For five consecutive days, Ling Mo meticulously planned the trip, ensuring that they never missed a single night of rest, whether the schedule was tight or relaxed.
However, after several days of bumpy travel in the train carriage, Jiang Huaiyu's body gradually became exhausted.
She spent her days either drowsy in the train carriage or feeling weak all over, and occasionally experiencing dizziness and nausea. In just ten days, she looked as if she had become swollen from water retention.
Ling Mo was worried. "Miss Jiang, it's still several days' journey to Wusu. If you try to push yourself like this, you might not be able to hold on. There's a county town thirty miles ahead. Why don't we go in and rest for a bit, and find a doctor to check on you? Otherwise, your body might collapse before we even reach Jizhou..."
Jiang Huaiyu was also extremely confused.
For the first two days, she was able to cope with the journey, but later she became increasingly uncomfortable. She felt unwell whether sitting or lying down, had a poor appetite, slept poorly, and her body inexplicably swelled up.
Although it was Yingxiang's first long journey, she didn't feel uncomfortable at all.
Could it really be because I had a miscarriage that my body has become so fragile?
Seeing that everyone was worried about him, Jiang Huaiyu didn't force himself any further and nodded in agreement: "We can put the workshop matter aside for now. Everyone is tired from the journey, so let's rest in the county town for two days before continuing our journey."
During the short 30-mile journey, Jiang Huaiyu vomited twice, her face as pale as paper, almost devoid of any color.
Ling Mo was extremely anxious. After settling Jiang Huaiyu in the inn, he immediately rushed to find a doctor.
After taking your pulse, the doctor asked, "Are you from Wanfu County?"
Yingxiang answered yes, but she was somewhat puzzled as to why the doctor would ask such a seemingly unrelated question.
Before she could ask, the doctor spoke again: "What urgent matter could possibly require you to subject a pregnant woman to such hardship during her journey?"
When those words were uttered, everyone froze on the spot, as if time had stood still and all movement had ceased.
Jiang Huaiyu's eyes widened, her face filled with disbelief. She struggled to sit up straight on the bed, one hand tightly gripping the doctor's clothes, her voice trembling as she asked, "What...what did you just say?"
The doctor looked at her in astonishment: "More than four months have passed, and you had no idea?"
Jiang Huaiyu's face instantly lost all color, shocked as if struck by a bolt from the blue.
More than four months?
Is her child still in her womb?
However, how is that possible?
"Doctor, have you perhaps misdiagnosed my pulse? Are you sure... I still have a fetus in my womb?"
The doctor was about thirty years old, with a fair complexion and a neatly groomed beard. He was originally a kind and gentle man, but now he seemed a little exasperated. He suddenly stood up and said, "Madam, you are mistaken. I have been practicing medicine for decades. Although I dare not claim to have superb medical skills, how could I misdiagnose a mere pregnancy pulse?"
"Besides, you are now nearly five months pregnant, and your pulse is stable. Even an apprentice in the clinic could easily tell. Aren't you questioning my medical skills and damaging my reputation with these words, Madam?"
His tone was impassioned, and his face showed anger.
Jiang Huaiyu's eyes widened, speechless with astonishment.
The doctor persisted, "I find it truly unbelievable. Does the lady have no idea about her own body? Five months pregnant and completely unaware, yet she dared to travel such a long distance. Is she torturing herself or abusing the fetus in her womb?"
He sighed softly and shook his head, saying, "This child has such a tragic fate, having such a careless mother..."
As soon as he finished speaking, he seemed to still feel angry, and turned his gaze to Ling Mo, who was also stunned to the side, "You should be her husband, right?"
"Look at you! It's one thing for your own wife to be so negligent, but why are you so careless? You actually let a pregnant woman travel with you. A pregnant woman's body is already fragile; how can she endure such hardship? If we hadn't come in time today, it's hard to say whether the child would have been safe!"
Although the doctor had a fiery temper, he was meticulous in treating and saving lives.
He quickly administered acupuncture to relieve Jiang Huaiyu's discomfort and then prescribed a medicine: "This is a good medicine for preventing miscarriage. Take it once in the morning and once in the evening, and rest for two more days, and you will recover."
He solemnly instructed, "Even if there is an urgent matter that requires you to travel, do not push yourself. Your health is the most important thing. Rest when you need to."
He looked at Ling Mo with a serious expression. "As a grown man, you may not have realized it before, but from now on, you must be more considerate of your wife. After all, she is carrying your child. Pregnancy is inherently difficult for women, and you should take better care of her."
Ling Mo looked bewildered and could only nod blankly.
"I will remember this forever."
Since learning that the fetus in her womb was safe and sound, Jiang Huaiyu seemed to be in a daze, like a wandering soul in a dream. She tightly protected her lower abdomen with both hands, and her expression changed in an instant. One moment she seemed to be immersed in a sweet smile, and the next she seemed to be in tears.
The doctor glanced at her and gently shook his head.
"Judging from the lady's expression, she must be a first-time mother and is overjoyed, almost to the point of losing her mind."
After saying that, he turned to leave.
Yingxiang quickly stopped him, her gaze sweeping over Jiang Huaiyu, who was lost in her own world on the bed. She knew that once the young lady came to her senses, she would be eager to ask what had happened. Therefore, she couldn't let the doctor leave so easily.
She pulled the doctor aside and said, "Doctor, please wait a moment. I have some questions I need to ask you."
"Okay, go ahead."
Yingxiang spoke up: "Doctor, my daughter took an abortion pill more than a month ago, and at that time the doctor determined that the baby was gone. However, now you have diagnosed her as pregnant. Doesn't that mean... that abortion pill did not have any effect on my daughter?"
"She actually took abortion pills?"
The doctor frowned, his face full of doubt. "That's impossible. If it really was an abortifacient, even if it didn't cause a miscarriage, it would definitely harm the fetus. But when I took her pulse just now, the lady's pulse was steady and strong. Although there was some restlessness in the fetus, it was just due to pregnancy reactions and fatigue from the journey."
A bold hypothesis gradually emerged in Yingxiang's mind, but she still found it hard to believe.
After a moment's thought, the doctor asked, "So, you've always believed that the child in this lady's womb is no longer alive?"
Yingxiang nodded.
The doctor looked puzzled. "This lady is vomiting, has edema, and is lethargic and drowsy. These are symptoms that are unique to pregnant women. They are so obvious, how come you never suspected anything?"
Yingxiang gently shook her head. "These are symptoms that have only recently appeared. Before this, my daughter was always healthy and had no abnormalities. Therefore, we all mistakenly thought that she was weak and could not withstand the fatigue of the journey."
The doctor pondered for a moment, then asked, "Has your wife taken any other medications?"
"I've taken it!"
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