Old Mrs. Qin had aged considerably, and turning her head upon hearing voices, she watched as Qin Liuxi and her party approached, her eyes appearing more turbid than ever, her mouth agape, displaying an even more pronounced skew to the corners of her lips.
Nanny Ding and Ju'er performed a curtsy to the two, then stepped aside.
The smell inside the room was unpleasant, bearing the odor of old age; the charcoal brazier burned vigorously, and the windows and doors were sealed tight, which only made the indoor air even stuffier.
"A crack of the window could be opened for some fresh air; ventilation inside the room brings a pleasant mood," Qin Liuxi instructed Ju'er. She then sat down beside the bed, pulled out Old Mrs. Qin's wrist from under the blanket, and began to take her pulse.
At this touch, a frown creased Qin Liuxi's brow, and she said to Old Mrs. Qin, "Overwrought with worries, do you loathe living a long life?"
