Mother, you... have a terminal illness?

Upon hearing this question, Taohua suddenly remembered that her mother, Madam Zhao, was lying on the kang, seriously ill and unable to get up. Tears instantly welled up in her eyes as she cried out:
"Brother Chixia, my mother is sick!"
"What?" Yan Chixia said, turning pale with shock. "Taohua, Auntie is sick? Is it serious?"
"Yes, it's serious!" Taohua raised a hand to wipe the tears streaming down her face and sobbed, "Brother Chixia, my mother has been ill for nearly a month! At first, she only had a slight cough, but after a few days, the coughing worsened! I was worried and anxious, and wanted to buy some herbal medicine for her, but there was no money at home... I suddenly remembered that boiling 'Isatis root' can cure coughs. When I was sick and coughing before, my mother had gone to Mount Daguo to dig up Isatis root and boiled it into medicine for me to drink. It worked wonders! After drinking it for a few days, I got well!
I thought to myself, since my mother is sick and we have no money to buy medicine, I should hurry to Mount Daguo and dig up some medicine myself. So I carried a mattock to Mount Daguo, dug up a basket of Isatis root, and brought it back to boil for my mother...
However, I never expected that the Isatis root medicine I gave my mother wouldn't work at all! Her condition grew worse and worse every day. She couldn't eat well or sleep well, felt weak all over, and has been bedridden on the kang for over ten days. Her cough has grown more severe day by day, and this morning she even coughed up blood!
I was worried sick, so I rushed to the temple to pray for the immortals to bless my mother and help her recover quickly... But I never expected that Brother Chixia and this sister would return by 'flying on swords'! Brother Chixia, please wait here for a moment—let me pray once more for the immortals to keep my mother safe and sound, and then we will go home together..."
"Taohua, there's no need to pray to the immortals!" Yan Chixia interrupted before she could finish, "I can cure Auntie's illness!"
"Really?" Taohua gasped, a mix of shock and joy. "Brother Chixia, you know how to cure illnesses now? That's wonderful! Brother Chixia, I believe you... Come on, let's hurry home!"
"Alright!" Yan Chixia nodded immediately. "Taohua, Mingzi, let's go."
………………………………
Taohua's home.

At this moment, Madam Zhao was covered with a cotton quilt, lying haggardly on the head of the kang to recuperate. Things were just as Taohua had described; Madam Zhao had been bedridden with illness for nearly a month.
However, Taohua only knew part of the truth. Her mother was actually suffering from the terminal illness of consumption—a fact of which Madam Zhao was painfully aware, knowing her days were numbered. Initially, she had wanted to tell Taohua this cruel reality so she could mentally prepare... but she lacked the courage to speak the truth. Although Taohua was already eighteen, well past the age of the hair-pinning ceremony, and worldly-wise, she was still unmarried and had no family to rely on in this world except for her. Madam Zhao feared that upon learning the truth, Taohua would be unable to bear such a devastating blow and might do something desperate, leaving her helpless.
Now, lying alone on the kang, Madam Zhao stared blankly at the ceiling beams, sighed despondently, and murmured softly to herself:
"Ah! My poor Taohua, her father passed away the moment she was born; and now, I too must leave her behind and part from this mortal world! Heavens, why is my Taohua's fate so bitter? Her suffering is truly so similar to Xia'er's! Xia'er... Xia'er..." At this thought, she suddenly remembered Yan Chixia and cried out involuntarily, "Xia'er! Xia'er! Where are you? Xia'er, my Xia'er, Auntie misses you! Xia'er, when you followed Daoist Qingxu to Mount Zhongnan to cultivate the Dao, you said you would return soon... But in the blink of an eye, thirteen years have passed, and you still haven't come back... Xia'er, do you know how much Auntie misses you and thinks of you in her heart? Xia'er, why haven't you returned even now?"
"Auntie, I'm back!" Before Madam Zhao's voice had faded, Yan Chixia suddenly pushed the door open, rushed to the edge of the kang, grabbed her bony, withered hands, and said with eyes full of hot tears, "Auntie, I've missed you so much! Auntie..." At this point, he couldn't help pressing his face against Madam Zhao's weathered, wrinkled cheeks and burst into loud sobs.
This touching scene moved everyone. Bai Xiaoyue and Taohua, who had just walked into the room, stood nearby, covering their faces and weeping bitterly.
Madam Zhao was stunned by this sudden turn of events! She lay there motionless, letting Yan Chixia's scalding tears fall onto her withered face. Still she didn't move, merely sighing again as she muttered:
"Ah! I'm dreaming again! How wonderful it would be if this dream were to come true..."
Hearing this, Yan Chixia hurriedly raised his head, looked with intense emotion into Madam Zhao's hopeful eyes, choked back his tears, and said:
"Auntie, you're not dreaming, your Xia'er has really come back! If you don't believe me, touch my face..."
"That's right, that's right!" Before Yan Chixia could finish, Taohua chimed in joyfully, "Mother, you aren't dreaming now, my Brother Chixia is really back!"
"Indeed!" Bai Xiaoyue also stepped up to Madam Zhao, smiling charmingly, "Auntie, your Xia'er has truly returned! And I have come with him to visit you!"

"Really?" Madam Zhao was overwhelmed with excitement. She actually sat straight up, her previously dim and lifeless eyes suddenly lighting up as she looked at Yan Chixia and Bai Xiaoyue. Tears of joy sprang to her eyes as she cried out, "Xia'er, you've really come back? This is wonderful! My Xia'er has grown up and brought a wife back with him! Hehe... This young lady is so pretty, she looks just like a fairy, truly lovable! My child, what is your name?"
"Hehe..." Bai Xiaoyue felt a sweet warmth in her heart as she smiled, "Auntie, my name is Bai Xiaoyue. You can just call me Yue'er!"
"Good, good, good!" Madam Zhao beamed from ear to ear as she gazed at Bai Xiaoyue's exceptionally beautiful countenance, her heart blossoming with joy. "Yue'er, you and Xia'er must be exhausted from such a long journey. Come sit on the kang quickly... Auntie will go cook something for you right now!"
With that, smiling broadly, she tried to get up and climb down to cook, but because of her illness and utter lack of strength, not only did she fail to stand, but she collapsed backward onto the bed.
Seeing this, Yan Chixia felt a pang of deep heartache and hurriedly cried out:
"Auntie, don't move on the kang, let me examine your illness."
"What?" Madam Zhao asked in extreme surprise and delight. "Xia'er, you know how to practice medicine too? Hehe... Now my terminal illness is saved!"
"Mother, what did you say?" Taohua asked, her expression changing drastically. "You... have a terminal illness?"