Chapter 265 Warmth
At night, a brazier of silver frost charcoal was already burning in the corner of the room by the window, bringing some warmth to the room, which was always a bit damp and cold at night.
Li Ersao leaned against the bed, listening to the rustling sound of the wind hitting the leaves in the yard. Estimating the time, she finished sewing the bib she was making for Xiao Wulang. Just as she bit off the end of the thread with her teeth, Li Erxiong came into the house carrying a bucket of hot water.
"It's really cold today. I'll pour you some hot water. You can wash first, and then I can use the remaining water to wash myself."
Li Ersao didn't refuse and nodded in agreement.
Although we now have a well at home, making it convenient to get water, boiling water still requires firewood.
The city of Chang'an is different from the countryside. If you need firewood, you can just go up the mountain to collect some during the off-season.
The colder it is, the more firewood can fetch a good price in Chang'an.
When her slightly cold feet were soaked in the boiling water, Li Ersao shivered.
When Li Erxiong saw this, he quickly went forward, picked up the clothes from the rack, and draped them over Li Ersao, saying, "You're still feeling weak. We'll set aside some money later to buy some good things and ask you to make some nourishing soup for me so you can recover properly."
Li Ersao was naturally pleased with Li Erxiong's thoughtfulness, but she still said, "It's not like that at all."
This time, I had a full two-month postpartum confinement period after giving birth to my fifth child. My mother-in-law even gave me ten eggs to eat. What's the big deal?
I just caught a little chill from staying in bed doing chores without moving, it's nothing serious.
Brother Li didn't refute it again, but he still kept it in mind, thinking that he would make sure to nourish Sister-in-law Li properly later.
This is how a woman conceives and gives birth; it's very harmful to her body.
Li Ersao only soaked in the water until it was still a little hot before she had to get out so that Li Erxiong could go in and soak his feet.
Brother Li pointed to the remaining hot water in the wooden tub: "Soak it a little longer, and I'll add some more water later."
“I’m thinking, no matter how good the weather is tomorrow, we shouldn’t take Xiao Wu back to my mother’s house. The conditions in the countryside are still not as good as in the city. The weather is already bad, and if Xiao Wu gets sick, it will be Xiao Wu who suffers.”
Brother Li took out a cloth to dry his feet, picked up the wooden basin and placed it by the door before returning to the bed. He nodded to Sister-in-law Li: "That's right, Xiao Wu is still a bit too young. When he's a little older and stronger, we'll take him to see my parents-in-law for a proper check-up."
...
As dawn broke, a light drizzle began to fall.
After having breakfast at home, outside the clinic, Li Erxiong carried the things prepared by Li's mother and sister-in-law onto the carriage. After bowing to Li's parents, he led Li Erxiong and Li Sanlang onto the carriage.
As luck would have it, the four children's academy was also on holiday today, so Li Sanlang was able to go to his maternal grandparents' home with his parents.
Li San Niang was thinking that if the weather was good, she could really take Lu Zhu'er with her second brother to visit her second sister-in-law's family.
Conditions in the countryside are not as good as in the city, but they still have their own unique charm.
But this day was truly frustrating.
As the year draws to a close and the new year approaches, Dewdrop will be three years old. If we use the current counting method, Dewdrop will be four years old and can no longer be called a little child.
At this age, if one were living in a wealthy family, besides being able to start growing one's hair long, one should also be able to learn some things.
Of course, Li San Niang did not want to exploit the child's nature so early. Moreover, although Nü Niang was in charge of the government at this time, apart from the female officials used by Emperor Wu himself, no one else in the court stood above her as Nü Niang.
However, it is certainly possible to make education fun.
Li San Niang obtained the educational toys that the four little ones had played with when they were young from Li's mother. Most of them were exquisite wooden objects, some of which were simply polished smooth, while others were painted.
That morning, Li San Niang just stayed in the house playing with Lu Zhu'er and these things.
You know what, even as an adult, Li Sanniang found these fun and educational toys quite interesting.
Things like the Nine-Linked Rings and the Kongming Lock are enough to keep someone entertained for half a day.
As the seasons change, it gets dark earlier and earlier, and the dewdrops have long since stopped taking afternoon naps.
After lunch, Li San Niang was thinking of playing with Lu Zhu'er a little longer when, unsurprisingly, the two returned to the Li family home.
Old Doctor Liang and Li San Niang's junior apprentice brother, the young boy from Shaoyang, returned in a donkey cart carrying large bundles and small boxes.
After learning about his junior uncle's final fate at the Li family, Doctor Liang took Li San Niang as his disciple.
Because Li Sanniang had passed the examination to become a physician in the Medical Alliance and had already started working at a clinic under the alliance, Old Physician Liang thought it would be convenient for Li Sanniang to move into the Zhou family's house next door, which she had bought, so that she could learn acupuncture techniques from him after her shifts each day.
Of course, this will also make it easier for the young boy from Shaoyang to take the Alliance Physician exam next year and accumulate experience. It is also paving the way for Dr. Liang's original closed-door disciple's path to becoming a doctor.
So, the master and disciple returned to their original rented house. Doctor Liang first wrote six letters to each of his six disciples in various parts of the Tang Dynasty, informing them that he had taken in a junior sister for them.
Then, the two of them had to find a middleman to handle the rental of the house, which was still under lease, and also had to take care of their belongings.
Dr. Liang had a wide circle of friends. He originally planned to wait in Chang'an until the young man from Shaoyang passed the exam, and then he would go to see his old friends.
It seems unlikely that this can be done in the next two years.
This always requires writing a letter, preparing some gifts, and explaining the reason to the friend with whom the agreement was originally made.
After dealing with all these miscellaneous matters, it took the master and apprentice several days to finally settle everything and return to the Li family with their numerous and varied belongings.
Dewdrop wasn't shy at all. Upon seeing Doctor Liang and the young boy from Shaoyang, she deftly stepped forward to greet them at Li San Niang's prompting.
This time, the young boy from Shaoyang nodded with great confidence and deftly took out a brocade pouch from his sleeve.
"Dewdrop, you're so sweet. This is a gift from your martial uncle. Please accept it."
The dewdrop revealed her tiny, millet-like teeth, her smile adorable and bright.
"Thank you, Junior Uncle."
After saying that, he even gave a perfunctory bow.
Dewdrop handed the brocade pouch she had taken from the young boy from Shaoyang to Li Sanniang. As soon as Li Sanniang took it, she smelled the aroma of herbs.
After smelling it carefully and identifying it, I determined that it was a medicinal herb for repelling insects and ants.
"It's a family recipe that's suitable for children to wear."
Although Li San Niang didn't understand these things, just by looking at the embroidery on the brocade pouch, she knew that it was not something that ordinary people could afford.
"Thank you so much, Junior Brother. I'll make sure Dewdrop wears it properly."
The best thing is when the gift-giving results in a win-win situation.
Although Li Sanlang went to the countryside with his parents, Li Dalang and the other two could be considered almost adults.
It took the three of them, plus Shijiu and the young boy from Shaoyang, two trips to move all the master and apprentice's belongings to the courtyard next door reserved for them.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com