Married Thrice to Salted Fish

11.

Lin Qingyu heard Lu Wancheng’s low cough and knew that the situation wasn’t good. Sure enough, after a night, Lu Wancheng developed a fever.

The servants of the Blue Wind Pavilion have become accustomed to this. Lu Wancheng’s illness has always been sometimes good and sometimes bad. When it was good, he could just barely get out of bed and walk about; when it was bad, he could stay asleep for more than half a month; only waking up once in a while — like the month before the Chong Xi.

After the Chong Xi, Lu Wancheng’s body improved. But then, what was his foundation? His illness came like a collapsing mountain. Early the next day, he wouldn’t wake up, and an abnormal redness appeared on his pale handsome face.

Hua Lu placed the towel soaked in cold water on Lu Wancheng’s forehead, and said anxiously, “Shaojun, there should be nothing wrong with the Young Master, right?”

After Lin Qingyu felt his pulse, he put Lu Wancheng’s hand under the quilt. “It’s just a common cold.”

Hua Lu breathed a sigh of relief. “Then he should be fine after the fever passes?”

Lin Qingyu was unwilling to comment. For normal healthy people, they won’t even need to take medicine for a cold. They will be better after a couple of days. But Lu Wancheng’s body had been hollowed out by years of illness. The slightest carelessness and a simple cold could turn deadly.

Not long after, Feng Qin took Doctor Zhang to the Blue Wind Pavilion. On this trip, Doctor Zhang brought a disciple with him. This disciple was none other than Tan Qizhi, whom he’d last seen at the Lin Residence.

Tan Qizhi smiled at Lin Qingyu and said, “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you, Brother Qingyu. I trust you’ve been well since we last met.”

Lin Qingyu looked towards Doctor Zhang. Doctor Zhang explained, “Qizhi has just recently entered my apprenticeship. Hearing that Young Master Hou was ill, he could not rest assured and insisted on visiting the Hou Mansion.”

“He could not rest assured.” Lin Qingyu smiled, “I didn’t know that Tan Xiong and Young Master Hou were familiar with each other.”

Tan Qizhi said, casting aside shame, “That day at the Lin Residence, Young Master Hou and I hit it off from the start…”

Lin Qingyu interrupted aloud, “Young Master Hou is sick and feeling weak. It would be best for fast friends who’ve no business being here to not add any more trouble. Hua Lu, take Dr. Zhang in. As for Tan Xiong, he may as well stand here and wait.”

Feng Qin hesitated and said, “Shaojun, you mean to let the guest…stand?”

Lin Qingyu asked, “What guest?”

It was noon. Standing at the doorway, with the sun beating down at him, being watched by the people coming and going; it was not an exaggeration to say that it made for a humiliating scene.

Doctor Zhang looked helplessly at Tan Qizhi and followed Hua Lu into the room. Tan Qizhi gritted his teeth with hatred. Forcibly keeping his voice down, he said, “Lin Qingyu, you’re taken it too far with your bullying!”

Lin Qingyu thought it was funny. “How could I bully you if you hadn’t delivered yourself to my doorstep?”

Tan Qizhi glared at Lin Qingyu, his eyes seemed to fill with poison.

Lin Qingyu couldn’t remember having ever taken the initiative to provoke Tan Qizhi, nor did he know where Tan Qizhi’s hatred for him came from. Perhaps this was how the world was. There are unprovoked joys so, naturally there are unprovoked evils. As Lu Wancheng has said, taking this kind of person seriously would only demean himself.

Tan Qizhi took a step closer and said, “There are only a hundred days left for the examination of the Imperial Medical Office. While Lu Wancheng remains alive, you can only stay in the Hou Mansion to take care of him, serve him tea and water, give him medicine, and be a good wife. ”

Catching the slight stiffness in Lin Qingyu’s expression, Tan Qizhi revealed a happy smile. “Heh, so what if you’re a genius? So what if you hold me down in everything? In the end, isn’t it…”

Lin Qingyu suddenly said, “So, that’s how it is.”

The light in Tan Qizhi’s eyes sank. “What are you laughing at!”

The corner of Lin Qingyu’s lips ticked up slightly. Almost pityingly, he said, “You’re so pathetic.” After that, he no longer looked at Tan Qizhi.

Lu Wancheng has been under Doctor Zhang’s care for many years, and was very knowledgeable about Lu Wancheng’s condition. Lin Qingyu watched as he checked his pulse and came to the same conclusion that it was a cold.

Doctor Zhang wrote out a prescription and after a few words of urging, hurriedly left.

Doctor Zhang’s medicine was nothing more than commonly used cold medicine. But Lu Wancheng’s body was different from that of others. If this prescription used by ordinary people could be formulated specifically to improve his illness, it could perhaps achieve twice the results with half the effort.

Hua Lu was still waiting for the prescription in Lin Qingyu’s hand to have it filled. She asked, “Shaojun, is there anything wrong with this prescription?”

Lin Qingyu hesitated for a moment, and handed the prescription to Hua Lu. “No, get going.”

When Lu Wancheng became ill, the entire Blue Wind Pavilion became busy. Lin Qingyu didn’t need to worry about decocting and feeding him medicine or taking care of him by his sickbed. There were servants to do those things. As usual, he read and dispensed medicine in the study. However, he was a bit unused to it because the courtyard was too quiet. Both the Hwamei and Myna had their beaks closed. Could it be that they were also worried about their owner?

But what’s the use of worrying? Even if Lu Wancheng survives this time, there’s always going to be that one that he doesn’t. If he doesn’t prepare himself for the fate of a person who was bound to die, when the time comes, only he would be caught off guard.

He has almost finished formulating his prescription. The next step was to boil the medicine and make it into pills that were easy to carry and store. Being that it was his first time making a pill of this difficulty, he wanted to do every step himself.

Lin Qingyu arrived at the dispensary specially used to make medicine for Lu Wancheng. Inside were several little maids decocting medicinal herbs. Though bustling about, they didn’t forget to chat about the behind-the-scenes stories of the mansion.

“In the past, whenever the Young Master feel ill, the Madam would definitely be the first to come running. There were even times when she would personally take care of the young master’s medicinal broth. What’s going on? Why hasn’t she come yet?”

“I heard from the Sister Shou in the madam’s courtyard that the Eldest Young Master and the madam had a big quarrel. The madam was scolded by the Eldest Young Master so badly that she couldn’t even stand steady.”

“Are you sure you didn’t hear wrong? Shouldn’t it be the Eldest Young Master who’s unsteady on his feet? Besides, Madam and the Eldest Young Master has always had a caring and filial relationship. Why would they even quarrel?”

“Of course, it is for the Shaojun. The relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law has always been a problem for the ages. My sister-in-law and my mother have small quarrels every three days and big ones every five. They quarrel so much, my brother feels like his head is about to explode…”

Lin Qingyu pushed open the door of the dispensary and the voices inside stopped abruptly, leaving only the bubbling sounds of the boiling decoction.

Lin Qingyu ignored the little maids with fear and trepidation on their faces. He walked straight to the stove, as though he hadn’t heard anything at all.

After returning, Lin Qingyu called Huan Tong and instructed, “Go to Liang Shi’s courtyard and get the ledger for this month.”

Huan Tong couldn’t understand. “Young Master, what do you want the ledger for?”

“To share her worries for her.”

Once news of Lu Wancheng’s illness spread to Liang Shi’s ears, the pressure that had persisted for several days on Liang Shi’s chest finally eased. Liu Momo, gloating over other’s misfortune, said, “This is retribution, Madam. It is the Heavens unable to stand by and watch how the Young Master treated you that day. They are punishing this unfilial child!”

Liang Shi recalled the things that had happened that day and a lingering fear remained in her heart. “No matter, since Lin Shi can’t save him, then just let him be.”

At this moment, a maid came in and said that the Huan Tong of the Blue Wind Pavilion had arrived.

“Lin Shi’s dowry page?” Liang Shi’s brows furrowed tightly, “What is he here for?”

“He came to get this month’s account book. He says that Shaojun wishes to share the Madam’s worries.”

Liang Shi’s chest rose and fell upon hearing these words. “He really said that?”

“Madam, did you hear that?” Liu Momo’s teeth itched with hatred. “Now, you can no longer just let matters be. Shaojun is clearly out to seize power from you. You can’t just sit back and wait for death!”

Liang Shi said irritably, “But what can I do! In the beginning, it is true that I said I wanted Lin Shi to take charge of the household. Who would have thought that the Lin Shi would be so capable?”

Liu Momo cast her eyes around and waved away the servants. She leaned in to Liang Shi’s ear and said, “Why not do this…”

“No.” Liang Shi said, voice deep. “Lu Wancheng already warned me, I’m worried that he’ll find out…”

“Isn’t Young Master Hou sick right now? It’s hard to say whether you can survive this. Besides, have you forgotten what the Second Young Lady has said? So long as reason is on your side, Master Hou will side with you. You have nothing to be afraid of.”

Seeing that the Liang Shi was still undecided, Liu Momo added, “Even if you don’t consider this for yourself, you have to think about the Second Young Lady and the Third Young Master. Is it possible that you really want a widow to take charge of the Hou Mansion?”

“Niantao, Qiao Song…” Liang Shi silently recited the names of her two children, and composed herself, “Liu Momo, please send the account book to the Blue Wind Pavilion.”

Liu Momo grinned from ear to ear. “This servant will go now.”

After Lin Qingyu got the ledger, he called Zhang Shiquan and asked him to check carefully for anything wrong. After looking through it, Zhang Shiquan said, “With only two months of accounts, I dare not jump to conclusions. With three or four months of accounts, I should be able to see some clues.”

Lin Qingyu asked Huan Tong to send back the account book for this month. He then ask for the ledgers of the previous few months.

On the third day of Lu Wancheng’s lethargy, there were finally signs of the fever receding; though the person himself had yet to wake up. The blood and energy he managed to raise during this period was also all used up. He lay quietly on the bed, his eyes closed tightly. He had wasted away and his bones were sticking out. He was like a candle struggling in the wind. It really made people… people who care about him, endlessly anxious.

Hua Lu fed Lu Wancheng the medicinal decoction. Lu Wancheng’s brows tightened, as if even in his dream he couldn’t forget the bitterness of the medicine. He even spit out a little. Hua Lu hurriedly tried to grab a kerchief to wipe it. Lin Qingyu took the medicine bowl from her hand. “I’ll do it.”

Lin Qingyu took a spoonful, drew it close to his lips and blew on it gently. Before he could get it to Lu Wancheng’s mouth, he heard Feng Qin’s voice calling from outside. “Shaojun, the Madam requests that you go to her.”

Lin Qingyu paused and returned the medicine bowl to Hua Lu. “Continue feeding him.”

Lin Qingyu arrived at the front hall. Liang Shi was still sitting in her seat as mistress. Liu Momo stayed to one side. There was also an unfamiliar middle-aged man standing in the hall, a worried expression on his face.

Liang Shi asked, insincerely courteous, “Has Wancheng gotten better?”

Lin Qingyu said, “Madam, just tell me if you have something to say.”

Liang Shi lost a little control over her feelings. “This is the accountant of the Hou Mansion, Manager Wang.”

Manager Wang bowed and saluted, “Greetings, Shaojun.”

“The situation is like this. Manager Wang found that the ledger sent back from the Blue Wind Pavilion has one page missing.” Liang Shi paused, “And it’s also the most important page recording the revenue and expenditure of the restaurants in the capital.”

Manager Wang said, choked with emotions, “Such an careless omission has befallen such an important account book. I can only wish I could apologize for it with my death!”

……So noisy.

These people really won’t stop. Instead of circling around them, it would better to just use poison to get them to behave. Lin Qingyu said, “I advise you to think twice.”

Manager Wang said blankly, “Think twice?”

“Apologizing with death.” Lin Qingyu said, “Of course, if you insist on dying, I won’t stop you.”

Manager Wang was stunned. He was just paying lip service just now. How could he really be willing to die for a missing page in a book? Manager Wang looked at Liang Shi and Liu Momo for help. Liu Momo generously comforted, “Manager Wang, please don’t say that. It has nothing to do with you. When you sent the ledger, the ledger was clearly intact. Madam can testify for you. It was when Huan Tong sent back the ledger that there was a single page missing.”

Lin Qingyu quietly watched their act.

Liang Shi felt apprehensive with the way he was looking at her. She smiled and said, “Qingyu, you are the manager of the household. Careless slips are inevitable. Pay attention next time. It’s just that that missing page has to be retrieved, otherwise the accounts are going to be messy. Why don’t you go back to the Blue Wind Pavilion to look for it?”

Lin Qingyu nodded. “Fine.”

Lin Qingyu returned to the Blue Wind Pavilion. Hearing a burst of laughter outside the house, he couldn’t help but sneer while feeling relieved at the same time.

Joking and laughing with the maids as soon as he wakes up; someone’s life is pretty hard.

As soon as he entered the room, he met Lu Wancheng’s gaze, as if Lu Wancheng had been looking at the door all this time.

Lu Wancheng let out a couple of coughs. Voice hoarse, he said, “You’re back?”

“En. How do you feel?”

“It feels like… I’m sick, then I’m alive again. I’m sick again and I’m alive again…”

Lin Qingyu lost his expression. “You have so much energy. Drink your medicine yourself. Stop having others always feed you.”

Lu Wancheng laughed and said, “I didn’t have you feed me. Why so fierce again?”

“I…” Lin Qingyu closed his eyes slightly and calmed down. There have been too many idiots these past few days. He must have been affected and he found his temper hard to restrain. “I didn’t want to be angry with you. It’s just a habit, sorry.”

Lu Wancheng grew quiet. He said jokingly, “Is Doctor Lin disappointed because I didn’t die?”

Lin Qingyu nodded. “A little bit.”

Lu Wancheng laughed, only a pair of eyes brightened on his wan face. “I’m sorry. It wasn’t my idea either.”