Chapter 31 Recuperation
Because Fu Yunxiu insisted on keeping watch for Aman, Mantou couldn't persuade him otherwise and had no choice but to go along with him.
Fortunately, Aman was physically robust and did not develop a fever as the doctor had predicted. He slept soundly until dawn.
When Aman opened his eyes again, it was already broad daylight.
The sky outside was clear and bright, with a gentle breeze blowing. The sky was so clear that she was momentarily disoriented about the time.
I moved my body, and my whole body felt so sore and weak that it didn't even feel like my own.
Exhaling a breath of stale air, Aman regained consciousness and remembered what had happened yesterday.
Madam Fu made her kneel as punishment because of her vegetable-selling incident. Then Yu Qiu deliberately humiliated her, even splashing water on her to prevent her from fainting. Aman still remembers that before she fainted, she seemed to see the young master.
Was it a dream?
Aman moved her leg, and suddenly, a burning pain shot through her knee, making her gasp and almost cry out.
Aman murmured softly, and when she raised her hand, she realized that there was someone else beside her bed.
The man leaned against the bedside, his cool eyes tightly closed, his hair falling messily over his shoulders, obscuring half of his face, making it appear and disappear. His breathing was shallow, making him look like a banished immortal from a painting.
Aman was stunned.
What brings you here, young master?
Seeing his long eyelashes tremble slightly, as if he wasn't sleeping very soundly, Aman was about to call him when Mantou, who was carrying in hot water, hurriedly stopped her.
"Shh," Mantou gestured for her to be quiet, "Don't call him. The young master was worried you had a fever last night and didn't sleep. He just dozed off this morning."
Mantou placed the basin of water on the shelf and walked over. "How are you? Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?"
"My knee feels a little sore," Aman said.
Just now my knees felt burning hot, but now it feels like the skin and flesh have been ripped off, and the pain makes me want to cry.
“That’s for sure. You knelt on the chains for too long yesterday. Luckily we got there early, otherwise it wouldn’t have been just a matter of cutting off the outer layer of flesh; your whole leg would probably have been gone.” At this point, Mantou felt a little guilty. “Aman, I’m sorry.”
"Huh?" Aman didn't understand why he was apologizing for no reason.
“If I had told you earlier yesterday that you had been summoned by the madam, perhaps you wouldn’t have had to suffer like this,” Mantou said.
"It's alright, it's not your fault." Aman was quite magnanimous, looking completely unconcerned. In the end, this whole thing stemmed from her contradicting the madam first and offending her. If she had gone along with the madam's wishes, perhaps she wouldn't have had to be punished by kneeling.
Aman knew she had acted impulsively, but she didn't regret it.
Whether it's selling vegetables or speaking up for the young master.
Aman slightly lifted the blanket and looked at her legs.
Because of his lying position, Aman couldn't see very clearly. He could only see that his knees were bound like rice dumplings, and any movement caused excruciating pain.
Fortunately, it was just a layer of skin that was peeled off; at least my leg is still intact.
After comforting himself for a while, Aman was about to put down the blanket when he suddenly realized that his clothes had changed.
Yesterday when she went out, she was clearly wearing that lotus root pink dress, but now it has turned into a smoky blue.
"My clothes..."
"It was changed by the female doctor at the clinic." The steamed bun's skin felt a little warm as it spoke of this.
Aman was a little embarrassed and gave a soft "oh".
The sound of the two talking finally woke Fu Yunxiu.
Fu Yunxiu opened his eyes and met Aman's round, clear almond-shaped eyes, and he was instantly wide awake.
"You're awake. How are you? Does your knee hurt?" He used the same words as Mantou, but his tone was gentler. Especially since he was so close to Aman, Aman could even smell the faint scent of pine on him.
Aman felt a little embarrassed; for some reason, what came out as "it doesn't hurt" suddenly turned into "it hurts."
Her voice was sweet and soft, making her incredibly endearing.
Upon hearing this, Fu Yunxiu reacted as if facing a formidable enemy and immediately instructed Mantou, "Mantou, quickly go and invite Doctor Chen over to take a look."
Seeing that the steamed bun wasn't moving, he urged again, "Hurry up!"
Looking at the disheveled and seemingly irrational man before her, Mantou could hardly believe that this was her own young master, who remained calm in the face of danger.
Is this really not a case of being possessed by some evil spirit?
"Young master, Doctor Chen said yesterday that it's normal for the wound to hurt after the anesthetic wears off, as long as there's no fever." Mantou was somewhat speechless, but he also understood a phrase: concern leads to confusion.
The young master's concern for Aman seems to have crossed a certain line.
*
Because Aman was injured, the task of cooking fell to Mantou.
Mantou had been tending the fire with Aman for a few days. He could manage to cook porridge, but he couldn't cook anything else.
Aman felt that her condition wasn't serious enough to require bed rest. If necessary, she could borrow the young master's wheelchair; she could cook while sitting.
But Fu Yunxiu sternly refused.
So at noon, the group ate food ordered from a small restaurant outside.
Although the taste wasn't as good as what Ah Man made, at least it was filling, and the bone broth was perfect for Ah Man, who was injured.
After lunch, Fu Yunxiu locked himself in his room, not letting Mantou follow him, but instead letting him stay to keep Aman company.
Due to the strict separation of men and women, Mantou did not enter Aman's room. Instead, he moved a stool outside and chatted with Aman through the window.
Aman remembered seeing Madam Fu leave with people yesterday, and thought that they must have come to see the young master, so she asked Mantou if this was true.
Mantou nodded. If it weren't for the lady's sudden visit, the young master wouldn't have locked himself in his room for an entire afternoon, and he wouldn't have forgotten Aman.
Therefore, it's all the wife's fault.
In the East Garden of the Marquis's Mansion, Madam Fu had just gotten up when she sneezed twice in a row.
"Madam, did you catch a cold from sleeping with the window open? Should we call a doctor to take a look?" Yuxiang stepped forward, picked up the drape from the rack, and draped it over her shoulders.
Madam Fu waved her hand, "No need. I suppose Yunting is thinking of me. That child has been back in the capital for so long and hasn't even sent a letter. It makes me worry."
“The Third Young Master has always been filial; I suppose something has held him back,” Yu Xiang said.
Madam Fu remained silent, rose, and sat down at the dressing table. Yu Shu, who was already prepared, took a comb and began to style her hair.
The job of tying up hair was originally Yuqiu's responsibility, but she was kicked so badly by Fu Yunxiu that she still can't get out of bed, so Yushu took her place.
Madam Fu picked up an earring from the dressing case and compared it to her own ear, then inquired about Yuqiu's condition, "How is Yuqiu?"
"The doctor said she broke her ribs when she fell into the tree and needs to rest for a few days," Yushu said.
"That kid Yunxiu is really ruthless," it's a good thing he doesn't use his legs much, otherwise Yuqiu would have been kicked to death by him. "By the way, is there any movement at Wutong Garden?"
"No, the young master and the others went back last night. Today, apart from Mantou going out to buy food, they haven't made any moves," Yuxiang said.
"I had forgotten about that." With Aman injured, the Wutong Garden had no food to eat.
"Oh, by the way, take the monthly allowance that Liu Yu left in the courtyard yesterday to Yunxiu later," she said, and then took out a jade hairpin from her dressing case and gave it to Yuqiu. "Also, give this to Aman and tell her that I apologize to her for my negligence yesterday."
"Madam, this is too precious!" Aman is just a servant; how could she be worthy of such a fine jade hairpin?
“It’s alright, just do as I say,” said Madam Fu.
Yesterday, she was so angry that she forgot that Aman was still being punished. By the time the servants came to report, Aman had already been taken away by Fu Yunxiu.
It's heartbreaking to think that this child, which came from her own womb, was said to hurt her so much in order to protect another woman.
However, this also shows that in Yun Xiu's heart, Aman is a very important person.
That's good. Having something to worry about helps him maintain some interest in life.
When Yu Xiang's things were delivered to Wutong Garden, Mantou was serving Fu Yunxiu as he painted.
Having not picked up a pen for many years, it would be a lie to say that it wasn't difficult to pick it up again now.
But at least he has so many years of experience, so even if the brushwork is a bit unfamiliar, the artistic conception is still there.
"Young master, have some tea and rest for a while!" Mantou placed the teacup on the table and said softly.
When Fu Yunxiu saw him coming over, he asked, "Where's Aman? Didn't I tell you to talk to her?"
"She's asleep right now." Mantou couldn't help but feel a little jealous when she saw her young master talking about Aman all the time.
It's really unfair that he's the one who's served the young master since he was a child, yet he doesn't want Aman, the newcomer, to surpass him.
"Young master, aren't you being a little too nice to Aman?" Mantou wouldn't admit that he was jealous, he just felt that the young master was spoiling Aman too much. If this continued, Aman would eventually ride on his neck.
"Really?" Fu Yunxiu's paintbrush continued to move, and he seemed to be in a good mood.
"Of course." Mantou placed the brewed tea beside him and said with dissatisfaction, "You are clearly my master, yet you make me serve Aman."
"She's injured, isn't she?" Fu Yunxiu said matter-of-factly.
"Then you kept watch over her last night?" Mantou asked again.
"She was implicated because of me, and I'm just trying to ease my guilt."
"Then you still..."
Mantou wanted to say, "Then why did you speak to her so gently?"
This is a treatment that no one has ever received before.
"Anything else?" Fu Yunxiu looked up at the steamed bun, waiting for him to continue.
The steamed bun opened its mouth, but ultimately gave up and shook its head, saying, "It's nothing."
He realized that even if he pointed out a hundred flaws, the young master could always find a reason to refute them.
For Aman, he even picked up his paintbrush, which he hadn't touched in years.
Even if she were to see Ah Man defecating on the young master's head in the future, he probably wouldn't be surprised.
Fu Yunxiu looked at Mantou's indignant yet clueless expression, shook his head with a smile, put down his paintbrush and was about to take a sip of tea to moisten his throat when he heard someone knocking on the door.
Who is it at this time?
Mantou went to open the door, and when he opened it, the person who came in was Yuxiang.
"Aunt Yuxiang".
"Is the young master here? Madam has some things to tell him," Yuxiang said.
"I'm here." Mantou led Yuxiang to the east room. Fu Yunxiu heard Yuxiang's voice and went to the door to wait.
"Auntie is here." The voice was indifferent, revealing no emotion.
"Greetings, young master." Yu Xiang curtsied, stood up, and said solemnly, "I am here on the orders of the madam to deliver your monthly allowance for the next two months."
Madam Fu mentioned this yesterday, saying that Madam Liu wanted to give monthly allowances to Wutong Garden but no one had come, so the money was being deposited with her.
Since it belongs to Wutong Garden, there's no reason not to want it.
Fu Yunxiu tilted his head and gave Mantou a wink.
Mantou understood and took the purse from Yuxiang's hand, saying, "Thank you for making this trip in person, Aunt."
Yu Xiang nodded, and seeing that no one else was around, asked, "I wonder if Miss Aman is here?"
Upon hearing him mention Aman, a hint of sternness flashed in Fu Yunxiu's cool eyes. "Does Aunt have something to discuss with Aman?"
Yu Xiang explained, "It's like this. Yesterday, Madam was so upset by the Second Madam that she had a headache and was exhausted. After returning from Wutong Garden, she went to sleep and accidentally forgot about Miss Aman. Madam felt very bad about it, so she specially asked me to come and see her. Now that the Second Madam is in charge of the public affairs, Madam can't offer any high-quality gifts, only this jade hairpin, as a token of her apology."
Yu Xiang presented the jade hairpin, and Fu Yunxiu glanced at it vaguely; it was indeed made of excellent material.
But Aman was so badly injured that she almost lost her leg, and she felt that a casual apology and a jade hairpin were enough to settle things.
Fu Yunxiu sneered, his displeasure evident in his voice. "Mother is indeed generous, but Aman's status is too low, so I'm afraid she shouldn't use such fine things. Aunt, please take them back."
"But I think I should still see Miss Aman and apologize to her in person." The implication was that Fu Yunxiu could not make the decision for Aman.
Upon hearing this, Fu Yunxiu's expression changed, and his tone became even colder. "Aman was seriously injured yesterday and is still unconscious. Does Aunt mean to wake her up directly? Moreover, the pain of having flesh torn out cannot be erased with a simple apology and a hairpin. I have said all I need to say. Aunt, please leave. Mantou is here to see you out."
After Fu Yunxiu finished speaking, he stopped listening to Yu Xiang's excuses and closed the door directly.
Seeing his assertive attitude, Yu Xiang knew that the hairpin would not be delivered to A Man today, so she could only go back first.
Mantou saw her out, and as they reached the door, Yuxiang couldn't help but ask, "Is Miss Aman badly injured?"
"A piece of meat has been cut off, what do you think, Auntie?" Mantou retorted. When it came to witty comebacks, the master and servant were surprisingly in agreement.
Yu Xiang returned with the hairpin to report. After listening to Yu Xiang's account, Madam Fu paused in pruning the flower branches and then threw the branches back into the flowerpot.
Yu Rong brought over a clean handkerchief, and Madam Fu wiped her hands before speaking, "What, do you expect me to personally go and apologize to her?"
She's just a country girl, she doesn't deserve it.
"Fine, since he doesn't want it, then pawn this hairpin and buy some tonics to send to him."
If something can't be given away, then she naturally doesn't want to keep it.
As for the matter of Aman cutting off his own flesh, Madam Fu turned a deaf ear and acted as if it had never happened.
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