Chapter 45 (combined chapter)
Xiao Jingshi may not entirely trust her, but after seeing that medical case, he's probably even more wary of Yao Miaoshan. Wouldn't someone who would harm her own brother also harm a relative over a mere disagreement?
When she talked about her family's grievances, Xiao Jingshi didn't care, but he only reacted when this matter was brought up.
Miaozhen went to bed that night, and the next day Xiao Jingshi told Ren Shi about it. Ren Shi frowned: "Really? Your cousin seems so innocent, how could she do such a thing?"
"Whether it is or not, we should send someone to ask."
"Then I'll go and call her over."
“No, call her maid here. If you call her here, how could she possibly admit it? If you make a scene, it will only affect you. You usually dote on her so much,” Xiao Jingshi said.
Madam Ren then sent someone to interrogate Yao Miaoshan's maid. The maid could not withstand the questioning and said, "Our young lady's dog did bite her by accident, but it was just playing around."
"What about the dog?" Xiao Jingshi cut to the chase.
"The master beat the dog to death," the maid said tremblingly.
Xiao Jingshi sneered upon hearing this: "Would a playful dog bite so hard? It almost tore off the skin of your leg. It took your young master three months to recover."
"How did you know?" the maid exclaimed in surprise.
...
Yao Miaoshan originally thought she would see Miaozhen being targeted, but she was surprised to find that she was sent back, supposedly to prevent her father from taking notice of her.
When Miaozhen heard that she had left, she added an extra bowl of white fungus soup to her bowl that day.
As for Xiao Jingshi, he took her younger brother Jian Ge'er to the Chao family school. On the way, Xiao Jingshi suddenly asked Jian Ge'er, "I heard from your sister that you were bitten by a dog?"
“Yes, it was last year when I was playing at my third uncle’s house. My third aunt’s sister kept letting me play with the dog. As soon as I went over, the dog bit me. My father and Laiwang carried me back on a stretcher because they were worried I had hydrophobia. My sister gave me moxibustion on the wound and also gave me medicine. Luckily, I don’t have hydrophobia. Brother-in-law, don’t you think my sister’s medical skills are amazing?” Jian Ge’er said.
Xiao Jingshi asked about the time again, and the answer matched perfectly, which showed that he now trusted Miaozhen completely.
Jian Ge'er was confused and simply followed Xiao Jingshi, thus settling down at the Chao family academy.
To thank him, Miaozhen made him a pair of black satin knee pads with the Three Friends of Winter motif and a dark blue satin purse embroidered with hibiscus flowers. Xiao Jingshi looked at the needlework and secretly praised it as excellent, but said aloud, "Why did you go to all this trouble to make this?"
“You’ve gone to so much trouble for me, so I should go to so much trouble for you in return. Besides, when people criticize me, you still allow me to defend myself and trust me. It’s easy to find priceless treasures, but hard to find a true lover. Don’t you think I should thank you?” Miaozhen just smiled.
People in ancient times rarely expressed their feelings so directly, especially women from respectable families, who were usually expected to be dignified and composed. Miaozhen was like that on the outside, but she was quite different when she was with her husband. Even Xiao Jingshi couldn't help but blush when he heard this.
However, the more time the two spent together, the more their true natures were revealed. Xiao Jingshi felt that Miaozhen was intelligent and quick-witted, often hitting the nail on the head, ambitious, and resolute, and frankly, better than many men. Miaozhen, on the other hand, found that her husband had a sharp tongue.
It was rare to see his ears turn red, so Miaozhen gently stroked them. Just as the two were about to speak, someone came in from outside.
"Fourth Madam, Madam requests your presence. She says Aunt Ren is coughing badly and would like you to come and take a look."
"Okay, I'll go right away."
Despite the fact that Madam Ren never mentioned her medical skills when she entered the family, she was actually unwilling to praise her daughter-in-law too much. Now that there was a real problem, she would still have to turn to her.
Miao Zhen tiptoed and quickly kissed Xiao Jingshi, "I'm going to see a doctor now."
This made Xiao Jingshi watch her figure, take two steps forward to chase after her, and then smile and shake his head. He remembered that yesterday at noon when he took a nap, she was doing needlework beside him, tucking him in, and pressing her forehead against his own, afraid that he was sleeping too soundly and getting a fever. For some reason, he felt a little touched.
Thinking about this, I realized I was being too fussy, so I went to the outer study in the front room in a huff.
She also said that once Miaozhen left Furongwu, she thought that her father had indeed chosen a good person. He was not soft-hearted, understood reason, was independent, and was not a mama's boy. Even though he was occasionally a bit sharp-tongued, she could tolerate it.
Soon they arrived at Aunt Ren's house. As soon as she arrived, Madam Ren said, "Daughter-in-law, quickly take a look at your aunt. I don't know why, but she has a cough and diarrhea. She has taken several kinds of medicine and even asked Aunt Fang to do moxibustion, but she still isn't getting better."
"It's alright, let me take your aunt's pulse first." Miaozhen took out a Buddhist scripture to place under her hand, and let her aunt reach out.
After taking her pulse, Miaozhen frowned: "Your pulse is deep and weak, and your hands and feet are cold. Is your blood and qi not flowing smoothly? Is there anything wrong with you?"
Seeing what Miao Zhen was saying, Aunt Ren quickly said, "Nephew's wife, I often have headaches and a heavy back. Whenever I feel unwell, I have to find someone to do moxibustion."
Miaozhen said, “The so-called coldness is trapped inside and cannot be dispersed outside. If it is a common cough, it is mostly due to stomach cold. In that case, tangerine peel and dried ginger soup or pinellia and ginger soup would work, and Xiao Chai Hu Tang would also be effective. However, your illness is coughing up and diarrhea down. In that case, I will prescribe a prescription for you, and you will take three doses in a row.”
While they were talking, Ren opened the Yin-reducing powder and filled in the medical log. Ren quickly gave the prescription to Han and sent someone to write the prescription.
The medicine was prepared in the afternoon, and Miaozhen personally fed it to Aunt Ren. She drank three doses in total. When she came to visit in the evening, she heard that Aunt Ren's dysentery had stopped and her cough was not so severe, and Miaozhen breathed a sigh of relief.
She had been thinking about what opportunity to bring up her desire to provide free medical services to the Ren family, but now she had some ideas. She really needed to be more patient.
Just then, a visiting card arrived from outside. It turned out to be from the county magistrate's wife. Last year, after Miaozhen cured her illness, she became pregnant, but now she was feeling unwell and wanted to invite Miaozhen over.
If she were at the Xu family's house, she would have left immediately, but at the Xiao family's house, she had to go to Madam Ren's place first. Madam Ren said, "Go quickly, don't be late."
Miaozhen immediately rode over in a sedan chair, with all the servants and maids following her, leaving only Tianjie to look after the house.
After seeing Miaozhen leave, Madam Han couldn't help but say to Sister Xia Xian, "I really envy Fourth Sister-in-law, her medical skills are so superb."
Xia Xianjie thought to herself that her father had been released from prison, but his body had been violated, and her expression became somewhat gloomy and unclear.
The magistrate's wife, having become pregnant, was being pampered in every way, but she suffered from vomiting and diarrhea, and lower abdominal pain, making it difficult for her to cope. Miaozhen inquired carefully and learned that her urination was normal, but her stools were loose.
"I've already eaten very little, but for some reason, I still have persistent diarrhea. Doctor Xu, please take a look at me," the magistrate's wife said anxiously.
Miaozhen first comforted her: "Don't worry, you are pregnant now. Think about it, your lower abdomen is so painful, but the child still won't come down, which means that he has chosen you to be his mother in heaven. It's good that I'm here, I will help you."
Lower abdominal pain and a failure to miscarry naturally indicate that the kidney qi is sufficient. When the kidney qi is sufficient but the spleen and stomach qi are deficient, the pregnancy will appear unstable.
So she took the magistrate's wife's pulse again. Seeing that her pulse was weak and her tongue coating was pale, she said, "This is because your spleen and stomach are weak. But you can't just nourish your spleen and stomach. So I need to nourish your heart and kidney fire. Only when the heart and kidney fire starts to function normally can it promote the growth of spleen and stomach qi."
After saying that, she prescribed two more doses of Yuan Tu Gu Tai Tang (a traditional Chinese medicine formula), but then reminded her, "There are many fake Atractylodes macrocephala products on the market now. If that medicine is not good, you can use white hyacinth bean instead."
After the prescription was written, the magistrate's wife had someone escort her out.
As Miaozhen sat in the sedan chair, she thought that she was indeed living the life of a young mistress in the Xiao family, but she just felt uneasy without a job. Having a career of one's own was better than anything else.
After she returned, Xiao Jingshi asked about the prescription she had written, because he also knew some pharmacology and was quite worried when he heard Miaozhen use "cinnamon" and "acupuncture".
“These are foods that are contraindicated during pregnancy,” Xiao Jingshi said.
Miaozhen explained, “The Inner Canon says that if there is a cause, there will be no death. If she only has a weak spleen and stomach, she should be nourished with strong tonics. But she has a weak fire element, so I use less, but it can guide the fire back to its source. Otherwise, if the spleen is not functioning properly, dampness and turbidity will accumulate inside, and she will still have diarrhea. Therefore, I use medicine boldly.”
Xiao Jingshi couldn't help but ask, "Have you studied the Book of Changes?"
"I only learned a little bit. Back then, my father sent me to Qiu Niangzi's school, and she was the only one who taught me the Book of Changes." Miaozhen was very modest.
Seeing that she was thirsty, Xiao Jingshi ordered her a cup of spring tea and had her put the pine nut candy in a shallow dish with gold trim and handed it to her. Miaozhen took a sip of tea and found it to be bitter, but when paired with the pine nut candy, it tasted sweet.
Seeing that she was enjoying her meal, Xiao Jingshi asked, "What else would you like to eat?"
"Steamed buns, meat buns, tamarind buns, lotus root buns, preserved vegetable buns, etc. If you could fry leftover buns, they would taste even better."
"Do you like that?" Xiao Jingshi asked.
Miaozhen nodded like a chick pecking at rice.
He ruffled Miaozhen's hair: "Okay."
Miaozhen was completely baffled. She wondered if it was for her, someone else's, or just to show that she understood. She shook her head.
The magistrate's wife's diarrhea stopped after one dose, and after two doses, she was almost completely cured. When Miaozhen sent someone to visit her, she saw that she was better, and Miaozhen was relieved.
The magistrate's wife also brought a consultation fee of five taels of silver and a bolt each of red and yellow fine silk.
Normally, there's no need for so many children, but women are often eager to have children, and even the wife of a county magistrate is no exception, so naturally they have to take good care of themselves.
After Miaozhen accepted the money, she had the two bolts of silk registered and placed upstairs. Just as she finished, her sister-in-law Suyun came over, and Miaozhen hurriedly ordered someone to serve tea and snacks.
Although she had only been married into the family for ten years, she was already quite familiar with the personalities of the Xiao family members, if not completely. This younger sister-in-law was the most favored because of her young age.
"Fourth Sister-in-law, what are you doing at home?" Su Yun seemed very curious about Miao Zhen's situation.
Miaozhen smiled and said, "It's just doing needlework and reading books, nothing much to do. You, did you come to see me for something?"
Su Yun shook her head. Miao Zhen thought she must have come to play, so she simply had someone bring a chessboard and played chess with her.
While playing chess, Miaozhen couldn't help but ask, "Why did you come to the garden? Isn't it cold outside?"
“I dropped a handkerchief, I think it fell into the garden, and I was looking for it for a long time. I ended up here with Fourth Sister-in-law, so I just came in,” Suyun said with a smile.
Miaozhen immediately said, "If you can't find them, then forget it. Speaking of which, I do have a few handkerchiefs here. Sister, just pick whichever one you like."
After saying that, she asked Xiaoxi to bring a stack of embroidered handkerchiefs of the twelve flower goddesses. Suyun declined a couple of times, but Miaozhen insisted, so she chose a handkerchief embroidered with apricot blossoms.
Because of this handkerchief, Miaozhen still felt it wasn't enough, so she also gave her a pair of purses and a sachet, and invited her to stay for a meal. The two sisters-in-law chatted together.
“Last time, my sister-in-law gave me some kind of candy that was better than what I had before. I ate it without thinking, and as a result, my tooth ached for three days. My mother gave me a good scolding,” Su Yun said.
Miaozhen might as well ask, "I see that my eldest sister-in-law and second sister-in-law have a very good relationship."
Although Suyun was young, she knew a lot: "No, my eldest sister-in-law and second sister-in-law don't get along at all. I've run into them twice. Once was at the eldest son's house. I went to visit my aunt and wanted to visit my eldest sister-in-law, so I went over. I happened to hear my eldest sister-in-law and her maid talking about how my second sister-in-law, being the daughter of an official, even coveted the private property of her concubine. Another time, behind the rockery in our garden, I heard my second sister-in-law say directly about my eldest sister-in-law, saying that she loves to show off her beauty, steals other women's men, and wishes that all the men in the world would fall at her feet."
"Alright, these are not things a young lady like you should say. Here, have a spiced shrimp roll first." Miaozhen picked up a piece of food for her and couldn't help but wonder why Han Shi, who was in charge of the second branch of the family, was so short of money. Xia Shi, who was supposed to be the wife of a scholar, was so unrespecting.
But she showed no sign of it on her face, and continued to warmly entertain Suyun with food and drink, fulfilling her every wish.
After Suyun left, Miaozhen took out her medical book and went to the west study to read it, showing no trace of her earlier gossipy behavior. She had only been reading for less than half an hour when Han Shi came over and brought her a medicine container and several medicine storage jars.
Miaozhen hadn't expected that Madam Han would take her words to heart. Last time, she had mentioned that her little pharmacy was lacking something, and Madam Han had gotten it for her. Madam Han smiled and said, "It's nothing. Our family runs a pharmacy. I only need to ask. Also, I told Madam that if you need any medicinal herbs in the future, just tell the pharmacy and get a stamp."
"Second sister-in-law, I don't know how to thank you enough."
"If you really want to thank me, don't stand on ceremony."
With Han's enthusiasm, Miaozhen was deeply moved, and the two talked for a long time, arm in arm.
...
"Fourth Grandmother, what do you mean by Second Grandmother's situation...?" Xiao Xi asked.
Miaozhen shook her head: "Although Xia from the first branch gave me a box of Nanjing velvet flowers, these things are not very valuable to me. My second sister-in-law has helped me a lot since I entered the family and introduced me to the family rules. Besides, we are all from the same branch of the family, so I should be friendly with her."
Xiao Xi nodded: "You're right."
Three or four days later, the Lou family sent over the dowry. Lou's eldest sister-in-law came to make the bed. Miaozhen and Han saw the detailed list of the Lou family's dowry: eight hundred taels of silver, a plot of land as a dowry, and only thirty-six taels of land. Indeed, the dowry was not as much as their own, but both the Lou father and son held official positions.
The patriarch of the Lou family was the county clerk, the second-in-command. The Lou family's son worked as a clerk in the county government's household registration office. A clerk was the deputy to the head of the sixth office, unlike an ordinary clerk.
According to Han, the old master of the Lou family was originally an instructor in the county and had been a colleague of Chao, the father of my aunt, for many years.
The Lou family is like a local tyrant in Wu County, the Han family is also a thousand-household family and an official family, the Xia family is rich, and there is also the Third Master of the Third Branch. Judging from the Third Aunt's intentions, she has already arranged a marriage with a girl from an extremely good family.
In the future, her parents will probably be able to offer her limited help. It was already quite an achievement that they were able to support her into the Xiao family and provide her with such a respectable dowry. Her future status in her husband's family will depend on herself. Otherwise, if she ends up last among her sisters-in-law, she might even be looked down upon by her own husband.
When men become snobbish, women have to step aside.
Lou Qiongyu entered the family on the last day of February. She was of medium height and appearance, very quiet, composed, and reserved. Madam Ren was overjoyed to have gained this daughter-in-law this month, who appeared to be extremely docile.
Both Miaozhen and Lou Qiongyu entered the household within a month of marriage. They lived close to each other, were of similar age, had both attended girls' schools, and got along quite well.
Some distant guests, such as Aunt Ren, were in Hangzhou, so Madam Ren asked Xiao Jingshi to help send them back. Miaozhen then helped him pack his luggage. "Look, I've packed one set of your clothes into a cloth bag. I've brought six sets of clothes that are already matched. I've also packed socks and handkerchiefs separately, and they're labeled with tags. Is there anything else you need?"
"There's no need to bring anything. I'll take her to Hangzhou and then come back." Xiao Jingshi was actually a little reluctant to part with Miaozhen.
The two had been married for less than a month, and spent most of their time together at night. During the day, Xiao Jingshi had to go to the county school or socialize outside. However, the few things that did happen were resolved properly, and the two got along quite well. He wanted to say something, but when he saw the maids come in, he only said this one sentence.
Miaozhen smiled and said, "Then come back quickly, I'll be waiting for you."
"Okay." Xiao Jingshi walked out.
After he left, Lou Qiongyu often came to keep her company. The two of them even asked the kitchen to add an extra dish of garlic-flavored pig's head meat and a dish of lotus flower rolls. Miaozhen looked at her quiet and gentle appearance and said with a smile, "My mother always forbids me from eating this, saying that if I eat it, no one will go out. I didn't expect to find someone who shares the same taste."
Lou Qiongyu simply smiled, though she was actually a little guilty. Originally, she wouldn't have been the one to marry into the Xiao family; it was only through her parents' connections with the eldest branch of the family, Chao Shi, that she was able to enter. Her two sisters-in-law were both extraordinary. Han Shi, after all, came from a wealthy family; her father was a student of the Imperial Academy, her maternal grandfather was a scholar, and she herself was renowned for her medical skills in the household. In contrast, Lou Qiongyu's appearance was ordinary, and her dowry couldn't compare to that of Xu Shi, who had entered the family before her. Even on their wedding night, her husband looked at her with disappointment.
Miaozhen was unaware of Lou Qiongyu's thoughts. If she had known, she would surely have thought, "While you're envying others, they're actually envying you too."
The next day, Lou Qiongyu came over and went with Miaozhen to visit Madam Han. Madam Han had been busy for a month, not only with the marriages of her two younger brothers-in-law, but also with arranging meals for relatives, which caused her old illness to flare up.
"Sister-in-law, may I take a look at you?" Miaozhen asked as she came over.
Han smiled and shook her head: "This is an old ailment of mine. I'll be fine after lying down for a day or two. You don't need to bother."
Since she said so, Miaozhen did not press the matter, and said, "If Second Sister-in-law is still not feeling well, send someone to call me over. You know where I am, I have some prepared medicine."
Madam Han nodded slightly, and Miaozhen and Lou Qiongyu went to Madam Ren's place together. Madam Ren was very pleased to see that the two of them had visited Madam Han first: "Your second sister-in-law has been really tired lately, but I am even happier to see the three of you getting along so well."
“What Madam says is true. Second Sister-in-law is really thoughtful, and Sixth Sister-in-law is gentle. The three of us get along like sisters,” Miaozhen said.
Madam Ren was very satisfied with this explanation. Everyone said that the daughters-in-law she had found were not up to par, but these three were all capable and much better than the daughters of other families. Moreover, it was precisely because they were not up to par that they worked so hard to gain the approval of others.
“That’s fine. The third daughter of the third branch is about to marry into the Cen family. Your third aunt is getting a little impatient. I’ll invite her over to play cards later. You can stay here and keep her company.”
When Ren said this, Miaozhen and Lou Qiongyu both smiled and agreed. In fact, they both wanted to leave immediately. Miaozhen thought it would be better to go back and read more medical books. Lou Qiongyu had just married into the family and was usually a homebody, so she found it even more troublesome. However, both of them were very well-mannered and played cards with Ren for two hours.
They ate lunch with her, and after lunch, they waited for Mrs. Ren to take a nap before returning to their own rooms.
Miaozhen decided to eat on the couch, and Mi'er came up and asked, "How's Fourth Madam's luck?"
“It’s not easy to win at cards with elders. I lost five qian of silver, which isn’t too much. But I can’t stand playing cards like this every day.” Miaozhen shook her head.
Xiao Xi sat opposite Miao Zhen and ate with her. She also shared the same feeling: "I feel that the Xiao family has too many banquets."
“Yes, but it’s unavoidable. In the past, my parents always handled the social engagements at home. Besides, the Xiao family is a large and wealthy family with many businesses, so they always have to go out and can’t stay idle. Anyway, I have two sisters-in-law at home, so I’m not the only one,” Miaozhen said.
Meanwhile, after finishing her meal, Miaozhen took a walk in the backyard and ran into Granny Wu, who had come seeking medical help. Miaozhen quickly invited her in. On the other side, Xia Xianjie, on her mother-in-law's orders, also came to visit Madam Han. As soon as she left, she said to her maid Linglong, "This woman is really obsessed with saving face and suffers for it. What's the use of her desperately trying to manage the household? What she should do is give birth to a son; that would be far better than anything else."
Linglong laughed and said, "It's not something you can just get pregnant on a whim."
"She's busy from morning till night, and she even has to buy clothes for her family to wear, putting on an air of officialdom. My second aunt only gives her a small amount of money a month for tea and meals, and she still has to be stingy and give it to her family. That Xu is a very famous gynecologist. I've looked into it, and I heard that she studied under Madam Yang from Wuxi, but Han won't even let her take a look at her." Xia Xianjie pouted.
As she said this, when she returned home, her old servant from her maternal family came over sadly and said, "Miss, the master has passed away from his serious illness, and the madam has run away with the furniture."
Xia Xianjie, who had been disdainful just moments before, was now extremely anxious and immediately said to Linglong, "Quickly call the young master back."
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