Chapter 283 Being Mocked
The Changxing Marquis's Residence.
Meng Jinyao wasn't interested in knowing how her father was planning to remarry, especially since it wasn't her who would suffer with a stepmother, and she would protect her younger brother.
Thinking of her second brother Chengzhang, who was studying at Lingshan Academy, Meng Jinyao handed the thick winter clothes she had prepared to Qingqiu and asked her to send a servant to deliver them to Lingshan Academy the next day.
At this moment, Gu Jingxi brought the medicine to her and said gently, "Ayao, the medicine is no longer hot, you can drink it now."
Meng Jinyao glanced at the dark brown medicine with a look of disgust. The medicine was bitter and smelly, and it was a little astringent after entering the mouth, but it didn't feel like astringent. Anyway, it was particularly hard to drink. Every time she drank the medicine two or three quarters of an hour after meals, she felt nauseous and wanted to vomit up what she had eaten.
Gu Jingxi coaxed, "Listen to me, good medicine tastes bitter but is good for the disease."
Meng Jinyao raised her eyes, her gaze filled with resentment and an undeniable envy, as if she envied his strong and healthy body.
Although they hadn't been married for a full year, Gu Jingxi understood her and roughly knew what she meant. She also had unspeakable suffering in her heart. She wasn't the only one who needed to take medicine. He just hoped that the quack doctor's medicine would work and not be ineffective after taking it for a long time, which would be a waste of time.
Meng Jinyao sighed inwardly. For the sake of her health, she silently took the medicine bowl, frowned, gulped it down several times, and then pursed her lips to suppress the urge to vomit. She then handed the empty bowl to Gu Jingxi.
Gu Jingxi sensed his wife's overwhelming resentment. He was used to her reaction after each dose of medicine, so he put down the bowl and gently comforted her, "Doctor Wen said that you should drink it for a year or two to recover your health, and then you won't need to drink it anymore."
Meng Jinyao asked, "Husband, can you smell medicine on me?"
Gu Jingxi lied through her teeth: "No, there's no smell of medicine at all. You smell wonderful."
"You're just trying to coax me." Meng Jinyao glared at him, then continued, "My second sister-in-law came to talk to me this afternoon and asked if I was sick."
Gu Jingxi was slightly taken aback, then asked, "Then how will you tell your second sister-in-law?"
Meng Jinyao replied, "She didn't say much, just that I had insufficient qi and blood, and that I should drink some medicine to replenish qi and blood. I'm not exactly lying to her; Physician Wen did say that I had symptoms of insufficient qi and blood."
After saying that, she lowered her head in a bit of frustration. If she had to drink medicine for a year and a half, she would probably be so used to it that she wouldn't be able to smell it herself. She probably wouldn't be able to smell it because she was used to it. But if it went on for a while, outsiders would probably start saying that the Lady of Changxing was a walking pharmacy.
Gu Jingxi could understand his wife's feelings. He had also felt irritable when taking medicine back then. The smell of the medicine made him nauseous, his mouth tasted bitter, and his appetite decreased. He seemed to be thinking about something and said, "Ayao, why don't I have someone make the medicine into pills? That way it would be more convenient to take and wouldn't taste so bad."
Meng Jinyao's eyes lit up, and she immediately agreed to his suggestion: "Let's try making some first, and take turns."
Gu Jingxi held her and told her some interesting stories he had heard from his colleagues to cheer her up. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw her smile again.
However, plans can't keep up with changes.
Meng Jinyao could not escape her fate of being pickled in medicine.
When she was thirteen, Meng Jinyao was forced to kneel at the entrance of Rongfutang courtyard in the winter. She almost froze to death. Although she survived, she was left with a chronic illness. Her knees and ankles would hurt in the winter.
In early winter, it's not very cold yet. Although it hurts a bit when you catch a chill, you get used to it and can ignore it. It's an old problem, so just bear with it and it will pass. It will be fine when the weather gets warmer.
By midwinter, it had snowed in the capital, the north wind was biting, and the weather was cold, which increased the pain. If she went out for a walk in the courtyard, she would feel a pain when she was exposed to the wind. It was a pain that seemed to penetrate to the bone, and it was very uncomfortable. Meng Jinyao didn't like to go out of the house anymore. She stayed in the house to warm herself by the fire. There was plenty of silver frost charcoal, so she didn't have to use it sparingly.
Although Meng Jinyao didn't mention this to Gu Jingxi and pretended to be nonchalant to avoid worrying him, Chunliu noticed her behavior and quietly told Gu Jingxi about it.
Gu Jingxi scolded his wife for this, but when he saw her looking at him pitifully, he softened and pulled her into his arms, speaking in a gentler tone: "How could you hide this from me? You're young now and can bear it, not taking this illness seriously, thinking that as long as you don't catch a cold and keep warm, the symptoms will be relieved. But when you reach the age of six months like your mother, even if you keep warm, the pain will still be there, and the symptoms won't be relieved; they'll only be worse than they are now."
Meng Jinyao stammered, "It's an old ailment. It started when I knelt at the entrance of Rongfutang's courtyard that year and was invaded by evil cold. It will heal itself without medicine when the weather warms up."
Gu Jingxi pinched her little face, his tone leaving no room for refusal: "I have already invited Physician Wen to come and treat you. Take your medicine as prescribed and get acupuncture as needed. Don't hide your illness from me and tell me you're fine."
Seeing her face fall, Gu Jingxi continued, "I don't want to be old and have to help my wife, who is thirteen years younger than me but has difficulty walking, when I'm all old and frail."
Meng Jinyao choked: "..."
That's incredibly disrespectful!
Gu Jingxi laughed and said, "Don't disbelieve me. If you don't take it seriously and don't actively seek treatment, see if your legs will still be usable in thirty years."
Meng Jinyao stopped arguing with him and went along with him: "I didn't say I refused to see a doctor. Can't we see one in a bit?"
Not long after, Imperial Physician Wen arrived. Seeing the couple, he felt both depressed and sympathetic. The two medicine-loving people were a perfect match, drinking medicine and treating their illnesses together. What other couple in the capital was like them?
After examining Meng Jinyao's pulse, Physician Wen asked, "Madam Gu, why didn't you mention this when you were being treated earlier?"
Meng Jinyao replied, "The pain wasn't severe at the time, so I didn't think about it."
Physician Wen nodded slightly and said, "Madam Gu, your joints are frostbitten. To completely heal them and make them pain-free in cold weather, it will take time and perseverance. You should also pay attention to keeping warm."
"Is it time to take medicine again?"
Meng Jinyao pursed her lips, feeling a little resistant, but she also felt that it would make her seem too useless to have her husband, who was thirteen years older than her, help her walk when she got old. She decided to hold back and felt that she could still drink.
Physician Wen shook his head: "No need for medicine, just take a medicinal bath and massage your legs."
Meng Jinyao was taken aback: "Imperial Physician Wen, for the problem with my legs, is soaking my feet enough?"
Physician Wen said, "Madam Gu is prone to feeling cold. A medicinal bath can dispel the cold from her body and treat her legs at the same time, killing two birds with one stone. This way, her previous problems can be cured more quickly."
Upon hearing this, Meng Jinyao had a sudden inspiration and asked, "If I take a medicinal bath, do I still need to drink the medicine I took before?"
Physician Wen dashed her hopes: "You still need to take the medicine."
Meng Jinyao wilted, thinking to herself that she was really going to be marinated now.
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