Chapter 68 (Combined Chapter 68)
That day, Xiao Jingshi brought back an invitation and handed it to Miaozhen, saying, "A colleague of ours in the Hanlin Academy is celebrating his daughter's one-month birthday. You should go too."
Miaozhen glanced at the invitation and saw it was from Xiao Jingshi's colleague, a junior scholar named Xie Dengzhi. Those who could pass the imperial examination at a young age almost all excelled in the provincial examination, especially Xie Dengzhi, who was said to have passed the provincial examination in Huguang at the age of nineteen and was about the same age as Xiao Jingshi.
It is probably people like this that Xiao Jingshi values so highly.
"How about we give a silver-gilt longevity lock as a full moon gift?" Miaozhen asked.
Xiao Jingshi laughed and said, "That's strange. You're asking me about these things. Aren't you an expert at them?"
Miaozhen shook her head: "I'm always afraid that I won't do well and will embarrass you."
"No, that won't happen." Xiao Jingshi realized that although his wife was easygoing and optimistic, she also had a sense of crisis.
For example, in terms of social skills, Gao was an expert, and she came from an official family, so she was very knowledgeable about social skills. In contrast, Miaozhen came from an ordinary family. Even though she had attended a girls' school and learned some things, she was still lacking in real social skills.
But Miaozhen has to learn these things herself; everyone should handle things independently.
Miaozhen gave the post to Xiaoxi and began to review pediatric massage, using her three children as practice subjects. When they went to the Xie family's banquet, the Xie family, being from Huguang, served spicy and appetizing dishes, so Fujie ate a lot. A few days later, she became constipated. Miaozhen then held the child's hand and gently pushed from the base of the finger to the tip with the pads of her middle and ring fingers to clear the accumulated heat in her large intestine.
As a result, the child's constipation was indeed cured, and Miaozhen breathed a sigh of relief.
When a person has a goal, they will block out everything around them. Miaozhen was originally a very focused person, and she studied medical books and practiced constantly.
She wrote in the booklet that a cough caused by wind-heat typically presents with yellow nasal discharge, yellow phlegm, and a slightly itchy and sore throat, while a cough caused by wind-cold presents with clear nasal discharge, fever, sneezing or body aches, chills, and little sweating.
There are also various massage techniques for phlegm-dampness cough, qi deficiency cough, and yin deficiency cough.
Not to mention, the last time she went to Xie Dengzhi's house, after she introduced herself as a female doctor, the Xie family actually brought their child to see her for treatment. This child was Xie Dengzhi's eldest son, who was three years old and had caught a cold and cough.
Miaozhen skillfully combined external application and internal administration. Externally, she began with massage, first rubbing the back of the hand, then rubbing the Xue point (acupoint) two inches above and below the midpoint of the wrist crease, using the palm to massage back and forth. Next came the lung-clearing techniques, rubbing the Tanzhong and Feishu acupoints.
"He's too young to undergo moxibustion. How is his medication?" Miaozhen asked Madam Xie.
Mrs. Xie shrugged: "He just doesn't like taking medicine, and I can't do anything about it."
"Then you can eat roasted oranges or drink scallion, ginger, and brown sugar water," Miaozhen told her.
Xie Dengzhi's first wife died during her pregnancy, leaving behind this child. This Madam Xie was the daughter of Minister Fang Dun. Although she was his second wife, she cherished this child as a treasure and brought the child to see a doctor as soon as she finished her postpartum confinement.
"What kind of oranges do you want? How do you want them roasted?" Madam Xie asked very carefully.
Miaozhen described, "Don't go for anything too big, but it's only July now, so it might not be available at the market. If you can't find it, just give the child medicine. I'll prescribe some Xing Su San."
Madam Xie nodded: "That's fine too."
“The massage treatment will take three days, so please have your child come over tomorrow or the day after,” Miaozhen said.
Madam Xie admired Miaozhen greatly for her quiet demeanor and lack of pleasantries during medical consultations, but for her meticulous explanations of the illness and medication. She expressed her deepest gratitude upon leaving.
Miaozhen was very concerned about Xie's young master's illness, so she took it very seriously for three consecutive days. Madam Xie secretly asked Miaozhen to brew the medicine for Xie's young master because she said that although Xie's young master was young, he was very concerned about his image.
When Miao Zhen finally made it through, Xie Xiaolang tried to hide. At this moment, Sister Fu came to his rescue: "Xie Xian, you're a boy. You're even afraid to take medicine? You'll be even more afraid if tigers and leopards come. I'm not afraid to take medicine. You'll get better after you take the medicine. Once you're better, we can all play together."
Upon hearing this, Xie Xiaolang was actually willing to drink the medicine, and he recovered in a day or two.
As a result, Miaozhen gradually developed a closer relationship with the Xie family, but she still devoted most of her energy to medical skills and wouldn't go out whenever someone called her.
Miaozhen still feels that she is most comfortable being herself. The Gao family has its own way of doing things, and so does she. Everyone should just do what makes them comfortable.
Madam Chen, the Earl of Pingjiang, recovered from her illness by the Mid-Autumn Festival. She was able to sit, lie down, and get up. Madam Chen was in much better spirits after recovering from her illness, and sent a very generous gift for the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Lou Qiongyu noticed that Miaozhen was not very sociable, but she didn't seem to care much about other people's opinions and was still doing quite well. At least she had a good relationship with the families of Xiao Jingshi's colleagues in the Hanlin Academy, but she just didn't socialize with them as much.
Miaozhen entrusted Lou Qiongyu with the Mid-Autumn Festival arrangements, and Lou Qiongyu handled them meticulously. Zhengge'er was also almost six months old, and Miaozhen spent all her free time with her.
Sister Fu and Brother Zhao often looked after their younger brother. They sat on the carpet on the ground talking. After a while, Brother Miao arrived with his younger sister Sister Wei. Miao Zhen had no choice but to tell them a story together.
If the children quarreled, Miaozhen always handled it fairly and never favored her own child, a quality that Lou Qiongyu greatly admired.
After the Mid-Autumn Festival, the nights got colder, and the house no longer needed ice. The blankets also needed to be changed, so Miaozhen and Lou Qiongyu changed all the children's bedding to thicker ones.
"Fourth Sister-in-law, do you know that a family has moved in next door?" Lou Qiongyu asked.
Miaozhen shook her head: "I really don't know. I remember last time a young couple stayed here and they even brought us some things. Who are these people who came this time?"
Lou Qiongyu shook her head: "I don't know either. I just saw them moving things around. They've been moving things for three days and they're still not done."
"They must be a wealthy family." Miaozhen only needed to know the general situation of the people living around her. She always felt that it was better to talk less and cause trouble, as getting too close to someone could easily lead to problems.
People tend to make demands and offer suggestions when they become close to each other.
Lou Qiongyu felt that she had to be more considerate, so she took the initiative to send people to help and even sent a banquet over. The hostess on the other side also sent a gift box and sent an invitation to them to the banquet. She then specifically asked Miaozhen, "In that case, let's go and get to know each other."
"That works too," Miaozhen said with a smile.
Lou Qiongyu thought to herself that since she was here, she should at least help her sister-in-law maintain the status quo.
Miaozhen couldn't help but ask, "Who lives next door?"
"He seems to be a military officer, and he has some connections with the Marquis's family. I saw that the Cui family even sent some gifts over," Lou Qiongyu said.
Miaozhen also remembered that the Lady Chen, the Earl of Pingjiang, whom she had treated last time, was the second daughter of Prince Consort Cui. So they were all family now.
Soon it was time for the banquet to be held next door. Miaozhen and Lou Qiongyu went over hand in hand and saw a young woman standing at the second gate. She was about twenty-four or twenty-five years old. She wore a gold-threaded bun on her head, a five-colored brocade top, a grape-purple skirt with gold trim, and red upturned cloud-patterned shoes. She was a very elegant lady from an official family.
After exchanging greetings, the woman said, "My father-in-law used to be a councilor in Shandong. After he passed away, my uncle sent my husband and me to the capital. My husband was just appointed as the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard."
Miaozhen asked with a smile, "So you are the family of the Garrison Commander. I heard that your husband's uncle is the Imperial Son-in-Law, the Earl of Jingshan?"
The woman smiled and agreed, then asked Miaozhen, "Where do you live?"
Miaozhen quickly introduced, "My husband passed the imperial examination in the 26th year of the Jiajing reign and was selected to serve in the Hanlin Academy. He is currently a probationary official in the Hanlin Academy and has not yet been assigned an official position. As for me, I came to the capital because I was summoned to the palace to take care of Consort Ma Zhen during her childbirth. By the way, I am a female physician. You can come to me if you need anything, but it would be best if you don't need anything."
Lou Qiongyu, who was standing to the side, felt that her fourth sister-in-law seemed to be constantly promoting herself, and that she was completely focused on her own affairs.
After everyone went inside, they realized that they were all quite close. They were from Suzhou, and the woman was from a prominent family in Zhenjiang. Her maiden name was Zhang, and she was also from a local clan.
"No wonder I knew this dish would suit our tastes as soon as I saw it. It turns out we're all from the same hometown," Miaozhen said with a smile.
Zhang was also delighted: "This way we'll be even closer in the future."
Lou Qiongyu also kept up the conversation. She had secretly learned several tricks from Gao Shi, and her speaking skills had improved rapidly. Even Miaozhen noticed that she knew how to speak in a way that suited people's tastes, but not in a way that was deliberately flattering or making conversation for the sake of it. You couldn't even detect any trace of it. How amazing! Miaozhen applauded her in her heart.
The three of them chatted as night fell, and Miaozhen wanted to say goodbye. Last time, she had been out socializing for an extra hour because she was bored, which meant she didn't have time to organize her medical records or read medical books until after midnight. She couldn't stay up late like this now.
Unfortunately, Zhang was a heavy drinker, and Lou Qiongyu, wanting to demonstrate her social skills, forced her to drink another round of wine, which prompted Xiao Jingshi to come and pick her up.
Miaozhen came back and took his hand, saying, "You don't know, I drank a lot of wine. How come both of them can drink so much? I'm so tired, and my head is still a little dizzy."
"Then what should we do? Are you still going to look at medical books today?" Xiao Jingshi asked.
Miaozhen yawned: "We definitely still need to, we'll definitely have to stay up all night tonight."
“Alright, I have a day off tomorrow, let’s sleep in until we’re completely stuffed.” Xiao Jingshi also planned to teach a class that evening.
The couple immediately agreed.
Lou Qiongyu was also very pleased. She was saying to Xiao Jingtang, "The family next door is quite distinguished. The son of the imperial son-in-law is a high-ranking official, and the son of a government official is a good family. They have also been appointed as the garrison commander. But it seems to me that my sister-in-law is just going through the motions. So, I'll be more considerate."
Seeing her like this, Xiao Jingtang reminded her, "You don't need to be so considerate. Your sister-in-law entrusted you with managing the household, so just take care of the details."
Lou Qiongyu agreed, but she realized that she was indeed much more popular than her fourth sister-in-law. Among the sisters-in-law of the third branch, apart from Gao Shi, who was not obvious on the surface, Liu Shi and Bian Shi always gave her gifts in private and took good care of her, but they didn't care about face or feelings towards her fourth sister-in-law.
Fourth Sister-in-law is alright in her work, but not so good at dealing with people; she's offended so many people without even realizing it.
In fact, Miaozhen knew all along. Even Fengniang said, "I heard that Fifth Madam sent some local products to Sixth Sister, but not to you. When did they become so close? Sixth Madam hasn't been here for very long."
"Can't you see that they're isolating me? My sixth sister-in-law is just a good candidate for them to isolate me. These people really have nothing better to do than do this every day." Miaozhen knew perfectly well what was going on.
Xiao Xi served the tea and then asked, puzzled, "You said your medical skills are now renowned throughout the capital, and you're doing quite well with both the palace and the nobility. Shouldn't a normal person cultivate a good relationship with a sister-in-law like that?"
"Your thinking is normal, but there are many abnormal people in this world. Take a doctor like me, for example. Even though my medical skills are quite good, people still ask me if I have children or what my husband is like. It's not really about these questions. Normal people find it convenient to have a relative who is a doctor, but abnormal people inexplicably feel that you are inferior to them in terms of background and that you are stealing their limelight. They never flatter them, or if you don't follow suit in doing something they do, they feel resentful towards you." Miaozhen had such relatives in her past life. If you didn't fawn over them, they would subtly try to isolate you by winning over the people around you.
Feng Niang exclaimed anxiously, "Oh dear, what should we do?"
"What else can we do? We should continue to master pediatric medicine and massage. Why bother with her?" Miaozhen laughed.
Xiao Xi couldn't help but say, "Sixth Madam is a meticulous person. You know this principle, so how could she not know it? Do you think I should remind her?"
Miaozhen stopped her, saying, "Absolutely not. If we say everything out loud, it will only make everyone uncomfortable."
"If you ask me, you've been quite good to Sixth Grandma, even letting her manage the household. Isn't that enough?" Xiao Xi protested.
Miaozhen shook her head: "Forget it, the two children will be starting their education soon. Besides taking care of their homework, I also need to continue studying medicine and see patients on weekdays. Since she is willing to take care of it, let her take care of it. I can do my own thing."
Xiao Xi and Feng Niang both agreed: "You're right, this is the important thing."
"Oh right, our ship should be arriving in a few days, right? I need to write a letter to my parents to ask if Jian-ge is going to take the county exam next year. We haven't been in touch for over half a year." Miao-zhen calculated her younger brother's age; he'd be fifteen soon.
The letter arrived in Suzhou quickly. Xu Erpeng opened it and found that Miaozhen was now studying pediatrics, and also talked about the exclusion she faced in life. Finally, she asked about Jian Ge'er and how his studies were going.
“It’s true what they say, raising a child is a lifelong worry. Our Miaozhen is so young yet she’s already achieved so much. Some people can’t find fault with her, so they try to isolate her,” Xu Erpeng said to Madam Mei.
Madam Mei said anxiously, "To put it bluntly, it's all because those three families, father and son, are officials. Not to mention our daughter, even Zhenzhen's mother-in-law suffered a lot of mistreatment from the three families. Fortunately, her son-in-law is capable, otherwise she would have relied on them for her whole life and been subservient all the time."
Xu Erpeng said, "That's right. Fortunately, our daughter doesn't take these things to heart. She even asked how Jian'er's studies are going and sent back a set of top-quality writing materials."
“If our daughter hadn’t been like this, she wouldn’t have achieved what she has today. You don’t know that the Emperor himself presented her with the plaque.” Madam Mei was still very excited when she mentioned it.
Xu Erpeng said, "We can't let our daughter down. Jian'er and Kun'er should study hard and try their best to pass the imperial examinations in the future."
Ms. Mei nodded.
But the couple were happy to hear these trivial matters, after all, Lu Shi'an had been demoted to Yunnan and his reputation was ruined, which relieved them of one of their biggest worries.
Furthermore, Zhao Ge'er and Fu Jie'er started their classes after the sixteenth day of the eleventh lunar month, and naturally Miao Ge'er also started his studies with them. The children were all quite young, and they cried loudly when separated from their parents, but Miao Zhen simply locked herself in her room to read.
Children have to adapt to society. Five years old is not a child anymore. Sometimes it's not that children can't live without adults, but that adults can't live without children.
Both Fu Jie'er and Zhao Ge'er are very self-reliant. After eating during the break, if their handkerchiefs get dirty, they wash them themselves in the small basin outside.
Miao Ge'er asked, puzzled, "Big sister, why do you wash yourself?"
“My mother said this is the most basic labor. You have to learn to do things yourself. When we were studying, we couldn’t have maids around, so we had to do it ourselves. My mother also taught my brother and me how to sew buttons.” Fu’er loved doing these things with her mother. Her mother also said that after she learned to read, she would teach her medicine and take her to treat and save people.
Miao Ge'er found it as if he were hearing a fairy tale, because he still couldn't dress himself or tie his belt, let alone wash a handkerchief or sew on a button.
On the first day after school, Miaozhen had the kitchen prepare a large table of dishes and asked Xiao Jingshi to come home early so that the family of four could eat and talk at the table.
Sister Fu laughed and said, "What the teacher taught us, Mother taught us a long time ago, but the way we learned it is different."
"Don't be arrogant. Even if you've learned it before, learning it again now is just a review, understand?" Miaozhen instructed.
"Okay," Sister Fu said with a smile.
The two had no homework on the first day, but Miaozhen asked Xiao Jingshi to teach them to write, because the hands of five-year-old children are only developing normally and can only begin to write in this way.
Despite his exceptional talent, Xiao Jingshi was impatient when teaching children, pointing at Zhao Ge'er and saying, "Why don't you understand after I've taught you twice?"
Miaozhen tapped the table: "Can't you have a little patience? You're ruining the child's patience from the start. A good start is half the battle won."
"Fine," Xiao Jingshi said, suppressing his anger.
Miao Zhen kept a close eye on him, so he didn't dare to get too angry. Finally, he taught the two children how to hold a pen. Only then did Miao Zhen let the maid take the children away to rest. She then approached Xiao Jingshi with a smile and said, "Thank you for your trouble."
Xiao Jingshi pointed at her and said, "So you're going to slap her and then give her a sweet treat, huh?"
Miao Zhen raised an eyebrow: "Can't you have a little more patience? You're like this after teaching a child just once, but I teach them every day."
"You're really amazing." Xiao Jingshi gave a thumbs up.
Miaozhen smiled and said, "I plan to do a free clinic in a couple of days. I'll leave the children with my younger brother and sister-in-law to take care of their meals, but you have to check on their studies. In particular, we can't let them go crazy playing as soon as school is over. My husband and I must work together to cultivate good habits in the children first."
"Okay, I heard you," Xiao Jingshi replied.
The next day, Miaozhen prepared her medical supplies in advance and helped the children check their homework. She had them recite the texts first, then write the strokes of the large characters. In short, she had them write first and then checked their work.
She insisted that the time be controlled within one hour each day; otherwise, she would not check and let her husband beat or scold her as he pleased.
Fu Jie'er memorized the book very quickly. Miao Zhen had taught her before, and now she was learning it again. She memorized it in half an hour and continued to dip her brush in ink and write strokes.
After she finished writing, Miaozhen helped her check for errors and omissions, and she corrected them all again.
Sister Fu is fast, but a bit careless; Brother Zhao is slower, but very meticulous and neat. Miao Zhen also pointed out their problems.
He then had his page perform a shadow puppet show for them, and only let the children rest when they were tired.
Soon the day of the free clinic arrived, and Lou Qiongyu said, "Sister-in-law, you go ahead, it's alright, I'll take care of things at home."
"Okay, then I'll leave the house to you." Miaozhen said with a smile.
After Miaozhen left, Lou Qiongyu first tidied up the housework, prepared meals, and told those who came to seek medical treatment that Miaozhen had gone to provide free medical services. She finally breathed a sigh of relief in the afternoon, but unexpectedly, Zhang from next door came over for a visit.
After Zhang moved in, Xia Yan passed away in October. Before his death, he wrote a letter to express his grievances, listing seven major treacherous plots by Yan Song and Marquis Cui Yuan of Jingshan to frame him. Although Emperor Jiajing ignored it, the Cui family was worried for a while, and the Marquis of Jingshan fell ill for a period of time. Zhang and her husband went to the Marquis's residence to take care of him and only returned now.
"Where is your sister-in-law?" Zhang asked.
Lou Qiongyu smiled and said, "She went out to do free medical consultations and hasn't come back yet."
“Doing good deeds is a good thing,” Zhang said with a smile.
Lou Qiongyu said, "That's right. If I didn't have to take care of these children, I would have gone too."
After chatting and laughing for a while, Zhang was about to take her leave and go home when she unexpectedly ran into Xiao Jingshi, who had come home early to take care of the children. As soon as Xiao Jingshi saw Zhang, he frowned and left. Zhang was stunned on the spot as if struck by lightning. It was Xiao Jingshi!
When she had just come of age, she accidentally fell into the water and nearly drowned, but Xiao Jingshi saved her. Given Xiao Jingshi's talent and good looks, she naturally wanted to repay him with her body, but he refused no matter what, even when she threatened to kill herself. He was so heartless.
Later, she had no choice but to marry Cui Canzheng's son, as her uncle had arranged for her to do so.
At first, she also wanted to live a good life, but Cui Ningzheng was a playboy who got a position as a garrison commander by virtue of his father and grandfather's influence. He was framed by someone in the local area, otherwise he would not have come to the capital.
But looking at Xiao Jingshi again, he was even more handsome than before, and he had even entered the Hanlin Academy, so he seemed to have an extraordinary aura.
She never expected that Xiao Jingshi lived next door to her. Was this a godsend?
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