Red Mansion Huacai

Chapter 391 Delivering Medicine
That day, Li Weijian returned home and went to the main room in the east courtyard, where he saw Daiyu sobbing. Xing Xiuyun and Baoqin, who were standing beside her, tried to comfort her.

Li Weijian was puzzled and hurried forward to ask.

Baoqin said, "Just now Aunt Ping said that the old lady's condition is not good. We asked Doctor Wang from the Imperial Hospital to check her pulse and he said, 'The pulse is straight and long, the Qi is not in good condition, the six pulses are slow and stringy, she has always been depressed, and she has caught a cold. The medicine is Chaihu to relieve it, but the Cun and Guan meridians are weak, the heart Qi is weak, the pulse Qi is hesitant, and there is a fixed number of stops.'"

Li Weijian has been in this world for more than ten years, and he is no longer a fool. These Chinese medicine terms can give a general idea. After a little thought, this disease is like heart failure. Li Weijian certainly can't make the quick-acting heart-saving pill, but he made nitroglycerin early, which can be used at this time.

Since it was Li Weijian, he smiled and leaned over and said, "Don't worry, sister. The inner court just made a medicine that is effective for this disease. I dare not say how much, but it can extend the old lady's life for a while."

Daiyu stopped crying immediately, her eyes red as she anxiously pulled Li Weijian's hand and said, "Really? Fourth brother, please don't try to coax me!"

Li Weijian said angrily: "When have I ever deceived my sister?"

Daiyu was calculating in her heart. Although she had not deceived him in major matters, she had deceived him in minor matters. A few days ago, when Xing Xiuyan gave birth to a child, Daiyu drank a few more cups and went back to rest. Unexpectedly, Li Weijian took advantage of this opportunity to make a scene. The situation was simply unbearable to watch!
Thinking of this, Daiyu glanced at Fu Qiufang and thought to herself, I didn't expect that this sister who is usually very serious could be so crazy in bed.

Daiyu suppressed her worries and asked again, "I wonder what good medicine the palace has made?"

Li Weijian smiled and sat down and said, "Nitroglycerin."

Two years later, the chemical plant in Leting was already on track. Together with the saltpeter and alkali mines in Shanxi and Henan, Dashun already had the three acids and two alkalis necessary for industry.

As a matter of course, Li Weijian sent people to develop nitroglycerin, and mixed it with diatomaceous earth as a stabilizer, and by the way, they developed nitroglycerin, a specific medicine for heart disease.

But Li Weijian was not sure whether nitroglycerin was effective for heart failure. But he could not care less at this moment. Not to mention that Daiyu was very attached to Grandmother Jia, but considering that Grandmother Jia had taken good care of Li Weijian that day, he should do his best.

Seeing Li Weijian's solemn promise, Daiyu finally put her worries to rest and said, "Grandmother loves me very much, and I have not yet been very filial to her. Thinking that grandma is about to die, I feel depressed."

Li Weijian said, "We should do our best and leave the rest to fate. We should keep this a secret from the old lady. When my sister goes to Rong Mansion tomorrow, please don't reveal your whereabouts."

Daiyu nodded and said, "No need to worry. If I hadn't thought too much about it, I would have gone over there just now."

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The next morning, while Daiyu was still dressing in her room, Zijuan came in with a smile and said, "The garden is bustling with activity. They are picking dogwood, eating cakes, and clamoring to go climbing the mountains outside the city.

Sister Yuanyang just told them that the old lady doesn't allow everyone to go too far, and they can just have fun in the garden. The old lady said that after dinner, she wants the second grandmother and the others to go fishing with her, and she also said that everyone should guess riddles and play drinking games. The old lady is so elegant, she is more interested than us young people. "

After hearing this, Daiyu lowered her head for a long time and finally started to cry, apparently remembering what Ping'er said yesterday.

Just at this moment, Xueyan replied, "Madam, the master is here."

Daiyu quickly wiped her tears and looked up to see Li Weijian walking in holding a gourd porcelain bottle.

Daiyu was extremely surprised, and Xueyan blinked and smiled, "Did the master also bring a magic gourd?"

Li Weijian smiled and came forward, opened the gourd, pointed inside and said, "There's medicine inside, mixed with flour, so it's relatively stable. But don't bump it, or it'll explode easily."

"Ah? This thing can still explode?"

Nitroglycerin, of course it can explode. Li Weijian didn't say much, but he gave instructions: "The old lady is probably suffering from heart failure. Try taking one pill every day. If you feel stuffy in your chest, take another pill. This medicine is not easy to preserve. This is a month's supply. I will send it back next month."

Daiyu nodded repeatedly, carefully put the gourd in her hand, and breathed a sigh of relief. Although Li Weijian said that this thing is useful, who knows if it is really useful? Daiyu only hopes that it can be of some use, so that she can be filial to Grandmother Jia for a while.

Seeing that Li Weijian was going to the government office, Daiyu thought: "Sister Wen and Sister Qi are also feeling depressed right now, why don't I take them to Rong Mansion to have some fun?"

Without waiting for Li Weijian to reply, Zijuan said, "Madam, you may have forgotten that the two girls are still unmarried and will be married in October. How can they meet people now?"

What Zijuan didn't say was pointed out by Xueyan who was standing beside her: "That's right, maybe Master Bao is here too. If you keep talking nonsense, you'll end up causing trouble."

Daiyu thought about it and frowned, saying, "I was wrong."

Since Jia Zheng brought Baoyu back, Daiyu has been avoiding suspicion and never gets together with Baoyu in private. Daiyu knows what kind of character Baoyu is. Now that she has been married, how can she be willing to get involved with that foolish man?
Li Weijian went to the yamen, Daiyu tidied herself up and asked about her family. Fu Qiufang was unwilling to go as usual, and Xing Xiuyan didn't want to go either. Seeing that Baoqin and Xiangling were interested, Daiyu took them to the Grand View Garden.

Coming out of the Grand View Garden, they entered the Rongqing Hall in a blink of an eye. From afar, they could see Jia's grandmother's room filled with flowers and noisy laughter. Sister Feng, Mrs. Wang, Mrs. Xing, Li Wan and everyone else were there.

After greeting each other, Daiyu saw that Grandmother Jia was smiling, so she suppressed her concern and chatted with her. After a while, Baoyu, Yingchun, Xichun, and Tanchun arrived, and everyone went to the Grand View Garden together.

Everyone surrounded Lady Jia and took her for a stroll in the garden. Lady Jia was smiling as she held hands with Sister Feng and Daiyu, talking and laughing as they walked.

Many maids and servants were already arranged to fly kites, fish or play hide-and-seek in various places, which made Jia's mother even more delighted. Remembering that Xichun had been working on her painting for two or three years, and hearing that the latest draft was very much to her liking, Jia's mother arranged to go to Xichun's room to take a look.

Xichun agreed after some hesitation, and went to the room to display the half-finished painting, which naturally attracted praise from everyone.

With the help of Li Weijian, Xichun finally found a Western woman who was good at Western painting to teach her. She studied with her for half a year and combined it with freehand landscape painting. The scene of the Grand View Garden in her painting was not only very realistic, but also had the charm of landscape painting.

Wang Xifeng glanced at the little man in yellow clothes in the picture and said, "Oh my, isn't that me? I don't understand the meaning and rhythm of the painting, but I think Fourth Sister's painting is very realistic."

Grandmother Jia also praised: "The fourth girl is talented. When this painting is finished and framed, it can be placed in the ancestral hall, leaving a memory for future generations."

Daiyu was deeply distressed, and Feng Jieer, who was standing by, said angrily, "What the old ancestor said is as if Xichun will never be able to paint like this again."

Sister Feng said a few vague words, and after everyone discussed it for a while, they left again, turned around the Ouxiang Pavilion, walked to the Liaoxi Pavilion, climbed up the pavilion, leaned against the railing, and saw a rockery. Jia's mother was tired from walking, and suddenly she felt like fishing together for fun.

Tanchun hurriedly ordered the maids and old women to get fishing rods and distribute them to everyone. Fengjie, Baoyu, Daiyu, Tanchun, Xichun and others chose an open space. Several maids put down low stools, and Fengjie and others threw the silk ropes into the water and sat quietly fishing. Jia Mu was accompanied by Mrs. Xing, Mrs. Wang and others to watch them fishing for fun.

Baoyu caught sight of Daiyu and had a lot to say, but he was about to approach her with his fishing rod in hand, and was met with Daiyu's stern gaze. Baoyu's heart trembled, and he finally sat down next to Xichun, feeling extremely aggrieved: how did the two of them, who used to be childhood sweethearts and could talk about anything, end up having nothing to say to each other now?

Musk Moon watched, and while hanging the bait, she whispered, "Second Master Bao, Miss Lin is now the wife of an aunt. Although they are cousins, we should be more cautious."

Baoyu was in a trance, his soul wandering in the sky. These days, Mrs. Wang has let on that the old lady is not in good health, and Baoyu's marriage must be decided as soon as possible. She also said that Jia Zheng prefers Miaoyu, but the old lady prefers Baochai. If she follows Mrs. Wang, it would be better for Baochai to be the main one and Miaoyu to be the auxiliary one.

Baoyu was conflicted. He wanted to be intimate with Miaoyu, but he also thought about Baochai's white arms. He thought to himself that it would be nice to marry both of them. But he had a dream last night when he went to bed. He vaguely dreamed that he was getting married, and when he lifted the veil, it was Sister Lin.

Baoyu was suddenly awakened and felt lost, but because Daiyu had already married Li Weijian, he had a lot to say but no one to talk to.

On the other side, Daiyu sat next to Fengjie, and soon after, they caught a koi. Yuanyang came up excitedly and said with a smile: "Madam, the second wife and the lady just caught a big koi!"

Grandmother Jia was so happy that she wanted to see it, so a maid brought a small porcelain jar over, and everyone looked at it and laughed.

Yu Shi had just said she was changing clothes, but in fact she had just smoked for a while. Now she came back full of energy and said with a smile, "Feng girl is thinking of making a leap from a carp to a dragon. Old lady, please give her a job."

Grandmother Jia laughed and said, "Hurry up and take the pole and knock him down. This carp is a spirit and it's hard to mess with it."

Sister Feng smiled and said, "The old lady is good at subduing demons and monsters. I am just a small fish spirit and cannot achieve anything."

Everyone laughed. Grandmother Jia said to the maid holding the small porcelain jar, "It's just for fun. Who wants to eat it? Stop keeping it in the water and put it back in the water."

The maid agreed and went. Jia's mother invited Mrs. Wang, Mrs. Xing, Mrs. You and others to sit next to Baoyu and fish for a while.

In about the time it took a meal to get to the point where Yingchun caught a willow leaf squid, and Fengjie caught a few small fish; Daiyu, Tanchun, Xichun and the others all caught something.

Baoyu was an impatient man. He swung the fishing rod and waited for a long time. Finally, he saw the fishing line move slightly. Baoyu was overjoyed and pulled it up with force. However, the fishing rod hit a rock and broke into two pieces. The thread broke and the hook disappeared.

Everyone laughed even more. After laughing, Jia's mother said that the plants and trees by the water were all withered and lifeless, and they all felt desolate. She sighed and said, "I have been in our Jia family for more than 60 years. From my youth to now, I have witnessed several generations of prosperity. I think your grandfather and great-grandfather were all diligent in managing the family and did not dare to slack off.

In the blink of an eye, it is the current generation. The descendants are no longer frugal and are enjoying themselves and doing nothing. Those evil deeds and wasteful acts have gradually begun to occur. The family financial situation is getting worse day by day, and each generation is getting worse than the previous one.

I often dream about your great-grandfather and grandfather. I feel so ashamed and ashamed to see them again. I have made such a good family even worse because of me. How can I not feel ashamed? "

After she finished speaking, she couldn't help but shed tears. Seeing the old lady was sad, everyone tried to comfort her with a smile.

After a long while, Grandmother Jia wiped her tears and forced a smile, saying, "What's wrong with me today? I kept nagging and kept delaying our fishing fun."

After fishing for a while, they still caught nothing. Jia's mother felt a little depressed, so Feng Jie hurriedly ordered people to carry the fish into a sedan chair, and Yuanyang and others helped her get on the sedan chair and went back first.

Daiyu followed Lady Jia back to Rongqing Hall and saw Lady Jia frowning, so she asked about the situation. Seeing that it was consistent with what Li Weijian had said in the morning, she called Zijuan and presented the porcelain gourd to her.

Grandmother Jia was surprised and asked, "What is this?"

Daiyu sat on the couch and said, "I heard yesterday that grandma was not feeling well, so I told my fourth brother about the situation. Who knew that my fourth brother suddenly remembered that there was a new medicine in the palace, which was said to be a special medicine for this disease. Grandma, please try to take it orally and see if it works."

Sister Feng was very surprised: "There is such a medicine?"

He immediately ordered Yuanyang to help Jia's mother swallow the pill. Strangely enough, the pill was still in her mouth, only half dissolved, but Jia's chest tightness disappeared.

Grandmother Jia felt refreshed physically and mentally, and immediately exclaimed in delight: "It really works!"

Mrs. Wang, Mrs. Xing, Sister Feng and others were either chanting "Amitabha" or were overjoyed.

The Jia family is not doing well now. Jia Lian, who inherited the title, is only a third-rank general, and has an idle job. The only official is Jia Zheng, who has not yet been assigned a job after returning to the capital. Although there is a virtuous concubine in the palace, those cunning eunuchs often come to ask for money, which shows that Yuanchun is not favored in the palace.

After all, it was only the superior lady Jia Mu who was holding up the Rongguo Mansion. If Jia Mu was gone, it was possible that the Rongguo Mansion would decline rapidly.

Not to mention Mrs. Xing and Mrs. Wang, even Sister Feng hoped that the old lady could hold on for a few more years, at least until the younger ones in the family got married before leaving.

Daiyu breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that it was indeed effective. Then she remembered what Li Weijian said and smiled, "Today I didn't dare to respond to grandma's words. Now the clouds in the sky have finally dispersed. With this medicine, grandma may live another ten years. Don't say those depressing words in the future."

Knowing Daiyu's filial piety, Jia's mother was in a good mood and smiled and said, "Okay, okay, I won't say it again in the future."

It was almost noon, and seeing that Lady Jia was feeling better, Sister Feng began to prepare the table.

There was a banquet already set up in the front, with Jia Zheng, Jia Lian and Jia Qiang preparing the feast. Other young men from the clan, including Jia Dun, Jia Xiao, Jia Yan, Jia Gao, Jia Ying, Jia Chen, Jia Heng and Jia Fen, also joined in the fun.

Because there were so many people, the banquets were divided into several places. Of course, I won't mention the banquets in Rongqing Hall. Even if the public treasury was short of money, it would not be good to be frugal in front of Lady Jia. However, the banquets outside were much worse.

All the young men of the Jia family wanted to take the opportunity to drink and gamble, and to take advantage of Lady Jia's good mood today, to imitate the past and cook pigs and sheep and spend money lavishly. However, they did not know that most of the purse strings had been emptied by Jia Lian. They called for someone to bring the best wine and delicious food, but they could not call back the person who was going to serve the dishes.

Immediately, a young man from the Jia family went to find Jia Qiang and question the steward. They couldn't agree on a single sentence and started to make a fuss!

At this time, Jia Zheng ate two bites and returned to the study. Jia Lian went over to comfort him, but it turned out that it would have been better if he hadn't gone. Instead, he went and made things worse! A group of Jia family members accused Jia Lian of being greedy and embezzling public property.

There was a commotion on this side, and a maid hurriedly passed the message inside. Ping Er got the message and hurried over to tell Sister Feng. Sister Feng remained calm, apologized, and hurried off.

When they arrived, they saw that the tablecloth had been overturned and the house had been smashed. Feng Jieer immediately became angry and cursed, "I invited you to a banquet with good intentions, but it has become a sin. Fine, fine, you are distant relatives after all. I think you should stay away from them in the future!"

Someone said, "Second sister-in-law, we are not making trouble. According to the rules, the government pays out money and grain every month, but it has been delayed for more than half a year. The family can't even afford to eat, but Second Brother Lian has no explanation!"

Feng Jieer was unreasonable to begin with. Upon hearing this, she scolded, "What explanation do you want? Ten years ago, Heishan Manor paid 10,000 taels of silver every year, but now there are only a few thousand taels left. The expenses of the public treasury are not only for the ancestors, but also for the clan school. You who have hands and feet have already started your own families and careers. How can you rely on the public treasury for your whole lives?"

Wang Xifeng was a fierce woman, and she scolded them one by one. In addition, Jia Lian had just been pushed and rolled on the ground, so he called a group of strong servants in anger. Seeing that the situation was not going well, all the Jia family members fled in disgrace.

After they left, Jia Lian said angrily, "If I could write two characters for Jia with one stroke, I would teach them a lesson today!"

Feng Jieer glanced at him coldly and said, "I don't even look at the external accounts of the public office, but if you calculate carefully, you can't owe them half a year's money and grain, right?"

Jia Lian suddenly looked embarrassed and didn't know what to say.

Feng Jieer actually felt regretful at this time, thinking that since she took charge of the household, not only had she not seen any benefits, but she had to spend money on it. After a rough calculation, she had spent several thousand taels in the past two years! If there was any benefit, it was that she would no longer be wronged by Mrs. Wang.

At that moment, Feng Jieer snorted coldly and said nothing more, then hurried back to Rongqing Hall.

Mrs. Xing saw that Feng Jieer looked unhappy, so she came over to ask.

Feng Jieer briefly said this, and even Daiyu frowned when she heard it. She thought to herself: These dandies think they are descendants of noble families, inheriting the favor of their ancestors, and are arrogant and extravagant. They are completely ignorant of the world, and only know how to fight cocks and run dogs. They don't know the hardships of farming and the hard work of firewood, rice, oil and salt. How many of them have long-term considerations and can inherit the great cause? No wonder Rongguo Mansion has fallen into such decline.

(End of this chapter)