Full House Spring

Chapter 29 Making wedding clothes for others

Lu Lingchuan breathed fresh air again. He slowly opened his eyes and found himself surrounded by his mother and grandmother.

Song was crying heart-wrenchingly beside him. He wanted to tell her that he was fine, but his throat seemed to be blocked by something and he couldn't make a sound.

Xia Li stood back with her shoulders drooping, her face full of fatigue, and she panted:
"Don't worry, Madam. Once the prince has recovered, his life will not be in danger. Wait for Doctor Zhong to come and diagnose him carefully."

Song didn't believe others, but she believed Xia Li's words without a doubt. She wiped her tears and said, "Good girl, thanks to you..."

The old lady gently stroked her eldest grandson's forehead with her wrinkled palm. She was no less anxious and worried than Mrs. Song. If something really happened to her eldest grandson, she would lose half her life. Therefore, she looked at Xia Li with more satisfaction.

Just at this moment, Doctor Zhong was dragged over by a servant. His clothes were disheveled and his beautiful beard was messy. He was originally full of complaints, but after seeing the miserable appearance of the young master, who was almost dying, he immediately stopped complaining.

Without bothering to greet the old lady, he hurried forward to feel his pulse. After a moment, he said in a deep voice, "Thank goodness you rescued him in time, otherwise I'm afraid it would be too late to save him by the time I get here. I wonder who rescued him just now?"

Bai Shao hurriedly pushed Xia Li forward and said proudly, "It was our Le Shou Tang maid who rescued her. She is here."

Doctor Zhong had treated Xia Li before and still remembered her. He stroked his beard and said calmly, "How can you know first aid at such a young age?"

Xia Li had already thought of a solution. She bowed and said calmly:

"I read about it in the Treatise on Febrile and Miscellaneous Diseases. The book states that one can rescue a patient by pressing the chest and abdomen and breathing through the mouth. This was my first time trying it. The situation was urgent at the time, so I couldn't help but think too much about it. I was a little scared afterwards."

Doctor Zhong's eyes were full of smiles, and he praised generously: "You are so smart and courageous at such a young age, which is very rare. You did a good job."

Song wiped the tears from her eyes with a handkerchief and said in a hoarse voice, "Doctor Zhong, what should we do with Lingchuan now? Will his health be affected in the future?"

Doctor Zhong turned around and said, "First, carry the prince back to change his clothes. I will give him acupuncture and then give him some medicine to regulate his body. He won't get sick any more."

Song finally felt relieved. The clever servant had already brought the sedan chair over. The maids and servants carefully carried the prince on it and then headed straight for Linfengju.

Song straightened her dress, walked up to the old lady, and said solemnly, "Mother, please find out the reason why Lingchuan fell into the water. I will go and watch over him first."

The old lady understood her feelings and waved her hand, saying, "Go ahead, I'll take care of this."

Mrs. Song was not worried that the old lady would favor anyone. In her mind, Lu Lingchuan was unmatched. The eldest lady walked hurriedly past Xiangru and did not even glance at her when she passed by her.

Xiangru felt the cold penetrate her bones. She unconsciously crossed her arms over her chest and her teeth chattered. Xia Li caught a glimpse of her expression, sighed secretly, and walked forward and said:
"Madam, it was Xiangru who risked her life to save the prince. If it weren't for her quick reaction, the prince would have to drink a few more sips of water. Can you let her go back and change her clothes first? It's cold in autumn and a girl is weak."

The old lady turned her head to look at her and said calmly: "This is also a good girl, pitiful, go back and change your clothes quickly."

Maidong, who arrived at some point, helped Xiangru up with red eyes. The two of them bowed to the old lady and left together. Before Xiangru left, she stared at Xia Li with her eyes full of emotions, and Xia Li felt helpless.

The old lady did not ask the servants, but waved to the third girl who was curled up in the nanny's arms. Lu Jiya looked at Lu Lingchen hesitantly, and then moved timidly towards the old lady. Although she was a concubine's daughter, she was brought up very well.

She walked up to her and called out in a baby voice. The old lady touched her cold little hand and asked kindly, "Jiya, were you scared just now?"

The third girl nodded and said in a soft voice, "Don't be afraid now, big brother is fine."

The old lady nodded and then asked, "Can you tell me how my elder brother fell into the water?"

The third girl pursed her lips, glanced at Lu Wanqiao, and whispered: "Big brother was standing on the shore feeding the koi, and the fourth sister's handkerchief was blown away by the wind, so he went to help pick it up and accidentally..."

Before she finished her words, the fourth daughter, who was tense due to guilt and tension, burst into tears. Mrs. Luo was so distressed that she put her arm around her daughter's shoulders and comforted her softly, "It's okay now. You didn't do it on purpose. It was all an accident..."

Luo Shi had only one daughter, Lu Wanqiao, for so many years. She looked after her like the apple of her eye, so she would never bear to let her suffer any grievances. The old lady could not bear to blame her either. She said in a deep voice:
"Don't cry, Wan Qiao. This is really not your fault. If you want to blame someone, blame the maids and servants for not doing their best. Today, the servants who served the prince and the fourth lady will each be punished with twenty strokes of the cane and fined one month's salary."

The punishment was neither light nor severe. The servants around the Fourth Young Lady were fine, but I was afraid that the servants on the Young Master's side would not let them off easily.

Except for Lu Lingchen who was like an invisible man and was not affected too much, the others were very scared. The old lady sent them back to have a good rest and asked Doctor Zhong to prescribe some tranquilizing soup to help them calm down.

Nanny Xie had not had breakfast yet. After sending the old lady back to the main room, she followed Xia Li back.

On the way, Aunt Xie didn't say much. After returning to the room to isolate herself from outsiders, Aunt Xie said with a drooping face, "Why are you so bold? You rushed to rescue the prince without caring about anything. Have you considered the consequences?"

Xia Li scratched his head and said with a guilty conscience: "Grandma, don't be angry. This is an emergency. I really can't bear to see the prince get into trouble..."

Madam Xie frowned, "You've only had a few days of good life, and you've forgotten your previous situation? What if the young master hasn't recovered yet, and the first wife can't bear the pain of losing her son and takes her anger out on you?"

Xia Li blinked innocently and said weakly, "Not really. The eldest wife is not such an irrational person. Besides, the old lady is still here. My starting point is also good..."

Madam Xie had a stern face and said in a cold voice, "Master only cares about the result. When people are extremely sad, they need to find a way to vent their emotions. You walked into the trap yourself. If something goes wrong, you will not be the only one to blame. Who else can you blame?"

Xia Li lowered her head, she thought for a moment, raised her head and said seriously: "Grandma, if there is a next time, I will still consider saving people first. Saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda, so I will consider it as accumulating merit."

Aunt Xie looked at her smiling face and couldn't get angry. She sighed and said meaningfully, "You had physical contact with the prince in front of so many people. Didn't you consider the consequences?"

Xia Li didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and said, "How old are the prince and I? How can we have physical contact? You are just overthinking it." Nanny Xie said with a complicated expression, "If you don't want to be the prince's concubine, stay away from him in the future."

Xia Li was really shocked, "It shouldn't be that serious..."

Madam Xie sneered, "Are you scared now? If it were other maids, they wouldn't have to worry about this. It's because you are so outstanding. I'm sure the first wife would be happy to see it happen."

Xia Li shook her head like a rattle and said firmly, "I don't want to be a concubine. No matter what, I want to get rid of my slavery and live a free life outside the mansion."

Madam Xie said in a calm tone, "Young men like the prince are rare. When you grow up and understand the matter of love, you may change your mind."

Xia Li sneered and said, "Whether he is good or not has nothing to do with me. Does being his concubine allow me to be tyrannical and domineering in the mansion?"

Aunt Xie shook her head in astonishment. Xia Li raised the corners of his mouth and said clearly and lucidly:

"No matter how outstanding the prince is and how distinguished his family background is, it will not be of any benefit to me. He cannot use his resources to support me. If I follow him, I will just be a lowly concubine. I can only rely on his favor and childbearing to maintain my dignity. It is meaningless to me."

Aunt Xie had never heard such remarks before. She sighed and said, "Forget it. I am old and don't understand the thoughts of you young people. You can do whatever you want. Just protect yourself and don't take risks easily."

Xia Li knew her good intentions. She hugged Aunt Xie's neck and said coquettishly, "Grandma, just take good care of yourself. I will never let you down."

Madam Xie patted her on the back and said in a gentle tone, "I don't doubt your ability... Xiangru is also very courageous. She dragged the young master out of the water. Although her contribution is not as prominent as yours, it is also real. I will mention it to the old lady later, and the promotion will probably be successful."

Xia Li sat up straight after hearing this. It was not easy for Xiangru to seize the opportunity. She did not deliberately compete with her. It could only be said that it was fate. She pleaded with Madam Xie:
"Grandma, please go to the old lady and ask for mercy for her. She worked so hard just to get promoted. If she fails because of me, I will not be at ease."

Madam Xie nodded slightly, and she pondered, "That girl is a thoughtful person. Although you don't have a deep friendship with her, it's best not to have any conflicts. I'll talk to the old lady right away."

Nanny Xie knew very well the principle of striking while the iron is hot. Manager Wang has been running around quite frequently these days, and he is also eyeing the position of this second-class maid. If he doesn't act soon, Xiangru will probably have a hard time getting what she wants.

After Aunt Xie left, Xia Li stood under the eaves and waited. After about a quarter of an hour, Aunt Xie came out. She lowered her voice and said, "This matter has been settled. You can start work tomorrow."

Xia Li smiled unconsciously, and said cheerfully, "Thank you, Grandma. I'll go tell her the good news right away."

At this moment, in the servants' room, Xiangru was having a high fever, and Maidong kept wiping her with a towel. Zhao Xiaohui and the sisters Manqing and Zifu were eating melon seeds. Zhao Xiaohui gloated:
"Mai Dong, why are you paying attention to her? She is just imitating others, but in the end, Fang Xiali still stole the limelight. She worked so hard, but ended up making things easier for others."

Man Qing raised the corners of her mouth slightly, and said in a bad tone: "Fang Xiali is not a good person. She is so important now, why does she want to snatch everything?"

Maidong was so angry that he threw his handkerchief into the copper basin and scolded: "What kind of sarcastic words are you saying? Elsholtzia can obviously float on water, are you really going to watch it die without saving it? To put it bluntly, you are just jealous."

Zi Fu couldn't help but said, "What's there to be jealous about? My father is already arranging things for us sisters. It's only a matter of time before we get promoted. There's no need to risk your life like that."

Zhao Xiaohui's eyes flickered slightly, and she evaded the main point and said, "What do you think Fang Xiali will do to save the young master? How will the old lady reward her?"

Wang Manqing got angry when she thought of Xia Li giving the prince air with her mouth. She said contemptuously, "She even kissed the prince on the mouth. When she grows up, she will naturally move to Linfeng Residence to be the prince's concubine. Sooner or later, we will have to call her Miss Fang."

Xiangru opened her eyes dizzily. When she heard Manqing's words, she subconsciously retorted, "Xia Li is not that kind of person. What you want may not be to her liking."

Man Qing sneered, "You are now being stepped on by Fang Xiali, yet you are still foolishly speaking for her. You are really stupid."

Xiangru struggled to sit up. She took a sip of water from Maidong's hand to moisten her lips, and then said calmly, "You guys spared no effort to sow discord between me and Xia Li. Do you just want to see me quarrel with her so that you can reap the benefits?"

There was a gleam in Zhao Xiaohui's eyes and a sneer appeared at the corner of her lips.

"Don't comfort yourself. It doesn't matter if you rescued the prince to the shore. It was Fang Xiali who revived him and saved his life. Didn't you see how much the old lady and the first lady valued her? They didn't even think of you..."

As soon as she finished speaking, Xia Li came in from outside. She said with a mocking smile, "It's possible that the master has too many things to do and can't remember anything. Fortunately, I am here, so Xiangru won't be left without a place to go."

Seeing Xia Li, Zhao Xiaohui's expression slightly with vigilance in her eyes, the Wang sisters also stood up subconsciously uncomfortably, Mai Dong burst into tears and said: "Xia Li, I'm glad you're here, Xiangru has a high fever, I don't know what to do."

When Xiangru saw Xia Li coming over, she knew that her bet was right. She let out a long sigh and said calmly, "I just felt hot and cold, but I'm feeling better now that I've sweated. It's nothing serious."

Xia Li raised her eyebrows slightly, a faint smile appeared on the corner of her mouth, she walked to the round stool next to the big bunk bed and sat down, she said lightly:
"Then you might be on duty tomorrow? The old lady has already said that you will take over Yin Zhu's position. From now on, you will be a second-class maid."

Xiangru was stunned for a moment when he heard her say that, then he tilted his head and laughed unabashedly, "Thank you for arranging things for me. Tomorrow I will go to work even if I have to crawl. Should I move to Yinzhu's original house?"

Xia Li nodded slightly, "If you want to be quieter, you can move right away. I've been to that house and it's very clean and tidy..."

Man Qing's smile disappeared, and she couldn't help interrupting Xia Li and said, "You said Xiangru was promoted? How is that possible? My father clearly said that the old lady agreed to him..."

Xia Li frowned in displeasure and said sternly, "Now the old lady has announced that the one who will be promoted is Elsholtzia ciliata. If you don't believe it, you can go ask the old lady in person."

Manqing dared not act rashly in front of the old lady and was silenced by Xia Li.

Although Zhao Xiaohui was also indignant, at least she had the Wang sisters to support her, so she could accept this result.

(End of this chapter)