered outside Tao Tu Yun's bedchamber because they were worried about her.
'What happened?' Tao Fang Ao asked. 'Why is everyone standing here instead of sleeping?'
'Second master Tao,' Xiao Hong greeted. 'Su Wu woke up elder Jiang. Su Wu told elder Jiang, Lady Tao has a fever. We came here to see if we can help lady Tao.'
Xiao Hong and Su Wu became friends after Su Wu came to the Tao Manor. Xiao Hong got to know Tao Tu Yun through Su Wu. Xiao Hong and all the other servants loved Tao Tu Yun.
'What?' Tao Fang Ao asked. 'Move out of the way!'
Xiao Hong and the other servants were surprised to see how worried their second master Tao was about Tao Tu Yun.
Tao Fang Ao squeezed through the crowd and into Tao Tu Yun's bedchamber. He knew the servants liked Tao Tu Yun more than Li Tai Fang, but he didn't know the servants cared enough about Tao Tu Yun to sacrifice sleep.
'Didn't I tell everyone to wait outside or go back to sleep... second master Tao,' elder Jiang said.
'How is Tu Yun?' Tao Fang Ao asked.
Tao Fang Ao sat on the bed next to Tao Tu Yun. He was worried to see her cheeks were fever red.
'Second master Tao, lady Tao has a high fever,' the physician said. 'I gave lady Tao an herbal remedy to reduce her fever. But her pneumonia is severe.'
'Elder Jiang, escort the physician outside,' Tao Fang Ao instructed.
Tao Fang Ao touched the wet cloth on Tao Tu Yun's forehead.
'Su Wu, get a colder cloth for Tu Yun,' Tao Fang Ao instructed.
Tao Fang Ao sat on Tao Tu Yun's bed the whole night.
In the morning, Tao Fang Ao walked outside Tao Tu Yun's bedchamber to get fresh air.
Li Tai Fang stopped by Tao Tu Yun's courtyard to see if Tao Tu Yun was dead yet. Li Tai Fang was jealous to see Tao Fang Ao stayed in Tao Tu Yun's bedchamber the whole night.
'Second master Tao, what are you doing here this early in the morning?' Li Tai Fang asked innocently.
'I didn't leave,' Tao Fang Ao said. 'I stayed here last night.'
Tao Fang Ao didn't need to know who his real fiance was because he made a choice who he wanted to marry. It wasn't the black hearted Li Tai Fang.
'Second master Tao, it seems like you care about lady Tao,' Li Tai Fang said spitefully.
'Tu Yun is my fiance,' Tao Fang Ao said. 'It's my duty to care about my fiance.'
'Second master Tao, are you accusing me of being the fake?' Li Tai Fang asked.
'I warned you from the start that I'll find out who's my real fiance,' Tao Fang Ao said.
Su Wu ran outside Tao Tu Yun's bedchamber.
'Second master Tao, mistress is awake,' Su Wu said.
Su Wu's smile disappeared after seeing Li Tai Fang outside Tao Tu Yun's bedchamber.
'Su Wu, quickly go get Tu Yun's medicine and a meal,' Tao Tu Yun instructed.
Tao Fang Ao ran back to Tao Tu Yun's bedchamber, and Su Wu ran to the kitchen.
Li Tai Fang was angry Tao Fang Ao and Su Wu dismissed her. Li Tai Fang was going to find a way to kick Tao Tu Yun out of the Tao Manor and separate Tao Tu Yun from Tao Fang Ao.
***
End of Chapter Four (Part 1)
