Chapter 68 Embroidery Workshop on Fire "Gone...nothing at all..."
When Lin Zhi was gently woken up, she was still a little dazed. Xia Ying helped her sit up and gave her half a cup of warm water, after which she gradually came to her senses and realized that she was now under house arrest.
While going to the embroidery workshop was no longer an option, Lin Zhi's room was filled with many embroidery supplies, so she wouldn't feel constrained about what she wanted to use.
But when Chuntao moved the embroidery table in front of her, Lin Zhi waved her hand and said, "No."
Amidst the questioning and concerned gazes of the two, Lin Zhi sat down at the table with some difficulty, flipping through the books and papers she and Pei Lang had shared in the past, unable to suppress the disappointment on her face.
Each of the pages was filled with the handwriting of the two of them, intertwined and inseparable.
But things are not what they used to be.
Xia Ying frowned, unable to bear seeing Lin Zhi so troubled, and simply moved the soft chair to the corridor: "Miss! I found a shuttlecock! Watch me play it!"
"The weather is so nice today! It's good to come out and soak up some sun!"
Lin Zhi frowned slightly, but still nodded in agreement. Leaning back in the soft chair, she watched Xia Ying running and kicking around energetically, and her expression gradually softened.
"Alright, alright, you're all sweaty from playing. Come on, have some water and rest."
Seeing how hard she was trying to please her mistress, Chun Tao felt sorry for her and quickly pulled her to sit down. "Although it's already spring, it's still cool in the mornings and evenings. It wouldn't be good if you sweated and then caught a chill."
But as soon as she finished speaking, Lin Zhi sneezed slightly. Only then did the two realize that they had rushed out and hadn't even put the cloak on Lin Zhi!
Chun Tao exclaimed in surprise and quickly got up to touch her hand; it was indeed ice-cold!
Lin Zhi initially thought it was because she hadn't woken up yet, but when she tried to speak, she found that her nose was blocked and her voice was muffled.
"I'm fine, I'm just still a little sleepy..."
But after saying those words during the day, Lin Zhi developed a high fever that night.
I changed the handkerchief several times, but my forehead was still burning hot.
Xia Ying cried with self-reproach, but Lin Zhi, somewhat dazed, reached out and touched her face: "Why are you crying? It's just a little cold."
"I've been feeling unwell for a while now, and I never expected that all my illness would come out today."
These words were meant to comfort Xia Ying, but they were also the truth. She had cried until her tears ran dry during those days. She had been weak since childhood, so how could she not get sick?
With a creak, Chun Tao pushed open the door and carefully entered, carrying a bowl of medicine that was no longer very hot: "Miss, drink it while it's still warm. You'll feel better after sweating it out tonight."
Lin Zhi struggled to sit up, but when she looked down and saw her protruding belly, she remembered that she was pregnant.
Staring at the medicine bowl, she hesitated before speaking: "Didn't the doctor warn me before that using this medicine might affect the child?"
The two young girls, neither of whom had experienced anything like this, looked at each other in bewilderment, as if there was such a saying.
Seeing this, Lin Zhi waved her hand and said, "Take it away. He's not seriously ill today. He'll be fine after a good night's sleep."
Chun Tao wanted to say something more. It wouldn't be a problem to find a doctor to prescribe some medicine that pregnant women could take, but unfortunately, she was currently under house arrest. Although she had enough to eat and wear, she couldn't go out.
The two looked at Lin Zhi, whose cheeks were flushed and whose lips had turned pale, and they both saw worry in each other's eyes.
After closing the door, Chun Tao finally spoke up: "How can Miss get better if she doesn't take her medicine?"
"Even if you manage to get through it, you'll probably feel unwell for several days."
Xia Ying bit her lip. "I'll go ask the guard outside if he can make an exception."
But she returned dejectedly less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn: "Even with the money, it's no use. They won't release the person no matter what I say."
Chuntao sighed deeply: "Alright, let's keep the medicine warm for now. If Miss's fever doesn't break by tonight, she'll have to drink it even if she doesn't want to."
Even if it's for the children's good, the adults shouldn't be ignored.
The two looked at each other and nodded in agreement.
After the candle was extinguished, Lin Zhi, though her eyes were closed, felt as if she were in a state of extreme heat and cold, feeling uncomfortable no matter what she did.
My throat, in particular, was so parched that it was cracked, like land that had been dry for years.
My head was throbbing with a dull ache, and I felt uncomfortable no matter how I lay down. I also couldn't open my eyes.
Half-asleep, Lin Zhi felt someone touch her forehead. Thinking it might be Chun Tao or the others, she murmured that she was thirsty.
But the teacup had a wide opening, and when someone fed the child a sip, most of it spilled out, soaking the collar of the undergarment. The person awkwardly wiped the child's neck with their hands.
Lin Zhi frowned uncomfortably, feeling that Chun Tao was clumsy today.
Fortunately, cool liquid soon entered my mouth. I don't know what it was that fed me, but it was even a little cool and soft.
Lin Zhi drank greedily for a while before feeling much better and falling into a deep sleep again.
In the past, her stomach always felt heavy and dragging on her during sleep, making it uncomfortable no matter how she lay down. But tonight, it felt as if she was being gently supported by a pair of large hands, and Lin Zhi felt that even her breathing was much easier.
Leaning against the warm back, sweat slowly began to appear on my body, and my breathing, which had been somewhat heavy due to nasal congestion, gradually calmed down.
Just as dawn was breaking, Chun Tao came in and touched Lin Zhi's forehead. She breathed a sigh of relief when she realized that Lin Zhi was no longer hot. She tucked the blanket in and was about to leave when she noticed a single teacup that had been placed on the table, which puzzled her.
"Did I not put it away properly when I left?"
But Chun Tao was still sleepy and not very awake, so she left after putting down the teacups.
Naturally, no one noticed the tall figure climbing out the back window and leaving.
"Did you sleep well last night, Miss? I'm relieved to see that you're no longer feeling hot."
As Lin Zhi stretched out her arms to make it easier for them to get dressed, she felt a little strange. Ever since she became pregnant, her hands and feet were always cold when she got up, unless Pei Lang was by her side.
Today, not only are my hands and feet warm, but even my sore calves don't feel uncomfortable anymore.
"That's really strange. Could it be that a high fever has such an effect?"
After tying the ribbon, Chun Tao stood up and asked, "What did you say, Miss?"
"...It's nothing, I'm definitely not feeling bad anymore today."
After recovering from her illness, Xia Ying and the other woman kept a close watch on Lin Zhi, preventing her from leaving her room alone, fearing that she would catch a cold and suffer again. They followed her closely every time.
One day, while Lin Zhi was copying scriptures at the stone table in the courtyard, she wrinkled her nose and put down her fine pen: "Xia Ying, can you smell anything?"
Xia Ying put down her storybook, somewhat confused: "Huh? What's that smell?"
Lin Zhi got up and kept sniffing in one direction, "It's over there, it smells like something is burning."
Xia Ying was puzzled and called Chun Tao out of the small kitchen: "Sister Chun Tao, did you cook something?"
Chun Tao held up her still-dripping hands: "No, I was washing fruit for Miss, I didn't even turn on the stove."
The smell was getting stronger and stronger, and even the two of them could smell it. Lin Zhi frowned as she looked at the black smoke drifting in the air; that place seemed to be... the embroidery workshop!
Before the two maids could react, Lin Zhi had already rushed to the gate, banging on it and shouting to the guards outside, "The embroidery workshop! The embroidery workshop is on fire!"
"Quickly go and see what's on fire!"
Lin Zhi had witnessed the great fire that had once ravaged the Pei residence, a fire that had left scars on Pei Lang's body, so she naturally felt lingering fear.
In that embroidery workshop, there were still small clothes and hats she had made for her child that she didn't have time to take away.
The guard outside the door spoke in a cold voice, without even moving his feet.
“Please behave yourself, Madam. There are servants and maids over there to put out the fire. We don’t need to do it.”
"Our duty is to stay here and guard the concubine."
Lin Zhi was furious at their words. She wanted to say something, but her face changed and she collapsed, clutching her stomach.
"Miss! Miss!"
Xia Ying and the other woman rushed over and helped her sit down. "Miss, don't worry! Perhaps... perhaps it's not the embroidery workshop, it's just that the flowers and plants in that direction are on fire!"
"You're quite far along in your pregnancy now, so please don't rush things!"
Lin Zhi looked pained, but shook her head. "I know best the smell of burning embroidery thread and silk. That's the smell of the embroidery workshop!"
As expected, the three of them, master and servants, could clearly hear the commotion outside even in the courtyard. Many servants rushed over with buckets of water, but they were too late.
"This embroidery workshop was such a fine place, but it was burned to the ground."
"Exactly, we left quickly enough, and we don't know where this sudden burst of evil energy came from!"
Listening to the sounds outside from behind the door, Chun Tao looked troubled. This embroidery workshop was half of her mistress's life, not to mention the little clothes that her mistress had embroidered for her young master.
If the young lady finds out, she'll be heartbroken.
No matter how unwilling she was to say it, she couldn't hide it any longer. When Chun Tao reluctantly moved into the room, she saw that Lin Zhi's expression had already frozen. She only looked up hesitantly when she heard the noise.
"Have you found out, Chun Tao?"
Chun Tao frowned and walked to Lin Zhi, slowly squatting down: "Miss, don't worry... Although those embroideries can't be saved, there are still a few months left. We servants will help you make them, and we'll make sure the young mistress is comfortable!"
Even though she was prepared, Lin Zhi blinked and a few warm, wet drops still landed on the back of her hand.
She lowered her head, unwilling to reveal her vulnerability, but the more she tried to hold back, the more tears flowed.
"Gone...everything is gone..."
This embroidery workshop is not just an embroidery workshop, but also a place where she shared beautiful memories with her mother, her children, and even Pei Lang.
That was a place that belonged exclusively to Lin Zhi, a place she loved most when she was the mistress of the Pei family.
But now, everything is gone.
Chun Tao was extremely anxious, but Lin Zhi refused to speak no matter what. After waking up, she neither cried nor laughed.
Several days later, she woke up to find it was time to copy scriptures. Although Chun Tao saw that she was no longer distressed, she was still somewhat worried.
Just when she was at a loss for what to do, the courtyard gate, which had been closed for more than half a month, was suddenly opened.
"The master has ordered that the concubine's confinement be lifted ahead of schedule, and she will no longer need to be locked up from today onwards."
Chun Tao's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down. When she hurriedly went inside to report back, Lin Zhi didn't react much.
"Yes, I understand."
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