Granny Fang thought to herself, "That doctor was personally invited by the master. He is a senior doctor with an excellent reputation and medical skills. There shouldn't be any problems. I also carefully check the medicinal materials used to stew the medicine each time, so there shouldn't be any problems either."
Song Anxin frowned.
"So what exactly went wrong?" She turned her head and said, "Granny Fang, please bring me all the prescriptions the doctor wrote during Tao Hua's pregnancy. We'll talk about this later. Let's go to the banquet hall now."
When Song Anxin and her entourage appeared in the banquet hall with Lin Taohua holding the child, the scene became even more lively, with everyone crowding around to say auspicious words.
Master Liu held little Mingyang, his eyes filled with smiles.
Sister-in-law Lin placed a pair of auspicious cloud and ruyi gold bracelets, which she had prepared beforehand, on Xiao Mingyang's wrist.
"Wishing Xiaomingyang a healthy and smooth-sailing growth."
Song Anxin then placed the gilded necklace around Xiao Mingyang's neck.
"May Xiaomingyang grow up healthy and safe."
The guests immediately began to discuss it.
"Those auspicious cloud and ruyi gold bracelets and gilded necklaces look like they're from the Treasure Pavilion. Don't be fooled by the fact that they're just children's items; they're not cheap at all."
"Tsk tsk, the Lin family is really generous. That little gilded necklace must cost at least a hundred taels of silver. A concubine's son is really lucky."
"Yes, that auspicious cloud and ruyi gold bracelet is still a new product. I went to the Treasure Pavilion yesterday to buy it for my child, but it was already sold out. Isn't it said that Aunt Lin's family is a farming family? It's one thing for Madam Hui, but how come Aunt Lin's elder brother and sister-in-law are so generous?"
"With Consort Hui from the Lin family having given birth to a son, Consort Lin's status in the household will be quite extraordinary from now on..."
"......"
Little Su was nearly breaking her fingernails by pinching them off. This mother and son, who should have been dead, were now enjoying such glory. The glory of the Liu family should belong to her alone. A venomous glint flashed in her eyes, but she quickly regained her usual dignified and virtuous demeanor.
Song Anxin had been observing Xiao Sushi intentionally or unintentionally, and she naturally caught sight of this sinister glint.
This little Su is more cunning and treacherous than she imagined. Her obstruction of the doctor's arrival last time was probably just one part of the story. Tao Hua's difficult labor must be related to her.
She figured that this young Su woman probably wouldn't stay obedient for long, so she had to make her move as soon as possible.
After the banquet, Brother Lin and Fengshou returned to Linjia Village first, as they both had things to do. Lin Mingzhu and Mingyue were very reluctant to part with Erxi, Dongzi, and Daxiaocao, so they asked them to stay and play together a little longer.
Song Anxin, Sister-in-law Lin, and Da Xi also stayed behind, partly to spend more time talking with Tao Hua, and partly because they had things to do.
They stayed for a while and then let Daxi stay there. She, her sister-in-law, and Granny Fang took Fangzi to Renshan Hall.
"This prescription must have been written by Dr. Hao. It's a combination of tonifying deficiency in the early stage and warming yang in the later stage. The combination, usage, and dosage of the herbs are all extremely ingenious. You truly deserve to be called a senior doctor with many years of experience. Madam Hui, this prescription is fine."
After leaving Renshan Hall, Song Anxin and the others were somewhat dejected after asking around without getting any answers.
Song Anxin comforted her, "It's alright. Since Dr. Hao has been treating Tao Hua throughout her pregnancy, let's go ask Dr. Hao again."
Dr. Hao was one of the doctors at Jishi Hall, the largest medical clinic in the county. When they arrived at Jishi Hall, the young apprentice told them that Dr. Hao had retired and returned to his hometown two months ago.
"Two months ago, that was the last time I took Aunt Lin's pulse," Granny Fang recalled.
"Oh dear, what are we going to do if we can't find him?" Sister-in-law Lin said anxiously.
Song Anxin thought for a moment and asked the young medicine boy, "Where is Doctor Hao's hometown?"
Actually, a friend of mine used to see Dr. Hao regularly, but now his old ailment has flared up, and he specifically wants to see Dr. Hao, saying that Dr. Hao knows and will prescribe good medicine for him.
The young apprentice seemed unfazed, saying "Please wait a moment" before turning around and retrieving a slip of paper from behind the counter:
"This is Dr. Hao's hometown. He left it here specifically because he was afraid that some of his old patients would come looking for him."
Song Anxin thanked them and, together with Sister-in-law Lin and Granny Fang, turned and left the Jishi Hall.
“Sister-in-law, this Dr. Hao is quite responsible. He even left his hometown address for the patients who came to see him. Dr. Zheng also said that there was no problem with the prescriptions he wrote. Is it still useful for us to see him?” Sister-in-law Lin asked.
Song Anxin looked at the location above; it was a small village in Qi'an County nearby.
"We should at least go and ask, but if we go now, it will be too late to go back and forth." So she said to the two of them, "Let's leave it at that for today, Granny Fang. You can come with me again tomorrow morning."
The next morning, Song Anxin took a carriage to Ningdu County to pick up Granny Fang before heading to Xiashi Village in Qi'an County.
Because she had heard from the students that bandits were now traveling, even though she heard that these bandits only hijacked caravans, she still brought Qingshan, Qingfeng, and the other two along to ensure their safety. It's always better to be safe than sorry.
Fortunately, they arrived safely and inquired about Dr. Hao's residence in Xiashi Village.
When they arrived at the entrance of Dr. Hao's hospital, there were already several carriages parked there. They were all Dr. Hao's old patients who had come here. She and Granny Fang waited for a while before it was their turn.
"Dr. Hao, do you remember me? I am the nanny of Consort Lin in the Liu family mansion in Ningdu County. You were the one who checked Consort Lin's pulse every month when she was pregnant."
Dr. Hao, with his white hair, was over seventy years old, but he didn't look frail at all. His eyes were very bright, and he stroked his beard as he said:
"Of course I remember. Master Liu is an old acquaintance of mine. Lin should have given birth by now, right?"
Song Anxin continued, "Aunt Lin did give birth, but it was a difficult delivery. She almost lost both mother and child. The midwife said it was because the fetus was too large."
Dr. Hao was very surprised: "How could that be? I go to examine Aunt Lin every month, and Aunt Lin's body is just a little weak, but there is no situation where the fetus is too big!"
"Yes, doctor, that's why we wanted to ask you what's going on. I believe you're highly skilled and wouldn't miss this. We've brought the prescription with us so you can take a look."
Song Anxin pushed a stack of prescriptions over.
Dr. Hao picked up the prescription and carefully examined each page one by one with a serious expression. After a moment, he spoke:
"The prescriptions are indeed all written by me. I can vouch for the quality of these prescriptions based on my reputation as a doctor over the years."
Song Anxin knew that the old doctor was definitely trustworthy. Seeing that the inquiry was fruitless again, Song Anxin thanked the old doctor and took her leave with Granny Fang.
At this moment, Dr. Hao suddenly remembered something and said, "Please wait a moment, both of you. I remember that during my last consultation with Aunt Lin, I prescribed a medicine to weaken the fetus and warm the mother's body, so that the mother would have more energy during childbirth."
This formula is cleverly combined and is a recipe passed down from my master. However, there is one thing to be careful about: if too much of the dodder seed, achyranthes root, etc., is added, it will nourish the fetus and may cause the fetus to be too large.
Upon hearing this, Granny Fang said, "But I personally checked the medicinal herbs and watched them being stewed, so there shouldn't be any problems."
Song Anxin thought for a moment and asked, "Granny Fang, are you sure you didn't leave the room even for a moment while you were stewing the medicine?"
Granny Fang recalled, "I am the only personal nanny by Aunt Lin's side, so I still have to take care of Aunt Lin. But I will also ask Chunzhi and Chunxing to take over watching over her."
"What if someone added these herbs to the stewing pot during the time you and Chunzhi and Chunxing were taking over? They were all the same herbs, so it would be difficult to detect even if you checked the dregs."
Granny Fang suddenly realized what was going on.
"Yes, yes, sometimes when I have something urgent to do, I ask Chunzhi and Chunxing to take over, so I will free up a little time. Oh dear! It's all my fault. I should never take my eyes off the pot of medicine."
Song Anxin said in a deep voice, "Now is not the time to blame ourselves. We should think about who could have done such a thing in the kitchen."
The two of them suddenly realized something and spoke at the same time.
"It's Granny Yan's niece!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com