The wet nurse cooked half a bowl of millet porridge and fed it to Heng'er. Madam Zheng asked Mother He to bring some medicine. Heng'er immediately frowned and buried his face in Mei Niang's arms. Mei Niang held his little face and felt that his breath was still warm, but his lips had turned pink, no longer bright red as if bleeding. His spirit had improved. All medicine is poisonous. It's better for a little child not to drink that black and bitter Chinese herbal medicine if he can.
Then he said to Madam Zheng, "Keep the medicine for now. The fever has subsided now. I'm afraid it will come back in the middle of the night. How about I take Heng'er with me for two days and come back when he's better?"
Madam Zheng glanced at Xu Junying and said sullenly, "It's just a fever. He was given medicine before. He will be fine even if you don't come! Am I not better than you at taking care of children? Heng'er is only close to me now. He can only fall asleep by touching my ears at night. Why are you messing with him again? Give him to me. You and your wife don't have to stay by his side. It's late at night. Go back and rest!"
Heng'er curled up obediently in Mei Niang's arms, without saying a word or moving, and one of his little fingers gently scratched the embroidery on her clothes. Mei Niang couldn't help feeling sad, so she hugged Heng'er tighter and turned to look at Xu Junying, hoping that Xu Junying could be a good person again, say a word for her, and persuade Madam Zheng to let Heng'er stay with her for a few days.
Xu Junying turned away her eyes and said, "Come to sleep with Heng'er and keep him by your side. Here are the boiled medicines and his clothes and utensils. Don't worry, your mother will take better care of Heng'er than you!"
Mei Niang lowered her eyes in disappointment. Madam Zheng's expression relaxed a little and she told Zheng Meiyu: "The tea has gotten cold. Bring your cousin Ying a hot cup. Do you still have the walnuts that the fifth daughter-in-law gave you the other day? Bring some. Your cousin's wife is coaxing Heng'er to sleep, and you can crack the walnuts and eat them for fun. Ying'er has never liked snacks or fruits since she was a child. She only eats hard-shelled dried fruits."
Zheng Meiyu stood up, as graceful as a butterfly, and personally replaced the hot tea. She took a plate of walnuts from Qiuhong and put it on the table. Dongmei brought an exquisitely cast iron hammer, which was placed on a two-inch thick, half-foot long and square stone slab. Zheng Meiyu carefully used the iron hammer, but still couldn't crack the walnuts. She had to ask Xu Junying for help. Xu Junying cracked four or five walnuts for her. Zheng Meiyu peeled the shells and smiled:
"I haven't forgotten that when I was a kid, my cousin Ying would crack walnuts with my cousin Lan in the old lady's yard and always bring a few back for me!"
Xu Junying said: "Really? But I don't remember it!"
"Cousin Ying is a man who does great things. How can he always remember these little things?"
Zheng Meiyu picked the largest walnut and handed it to him: "This one must have a lot of kernels, cousin Ying, crack it open and see!"
Mei Niang had no time to watch her cousins cracking walnuts. She held Heng'er in her arms and gently patted him to coax him to sleep. While thinking, she told the nurse and also told Madam Zheng:
“Heng’er drank half a bowl of water and ate porridge. He had to get up in the middle of the night. He should keep warm and change clothes in time if he sweats... Heng’er usually wears too many clothes, which makes him more susceptible to colds. When he has a fever, he is covered too tightly and has difficulty breathing... The weather is getting warmer. Heng’er has always been active. When he is learning to walk, there is no need to wear two cotton-padded clothes. He can wear a small padded jacket and a quilted bellyband inside, and a thin cotton-padded coat outside... Drink more water, wash your hands frequently, and don’t be afraid of the cold and refuse to bathe him. Make sure to bathe him every day!”
Heng'er fell asleep again. Madam Zheng asked the nanny to take him away, and she and Xia Lian carried him back to their room to sleep.
Zheng Meiyu called Mei Niang in a sweet voice: "Cousin, come and have a walnut. It's fragrant and sweet. My cousin cracked it for me!"
Mei Niang couldn't stand her smug look, so while Madam Zheng was concentrating on asking Mother He to look after the medicine jars, she said to Zheng Meiyu:
"I got tired of this a hundred years ago, and you just discovered how delicious it is now! Be careful, this thing is hot in nature, and eating too much will cause pimples on your face. I think you'd better drink a few more bowls of cold water tonight, or you'll get a disfigured face tomorrow morning. I heard that even if pimples on the face are cured, the marks won't go away within a month or two, and even rouge and powder can't cover them up!"
Zheng Meiyu had just swallowed a mouthful of walnuts when she felt like a fishbone was stuck in her throat. She couldn't spit it out or swallow it, and her expression was extremely funny.
Mei Niang was very satisfied with the desired effect. Just as she was about to smile, she saw Madam Zheng coming over and hurriedly bowed and said, "Mother, you have worked hard tonight! I am thinking that Heng'er may have to get up several times in the middle of the night to drink water and take medicine. The nurse will be tired too. Why don't I stay..."
Madam Zheng waved her hand and said, "You and Ying'er should go back and rest. I took a long nap today and I am very energetic. I can keep an eye on Heng'er no matter how many times he gets up! Besides, we have Mother He, Chunyue, Xialian and the others. They are all used to serving him and understand his temper. You can go without any worries!"
Mei Niang had no choice but to leave with Xu Junying.
All the way in silence, Mei Niang was thinking about Heng'er, and she had to consider tomorrow's schedule: she had to go see Heng'er in the morning. If she wanted to stay with him for a longer time, she couldn't go to the old lady's place. She had to finish the affairs of Ziyun Hall as soon as possible, and then go out to see Lin Runan and King Qi. Xiankelai just asked Cui Xi to take a look... Come back before dinner, go to Jinhua Hall or Qiuhua Courtyard? Oh! Too many things! Mei Niang was so confused that she had no time to look at the people around her. She just followed Xu Junying. Fortunately, the road paved with terrazzo was smooth and clean. She didn't need to pay attention to her feet. She just followed mechanically. After walking for a while, Xu Junying stopped. Mei Niang couldn't get past him, so she was forced to stop and asked blankly: "Why don't you leave? Where else are you going?"
Cui Si whispered beside her: "Grandma, let's go back to the yard!"
Mei Niang was stunned for a moment, looked around, and couldn't help feeling embarrassed: I was back to Tsinghua Court without realizing it. I was going to the East Courtyard. I guess he wanted to say something.
Xu Junying said calmly, "It's late, take a rest. Get up early tomorrow, see Heng'er, and go to Jinhua Hall. Rulan and Jingyu may not be able to go. If you don't go, there will be no one to serve the old lady!"
Mei Niang lowered her head and did not mention Zhuang Yulan again: "Fourth Grandma and Fifth Grandma also go there often."
Xu Junying said, "Everyone should fulfill their filial duty! Let's have dinner together at Jinhua Hall tomorrow. I will come back early, have dinner, and then go to Qiuhua Courtyard to see Heng'er."
Mei Niang blinked her eyes: Did I hear it right? Xu Junying is willing to arrange for her to accompany her to see Heng'er? Then she can go and hug Heng'er tomorrow night, comfort him, and coax him to sleep, but the premise is that she must go to Jinhua Hall to accompany the old lady for dinner. In this way, she must hurry up during the day and return to the Xu Mansion before Xu Junying returns home.
I don't quite understand why Xu Junying always emphasizes that she should go to Jinhua Hall to accompany the old lady. She has lost interest in the old woman. Things are different now. There is no need for Qin Meiniang to flatter anyone and cling to anyone, right? What rules and upbringing, just go through the motions and don't go out of line.
It's not that she is ungrateful or throwing away her crutches after crossing the Yellow River. Old Lady Xu had always supported her in managing the household affairs of the Hou Mansion. She had bad intentions from the beginning. Everything she did was just to pave the way for Zhuang Yulan's future.
The old lady was a shrewd person. It was rare for someone to come back from the dead. When she found that her eldest grandson's wife had become smart, clever, and scheming, she remained calm and arranged for Mei Niang to be the housekeeper. Madam Zheng had been in charge of the household affairs of the Xu family for twenty years, and she had her own connections and prestige. The pillar of the Xu family was her eldest son. Although he was not her biological son, she had raised him since he was a child, and the mother and son had a deep affection for each other. Her eldest daughter, Xu Xiaojuan, married into a prominent family in Jiangyuan and gave birth to the seventh son, Xu Junjie, who died for the country. The court pardoned her and she had made a name for herself. With all these, Madam Zheng's status in the Xu family was immeasurable. As the mother-in-law, the old lady could restrain her a little, but there were some things that could not move her. Madam Zheng refused to hand over the household goods to Bai Jingyu, so Mei Niang had to compete with her for it. It was a natural inheritance between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. The old lady would naturally stand behind Mei Niang and would make sure that Mei Niang succeeded. After Mei Niang got the household goods, Zhuang Yulan came in. With the support of the old lady and Xu Junying, it would be too easy for her to take the housekeeper power from Mei Niang.
Mei Niang thought about it and came up with this guess.
The old lady must be very puzzled: she was ready to see how Mei Niang and Madam Zheng would fight overtly and covertly, so that she could take advantage of the excitement, but she didn't expect that Madam Zheng would quietly and voluntarily hand over all the household affairs of the Hou Mansion that she had been in charge of for twenty years to Mei Niang. She couldn't understand it, right? Haha! Even if she killed this old woman, she couldn't believe it - Heng'er, who Madam Zheng took away to raise by her side as a future support, was actually the flesh and blood of the seventh son of the Xu family! I guess she didn't want to face such a scandal that shocked the world, right
Watching Xu Junying walk into the moon-shaped gate, Mei Niang sighed and walked upstairs. She didn't want to face it. The problems left by Qin Mei Niang and Xu Junjie were too difficult to solve.
When I returned to the room and looked at the copper clepsydra, it was already three o'clock in the morning. The so-called three o'clock in the night must refer to this time, right
After coaxing Mother Wang to sleep, I discussed things with Cuixi and Cuilian, washed up in a hurry and went to bed. Perhaps because I was too tired, I slept very deeply. Before I could even dream, I was awakened by Cuixi:
"Grandma, wake up, it's time to get up!"
After a while, probably only four or five minutes, Cui Xi was so anxious that she kept pacing outside the tent: "Grandma, please get up. I don't know how Heng Ge'er is doing. I'm afraid I won't be able to make it to Jinhua Hall in time!"
Yes, Heng'er, poor sick Heng'er. For him, today's time must be calculated accurately and without any mistakes.
After counting one, two, three, she quickly turned over and got up, ran into the inner room to clean up, wash her face and brush her teeth. She took great pains, measuring and drawing, and had someone convert the clean room. Xu Junying went in twice, once when he was drunk, and the time when he was sober, he was reluctant to come out for a long time after entering. I don't know if he could see the door clearly in there.
After washing up, she was fully awake and sat in front of the mirror. Everything was left to Cui Xi and the others. She dressed up, packed up and went out, following the routine, doing one thing after another. It was a new day. She did exactly the same things, but also different things. Whether she liked it or not, she had to experience it. The free and beautiful life she had dreamed of in her teenage years was completely different from the life she is living now! (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian. to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.) (To be continued)