Chapter 157 Xiu'er's Dream
The Second Master was sitting in the hall. When he saw Hongzhu leading Doctor Zhang in, he hurriedly told someone to wait on him and ordered the maid to serve tea. When everything was ready, he motioned Hongzhu and the others to leave before asking:
"Sir, how is Madam's health? Is she okay?"
When Doctor Zhang heard this, he thought of Second Grandma's pale face, which looked as if it would fall down with a gust of wind. Although she didn't have any serious illness, her body was drained. If she didn't take care of herself, she might not live long. It was a pity for such a beautiful woman. He shook his head when he thought of this. When Xiao Jun saw this, his heart sank.
After thinking for a long time, Doctor Zhang finally spoke:
"I have diagnosed that your madam is in poor health. It will not be cured overnight. It requires long-term care and you should not overwork yourself."
Xiao Jun heard this and remembered that not long after they got married, Mengxi fainted once. The doctor had said the same thing at that time. He didn't expect that it would still be the same after such a long time. Thinking back, it was true that Mengxi had to visit him every morning and evening since she got married. How could she have had time to take care of her body? He felt guilty and lowered his head to think for a long time. Finally, as if he had made a major decision, he looked up at the doctor and said:
"To be honest, sir, a family like ours has many rules and many mundane things to do. Madam is a new married woman this year, so she can't make any mistakes. It's not possible for her to rest as you asked. Do you have any good ideas to cure Madam's health as soon as possible?"
The doctor heard this, shook his head and said:
"As the saying goes, illness comes like a mountain falling, and goes away like pulling a thread. I think your wife had a serious illness before. Although she was cured at that time, she never took good care of herself. As a result, the disease is caused by her heart. Your wife's illness is also related to her inner depression. Second Master, why don't you take your wife out for a walk often? When she is in a good mood, the disease will naturally go away by 80% or 90%. I will prescribe a prescription for you. Your wife can take it for a long time and slowly adjust her condition."
When Xiao Jun heard about the prescription, he remembered that Mengxi was afraid of bitterness and never wanted to take medicine. Last time, he forced her to drink tonic for a month, which made her feel like she saw an enemy every time she saw him. Especially her maid Zhiqiu, who was even more cold and hostile to him. She protected the second wife like an old hen every day, as if she was afraid that he would eat her.
Facing the master and servant, he didn't have the courage to force Mengxi to drink the medicine soup again, not to mention that this was not a short-term solution but a long-term one.
Thinking of this, he sighed, smiled bitterly, shook his head, and said to the doctor helplessly:
"To be honest, sir, my wife is most afraid of bitter medicine. Even if you prescribe a medicine, as long as it is bitter, my wife will not drink it, even if it is a miracle drug. Can you prescribe some medicine that is not bitter and can cure the disease?"
The doctor smiled bitterly when he heard this and said:
"Second Master, you should also know that good medicine tastes bitter and is beneficial to the disease. I have lived for so many years, and I have never heard of any medicine that is not bitter and can cure diseases."
Xiao Jun's face turned purple after being scolded by the doctor. He sat there in silence for a long while, then he looked up at the doctor and said sincerely:
"Excuse me sir, can you think of some solution? Madam is really afraid of hardship."
After hearing this, Doctor Zhang looked up at Xiao Jun and thought to himself: I didn't expect that Mr. Xiao, who is known as the cold-faced Lord of Hell, would be so kind to my wife. It seems that rumors in the market cannot be fully believed. Seeing that he is sincere, he thought hard for a long time, and suddenly slapped his forehead and said:
"When you mentioned that, I suddenly remembered that a few months ago, a pharmacy was opened in the west of Pingyang City, called Yichuntang. The owner's surname is Li, and he is a young man. The medicines he prepared are miraculous and unparalleled in the world. Among them, there is a pill that nourishes qi and replenishes blood, called Yangsheng Pills, which is very suitable for your wife. You may as well give it a try. If it was half a year ago, I really would not have been able to do anything."
"Since you mentioned it, sir, I also remembered that the owner of Yichun Hall is known as the God of Medicine. The medicine he prepared for healing and detoxification is even more valuable. It is said that he has a kind of elixir that can prolong the life of the dying. I think the daily medicine he prepared is also the best. According to what you said, I heard that Mr. Li is the sworn brother of the current prince. If this medicine is ineffective, go and ask the prince to prepare a special prescription for my wife."
After hearing what Doctor Zhang said, Xiao Jun's depressed mood disappeared. He nodded repeatedly and thanked Doctor Zhang generously before sending him back.
After returning to the inner room, he unconsciously walked to the window and stared at the window of the east wing. He remembered the doctor's words that he should take Mengxi out for a walk often. He could feel that Xier didn't like the Xiao Mansion, and he should have let her go out for some fresh air long ago.
Thinking of this, Xiao Jun couldn't help but think of Xiu'er and his mother. They were staring at Xiao Xiangyuan with eager eyes. His mother had asked him to divorce his wife more than once these days, but he always made vague excuses by saying that he was busy with family affairs and had no time to take care of the backyard. If he took Mengxi out to play at this time, would his mother forgive Xi'er? Thinking of his mother abusing Mengxi behind his back and that he couldn't take care of her every day in the mansion, his brows twisted into a knot unconsciously.
This cousin is so annoying. Without her, mother wouldn't be so hostile to Xi'er, right? It would be better to find a way to send her out of the house.
Speaking of Xiu'er, she was sitting in the room with dignity, embroidering a pair of mandarin duck pillowcases. The old lady had given her a reassurance, and she knew that she would soon be wearing her wedding dress.
These days, she is no longer as violent as before. She has truly become a lady from a noble family. She is preparing her dowry and is waiting for her cousin's wife to get married. Then she will return home to wait for her marriage.
She never went to the east wing to cause trouble again. Even last night when Bingxin came back trembling to report that the second master had directly rejected her aunt's invitation, she did not get angry like she did in the past. Instead, she gently and generously advised her aunt not to be angry. Her cousin has been very busy these days, and he has lost so much weight that it is heartbreaking to see him. So she should stop blaming her cousin.
After hearing what Xiu'er said, the eldest wife praised her for her understanding . She thought about how thin her son had been these days. It was rare that Xiu'er was so considerate. She was unlike that daughter-in-law who was as cold as ice and didn't care about her son at all. The more she looked at this future daughter-in-law, the more satisfied she was. The unhappiness she felt when she heard Baozhu's message was swept away, and her eyes narrowed into slits with laughter.
Xiu'er was thinking about something when Bingxin rushed in and said:
"Miss, Miss, something bad has happened."
Xiuer slowly raised her head and said softly:
"Why are you so nervous? You have no manners at all. If someone sees you, they will think I didn't discipline you well."
"I know I was wrong, Miss. I just heard that the Second Master invited a doctor to see the Second Madam this morning. I heard that the doctor is the one who often sees the Second Master. He is the best doctor in Pingyang City except for the Imperial Hospital. Miss, I was worried that the Second Master would change his mind, so I panicked. Please forgive me."
With a sound of "hiss...", Xiu'er took a breath of cold air. Her hand trembled just now, and her middle finger was pierced by the needle. She raised her hand and frowned. Bingxin saw it and took out a handkerchief to help wipe and squeeze. Staring at the young lady, she said worriedly:
"Miss, you must quickly ask the old lady and the first wife to divorce the second wife as soon as possible, so that I can feel at ease and avoid more troubles at night."
Xiu'er said in a daze, "I've thought of all the ways I can think of. My aunt has mentioned it to my cousin several times, but my cousin is busy with important things and has no time to care about these things. If I bother him with this matter now, he will definitely think that I am not virtuous and can't even wait for such a short time. At this time, I should stand behind him silently and support him silently. How can I cause trouble for him?"
"Miss, you are right. The old lady has already said something. We have been waiting for so many years. There are only a few days left. By the way, Miss, I also heard that this morning, the doctor took the pulse and had a long conversation with the Second Master, but he didn't prescribe any medicine. Even Hongzhu was surprised. She personally accompanied the doctor to the East Wing to see the patient. The Second Madam's face looked as white as a ghost. Last time, she just fainted and was given medicine, but this time, no medicine was prescribed."
After hearing this, Xiu'er suddenly laughed and said to Bingxin:
"I said, my cousin wouldn't worry about his wife's health and call a doctor for her. Don't make a fuss when you encounter this kind of thing in the future."
After saying that, she lowered her head and started embroidering the mandarin ducks. She had to hurry up, as she was going to be a bride soon, and she couldn't be lacking in anything. She prepare everything in detail.
"Why do you say that, young lady? Second Master has indeed found the best doctor!"
Xiu'er looked at Bingxin as if she were an idiot. She was in a good mood now, so she would not argue with this stupid girl, so she explained carefully:
"Since my cousin vomited blood, she hasn't gone to Shouxi Hall to pay her respects. It's been so many days. Unless she can't get up, how could she not go to pay her respects? The old lady must have complained to my cousin last night, so my cousin asked the doctor to confirm whether my cousin was really too sick to pay her respects. If not, then he can divorce her on the grounds of disobeying her parents. If so, he can divorce her on the grounds of having a serious illness. It seems that my cousin finally has time to think about us."
"Young lady is right. It's just that Second Madam didn't go to pay respects. It was allowed by the old lady. I heard that a serious illness means 'cannot share the feast'. It seems that Second Madam's illness is not that serious. I'm afraid, I'm afraid..."
"You are worrying for nothing. Haven't you heard of the 'false accusation'? Can't you see these days that everyone from the old lady, the master to your aunt has already acquiesced to it. They just need an excuse. My cousin's family doesn't have much power. I'm afraid it won't cause any big waves if they make a fuss. If necessary, we can give it a push. We can't let my cousin bear the blame."
"Really? That means, maybe in the next few days, Second Wife will be divorced. We've finally made it through!"
Bing Xin spoke with great joy, and after the young lady's advice, she also felt that it made sense. She heard from the people who were stationed in Xiaoxiang Courtyard that since the old lady's birthday, the second master had been avoiding the second mistress whenever he saw her. He must have hated her to the extreme.
Last night, the Second Master was eager to enter the East Wing, thinking that he wanted to ask the Second Mistress what illness she had that made her not come to pay respects. Later, he thought it would be better to make things clear, so he invited a doctor. This must be what the young lady meant.
Her young lady is extremely intelligent, and she is worthy of being childhood sweethearts with the Second Master. They are really in tune with each other. Thinking of this, Bing Xin looked at her young lady with admiration.
When Xiu'er saw Bingxin's admiring eyes, she felt so happy in her heart, as if she had seen her in her wedding dress holding hands with her cousin in a bright red wedding suit in the bridal chamber, and her cousin gazing at her silently and affectionately. She blushed unconsciously and her heart was beating fast.
