The following morning, Li Mai visited Mrs. Qi.
Madam Qi's courtyard was quiet and deserted, but she greeted Li Mai with a smile.
The same people who used to serve him were still by his side, but the disciples and the melodious music were no longer in the courtyard.
Li Mai said with a smile, "You didn't plan to inform your apprentices this time you came back? I guess Xiao Tao doesn't know you're back either?"
Madam Qi nodded. "Yes, I'm not feeling well. I'll rest here for a while and don't want to trouble them."
"Hold out your hand, let me see!" Li Mai put down his teacup and sat down next to her.
Madam Qi raised an eyebrow, suddenly remembering what Nanling had said before: her younger sister was no ordinary woman; she had many skills!
She hadn't really gotten to know her in detail.
After taking her pulse, Li Mai shook her head helplessly, "Heartache has caused damage to all five internal organs."
"Madam Qi, to put it bluntly, in this life, everything is trivial except for death."
"Although it is said that every day we live from the day we are born is a journey toward the day we die, whether each day is filled with joy and happiness or melancholy and sorrow is meaningless to others, but to ourselves, it is a real feeling."
Instead of spending your days in sorrow, why not enjoy life to the fullest and make yourself more comfortable? To be honest, for others, or for those who don't care about you, your happiness or sadness is irrelevant. But for those who care about you, your joy is their joy, and your sorrow is their sorrow!
As Li Mai spoke, she pointed to her chest and glanced at the sad expressions on the faces of the people serving her.
Madam Qi silently raised her head and glanced at them, then sighed, "I'm sorry to have worried you. Go and rest now. I need to have a heart-to-heart talk with Madam Zhou."
"Yes, we'll be right outside. Just call out if you need anything, Miss." Madam Qi nodded, and the group went out.
Madam Qi remained silent for a long time, then leaned back wearily in her chair. "I've never told you my story, have I?"
Li Mai nodded. "I can guess that your story is related to relationships."
Madam Qi nodded and began to tell her story in a low voice.
Lady Qi's story is rather old-fashioned, nothing more than a tale of a talented scholar and a beautiful woman, except that the talented scholar is not a good one, and the beautiful woman is a true beauty.
Madam Qi's family was not of high social standing, but fortunately, they ran a martial arts school, and she learned kung fu from a young age. However, from the time she was thirteen and marriage was arranged, things did not go smoothly. The reason was simple: no wealthy family was willing to marry a woman who knew kung fu. They wanted to marry a proper woman who was well-educated and reasonable.
If she were from a poor family, her parents wouldn't want her to marry into such a family and suffer unless they were certain the man had a promising future.
Left with no other choice, her mother could only find her a tutor to teach her music, chess, calligraphy, and painting.
She was very intelligent. In just three years, she mastered the four arts of playing the zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting. At the age of sixteen, she attended a banquet at a wealthy family's mansion. She was tricked into playing the zither, and her performance dazzled many people at the time.
It was on that occasion that she caught the eye of the son of the city's richest man, a dashing and charming man. He made two attempts to get to know her and, after confirming that she was indeed excellent in every way, hired a matchmaker and married her.
Her parents were overjoyed this time. They never expected that their daughter, after learning these skills, would be able to marry into the richest family.
However, married life made her realize how different such families were from their own small household.
In particular, after three years of marriage without having children, her husband's initial excitement for her faded, and his passion also waned.
Soon, they brought back several women, including concubines and mistresses, sent by their grandmother and mother-in-law. Soon, their backyard was full of people.
He never entered her room again.
She was not one to suffer such injustices. Once, after a concubine provoked her by calling her a barren hen, she relied on her martial arts skills to give the woman a severe beating, which reportedly caused her to miscarry.
However, some people say that the woman staged the miscarriage herself, as it just so happened that she was menstruating.
But what she later experienced made her lose the will to dwell on those things.
The man went back and cursed at her, even threatening to beat her. But she wasn't one to wait to be beaten. A couple who had hit each other had their relationship completely ruined. Less than a month later, under her mother-in-law's arrangement, the man divorced her on the grounds that they hadn't had children in three years of marriage and that she was harming their offspring.
Her parents were so upset that they fell ill and died within a year of each other.
The martial arts hall was taken over by her younger brother. Heartbroken, she left and wandered around. There she met the fisherwoman, and the two traveled together. Eventually, she followed her here and settled down.
This Qing Shi Town looked like a quiet and secluded little town, so she stayed.
Six years later, she thought she had let go. She traveled back there to see how her brother was doing, but as if by prior arrangement, the only time she went out for tea, she ran into her ex-husband and was provoked. She was so angry that she almost punched him. But thinking that her brother was still living in the city, she could only let herself get so angry that she collapsed and had to leave quickly.
However, over the past year, no matter where she went, the more she thought about it, the angrier she became, and the more uneasy she felt.
In the first few years, he was truly gentle and considerate; how could she possibly keep her heart? But who knew it would end like that?
After listening, Li Mai remained silent for a while, then suddenly looked up and said, "That's not right. I took your pulse, and there's nothing wrong with your body!"
Madam Qi was taken aback. "Impossible. I had a doctor take my pulse back then, and he said that my body was too cold and I would have difficulty having children. And I do have abdominal pain every time I have my period."
Li Mai waved her hand, "Your problem isn't serious enough to affect your ability to have children. Your situation isn't your problem; it's that person's problem."
Madam Qi shook her head. "Impossible. He said he has three children now and that he didn't wrong me back then."
Li Mai shook her head, raised an eyebrow and smiled, "Is he really sure his child is his? Only the person who has given birth to the child can be sure it is their own."
Madam Qi was stunned by her words; she had never thought of it that way before.
Li Mai smiled and said, "Madam Qi, think about it. If his concubines or his current wife knew why you were divorced and that they still didn't have children after a year, what would they do to keep their wealth and status?"
Madam Qi's heart suddenly skipped a beat, and a smile appeared on her face. "That's right, I heard from my brother that he only had a child in recent years."
Seeing the smile on her face, Li Mai felt relieved. Was she a little happier?
Isn't it better to think more positively? Wouldn't it make you happier to think like that?
She didn't know whether that person's child was their own or not, and it was none of her business, but by saying that, Madam Qi's mood improved, and her condition would improve.
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