Chapter 76: The Chu family's past troubles seemed like a lifetime ago.
Mrs. Wen's eyes flickered, she straightened the wrinkles on her clothes, turned around, smiled, and walked slowly into the lounge.
At another table beside the ladies sat the girls, including Xie Ruoruo. She looked up at the sound of footsteps and saw Wen Shi. She couldn't help but call out in surprise, "Cousin-in-law!"
This sound attracted everyone's attention.
Wen shi greeted Xie Ruoruo gently, then walked naturally to the ladies, bowing and greeting them with a smile. "What a coincidence! I never thought I'd meet you ladies here!"
The other ladies didn't quite recognize her, but Madam Huang did. She smiled and replied, "Madam Wen, how are you?" Then she turned her head and introduced them, "This is Mrs. Wen, the wife of the Chief Censor, Lord Hu Huan."
The name Hu Huan sounded familiar to the ladies, and though they couldn't immediately address him, they still managed to exchange pleasantries. The Chief Censor was a fifth-rank official, a position of moderate importance in the capital.
"The opening of the Bixu Pavilion of Miss Fu has not been publicized. Those who can come today must be her close friends and relatives." Old Madam Jiang smiled kindly and signaled the maid to bring a cushion and invited Madam Wen to sit down.
"I haven't been feeling well since I gave birth to my youngest son, so I came to Madam Chu for treatment." Madam Wen smiled brightly, and answered vaguely without explaining herself, but instead included herself in the list of 'old friends'.
When they heard that it was Chu Yufu's patient, the alienation in the eyes of the ladies suddenly faded a little.
When Madam Shen heard the words "give birth to a young child", her eyes darkened imperceptibly. She picked up the teacup and took a sip, then said in a gentle voice, "Miss Chu's medical skills are indeed excellent."
Upon hearing this, Madam Jiang looked at her with concern: "I heard a few days ago that Fu Yatou was giving acupuncture to the young master. I wonder how the young master is doing now?"
Madam Shen's smile deepened as she replied, "Thanks to Miss Chu, he's gotten much better recently. This child is always clamoring to go to the stables to race... but I'm always worried about the horses' fierce tempers. What if he falls again?"
Madam Wen answered at the right moment, her voice soft, "Autumn is a beautiful and refreshing season, perfect for horseback riding. Coincidentally, I have a short-legged mare at home, with an extremely docile temperament. The most rare thing about it is that it trots smoothly, without any bumps at all. Hearing what you said, Madam, I think this pony is quite suitable for the young master."
"Oh?" Mrs. Shen's eyes lit up, and she was obviously moved.
Mrs. Huang also smiled and advised, "If you are truly well, it would be good to go out and relax. Staying at home all the time will only bore the child. A relaxed mood will naturally make the body healthier. In my opinion, why not fulfill the child's wish?"
Madam Shen thought about it carefully and felt that it made sense. After hesitating for a moment, she said, "Then... Madam Wen, can you give it up? How about I buy your pony? Just name a price."
This was what Madam Wen had been waiting for. What was a horse to her when she could establish a relationship with the Duke of Xin's Mansion?
"Madam, you are too kind. We are all mothers, and I empathize with the heart you feel for your children. How could I possibly accept your money? I will send someone to deliver the horse to your house when I return tomorrow."
Her tone was sincere, her words were beautiful without being flattering, and she seemed particularly natural.
After hearing this, Madam Shen smiled sincerely. She personally picked up the teapot, poured a cup of tea, and gently pushed it in front of her, accepting the favor: "Then I would like to thank Madam Wen first."
The atmosphere in the hall grew increasingly lively. The women gathered together, always having endless topics to discuss, from childbirth and raising children to clothing and jewelry, to the latest gossips in the capital.
The girls at the table next to them were also laughing and chatting. They were reminiscing about the novel experience they had just had while bathing, chattering about it non-stop, and had even made an appointment to come together next time.
After chatting for a while, Mrs. Wen stood up and said goodbye first, then went up to the third floor and found Chu Yufu who was sorting out the medicine case.
If Mrs. Wen only had a three-point respect for the general's wife at first, after this conversation on the second floor, that respect had quietly risen to seven points.
Which of the ladies in the hall wasn't particularly friendly to Chu Yufu? If they accidentally offended her, wouldn't they offend more than just the Chu family and General Pei? They also needed to consider the power behind the ladies in the hall!
Thinking of this, Mrs. Wen became more polite and respectful when speaking to Chu Yufu.
Fortunately, Mrs. Chu's every move revealed the gentleness and calmness of a doctor, and her temperament was gentle and graceful, making people feel like they were in the spring breeze. I felt a liking for her as soon as I met her.
Chu Yufu carefully examined her pulse and, after hearing that she was having trouble taking the medicine, she immediately performed her first acupuncture session on her. She then instructed her, "Madam, your condition requires acupuncture twice a week for a month before you can see significant improvement."
Upon hearing this, Madam Wen couldn't help but feel a pang of pain in her heart. Twice a week would cost at least thirty taels, and a month would cost one hundred and twenty taels.
But when I thought about this wonderful experience today and what happened on the second floor, the pain in my heart was instantly suppressed - it was worth it! This money was well spent!
-
It was almost noon when everyone was reluctant to leave. Chu Yufu personally came downstairs to see them off. After most of the guests had left, only Madam Shen and Chu Linglan were left in the hall.
Chu Yufu called the shopkeeper and told him to go to the Fushun Restaurant next door to order a table of food to be sent over. She then returned to the second floor, sat down opposite Madam Shen, took out a neatly folded piece of paper from her bosom, and gently pushed it in front of Madam Shen.
Mrs. Shen picked it up and unfolded it. She saw clear ink marks on the paper, with six cents of wild yam, three cents of honeysuckle, and fifteen cents of silver smilax glabra...
She tightened her grip on the paper slightly. "Is this the antidote? Did you figure it out?"
Chu Yufu nodded, then slowly shook her head. She took out a small wooden box that she had been holding in her left hand and gently placed it on the table.
"This is the detoxification pill that Doctor Xu and I prepared after much deliberation. The previous prescription was only for supplementary conditioning." She paused, her eyes frank and cautious. "Madam, this pill cannot be guaranteed to be completely effective. This is the best we have learned."
Half a month ago, she went to the Duke's Mansion to see Madam Shen. When she heard Madam Shen mention that her mouth ulcers had recurred, she unexpectedly discovered a light blue-gray "line" on her gums when she examined the ulcers.
She suddenly remembered that one of the very obvious symptoms of cinnabar poisoning is the appearance of such gray-blue deposits on the gums!
The toxicity of cinnabar stems from mercury. In the past, Western medicine often used chemical agents to remove mercury. She and Dr. Xu, after scouring medical texts, could only try the realgar detoxification formula documented in the "Supplement to Compendium of Materia Medica." Dr. Xu had said this recipe was unlikely to be more than 50% effective. However, at this point, there was no other option but to try.
The excitement in Mrs. Shen's eyes faded. She reached out to open the wooden box and took out a khaki pill about the size of the thumb tip. She looked at it intently for a moment, put it into her mouth without hesitation, and swallowed it with the warm tea in the cup. Her voice was unusually steady.
"Then... let's do our best and leave the rest to fate." He then handed the prescription in his hand to the maid behind him who kept it carefully.
Chu Yufu carefully instructed: "The prescription just now should be taken twice a day after meals. During the period of taking the medicine, you must avoid eating raw, cold, and irritating foods."
As they finished their business, the waiters from Fushun Restaurant came in one after another with food boxes and skillfully spread out various delicacies on the low table.
Chu Yufu beckoned Chu Linglan over and said to Madam Shen, "This is my mother's fourth sister, named Linglan."
Chu Linglan sat down on the futon in a proper manner, bowed her head and saluted: "Linglan greets the Duke's wife."
Madam Shen looked at her with a smile and said softly, "Well, the bridges of your noses, sisters, seem to be carved from the same mold."
Chuchu Yufu smiled when she heard this: "After all, we are descendants of the same father." After that, she picked up the serving chopsticks and picked up a piece of rosy venison for each of them. "The stewed venison of the Fushun family is a specialty. Come and try it."
Several people started eating.
During the meal, Chu Yufu asked casually, "Why are you here alone today? Are Grandmother and Auntie in good health? I've been so busy here that I haven't visited them for a while."
Chu Linglan swallowed the food in her mouth and replied, "Auntie and Grandmother are both fine. My eldest sister's wedding is scheduled for the end of the month, and she's busy preparing for it and can't get away. Mother just had a big fight with Dad the other day, so it's not convenient for her to go out either. That's why Grandmother asked me to come."
Chu Yufu raised an eyebrow in surprise. "My eldest sister is getting married? From the time of the engagement to now, it's been less than three months, right? What is mother and father arguing about?"
Chu Linglan opened her mouth to answer, but then remembered that Madam Shen was sitting there. She paused her chopsticks mid-air and stole a glance at her. Chu Yufu noticed her gaze and comforted her, "Madam Shen is not an outsider, so you can speak."
Madam Shen smiled slightly.
Chu Linglan then whispered, "I'm not entirely sure of the specific reason. I only know that Mother hopes that Big Sister will get married as soon as possible, and Big Sister...she is also willing."
"Did father visit mother's yard some time ago?" Chu Yufu thought for a moment and asked.
Chu Linglan shook her head.
Chu Yufu had a clue. It was probably because Father Chu had long neglected Wu, and Wu was getting impatient. She was eager to use the opportunity of marrying her legitimate daughter into the Changping Earl's mansion to solidify her status as the Earl's mother-in-law and give herself some confidence.
Chu Linglan then continued, "As for the quarrel between mother and father, it was all because of Third Brother."
"The day before yesterday, the results of my third brother's exam came out. He... not only failed to get into the Imperial College, but also failed to get into any of the top private schools in Beijing! Dad was furious and blamed Mom for not being disciplined enough, for letting my third brother become what he is now. Mom cried and said Dad wasn't devoted enough to him."
Chu Yufu had been so busy these past few months that she almost forgot about Chu Junze's college entrance exam. The first difficult thing she encountered when she transmigrated here was because of his college entrance exam. Less than a year had passed, and the past mess seemed like a lifetime ago.
Now he lives a peaceful life, while the Chu family is still in chaos.
Chu Yufu picked up a piece of lotus-cooked chicken slices and handed it to her, saying, "It's better if it's a little messy. If it's a little messy, Mother won't have time to look after you and Auntie, and you and your daughter can have a few days of peace. Please go to Grandmother more often, talk to her, and comfort her."
Chu Linglan nodded obediently, picked up the chicken slices from the bowl and put them into her mouth, mumbling, "Daddy asked me to tell you that you must return home on the 26th to help see Big Sister off. He also said that he has something important to tell you."
Chu Yufu frowned slightly when she heard this. What did her father have to say that made her want to go home and tell him?
Before she could think about it, her thoughts were interrupted by Chu Linglan. She tilted her head and asked, "Second sister, you are such a good doctor. Can you tell whether my mother is pregnant with a boy or a girl?"
Chu Yufu laughed: "Your sister, I am just a doctor, not a god."
"He's half a god." Madam Shen smiled softly with her hands covering her lips.
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