Honored Lady Lan felt increasingly that something was wrong.
She woke up several times during the night.
Her breathing was labored, and she felt extremely irritable.
Molli heard the commotion and ran in from outside.
"What's wrong, My Lady?"
When Molli lit the lamp and drew near, she found Honored Lady Lan's face beaded with cold sweat and ghastly pale.
Honored Lady Lan was sitting on the edge of the bed in her undergarments, gasping for breath.
"Water!" she rasped.
"I need water! Cold water."
Molli hurriedly brought her some chilled tea.
Honored Lady Lan, as if parched for a long time, snatched the cup and gulped it down.
A cup of cool tea eased the burning in her throat considerably, yet a tightness still constricted her chest.
"Molli! Molli!"
Honored Lady Lan was in agony.
Her chest felt as if a massive stone were crushing it, while her head seemed to be teeming with ten thousand ants, gnawing and crawling.
Sharp pains pricked her all over.
