Chapter 420 Lady Sui Awakens
It was around nine or ten o'clock at night, and the lights were off in the house.
After waking up, Cheng Wanwan lit a candle. She asked around and learned that the accident had not resulted in any deaths. Although Lord Wu was the last one to be thrown by the blast wave, he had not suffered any internal injuries. The other men had only rolled and scraped their skin, and were all fine. Only she was the unluckiest, as she had hit her head on a rock. She talked for a while and then got tired and fell into a deep sleep again.
She was still asleep early in the morning, but the yard was already bustling with activity.
Grandma Zhao walked in carrying a pigeon: "Dashan's wife, stew the pigeon. Your mother can drink it whenever she gets up. It's good for her energy."
"I bought some Gastrodia elata and Codonopsis pilosula from the pharmacy. Let's put them in and stew them together." Lu Yingxue placed a packet of herbs on the stove. "Since you bumped your head, you have to drink these, otherwise you'll get headaches every time it rains."
Zhao Dashan said repeatedly, "Aunt Lu, no need. Lord Shen sent over a ginseng yesterday. Slicing it up will last a long time."
Before Lu Yingxue could speak, Old Lady Zhu came in, carrying a large crucian carp: "Crucian carp is good for your health. I'll stew it for your mother later."
"I caught a turtledove on the mountain. I heard that this thing is good for replenishing blood."
"I went to town and bought the freshest pig liver. Pig liver cooked with corn is the best thing for injured people to eat."
The villagers kindly brought all sorts of nutritious food, and the table in the kitchen was completely filled with it.
Zhao Dashan and Wu Huiniang kept saying no, but the villagers insisted on giving them to them, leaving the gifts behind as if afraid they would be returned.
Just as they were busy, a carriage stopped at the gate of the courtyard, and Master Yuan and Magistrate Shen got out of the carriage.
Magistrate Shen, with a bluish stubble around his chin, clearly hadn't slept well all night. He walked in and asked, "How is Madam Sui?"
Zhao Dashan tried to sound relaxed: "Mother woke up last night and is still resting now. She should be fine."
"That's good, that's good." Magistrate Shen breathed a sigh of relief and handed over the things from Yuan's hands. "These are some ginseng and lingzhi that I bought in Huzhou. Use them if you need to, so your mother doesn't suffer from headaches."
Zhao Dashan quickly cupped his hands in thanks: "Thank you, Magistrate."
“We’re all family, no need for formalities.” Magistrate Shen helped him up. “I’m going to discuss matters with Lord Wu. If your mother wakes up, send someone to inform her immediately.”
Zhao Dashan nodded in agreement.
Many villagers came to inquire about the news, and they all breathed a sigh of relief when they heard that Cheng Wanwan had woken up once last night.
They huddled together, whispering among themselves.
"Grandma Dashan is a lucky person, she will be alright."
“Grandma Dashan could have left earlier, but she stayed behind to protect everyone, otherwise she wouldn’t have been so badly injured.”
"After becoming an official, Da Shan Niang never looked down on us peasants. Even knowing that an explosion was going to happen, she didn't leave alone. She cared about the people and was the pillar of our Dahe Village!"
"I heard from Lord Wu that Da Shan Niang went up there because of safety concerns at the coal mine. If it weren't for Da Shan Niang's cleverness, twenty or thirty people might have died this time."
“My husband was carrying water in the mine, and he almost got buried there.”
"..."
The villagers are still shaken.
Previously, they only thought of the title "Sui Ruren" as an official position, but now that it's mentioned, they realize how weighty those three words are.
Having reached this position, her thoughts are completely different from those of ordinary people. They lack this perspective, which is why she can never become Lady Sui.
"Mom, you're awake!"
Zhao Sidan's joyful voice came from inside the house, and the people who had been discussing it in the courtyard immediately rushed in.
"Hey, don't crowd into the room." Old Mrs. Zhao waved them out. "He just woke up and hasn't caught his breath yet. Can you all come visit him when he's more recovered?"
Old Mrs. Zhu readily agreed: "Let's go, everyone get to work, don't just stand here."
Those in the courtyard knew the seriousness of the matter, and after saying a few words of concern outside, they all dispersed.
Cao Yingying helped Cheng Wanwan sit up by the bedside, with a soft pillow placed behind her.
Wu Huiniang came in carrying a bowl of pork liver porridge: "Mother, drink this porridge first before taking your medicine."
Cheng Wanwan had never felt so weak. She lay in bed for two or three days without eating anything, and her hands and feet were weak. It was Cheng Yuanyuan who helped her feed a bowl of porridge. After she had something in her stomach, her strength slowly returned. She closed her eyes and drank the dark medicine in one gulp.
Grandma Zhao immediately popped a candied fruit into her mouth: "This medicine smells bitter, eat something sweet."
Cheng Wanwan, with a satisfied sip of candied fruit, said, "Thank you, Mom."
“We’re family, saying thank you is too formal.” Old Mrs. Zhao sat down on the edge of the bed and said earnestly, “You knew something was wrong at Coal Hill, yet you didn’t run first, instead you were the last one to leave… You’re a woman, a weak woman, you’re weaker than those men, you should have been the first to run. Look, out of so many people, you’re the only one with such serious injuries, your face has become so thin…”
Her voice was full of heartache.
Her eldest daughter-in-law has been lying unconscious in bed for the past two days, and she's really going crazy with worry.
"Don't do anything so foolish again, do you hear me!"
Grandma Zhao repeatedly gave her instructions.
With tears in her eyes, Wu Huiniang said, "Mother, you are the most important person to our family."
Cao Yingying gripped Cheng Wanwan's hand tightly: "Mom, think more about yourself from now on. What will our family do if something happens to you?"
"Waaah..." Zhao Sidan couldn't help but cry, "Mom, please don't scare us anymore, I'm really scared..."
Cheng Wanwan hugged her youngest son tightly and patted his head.
She knew she was being too reckless, but in that situation, she really couldn't think about anything else.
Seeing the worried looks on everyone's faces, she quickly assured them, "Don't worry, I will always put my safety first from now on and will never put myself in danger again."
Just after he finished taking his medicine, Zhao Ergou brought in a large bowl of ginseng and pigeon soup.
Cheng Wanwan was indeed starving. She leaned against the headboard and devoured most of a pigeon in a flash. After eating, she lifted the covers and got out of bed to walk around.
If it weren't for the bandage still wrapped around the left side of her head, she would have felt like she had already returned to normal.
At this moment, Wei Hongying came in to report: "Auntie, Lord Wu and the county magistrate have arrived."
Old Mrs. Zhao said, "Just say that Madam Sui has just woken up and is not yet fully recovered. Please ask the two gentlemen to come and visit her another day."
"I'm almost fully recovered," Cheng Wanwan said hurriedly. "I also have something to say to Lord Wu about the coal mine explosion. Please don't stand here any longer; I need to change my clothes."
The clothes I was wearing had been worn for two days and two nights and were filthy; I couldn't go out to meet guests.
She washed her face, dried herself, changed into clean clothes, and then asked Wei Hongying to help her tie her hair up before going out to see Lord Wu and Magistrate Shen.
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