Dream of the Red Chamber: I can upgrade my entries!

Chapter 45 An Interlude at Pear Fragrance Courtyard: Xue Baochai's Keen Eye for Character!
In early April, the first month of summer, the climate in the capital became warm, and the Rongguo Mansion was lush with flowers and plants.

Inside the Pear Fragrance Courtyard, there were no luxurious trinkets. On the table, a few trendy flowers were placed in an earthenware vase, and there were two books, a tea box, and teacups next to it. In the corner, a blue gauze curtain hung on the bed, and the bedding was also simple.

Xue Baochai sat on the kang doing needlework, her hair tied up in a glossy black bun. Her face was like a silver plate, her eyes like water apricots, her lips red without rouge, and her eyebrows green without paint. She wore a rose-purple two-tone gold and silver fur-lined jacket and a pale yellow silk cotton skirt, both of which were neither new nor old, and did not look luxurious.

"girl."

"Zhou Rui's wife has arrived."

Ying'er, Xue Baochai's personal maid, came in and whispered in her ear.

"Invite her in."

Xue Baochai put down her embroidery, her demeanor elegant and dignified.

"Yes."

Ying'er went out and invited Zhou Rui's wife in.

"Sister Zhou."

When Xue Baochai saw her come in, she didn't stand on ceremony and greeted her warmly.

"Hello, young lady."

Zhou Rui's wife quickly smiled and replied.

"Come and sit down."

Xue Baochai waved her hand, her demeanor pleasing to all.

"Eh!!!"

Zhou Rui's wife smiled even more broadly and, without any ceremony, sat down opposite Xue Baochai, chatting casually: "Miss, it's been a couple of days since I've seen you go for a stroll over there. I'm afraid Master Bao might have offended you."

"Where is it."

"My illness has flared up again these past few days, so I haven't left the house."

Xue Baochai's words were impeccable.

"Oh, that's right. You should see a doctor as soon as possible to find out what's wrong with the young lady and get some medicine. She should take it seriously and get rid of the root of the problem. It's not good to have a chronic illness at such a young age."

Zhou Rui's wife, with the air of someone who had been through it all, patiently offered her advice.

Hearing this, Xue Baochai smiled helplessly and said, "Don't mention taking medicine again."

"Over the years, I've wasted so much money on doctors and medicine for this illness."

"No matter how famous your doctors or how miraculous your medicines are, they never work at all. In the end, we even had the help of a bald-headed monk who claimed to specialize in treating nameless diseases."

"After I consulted him, he said that I had a kind of heat toxin that I was born with. Fortunately, I was born strong and it was not a problem. Ordinary medicine would not work."

"He just told me a recipe from the sea and gave me a packet of herbal medicine as a guide. It had a strange fragrance and smell, and I don't know where he got it from."

"It's strange, but his medicine was actually more effective."

"Oh?"

Zhou Rui's wife became interested and asked, "I wonder what kind of seafood dish it is?"

“Please tell us, young lady, so we can remember it and tell others. If they encounter such a disease, it will be a good deed.”

"Sister Zhou doesn't know, this prescription is really complicated."

Xue Baochai continued, "We have all the necessary medicinal herbs, but we need to send someone to collect them."

"Twelve ounces of white peony stamens that bloom in spring, twelve ounces of white lotus stamens that bloom in summer, twelve ounces of white hibiscus stamens that bloom in autumn, and twelve ounces of white plum blossom stamens that bloom in winter. The stamens of these four kinds of flowers are dried in the sun on the spring equinox of the following year, mixed with the myrrh, and ground together."

"You need twelve coins' worth of dew from White Dew, twelve coins' worth of frost from Frost's Descent, and twelve coins' worth of snow from Minor Snow. Mix these four kinds of water together, add the medicine, then add twelve coins' worth of honey and twelve coins' worth of white sugar, roll them into pills the size of longan fruits, put them in an old porcelain jar, and bury them under the roots of flowers."

"When the disease occurs, take out one pill and swallow it with a decoction of 12 parts Phellodendron bark."

"Oh dear!"

Zhou Rui's wife was dumbfounded. She secretly thought to herself that even if everything went smoothly, it would still take another year or two to collect everything.

“Thanks to the blessings of Heaven, we obtained them within a year or two, and they were finally matched into a single batch. We brought them from Nanjing and now they are buried under the pear tree.”

Xue Baochai smiled, whether out of helplessness or relief, it was hard to tell.

"Does this medicine have a name, young lady?"

Zhou Rui's wife asked again.

"Yes." Xue Baochai nodded slightly and said, "It was also mentioned by that bald-headed monk, called 'Cold Fragrance Pill'."

"oh oh."

Zhou Rui's wife simply nodded upon hearing this, and then asked, "When the illness flared up, was it serious?"

"I don't feel anything, just a bit of shortness of breath, but one pill is enough."

Xue Baochai said calmly.

Zhou Rui's wife finally breathed a sigh of relief, as if a huge knot in her heart had been untied.

Who's inside?

Just then, Aunt Xue walked in. Seeing Zhou Rui's wife, she smiled and said, "What a coincidence that you've come! I have something for you to take with you."

"Xiangling, go and get the flowers from the box."

"Yes."

A pretty maid with a tiny dot of rouge between her eyebrows smiled and presented a small brocade box.

"This is a new design from the palace, with twelve tulle flowers."

“I thought of it yesterday, it would be a shame to leave it lying around, it would be perfect to give it to the sisters to wear.”

“Give each of your three daughters two branches, and you’ll have six left. Give two to Miss Lin, and the other four to Brother Feng.”

Aunt Xue gave her careful instructions.

"Eh!!!"

Zhou Rui's wife took the box, got up, and left the room.

"girl."

Watching her walk away, Ying'er said indignantly, "Look at her, she's only been away from treasure hunting for a few days, and she's already come looking for it herself."

“I asked carefully. It turns out that Master Bao had some bad luck with Miss Lin, which is why he came to her.”

"Is our daughter just here to play with Master Bao?"

"Ying'er."

Xue Baochai stopped her, saying that there were some things she knew, but couldn't say, since this was, after all, the Rongguo Mansion.

"daughter."

Aunt Xue sat down opposite Xue Baochai and exclaimed in amazement, "This Zhou Rui's wife was whipped thirty times and is said to be on her last breath."

"I never expected to be cured by a quack doctor. You're really lucky. You've also gained your aunt's trust, and your influence in this household is even greater."

"Treat her better, and she will have a smoother and more comfortable life in this mansion in the future."

"mom."

Xue Baochai's expression turned serious, and she said earnestly, "Ying'er is right."

“At Baoyu’s age, he spends his days eating, drinking, and having fun, calling scholars ‘parasites on official positions,’ saying they are all people who seek fame and fortune, and even those who are traitors and corrupt officials. Do you really think he is a good choice?”

'this'

Aunt Xue was speechless when asked the question.

These days she has been in close contact with Lady Wang and Jia Baoyu at the Jia family, so she naturally knows that what Xue Baochai said is true. Jia Baoyu looks rich and powerful, but he is actually just a pretty face with no substance and can't be relied on at all. If it weren't for his status as the eldest son of the Jia family, who would respect him?
"My aunt is also someone who doesn't know what's good for her."

“Being selected as a princess or county princess to accompany her to school is said to be a talented woman or a magistrate, but who doesn’t know that she’s just a palace maid? Does she expect to rise to the top and become a phoenix? The palace is full of dangers. Even my eldest cousin has a hard time getting in. If I, with my family background, go in, I’ll just be a stepping stone for others.”

Xue Baochai mentioned Prince Teng's wife, Li, and shook her head.

"My son, what should we do?"

Aunt Xue panicked. She cared deeply for her two children and would never take advantage of others.

"Now that my uncle is far away in the north, we might as well wait until he returns before we make a decision."

Xue Baochai said slowly and deliberately.

"it is good."

Aunt Xue then seemed to have found her anchor and agreed.

(End of this chapter)