Chapter 51 (Combined Chapters)

Xia Xianjie was indeed in a very bad mood. Chao Shi said to her, "Yan'er is already twenty-nine years old (by the traditional Chinese age reckoning, but actually twenty-seven), and she has no children at all. Daughter-in-law, don't worry. When she gives birth to a child, she will call you 'Mother'."

When the Xiao and Ding families got engaged, they never expected that the Ding family's daughter would be so young. They had to wait. Finally, when the Ding family's daughter came of age, the Xia family interfered. As a result, the Xia family had been married for almost three years without any results.

Madam Chao could not wait any longer. After discussing it with Master Xiao, she had the person carried in.

The concubine they brought was actually the daughter of a wealthy family in the manor. Unfortunately, after her father passed away, although her mother and son had their own furniture, people around them were eyeing them covetously. Master Xiao was the tax commissioner at the time and had often dealt with her family before. When the matchmaker told her that Madam Chao found the daughter of this family to be gentle, wealthy, and plump, she welcomed her into the family.

Xia Xianjie was extremely unwilling, but said, "Mother-in-law, what are you saying? I am not that kind of wicked daughter-in-law. I have already given Linglong, who is by my side, to the master. I was just waiting for her to give birth to a son or daughter before I would make her a concubine. Now that you have chosen someone, I would be happy if she could serve the master at the same time as me."

When the concubine, Wu, entered the house, Xia Xianjie learned that she had also brought a considerable dowry. Xia Xianjie bowed down as if lighting candles, which startled Wu. Xia Xianjie then said many kind words, which made Wu so happy that she actually believed Xia Xianjie's words.

Leaving aside Xia Xianjie's situation, let's talk about Lou Qiongyu. Ever since she caught a chill during the Mid-Autumn Festival, she has been frowning and feels like she has some kind of wind-evil entering her body. She also has some opisthotonus and is unable to speak properly. She asked Miaozhen to come and diagnose her. Miaozhen prescribed Ma Huang San, instructing her to take four qian each time, using only one cup of water and four slices of ginger, and decocting it until it is reduced to six-tenths of its original volume.

Lou Qiongyu felt extremely apologetic: "It's fortunate that Fourth Sister-in-law came to see the doctor for me despite her heavy body, it's really..."

"Take your medicine first, there's nothing to be embarrassed about. But your pregnant body is different from others, so you must take good care of yourself and not take medicine all the time," Miaozhen said.

Lou Qiongyu thanked her repeatedly.

After Miaozhen returned, Madam Mei said, "Of all your sisters-in-law, except for the one from the other room, they are all easy to get along with."

"Whether it's good or bad, it won't be shown on the surface." Miaozhen felt that as long as it was acceptable on the surface, it was fine. People like the Bao family and the Da Bao family were extremely rare.

Madam Mei said, "If my son-in-law passes the exam this time, you will be a scholar's wife. If he doesn't, it's not a big deal. You're still young. It's like giving birth. I hope you have a son, but if you have a daughter, it's like the flower blooming before the fruit ripens."

"You don't need to tell me, I know. Speaking of which, your son-in-law left me some money before he left, but I haven't used a single penny of it. I don't have any use for the money." Miao Zhen thought that when Xiao Jingshi was at home, three elders celebrated their birthdays in a row. After he left, she didn't hear about any of their birthdays. She still had more than enough of her own consultation fees.

Mei held her hand and said, "That's good, that's good."

She claimed to be taking care of Miaozhen, but Miaozhen actually let her rest for two or three days and even let her take two bolts of cloth and a jar of sesame oil back with her.

After returning home, Mei told Miaozhen about her ordeal: "Now that she is pregnant again, it will be difficult for Xia to retaliate against her from behind."

“Our daughter is doing the right thing. As the saying goes, those who have nothing to lose are not afraid of those who have something to lose. That Xia woman would love for our daughter to have a fight with her, and it would be best if she lost the child. She would be satisfied then. For now, we should be patient. Sooner or later, our daughter will give birth to a child, whether it’s a boy or a girl, it will be better than her.” Xu Erpeng analyzed seriously.

Madam Mei then said, "In that case, we can only be patient for now."

“Even an old horse can stumble, and someone as competitive and noisy as her, she'll get all sorts of problems on her own without anyone having to do anything about it,” Xu Erpeng laughed.

Mei then took out the two bolts of cloth that Miaozhen had given her and asked Xu Erpeng to find a tailor to come to their door the next day. Xu Erpeng made two Taoist robes and a straight-cut robe. His two sons and Mei also each made a few pieces. The rest were kept.

Before we knew it, it was early September. The weather wasn't as hot as it was in August. Miaozhen still needed to use ice, as pregnant women are naturally sensitive to heat, and it would be even worse if they couldn't sleep.

Miaozhen would see patients during the day, and if there were no patients, she would read books, send servants to do needlework, and when she was in a good mood, she would copy Buddhist scriptures and practice calligraphy.

It's alright, since it's time for my eldest sister-in-law to return to her parents' home, and Madam Ren invites everyone over.

The Xiao family was wonderful in every way, with far too many banquets and such a large house, which always annoyed Miaozhen. She changed into a silver-red diagonally-fastened blouse and a royal blue horizontal-hemmed skirt, with gold armbands on her wrists and two gold-inlaid jeweled flower rings on her fingers.

The third aunt of the third branch of the family, who lived in their garden, was quite easy to deal with, only paying her respects to the old lady and the ladies. But the eldest aunt of the family was different; she was quite assertive wherever she went.

For example, when she heard Han Yueyao say that Miaozhen needed to sleep in the cold at night, she kept advising Miaozhen: "If you catch a cold, the child will get cold."

Miaozhen said tactfully, "That's what I thought too, but pregnant women are naturally prone to heatiness, and without ice, I toss and turn all night."

"As the saying goes, a calm mind brings coolness. Don't eat too many tonics; they're all too heaty," the eldest aunt advised when she saw that Miaozhen didn't agree immediately.

Miaozhen listened without saying much; as a doctor herself, she naturally knew what to do.

However, Han Yueyao stopped Miaozhen from eating ice, and Xiaoxi couldn't help but complain, "Second Grandmother, you should at least have asked me first, why did you stop eating ice?"

"Never mind her, it's still hot at night. You cut the silver, and have Ping An bring ice from outside in a food box every day. We can pay for it ourselves." Miao Zhen figured that Han Yueyao was not someone to be offended.

Lou Qiongyu was in a terrible situation. Pregnancy naturally raises body temperature, and at the beginning of September, the sun was still shining brightly. She was so hot at night that she tossed and turned, and had several maids take turns fanning her. In the morning, everyone was still asleep and couldn't get up.

Three days passed, and Fangyun, the maidservant beside Lou Qiongyu, asked in surprise, "How come Fourth Mistress, who is so afraid of the heat, is acting as if nothing is wrong?"

Lou Qiongyu said, "Perhaps she has adapted, and her mind is calm and naturally cool. Actually, my great-aunt is an experienced person, and what she said is right. Pregnant women should not be exposed to cold. Even my mother tells me to keep the windows closed."

She blamed herself for getting a rash all over her body even though it was already autumn.

Miaozhen secretly had ice transported to her room, keeping it a secret from everyone. Apart from the maid in her own room, no one dared to say a word.

The eldest aunt stayed at her parents' home for two days, and Han Yueyao asked each household to invite her as well. Miaozhen took out three taels and two qian and prepared a feast in the courtyard. The money included tips.

Xia Xianjie also brought her concubine, Wu Shi. Wu Shi was not as pretty as Xia Xianjie, but she was indeed very kind. She brought Miaozhen a gold-embroidered handkerchief and spices as gifts.

"Now that you're here, let's visit each other more often in the future. Please sit down." Miaozhen had someone bring over another chair.

Then my eldest aunt asked again, "There are many people in our Southern Zhili region, so the results of the provincial examinations probably won't be released until mid-September. Fourth sister-in-law, if my fourth brother passes, will he go to the capital to participate in the metropolitan examination?"

Miaozhen shook her head: "He didn't tell me, and I don't know either."

Actually, my great-aunt was quite satisfied with this answer, and said, "You're a performer of Qiu Hu opera, how come you don't know anything? You should ask more questions in the future."

Miaozhen smiled without saying a word, only saying, "Grandma, you like Jinhua wine. I have a jar upstairs that someone gave me. It's not convenient to drink it now, so I'll give it to you. Please don't mind."

The eldest aunt laughed and said, "In that case, I shall accept it without hesitation."

"Of course," Miaozhen said.

Perhaps because of the gift of this jar of wine, the eldest aunt's complaints lessened considerably. Xia Xianjie, standing to the side, couldn't help but say, "I heard that your servant often takes a food box out to buy food. Is it because he doesn't eat well somewhere? I'll have someone send some vegetables over. If you keep doing this, people will say that our family can't afford to support a daughter-in-law."

Miaozhen reacted quickly: "Sister-in-law, you don't know, I'm in a dilemma too. I'm pregnant, and my tastes have become more discerning, so it's hard to say anything."

The eldest aunt was understanding: "Actually, I was like that when I was pregnant. I wanted to eat tuolu bing (a type of flatbread) at night, and I would excitedly have someone buy it for me. But then I would not want to eat it, and I would want to eat Sichuan zhuyu noodles. It's okay. You are six or seven months pregnant now. Just hang in there and the baby will be born."

"I'm just waiting for her to come down so I can finally have some peace of mind," Miaozhen chimed in.

In fact, the eldest aunt knows everything perfectly well. Although she likes to teach others, she also protects her own. She is doing this out of good intentions, but Xia is a vixen reincarnated. What is she trying to sow discord for here?

Xia Xianjie felt embarrassed. She glanced at Miaozhen again and saw that Miaozhen had no ill feelings towards her. She couldn't help but think that Xiao Jingshi must have been worried about her being pregnant and hadn't told her anything about Xu Shi's affair.

Thinking of this, she stopped being sharp-tongued and started telling jokes at the table, making the atmosphere very lively.

The banquet lasted for about two hours before it ended. Miaozhen had them tidy up the tables, chairs, cups, and plates before saying to Xiaoxi, "It's good that my eldest aunt is going back the day after tomorrow. She's not a bad person, but I'm used to being free and can't stand being restrained."

Xiao Xi then asked, "My dear aunt didn't stay at your wedding last time, why is she back now?"

"I came back for my fifth sister's marriage. I want to arrange for Suyun to marry into her husband's family through a relative," Miaozhen said.

Xiao Xi pouted: "If the young master passes the exam, what harm is there in waiting, Fifth Miss? A good marriage can naturally be arranged. Why bother?"

"That's why she had to strike first. Actually, if my second sister-in-law hadn't urged us to host a banquet, I wouldn't have wanted to. She's only been back for a few days, and I've already spent my own money to treat her to meals. I've spent five taels of silver in just a few days." Miaozhen thought that it was fortunate she earned money every day; otherwise, she would have felt the pinch.

Miaozhen thought that she was the only one who felt this way, and Lou Qiongyu felt the same way. She was calculating the expenses: the birthday gifts for the three elders, the dishes she had ordered because she was craving something, the tips that her mother-in-law gave her every time she hosted a banquet, and the fact that she couldn't leave out her sister-in-law this time. She had also contributed quite a bit.

Fortunately, Miaozhen had income from her fields and money she earned herself, and Lou Qiongyu also had income, so they only muttered a few words and didn't take it too seriously.

The two women thought Han Yueyao was the same as them, and even thought that she managed the household and had more money than them. They never expected that Han Yueyao looked about the same on the outside, but in fact she was just an accountant and had to go to Ren's place to collect the money.

Ren Shi doesn't like to set rules and is easy to talk to, but he is very particular about money and often checks the accounts, making it difficult for Han Yueyao to cheat.

Thus, she began to envy Sister Xia Xian: "She's married another wealthy concubine over there; she must have made a fortune."

Although Sister Xia was not short of money, who in the world complains about having too much money? Even she herself, back then, her husband took a wealthy widow into the family. When that woman died, didn't it make the couple a windfall? Otherwise, how could she have such dazzling jewelry and exquisite clothes?

"Second Madam, Madam requests your presence," Cui Die said as she entered.

Han Yueyao agreed, then asked, "I wonder what it is?"

After saying that, she quickly went to the main room. Madam Ren said, "Yesterday, the master brought a lot of silk. You and your two younger siblings each have two sets of clothes covered with gold brocade, and there are also four sets of clothes woven with gold satin."

It turned out that she wanted to make clothes for her family. Han Yueyao hurriedly asked someone to call a tailor and urged several tailors to finish the clothes within a few days. Miaozhen then sent over six sets of clothes.

Xiao Xi said, "These clothes are really nice."

“Hmm, they all look very expensive to me. Why don’t we set aside a special trunk to store the new clothes? We don’t need to send them upstairs. We can just put them on the west side so they’re easy to reach,” Miaozhen said with a smile.

Xiao Xi hurried off to do it, while Feng Niang smiled and said, "Xiao Xi is becoming more and more capable."

"I owe a lot to her. Xiao Tao is outside, and she is inside; they are both my right-hand women." Miao Zhen knew what Feng Niang wanted to say, which was nothing more than telling her to simply elevate Xiao Xi, so that the two of them would be more compatible and could also help her keep her husband in check.

Ke Miaozhen knew that everyone has selfish desires. Needless to say, her relationship with Xiao Xi was complicated, but if she were to become a concubine, she would inevitably have to plan for herself, which was perfectly normal.

Moreover, Miaozhen never considered having Xiao Jingshi take a concubine. If it came to the point where her husband wanted to take a concubine, then their relationship might have run into problems.

Fengniang, being sensible, saw that Miaozhen had said this and didn't mention anything else, nor did she ask any further questions.

As soon as she finished speaking, a woman wearing a veil was led in by Sister Tian to see a doctor. Miao Zhen hadn't had any patients for several days, so when she saw someone coming, she quickly invited her to the consultation room.

In general, only Miaozhen and the patient are in the consultation room, which makes it easier for them to describe their symptoms. This time, before she could even ask what was wrong, the patient said, "Dr. Xu, I don't know why, but I'm bleeding."

“Bleeding? There are many types of bleeding. Did you have a sudden hemorrhage, or did it occur after your period? The more accurately you describe the situation, the better I can diagnose it,” Miaozhen said.

The woman said, "Anyway, there's blood everywhere, and I can't look down there. I need to stop the bleeding."

Miaozhen looked at her: "How are you now? Can I take a look?"

The woman said, "I'm fine now, but my period comes every time we have sex."

Miaozhen had a pretty good idea of ​​what was going on. She had treated the second wife of the Cheng family before, and it was something similar to sympathetic bleeding, but this woman's condition was more severe.

"Is the bleeding particularly heavy? Like a hemorrhage?"

The woman nodded.

Miaozhen continued to examine her through observation, listening, questioning, and palpation, and found that she had excessive heat in her blood and liver, was easily irritable, had lower back pain and weakness, and had heavy menstrual flow. She couldn't help but say, "To put it bluntly, your illness is caused by excessive heat in the blood of the uterus and Chong meridian, which makes it impossible to retain menstrual blood."

If the Chong meridian is deficient and cold, there will be less blood; conversely, if the Chong meridian is too hot, the blood will boil.

However, under normal circumstances, if a person's liver and spleen are functioning properly, their body can operate normally and blood will not leak out. But once they engage in sexual intercourse, the uterus will be open, and in this case, fire will be stirred up.

"In that case, I'll prescribe you some medicine to nourish yin and reduce internal heat. If you take this medicine for six months, it will eliminate the symptoms. However, there's one condition: you must abstain from sexual activity for three months. If you don't, the medicine won't work, and you'll end up with an illness from overwork," Miaozhen instructed.

The woman readily agreed, and Miaozhen then asked Ping'an to go to the pharmacy to get the medicine, which she would then process. When the woman heard that it was a six-month supply, Miaozhen calculated it to be six taels. The woman was very generous and directly gave Miaozhen a bolt of cotton wool, which was worth a hundred taels. Miaozhen quickly said, "You are too kind."

"It's alright. If I recover, I will repay you handsomely," the woman said.

Xiao Xi was quite pleased to hear this. After Miao Zhen finished preparing the medicine and saw the woman off, she said, "Fourth Madam, I wonder if she will send any more gifts?"

Miaozhen shook her head: "I don't think she'll come."

She probably can't abstain from sex for three months.

But it's not appropriate to say this to Xiaoxi. Miaozhen has been busy all day and has had a very fruitful day.

Unexpectedly, Xia Xianjie was the same. That Wu family was very ingratiating towards her and gave her two hairpins with the character "哞" on them. Although Xia Xianjie wore them, she didn't really care for them: "She stole someone else's husband, and she thinks that's enough after giving them such a small gift?"

Linglong remained silent. In fact, Madam Wu was not entirely stupid. The eldest master had stayed in Madam Wu's room for six or seven days in a row. Her own grandmother was a clever and straightforward person, while she was gentle and kind. She never expected that she would be so uninhibited in bed.

But right now, what's the best thing about the eldest madam? The Xia family is gone, she doesn't even have any relatives from her own family, and she hasn't given birth to any children. As for her appearance, she's still okay now, but a woman's youth fades quickly, and Linglong is worried about her.

In fact, even though Madam Wu initially thought Xia Xian was quite nice, she understood after Madam Chao gave her a few hints. Sending the gifts now was merely to temporarily appease Xia Xian.

Instead of taking care of her health, Xia Xianjie was thinking about how to improve her skills. Taking advantage of Xiao Jingyan's free time, the two of them fought for a whole day and night.

The Double Ninth Festival is traditionally a day for climbing mountains and enjoying the view. Even Miaozhen and Lou Qiongyu seemed to be in better spirits than Xia Xianjie.

Chao was dissatisfied with herself, but because her son valued her, she couldn't say it out loud. However, her actions showed it all, and she took great care of Miaozhen and Lou Qiongyu, which made Xia Xianjie feel increasingly uncomfortable.

Lou Qiongyu thought that chrysanthemum cake was cooling in nature, and when Xia Xianjie handed it to her, she said, "We shouldn't eat such cooling things normally."

This was originally a very normal statement, but Xia Xianjie couldn't help but feel that Lou Qiongyu could also scorn her, and thought to herself that she had really been trampled on. Originally, she had a very high spirit, just like her father. Thirty years ago, she was just a villager who couldn't even afford to eat, but later she became a salt merchant.

But now, it's no use trying to deal with anyone she wants. The second branch of the Xiao family doesn't listen to her, and she's also mentally exhausted.

"Fourth sister-in-law, your fourth brother will probably be back soon, right?" Xia Xianjie was just making conversation; in fact, her great-aunt had asked the same question before.

Miao Zhen showed no dissatisfaction with her at the moment, and only said, "It shouldn't be that fast."

"If Fourth Brother passes the exam, you'll be better than everyone else in the world." By the end, Sister Xia didn't even know what she was saying anymore.

Miaozhen helped her up a bit: "Sister-in-law, you seem tired. Go back and rest more later."

Han Yueyao joked from the side, "It must be that my sister-in-law got drunk." She then called over Wu Shi, "You should also help your grandmother."

"Yes." Madam Wu appeared meek and submissive.

With her personality, not only could Sister Xia Xian find nothing wrong with her, but the other women in the same room also had a good impression of her.

It is also said that after the Double Ninth Festival, Miaozhen felt listless and increasingly reluctant to move around. At ordinary banquets, she would claim that she was not feeling well, and no one would force her to attend.

After visiting, Madam Mei returned home and told her husband, "Zhenzhen's belly is getting heavier and heavier, but she's eating very little. She even told me that if she eats less, the baby will be easier to deliver."

The couple were also very worried. Just then, they heard that Ping An had arrived outside, and they were startled. "Why are you here, you little rascal? Has something happened to your grandmother?"

Ping An, however, had a sudden inspiration and said, "That's not it. Our fourth master passed the provincial examination, and the county magistrate has already come to visit, as has the prefect.

Upon hearing this, Xu Erpeng immediately changed into new clothes with Madam Mei. Xu Erpeng put on a blue robe, wore a scholar's hat, and carried a gold fan. Madam Mei also changed into a satin jacket and skirt, wrapped her hair in red silk, and wore a gold comb and several pieces of jewelry. She also prepared some gifts for the guests and went over together.

On the way there, Xu Erpeng said with a smile, "I had read his articles before, and they were really well written. Now that I read them, they are indeed excellent."

Miaozhen herself was also very surprised. All things considered, Xiao Jingshi was only twenty years old, yet he had already achieved such success and was already a Juren (a successful candidate in the imperial examinations). How could she not be happy?

Like her was her third aunt, Xiao Suyin, whose husband, Cen Yuan, also passed the exam. However, Xiao Jingshi ranked forty-third, while Cen Yuan ranked eighty-seventh.

The Xiao family was naturally in an uproar. Although Xiao Jingshi had not returned, the messenger had already arrived, and the atmosphere was joyous everywhere. Madam Ren pulled Miaozhen to sit beside her, and they were extremely affectionate.

She also said to everyone, "I said back then that this child had a good destiny, and sure enough, after she entered the family, she became pregnant again, and now our Shi-ge'er has also passed the imperial examination."

Madam Chao laughed from the side, "Second sister-in-law, you've chosen a really good wife. As the saying goes, a virtuous wife brings blessings to three generations, and that's for sure."

At this moment, Madam Mei entered, and Madam Ren rose to greet her. Madam Mei quickly returned the greeting and said, "My husband thinks it must be your sincerity that moved Heaven, which is why I sent you ten scrolls of scriptures and ritual implements."

This made Mrs. Ren even happier. Miaozhen couldn't help but think, "My father is really amazing!"