Seeing that his daughter had finally given up her notion of refusing to marry, the Old Madam finally felt relieved. She wouldn't have to live with the crushing regret of her past misdeeds having ruined her daughter’s marriage prospects!

Now that Li Wu had declared he would not pursue the matter further, she too could breathe easier. The immediate task was to uncover who held such a grudge against the Wang family that they would strike at such a critical juncture. The mere thought that someone’s objective was to sabotage her daughter's wedding filled the Old Madam with a burning desire to capture the black-hearted culprit and lock them away.

The Old Madam followed her original line of thought, reviewing past events to determine who might know about her involvement, and which villagers bore her ill will. Following these two avenues, she managed to identify several suspicious figures within the village, though she remained unable to pinpoint the exact perpetrator.

This left the Old Madam feeling a distinct sense of disappointment. This uncertainty—not knowing who was plotting against her family—was a terrible feeling. Moreover, she worried about when this unknown person might secretly strike the Wang family again.

However, before the Old Madam could uncover definitive proof of who was harming their household, an entirely different event abruptly forced her to abandon her investigation into their rivals: Wang Youliang had returned. To be precise, Wang Youliang returned lying down.

It must be said, Wang Youliang was truly ill-fated. After finally securing his family’s consent to visit the county seat, he had high hopes for his journey: how to seek out Zhao Cheng, the son of the Huang widow, and through him, locate the Huang widow herself. What he hadn't accounted for was his own limited experience with travel. Not long after leaving Qingshan Town, Wang Youliang was completely incapacitated by motion sickness. The carriage jolted and swayed so violently that he vomited up everything he had managed to eat. The fact that he was constantly purging made one realize just how agonizing his days in the carriage must have been.

Wang Youliang endured a cycle of eating and vomiting, finally reaching his destination under the increasingly strained gazes of the other two occupants of the carriage. Upon arrival, Wang Youliang lacked the strength even to walk properly, let alone begin making inquiries. The carriage driver, taking pity on him, found him lodging at an inn and took a room next door himself.

The next day, the driver intended to ask Wang Youliang about his plans and subtly probe whether he realized he had come to the wrong place. However, after knocking on the door for a long time, there was no answer. He questioned the inn staff, who confirmed they hadn't seen anyone leave the room. Alarmed that something might have happened to Wang Youliang, the driver begged the innkeeper for help opening the door. The inn staff, fearing potential trouble, managed to force the door open from the outside. What they found inside was Wang Youliang, burning with fever and delirious.

The carriage driver had been recommended by an acquaintance of the Wang family patriarch, so he felt a strong sense of responsibility toward Wang Youliang. Seeing his condition, the driver immediately sought out a physician. The doctor prescribed some medicine, and the driver cared for Wang Youliang for two days. Yet, Wang Youliang’s fever kept spiking and receding, leaving the driver unsure of what to do. Fearing he might be held accountable if things worsened, he quickly loaded Wang Youliang into the carriage and brought him back once Wang Youliang showed no improvement after two days.

Thus, what greeted the elders at the old Wang residence was a Wang Youliang brought home utterly weak from a debilitating fever.

The Old Master and Old Madam were beside themselves with worry seeing their once healthy son returned so sickly after just one trip out. After carefully moving Wang Youliang onto the heated brick bed (kang), they immediately dispatched Wang Qingyun to fetch Physician Li.

Physician Li, summoned to the old residence again, felt a prickle of suspicion. Had some fresh calamity befallen the Wang family?

Upon arriving at the old Wang residence, Physician Li saw the frail figure of Wang Youliang lying listlessly on the kang. Moving closer, he confirmed Wang Youliang was still running a fever. The physician dared not delay; a fever, left unchecked, could escalate into a grave matter.

The Old Madam spotted Physician Li and clutched his sleeve urgently. "Physician Li, you must help us this time! I don't know what has afflicted my eldest son; this fever simply won't break. Please examine him quickly; let’s pray nothing serious has taken hold!"

Physician Li had visited the old house often enough, but he had never seen the Old Madam so frantic, which only heightened his sense of urgency.

After meticulously taking Wang Youliang’s pulse and inquiring about the circumstances leading to this illness, Physician Li prepared a prescription. He then meticulously explained to the Wang family precisely how to decoct the medicine and outlined other necessary steps, detailing potential symptoms to watch for. Having given exhaustive instructions, Physician Li accepted the consultation fee from the Wang family and departed.

After Physician Li left, the Wangs swiftly procured the herbs and brewed the medicine exactly as instructed, administering it to Wang Youliang, which brought them only a slight measure of relief. The reason for only slight relief was that the carriage driver had warned them the fever was prone to recurrence.

It was unclear whether a change in climate contributed to Wang Youliang’s initial affliction, but after taking Physician Li’s remedy, the fever gradually subsided, though he remained deeply asleep. After the elders called his name several times, Wang Youliang finally managed to half-open his eyes groggily, clearly still disoriented. The Old Madam then managed to feed him half a bowl of thin porridge, after which Wang Youliang promptly drifted back to sleep.

Once the fever broke, Wang Youliang recovered consciousness quickly, though he remained severely weakened. For the next several days, he remained confined to the kang, convalescing. It was many days later before Wang Youliang could stand again. This illness caused him to lose significant weight and left his body utterly depleted. After his recovery, the Old Master and Old Madam kept him strictly at home, forbidding him to go out, insisting they needed to restore his strength fully. Furthermore, they used his recent ordeal as leverage, declaring that since he clearly could not handle distant travel, he should never leave Qingshan Town again; life there was perfectly adequate.

Wang Youliang, now unable to find an excuse to visit the county seat, was at a loss about what to do. He briefly contemplated trying to sneak away.

However, before he could act on this thought, he heard the Old Master speak: "Don't even think of any sly schemes. Have you forgotten the ordeal you just endured traveling to the county? That carriage driver told me you vomited after every morsel of food, growing weaker until you collapsed upon arrival. If you sneak off now, I suspect you’ll fall gravely ill again. Last time, you had a driver to look after you and kindly brought you back. If you slip away this time, no one will care if you die out there."

Wang Youliang recalled the painful reality of his last journey and knew the Old Master’s projection was highly plausible. This realization made him hesitate about sneaking off. But if he didn't go, how could he ever find the Huang widow? The thought spurred him on; even another illness seemed a worthy risk to find her.

The Old Master observed his son’s wavering expression, sensing his inner conflict, and continued, "Don't try to placate me with excuses. I know you intend to find that widow. But even if you must find her, you cannot disregard your own health! I’m not trying to make things difficult for you, but I will not permit you to go to the county seat until you have fully regained your strength."

Hearing this, Wang Youliang realized his father had seen through his plans. "Father, but if I don't go..."

The Old Master waved a dismissive hand. "Listen, the widow’s son is quite familiar with Qingchen and the others. When they go to the county seat next, they are bound to cross paths. I trust Qingchen will learn where that widow and her son reside. Wait until Qingchen returns, then ask him. That is far better than risking your health on your own adventure, wouldn't you agree?"

Wang Youliang’s eyes widened as he stared at his father, barely able to believe that the Old Master had conceded. He had never expected the day would come when his father would agree to him seeking out the Huang widow. "Father, you..."

"Alas, your father is getting old," the Old Master sighed. "I only wish for you all to live well and safely. Now you're throwing your very life away. I don't want to wait until something terrible happens to you before I regret it."

Hearing this, Wang Youliang felt a surge of guilt toward his father. His father was so earnestly concerned for him, yet he constantly engaged in actions that caused distress and anger. Still, his affection for the Huang widow was real. Wang Youliang resolved that once he brought the Huang widow back, he would dedicate himself to filial piety, ensuring his parents would never again be troubled or saddened by him.

Consequently, following his father's advice, Wang Youliang settled down to rest and recover, awaiting news of the Huang widow from Wang Qingchen’s return trip from the county seat.

The Old Master was delighted to see Wang Youliang complying and resting peacefully at home, inwardly congratulating himself on the effectiveness of his strategy—at least his son was behaving. The Old Madam, once apprised of the Old Master’s plan, was equally pleased with its ingenuity. After all, regardless of whether Qingchen actually found news of the widow, they could simply instruct him to deny knowing anything before Wang Youliang could inquire. And in that scenario, Wang Youliang would have no one to blame, as the Old Master's suggestion itself was based on a reasonable expectation of Qingchen’s success.

Unbeknownst to them, the content of the Old Master's advice to Wang Youliang had been overheard by Tian Shi.