Chapter 72 Treatment
Mengxi and Zhiqiu were a little disoriented along the way. They were also angry with the Second Master and Aunt Li just now. They lost their way without realizing it and came to a courtyard in a daze . Just when they wanted Zhiqiu to go up and ask someone where this was, they heard a child crying in the courtyard. They hurriedly ordered Zhiqiu to go up and knock on the door. When they heard the knock, a little maid opened the door and stuck her head out. When she saw that it was the Second Madam and Zhiqiu, she hurriedly opened the door and knelt on the ground:
"I didn't know Second Madam was coming, so I didn't go out to greet her. Please forgive me, Second Madam. I kowtow to you."
After the little maid finished speaking, she turned around and shouted to the door, "Madame Zhang , Madame Zhang, the Second Madam is here!"
Mengxi ignored the maid's shouting, just nodded to let her get up, and helped Zhiqiu walk in.
When the maids and servants in the courtyard heard that the Second Madam was coming, they all knelt on the ground. Mengxi and Zhiqiu entered the yard and found that this was the plum garden of the First Madam. They glanced at the maids and servants kneeling on the ground, nodded, asked them to stand up, and asked:
"Where's the eldest aunt?"
"Replying to Second Madam, the eldest aunt went to the accounting office. The monthly salary from the mansion has come down. The accounting office notified the eldest aunt to check it yesterday, and the eldest aunt went there early in the morning."
When the second wife asked about the eldest aunt, a maid hurried forward and answered.
"I just heard a child crying in the yard outside. What's going on?"
"Replying to Second Madam, the eldest daughter was sick yesterday. We called a doctor and he prescribed medicine, but she refused to take it, saying it was too bitter. I persuaded her and Second Madam came."
A maid led Xiao Chun, who was standing aside, over and asked the eldest lady to pay her respects to her mother while speaking.
"Chun'er pays respects to mother. Mother, the medicine is too bitter and Chun'er cannot drink it. But the nurse insists that Chun'er drink it, and Chun'er refuses to drink it even if she dies."
Of the three daughters, Chun'er was the closest to her on weekdays. Mengxi walked up to Xiaochun and pulled her over to take a look. She saw that her face was red. She touched her forehead and felt that it was a little hot. She looked at the black medicine held by the maid next to the nanny and frowned. According to her modern medical knowledge, Xiaochun just had a wind-heat cold and could take some Yinqiao tablets. But this was ancient times, and there were no sugar-coated pills. There was only this Chinese medicine soup that even she couldn't drink. As the saying goes, a doctor is like a parent. As a doctor in her previous life, and seeing Chun'er was well-behaved and clever, how could Mengxi bear to watch it? She turned to the nanny and said:
"Since the young lady doesn't want to drink the medicine, just pour it out. Come back to the upper room with me first."
"Second Madam, you can't do that. How can you not take medicine when you are sick? Chun'er is sick. Second Master stayed by her side for more than half a day yesterday. He personally called the doctor and asked someone to boil the medicine. He asked this old servant to take good care of her and take the medicine. Please help me, Second Madam."
Mengxi meant to take the eldest daughter to the east wing so that she could treat her. However, the wet nurse was an ancient person who was very stubborn. She believed that there was no way a disease could be cured without taking medicine. The second mistress actually ordered people to pour out the medicine . Chun'er stopped taking the medicine, and if something happened to her, she could not afford it.
I guess the second wife looked down on the eldest daughter and did this on purpose. Since ancient times, there have been countless cases of the wife abusing the daughters of concubines behind their backs. After all, she is a concubine's daughter and her life is worthless. Even if she is killed, what can she do? Thinking about the rumors about the second wife, how can she not be afraid? She quickly brought out the second master, knelt on the ground and kowtowed, begging the second wife not to take the eldest daughter away.
After hearing the wet nurse's first words, Mengxi suddenly remembered that this was in ancient times. She was a stepmother, so it was better to avoid any suspicion of involvement. In this cannibalistic mansion, she could not be kind and act like a goody-goody. As for her daughter's affairs, as long as she could save face, she should not get involved in them. Especially for this matter, she should stay as far away from it as possible and not meddle in it.
Just when she was about to give up, she got so angry after hearing what the wet nurse said next. This wet nurse is so ignorant of her own life. She looked like she was kneeling on the ground so respectfully, but her words were so tight-lipped. She was like a wolf in sheep's clothing, and she even dared to use that iceberg to pressure her. She would not give him face in front of her servant. Who is afraid of who?
Chun'er was sick, but no one informed her, the legitimate mother. Obviously, no one took her seriously. If she was allowed this time, next time not only the aunt but also the servants would climb over her head. She looked down at Chun'er's rosy face, leaning intimately beside her, so adorable. She did not bother to pay attention to the wet nurse kneeling on the ground. If she wanted to kneel, let her kneel. She just ordered people to find the eldest lady's clothes, told a little maid to hold Xiao Chun, lead the way in front, and helped Zhiqiu all the way back to Xiaoxiangyuan.
After entering the courtyard, Mengxi thought for a moment and decided not to take Xiao Chun to the east wing, as that was her territory and a young lady was not allowed to go there. She took Xiao Chun directly to the west room of the main house and ordered Zhiqiu to get the prepared medicine powder, mix some sugar water, and coax Xiao Chun to drink it. Because it was not bitter and it was not said to be medicine, but only sugar water, Xiao Chun drank it all in one breath and looked at his mother as if showing off.
Mengxi looked at her cute little face and found it funny. She pinched her little nose and said, "Chun'er, do you want some snacks?"
"I want to, I want to, the snacks that mother makes are so delicious, the second young lady and the third young lady also like to eat them, but auntie doesn't allow us to ask mother for them."
As Xiao Chun spoke, his face turned red and he lowered his head.
"Chun'er's face is red because of fever, right? Zhichun, go get some snacks."
Mengxi found Chun'er's blushing face even funnier, so he put his face against Chun'er's and spoke while laughing.
When Chun'er saw this fairy-like mother for the first time, she fell in love with her. However, every time she paid her respects, her mother would sit there very majestically, so she dared not get close to her. Her aunt also reminded her every day not to get too close to her mother, saying that her mother had a black heart and would secretly harm her. She would not let her eat the food her mother cooked, saying that it would be poisoned. But the snacks her mother made were so delicious. She had secretly eaten them several times when her wet nurse was not paying attention, and they were not poisoned to death. This fairy-like mother would not harm her, and was not as bad as her aunt said. She really liked her in her heart, but she had never dared to get close to her. Today, seeing her mother kissing her so much, she unconsciously put her little face close to her and got close to her. For a moment, the mother was loving and the son was filial, and they were very happy. Mengxi saw that Chun'er had finished the snacks, and thought that she had just taken medicine, which made her fever and sweat, and her illness would be cured, so she coaxed her to bed, lay down, and covered her with a quilt.
Sitting by the bed, Mengxi saw Chun'er staring at her with her big round eyes, refusing to fall asleep. She had no choice but to think of the fairy tales she had read in her previous life. So she said to Chun'er:
"Mother tells Chun'er a story. Does Chun'er like it?"
"Chun'er loves listening to stories the most. Chun'er is obedient and his mother tells him stories."
Xiao Chun nodded desperately, as if he was afraid that his mother would regret it if he nodded too late.
"Okay, Chun'er, be obedient. Close your eyes and let me tell you a story. Once upon a time, there was a big forest. In the forest lived seven dwarfs and a Snow White..."
Chun'er closed her eyes, and Mengxi patted her and told her the story of Snow White.
