Chapter 59. Chapter 59. Well-intentioned.
Jiang Yunshang put down her teacup and looked at her granddaughter with clear eyes: "After investigating the water pollution, he foresaw that the city's traditional Chinese medicine clinic would face enormous pressure in the coming days, and the consumption of medicinal materials would be incalculable. Moreover, the two official medicine suppliers that the Medical Academy usually has are not currently in the period stipulated in their contracts for supplying medicines."
"He then discussed with the Imperial Physician Zhu Zhi and made special arrangements, allowing a qualified medicine merchant with sufficient reserves to be temporarily selected from the city to fill the gap in order to cope with the epidemic. As for the fact that you and he discovered the water source was contaminated, you contributed a lot in the initial treatment of the two patients."
"Since you have already established a medical clinic that is officially registered, your position on the recommendation is more secure, both in terms of public and private matters. The qualifications, background, and storage capacity of my Meng Family Pharmacy can withstand the most stringent inspection. Therefore, this temporary supplementary quota for medicine merchants has fallen to us."
She spoke calmly, explaining the reasons one by one: "These past few days, he has been following the procedures, leading people to conduct a detailed inspection and verification of the medicinal materials in the pharmacy. Only after everything passed the inspection was this approval document drafted, and it was only this evening that it was officially delivered to your residence by an official from the Imperial Medical Academy."
Meng Yutong was shocked. Combining this with the information Yunzhou had inadvertently revealed earlier, it turned out that Ji Yun had already begun working on this matter long before she spoke today, secretly pushing everything forward. And he had never revealed a single word to her.
“My granddaughter happened to meet him today and mentioned the medicinal herbs at home, but he did not tell me the details.”
Upon hearing this, Jiang Yunshang's lips curled up slightly, revealing a knowing look that seemed to hold a hint of a smile: "He knows your personality well. He knows you are independent and strong-willed, unwilling to easily accept favors from others, and even less willing to have too much involvement with the Ji family."
“If I tell you too early, I’m afraid you’ll feel resistant and burdened. So… let’s go with the flow and pretend that he only helped you after you asked him to. After it’s done, I can tell you the whole story through me.”
The old lady's gaze narrowed slightly, carrying a hint of scrutiny, and she said slowly, "In that case, this young man's meticulous and profound thinking, and his tactful and appropriate handling of matters, are far beyond the reach of ordinary people. He truly... has put in a lot of effort."
She spoke those last four words with a profound meaning.
As the two were talking in hushed tones, a rustling sound suddenly came from the porch outside the door, and a figure could be vaguely seen peeking in furtively through the window screen.
Granny Wu's expression hardened, and she immediately exchanged a glance with Jiang Yunshang, who was seated. Jiang Yunshang frowned slightly and nodded. Granny Wu understood, immediately turned around, and quickly walked towards the door.
A moment later, Granny Wu led in a woman dressed in a light pink dress embroidered with plum blossoms; it was Meng Yurou.
"Granddaughter...granddaughter greets grandmother." Meng Yurou's face showed obvious embarrassment and awkwardness, and her voice was barely audible.
She wasn't there to pay her respects properly. She had clearly heard that Meng Yutong had been summoned to Songfeng Courtyard, and unable to suppress her curiosity and some inexplicable jealousy, she had been hiding outside the door to eavesdrop, only to be caught red-handed.
Everyone in the room knew what was going on, but no one dared to expose her clumsy pretense.
Jiang Yunshang was already used to her underhanded behavior. She felt a throbbing pain in her temples again and said with a hint of disdain, "Why aren't you staying in your own courtyard at night? What are you doing wandering around here?"
Meng Yurou felt extremely wronged. Why was Meng Yutong allowed to talk to her grandmother here late at night, while she was considered "wandering around aimlessly"?
Grandmother's heart is truly biased towards her!
She then recalled the epidemic that had been spreading in Lin'an recently. She heard that many people had suffered from severe diarrhea after drinking dirty water, and some had even developed typhoid fever and were bedridden.
She has always been timid and afraid of death. Since hearing about this matter, she has stayed in her mansion for the past few days, not venturing out of the main gate. Even the sight of an old man delivering vegetables outside makes her tremble with fear, lest she inadvertently bring that deadly illness into the mansion.
And Meng Yutong… doesn’t she run that lousy clinic outside the city? That clinic must have treated a lot of filthy patients like her! She deals with those sickly people every day, and her body must be covered in all sorts of filth and disease, yet she still dares to approach my grandmother!
Thinking this, the mix of resentment, fear, and pent-up jealousy caused her to lose her temper and blurt out, "Grandmother! I'm worried about you! You're old and can't stand illness! Diarrhea is rampant in the city right now. My eldest sister runs a clinic outside, and she's surrounded by those filthy patients all day long. If she brings back some unclean disease, it's one thing if it gets to us, but what if it gets to you?!"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Yunshang's temple throbbed with a sharp pain! This rascal, every time he appears, it's never anything good; he's always here to annoy her!
She immediately rebuked him sternly: "I always tell you to read more books and understand things, but you always shirk your responsibilities and try to be clever! Now that it's time for you to show your ignorance and stupidity! It would be one thing if you were a little dull, but you have to make a big fuss about it! You know that the disease was caused by drinking dirty water. If you hadn't touched that dirty water and had stayed in the house properly, who could have infected you? And what does it have to do with your sister?!"
These words were quite harsh. Jiang Yunshang had been thoroughly annoyed by her anxious granddaughter lately, and knew that reasoning with her was like casting pearls before swine; only harsh words could calm her down for a moment.
Meng Yurou blushed and felt ashamed after being scolded so harshly.
She was a person who cared a lot about her reputation and had always been competing with Meng Yutong, always trying to outdo her. Now, being so mercilessly reprimanded by her grandmother in public, especially in front of Meng Yutong, the grievances in her heart instantly swelled into overwhelming resentment!
She disregarded all decorum and propriety expected of a well-bred young lady, suddenly sat down on the ground, and began to wail loudly:
"Grandmother! How can you be so biased?! I only asked out of concern for you! You've always only had my eldest sister in your heart! Such a good marriage with the Ji family, have you ever thought of me even a little bit?! Whether it's my eldest sister breaking off the engagement or opening a clinic, you've spoiled her rotten! I just came to pay my respects and asked one more question, and you treat me like this! We're both your granddaughters, but your heart is so biased! So biased!!"
The three people in the room had never seen such a shrewish outburst before. They were all stunned and stood there, looking at each other, speechless.
Seeing this, Meng Yurou cried even more miserably, and started wailing and screaming at the top of her lungs, as if she had suffered a great injustice and wanted to make sure that everyone in the mansion knew about it.
She harbored a deep resentment for a long time, but her aunt used to urge her to please the old lady every day, so she tried her best not to show it.
She was determined not to tolerate this any longer!
Jiang Yunshang's temples throbbed from the piercing noise. She pinched her brow, feeling a buzzing in her head, as if her old ailment was being aggravated.
Granny Wu rushed forward to help her up: "Second Miss! What are you doing! This is improper! Get up quickly!"
Meng Yurou forcefully slapped away Wu Mama's hand, her wailing growing louder: "Get away! I don't need your fake kindness! You're all the same! You all look down on me! Apart from my concubine, no one in this mansion cares about me! No one likes me!!"
She cried out so hard that she was hoarse, tears streaming down her face, completely losing her composure.
Granny Wu was also at a loss for what to do with this reckless attitude. She looked at the old lady sitting on the seat, her face ashen and her body exhausted, and then glanced at the second young lady rolling on the ground, her clothes disheveled and looking like a madwoman. She felt like she had a splitting headache.
Finally, she turned her pleading gaze to Meng Yutong, who was sitting quietly to the side, her eyes filled with helplessness and earnestness.
Meng Yutong received Wu Mama's gaze and understood. She sighed softly, her voice gentle and calm: "Grandmother, since that's the case, to spare my second sister worry and for the sake of peace in the manor, I will temporarily move to the clinic for the next few days. It just so happens that the clinic has admitted several seriously ill patients, and I can stay there to take care of them at night."
Jiang Yunshang immediately frowned and objected: "Nonsense! You are an unmarried young lady. It is already overstepping your bounds to show your face in public and practice medicine during the day. If word gets out that you stay overnight in that mixed medical clinic, what will become of your reputation?"
"Ignore her! Let her cry here! When she's tired of crying, she'll realize it's pointless and go home on her own! It's my fault for neglecting her upbringing, allowing her to become so ill-mannered and unruly!"
Upon hearing that her grandmother was still protecting Meng Yutong, Meng Yurou became even more jealous and cried even harder.
Seeing this, Meng Yutong gently advised again, "Grandmother, it's late. How can you sleep peacefully if she keeps crying like this? It will harm your health. I'll take Granny Gui and Baizhi with me. There are also trustworthy staff at the clinic to help take care of her."
"Furthermore, Zhaoyutang was originally an inn with complete facilities. It is not unreasonable for me to stay alone in the courtyard of the guest rooms. I will come back when the epidemic in the city eases."
Granny Wu chimed in, "Madam, the eldest young lady's consideration is very thoughtful. These past few days, the clinic has been extremely busy, and the eldest young lady has been running around the city every day, which is indeed tiring and inconvenient. Why not do as the eldest young lady suggests and stay at the clinic for the time being? This way, she can concentrate on treating patients and also give the mansion a few days of peace and quiet. Once this busy period has passed, she can come back and rest properly."
Jiang Yunshang was being persuaded by the two people on her left and right, and when she looked at the stubborn, wailing child on the ground, she felt utterly exhausted.
The cries were shrill and piercing; if she listened any longer, she feared her old illness would really relapse.
She finally waved her hand wearily, her voice tinged with weakness: "Fine, fine... whatever you say. But Tong girl, make sure you bring plenty of men, be careful in everything, and make sure the doors are locked at night..."
After a moment's hesitation, she turned to Granny Wu and gave more specific instructions: "Do it as we just discussed. Go help Tong'er pack, make sure she has all the usual brocade quilts, embroidered pillows, and toiletries. Have the stables bring out the largest carriage in the manor, the one with the blue canopy and cloud-patterned roof. Have Steward Chen personally drive it and escort them there. Also... pick two reliable guards from the household staff to accompany them..."
Meng Yutong quickly declined, saying, "Grandmother, there's no need for guards. My clinic simply can't accommodate so many people. Steward Chen's escort is more than enough."
“…Then so be it.” Jiang Yunshang sighed and stopped insisting, but added with concern, “If anything is missing or lacking in the manor, be sure to send someone back to the manor immediately. You must not make yourself suffer.”
She and her grandmother rarely had such heartwarming moments of filial piety and grandparental love. This procurement document truly relieved the old lady of a great burden.
Meng Yutong still preferred this kind of caring and gentle old lady. She smiled and obediently replied, "Granddaughter understands, Grandmother is at ease."
Granny Wu then bowed and withdrew with Meng Yutong. The two went to Xingtao Courtyard to pack their belongings, preparing to return to Zhaoyu Hall.
After the two left, Meng Yurou's sobs gradually subsided. She continued to sob, but couldn't help turning her head, her gaze following Meng Yutong's departing figure, her expression complex and unreadable…
Just then, a crisp 'crack' rang out! A fine white porcelain teacup flew out of nowhere, grazing her forehead before crashing into the blue brick floor in front of her, shattering instantly and scattering shards everywhere!
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