novelraw Chapter 455 - 433: A Difficult Illness to Speak Of (2)
Chapter 455 - 433: A Difficult Illness to Speak Of (2)
The Eldest Young Master Chai still remembered the good news Li Yuzhu mentioned, and he asked again, "What was the good news Miss Li just mentioned?"
Li Yuzhu smiled and said, "It’s news about Sister-in-law E Ying, she’s pregnant with a boy, Tianlang has a younger brother now."
The Eldest Young Master Chai was overjoyed, "Good, good, good, that’s great. Tianlang always wanted a little brother to play with, he’ll be so happy. When his mother returns, I’ll definitely tell her this news to cheer her up."
Li Yuzhu returned to the shop.
Mu Yuanxiu and the others were moving books, and she went to tidy up the rooms for everyone.
On the second floor of the shop, there were three rooms, two of which were for Li Yuzhu and Li Xing’an, and Li Yuzhu gave the empty one to Mu Yuanxiu.
In the back courtyard of the shop, there was a two-story building; the first floor was the kitchen and the bathhouse, and there were also three rooms on the second floor. Li Yuzhu arranged for Liu Yanbai and Uncle Gui to stay there.
Uncle Gui still had to drive Chai Eying’s mule cart back to the village and would only stay in the county seat for one night.
Li Yuzhu didn’t arrange for extra beds and had them share a room.
In the shop, all the bedding and other items were readily available, bought the last time she and Li Xing’an left the county seat.
During their absence from the county seat, Sister-in-law Chai often came to open the doors to ventilate, air out, and sun the bedding.
Thanks to frequent sunning, the bedding, although stored for more than two months, didn’t have any musty smell.
Li Yuzhu directly took them out to make beds for everyone.
After tidying up the bedrooms, Li Yuzhu went to the front of the shop to see everyone organizing the books.
The books were neatly stacked on wooden shelves, orderly and precise.
At this moment, Sister-in-law Chai came over.
Li Yuzhu immediately went over with a smile and greeted her, "Sister-in-law Chai."
Sister-in-law Chai had a worried expression, "Yu Zhu, you’re here just in time, I have something I need your help with."
Li Yuzhu smiled and said, "Sister-in-law Chai, just tell me."
Sister-in-law Chai glanced at Mu Yuanxiu, Li Xing’an, and the others organizing the books inside, frowned slightly, and pulled Li Yuzhu to the back courtyard, "Let’s talk over there."
Her expression was serious, and Li Yuzhu stopped smiling and frowned again, asking, "Sister-in-law Chai, what’s going on?"
Sister-in-law Chai hesitated for a while, then said, "Miss Li, following your master to study medicine, have you ever heard of a way to treat a stone woman?"
Li Yuzhu widened her eyes, "Stone woman? Who is the stone woman?"
"My cousin, she is the youngest daughter of my eldest uncle. Her in-laws accused her of being a stone woman and divorced her a few days ago." Sister-in-law Chai let out a long sigh, "The night before last, she quietly left the Zhao family to drown herself. Fortunately, a passerby saved her, so she didn’t die but she’s not doing well, lying in bed all day crying and refusing to eat or drink."
"..."
"Her parents have been preoccupied lately with business rivalries within the family and haven’t paid much attention to her. I’m very worried and don’t know how to help her. She’s someone I watched grow up, always following me around to play, and I don’t want anything to happen to her. Miss Li, is there any way to treat her ailment? I’ve searched for many doctors in the city, but they all said it couldn’t be cured. Luckily, you’re here."
In ancient times, women who couldn’t bear children were referred to as stone women.
There are some mild cases that can be treated and result in pregnancy, these are pseudo-stone women.
The more severe cases involve internal deformities or deficiencies, preventing intimate relations, which is genuine stone women.
Whether a genuine or pseudo-stone woman, delaying treatment until infected by menstrual blood can cause serious harm to the body.
She didn’t know which condition Miss Zhao had; she found it hard to answer.
Seeing Li Yuzhu frown and remain silent, Sister-in-law Chai bitterly smiled and said, "Sigh, this condition is difficult to speak of, and you are young, so maybe your master hadn’t mentioned it?"
Li Yuzhu slightly smiled, "No, my master explained this condition; she said that in the eyes of a healer, there are no specialties among the sick. All the sick people, regardless of their diseases, are just patients. Besides, my master is a female doctor proficient in all women’s diseases, and she taught me some."
Sister-in-law Chai was overjoyed, "That’s wonderful! Later, accompany me to see her."
Li Yuzhu nodded, "Okay."
.
There was a small kitchen in Li Yuzhu’s shop, with some rice and oil, among other items.
However, given their early morning start and lengthy journey, everyone was quite exhausted.
Sister-in-law Chai invited Li Yuzhu and the others over for lunch at her shop, telling them not to cook.
The welcoming and cleaning feast arranged by the Eldest Young Master Chai and his wife was very sumptuous.
Some dishes were personally prepared by Sister-in-law Chai, and some were the signature dishes ordered by the Eldest Young Master Chai from a restaurant.
Liu Yanbai sat among the group, feeling very reserved.
The Eldest Young Master Chai, who had heard about his situation from Li Xing’an and Li Yuzhu, patted his shoulder and said, "It’s no big deal to lack parental care. Tian Lang and I lost our parents when we were little; our grandparents and second uncle treated us poorly, so we moved out and lived on our own. Now, I’m in my late twenties, married with children and running a business, don’t I live well?"
Liu Yanbai was taken aback, "I didn’t know the Eldest Young Master’s parents had passed away long ago?"
"Not only my parents, but also my maternal family, which was also wiped out by a massive flood. I took care of myself and looked after my sister, but now am I not okay?" The Eldest Young Master Chai said with a relaxed look.
Liu Yanbai thought to himself, it turns out he’s not the only unfortunate person.
What’s the big deal if your father has died and your mother doesn’t care? As long as you find a skill to support yourself, you can live well.
He felt comforted and encouraged, "Thanks for the encouragement, Brother Chai."
"There’s no need for thanks, let’s eat, the dishes are getting cold." The Eldest Young Master Chai laughed heartily.
After lunch, Mu Yuanxiu and Liu Yanbai stayed to guard the shop, and Uncle Gui, being elderly and having stayed up late, went to rest. Li Xing’an went to pick up Xiao Chengzi to work at the shop, as Li Yuzhu had previously discussed with Xiao Chengzi.
Xiao Chengzi was also a pitiable child; when Li Yuzhu mentioned taking care of the shop to him, he immediately agreed.
Li Yuzhu and Sister-in-law Chai, with Chai Tianlang, rode in the Eldest Young Master Chai’s carriage to the Zhao family.
On the way to the Zhao family, Sister-in-law Chai spoke to Li Yuzhu about the situation of Miss Zhao.
Among the young women in the Zhao family, Miss Zhao ranked fifth, so everyone called her Fifth Miss Zhao.
Fifth Miss Zhao, docile and gentle in character from a young age, was beautiful in appearance and well-learned.
This summer, a matchmaker came, and the family elders promised her to the Qian Family, a scholarly family of good standing in the same city.
The Qian family, composed of scholars for generations, boasted several scholars and even a scholar. The scholarly Qian family looked down upon the Zhao family, considering them tainted with the stench of commerce, but seeing Fifth Miss Zhao’s considerable education and lovely appearance, along with her rich dowry, they agreed to the marriage.
Unexpectedly, the day after Fifth Miss Zhao’s wedding, an old nanny from the Qian family came to claim that Fifth Miss Zhao had physical issues and the groom accused her of not truly being a woman, but a man in disguise.
Young Master Qian’s favorite concubine was also pregnant, so to uphold this line, the Qian family chose to divorce Fifth Miss Zhao and elevate the concubine’s status.
The grounds for divorce were that Fifth Miss Zhao was not a woman, but a woman disguised as a man.
Enraged, Mrs. Zhao, who had never suffered such humiliation and loss, returned to berate Fifth Miss Zhao.
During the day, Fifth Miss Zhao was only tearful and silent, but at night she disappeared.
The two maids attending her reported that she had jumped into the water and been saved by a passing night watchman.
The two maids brought Fifth Miss Zhao back to the Zhao resident; however, no one paid attention to her, and her care was left entirely to the two maids.
Sister-in-law Chai narrated this while fervently hitting her legs in anger.
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