Jiang Bai suffered a major loss this time. He hadn't saved much money to begin with. After giving Wang Xiufen one hundred taels, he had only a dozen taels left, enough for her and her two children to eat and drink next month.
The money, freshly received and now gone, was a real blow, but the resulting letter of severance from Wang Xiufen made it all worthwhile.
It's worth more than a hundred taels, even a thousand taels.
She wasn't in a hurry, and focused on recovering from her injury, going over to Wang Linlin's house every day to brew medicine and prepare medicinal meals.
Wang Linlin patiently ate the medicine for more than half a month, and her health improved significantly.
She had never felt so relaxed, as if she could jump and run freely, and also bear children for her husband.
Looking at Wang Linlin's radiant skin and appearance, Lin Yong was very grateful to Jiang Bai.
One day, after Wang Linlin finished taking her medicine, she called out to Jiang Bai.
"Dr. Jiang, I have a question I'd like to ask you."
Jiang Bai stopped and placed the empty medicine bowl on the table, gently asking, "Where do you feel unwell?"
“No,” Wang Linlin shook her head, “I want to ask, if my body continues to receive treatment, will I be able to have children?”
Jiang Bai's expression froze. Looking at Wang Linlin's longing eyes, he hesitated and said, "Strictly speaking, I don't recommend you have a child. It's very harmful to the mother's body, and there's a high chance of complications during childbirth..."
“I’m not afraid of danger,” Wang Linlin said, stroking her lower abdomen. “You mean, I might be able to have a child?”
Her illness had been getting worse, and the doctors warned her not to sacrifice her health for a small thing. They said that if she had a child then, her body probably wouldn't have survived even a month.
In the last two years, she has become like a fragile clay figure, carefully protected by Lin Yong, and they have even stopped having sex.
Now that her health has improved, the first thing she thought of was this: she wanted to have a child of her own and Lin Yong's!
Jiang Bai took a deep breath, wondering how he had gotten himself into such a predicament: "To be honest, if I recuperate for another two years, I might be able to try—but there's a high risk involved."
"Madam, you should know your body. Even with proper care, you will not be exactly the same as an ordinary person."
After thinking for a moment, Jiang Bai asked cautiously, "General Lin Yong has no children now, is that right?"
Wang Linlin lowered her eyes in disappointment and said, "He has two sons and a daughter, all born to his concubine, and they are currently being raised by his mother."
Jiang Bai understood that the mother she was referring to was Lin Yong's biological mother, her mother-in-law.
Indeed, in the context of ancient times, no matter how loving a couple was, it was difficult to maintain the rule of monogamy, let alone the various constraints that came with Lin Yong's status as a general.
Jiang Bai subconsciously thought of Zhao Yi and pursed his lips uncomfortably.
She suspected that the masked man who suddenly appeared on the day she encountered the robbers might be Zhao Yi, or one of Zhao Yi's men.
Zhao Yi hasn't sent money back for several months. There must be something fishy going on. The other party couldn't have suddenly stopped providing living expenses without a reason.
Most likely, Zhao Yi is sending people to secretly observe her and assess whether she is qualified to be the mother of Zhao Ping'an and Zhao Xile.
Thinking about this, Jiang Bai was furious.
She scrimped and saved to raise her two children, she was the most qualified person imaginable. Few mothers, let alone stepmothers, are as devoted as she is.
On the contrary, Zhao Yi stopped sending money home. What use is a man like that to her? It's practically single-parenting!
After thinking for a few days, Jiang Bai decided to stick to the principle of "I won't move unless the enemy makes a move," and wait for the other party to make a move before responding accordingly.
She thought to herself: It would be best if he never showed up and didn't disrupt this peaceful life.
Seeing Jiang Bai lost in thought, Wang Linlin tentatively called out her name.
Jiang Bai came to his senses and said, "If you insist, I can try to recuperate, but please be sure to follow my medical advice and don't do whatever you want on your own."
Put yourself in their shoes: the empire that a couple built together had to be passed on to their illegitimate children in the end, which was truly frustrating.
Wang Linlin's eyes lit up immediately, and she nodded vigorously, saying, "Okay."
-
Jiang Bai was still considering Ren Yunzhou's offer. The terms were very good, but the boss didn't seem very reliable.
With the Ren family backing him up, even if Ren Yunzhou fails in business, he'll just go back to being a good-for-nothing who wastes his life.
But if she fails, it will be like going back to square one.
Moreover, if she were to have any disagreements with Ren Yunzhou, the Ren family could make it impossible for her to survive in the entire county in no time.
Therefore, she originally intended to maintain her relationship with Ren Yunzhou in the same way she maintained her relationship with the general's family, a gentleman's friendship that was as light as water.
Most importantly, medicine is not her forte; medicinal cuisine with added spiritual liquid is.
The clinic prescribes medicine and sells prescriptions to patients, but doesn't handle the decoction (although they can decoct it for an extra fee, most people will buy the medicine and decoct it themselves to save money). Once the effects of the spiritual liquid are gone, she becomes just another ordinary person, and Ren Yunzhou won't tolerate her for long.
She had inquired and found that the monthly salary of a typical doctor was only ten or twenty taels of silver. Ren Yunzhou offered a high price of fifty taels of silver only because he valued her abilities.
However, her abilities could not be fully utilized at the clinic.
Otherwise, you should just open your own medicinal cuisine restaurant; being your own boss is much more satisfying.
After making this decision, whenever she had free time, she would go to the county town to see if there were any suitable shops for rent.
If you plan to do business in the county town, then you should also consider renting a courtyard and bringing your two children over.
The yard shouldn't be too small; it should have at least three bedrooms.
She had long been fed up with it; Zhao Xile was already over three years old and still sleeping with her brother. There was a difference between boys and girls, and things would only get awkward when they grew a little older.
It would be better to start sleeping in separate rooms now.
If Zhao Xile is afraid to sleep alone, she can hire a wet nurse to cook for the two children and supplement their nutrition.
These days, Jiang Bai isn't home, so he prepares lunch for the two of them in the morning, and then Zhao Ping'an heats it up for them to eat.
Children sometimes have trouble lighting the stove, so they simply eat the food cold, which is bad for their stomachs.
Jiang Bai looked at many places, his feet were almost worn out, but he still couldn't find a suitable one.
Finding a place to rent is easy, but the county town has a large flow of people, and shops are in high demand. The few that are available for rent are either extremely expensive or located in very remote areas.
On this day, Jiang Bai was walking down a bustling street when a familiar voice called out to her.
"Jiang Bai, what are you doing here?"
Jiang Bai turned his head and, with delight, quickly walked up to the person who had come: "Aunt Wang, it's been a long time! So you've moved to the county town?"
Aunt Wang paused for a moment, then nodded: "Yes."
Jiang Bai didn't notice her unease and explained his purpose for coming.
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