Chapter 261 Illness
Sheng An is sick.
After being awakened by a nightmare, she finally managed to fall asleep with the help of Xu Jinnian's comforting words. However, she suddenly developed a high fever in the middle of the night and fell into a coma, and could not be woken up no matter how much she was called.
Li Tian knocked on the doctor's door that very night. After carefully examining her pulse, the doctor prescribed only a dose of calming medicine and instructed Xu Jinnian to use cold water to lower her fever.
Xu Jinnian stayed by the bedside without changing his clothes, and wrung out a wet cloth until it was half-dry and applied it to Sheng An's neck and armpits.
It wasn't until dawn that Sheng An's body temperature barely returned to normal.
Xu Jinnian hadn't slept half the night. Seeing that she was asleep with deep breathing, he stood up stiffly, covered her with a blanket, picked up the basin of water, and went outside.
When Fang Qingzhou and Ye Yunhua saw him come out, they went up to him and asked with concern, "How is your wife?"
Xu Jinnian nodded slightly: "No more burning."
The two secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing their junior brother's haggard face, they patted him on the shoulder and said, "Eat first, then get a good night's sleep."
Soon, Uncle Fu and Aunt Niu also came over to inquire about Sheng An's condition, and left only after confirming that she was alright.
Illness comes like a landslide, but recovery is like pulling silk from a cocoon.
Sheng An lay in a daze for three whole days before finally opening his eyes and waking up.
Looking at the man who was noticeably thinner and had dark circles under his eyes, Sheng An knew that he had not been doing well these past few days while he was sick, and couldn't help but feel a little guilty: "The palace examination is in a few days, and I'm the one who has dragged you down."
Xu Jinnian disliked hearing such words, and his voice turned colder: "Husbands and wives should take care of each other. Does An'an want to treat her husband like a stranger?"
Upon hearing this, Sheng An grasped his hand and shook it, saying, "That's not what I meant."
She wasn't suffering from an incurable disease, and if taking care of her affected the palace examination five days later, she felt it wouldn't be worth it.
Xu Jinnian saw through Sheng An's thoughts at a glance, sighed softly, and sat down on the edge of the bed with her hand in his: "In my heart, your health is more important than the imperial examination."
Sheng An, afraid of men's incessant chatter, quickly ended the conversation:
"Alright, alright, I know what you mean. I'm fine now, so you can focus on preparing for the palace examination these next few days. I still want to see you parade through the streets on horseback."
Only the top three scholars (状元, 榜眼, and 探花) were qualified to be paraded through the streets on horseback.
Now that Xu Jinnian has won the top score in the provincial examination, as long as he performs normally in the palace examination, his chances of entering the first class are extremely high.
"I will not let you down."
Xu Jinnian gently patted his wife's head and leaned down to kiss her forehead: "Take good care of yourself these next few days, don't worry your husband."
Sheng An obediently replied, "I understand."
She has rarely been sick in recent years, at most sneezing or coughing a few times, without even needing to take medicine.
This illness really scared her, as she was afraid it would affect the baby in her womb.
Seeing his wife's hands on her stomach and a worried look on her face, Xu Jinnian gently comforted her, "The doctor comes to check your pulse every day, our baby is fine."
Sheng An breathed a sigh of relief. Just as she was about to speak, her lower abdomen suddenly twitched, startling her so much that she cried out, "Ouch!"
Xu Jinnian's expression tightened, and he asked nervously, "What's wrong?"
Seeing that he was frightened, Sheng An quickly smiled and explained, "The child is making a lot of noise. He probably heard our conversation and is making a fuss to put our minds at ease."
After saying that, she took the man's large hand and placed it on her protruding belly: "You're much more active than before."
Last month, Sheng'an felt fetal movement for the first time.
Whether it was because it was naturally inactive or because it slept all day, the baby in her womb didn't move much and didn't move frequently. Often, just as Sheng'an realized it was moving, it would stop again.
Xu Jinnian gently touched Sheng An's lower abdomen and quickly felt the movement under his palm. His expression softened instantly: "He's a good boy."
As if in response to his words, the little guy moved again, though less than before.
Sheng An's eyes crinkled into crescents, her pale face radiating affection: "She's really good. From the time I got pregnant until now, she hasn't made me suffer at all."
At most, I'm a little more sleepy than before, but this effect is negligible.
Upon hearing this, Xu Jinnian felt that the child had come to repay a debt of gratitude.
As long as he doesn't cause trouble for An'an, he's a good child.
The couple chatted casually, neither of them mentioning the nightmare from that night.
Sheng An is fine, and Xu Jinnian is focusing on preparing for the palace examination.
Fang Qingzhou and Ye Yunhua were not in a hurry to go home. They decided to wait until after the palace examination, and then return to Qingzhou with the news that Xu Jinnian and Tan Zhenlin had passed the examination.
Tan Zhenlin's family all live in Beijing, and they will hardly have any chance to return to Qingzhou in the future.
Sheng An was more than five months pregnant. Even though the more than two hundred newly appointed Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examination) would have a three-month leave after the palace examination, Xu Jinnian would not risk taking her all the way back to Qingzhou.
The four fellow disciples will not be able to reunite until the imperial examination three years from now.
In the following days, Xu Jinnian stayed in the study reading every day, while Sheng An would stroll around the yard, supporting his back, and occasionally cook some delicious food to satisfy his cravings.
Tan Qingrou rushed to the Jiang residence after receiving news of her illness. She found her sitting peacefully on the veranda, admiring the flowers and plants in the yard, and her anxiety immediately subsided.
Seeing that Sheng An's complexion was noticeably worse than before, Tan Qingrou felt sorry for her again: "Sister An'an, you've lost so much weight."
Sheng An pulled her to sit beside him and pushed the pastries he had made in front of her: "It's okay, it will grow back in a few days. Look at me, I'm perfectly fine."
Tan Qingrou asked with concern, "Are you completely healed? Is there anything that's bothering you?"
Sheng An smiled and said, "Yes, nothing's wrong, don't worry."
Seeing that she was in good spirits and didn't seem unwell, Tan Qingrou was in the mood to enjoy the snacks.
After just one bite, he kept praising how delicious the dessert was.
Thinking of the young girl's marriage prospects, Sheng An asked with concern, "How is your search for the son of the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy going?"
Tan Qingrou happily ate her snacks without her expression changing at all.
"That young master Du seems alright, and the Du family has also expressed their intention to arrange a marriage. However, my mother listened to my father and declined Madam Du's invitation on the grounds that her hands and feet had not yet fully recovered."
Last month, a sudden heavy snowfall caused Mrs. Tan to slip and fall, breaking one of her arms and one of her legs.
After more than a month of rest, the injury has mostly healed, but it will take some more time to fully recover.
Madam Tan was getting anxious because her daughter's marriage prospects weren't going well. She implied that Tan Qingrou was too picky and hoped that she could get engaged as soon as possible.
"No rush, you're only sixteen, there's no time to take your time to get to know each other."
Sheng An was worried that Tan Qingrou would be pressured into marriage and randomly pick a man to get engaged, so he comforted her:
“Your brother has passed the imperial examination and is a sure-fire Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations). There will be no shortage of families in the capital who want to arrange a marriage between your family and yours.”
Tan Qingrou knew Sheng An's good intentions and said with a smile, "Sister An'an, don't worry, I'm not in a hurry, really."
Sheng An looked at her, and only felt relieved after confirming that she was indeed not in a hurry.
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