Rebirth of an Abandoned Woman

Chapter 234: Appreciating The Flowers

Liu Ya and others had waited in silence for a long time outside, while in the hall downstairs, Head Servant Zhang and Zhan Huan were seated silently.

The sun was rising higher and higher and the temperature was also gradually rising, but there was still no movement in the bedroom upstairs. Head Servant Zhang glanced over uneasily. He somewhat could not sit still anymore and coughed. “It’s about time to change the dressings for Young Master.”

“Head Servant Zhang, don’t waste your breath!” Zhan Huan curled his lips and continued, “Since Young Mistress is here, why should we look for trouble? Having her here will be stronger than any miracle medicine! You do not know this, but during the past few days, we were in a hurry to arrive and Young Mistress did not rest well. She must’ve been exhausted and only fell asleep after much difficulty. I’m sure Young Master can’t bear to wake her up. Whoever goes in and disturbs them will only be asking for it! In any case, I’m not going!”

Zhan Huan was scolded by Head Servant Zhang before he could finish. “Rascal, do you need a spanking? Are the Masters’ decisions for you to decide? One more word and I will pull your tongue out!”

With their heads lowered, Qian He and the rest secretly chuckled while Zhan Huan turned sullen. He rubbed his head and sighed, mumbling with his lips curled.

Although Head Servant Zhang scolded Zhan Huan, he felt that his words were reasonable so he did not mention going upstairs anymore. Soon, after seeing the two married maidservants coming down, Head Servant Zhang quickly got up and asked, “Are Young Master and Young Mistress awake?”

“Yes, they need hot water to freshen up! Liu Ya also asked if lunch is ready? Have it served later! Also, bring a pot of boiling water upstairs to make tea!” The one from the Shi Zhong family instructed.

Head Servant Zhang agreed and instructed the servants. Then, everyone parted ways to do their tasks.

It was past noon when the two upstairs finished eating.

When it was time to change the dressings, Shi Fengju and Sang Wan were dumbfounded when the gauze was torn! It was clear that the wound on his leg had turned red and swollen with faint blood stains.

Looking at each other, Sang Wan turned slightly angry while Shi Fengju shifted away guiltily.

“Head Servant Zhang, please invite Physician Li over! The wound on Young Master’s leg doesn’t look very good,” Sang Wan got up and instructed.

Head Servant Zhang was anxious when he heard her and hurriedly asked: “Did it swell because of the hot weather these two days? I’ll send someone to call the physician here quickly!”

Shi Fengju was searching his heart for a reason he could use. Upon hearing Head Servant Zhang, he became overjoyed and laughed. “Exactly, the weather has been so hot these past two days that it became intolerable! Hurry and call Physician Li over.”

Puzzled, Head Servant Zhang silently wondered to himself: This is neither a good thing nor good news, so why did Young Master become overjoyed?

“Sang Wan, it really doesn’t hurt. It’ll be fine after Physician Li takes a look at it. Don’t be angry, okay?” When Shi Fengju saw Sang Wan sitting silently at the side, he knew she must be furious so he spoke while holding onto her hand with a smile.

“My arrival only did you more harm instead. If Mother finds out, she will definitely blame me for not taking care of you properly! There mustn’t be a next time!” How could Sang Wan not be angry? Sang Wan was very furious. Head Servant Zhang was not a fool. Things would not always stay the same forever. If someone were to tell Wang Shi, she definitely could not avoid a scolding.

When Shi Fengju heard her, he felt slightly disappointed. He said with a soft sigh, “Sang Wan, are you angry because you’re afraid my mother will blame it on you?” He had thought that it was because she was concerned and worried about him.

Sang Wan was dazed. She came back to her senses and replied, “What do you mean? I’m naturally afraid that Mother would blame it on me. However, how can I feel good seeing you like this!”

“Sang Wan!” Shi Fengju smiled and held both her hands, “I really am fine! Don’t worry. My injuries will have recovered when I return. Mother can’t be any more joyous than that, so why would she even bother about something so trivial! In any case, I’m willing to suffer this minor pain! It’s really nothing, so don’t take it to heart, hmm?”

Sang Wan simply did not know whether to cry or laugh. She could no longer be angry with him and said with a smile, “Don’t move about. Hurry and lean back obediently. Physician Li will take a look later when he arrives.”

Sang Wan had a guilty conscience. Since Physician Li had good medical expertise, if he managed to find out the cause of the wound worsening, she would be very embarrassed.

Shi Fengju was not bothered and leaned back like what he was told. However, he was unwilling to let her leave. He still pulled her to have a seat beside him and held her hand as they talked until Physician Li arrived. Only then did he let her hide behind the partition.

“It was still fine yesterday. How did it worsen so suddenly!” Physician Li burst into the room. After greeting Shi Fengju, he sat on the stool that Liu Ya had brought over before checking his pulse.

Realizing that his pulse was indeed pulsating abnormally, he frowned slightly and unwrapped the gauze that lightly covered his leg. When he saw the wound, he was in a great shock. “It’s inflamed! How did it become like this!”

Shi Fengju coughed awkwardly and said vaguely, “I suppose it must’ve been because the weather got a little hot these past two days…”

“That shouldn’t be the case!” Physician Li denied the excuse and carefully checked his wound. He extended his hands and lightly pressed against it before asking with a frown, “Young Master, did you do anything strenuous yesterday? You muscle is slightly strained. Fortunately, your bone didn’t shift. Otherwise, I’ll have to set it again!”

Sang Wan bit her lips and lifted her handkerchief to cover her mouth from laughing out loud. She thought to herself: You deserve it! I’ll see if you still dare to disregard the consequences in the future!

Physician Li shot a suspicious look at him as if waiting for him to clear his doubts. Shi Fengju became even more guilty and anxious before he finally smiled with embarrassment, “My wife reached here from home and I couldn’t bear to see her sad, so I forced myself to walk a few steps in front of her. It was only to make her feel reassured, but who knew it ended up affecting my wound. My gains really did not make up for my suffering!”

“I see!” Physician Li finally understood and he nodded before letting out a sigh, “Young Master, you have to rest in bed and not move around. Otherwise, with the weather getting hotter, it will be extremely detrimental to your wound. Young Mistress is very understanding, advising her not to worry would be enough. This is only an external wound that can recover completely after recuperating for some time, so there’s no need for her to worry!”

“Hehe… you’re right! I’ll let her know!” Shi Fengju nodded his head in agreement.

Physician Li wrote a prescription again and gave his instructions before he left.

Head Servant Zhang personally sent him off before selecting the herbs according to the prescription.

Sang Wan came out from behind the partition and looked at Shi Fengju with what seemed like a smile on her face. Unable to hold herself back, she let out a giggle.

Shi Fengju no longer felt embarrassed. With a smile, he extended his arms to hint at her to have a seat beside him before he said, “Isn’t your husband clever?”

Sang Wan nodded her head as she held back her laughter. “You’re simply clever beyond hope!”

“Nonsense!” Shi Fengju took her into his arms with a smile and extended his hands to pinch her chin. “I’m tactful so your disappointment will only be in vain.” With that, the two of them burst into laughter.

Physician Li’s prescription was indeed effective. After cleansing with the boiled medicinal decoction and applying the ointment, the burning pain subsided gradually, causing his tensed body to relax a little.

Ever since the previous night, the two of them no longer did anything to agitate the injury. Despite only accompanying him in this small space, he still felt content.

In the next two days, the first quarter’s account books arrived from all parts of the country. In previous years, they would be sent to Qingzhou, but this year’s situation was different. Shi Fengju had already ordered for all account books to be sent to Handan. Sang Wan had helped him look through the account books before. As such, the two of them naturally looked at the books together this time. Drinking tea and chatting all day was getting somewhat dull for Sang Wan, so she did not refuse. With this, she would while away the time by helping him. The way she used the abacus was so smooth and nice to look at. Shi Fengju had witnessed her skills before. However, he was now even more intoxicated and he could not help but kiss her hands that were like jade bamboo shoots, which made Sang Wan giggle.

More than half a month had passed. Shi Fengju complied with the physician’s advice, and with his beloved wife accompanying him everyday, his wounds healed quickly. After all, as long as the wound closed, it would recover quickly.

This time around when Physician Li came, he told Shi Fengju that he could now go up and down the stairs slowly. He could also go for a walk around the courtyard. The gauze wrapped around his leg was only a thin and breathable layer and the splint on his leg had been removed.

On a refreshing afternoon the following day, Shi Fengju could no longer lie still so he had Sang Wan help him downstairs.

After leaving the room, he stood on the green brick floor in the courtyard and watched the swaying flower branches in front of him before giving it a sniff. He felt a strange freshness. He could not help but stare at the floor as he took a few slow steps and said self-deprecatingly, “It’s been so long since I’ve been out. I feel extremely happy to be able to stand on my two feet here today! People always said to never take the simplest things for granted, and I have finally experienced it today!”

Sang Wan said with a laugh, “You’ve only just recovered. Let’s return to the house after a short while! When you are completely recovered, I’ll have nothing to say on how long you wish to stay!”

Shi Fengju laughed and said, “I was only speaking my mind. It wasn’t easy for me to come to such a realization, yet my Sang Wan just had to sweep away my joy without any care!”

Rolling her eyes at him, Sang Wan responded, “Yes, yes, Young Master said it very well! Doesn’t it feel great to regain something that was lost? Then, Young Master, please take your time to appreciate it!”

Shi Fengju let out a burst of laughter. “You sound so insincere!” Then, he took her hand and brought her to a cluster of peonies with yellowish-white stamen before he said with a smile, “Sang Wan, these peonies bloomed well. Do you like them?”

Sang Wan’s eyes swept across her surroundings and she noticed many large flower vats that were about half the height of a person placed messily in the courtyard. In every vat, different peonies were planted and they filled the entire courtyard with liveliness. There were purplish-red, pink, red, rose-red, white, goose-yellow, and many more colors, all with either a solid or mixed color. The flowers were the size of a bowl and they bloomed on every branch which attracted colorful butterflies and bees.

Sang Wan couldn’t help but exclaim in surprise: “Where did all these peonies come from! I’m sure the courtyard didn’t look like this when I came… Or did I remember it wrongly?”

Shi Fengju looked at her without saying a word.