Chapter 289: Madam Cui’s Illness

Physician Cui didn’t have the strength to pole the raft by himself, so Qi Si went over to help. Yan Xiangheng was also on that raft.

Yan Lao’er, Qi Da, and Qi Wu were on another raft.

Aside from the people, the majority of space on both rafts was taken up by medicine.

Yan Lao’er was feeling a bit nervous.

Qi Da and Qi Wu were both hefty men, so he placed them at the front and back of the raft, leaving himself in the middle with barely any room to move.

Qi Wu, watching his big brother pole for a while, got the itch to try it himself and eagerly volunteered to take over.

Qi Da handed the pole over.

Qi Wu treated it like a fun new toy and went wild with it.

Before long, their raft was speeding along like it was in a dragon boat race.

The raft behind them saw this and refused to be left behind. “Trying to ditch us? No way!”

They gave chase, not letting up, turning it into a full-on race.

The men poling the rafts gritted their teeth and pushed with all their might, while the others cheered them on. The air was lively and boisterous, carrying on the festive spirit that still lingered from yesterday’s Grand Market.

…

**Yan Family**

Yan Yu had just finished going over the Young Scouts’ account books.

After buying small sickles and hoes for everyone, there wasn’t much money left in the Young Scouts’ funds.

Fortunately, they had made some marinated eggs for the Grand Market this time, and the sales were decent.

It added a bit of extra income to their communal funds.

Next was the family’s own accounts.

Granny Rong had bought quite a few poultry. As soon as she finished delivering them by the riverside, people started coming to ask about buying.

Yan Yu stuck to a first-come, first-served policy: pay first, take your pick after.

No need to fuss over the selection. Just say whether you wanted chickens, ducks, geese, or dogs, and Granny Rong would catch them for you.

They were busy for half the day before they finally saw off all the villagers.

By this time, no one else was likely to show up.

So Yan Yu joined her mother, Big Sis Daya, and Granny Rong in tidying up the family courtyard.

The main task was finding places to keep all the animals.

There weren’t many chickens, ducks, or geese left, but they had ended up with five extra rams—no ewes among them.

That was exactly why the villagers didn’t want them. All five were adult rams, only good for slaughtering and eating. Not ideal for raising.

The villagers preferred ewes that could bear lambs, or young lambs that were cheaper.

But folks from other villages weren’t fools either. Yan Family had just been lucky to get some ewes before—not everyone had that kind of luck.

They’d cleared out some of the fish in the yard, but only a small portion.

Granny Rong had already dried and packed the fish, stacking the sealed bags along the firewalls. Looking around, all the firewalls in the Yan Family courtyard were lined with bags.

Still, it was much more organized now.

Madam Cui had been bored at home, so she came over to the Yan Family for a visit.

Seeing the women busy tidying up, she didn’t stand on ceremony and jumped in to help.

When she saw Yan Yu chopping vegetable leaves, she casually took over, chopping away with practiced ease.

“Is this for the chickens or the pigs?” Madam Cui asked.

“For the pigs,” Yan Yu replied.

That was all Madam Cui needed to know—no need to chop too finely.

A few chops filled a basin, then another.

Before long, there wasn’t much left to do. She was a regular visitor and knew that Granny Rong was particular about feeding the livestock, often mixing in various extras.

Madam Cui set down the knife and pulled Li Xuemei into the house.

Li Xuemei could tell from her expression that something was up.

She waited for her to speak.

“Sister-in-law, what do I do? I took the medicine Dogzi’s dad gave me, but I’m feeling worse, not better,” Madam Cui said, sitting on the edge of the heated brick bed, looking dejected. She didn’t even kick off her shoes like she usually did.

Li Xuemei couldn’t help but ask, “Why were you taking medicine? Did your husband say what was wrong?”

Madam Cui launched into a complaint. “You tell me! He didn’t explain a thing. Just patted his butt and left. Sure, I was the one who asked him to take a look, but couldn’t he at least tell me what was going on before he left?”

She didn’t wait for Li Xuemei to ask and explained everything herself. “Yesterday at the Grand Market, he checked my pulse and then gave me a prescription. At first, I thought he was just putting on a show for others, but turns out it was actually for me.

I was confused—I didn’t feel sick at all, so why the medicine?

I told him I didn’t want to drink it, but he insisted.

Fine, if you want me to take it, at least explain why. But no, he just mumbled something about it being good for me and said I’d have to take it for several days.

He was leaving this morning, and last night he went on and on with instructions. I barely slept.

This morning, my chest felt tight. I drank the medicine, but my heart still felt jittery. Just now, when I stood up too fast, I got dizzy and my vision blurred. What’s wrong with me? Do I have some serious illness?”

Li Xuemei had studied medical texts, but reading and actual diagnosis were two different things.

Based on Madam Cui’s symptoms, it could be any number of conditions. She couldn’t read pulses, and seeing someone usually so lively now looking so downcast made her uneasy.

She reached out her hand.

She touched Madam Cui’s forehead, then compared it to her own.

Not hot.

She looked into her eyes. The whites were tinged with red.

Li Xuemei frowned. That could mean something, or it could just be from rubbing her eyes.

“Sister-in-law, what are you…” Madam Cui was startled as Li Xuemei moved her hand under her nose.

Her breath was warm…

Looking closely, her cheeks seemed unusually flushed.

But since she was often working outdoors, it wasn’t very noticeable.

Li Xuemei turned her hands over to check her palms.

They were red and warm too.

It looked a lot like internal heat.

“Sis, you said your husband gave you a prescription. Could I take a look at it?” Li Xuemei asked hesitantly.

“You can read prescriptions?!” Madam Cui’s eyes lit up, her whole demeanor perking up.

“No, no, of course not,” Li Xuemei quickly waved her hands. “I just wanted to take a look at the prescription.”

She regretted it the moment she said it. That request had come out way too abruptly.

But Madam Cui didn’t mind at all. Someone was concerned about her and wanted to see the prescription—what was wrong with that?

Ever since she found out that Yan’er’s family could read, she’d been envious.

Dogzi’s dad had gone all out for her: wrote up a prescription like a proper doctor, picked out the herbs, brewed the medicine, and explained everything clearly.

Except for one thing—he never told her what illness she supposedly had.

That left her completely in the dark!

And the worst part? She couldn’t even read what he’d written.

“I’ll go get it right now,” Madam Cui said, already turning to leave. “Honestly, what kind of person is he? Could’ve just handed me the medicine, but no—had to waste paper writing out a prescription like I could understand it. It’s not even for me, it’s for him! But hey, now that you can read it and explain it to me, I guess that piece of paper wasn’t a total waste after all!”

She bustled off in a whirlwind to fetch the prescription and came back just as quickly.

Li Xuemei looked over the paper and began reading out the list of herbs.

Madam Cui, flustered, didn’t catch it the first time and begged her to read it again.

The second time, she listened carefully, committing it to memory and comparing it with what she already knew.

“I know what each of these is on their own, but once they’re all thrown together like this, I’m completely lost,” Madam Cui sighed, staring at the prescription with a troubled look.

From the yard, Sanbao let out two low moos.

Li Xuemei’s head snapped up instantly.

At the same time, Maomao leapt onto the kang bed, perched beside her, and began sweeping her tail across Li Xuemei’s foot.

She meowed softly.

Those glass-like cat eyes stared up at her, as if trying to say something.

Moments later, Li Xuemei heard her daughter’s delighted voice ringing out from the courtyard.

“Uncle! Uncle, you’re back!”

(End of Chapter)