Chapter 8: Plants and Trees are Even More Precious

When Yu Linlang followed the two elderly nannies, several maidservants from the Prefect's manor were in a frantic state, wailing and clutching their young mistress.

At first, Yu Linlang thought the young lady had passed away, given that they were crying as if at a funeral, but upon checking her pulse, she felt the girl was still stable.

However, as she continued a more detailed examination, a strange expression flickered across Yu Linlang's face.

"The young lady has a noble constitution, but due to the stimulation of the external cold wind, her body has suffered some mild hypothermia. This is normal; if the body fails to adapt to the external chill in time, symptoms such as fever, headaches, and coughing may occur."

After lightly pressing several points on Miss Li's abdomen and hearing her whimper, Yu Linlang continued, "Her lips are dry and pale, and the cold has entered her body. The wind-chill has triggered abdominal pain and Yin deficiency. The young lady was already frail to begin with; she truly should not have been exposed to the wind in such an open space. Bring more cotton quilts to wrap her in and see if we can induce some sweating."

Seeing a maid bring over a bowl of steaming ginger soup, Yu Linlang glanced at it. "How many bowls has she had?"

"This is the third bowl. Is there a problem?"

"Ginger soup dispels wind, dispels cold, and warms the stomach, which can relax the muscles and promote blood circulation. However, it is not suitable for the young lady's current condition to be used excessively; a moderate amount is enough."

The maid frowned and glanced at the nanny beside her.

The first nanny, who was quite tactful, said with a smile, "I wonder if you could provide a prescription for our young lady?"

Yu Linlang shook her head. "The young lady's condition is manageable. Once we return to the city, she can simply visit an ordinary apothecary for some medicinal decoctions. Since I have no medicine on hand, I shall not make a fool of myself by attempting to prescribe anything."

"I wonder if Miss Yu knows how to use acupuncture? I have heard that skilled doctors can relieve much of a patient's suffering with just a few needles."

Yu Linlang's expression remained indifferent. "One cannot simply use needles recklessly. As for your young lady, she has not yet reached the critical stage where acupuncture is necessary. If you were to use them haphazardly and something went wrong, could you, Nanny, take responsibility for it?"

The nanny's lips curled into a forced, mirthless smile. "Then in your view, what should be done for our young lady now?"

"The wind and snow are heavy; the only option is to wrap her in more layers. It would be best to enter the city as soon as possible."

Looking up at the swirling snow, the nanny stepped forward to tighten the cloak around the Third Miss Li. "Miss Yu, I wonder if we might borrow your carriage?"

"As you have seen, my young mistress is kind-hearted and has bestowed her carriage upon the poor and starving refugees. Now, in this freezing weather, she has fallen ill like this, and it is truly... somewhat embarrassing. If you are willing, would you allow my mistress to squeeze into your carriage for a night or two?"

"We certainly won't be too much trouble. We will attend to her daily needs ourselves."

Yu Linlang looked at her and shook her head. "I'm afraid that won't be convenient. You saw just now—my carriage is piled too high with things; there isn't a single inch of space to spare."

Seeing her rise to leave, the nanny cried out in desperation, "How can there be no space? Can you not just move those potted plants down?"

Listening from the side, Jiu Jin rolled her eyes.

"Oh, Miss Yu, those flowers and plants can be found anywhere. Once we return to the Weizhou Prefectural City, our Madam can send you as many pots as you like. Please, show some mercy and help our young lady now. Surely, those ordinary plants are not more important than the life of our Third Miss?"

Hearing this, Yu Linlang nodded with great solemnity. "Indeed."

The words the old woman wanted to say were suddenly choked back. "Huh?"

"Those flowers and plants of mine were not easily planted; they required painstaking cultivation. Some are the only ones of their kind in the world," Yu Linlang nodded slowly, her face expressionless. "Compared to your Third Miss, the flora is indeed more precious."

"Furthermore, the one yielding the carriage is your young lady. The ones who failed to stop her in time are you servants. If something were to happen to your young lady on the road, the ones who would return to face punishment would only be you. What does that have to do with me?"

"We were merely passing strangers. I kindly offered a consultation for your mistress; surely you won't try to latch onto me because of this? If so, the family discipline of the Prefect's manor is truly something to behold."

The nannies and maids of the Prefect's manor were left speechless with rage, ultimately only able to watch resentfully as Yu Linlang and her servant departed.

Nanny Hu stepped forward, clutching her half-swollen face, unable to hide the indignation in her eyes. "Miss, you really shouldn't have offended the people from the Prefect's manor. Do you realize that for the Master's year-end evaluation, Prefect Li's opinion is extremely important?"

"By treating the Prefect's daughter with such disrespect, do you know how much trouble you will bring upon our Master..."

Yu Linlang spared her a glance and climbed into the carriage, showing no intention of explaining herself.

Jiu Jin leaned down to lower the curtain. As she turned her head, Nanny Hu was so startled she retreated several steps.

"You... what are you trying to do now?" Nanny Hu asked in a panicked voice, her face turning pale.

She was truly terrified of this girl; she would raise her fists at the slightest provocation. Even now, her face still throbbed painfully.

"Don't disturb the Miss's rest. If you don't want a beating, tuck your tail and get lost!" Jiu Jin pulled a fire poker from behind her back and weighed it in her hand. The latter hurriedly scattered like a frightened animal.

As Nanny Hu and the others trudged onto the oxcart, the maidservants whispered with pale faces, "That girl is truly impossible to reason with."

"It's more than that," Nanny Hu felt a chill running through her heart. "She is also quite ruthless."

The glance she had just received was cold and terrifying, as if she were looking at a corpse. It made one feel a deep, instinctive dread...

This Miss Yu was truly uncanny.

Ever since that doomed Hong Wei had been escorted away, Nanny Hu felt that things were moving in a direction completely contrary to the Madam's instructions.

It was as if the situation was being controlled solely by Miss Yu; many times, Nanny Hu and the others didn't even dare to speak.

Fortunately, the journey over the next two days went relatively smoothly, though the carriage moved slowly while caught in the midst of the refugee crowds.

However, with General Zhao's party guarding the route, no chaos occurred during the trip.

Moreover, the closer they got to the Weizhou Prefectural City, the more relief stalls providing porridge and medicine appeared along the way.

The snow had stopped, but the air still held a trace of damp chill.

Yu Linlang lifted the curtain to look out, her gaze falling upon the high, wide city gates in the distance.

They had reached Weizhou Prefectural City.

Along the city walls, hundreds of large and small relief sheds had been erected at the gates.

The starving refugees huddled inside, sallow and emaciated, shivering, every face etched with the bitter expression of one who had endured much hardship.

Yu Linlang lowered the curtain.

The carriage swayed, and not long after entering the city, it became stuck on one side of the road, unable to move forward.

Jiu Jin lifted the curtain with one hand and tilted her head toward her. "Miss, there's a large crowd blocking the way ahead. It looks like something has happened."

As Yu Linlang held Jiu Jin's hand to climb out of the carriage, she heard a mixture of male and female wailing, punctuated by cries: "The child is only five months old! You quacks are killing people! You're killing people!!"

"Oh heavens, Huichun Hall is treating lives like grass! Don't they owe everyone an explanation?"

Yu Linlang stepped down from the carriage slowly, supported by Jiu Jin.

Nanny Hu hurried forward to block her. "Miss, it's too crowded and noisy over there. We'd better not go over."

"Move."

(End of Chapter)