Song Zhiwei’s courtyard was quite a distance from the main residence. It took a full twenty minutes to walk there.
In truth, the straight-line distance was not very far. However, the estate was full of winding paths, and much of the route was covered in pebbled walkways. Since she lived in a guest courtyard near the second inner compound, the journey naturally took longer.
After returning to her room, she washed up casually, rinsed her feet, and ate a simple meal of rice soaked in hot water with pickled vegetables before settling down to sleep.
She didn’t need to imagine a luxurious bath attended by a crowd of servants, or warm, freshly cooked dishes waiting for her late at night.
Her courtyard had no private kitchen, and she lacked the money to send servants to the main kitchen for snacks or special meals. The provisions allotted to her also had to support the maid she had brought from Qingzhou. Naturally, this was all they had to eat.
The little gold nugget her grandmother had given her today was something she had never received before. Under normal circumstances, she certainly would not pawn her jewelry without reason.
She and Lancao went to bed, and nothing more was said.
The next morning, Song Zhiwei woke early. After washing up, she sat before the mirror and did her own hair. She casually tied a few knots in the hair framing her face and secured them with a red cord. Then she braided the hair at the back of her head into a simple plait, giving her a fresh, neat look.
Since it was neither a festival nor a special occasion, unmarried young women like them didn’t need to be particularly elaborate with their hairstyles.
Dressed in a light teal blouse that was neither new nor overly worn, and a pleated skirt embroidered with tiny flowers, Song Zhiwei began tidying her bed.
When arriving in a new place, cleaning and caring for it was the first step toward making it home.
She folded her soft silk quilt and placed it on the canopy bed frame. Only then did she notice the quilt cover she had been using was badly snagged, its appearance distorted by wear. Even the embroidered patterns looked dull and lifeless.
Lancao returned from the main kitchen after collecting breakfast. She arranged the dishes neatly on the small table, though they consisted of nothing more than several kinds of pickled vegetables.
Song Zhiwei sat down and ate a few bites with Lancao. By then, Zhuxiang had finished washing up. Master and servants quietly finished their simple meal of porridge, pickles, and steamed flatbread without a word.
Both Zhuxiang and Lancao had been assigned to care for Song Zhiwei by Song Qingya when she left Qingzhou. As for her original wet nurse and personal maid, they had naturally been left behind in Qingzhou. They knew too much, and Song Qingya did not fully trust them.
As a result, although the three of them had traveled all the way here together, they had never become particularly close. In the maids’ eyes, only after their young lady fell into the water, became gravely ill, and then woke up did she truly open her heart to them.
After opening up to them, Song Zhiwei had begun inviting them to eat together. To the two maids, this was both a sign of intimacy and a mark of favor.
In the residence, maids who served in the same room as their mistress were originally treated this way. Whatever the young lady ate, they ate. Whatever she slept on, they slept on. Even their clothes were provided by her, and sometimes the fabrics were the same as those used for the young lady’s own garments. That’s why well-treated maids were often called “young ladies’ deputies” or “assistant young ladies.”
They were more than happy to accept Song Zhiwei’s friendliness.
At this time, dawn was just breaking. The old women responsible for sweeping and cleaning her courtyard had already started work, clearing fallen leaves from the doors and wiping down the windowsills.
Smiling, Song Zhiwei nodded to them before leaving the guest courtyard and heading toward the main residence.
Marquis Dingyuan Manor consisted of five successive courtyards and covered a vast area. The rear compound was the estate’s largest section, and Madam Xu currently occupied its principal courtyard. The route to that courtyard was also the one Song Zhiwei knew best.
After entering the main courtyard and passing through the covered corridor, Song Zhiwei spotted Nanny Wang and greeted her with a smile.
“Miss Wei has come quite early today. The Old Madam hasn’t even woken up yet.”
Song Zhiwei found this somewhat surprising. Elderly people usually slept lightly and rose early. Then she saw Nanny Wang glance around before lowering her voice.
“After the Old Madam retired for the night, she felt unwell in the latter half of the night and didn’t sleep well.”
Song Zhiwei gave Nanny Wang a grateful look, then asked quietly with concern, “How exactly is Grandmother feeling unwell? I may not be a practicing physician, but I have always helped care for my mother. If it’s a common illness, perhaps you could tell me about it.”
At her words, Nanny Wang hesitated, looking as though she wanted to speak but wasn’t sure she should. In the end, she shook her head.
“This ailment is really a private matter for the Old Madam. It’s one of those complaints women suffer from in old age. There’s not much that can be done about it.”
Song Zhiwei nodded slightly. She understood that Nanny Wang was simply trying to help, and that this was as much as she could reasonably reveal. She entered the room just as Yun’er carried a basin of washwater into the inner chamber.
Madam Xu opened her eyes on the bed and frowned. “Who has come?”
“It’s Miss Wei. She has come to pay her respects.”
Madam Xu closed her eyes tiredly for a moment. “Let her come in.”
Yun’er acknowledged the order and lifted the curtain. Seeing Song Zhiwei sitting quietly and properly on a stool, waiting, she smiled and said, “Miss Wei, the Old Madam is asking you to come in.”
Song Zhiwei had been busy pondering how to recommend herself and find some sort of work for herself. Hearing those words, she immediately rose. From what she had observed yesterday, the strongest impression she had gotten was that, in this household, she was not particularly needed by anyone. That made her uneasy.
Because someone who could not provide value to others could only survive on goodwill and affection, and that came with far too many uncertainties. The best course was to find some way to create a little room for maneuver for herself.
Thus, the first thing that came to Song Zhiwei’s mind was her old profession. In an era like this, where female physicians specializing in women’s health were scarce, she believed she could still be quite useful.
“Greetings, Grandmother,” Song Zhiwei said, bending her knees in a respectful curtsey.
Supported by a servant, Madam Xu sat up in bed. As expected, her complexion looked somewhat haggard and weary. She looked somewhat dazed and heavy-headed, and her mood was clearly not very good. Hearing Song Zhiwei’s voice, she merely nodded.
This was also why, during her grandchildren’s daily morning greetings, Madam Xu rarely engaged in much conversation. Every morning when she got up, she was usually not in a particularly good condition.
In the past, however, Song Zhiwei had never met with Madam Xu alone in such a familiar setting. The original Song Zhiwei would only arrive when everyone else was expected to come and pay their respects, focused solely on avoiding mistakes.
Naturally, Song Zhiwei walked over, sat on the edge of the bed, and casually took hold of Madam Xu’s wrist. She placed her fingers on the pulse points and quietly waited about the time it took to drink a cup of tea, sensing the pulse was thin and weak.
Then, when Madam Xu opened her mouth to speak, Song Zhiwei glanced at her tongue. The coating was thin, greasy, and somewhat reddish. “Grandmother, do you feel dizzy?”
Because of her discomfort, Madam Xu’s thoughts were somewhat sluggish and disjointed. She simply felt miserable and found it difficult to put her suffering into words. Though Song Zhiwei held her wrist, she said nothing. At the question, she merely nodded.
Song Zhiwei leaned closer to observe her more carefully. She caught a faint, unpleasant fishy odor lingering beneath the blankets, and the breath from Madam Xu’s mouth and nose felt notably dry, bitter, and warm.
After a brief pause, Song Zhiwei quickly thought of a possibility. Her voice remained gentle and calm. “Grandmother, do you have severe itching and discomfort down below, along with some discharge?”
Madam Xu couldn’t help but look at Song Zhiwei upon hearing this.
Yun’er, who had been smiling nearby, immediately blushed bright red to the tips of her ears, as though Song Zhiwei had just said something utterly shocking.
But, after all, they were both women. After a long silence, Madam Xu finally nodded.