Meng Guanqi froze. This was yet another problem he had never thought about or encountered before. All along, whenever he ordered something, the servants would immediately have it prepared for him. It had never occurred to him that A Sheng might not even be able to carry a bucket of water.
He had lived in the outer courtyard of the Meng Residence before, where groups of maids and servants had attended to him. Let alone simply wanting to bathe, even if he had wanted to swim in the bathing room, the servants would have arranged everything properly. But he had forgotten that he was no longer in the Meng Residence in the capital. He had also forgotten that of all the maids and servants who had once surrounded him, only A Sheng remained by his side.
It felt as though reality had slapped him hard across the face once again.
He lowered his head. “I understand. You can go out first.”
After hurriedly finishing his bath, he found that A Sheng had already brought the food over from the kitchen. Meng Guanqi mechanically shoveled down a few mouthfuls without tasting any of it, then immediately went to the main room to see Magistrate Meng.
Looking at his father’s tightly closed eyes and sunken cheeks, Meng Guanqi felt as though his heart were being torn apart. He unconsciously dropped to his knees beside Magistrate Meng’s bed. “Father!”
Magistrate Meng struggled to open his eyes. Seeing his son’s tear-streaked face, he reached out a hand.
“Qi’er, don’t cry. If your father cannot make it through this time, you’ll have to rely on yourself to take care of the family from now on.”
Meng Guanqi gripped his father’s hand tightly. “Father, you will definitely get better. I’m still young. I can’t be without you.”
How could Magistrate Meng not understand this? His son had been exceptionally gifted since childhood. He could memorize anything he read after seeing it only once, and when he was ten, his schoolteacher had already wanted him to take the imperial examination. It was only because Magistrate Meng feared that his son would stand out too much and incur the displeasure of the legitimate branch’s brothers that he had forcibly held him back until he was thirteen before allowing him to sit for the examinations.
He knew all too well where their family stood within the residence. Only by taking the middle path could they maintain their position in the long run.
When Old Master Meng retired from office, his health was already poor. He had repeatedly mentioned in front of his sons that after his death, the brothers would divide the family property. His concubine mother had died early, so once he was separated from the family, he would become an independent branch. Although, as a concubine-born son, he would not receive much of the family property, at least he would be able to be master of his own household. There would no longer be any need to suppress his son’s talent for studying.
Who could have expected that even the most cautious person could not escape the whims of fate? He had inadvertently fallen into a scheme and been demoted to magistrate of Miyang County. That alone would have been bad enough, but he had truly dragged his entire family down with him.
Old Master Meng had taken this opportunity to hastily divide the family and make their branch independent, but in doing so, he had also cut off Qi’er’s future prospects. Even when he knelt and begged his father to let his son remain in the capital to study, his father had refused to agree.
The most learned teacher at Miyang County School was merely an old juren who had failed the examinations for many years. The rest held only the xiucai degree. On top of that, news traveled poorly here, government orders were difficult to implement, and there was even less way to gauge the trends in the examination world. For Qi’er, advancing from xiucai to juren was truly like crossing an impassable chasm.
And yet his own health was so poor, with a chronic illness that refused to go away. If he died from this illness, his son would have to observe mourning for three years before he could take the provincial examination. The provincial examination was held only once every three years. Qi’er had planned to take it next year, but if he died and Qi’er missed that examination, his son would have to wait another three years before having another opportunity.
At this thought, Magistrate Meng was overcome with bitter despair. Struggling to sit up, he said, “Bring me the medicine.”
He could not die. Absolutely not. If he died now, his son’s shoulders were still far too young to support this family.
Madam Liu hurriedly called for Yingchun to bring over the medicine that had been kept warm on a small brazier.
Magistrate Meng endured the discomfort in his chest and forced the medicine down. But his stomach immediately went into violent spasms, and a suppressed sensation surged up from his chest. His eyes widened. Clutching his chest, he suddenly vomited it all out.
Blood splattered across the floor and all over Meng Guanqi’s face, as he had not managed to dodge in time.
Madam Liu watched helplessly as Magistrate Meng vomited a large mouthful of blood before his entire body fell backward onto the bed.
Her mind went completely blank. After a long while, she finally let out a sharp scream. “Ah~!”
The commotion from the main room carried a long way. Li Xiaoxiao was chopping firewood in the rear courtyard and could not help turning her head when she heard the noise.
Granny Qi rushed toward the outer courtyard in a panic, calling out Yu Dayong’s name and telling him to fetch a physician, while Yingchun, Liu Zhi, and A Sheng ran toward the kitchen, hurriedly carrying several basins of water away.
The entire rear courtyard was thrown into chaos.
Li Xiaoxiao set down her axe and walked into the kitchen. “Mama Mao, what happened?”
Mama Mao’s face was pale, tears filling her eyes. There was no way this could be kept from her any longer. “I’m afraid the master isn’t going to make it…”
What? Li Xiaoxiao was stunned. Surely not? She had thought that after drinking deer blood for another two days, she would be able to use the medicine to treat Magistrate Meng’s illness. Was he going to die today?
All the strength seemed to have been drained from Mama Mao’s body. Her lips trembled. “He’s only thirty-two, my Fourth Master~” She could not help wiping away her tears.
Thirty-two?! Li Xiaoxiao sucked in a sharp breath. That was far too young. How could a mere cold possibly take his life?
Then she remembered that this world did not even have electricity. Illnesses could only be treated with medicinal herbs. There were no antibiotics, let alone intravenous injections. Nine times out of ten, his illness had been allowed to deteriorate to this state, and it could actually take the life of a man in his prime.
Her anxiety surged. No, Magistrate Meng could not die yet. She had to find a way to save him.
She immediately turned and went back to her room.
Mama Mao had no mood to concern herself with her either. She added more water to the pot and prayed as she stoked the firewood that the master would make it through this ordeal.
Yu Dayong brought Doctor Xie from Huichun Hall. When Doctor Xie entered the main room, his expression was as solemn as still water. After carefully taking Magistrate Meng’s pulse, he stood up and gestured for Madam Liu and Meng Guanqi to come to the main hall.
Doctor Xie lowered his voice. “Madam, Young Master, Magistrate Meng is already at the end of his strength. He has only a day or two left. Please make preparations as soon as possible.”
Madam Liu’s body went limp, and she fainted on the spot.
Doctor Xie pressed her philtrum and used acupuncture, finally managing to bring her around. His eyes were full of compassion. “Please, Madam, try to restrain your grief.”
Madam Liu covered her mouth with her handkerchief, tears streaming down her face. Afraid that Magistrate Meng would hear her, she did not even dare to cry loudly.
Meng Guanqi’s face was pale, his eyes full of tears. His still-childish hands tightly grasped Doctor Xie’s hand. “Doctor, please prescribe another medicine. My father, my father won’t…”
Doctor Xie considered it carefully. Even if he used an aggressive medicine at this point, Magistrate Meng’s current physical condition would not be able to withstand it. Moreover, such medicine was a matter of life or death. If it worked, it could cure the illness, but if anything went wrong, it could hasten his death.
Magistrate Meng’s condition was no longer suitable for such drastic medicine. In fact, he might not even be able to swallow medicine anymore.
He let out a quiet breath, shook his head, bowed to Madam Liu and Meng Guanqi, and took his leave.
Having been a physician for more than thirty years, he had seen far too many cases like this. Although Magistrate Meng was young and his death was regrettable, Doctor Xie had long since developed a heart of stone.
What a pity. This magistrate had at least known to open the granaries and distribute grain to aid the poor. He had seemed like a decent man, yet who would have thought that barely half a year after taking office, he would have to die of illness? Who knew what kind of person the next magistrate would be?
But Miyang County had always been poor. What difference did it make who came? At most, it only meant whether the common people would be a little hungrier or even hungrier.
He shook his head and left with his medicine chest on his back.
Madam Liu sat there blankly without reacting. Normally, after hearing Doctor Xie’s words, she, as the mistress of the household, should have begun making preparations for Magistrate Meng’s funeral.
Steward Zhao had taken Zhao Jian to the capital, and there had never been many people in the residence to begin with. Now that the steward of the outer courtyard had also left, Granny Qi could see that Madam Liu, who looked completely lost, was in no state to take charge of anything. She had no choice but to suppress her own grief and set aside the breach of propriety, helping her handle whatever matters she could.
She had Yingchun and Liu Zhi stay with Madam Liu while she herself went to the kitchen. The moment she saw Mama Mao, before she could even say a word, she collapsed against her and began to cry. Because Magistrate Meng had not yet breathed his last, she did not dare cry loudly.
Mama Mao cried with her for a while. After the wave of grief had passed, Granny Qi finally said hoarsely, “Madam has lost her wits and clearly can no longer take charge. Now that Steward Zhao is away and there aren’t enough people in the residence, I’m afraid the master’s funeral arrangements will have to be handled by the two of us old things. On your side…”
She quietly whispered several instructions into Mama Mao’s ear, telling her to go out and make the preparations. Finally, she stood up and said, “Don’t forget to start cooking the glutinous rice.”
In Great Wu customs, those who were nearing death were generally unable to eat, so most people died on an empty stomach. Therefore, a mouthful of glutinous rice was placed in the mouth of the deceased, signifying that they would have food to eat and would not become a hungry ghost after death.
Mama Mao quietly acknowledged her instructions and went out to make the preparations.
Granny Qi had more important matters to handle, because Magistrate Meng’s burial clothes and coffin had not yet been arranged.
This was a major matter.
Who could have imagined that Magistrate Meng, a man in the prime of his life, would deteriorate so rapidly within only a few days? This should have been handled by Steward Zhao, but he had taken his son to the capital to deliver the memorial. Madam was completely at a loss and knew only how to cry, so Granny Qi had no choice but to step forward and take care of it herself.
Miyang County was impoverished. The only coffin shop in the county town was beside the charity burial ground in the north of the city. Inside were nothing more than ordinary, low-grade coffins made of camphor and fir wood. There was no good-quality timber at all. Even the burial clothes were made of ordinary ramie cloth. If they were still in the capital…
She wiped away her tears and forced herself to forget the glorious days they had once enjoyed, accepting the fact that their household had already fallen into poverty. She had helped Madam manage the inner household for the past six months since coming to Miyang, watching helplessly as the money in the accounts flowed away like water while expenditures exceeded income. If the master’s funeral were still to be held in grand style, then in the days to come…
She could only deceive herself and arrange Magistrate Meng’s funeral as simply as possible. After all, the young master’s future imperial examinations would require large sums of money, while Madam would probably only be able to scrape by on the small amount of property they had left in the capital. If they still followed the old household regulations, then by the time the new magistrate took office, they might not even have a place to live.
Leaving aside the fact that Granny Qi and Mama Mao had both left the residence to purchase the items needed for Magistrate Meng’s funeral, inside the tightly locked room, Li Xiaoxiao was drenched in sweat from head to toe, concentrating intently on the necklace around her neck.
She had already drunk the entire bag of deer blood, but the energy that had accumulated was far less than she had imagined. She had originally planned to go into the mountains again today to look for the blood of wild beasts, but it seemed Magistrate Meng would not be able to wait.
She could only force herself to use her mental power beyond its limits to forcibly activate the necklace.
Almost there. Almost there. She was only a tiny bit away. She could already feel it!
…
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