Chapter 178 Suddenly Ill
After a moment, Meng Jinyao steadied herself, lowered her eyes, and saw that the wound on her left hand had been bandaged. At first glance, it looked like a serious injury, so she couldn't help but say, "It's stopped bleeding. Actually, it's okay even without bandaging."
Gu Jingxi glanced at her and said gently, "Although it's not a serious injury, if it's not bandaged and you accidentally bump into something and bleed again, it will hinder your recovery, especially the wound on your elbow, as the fabric of your clothes will rub against it and cause pain."
Meng Jinyao was slightly taken aback, then nodded.
A moment later, she was drawn to Gu Jingxi's hands. His hands were long, fair, and with distinct knuckles, like finely carved white jade, a sight to behold.
Her thoughts drifted away, and she drifted off again.
After a long while, Gu Jingxi finished bandaging her wound, released her hand, and seeing that her right hand was still raised, said, "Madam, it's all done."
But Meng Jinyao seemed not to hear him, so he called out again, "Madam?"
At this moment, Meng Jinyao slowly came back to her senses and met the man's questioning gaze. She was secretly annoyed and didn't know what was wrong with her today. She knew that Gu Jingxi was good-looking before, but she had never stared at him like this before. Today, she was distracted as if she had seen a ghost, as if she had never seen a man before.
Seeing that her complexion was off, Gu Jingxi asked again, "Are you feeling unwell?"
Meng Jinyao felt inexplicably guilty and shook her head repeatedly: "No, it's nothing, I'm just tired after all that trouble."
Gu Jingxi originally wanted to ask her what happened and why she hurt herself, but seeing that she was hanging her head and seemed really tired, he didn't ask anymore. He thought he could ask her after she had rested tomorrow, so he said, "Then go to sleep. It's getting late."
They asked Qingqiu and Ningdong to bring in water, and after a quick wash, the couple lay down to rest.
Two major events occurred today, both of which greatly impacted Meng Jinyao's mental state. She slept very restlessly that night and even had nightmares after falling asleep.
Gu Jingxi was a light sleeper. He woke up when he heard a noise beside him. By the moonlight, he could see that the little girl had her brows furrowed, her forehead was covered in fine sweat, and she was muttering something softly, as if she was having a nightmare.
"lady."
Gu Jingxi called her name and gently patted her shoulder, trying to wake her up. When his hand touched her shoulder, he was taken aback. She was wearing a thin nightgown, and he could feel the heat emanating from her body through the nightgown. Summer is hot, and the surface of the body is hotter than in other seasons, but it is not this hot.
Is this a high fever?
Thinking this, Gu Jingxi's expression tightened, and he quickly reached out to touch her forehead. Her forehead was hot, and she clearly had a high fever.
It's late at night now, so it's not convenient to take the little girl to see a doctor. After all, Lingyun Temple is on the mountain, which is quite a distance away. It's not good for a sick person to travel such a long distance, so we can only use other methods for the time being.
Gu Jingxi quickly put on his outer robe and went next door to wake Qingqiu and Ningdong.
Upon learning that their master had developed a high fever during the night, the two maids were extremely worried and at a loss. It was late at night, and they were in a temple on the mountain. Where could they find a doctor?
Gu Jingxi, always composed, remained calm and methodical, instructing, "Qingqiu, go find the monk in charge of the guest rooms and ask if there are any monks in the temple who understand medicine. Ningdong, go and fetch a basin of warm water."
Upon hearing this, the two maids immediately went to do as instructed.
Gu Jingxi sat on the edge of the bed and used a handkerchief to wipe the fine sweat from the little girl's forehead. Because of the high fever, the little girl's cheeks were flushed, her lips were pale, and her two crescent-shaped eyebrows were tightly furrowed. It was unclear whether she had a nightmare or was feeling unwell due to illness.
His sickly appearance is heartbreaking to see.
People with high fever shouldn't be covered up with blankets, otherwise their condition will worsen. He lifted the thin blanket for the little girl.
Not long after, Ningdong hurriedly brought over a basin of warm water. Fortunately, Lingyun Temple was very popular, and many worshippers stayed overnight. Many of these worshippers came from wealthy families, so the temple kept hot water available at night for their convenience.
Ningdong put down the copper basin and asked, "My lord, the warm water has been brought. What should I do?"
Gu Jingxi replied, "Wipe Madam's forehead, neck, armpits, and limbs to cool her down."
Ning Dong responded immediately, carrying the copper basin forward. She placed the basin on the stool in front of the bed, preparing to undress her master. She subconsciously looked at Gu Jingxi and found him sitting with his back to them on a chair next to the coffee table.
Seeing this, Ning Dong was slightly taken aback, thinking to herself: The Marquis is truly a gentleman. Even though he and his wife are husband and wife, he did not take advantage of the situation.
Ning Dong didn't think much of it and quickly took off Meng Jinyao's clothes. Following Gu Jingxi's instructions, she wiped Meng Jinyao's body to cool her down and see if the fever would subside.
Not long after, Qingqiu returned, looking dejected, and brought back bad news: "My lord, there is a master in the temple who understands pharmacology, but that master went to collect herbs and has not returned yet. I heard from the other masters that he usually takes two or three days to return after collecting herbs."
Upon hearing this, Gu Jingxi frowned, his worry deepening, and instructed, "Then go and fetch a basin of warm water."
Qingqiu responded, glanced at Ningdong, understood the purpose of the warm water, and immediately rushed to fetch water. A high fever is no joke; if it cannot be brought down, it can be fatal.
That night, neither Gu Jingxi nor the two maids, Qingqiu and Ningdong, slept. Gu Jingxi stayed in the room to keep watch, while Qingqiu and Ningdong took turns fetching water and wiping Meng Jinyao's body every fifteen minutes or so.
Fortunately, Meng Jinyao's fever subsided after two hours, and the three of them got through the night without any major incidents.
It was still early, and Gu Jingxi originally wanted Qingqiu and Ningdong to go to sleep for a while, while he stayed here to keep watch. However, the two maids were worried about their master and had no desire to sleep, so they stayed in the room to keep watch.
In the early morning, the warm sun shines down, dispelling the darkness and bringing light to the world.
Meng Jinyao slowly woke up and opened her eyes to find Gu Jingxi and her two maids in the room. When they saw that she was awake, they all came forward. She was a little confused. Seeing that the three of them looked haggard, she asked, "Didn't you sleep well last night?"
As soon as she opened her mouth to speak, Meng Jinyao felt her throat was dry and her voice sounded off.
Gu Jingxi asked gently, "Madam, how are you feeling now? Is there anything that's bothering you?"
Meng Jinyao replied truthfully, "My throat is dry, I'm a little thirsty, and my head feels a bit dizzy. What's wrong with me?"
Upon hearing this, Qingqiu hurriedly poured her a cup of warm water to soothe her throat.
Ningdong was the least able to keep a secret. Her eyes welled up with tears, and she choked out, "Madam, you suddenly developed a high fever last night, which terrified me. Qingqiu, the Marquis, and I stayed with you all night, and your fever finally subsided just before dawn."
Meng Jinyao was surprised to hear this: "I have a high fever? How come I didn't know?"
Gu Jingxi said gently, "You were delirious last night and didn't wake up at all, so it's normal that you don't know anything. But that's not important. It's good that you're alright now. We'll go back to the manor after breakfast and have the manor doctor take a look at you."
After saying this, he instructed Ningdong to go to the canteen to get breakfast, and then instructed Qingqiu to bring in water to wash up.
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