During winter, the garden in Duke Han of the State Residence would be bleak. Unlike the garden in Marquis Pingqing Residence, where flowers would bloom all year long. As a matter of fact, Yuxi just caught sight of a blooming crabapple flower.
Chiang Xin said with a show-off tone, "This crabapple flowers do not bloom well this year, while wintersweet flowers bloom beautifully!"
Yuxi genuinely said, "Then let's go straight to see wintersweet." Since it was said that the crabapple didn't bloom that well, wouldn't it just be a disappointment if she couldn't see them the same way she had expected?
Previously, because of the unpleasant experience in her previous life, Yuxi avoided the Chiang family. Since the way she thought of things had changed, it also changed how she acted. Naturally, many things around her changed too. So, she did not need to avoid the Chiang family anymore. It was natural for her to be friendly toward them. If she couldn't be friends with certain people, she wouldn't be hostile to them either.
After walking for a few minutes, Yuxi suddenly smelled a faint fragrance. Without even needing Chiang Xin to introduce it, Yuxi knew that the wintersweet was up ahead.
The Chiang's wintersweet was different from Duke Han of the State's. In Duke of the State Residence, the wintersweet was reddish, while in this courtyard, it was white. The white wintersweet blooming at the branches' tip was like flat, thin snow.
Yuxi stepped forward. She could see that all of these white wintersweet had five petals, which were white and flawless, giving the viewers a pure and noble feeling. Standing in the middle of wintersweet while smelling their fragrance was also a pleasure.
Chiang Xin laughed. "Si Biaojie has never seen wintersweet before?"
Yuxi smiled and said, "We planted red wintersweet in our residence. However, when wintersweet blooms every year, San Jie and her maid will collect snow water from them to make tea." This only made the Han family look like country bumpkins. Although the Han family did not have the power like the Chiang family right now, in any case, they were still the people of Duke of the State's official residence. It was amusing that they dared to look down on the Han family so much.
Chiang Xin wasn't happy when she heard this. She looked at Yuxi and asked, "Say, what is the difference between tea steeped with spring water and tea steeped with snow?"
Yuxi smiled and shook her head as she said, "I don't usually drink tea. Though, when I do, I usually drink scented tea." She seldom drank tea, even the scented tea.
Hearing this response, Chiang Xin then asked, "I heard that you are better at chess than San Biaojie. Is this true?" She didn't actually believe it. Her intuition said it was only hearsay, mainly because Yuchen usually performed too flawlessly.
Yuxi chuckled, "That is an exaggeration praised by others. My chess skills are similar to San Jie, but San Jie is proficient in all four arts. I am only good at chess."
Chiang Xin became more interested in Yuxi, "Then, what do you usually do?"
Yuxi answered with a smile, "I usually read books, do embroidery, and then learn some cooking skills. If I have the opportunity, I will visit Shiya Biaojie and chat with her."
Hearing this, Chiang Xin's affection for Yuxi rose. While for her, her daily life was no different than Yuxi's.
When the wind blew, the wintersweet fell from the branches. Yuxi felt a bit of pity when she saw this scene. If she had more time to spend right now, she would have collected these white wintersweet flowers and made them into scented tea.
When Chiang Xin learned about Yuxi's idea, she was amazed. "You can make scented tea?"
Yuxi nodded and said, "Of course! Plum blossom tea, rose-scented tea, snow lotus scented tea, honeysuckle scented tea, xueli scented tea, and I know how to make bitter gourd tea and kuding tea."
Honeysuckle Scented Tea
Image Credit | All About Honeysuckle Tea via Chinese Tea Info
Image Credit | All About Honeysuckle Tea via Chinese Tea Info
Bitter Gourd Tea
Image Credit | To the right owner. Please let me know if you own this picture.
Image Credit | To the right owner. Please let me know if you own this picture.
Chiang Xin happily asked, "Can you teach me?"
Yuxi naturally knew that Chiang Xin also liked to make scented tea by herself and was especially fond of mixing fragrances. "Naturally, but I'm of average standard, so don't be disappointed in the future."
When both of them returned to the main room, the people in the room found that Chiang Xin's attitude had significantly changed. She kept calling out 'Yuxi Biaojie' and continued asking her many questions. Their relationship was like close-blood sisters.
Yuchen was delighted to hear the changes in Chiang Xin, while for Old Lady Chiang, her heart was unconvinced by the changes. After everyone had left, Chiang Xin's maid was called in for questioning.
As Old Lady Chiang listened to the maid's report, she could only say with a sigh, "No wonder Yuchen totally sets her heart on this girl." This means this thinking not ordinary people would have. Old Lady Chiang was very familiar with Yuxi's situation. She had no one to teach her other than Momo Quan. Therefore, Momo Quan taught all her skills to Yuxi. [+]
On the way, Yuchen also asked Yuxi the same question, "Si Meimei, how did you get Xin Biaomei to accept you?" She had always wanted to live in peace with Chiang Xin, but Chiang Xin was very exclusive to her and often made her feel very helpless with her sarcasm.
Yuxi replied with a smile, "I don't know. Xin Biaomei asked me what I do at home every day. I told her that I was learning to embroider and so on. After the Lantern Festival, I will have to learn to manage the household. By then, Xin Biaomei's attitude towards me had become much better?"
Yuchen smiled gently, "Xin Biaomei has a little temper, but she is very nice." For a Marquis Residence young miss, having a little temper was normal. Everything else was fine as long as she had good nature and moral character.
Yuxi knew what Yuchen meant. "San Jie, I will get along well with Xin Biaomei." She had always known that Yuchen had been hoping for her to get close to the Chiang family. She couldn't make friends with them, but it was still necessary to establish a good relationship.
After returning to Han Residence, Yuxi took a nap before going to the main courtyard. It happened that Ye Shi and Qiu Shi were currently discussing family affairs. Yuxi was going to learn how to manage the household soon, so it was natural for her to listen to Ye Shi when she came.
Ye Shi talked with Qiu Shi for less than half an hour while Yuxi looked at Ye Shi, who continued touching her stomach four to five times. Ye Shi's face looked good with makeup, and most people won't notice anything unusual. However, Yuxi had learned pharmacology, and though she had never seen or treated anyone, she could still understand Ye Shi's discomfort.
When Ye Shi and Qiu Shi had done talking, Ye Shi went out. Yuxi looked at Ye Shi's back and frowned, but she didn't say a word to Qiu Shi.
Once Ye Shi dealt with her matter, she immediately returned to Songxiang Courtyard. At this time, she no longer kept her bravado, as she weakly said, "Help me into the room so that I can have a rest." She had a bad stomach ache that she didn't even want to talk about. Her stomach had started to not feel comfortable after she came back from the palace yesterday, but she didn't pay much attention to it. She thought it would be better after she had a rest, but she didn't expect to have such severe pain today.
Old Woman Hua, Ye Shi's wet nurse, advised, "Da Nainai, please send for a physician! Just to see if there is any problem!"
Ye Shi shook his head and said, "It's not good to have a physician on the second day of the Lunar New Year. Please wait after the Lantern Festival before calling for a physician." She hadn't been able to give birth for more than two years, so she was very cautious in doing things and was afraid that her grandmother-in-law and her mother-in-law would not be happy because she hadn't done everything well.
Old Woman Hua was helpless as she said, "Then Miss should go to bed and have a rest. I'll call for you when the meal is here."
Ye Shi was also feeling quite uncomfortable at this moment, so she agreed to take a rest.
When Yuxi came out of the main courtyard, instead of returning directly to her own yard, she turned to Songxiang Courtyard. At this time, Ye Shi hadn't yet fallen asleep.
Once Ye Shi heard that Yuxi was coming, she didn't get up, but she asked a maid to bring Yuxi into the room directly instead. Seeing Yuxi, she smiled and asked, "What brought Si Meimei here?"
Yuxi noticed Ye Shi's complexion was much better than before and said, "Just now, I saw that Dasao's complexion wasn't good. Are you not feeling well, Dasao?"
Ye Shi didn't deny it as she answered, "En, I'm feeling a bit unwell. I think I've been too tired recently." To be a clan leader wife, not only should one be able to handle the household and manage its affairs, but also be filial to her parents-in-law and maintain good health. Ye Shi's health was pretty good, but she was terrible at enduring.
Yuxi frowned and questioned, "Why didn't you call for a physician?"
Ye Shi smiled bitterly, "This is the second day of the Lunar New Year. How can I invite a physician over?"
As Yuxi heard what Ye Shi said, she finally understood Ye Shi's taboo. If a physician was invited on the second day of the Lunar New Year, superstitious people like the Old Lady would feel that the year's luck would also be affected. Although Yuxi could only snort at this kind of statement, no one could choose a day when one fell ill, and one couldn't make it mandatory not to get sick during the New Year. Unfortunately, the Old Lady believed her subordinates had to avoid talking about it and should never say anything about any illness.
Ye Shi looked at Yuxi's tangled appearance and said with a smile, "Si Meimei doesn't have to worry. I'm just a bit tired, and I only need to take a rest."
Yuxi couldn't say anything to counter. Although she had learned pharmacology and medical skill in secret, what she had learned was only military tactics on paper. Furthermore, she didn't dare to feel other people's pulse or give prescriptions. After thinking for a moment, Yuxi stood up and said, "Then Dasao, have a good rest."
After Yuxi left, Old Woman Hua turned to Ye Shi and said, "I heard that the Fourth Miss has learned pharmacology. Da Nainai should have let Fourth Miss feel your pulse just now. It is better for you to know."
Ye Shi shook her head and said, "Fourth Miss studied pharmacology, not medical skill. Wouldn't it make things difficult for her if I asked her to help me feel the pulse? Say no more. I'm going to sleep."
Yuxi walked on the road while thinking for a long time. Ye Shi had always been very friendly to her since she married into the residence. Although this was for Eldest Aunt's sake, Yuxi did not dislike it either. No one in this world could treat you well for no reason unless there was a plot.
After racking her brain left and right, Yuxi felt she should talk to her Eldest Aunt. She should give the decision-making to her. If she already knew that Ye Shi was unwell and didn't ask for a physician, she was at the end of her rope.
Qiu Shi listened to Yuxi's words and felt very surprised, "Where did you see Ming-er's wife* is ill?" Her daughter-in-law* looked normal when she saw her just now.
Yuxi smiled, "Eldest Aunt forgot that I've studied pharmacology. Thus I can still tell whether one looks good or bad. Just now, when I went to see Dasao, her look was ashen. It was just that Dasao has some scruples and does not dare to let Eldest Aunt know."
Qiu Shi did not doubt Yuxi's words. Over the years, she had taken the medicated diet prepared by Yuxi, and her body had become much lighter. Of course, all the medicated meals were made under the guidance of Momo Quan. Yuxi had not yet completed her apprenticeship, so she did not dare make any complicated medicated meals. "It may be that she has been overworked for a while." There were so many things to be done during Lunar New Year that she, herself, used to lose several jin every time Lunar New Year passed.
Yuxi thought it would be better to invite the physician to take a look because Ye Shi had been touching her stomach then, and it was apparent she was feeling uncomfortable. "Eldest Aunt, can you please ask a physician to take a look at Dasao? If one doesn't feel unwell, one must seek a physician in time. Otherwise, minor problems will become major problems."
Qiu Shi disagreed, as she said, "Your Dasao is not a child anymore. If she is not well, how come she doesn't know how to ask for a physician herself? So don't worry yourself over it."
Yuxi thought for a moment and said, "Eldest Aunt, it's because Dasao is not a child that she didn't say it. If it was me, I would have told you. Eldest Aunt, it is better to ask for a physician to help examine Dasao! I can't set my mind at ease until I can request a physician for her."
Qiu Shi was both amused and angry at that time. "What does this have to do with you?"
Yuxi bluntly said, "Eldest Aunt didn't see how Dasao looked then. Her face was even looking pale. Eldest Aunt also knows that I have studied pharmacology, and from what I have seen, it is not the result of tiredness. Eldest Aunt, we can't hide our illness, let alone delay it because it is the second day of the Lunar New Year!"
Under Yuxi's great efforts in persuading her, Qiu Shi finally compromised, "Okay! I'll send for Physician Bai to look at your Dasao. " She finally promised to do so because, firstly, she loved Yuxi so much, and she was ready to pamper her; secondly, Ye Shi, her daughter-in-law, had not yet given birth to a grandson. She was worried that Ye Shi would not be able to provide her with a grandson because Ye Shi's body had gone wrong.
Noob Translator Is Confused
I've read that Wintersweet and Plum Blossom are actually 1 flower. Really? Can someone enlighten me?
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The Rebirth of Han Yuxi