Chapter 119: Leaving a Kindness Behind
As no news had yet come from the capital, Mu Yunyao could not help feeling somewhat uneasy. Carrying the newly prepared Ni Yun Beauty Register, she went to the Cao residence to visit Madam Jin.
The child in Madam Jin’s womb was nearing its third month. By rights, the pregnancy ought to have been gradually stabilizing, so there should have been no need for such constant caution as before. Yet instead of improving, her appetite had worsened, and her morning sickness had only grown more severe.
When Mu Yunyao arrived, Madam Jin was reclining on a couch with her eyes half closed, taking a brief rest.
“Greetings, Madam.”
Mu Yunyao rose after curtsying, but the moment she saw Madam Jin, her heart gave a start.
“Why is Madam’s complexion so poor?”
“Yunyao, you’ve come.” Madam Jin opened her eyes, but her brows were still faintly knit with worry. Even the motion of her hand resting on her belly had become unusually careful, as though any excess force might somehow harm the child within. Compared to before, she had grown markedly thinner. Clothes that had once fit her well now seemed loose upon her frame.
For the moment, Mu Yunyao set her own concerns aside and stepped forward to take Madam Jin’s pulse.
“If Madam has been feeling unwell, you should have told me sooner. If I had not come today, how long were you planning to delay?”
“Your Bu Xian Lou has only just opened, and I knew you had scarcely had a moment to set your feet down these past days, so I asked Official Cao to invite several physicians to see me. All of them said it was simply morning sickness and entirely normal. Even the midwife said that once this stage had passed, it would be fine. It is only that enduring it has been truly difficult.”
Mu Yunyao’s brows drew together, and her expression darkened slightly.
“Madam has already invited a midwife into the residence?”
“Yes. Official Cao is also deeply concerned for the child in my womb. The Cao family had a midwife brought in ahead of time, and I kept her here in the residence, thinking she might help look after me a little in daily matters.”
“Madam would do better to send that midwife away.”
Mu Yunyao withdrew her fingers and neatly adjusted the sleeve over Madam Jin’s wrist.
Madam Jin sat upright at once, her gaze turning uncertain and alarmed.
“Yunyao... could it be...?”
Her nerves had already been made sensitive because of troubles in her natal family. Hearing Mu Yunyao speak this way, a sudden chill rose straight through her heart.
“It is true that morning sickness is perfectly normal in pregnancy. But with Madam in this state—the child is nearly three months along, and yet Madam herself has wasted away to such a degree—this is no condition to be endured without question. Proper adjustment should have been made long ago.”
After losing her child, Mu Yunyao devoted herself to studying medicine. Perhaps because of the pain in her own heart, she had unconsciously learned a great many things about what women ought to take care of during pregnancy. No matter how she looked at it, Madam Jin’s condition held a deeply unnatural air.
Madam Jin truly panicked then. She seized Mu Yunyao’s hand so tightly that red marks appeared at once.
“Yunyao, you must help me. I must protect this child!”
Seeing her so agitated, Mu Yunyao quickly soothed her.
“Madam must not worry too much. Fortunately, it has been discovered in time. With proper care, there is still time to set things right. Right now, you and the child are one body. If you are distressed and anxious, the child will become restless as well. So you must not excite yourself. At present, nothing grave has yet happened.”
Madam Jin took several deep breaths in succession and steadied her emotions.
“Very well. I shall listen to you.”
Mu Yunyao glanced around the room. At a single sweep of her gaze, she felt inwardly alarmed. The last time she had come to Madam Jin’s chambers, nothing had seemed particularly amiss. Now, however, many unsettling things had appeared. Yet in order not to alarm Madam Jin further, she showed nothing too obvious on her face.
“Madam, these three pots of poinsettia in your room are blooming beautifully. I find myself especially taken with them. Might Madam part with them and give them to me?”
Yin Hong hurriedly spoke up.
“Miss Mu, those three pots of poinsettia were bought by Master as a gift for Madam, in hopes that looking at them might cheer her heart.”
“What nonsense are you saying?” Madam Jin rebuked Yin Hong softly, then turned back to Mu Yunyao. “Yunyao, if you like them, then they are yours. Move those three pots out beneath the corridor first. When Yunyao leaves later, place them in her carriage.”
Yin Hong’s words had been meant only as a kindly reminder. Now, seeing how anxious Madam Jin was to be rid of the poinsettia, she immediately understood something was wrong. She quickly stepped forward and had the flowers moved outside.
Mu Yunyao opened the windows, and at once the sweet, cloying incense in the room thinned out considerably. The air felt easier to breathe. Madam Jin drew in one breath and felt some of the oppressive heaviness in her chest lift away.
In a gentle voice, Mu Yunyao said, “My mother says that children are born knowing how to care for their mothers. Even before they are born, while still in the womb, they already know how to show filial feeling in secret. So Madam may find herself less afraid of the cold than before. Even in winter, it would be good to open the windows at times and let fresh air in.”
Hearing her say so, Madam Jin placed a hand over her abdomen, her expression growing gentler still.
“So children begin to understand so early already?”
“Yes. And since the child has come into Madam’s womb, it means there is already a bond of mother and child between you. Such a bond is ordained by Heaven and does not break easily. So Madam must also broaden her heart and not worry too heavily.”
Madam Jin’s morning sickness was so severe that much of it likely came from her excessive anxiety. For many years, she had gone childless, and that had become the knot in her heart. Now that she had finally conceived, she only feared and worried over it at every moment. Under such conditions, how could she possibly nourish herself well?
“By now, the child in Madam’s womb can already sense your emotions. If you remain anxious day after day, the child may misunderstand and feel sad in secret. Only if you are cheerful each day will the child also be content. Then when the child is born, it will surely be a fortunate little one who loves to smile.”
At Mu Yunyao’s words, Madam Jin seemed almost to see her child already born and smiling up at her with a little laugh. She could not help but smile too.
“I understand now. From this day on, I will be especially careful.”
“If Madam still feels terribly nauseated, you may rub a bit of ginger against your tongue. Ginger is an excellent thing for easing vomiting, though Madam will have to endure some bitterness.”
“I am not afraid of bitterness. For the sake of this child, no hardship is too great.”
Seeing the determination in Madam Jin’s face, Mu Yunyao thought suddenly of Su Qing. Back then, to protect her, Mother had forced herself to change her very nature and even dared to fight Li Shi with her life on the line. It must have been born of that same wholehearted love. Originally, Mu Yunyao had not wanted to invite further trouble, but now she had changed her mind.
“Madam has eaten the food in this residence for so long that you must surely be weary of it. If Madam has the time, why not come often to Jinxiu Garden? My mother’s cooking is excellent. A change of flavors might perhaps suit Madam’s taste.”
Madam Jin immediately lifted her head and beckoned Mu Yunyao closer, then clasped her hand tightly in both of hers.
“Yunyao, I do not know how I am to thank you.”
“Madam is much too polite. Why speak of thanks at all? When your child is born, I shall be demanding a great reward.”
“Yes, yes! Then when the time comes, I shall open my storeroom and let you choose whatever you please!”
Madam Jin had come out of a great family and knew full well that a person’s true sincerity was the hardest thing to find. Mu Yunyao was so intelligent that she naturally understood the risks such actions could pose to her. Yet she had still spoken up. That could only mean she was acting from genuine feeling. How could Madam Jin not be moved?
“When Madam travels to Jinxiu Garden, be especially careful along the road. Have extra cushions laid in the carriage. Any hot water or such things must be secured firmly, so that nothing splashes out in transit. Also, if Madam enjoys incense, use only something very light and fresh, so that it remains pleasant to breathe.”
Madam Jin nodded repeatedly.
“Yes, I will be especially careful.”
Madam Jin held on to Mu Yunyao and spoke with her for another half-quarter-hour before finally feeling at ease.
“Yunyao, I have also kept people watching matters in the capital. I imagine news will come down before long. You should begin making your preparations.”
Joy stirred in Mu Yunyao’s heart.
“Very well. Many thanks, Madam.”
Thank you :D
ReplyDeleteKeep stay well, Hanamooi and Little Kitty..