Chapter 42 Everyone is Sick
They played until evening, and were so tired that they fell asleep in their wet nurses' arms after getting into the carriage.
The next day, as expected, they all asked the school for leave.
Because of the wind, and because the village was not as refined as home, these pampered children, who had grown up in luxury, felt somewhat uncomfortable while playing and frolicking in the countryside and being exposed to the wild wind.
Baoyu got stung by wasps while picking flowers, and he got several bites on his face.
Although the swelling had subsided, the red bumps were still quite noticeable because of Baoyu's fair and delicate skin.
When they returned home that evening, the old lady hugged her "darling" and cried out, feeling extremely sorry for her, and scolded everyone who had gone out with her.
Xi Chun also suffered an undeserved misfortune. While Bao Yu was picking flowers, she was playing shuttlecock with a girl from a peasant family. The wasps stung people whenever they saw them, and Xi Chun was stung several times.
Daiyu, Yingchun, and Tanchun took some people to the field to see the cherry tomatoes that Jia Lian had planted. They said they wanted to compare them with their second brother Lian to see if his tomatoes were better or if the ones they grew in pots at home were better.
The hundred tomato plants that Jia Lian planted were indeed lush and verdant compared to the surrounding crops, and the bamboo poles used for the trellises were all carefully selected.
There was also a thatched shed nearby, which was specially set up to watch over it and prevent any scoundrels from coming and ruining this rare item.
Jia Lian would come over to check every few days; this was the first time in his life he had cared so much about something.
Even so, these tomatoes were still not as good as the ones that Daiyu and the others grew in pots.
It's estimated that the fruiting will be later than those they planted.
The group decided to go back and humiliate Lian Erge, but because they had gone too far and the fields weren't as sheltered as their homes, they still caught a chill from the wind.
When they returned, Yingchun had a fever, and although Tanchun was usually strong, she couldn't compare to the children of the farming family who were exposed to the wind and sun. However, after going to the fields, she developed hives.
Daiyu wasn't much better off; she started coughing as soon as she got into the carriage.
They were fine when they went out, but came back either injured or sick.
It was already late, so it was not appropriate to go to the palace to fetch the imperial physician. Instead, Jia Zheng asked someone to invite an imperial physician who was on leave at home to come and examine them.
Inside Rongqing Hall, Wang Xifeng and Jia Lian knelt down in unison. It was the first time they had ever seen Grandmother Jia so furious, and she had given them a thorough dressing-down.
Since Wang Xifeng was the one who started the outing, and as the sister-in-law, she failed to take good care of her younger sister-in-law and brother-in-law, she deserved to suffer this punishment.
Besides the couple, the wet nurse and maid who went out with them were also fined a month's wages.
Only the people of Rongyue Courtyard were unharmed.
Grandmother Jia knew that Yuan Hongqu was also involved in this, and that the idea of going out for a spring outing was first proposed by her beloved granddaughter Lin Daiyu. She did have some resentment towards Yuan Hongqu.
However, the next morning, Yuan Hongqu sent a transparent ointment to Baoyu and Xichun.
The ointment was packaged in a round white porcelain box, similar to a rouge box, but smaller, only slightly larger than the pad of a thumb.
After the ointment was applied, the sore and numb pain disappeared instantly, and by the afternoon, the red marks on their faces had almost completely faded.
Tan Chun received the same ointment. When applied to the rash, the red rash disappeared rapidly at a visible speed, restoring the original delicate and fair skin.
As for Yingchun, she had a fever, a stuffy nose and a runny nose, and food tasted bland. Rongyue Courtyard's small kitchen sent her delicious meals three times a day. After Yingchun recovered, she looked a bit plumper than before she got sick.
Because of Yuan Hongqu's performance and attitude, surprisingly, neither Grandmother Jia nor Lady Wang held a grudge against her.
This was the first time in years that Jia Lian and Wang Xifeng had been scolded like this by Grandmother Jia. The couple returned home in a disheveled state, feeling somewhat like soulmates sharing the same fate.
"Feng'er, you absolutely mustn't take them out to play anymore. My knee still hurts. Does it hurt? Let me rub it for you." The couple talked side by side, while the maids came over to wash their feet and change their clothes...
"I don't need you," Wang Xifeng rolled her eyes at him, then said.
"Thank you so much for today. Please put some medicine on your hand later to prevent it from swelling up again."
"It's alright. We're husband and wife, this is how it should be," Jia Lian said with a smile.
When the couple was being forced to kneel as punishment, Jia Lian felt sorry for his wife, but because the old lady was furious, he dared not do anything against her.
Therefore, he placed his palm under one of Wang Xifeng's knees, since kneeling on his palm was better than kneeling on the floor.
Grandmother Jia scolded them for almost half an hour. Only after Baoyu fell asleep did she stop scolding the couple and let them go home.
The Rongguo Mansion was thrown into chaos by this spring outing.
Yuan Hongqu didn't think it was a big deal.
It's perfectly normal for children who have been raised in a greenhouse to experience some physical discomfort when suddenly taken outdoors.
Yuan Hongqu sent ointment and food as a token of her apology.
That ointment is really effective. She had used it before and personally tested it and found it to be extremely effective, which is why she stocked up on a lot of it. Now it's come in handy!
After Yuan Hongqu quickly dealt with the matters outside, she continued to take care of Daiyu tirelessly.
This is the most important thing.
With Daiyu's physical condition, she should go out more often, instead of being kept in a delicate cage like a canary.
Normally, during this season of transition from spring to summer, Daiyu would cough for a long time.
After Yuan Hongqu took over taking care of Daiyu, her condition improved significantly.
Since returning from the estate that day, Daiyu has started coughing again at night.
The school granted Daiyu a long leave of absence, and she stayed at home to recuperate.
Yuan Hongqu knew that Daiyu's cough might be due to a slight seasonal allergy, as well as the lingering effects of her previous illness.
Furthermore, children's immune systems are still relatively weak. It's estimated that this situation will not occur again once she grows up a bit more.
It's been almost ten days since I returned from the village.
Yuan Hongqu finally breathed a sigh of relief after not hearing Daiyu cough last night.
Since she didn't have to go to school, Daiyu slept in for an extra half hour in the morning.
When I woke up today, I looked much better than I did a few days ago, when I was listless.
After getting up, Daiyu practiced the Eight Pieces of Brocade for a while, and soon felt refreshed and invigorated, as if she had been reborn.
The maids helped her with a quick wash and change of clothes before she went to eat breakfast.
Because Daiyu was ill, Yuan Hongqu never gave her any overly greasy food. For a cough, there are even more foods to avoid.
These days, Daiyu mostly eats various kinds of meat porridge and soup, which are mild in taste. Although they taste pretty good, she always feels that something is missing.
Until she saw the thinly sliced braised beef with parsley on the table. The slices were so thin, yet they still retained the unique chewiness and springiness of beef. These slices of beef were rolled up one by one and placed on the plate like little flowers, a pleasing sight to behold.
Daiyu's eyes lit up, and she thought to herself,
No wonder I can usually do the Eight Pieces of Brocade three times in a row without feeling tired, but today I only did it once and I already felt weak. It turns out I haven't been eating enough beef lately!
Granny Yuan once said that eating beef can strengthen muscles and bones and increase strength, so she would have at least one beef dish in almost every meal.
But recently I started coughing, so I haven't eaten it anymore.
Daiyu picked up the small lotus leaf cake. Now she no longer cared that it was made with spinach juice and flour. Originally, she only liked to eat lotus leaf cakes made with pure flour. She didn't like yellow lotus leaves made with pumpkin or green lotus leaves made with spinach juice.
She didn't need the maids to do anything; she filled small lotus leaf buns with beef herself. The buns were soaked in the braising liquid of the beef, and the aroma of oil and meat filled the air. With each bite, the fragrance lingered in her mouth. She ate three in one go before she felt satisfied.
Apart from this braised beef, there were several other light dishes.
The most eye-catching dish was a cold salad of goji berry leaves, which were bright green, like tender leaves after the rain.
Daiyu usually didn't like eating these kinds of vegetables, but today, seeing them made her feel very hungry. She ate a few bites with the white lotus leaf pancakes and found them refreshing and very pleasant.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com