"Dad, dad! What's wrong? Wake up, wake up!"

The second young lady held Old Mrs. Wu's head and shouted with a trembling voice. Zhu Zhai stretched his neck and put it under the second young lady's shoulder, with a look of panic on his face. Sunfu, who had grabbed the old man's left hand, had an angry look on his face and scolded the servants and maids who came around:

"Go away! Why don't you go get an ice pack quickly? Quick, quick!"

ice bag! ice bag! The old man has a fever! ——A series of voices spread out. The servants were running around the house. The girl in light yellow clothes standing a little further away grabbed Zhang Susu and asked in a low voice:

"Su! Why did you feel dizzy when you saw the old man coming?"

Zhang Susu's eyes widened and she was speechless. Her plump breasts rose and fell like waves. Over there, Mrs. Wu was panting and saying intermittently:

"I brought the tea and – saw, saw, Dad – his head tilted, his eyes closed, foaming at the mouth – foaming! His face completely changed. Sha, Sha… it was phlegm. Are you angry? Has Dad always had this problem? "

The second young lady, who was holding the old man with one hand, asked urgently the fourth young lady, who was standing dumbly and weeping:

"Fourth sister, fourth sister! Has dad ever suffered from this kind of disease? He has! Say it, say it!"

"If the phlegm is burning, it doesn't matter if you take another breath. Just take another breath, one breath!"

Zhuzhai looked at Sunfu and said, hurriedly handing over the snuff bottle he carried with him. Sunfu took the snuff bottle with one hand and did not answer Zhuzhai. He just looked around angrily and shouted: "It's so tight! The popularity alone will kill the old lady! – Why the ice pack?" Don’t come yet! Peiyao, we don’t need your help here for the time being; go and call Dr. Ding yourself!——Mother Wang! Send for the ice pack!” So ​​he waved to the second young lady again: “Second sister, don’t panic! Dad’s chest is still there It's hot! There's no way to do it on this sofa chair. Let's carry dad to that couch first." With that said, without waiting for the second lady's answer, Sunfu picked up the old man and everyone came to help. One hand.

Mrs. Wu, who had just placed the old man on a long and wide sofa with blue velvet cushions and called the doctor, also came back. According to her, Dr. Ding can arrive within ten minutes; but before he arrives, the patient should not be disturbed and should be allowed to lie in a quiet room. At this time, Wang Ma came with an ice pack. Sunfu caught it with one hand and pressed it on the old man's forehead. He looked at the valet Gao Sheng who was standing at the door of the living room and said:

"Go and ask a few people to carry the old man to the small living room! Also, Dr. Ding is coming, tell the number one to pay attention!"

Suddenly the old man moved his hands, and there was a sound in his throat, and foam like phlegm came out of his mouth. "Okay!" – Several mouths shouted at the same time, seeming to feel relieved. Mrs. Wu grabbed a white silk handkerchief from Zhang Susu's lapel and wiped it away from the old man with a grimace on his face. The veins that popped out on the old man's forehead were as thick as earthworms, the noise in his throat became louder and more urgent, and he kept foaming. Er'er's hand moved again, his eyelids twitched a little, and finally he half-opened them.

"Why isn't Dr. Ding here yet? Let's carry him into the small living room first!"

Sunfu rubbed his hands and muttered to himself, then turned around and waved to the four servants who were standing there waiting for orders. The four stewards stepped forward, lifted the couch, and walked into the small living room on the left side of the large living room. Zhuzhai, Sunfu, Young Mistress Wu, the second young lady, and the fourth young lady all followed. Ah Xuan had been standing there in a daze since the beginning. Now she seemed to be awakening. She looked around in a panic and ran into the small living room. With a bang, the door of the small living room was closed.

The people who stayed in the big living room waited quietly, and no one spoke. Zhang Susu was leaning next to a gorgeous and large radio, her head lowered, reading the "Tai Shang Induction" on the ground, and she seemed to be paying great attention to it. Two men in western clothes each occupied a sofa chair, holding their heads in their hands and slowly smoking cigarettes; sometimes they glanced anxiously at the door of the small living room.

The electric light still illuminates everything softly. The round golden face of the small fan was still sounding loudly, turning slowly, sending cool breeze to everyone, blowing their clothes. However, these usually happy people now feel an indescribable uneasiness weighing on their hearts.

The girl in light yellow clothes sat next to the piano, flipping through a book of piano music. She looks very much like Miss Wu. She is Miss Wu's biological sister, Miss Lin Er.

Zhang Susu, who was in a daze, suddenly seemed to be thinking about something. She suddenly raised her head and looked around, as if she wanted to talk to someone. When she saw the girl in light yellow clothes looking at her, she ran to the piano. In front, he clapped his hands and said in a low voice but solemnly:

"Pei Shan! I think the old lady must be useless! I have seen -"

The two male guests over there jumped up in surprise, opened their questioning eyes wide, and walked to Zhang Susu's side.

"How do you know it won't work?"

Lin Peishan asked hesitantly and stood up.

"How do I know? Well—because I've seen how people die!"

Several male and female servants were already surrounding the two young men and women. Hearing Zhang Susu say that, they couldn't help laughing. Zhang Susu, however, kept a straight face and refused to smile. She lowered her voice mysteriously and further stated:

"Do you think what the old man spits out is phlegm? No! A hundred times it's not! This is foam! This kind of foam will appear when ordinary people die in hot weather. I have seen it.

Do you think it’s not too hot today? Eighty degrees! How strange! It’s only the 17th of May, – Yuting, am I right? you say! "

Zhang Susu turned to look at one of the male guests and seemed to force him to nod. This person is Li Yuting: of medium build, with a pointed chin, and wearing glasses with severe myopia. He didn't say "yes" or "no", he just smiled. This made Boss Zhang Susu unhappy. She rolled her eyes at Li Yuting. She pursed her scarlet lips and whispered:

"Okay! I remember what happened to you! Most people who teach are always so gray, and university professors are even more so. Student A said this, and student B said that, well, our professors neither dare to be left-handed nor If you dare to lean to the right, you have to put on a slapped face and giggle. – But, Professor Li Li Yuting! You are not in class here, this is the living room of the Wu Mansion!"

Li Yuting really stopped smiling, and looked as if he had been beaten. The man standing behind Lin Peishan came to her ear and whispered something. Lin Peishan laughed out loud and cast his handsome eyes across Zhang Susu's face. Immediately, a red cloud flew up on Zhang Susu's tender face. She turned her waist sharply, threw herself on Lin Peishan, and said bitterly:

"What are you cousins ​​doing! Saying bad things about me? You have to beg for mercy!"

Lin Peishan chuckled, protecting the part of herself that was most afraid of being touched, stepping back step by step, and shouted in the midst of laughter:

"Bowen, it was you who caused the trouble, but you just stood by and watched!"

At this moment, the horn of a car suddenly sounded, and in an instant, a tall middle-aged man in a suit ran in in front of the living room, followed by two caregivers in white uniforms holding large leather bags. . Zhang Susu immediately let go of Lin Peishan and greeted the newcomer:

"Great, Dr. Ding! The patient is in the living room!"

With that said, she jumped to the door of the small living room, opened the door, and let Dr. Ding and the nurse in. She also stepped through the door and closed the door behind her.

Lin Peishan brushed her hair and said to her cousin Fan Bowen:

"You see Dr. Ding's car is like a firetruck, rushing straight to the living room."

"But Dr. Ding's mission is to ignite the fire of life in Mrs. Wu, not to put out the fire."

"Are you writing poetry again? Hee——"

Lin Peishan gave her cousin a feinting look and walked towards the small living room. But before arriving, the door of the small living room opened, and Zhang Susu walked out lightly. Behind him was a caregiver. She raised the white porcelain square plate in her hand to the waiter in the living room and said one word: "Water" !" Then, the nurse retracted in again, and the door of the small living room was still closed.

Inquiring eyes shot out from all directions, focusing on Zhang Susu's face. Zhang Susu shook her head and walked around a round rosewood table in silence. Then, she stood in front of Lin Peishan and the three of them and whispered:

"Doctor Ding said it was cerebral congestion, caused by a sudden violent stimulation. Whether it can be saved or not is uncertain at the moment. Violent stimulation? What a strange thing!"

The people listening looked at each other and remained silent. After a while, Li Yuting seemed to want to save Zhang Susu's anger just now, and said like a yes man:

"What a weird thing!"

"However, my eyes will see that there is nothing surprising in this strange thing. It is certain that Mr. Wu was greatly stimulated. Just imagine how quiet the old man was in the countryside; he never peeked into the house for more than 20 years. His life is an out-and-out tomb life! His study, in my opinion, is just a tomb! I suddenly arrived in Shanghai today, and nothing I saw, heard, or smelled was too intense. Is it irritating? With his body and age, it would be really weird if he didn’t suffer from cerebral congestion!"

Fan Bowen said in his slow, feminine voice, his face shining with pride. After he finished speaking, he glanced away to look at Lin Peishan. Lin Peishan glanced back at him quickly, then pursed her lips and smiled. This all fell into Zhang Susu's sharp observation. She deliberately made a serious face and snorted:

"Poet Fan! Are you writing poetry again? If someone dies, it will also be the title of your poem!"

"Even if I write the poem at the wrong time, it doesn't take much trouble for Miss Zhang to express it!"

"Okay! Do you want your sister Lin Shen Shen Er Chan?"

This time it was Lin Peishan's face that turned red. She spat at Zhang Susu and walked away. Fan Bowen followed her unabashedly. However, Zhang Susu seemed to feel even sadder. She frowned and walked away from the round rosewood table again. Li Yuting stood there and touched his chin. The living room was very quiet, except for the monotonous sound of the small fan. Occasionally, the horns of cars on the road outside came, but there was no energy as if they were about to fall asleep. Several male servants stood like sticks. Wang Ma and another maid were talking secretly, but their lips were moving but no sound was heard.