Chapter 504 Seeking Medical Treatment
Finally, Li San Niang, with Lu Zhu'er in the Qian family garden, actually found the big red flower that Bao Yu had mentioned.
After staying at the Qian family's house for about an hour, Li San Niang and Qiu Xiang left with Lu Zhu'er, who had been playing wildly with Qian Xiao Lang and the others.
The Qian family was particular, so they only gave her a set of writing implements, and Lu Zhu'er gave her a wooden dog carving that Li San Niang had bought at a stall. She also had a delicious meal at the Qian family's house.
Before they left, the Qian family even prepared a gift for each guest: a two-tiered pastry box containing eight kinds of snacks.
Once they were seated in the carriage that Lao Shi had come to fetch them, Li San Niang carefully put down Lu Zhu'er, who was already asleep in her arms, so that she could lie flat on the bench and sleep more comfortably.
Li San Niang whispered to Qiu Xiang, "These wealthy families are so particular. They even sent such a return gift. Not to mention the food inside, the two-layered wooden box looks very exquisite."
Qiu Xiang looked at Lu Zhu'er sleeping soundly beside Li San Niang, and then whispered to Li San Niang, "San Niangzi, what exactly did that woman surnamed Song want with you?"
The way you two talked at the end, it seemed like something was going on, right?
Li San Niang gently patted Lu Zhu'er's body with her left hand. She glanced at Lu Zhu'er first, then smiled helplessly at Qiu Xiang and told her what Song Zhenzhu had said.
Qiu Xiang looked at Li San Niang in disbelief and asked, "This young lady actually came to our door like this?"
She's just a girl who's not even engaged yet, how dare she?
How could she do this?
From what position is she speaking to you, Third Sister, in such a way?
Seeing that Qiu Xiang was angry for his sake, his voice rose considerably.
Li San Niang couldn't help but laugh out loud. Seeing that Li San Niang could still laugh, Qiu Xiang couldn't help but feel a bit anxious, like an emperor who wasn't worried but a eunuch who was.
"Third Sister, how can you still laugh?"
If you ask me, I should have directly confronted that woman surnamed Song with the questions I just asked her!
"Oh dear Qiu Xiang, I know you're standing up for me, but I've suffered an undeserved misfortune."
However, the woman was probably acting impulsively.
She's just a young woman caught up in love; why should I argue with her?
There's no need to waste time and energy, so let's just leave it at that.
If she continues to come looking for me, then we'll talk about it then.
Li San Niang specifically instructed Qiu Xiang not to mention Song Zhenzhu's matter to Li's mother and sister-in-law when she returned to the Li family. Only after seeing Qiu Xiang nod did Li San Niang feel relieved.
When they returned to the Li family home, Lu Zhu'er was still asleep. Li San Niang carried her through the door, where she was taken away by Li's mother.
"She must have fallen asleep from exhaustion after playing all day."
Holding Dewdrop, Li's mother saw Li's sister-in-law about to take the two-tiered pastry box from Qiuxiang's hands, but Qiuxiang would never let a pregnant woman do such a thing.
"Sister-in-law, I'll just put it in the kitchen."
After saying that, she walked towards the kitchen on her own. Li Dasao was a little amused and called out from behind Qiu Xiang, "How can you be so precious? You're not showing any signs of pregnancy yet."
Attending Qian Xiaolang's birthday banquet at the Qian family was just an occasional thing for Li Sanniang; her main job was still the doctor who worked in Yongpingfang.
When Li San Niang returned home after finishing her shift that day, she had just stepped off the carriage and hadn't even entered the house when Li Er Xiong told her, "San Niang, your mother and sister-in-law are waiting for you next door."
Carrying her medical kit, Li San Niang didn't even catch a glimpse of Lu Zhu'er before heading with Qiu Xiang to the Women's Assistance Association next to the Li Family Medical Hall.
In those few steps, Li San Niang roughly guessed that someone must have come seeking medical help. It was probably her daughter's illness, otherwise she wouldn't have had to wait until she returned from her shift. She could have easily asked her second brother or father to examine her.
Sure enough, as soon as Li San Niang entered the Women's Assistance Association, Wu Qiaolan grabbed her and whispered about the woman lying in the east wing of the association.
It turned out that at noon today, a young man who looked to be about thirteen or fourteen years old, wearing a patched-up short brown robe, came to them and begged Li's mother and the others to save his mother.
Looking at the young man kneeling on the ground with red eyes, Li's mother told him to get up and talk properly, but the young man did not get up. He just knelt down and told her about his sick mother.
Then he kowtowed to Li's mother, saying, "I heard that this Women's Assistance Association is specifically for helping women. My mother is a woman, so please help my mother, I beg you, madam."
I'm willing to help with the work. I have three younger siblings at home, and we can all do the work.
"I only beg you, my lady, to save my mother."
Li's mother, along with Wu Qiaolan, followed the young man named Dapeng to the outer three cities. In a low mud house, they saw a withered woman lying on the bed, looking like a corpse.
Even if Li's mother was just a midwife, Wu Qiaolan, who had only just started learning to be a midwife, could tell that this woman named Yunniang was beyond saving.
However, seeing Dapeng's hopeful eyes and the three little girls and boys beside Yunniang's bed who were not even as tall as her waist, Li's mother still felt a pang of pity.
Therefore, Li's mother paid for a laborer from the street to help lift Yunniang onto the donkey cart and take her to the Women's Aid Association.
"...Yunniang is lying inside right now. I just cooked some rice porridge and fed her a little bit of it."
"Third Sister, this woman seems to have a problem with her lower body; she smells rather foul. Why don't you wear a mask before you go in?"
Li San Niang asked a few more questions about the specific situation of Yun Niang's family.
"Oh, it's terrible, it's really terrible."
Three years ago, Yunniang's husband was forced into corvée labor, but unfortunately, he fell into the water and drowned.
There were four children in the family. Besides the eldest, Dapeng, who could do odd jobs to earn a living, the other three younger ones relied entirely on her income from washing and mending clothes.
Li San Niang nodded, refusing Wu Qiaolan's suggestion to wear a mask, and followed Wu Qiaolan into the east wing with her medical kit on her back.
As soon as Fu entered, he saw three children squatting on the ground, doing something. Two of them were older, around seven or eight years old, and one was younger, around four or five years old.
Then Li San Niang saw a woman lying on the bed with a pale face and a foul stench that could be smelled from seven or eight steps away, and a young man dressed in short brown clothes beside the woman's bed.
"Third Sister, come and take a look at Yunniang."
After greeting Li San Niang, Li's mother, and Da Peng, she spoke to Yun Niang, who was barely breathing on the bed, and then took out a pulse pillow, placed it on her wrist, and began to take her pulse.
Simply put, judging from Li San Niang's pulse diagnosis, Yun Niang was nothing more than someone who just counted down the days.
After taking their pulses, Li Sanniang said to Dapeng and Yunniang, "I still need to do some palpation. It's different for men and women, so please wait outside for a moment, Dapeng."
Wu Qiaolan gestured for Dapeng to wait outside. Dapeng understood and, after bowing to Li Sanniang with his three younger siblings who were still on the ground, walked towards the door.
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