"Madam He, you said you know medicine, so why didn't you show off your skills on the road earlier?"
On the way, Lingyue asked, puzzled.
After all, this was someone she was taking to see her wife, and she wouldn't feel at ease without asking clearly what was going on.
“My family was fleeing famine before. There were all sorts of people on the road, and I didn’t dare to expose myself easily. Besides, my medical skills weren’t as proficient as they are now. We were originally going to Anzhou, but we heard that Anzhou was no longer accepting refugees, so we had to change our route to Jingzhou. After arriving in Jingzhou, I found a master, and thanks to his guidance, my medical skills improved by leaps and bounds.”
He Jiuniang gave the reason she had prepared beforehand, which wasn't exactly a lie; it was simply an explanation for her medical skills.
Ling Yue nodded and said, "I see. You arrived in Jingzhou a long time ago?"
"Well, my whole family is currently settled in Anping Village, Daling County. I came to the prefectural city to treat patients and wanted to visit Madam to thank everyone for saving my life. I didn't expect the shopkeeper to say that Madam is seriously ill, so I dared to come and try."
He Jiuniang nodded, and Ling Xue asked again, "You came to Jingzhou a long time ago, why are you only coming now?"
If she had arrived a little earlier and brought the lady a bottle of cinnabar calming pills, the lady's condition might not have been so serious.
He Jiuniang remembered that Ling Xue had some issues with their family before, but fortunately, her views changed after they got to know each other better. However, in He Jiuniang's opinion, it was no big deal, since the young girl was only trying to help Madam Jiang.
The young girl was clearly annoyed that she was late. He Jiuniang was embarrassed to say that she had forgotten, and only said, "When I first arrived, I was busy settling in, and I didn't want to cause trouble for Madam, so I was late."
When she said that, Lingyue, who was older, understood and, upon reflection, realized that it made perfect sense.
They were refugees at the time. If they came to the city to find the lady, everyone would know that they were there to ask for her help. Even if they didn't have that intention, they would still be misunderstood.
Regardless of what the lady was thinking, the maids absolutely despised this behavior. They even felt that this family was an inescapable nuisance and looked down on them from the bottom of their hearts.
But it's different now. The other party is visiting as an equal, not asking for a favor. This difference in starting point creates a different impression.
Ling Xue nodded, thinking that this family was quite nice.
As they were talking, they arrived at the courtyard where Madam Jiang lived.
Madam Jiang's courtyard was beautifully decorated. Even though it was still February, the courtyard was already full of flowers, showing that the servants had put in a lot of effort.
Or perhaps, the male head of the household is very fond of Mrs. Jiang.
The courtyard is not only filled with flowers, but also with wind chimes hanging on the trees and eaves, just like they used to hang on the carriage. When the wind blows, the tinkling sound is very crisp and pleasant.
Jiang Ruoya sat under the tree with the wind chimes hanging from it, lost in thought. According to Ling Yue and Ling Xue, she had been sitting there for an hour.
Lingyue said, "My wife is ill with longing for her daughter; she's heartbroken."
He Jiuniang nodded, indicating that she understood what she meant. She told them to stay where they were and then walked quietly toward Jiang Ruoya.
“Madam, do you remember me? We met in Changzhou before.”
She smiled and moved closer, waving her hand in front of Jiang Ruoya's eyes to make Jiang Ruoya look at her.
Madam Jiang was still the same, breathtakingly beautiful, but her complexion was slightly pale and her eyes were somewhat lifeless.
"Jiu'er?"
Jiang Ruoya stared blankly at her, then grabbed her hand and asked urgently, "You're my Jiu'er, aren't you?"
He Jiuniang initially wanted to deny it, but seeing her anxious appearance, she didn't deny it. She helped her up and led her inside, saying, "Madam, it's chilly outside. Let me take you inside to rest."
"Okay, okay, I'll listen to Jiu'er!"
Jiang Ruoya obediently got up and followed He Jiuniang, but her eyes remained fixed on her, as if afraid that if she blinked, her Jiu'er would disappear.
Seeing this, Lingyue and Lingxue quietly followed them into the house.
Although they believed He Jiuniang was not a bad person, as the lady's personal maids, they had to keep an eye on her at all times.
He Jiuniang understood this principle, so she didn't say anything more.
"Madam, did you eat well today?"
He Jiuniang spoke to her in the same tone she would use to coax a dog, but Jiang Ruoya shook her head: "I'm not hungry."
"How can I not be hungry? If you don't eat, you won't get well, and Jiu'er will be sad."
When He Jiuniang helped Jiang Ruoya in, she took the opportunity to check her pulse and did a simple examination of her condition. She found that Jiang Ruoya's intelligence was about the same as that of a ten-year-old child.
"Will Jiu'er be sad?"
She tilted her head and asked, still looking somewhat bewildered.
"Of course, Madam, you need to take good care of your health so that Jiu'er will be happy."
"Okay, as long as Jiu'er is happy, I'll eat!"
Jiang Ruoya nodded vigorously, then looked at Ling Yue and Ling Xue, who immediately replied, "This servant will go prepare the meal right away!"
Because Jiang Ruoya didn't want to eat, the kitchen always had food ready, so it was quickly served.
He Jiuniang ate with Jiang Ruoya and then coaxed her to sleep.
At first, Jiang Ruoya was unwilling to sleep, but He Jiuniang promised to come and see her every day, so she obediently went to sleep.
After they fell asleep, He Jiuniang took Ling Yue and Ling Xue to the outer room for questioning.
"It's amazing that Madam fell asleep like that!"
Ling Xue was amazed. The lady couldn't sleep at night, let alone in broad daylight. This was truly a miracle.
He Jiuniang smiled, indicating that it was nothing, and then asked, "When did Madam begin to experience mental decline?"
"After returning from Changzhou, because there was no news of Miss, Madam's condition worsened. At first, she had the calming pills you gave her to help her sleep, but later the medicine ran out, and Madam's condition worsened. The doctor in the manor tried several prescriptions, but none of them worked. Madam suffered from insomnia, and then she began to forget many people and things. Her mental state also slowly deteriorated. She has been like this for more than two months now."
Ling Yue recalled carefully, and Ling Xue chimed in, "Madam's condition is still good now; at least she won't hurt herself like before."
He Jiuniang grasped the key point in her words and asked, "Would Madam have hurt herself before?"
The two girls exchanged a glance and nodded, saying, "Yes, Madam used to have memory lapses, remembering some sad things and feeling sorry for Miss, so she would do things that hurt herself. Now Madam's mind has regressed, and she only remembers that Miss exists, but doesn't remember anything from before, which has made her much better."
Listening to the two girls talking, He Jiuniang knew that this Madam Jiang must have a very bad past. She didn't ask any more questions, but just nodded and said, "Knowing this is enough. Although Madam's illness is a psychological one, it is not incurable. I can't say that she will be completely cured, but it is possible to restore her to the state she was in Changzhou. It will just take a while. I will write down a few prescriptions for you first."
Upon hearing this, the two nodded repeatedly. They hadn't expected He Jiuniang to be so certain that she could cure it. The Pavilion Master would surely be very happy to know!
PS: My darlings, just to clarify, the female lead is indeed Jiang Ruoya's daughter, but she doesn't look like Jiang Ruoya; she looks more like her biological father's side.
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