Chapter 210 Aunt's Advice
Everyone was busy applying an ice cream to the Second Master's legs when a maid came in and told them that the doctor was here. Upon hearing this, the old lady quickly sent everyone away, leaving only her and the First Master. The old lady helped the maid to get up, gave up the bedside, and sat down at the table, then signaled to bring the doctor in.
After a while, a maid led the doctor in. After a few pleasantries, the doctor offered a seat and served tea. After the doctor sat down, he first listened to the master's brief account of the second master's condition, and then carefully examined the second master's wounds and other symptoms. Then he took the second master's pulse. After taking the pulse, he was about to let go of the second master's arm, but the second master grabbed it and murmured:
"Xi'er, don't go. I won't let you go even if I die..."
After hearing this, everyone in the room was shocked. The eldest master stood up suddenly, went to the bedside, and looked carefully. The second master still had his eyes closed and was not awake at all. It turned out that he had a high fever and was talking nonsense.
The doctor was grinning and trying to pull the arm out, his face flushed. When he saw the eldest master coming over, he looked at him strangely. The eldest master also felt his ears burning at this time, so he patted the second master gently and whispered to him:
"Jun'er, let go quickly. Xi'er won't leave. Xi'er is just going to get you some medicine..."
It was easy. The second master gradually loosened his hand. As soon as the doctor broke free from the second master, he shook his arm vigorously. Seeing the doctor's wrist turned red from being pinched, the eldest master felt a little apologetic. He returned to his seat, looked at the old lady, and both shook their heads.
The doctor was probably scared, too, because he stood up and moved away from the bed, refusing to sit down again. Seeing this, Hongzhu hurriedly moved the chair over, and the doctor sat down again, talking to the old lady and the eldest master about the second master's condition, saying that it was nothing more than an infection caused by the lack of timely treatment after the injury, which led to the fever, etc. He also took the opportunity to praise him, saying that it was fortunate that the Xiao family treated him in time, otherwise the second master would have continued to have a high fever, and the consequences would be disastrous. He also said that he had personally treated a patient who had a fever for two consecutive days, and in the end the disease was cured, but he turned into an idiot...
After hearing the doctor's words, the old lady and the eldest master felt a little scared and were secretly grateful to Mengxi. Especially the old lady, she now believed that Mengxi was a noble person and that with her around, Xiao Jun would be safe. She privately pondered how to divorce Mengxi and keep her in the Xiao Mansion.
The doctor wrote out a prescription, mentioned some precautions, and repeatedly assured that the Second Master was in good health and this was just a minor injury. He would be well again after ten days of recuperation. Hearing what the doctor said, the Old Lady and the First Master nodded in relief.
Seeing the old lady nod, the doctor said some auspicious words such as "May the old lady be blessed with great fortune" and was about to leave. As soon as she stood up, the old lady remembered something and said:
"Sir, please take care. I have a prescription here. I want to boil some water and apply it to Jun'er's legs. It is said to be able to dispel the cold. Sir, please take a look and see if there is anything serious."
The doctor took the prescription from the secretary and looked at it with surprise. He returned to his seat and considered it carefully. After a long while, he said:
"What a good prescription! I have been practicing medicine for many years and have seen many cases of young people suffering from colds and elderly people suffering from leg pain. I have been thinking hard for many years but have not found a good prescription. I can only prescribe some medicines to relieve the pain but cannot eliminate the root cause. I never thought that I would see such a good prescription today. It is really a blessing from heaven. I wonder where the old lady and the master found this prescription. Can you pass it on to me? I will be grateful to you forever."
The old lady and the eldest master were very surprised after hearing what the doctor said. They didn't understand why Yichuntang was so arrogant that even the eldest and second masters didn't like it. How could they give such an expensive prescription to Zhiqiu so easily? They were suspicious and shook their heads. Seeing that the doctor was looking at them earnestly, the old lady said:
"Sir, you don't know. This is the prescription that Manager Li of Yichun Hall gave to a little maid in this mansion. From what you said, it turns out to be a rare and good prescription. I am really ashamed."
"No wonder, only the God of Medicine can prescribe such a good prescription, and only a little girl can make it. As the saying goes, Yichuntang never makes friends with the rich and powerful, but only relieves the suffering of the common people. This God of Medicine is elusive, and few people can see him, let alone get a good prescription. It seems that this little maid in your house is also a destined person!"
After hearing the doctor's emotional words, the old lady and the eldest master were even more surprised, and immediately wanted to call Zhiqiu in for questioning. The secretary beside them reminded them that Zhiqiu had been expelled from the Xiao Mansion by the second mistress.
After hearing this, the old lady couldn't help but wonder, Mengxi is a very loyal person, why did she suddenly expel Zhiqiu, such a loyal servant, from the Xiao Mansion? Suddenly, a strong sense of uneasiness rose in the old lady's heart, and she always felt that she seemed to have missed something, and her expression became dazed for a while.
Seeing that the old lady was absent-minded, the doctor said a few more polite words and then stood up to take his leave.
After sending the doctor away and instructing Hongzhu to take good care of the Second Master, the old lady and the eldest master came to the hall. The eldest wife and others were already waiting there. After everyone greeted each other and sat down again, the old lady briefly repeated the doctor's words and finally said to Mengxi:
"Xi'er, just stay here and rest assured for the next few days. We will discuss everything after Jun'er wakes up. I will give you an explanation then. Xi'er, remember that as long as Jun'er hasn't written the divorce letter, you are still the daughter-in-law of the Xiao family. You should abide by the rules and regulations. You must take good care of Jun'er these two days. Jun'er has been kneeling for a whole day and night and has suffered a lot. I'm afraid his legs are really like Xi'er said, and have been invaded by cold. Xi'er, use the recipe to boil water and apply it to Jun'er's legs these two days, so as to avoid getting sick and leaving a root."
The First Wife and Xiu'er were secretly shocked when they heard that the old lady actually acknowledged Mengxi as the daughter-in-law of the Xiao family. Mengxi had caused so much trouble for the Xiao family, why didn't she divorce her!
Just as she was about to speak, she met the master's stern gaze, so she quickly closed her mouth and lowered her head.
Mengxi's plan to leave the house while the Second Master was unconscious was strangled in the cradle. Seeing that everyone was silent and just looking at her, she knew that she could no longer force him to leave. If she wanted to leave the house, she could only wait for the Second Master to wake up. After assessing the situation, she said:
"Mengxi will take good care of the Second Master in the next two days, please rest assured, Old Lady."
The old lady saw that Mengxi was still stubborn and refused to call herself the daughter-in-law, and did not use respectful words like "I'll follow your instructions" when she spoke, which made her feel a little annoyed. But then she remembered that Mengxi was still of some use to the Xiao family, so she stopped blaming her. She turned around and advised the eldest lady not to worry too much and to take good care of her in Yangxin Garden. Finally, she directed her anger towards Mengxi at the second master's concubines, and even scolded the maids and old women on the ground, telling them to serve carefully and not to forget the rules. Then she ordered everyone to disperse.
…
The Second Master had been in a coma for a whole day and hadn't woken up yet. Several concubines came to serve him early in the morning. Mengxi saw Concubine Cui and Concubine Zhang crying and making a fuss, and she became annoyed. She ignored their resentful faces and sent them away, leaving only the First Concubine and Hongyu.
Watching Second Mistress prick the Second Master's knees with needles, First Aunt asked in confusion:
"Second Grandma, will this work?"
"I learned this from a book a few days ago, and it should be useful."
"Second Grandma..."
Mengxi waited for a long time, but the aunt didn't say anything. She looked up at her and saw that she was looking at her hesitantly. She knew that she had something to say. She glanced around the room and saw Hongyu, Hongzhu and Hongxing standing aside. She said to Hongyu:
"Hongyu, we don't need so many people. You should go back and have a rest."
After hearing what the Second Mistress said, Hongyu responded, glanced at Hongzhu and Hongxing beside her, and walked out dejectedly.
She, Hongzhu, Hongxing, Hongshan who was sent out of the mansion by the Second Master for seducing him, Xiaoxia, Xiaoyan and a few others, have followed the Second Master since childhood and have the closest relationship with him. At that time, they chattered every day and were really happy. The Second Master was always kind to them. Even if they bullied people from other courtyards, he would protect them. But now there seems to be an invisible barrier between these people and her, making her feel particularly lonely.
Two years ago, she was taken in as a concubine and assigned to a different courtyard. She was finally able to be with , better than Hongzhu. At that time, she felt that the whole world was bright, but the days that followed made her realize that she was not better than Hongzhu, but had become a living dead. The Second Master never treated her badly in terms of material matters, nor did he treat her badly in front of the servants, and he did not let her do the work that a servant should do. But he no longer let her serve him close to him, no longer looked at her, and no longer took the initiative to speak to her.
Seeing Hongzhu still busy every day and having the final say in front of the maids, she really regretted it and wished she could go back to the past and just be a happy little maid. She walked out with a heavy heart, not paying attention to the threshold under her feet, and fell out. She was supported by Xiao Xia who was waiting outside the door.
Looking at Hongyu with a gloomy expression, Xiao Xia's body froze and he subconsciously called out:
"Yu'er..."
Hongyu stood firmly on her feet and looked at Xiao Xia, with whom she had grown up. Her nose felt sore and her heart was in a panic. She bowed to him and walked out with unsteady steps.
Hongyu went out, and the eldest aunt found another errand to send Hongzhu and Hongxing away.
Seeing Second Mistress taking the steaming towel from Zhixia and carefully replacing the cold towel on Second Master's legs, doing things silently without any intention of speaking first, First Mistress could not help but speak:
"I have seen how the Second Master feels about the Second Mistress. I shouldn't have said this..."
The eldest aunt paused for a moment and looked at the second grandmother, only to see that she was still doing her work slowly, without looking up, and had no intention of speaking. So she continued:
"Second Madam is a kind-hearted person. I have been watching you for the past two years, always hoping that you and Second Master can have a good ending. A few days ago, I saw Second Master pampering you in every way, and I was happy for you, but I didn't expect that Second Madam is... I am only worried that even if Second Master pampers you, he won't be able to change Old Madam's mind. Second Madam should make plans early."
Mengxi finally raised her head and looked at her aunt, who continued to say:
"I entered the mansion earlier than Second Madam, so I know more things. Second Madam may not know that when the eldest master was young, he and Concubine Zhang were childhood sweethearts. Later, because of the ancestral precepts, Concubine Zhang could not be the principal wife. The eldest master once tried to commit suicide. I heard that he ran away from the mansion for half a year. The old lady cut off his financial support, and finally came back in poverty. He listened to the old lady's arrangement and married the first wife. Concubine Zhang had to be a concubine in order to be with the eldest master with such a family background. I am afraid that with Second Madam's background, she would not be able to compete."
