Chapter 39: Fleeting Years I still have a daughter to raise...
Five years later.
Chenzhou, Baixi Village.
It was almost noon, and smoke was rising from the roofs of every household, reflecting the misty green mountains not far away. The smell of fireworks lingered in the air, like a cross between the human world and fairyland.
"It's nothing serious. I just caught a cold at night, so I have a headache and diarrhea. Take a few doses of medicine and eat a light diet and you'll be fine." Chen Lianxiu said to his neighbor Luo Wuniang while packing his medicine box.
"Thanks to you, if I had a minor ailment or pain, it would have been bothersome and expensive to see a doctor, and I'd have had to endure it myself," Luo Wuniang said, holding onto Chen Lianxiu. "Let's eat here before we go. You just came back from a consultation and I dragged you here to see my mother-in-law. You must not have cooked."
Chen Lianxiu hesitated for a moment, thinking that she would have to light a fire and cook if she went back. She was about the same age as Luo Wuniang, and they were neighbors and had always been good friends. There was nothing wrong with having a meal here, so she nodded.
Five years ago, after she escaped from Nanny Song, she returned here not long after. It was Baixi Village, Chenzhou, her mother's hometown. The Yu family's old house was next to Luo Wuniang's. It was thanks to Luo Wuniang and others that she helped to renovate the dilapidated house.
Because only seven or eight years have passed, the people here have not forgotten the Yu family. Gradually, they all know that Chen Lianxiu is also a doctor, so they often ask her to see a doctor. At first, they only asked her to see a common headache or fever. Later, seeing that Chen Lianxiu's skills were good, they also came to her for some difficult-to-treat diseases. Chen Lianxiu is careful and loves to study. In the past few years, she has gained a good reputation in Baixi Village and the surrounding areas. Although it is not as good as the accumulation of the Yu family in the past, it is enough for her to support her family and live her life comfortably.
The medicine box was put down again, and Chen Lianxiu followed Luo Wuniang to the kitchen. Luo Wuniang had asked Chen Lianxiu to see her mother-in-law today, which delayed her for some time, so some dishes had not been cooked yet.
Chen Lianxiu picked vegetables for her. There was no one else here, so the two of them chatted casually.
Luo Wuniang was chopping the celery that Shen Lianxiu had picked, and suddenly asked her in a low voice: "Hey, have you heard?"
"What did you hear?" Shen Lianxiu blinked. "How can I know if you don't tell me?"
Luo Wuniang smiled, then revealed a nervous expression: "Were you invited to the Hu family for medical treatment last time?"
Shen Lianxiu nodded: "Yes."
"That's right," Luo Wuniang said, not even cutting the vegetables. She just stood there with the kitchen knife and started talking. "I was saying I heard you talk about this. It was about that sickly young master of the Hu family who I saw. I heard he died suddenly not long after returning to the capital."
Hearing this, Shen Lianxiu was stunned.
This happened about two months ago. There is a villa in the forest in the mountains behind Baixi Village. The owner of the villa is surnamed Hu. It is said that he is a high-ranking official in the capital. He has a son who has been weak and sick since childhood, and has been recuperating in the villa. Because Chen Lianxiu is quite famous in the village, and the Hu family sees that this young man's health is not getting better, they don't mind that she is a country female doctor and invite her to come to treat the Hu family's young man.
The illness of the young master of the Hu family was caused by weakness, which was brought from birth and could not be completely cured. Chen Lianxiu did not have any particularly good treatment method, so she could only regulate his body first. More than a month passed like this, and there was not much effect, but he was not as weak as before. Chen Lianxiu was about to ask them to seek help from others, but then she heard that the young master of the Hu family had returned to the capital for something, so she let the matter go and she no longer went to the Hu family.
I didn't expect that he died after returning!
Chen Lianxiu immediately asked, "Really? How did the person disappear?"
Luo Wuniang said, "That's exactly what I was saying. Logically, he wasn't in good health, so it's normal for him to have something bad happen to him if the wind blew. It wouldn't have spread to our remote village, but it's not a good thing for him to die..."
"It is said that the Hu family's young master died suddenly at home a few days after returning home, and his death was very horrific. What is it called? That's right, blood gushed out of all seven orifices, and he died with his eyes open!" Luo Wuniang spoke mysteriously. Because it was too horrifying, there was also a look of fear on her face. "It was the peddler from our village who went to the capital to buy goods yesterday. He heard about it and went to the door of the Hu Mansion to see that they were really holding a funeral. When he asked around, he found out that it was even more mysterious. It was said that the master of the Hu family was not a good person and had wronged a case in the past, which attracted a fierce ghost to come and take his life!"
Chen Lianxiu naturally didn't believe in these ghost stories, but in broad daylight, she still got goosebumps all over her body. She reluctantly said, "How could this be possible? The Hu family's young master was in poor health to begin with. Maybe he really died of illness. It's just that the story spread like wildfire."
Luo Wuniang scoffed at her statement. She poured the chopped celery into the wok and said while the vegetables were crackling, "They say that the reason why the young master of the Hu family has been staying in the villa is partly to recuperate and partly to avoid disaster. Look, this time he went back, isn't it..."
She was interrupted by a noise outside the house.
It was the sound of several young children playing. Luo Wuniang said to Shen Lianxiu, "Those little bastards are back. Go out and play with them for a while. Coax them and don't let them run around the house. The food will be ready soon!"
Chen Lianxiu also knew the lethality of children, so she hurried out of the kitchen and saw five or six children running in one after another.
Three of them were Luo Wuniang's children, two were Luo Wuniang's sisters-in-law, and as for the third one, Shen Lianxiu smiled as she watched a little girl of three or four years old running and throwing herself at her legs.
"Mother!"
It's her daughter.
Chen Lianxiu didn't pick her up immediately. She touched her soft head and then busied herself with gathering the other children into the yard, waiting for dinner.
Fortunately, the children listened to her and sat down on the stools one by one without much effort.
Shen Lianxiu also sat down to take charge of them, and the little girl climbed onto her lap.
A soft little hand put something slippery into her hand, and the little girl said, "This is a stone from the river. I give it to you, mother."
Chen Lianxiu opened his hand and saw an amber stone that sparkled in the sunlight.
"Thank you, An'an," Shen Lianxiu kissed her apple-like cheek, "Mother likes it very much."
An An snuggled into her arms, covered her mouth and smiled sweetly.
Soon, Luo Wuniang finished cooking the dishes. She gave some to her mother-in-law, and Chen Lianxiu went to the kitchen to bring out the dishes.
After Luo Wuniang brought out the food, everyone started eating.
Luo Wuniang's family members have been out for some time recently, even her sisters-in-law have gone home for a short stay, leaving only her and her mother-in-law to take care of the house. Now that her mother-in-law is sick again, Luo Wuniang is naturally a little tired, but the good thing is that she can chat with Shen Lianxiu without restraint, without having to worry about others, because the children can't understand anyway.
Chen Lianxiu put a piece of fried tofu in An An's bowl, and then she heard Luo Wuniang say, "You are still so young, don't you think about getting married again?"
Chen Lianxiu glanced at An An. She was concentrating on eating the tofu in the bowl and had no idea what they were talking about, so she felt relieved.
"Forget it," Shen Lianxiu shook her head, "This is fine. I'm not used to having more people at home."
When she returned to Baixi Village, she was pregnant and planned to keep the child, so she could not pretend to be unmarried. She could only say that she was a widow and had no one to rely on after her husband died, so she came back to her hometown.
In the past few years, inevitably, people in the village often wanted to introduce her to men, but she rejected them all.
Luo Wuniang muttered, "That's true. You're capable and can raise your daughter well on your own... But the young man from the Wang family at the entrance of the village has never been married and his family is okay. His mother told me last time that he's thinking about you. Do you think you can get along with him?"
Chen Lianxiu immediately found an excuse and said, "I have a daughter to raise. Since he has never been married, it would be even more inappropriate for me to marry him. I don't want to delay him. There are so many suitable candidates in the village and outside. There is no need to choose only me."
The rejection in her words was already very clear. Luo Wuniang had tried twice today and understood that when she said no, she really meant it, and she was not being coy. If she continued to persuade her, she would probably be unhappy, and it would ruin their friendship, so she stopped talking.
"Okay, then I understand. I'll go talk to his mother when I'm free. Let's be decisive." Luo Wuniang said as she picked up a meatball and put it into Chen Lianxiu's bowl. Chen Lianxiu smiled at her and immediately stuffed the meatball into his mouth.
Although she really didn't like topics like this, it was inevitable when living in the village. Besides, Luo Wuniang was different from others. She was really thinking about herself. She couldn't show an unhappy face and make Luo Wuniang feel disappointed.
Anyway, she is already in her early twenties. After a few years, naturally no one will be so diligent in proposing marriage to her. Just drag it out.
A few people finished their meal in the small courtyard with a lot of chatter. Chen Lianxiu and Luo Wuniang continued to wash dishes in the courtyard. The older children ran out to play again. Only An An and Luo Wuniang's youngest daughter, who was about the same age, stayed around them, playing with the wild flowers and weeds in the yard.
As Chen Lianxiu was washing, she felt her eyelids twitching. She didn't know what was wrong today. She was obviously not tired. She had just been seeing patients and talking at Luo Wuniang's house all morning. Why was she so restless now?
Maybe it was because of what Luo Wuniang had said before about the sudden death of the young master of the Hu family, or maybe she was annoyed again by the matchmaking of the Wang family?
Chen Lianxiu raised her wet hands, and without even bothering to wipe them dry, she pressed her twitching eyelids hard.
Just when she felt better, the other eyelid started twitching again. People say that if the left eye twitches, it means wealth and if the right eye twitches, it means disaster. Chen Lianxiu couldn't help but smile bitterly. If both eyes twitched alternately, it must mean both good and bad luck is coming.
But she naturally didn't believe it.
Luo Wuniang noticed her pressing her left eye, then her right, and asked, "What's wrong? Did sand get into your eyes?"
Chen Lianxiu said no, but fortunately after she pressed him a few times, he stopped jumping so much. So she quickly washed the dishes with Luo Wuniang and took An An home.
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The author has something to say: The second update is here [dog head holding a rose] See you in the next chapter [dog head holding a rose]
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