Translator: SJade, Editor: Dj22031
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Yong Ruo did not look at him, half lowered her head, and continued: “My mother said that concubines in wealthy families look glorious on the surface. But for the man in charge, concubines are just a toy to entertain themselves. When they are interested, they can be teased. When they are not interested, they can be sold, given away, or thrown into a corner to fend for themselves… Even if they are favoured for a while, how much long-term love can they have? Therefore, concubines all want to give birth to sons, so that they can have someone to rely on after they fall out of favour, so as not to be easily sold, and not to live a miserable life in the second half of their lives. But the children born to concubines cannot call them mother, but can only call them aunt, because according to etiquette, the wife is the legitimate mother of these illegitimate children. The children born to concubines are naturally inferior to the legitimate children; the concubine’s family is not considered a legitimate relative of the husband’s family, and whether they can visit depends on the mood of the head of the family; concubines cannot wear bright red clothes; in front of the main wife, concubines are just slaves, and the main wife can beat them or scold them as she wants… How can there be any dignity in such a life!”
Feng Liao’s face became paler and paler. He wanted to speak up several times to refute, but in the end he was speechless.
“In a wealthy family, there is only one man in charge. How can there be fights between wives and concubines? Some wives appear virtuous but are vicious inside; some concubines appear submissive but are cunning inside. There are endless secret means between wives and concubines, such as drugging to murder, setting up traps, sowing discord, killing with a borrowed knife, deceiving the public, playing hard to get, removing the fuel from under the cauldron, and watching the fire from the other side of the river… Don’t underestimate the inner house, which is just a small place, but all the thirty-six strategies can be used in these covert tactics! Wouldn’t you get tired living like this? So my mother used the last of the thirty-six strategies: running away! Not being a concubine at all!”
“But… not all the inner houses of wealthy families are like this, right?” Feng Liao’s voice was a little dry, and he looked at her with panic and sorrow, “It depends on the man’s ability to manage the family, right?”
“Yes! A capable man may be able to tame his wives and concubines and keep the inner house peaceful.” Yong Ruo nodded, still not looking at Feng Liao’s expression, and said in a light tone, “But a man’s ability to manage his family is, to put it bluntly, a process of fighting wits and courage with his wives and concubines. The outcome depends on the right time, place, and the character and wisdom of all parties. I think that a man’s ability to manage his family is actually a process of taming his wives and concubines, which is different in form but similar in nature to taming horses and dogs. For a man, taming his wives and concubines may be a very interesting thing; but as a tamed woman… I’m afraid the feeling won’t be so good! Even if men are superior to women, women are also people first! Being treated as cattle, horses, hawks and dogs by men, there is no fun in being a human being, and only a shell carved with three obedience’s and four virtues remains.”
Yong Ruo smiled and said, “Last year, when my family was short of food, a matchmaker came to the door and said that a wealthy family wanted to take a concubine and wanted to be a matchmaker for me. But my mother refused to allow it. I also promised my mother. Even if the future life is hard, I will not be a concubine!”
Feng Liao looked at her, the light in his eyes gradually faded, showing a deep decadence.
Yong Ruo glanced at him, sighed slightly in her heart, and said softly: “Young Master, please go and cut the plum blossoms yourself! I’m a little worried about my mother, I’m going to see her.”
First love is meant to be broken! Young Master Feng, you’d better let go and let go early! In such a short time, I believe you won’t have much feelings that you can’t let go.
She left the hall lightly, leaving Feng Liao sitting there lazily in a daze.
Back in the main room, Mother Zhou was still in a coma. Yong Qiao asked her, “Has Mr. Feng left?”
“Not yet! I came in to see mother. Let Mr. Feng mess with the flowers on the tree! Otherwise, Mr. Feng would be embarrassed to do it if I’m watching!” Yong Ruo said nonsense calmly.
Yong Miao said excitedly, “Sister, let’s cut off all the flowers on the tree and sell them!”
Yong Ruo flicked her finger on his forehead lightly, “Silly, doing business requires the right time, right place, and right people! Do you think everyone is willing to buy these plum blossoms and everyone will pay a high price? Only when you meet someone who loves plum blossoms, or when the time and place are right like the Lantern Festival, can you sell them. If you don’t believe me, I’ll cut two branches of plum blossoms tomorrow, and you can sell them in the alley yourself?”
Yong Miao said nothing, with a regretful expression on his face. He turned his head and looked at mother Zhou, who was unconscious on the bed, with red eyes again. Yong Ruo and Yong Qiao also looked at mother Zhou in a daze… Doctor had even refused to prescribe!
There was silence inside and outside the house.
After an unknown amount of time, Su Mingjian said loudly outside: “Miss Yong, the imperial physician Xu is here. Please come out and receive him.”
“Imperial physician?” Yong Ruo was startled and stood up from the stool. “What imperial physician!” It’s not what she thought, right?
Then she heard Su Mingjian say: “The young master ordered me to go to the Imperial Hospital and invite Imperial Physician Xu to see your mother. Imperial Physician Xu is an excellent doctor and has always been on good terms with my young master. Maybe he can cure your mother’s illness.”
Yong Ruo’s mind went blank for a moment: Young Master Feng invited an imperial physician for her mother!
She got up quickly and rushed to the main room in two or three steps. Sure enough, she saw Su Mingjian carrying a medicine box and a fifty-year-old, smiling, thin old man standing next to him.
She didn’t have time to think too much, and just rushed over and bowed solemnly: “I didn’t know the imperial physician was here. I’m sorry! I hope you will forgive me!” She turned aside to invite him.
So embarrassing!
Yong Ruo was so embarrassed! She had just rejected Young Master Feng with dignity and righteousness, and he had done her such a big favour! And she had to accept it!
Doctor Xu nodded and walked towards the main room.
Yong Ruo took the medicine box handed over by Su Mingjian, hurried over in two or three steps, and opened the curtain for Doctor Xu. Yong Qiao and Yong Miao were very excited to hear that the doctor had come, and they hurried forward to greet him, feeling very restrained and nervous.
Mother Zhou woke up at this time. Seeing another doctor coming to check her pulse, she was very unhappy: “Didn’t I tell you not to hire a doctor anymore? It’s just a waste of money! Do you think our family is…”
Before she could finish, Yong Ruo stepped forward and covered her mouth, saying softly: “Mother, this is Doctor Xu from the Imperial Hospital. I can’t hire him just by spending money! This is the kindness of the nobleman yesterday. The nobleman cherishes the weak and the poor and wants to help. Let’s not learn from those pedantic people and insist on pushing away others’ kindness! Don’t you think so?” After speaking, she let go of mother Zhou’s mouth.
“Imperial doctor?” Zhou looked at Yong Ruo in disbelief.
Yong Ruo nodded.
A little light gradually appeared in mother Zhou’s dead eyes. She turned her head to look at Doctor Xu, who was still lying on the bed, but put her hands at her side and reluctantly made a gesture of bowing: “Imperial doctor, please forgive me, I was rude just now!”
“No problem!” Doctor Xu said lightly, but his brows were tightly knitted.
Yong Ruo’s heart sank: Doctor Xu’s expression was still very gentle before he entered the main room. His expression changed after just a few words. Was it because of what mother Zhou said, or because of what he saw in mother Zhou’s appearance? Chinese medicine emphasized observation, auscultation, questioning and palpation. Could a good doctor roughly tell the situation just by looking at the face? With a glance, she saw Yong Qiao and Yong Miao also looking at Doctor Xu eagerly, their four little fists clenched tightly.
Doctor Xu sat by mother Zhou’s bed, twisting his beard and examining her pulse for a long time.
After the examination, he stood up, and before he could speak, Yong Ruo kindly invited him to the main room to prescribe medicine, so as to avoid saying some things in front of mother Zhou.
“Wait!” Mother Zhou suddenly said, and made a gesture of blessing to Doctor Xu, “Dear Doctor, if you really pity my family’s suffering, please tell me the truth! Is this disease curable or not? If it is curable, how much money will it cost and how long will it take? If it is not curable, how long do I have left?”
She was weak from long-term illness, and she gasped after saying these words in one breath.
Doctor Xu half raised his head, looked at the dilapidated roof in silence for a long time, and suddenly said: “My Lady’s body is exhausted, and I am powerless to save her. Her life may be as short as seven or eight days, or as long as more than a month. Please make plans early.”
He wrote a prescription on the square table next to him and handed it to Yong Ruo: “This prescription can’t cure your mother’s illness, but it can make your mother feel better, and it can probably delay it for a few days… Goodbye!”
He bowed to Yong Ruo, turned around and walked out the door, leaving behind a faint sigh.
It was as if the boot that had been waiting for a long time finally fell to the ground, making a muffled sound, like thunder in Yong Ruo’s ears.
Yong Miao, who was next to him, burst into tears, but did not curse “liar” or anything like that.
Yong Qiao put one hand on his shoulders and covered his mouth with the other hand, tears pouring out.
Mother Zhou lay weakly on the bed, staring at the dark tent ceiling for a long time, she then suddenly smiled self-deprecatingly, and murmured: “That’s good! I can also arrange my funeral earlier… so that after I leave, I won’t leave my children, as lonely and helpless…” Two lines of hot tears slid down from the corners of her eyes and fell on the pillow.
This sentence made Yong Qiao and Yong Miao rush to the bedside, hugging her and crying in pain.
Yong Ruo raised her head and shed tears silently, her heart was in a fierce struggle: she had a chance to save mother Zhou!
Lulu’s services were only used on her in principle. But if she was willing to pay three times the price, she could also use a certain service on other people. As long as she was willing to spend 1,500 points, she could exchange for a regeneration pill that would rejuvenate mother Zhou and heal her without medicine. The premise was: she had to have these 1,500 points, because this exchange was not on credit! She still owed 570 points, where could she get these 2,075 points?
So be a concubine for Mr. Feng?
She felt: this sacrifice was too great, she didn’t have such a noble sentiment of selflessness!
After a while, Yong Ruo wiped her tears and walked out of the main room.
Doctor Xu had already left, and Feng Liao, Su Mingjian, Luo Bu and others were standing in the yard with sympathy on their faces.
“I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” Yong Ruo bowed to Feng Liao.
“No problem. I am ashamed that I could not help the young lady.” Feng Liao returned the greeting, his tone a little low, “The young lady is busy at home, I will not disturb you…” He sighed, looked at Yong Ruo for a while, and said softly, “Take care of yourself, young lady!”
“Young master, please take care of yourself too!” She bowed again, and said with a double meaning, “Young master, you are so kind, I have nothing to repay you, I can only pray silently in my heart, I wish you a peaceful and happy life, without disasters!”
Feng Liao smiled bitterly, sighed deeply, turned around and was about to leave, his eyes suddenly fell on the plum tree in the yard. He stared at the plum blossoms for a moment, and said without turning his head, “The young lady said that I can trim the plum blossoms on this tree. I will ask someone to do it!”
Yong Ruo nodded, “Young master, please do as you please!”
Feng Liao walked under the plum tree, looking at the branches full of flowers as beautiful as peaches and plums, as if choosing which branch to pick.
When Yong Ruo saw the plum blossoms, she suddenly remembered the business card, and hurried back to the main room. Sure enough, she saw the business card box still on the Eight Immortals Table, with the business card in the box. She closed the business card box, took it in her hand, and left the main room.
She planned to return the business card to Master Feng. She couldn’t reject the other party’s feelings while enjoying his protection and taking advantage of him.
Feng Liao had already selected a red plum and was directing Luo Bu to pick it.
Yong Ruo handed him the business card box and said softly, “If it weren’t for you, the doctor would never come to my our house today. I dare not accept this great favour for nothing, and I just think of it as an exchange for this business card. You have fulfilled your promise yesterday, and I dare not keep this business card anymore. I will return it in its original state. Please take it back.” She bowed slightly to Feng Liao, holding the business card box in both hands and raised it above her eyebrows.
Feng Liao looked at the business card box in her hand, then at her, with a sour and bitter expression.
After a while, he said, “I never take back anything I give away. You should keep this business card! Are you so confident that you will never encounter bullies in the future?” There was a hint of imperceptible anger and sarcasm in his tone.
Yong Ruo had to admit that Mr. Feng was right!
She hesitated for a moment and then withdrew her hand: “In this case, I am ashamed to accept it!”
Luo Bu had already picked the plum blossom. Feng Liao took the plum blossom, closed his eyes and sniffed the plum fragrance, then turned and walked out of the courtyard.
Yong Ruo followed behind to see him off.
Outside the courtyard, there was a rented ordinary green curtain carriage.
Before getting in the carriage, Feng Liao turned around and looked at Yong Ruo deeply, as if he had a thousand words to say to her. But in the end, he just sighed and got on the carriage without saying a word.
Yong Ruo stood outside the courtyard, watching the line of carriages and horses go farther and farther, feeling a little melancholy.
If she didn’t go to ask for help with his business card, she and this Mr. Feng would probably never have any contact again!!!
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