Miss and farmhand

Huang Xingtong and Huang Chu took the man back directly.

I initially thought he might say something like begging for mercy or randomly accuse someone of secretly stuffing Huang Song into the kitchen. These could all be dismissed as fabrications to exonerate himself and implicate others. As long as he stuck to this point, no one would believe him.

Who would have thought he'd say that? What a pity.

What could a rough, uncouth country man possibly know about treating illnesses?

However, in the eyes of the patient's family, they dare not ignore even the slightest possibility and must confirm it thoroughly.

Unable to stop her, Shen Yurui reluctantly released the person, losing the chance to silence the chess piece completely.

I had a feeling. Once a fish enters the ocean, things become unpredictable.

She could only be thankful that she had taken precautions from the start and hadn't handled the matter herself. Even if that person later said something, it wouldn't implicate her.

She had achieved her goal. Today, she had ruined Huang Xingyu and Luo Shutao's good deed, tripped them up, and slapped them in the face, which was a good thing. Another good thing was that she had personally witnessed Shen Xuying's panicked and broken expression when she heard about her daughter's accident. It was extremely ugly, which also made her feel happy.

These people don't deserve a good life in her eyes. Their suffering brings her comfort.

Watching them leave, Shen Yurui also stood up, supporting herself on the corner of the table.

"Congratulations, sir, on the arrival of your beautiful bride. It doesn't matter that the banquet isn't over yet; her presence alone makes it all worthwhile. I'm tired today, so I'll go upstairs to rest. I'll wait for your sister to come and serve tea tomorrow morning. There are still many days ahead of us."

Without glancing at the couple again, he turned and went upstairs.

……

When Huang Chu and the others rushed home, they were just about to feed the medicine after it was decocted, but they were quickly stopped.

The man told Doctor Liu about his findings on Huang Song, and Doctor Liu clapped his hands and said, "No wonder the Second Miss's symptoms were so complicated. She had a dry mouth but didn't drink water, a floating and tight pulse but was sweating a lot. It was caused by both external and internal heat!"

He threw down the medicine bowl: "This medicine is no good. It will only make you feel hotter and stronger, and will burn you out in no time."

Shen Xuying was initially stunned, but now she was so angry she wanted to grab Doctor Liu and hit him: "Didn't you say that clearing heat and tonifying the body would be enough?! Why did you change it?!"

Doctor Liu felt guilty and couldn't help feeling indignant. He thought, "You all came up here complaining that they got caught in the rain and caught a cold. I didn't know that the second young lady had a history of heatstroke. So it was a misdiagnosis."

However, seeing the little girl suffer made her feel guilty. Fortunately, there were agastache and Liu Yi San readily available in the medicine box, which Shen Xuying grabbed and fed to Huang Song.

Doctor Liu: "...Madam's health has improved. She even has the strength to throw a tantrum now. It seems she has been well cared for. She didn't collapse even after crying like that earlier."

The old doctor's words are like this: he's seen life and death so often that he can't utter a single heartfelt word. He's used to using a mask of harshness and sarcasm to deal with these wealthy and powerful family members.

Normally, the host would apologize to him out of politeness, but Huang Xingtong actually thought Doctor Liu was praising Shen Xuying and kept smiling, which made Doctor Liu very angry.

The man standing nearby said, "Have the kitchen send some salt water. The little girl is sweating so much, she's practically dried out. She needs to replenish her energy. Without salt, she'll have no strength and won't recover properly."

Doctor Liu stroked his beard and said, "That makes sense. Young man, are you also knowledgeable in pharmacology?"

The man shook his head.

"Where did this folk remedy come from?"

"It's not exactly a folk remedy. The more we work in the hot and cold seasons, the more we earn, so we figured out a way to cool down under the sun. If you have sorghum liquor or old vintage liquor at home, you can bring some and rub it on your forehead, behind your ears, and the palms and soles of your feet to cool down."

Salt water and wine were brought up. Huang Song still couldn't take the medicine at first. The quilt had been taken off long ago, and several windows were opened to keep the room cool as long as there was no draft. Shen Xuying used a handkerchief soaked in wine to wipe Huang Song's body. The areas that were wiped cooled down quickly, but they also easily heated up again.

Doctor Liu had someone fetch well water, intending to give Huang Song a foot bath, but then worried that it would be too cold. The combination of hot and cold in her body would be too much for the young girl's body to handle.

Huang Chu suddenly remembered the hand-held ornament he had found in the flower hall, and quickly took it out to place under his sister's feet. Doctor Liu said that all the meridians converge at the top of the head and the soles of the feet, and if these two places are cooled down, the body will gradually cool down.

After carefully lowering his temperature like this, in less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Huang Song, though still not awake, was able to take his medicine.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

After taking the medicine, even her persistently high fever gradually subsided, her head becoming as scalding as a kitten or puppy. Shen Xuying continued to wipe her daughter's chest with the wine, trying to make her breathe easier. After a while, Doctor Liu took her pulse, feeling around for a long time, and finally confirmed that the heatstroke had subsided. He said she could wipe her sweat with a warm cloth, cover her with a thin blanket, close the window, and once the night was over and she was no longer in serious trouble, she could use the tonic prescription from before.

The whole family breathed a sigh of relief.

Shen Xuying murmured embarrassedly, apologized to Doctor Liu, and instructed the kitchen to cook dinner for him that evening.

Huang Xingtong and Huang Chu thanked Doctor Liu and then led the man downstairs.

Before the door was even closed, Huang Chu asked, "Why did you end up in your uncle's kitchen?"

The man stared at him silently.

Huang Chu paused for a moment, then said, "...I'm not doubting you. It's just that this whole thing is too strange. I can't figure it out."

The man looked at her for a while, as if confirming something. Then he turned to Huang Xingtong and said, "I'm going to eat."

"Why? The food was already prepared and delivered—ah."

Huang Chu suddenly realized, and then felt slightly embarrassed.

The men usually eat and drink with the servants, but today everyone has gone to watch the excitement, and there's a feast next door with plenty of good food. They can easily eat better than they usually do, and since it's a joyous occasion, the host won't mind. Of course, they want to take advantage of both sides.

So today, only the masters' meals were prepared at home. Men like us had to go find our own food.

The first problem is solved.

the second.

"Did you see anyone suspicious? By the way, why did you end up carrying Rongniang in the rain?"

"Yi Niang, let's take a break. You remember that Rong Niang got caught in the rain, and so did Master Zhao. Let him have some hot tea."

Huang Xingtong handed him a cup of tea, and the man immediately stood up, took the cup with both hands, but didn't drink it; he held it in his palms and covered his hands with it.

Huang Chu then noticed that the man's lips were also a bit pale.

He then silently walked to the window and lowered it.

"No rush, take a rest and tell me slowly."

The man waited for the tea to cool down a bit, took a sip, and after thinking for a moment, said, "I'm not sure. The second young lady was placed in the haystack next to the stove. Anyone could pass by there, so it wouldn't attract attention. I don't know when or who put her there."

Huang Chuyi thought it made sense; on a day like today, the kitchen couldn't be any more chaotic.

But the man continued, "When I brought the second young lady out, the first person to notice her and follow me was an old woman I'd never seen before."