39 She pretended
◎Why is everyone speaking up for Erya?◎
The Chu Mansion was exceptionally quiet on the cold rainy night. Apart from the sound of rain, the only sounds were the footsteps of Chu Yufu and her group.
Huge raindrops fell from the clouds, threatening to shatter the oil-paper umbrella. Chu Yufu, wearing her freshly clean shoes and socks, walked slowly forward. No matter how the maid leading the way urged her, she refused to take any bigger steps, fearing a single splash of water.
After walking about a hundred meters, the slanting wind wrapped in rain and mist hit her face. The blood rushing to her head gradually cooled down, and she began to think carefully.
Just now in Zhuyu Courtyard, she really wanted to rush to Chu Jinhe and yell at her, "Are you crazy? I'm usually very kind and humble to you, but you still want to pick on me? Is it my fault that she doesn't like you?"
But when she regained her senses, she felt that this was not appropriate.
My grandmother has suppressed the matter because she doesn't want to make it public. Even if she asks the other party face to face whether he is angry about Li Younian, he will not admit it. He will probably bite himself to death and just feel uncomfortable, so he wants to ask his sister to come and take a look. In the end, it will all be her fault.
But if she held back her anger and went to Hefengyuan, took her pulse and said, "Sister, you are clearly not sick. The other party bit her to death because she was unwell. It was her poor medical skills. Then she would be angry and still have made an extra trip in the rain in vain."
In short, it seems that if I go there, I will be at a loss.
Thinking of this, she changed her mind and stopped, refusing to move forward: "Lanzhu."
"What's wrong, girl?" Lan Zhu turned to look at her.
She lowered her eyelashes and said lightly: "I feel dizzy and unwell. Let's go back."
Before Lan Zhu could say anything, the maid from Hefeng Courtyard became anxious, turned around and ran to her, reaching out to pull her sleeve: "Second Miss! The eldest lady is waiting for you!"
Lan Zhu raised her eyebrows and glared at her fiercely. She slapped her hand away and angrily said, "Second Miss, you're not feeling well yourself, how can you treat others? Go back and tell your daughter that if she's really that unwell, she should go see a doctor!"
He stopped looking at her and tightened the collar of Chu Yufu's cloak with one hand, saying worriedly, "The girl must have been blown away by the wind! Let's go back quickly!"
"Hey!" Miss Chu was already in a bad mood. If she didn't invite them back, wouldn't that bring bad luck? The maid from Hefeng Courtyard stood there, watching the master and servant walk away, then turned around and walked back with a sad face.
As expected, upon hearing that Chu Yufu claimed to be ill, Chu Jinhe's face turned cold. After scolding the maid who had invited her, she became angrier and angrier. She slammed the quilt hard and shouted angrily, "You stupid girl! What's with all the talk of being unwell? That's just an excuse!"
In the past, she followed me around eagerly, calling me "sister" all the time and being extremely attentive. But now that she has grown up, she no longer listens to my orders!
Qing Xian picked up a cup of flower tea, walked to the bedside and handed it to her, whispering soothingly: "Don't you know what the second young lady is like? She only has a face that looks light and graceful, but in reality, she is wooden! If there is anything that is not done well, it is normal and not worth your anger."
Chu Jinhe took the tea and stared at the glaze patterns on the teacup. The more she listened to this, the more familiar it sounded.
If I remember correctly, it seems that I had persuaded my mother in this way before!
-
Not far away, the small yellow and white lanterns at the entrance of Zhuyuyuan were swaying gently in the wind and rain.
Chu Yufu moved slowly and instructed, "Tell Cen'er to go find the doorman and tell him that I'm sick and ask them to call a doctor." Cen'er was one of the maids newly assigned to Zhuyuyuan.
"Girl, are you really feeling very uncomfortable?" Lan Zhu looked at her nervously. The girl hadn't seen a doctor for a long time. If she had a headache or fever, she would take medicine herself.
"I'm fine. I just thought that if I'm going to put on a show, I'll do the whole thing." Chu Yufu reached out and lifted the hem of her skirt.
"Hey!" Lanzhu responded.
Back in the yard, Cen'er went out to call a doctor. Yunsui boiled some hot water, filled the hot water bottle, and then left. Lanzhu fetched another basin of hot water, soaked a handkerchief in it, and applied it to Chu Yufu's forehead, heating it to make her look like she had a fever.
Sitting on the footstool beside the bed, Lan Zhu recalled what she had said in the rain just now, and felt a little regretful: "Miss, do you think that girl from Hefengyuan will tell her what I said exactly? Did I say it too harshly? Will she embarrass you? Oh."
As the second young lady's personal maid, her opinions would most likely be considered as those of her master.
Chu Yufu half-closed her eyes. "What's wrong with what you said? Those are all I wanted to say." She smiled softly, a dimple forming at the corner of her lips. "Besides, how could she possibly be embarrassed? Does she still think I'm the poor little thing I was a few months ago?"
Now she had her grandmother's protection, and after what happened last time, her stepmother would never dare to use her lightly again. And her father was hoping that she could cure Old Madam Jiang and take the next step towards the Mingxuan Marquisate, so he wouldn't make things difficult for her.
As for her life safety, she is not worried at all!
Her mother was hoping for her to marry Pei Yue smoothly, to establish a relationship with the Pei family, and to ensure her third brother's admission to the Imperial College. Her elder sister was probably also hoping for her to marry into the Pei family, so that her father could get promoted and she could have more confidence in choosing a husband! Anyone with any sense would not harm her at this critical moment.
The past few months she had been traveling through time were not in vain.
Thinking of this, she relaxed even more, burrowed into the soft blanket, and said lazily, "I won't go to the greetings tomorrow morning. Please ask for leave from my stepmother for me then."
After the beginning of spring, the temperature gradually rose and the snow had mostly melted. Three days ago, Mrs. Wu resumed her daily routine of visiting her parents in the morning and evening.
Having woken up early in the morning and feeling agitated at night, Chu Yufu's eyelids slowly drooped as she relaxed. Her thoughts wandered in a drowsy state, and she suddenly remembered something -
Speaking of which, Pei Yue has no parents. Does that mean that after I marry him, I won't have to get up early to ask about his well-being anymore? Great!
It was very late at night when the doctor arrived. Chu Yufu was soundly asleep under the brocade quilt. She vaguely saw the old doctor standing by the bed, and she forced herself to stay awake and hold her breath.
Holding your breath can cause the body to be deprived of oxygen and accelerate the heartbeat, making the pulse fast and strong, similar to the "rapid pulse" mentioned in traditional Chinese medicine. The pulse during a fever is usually also a rapid pulse. In addition, her face was red from the hot water, and she described herself as feeling cold and dizzy. The old doctor quickly wrote the word "wind-cold" on the prescription.
After seeing the doctor off, she turned over, hugged the quilt tightly and fell into a deep sleep, listening to the sound of rain outside the window.
-
The next morning, the rain gradually subsided, with spider-web-like raindrops hanging from the eaves.
Master Chu was off duty today, sleeping in until 1:15 AM, then getting up. After washing up, he sat in the main hall, waiting for the younger generation to arrive, greet them, and have breakfast. By 2:15 AM, everyone else had arrived, except for Zhuyuyuan, who sent a maid to ask for leave.
Entering the main room, Lan Zhu bowed to Mrs. Wu and Master Chu and said, "Master, Madam, the second young lady was ill last night and couldn't get out of bed this morning, so she can't come."
Mrs. Wu sat up slightly, looking concerned: "Why are you still sick?"
Lan Zhu raised her head and looked at Miss Chu, who was sitting on her left. Then she said, "Last night, after the second young lady went to bed, someone from Hefeng Courtyard came to say that the eldest young lady was not feeling well and asked the second young lady to go and see her. The second young lady got up and went, but it happened to be raining heavily outside. The alternation between heat and cold made her catch a cold."
Upon hearing this, Mrs. Wu quickly turned to look at her daughter: "He'er, what's wrong with you?" Chu Jinhe's face was not very good. She pursed her lips and shook her head: "I have a headache, but I'm fine now."
On the other hand, Master Chu frowned and asked Lan Zhu, "Have you called a doctor?"
"I called the doctor last night. He said it was nothing serious and I just needed to rest for a while." Lan Zhu replied.
"Rest for a while?" Master Chu's face suddenly darkened. "What about Madam Jiang?"
Just two days ago, he heard his second daughter say that Madam Jiang's illness would be cured with a few more acupuncture treatments. Wouldn't this delay the treatment? He also thought that he would personally visit the Marquis of Mingxuan's mansion and meet and chat with the Marquis, so this would have to be postponed.
"The young lady said that we can only stop for the time being and not pass the illness on to Old Madam Jiang." When she came this morning, Chu Yufu specifically instructed her to say this if the master asked, and if he didn't ask, she would still mention it.
Master Chu pinched his brows and said to Wu: "I remember there is a piece of excellent ginseng at home. Send someone to deliver it to Zhuyuyuan."
After saying this, he turned to look at his eldest daughter, placed one hand on the armrest, and scolded her with a dark face, "That's your sister, not a servant in the mansion. If she feels unwell, go find a doctor! It rained so hard last night, how could you let her run around? Look, she's sick now! How much will be delayed! You know that Madam Jiang's illness is of critical importance. If it is delayed, who will bear the consequences?"
"Dad..." Chu Jinhe dug her nails into her palms, tears welling up in her eyes. This was the first time in her life that she had been scolded so harshly in front of her younger brothers and sisters. She felt her face burning hot and wronged.
"It was because of the heavy rain that my daughter thought my second sister lived nearby, so it would be cheaper to come over. That's why she did this. As for being a servant or not, my daughter never thought that way!"
Master Chu had a sour face and snorted. He waved his hand to signal Lan Zhu to leave without replying. He just said, "Okay, stop crying and eat!"
Yesterday afternoon, Madam Wei sent someone to look for him regarding Chu Jinhe's appointment.
Although he didn't care about what was going on in the harem, he wasn't blind or deaf! How come the eldest girl didn't get sick normally, but after what happened yesterday, she felt unwell that night, and he insisted on asking the second girl to go? There were some things he cared about for his dignity and didn't want to point out, but he knew it!
Sometimes there are some minor conflicts, and he lets them make trouble. Even if their legs fight, he doesn't bother to care. But now he is using the second girl, so how can he not be angry if something happens?
Mrs. Wu looked up at her daughter and shook her head slightly. Then she picked up a piece of crispy shredded pork with chopsticks and placed it in Master Chu's bowl, changing the subject: "Master, try this."
Everyone felt the meal was tasteless.
Mr. Chu was thinking about the Marquis Mingxuan's Mansion, Chu Jinhe was thinking about the lost face, Mrs. Wu felt sorry for her daughter, Chu Linglan was thinking about visiting her second sister in the afternoon, and Chu Junze saw that his father was in a bad mood and was afraid that he would test his homework at this time, so he just wanted to finish eating quickly and slip away.
After breakfast, when the table was cleared and only Wu's mother and daughter were left in the room, Chu Jinhe could no longer hold back and threw herself into her mother's arms and burst into tears.
"Mom! Daddy, Daddy has changed! He actually scolded me in front of so many people just for the second girl!"
Wu stroked her daughter's hair and comforted her, "Silly girl, what are you talking about! You know how much your father values the Marquis' Mansion. He even told me the other day that he'd let me go with him to the Marquis' Mansion in a few days. The second girl's illness has messed up their plans. How can he not be angry?"
Chu Jinhe raised her tearful eyes and said, "Second girl must be pretending. From Zhuyu Courtyard to Hefeng Courtyard, it's only an incense stick's distance at most. She was wearing such a thick cloak, covering herself tightly. How could she possibly catch a cold? I think she just wants Dad to scold me. This is all planned by her!"
Wu frowned, "Second girl is stupid, how could she have such a mind? You, please don't bother with her anymore. Let her recover peacefully and go to the Marquis' Mansion for treatment. That's what's important!"
Chu Jinhe was stunned, tears hanging on her eyelashes, about to fall. Qingxian was fine, but even her mother said that! Why was everyone speaking for the second girl?
【Author’s words】
Miss Chu: Why! Why doesn’t anyone believe me! She’s just a big green tea! [Lemon]