Chapter 284: Unrelenting Fever
Chapter 284: Unrelenting Fever
Sui Sui, whose little tassel had been stroked, was in such a good mood that she wanted to burst into bubbles. Obediently, she leaned her head forward, her voice soft and slightly slurred as she said, "Sister, touch me some more."
This sister may look fierce and scolding, but Sui Sui felt that she was very, very nice.
Lu Lianrong was stunned by Sui Sui's proactive behavior.
Once she regained her senses, she couldn't hold back and hooked her lips into a smile again.
However, there were still matters at hand to attend to. She casually patted Sui Sui's head a few times, then, worried that Sui Sui might feel neglected and hurt, Lu Lianrong asked softly, "Do you want Sister to give you a hug?"
Although Lu Lianrong was tall, she was still only a half-grown child. Sui Sui was concerned about tiring her, so after hearing this, she thought for a moment and emphasized, "Sui Sui is very heavy."
Lu Lianrong: ...
I couldn't tell at all.
This little kitten barely had two pounds of meat on her.
However, since Sui Sui said so, she must be willing. Lu Lianrong nodded and asked Princess Qi, "Aunt, can I hold her?"
Lu Lianrong was mature for her age, so Princess Qi didn't hesitate to agree. Moreover, since Sui Sui didn't object, she handed the child to Lu Lianrong and signaled to her maid, Houhou, "Go and quietly inform your mistress about the situation here. With Sui Sui's fever, the Marquess of Huayang can't just do nothing. If the child recovers, fine, but if something goes wrong, we don't want all the blame falling on us."
Lu Lianrong had intended to give such instructions herself.
Despite her young age, she understood quite a lot.
Princess Qi thought, with the adults still present, how could they let a child handle everything?
So, with Sui Sui in Lu Lianrong's care and the young ladies playing together, she focused on coordinating with Lu Xinglan.
Everyone soon became busy, and they headed to Lu Lianrong's nearby courtyard.
After settling the child, the physician who had accompanied them first took her pulse, prescribed some medicine, and then applied acupuncture to try and reduce the severity of the fever and stop the convulsions.
If the convulsions continued, they feared that the child might convulse herself to death!
Lu Furen acted swiftly. Somehow, she managed to calm everyone down and personally brought Wei Yongmei, the eldest daughter of the Wei family, with her.
Upon hearing the news of her brother's illness, Wei Yongmei was so anxious that she nearly twisted her handkerchief into shreds. After hurrying over and seeing her brother's face flushed with fever, tears immediately fell from her eyes.
It was well-known in the capital that the Marquis of Huayang's concubine, Xu Shi, was virtuous and kind. In daily social interactions, she always put this original wife and eldest daughter first, even before her own biological daughter.
However, only those on the inside knew the true situation.
Without their birth mother around, and with a grandmother who was indifferent, and a father who didn't like to get involved, Wei Yongmei could only do so little to protect her brother.
Seeing her brother in this state, what else was there to understand?
Princess Qi, watching from the side, couldn't help but feel a pang of sorrow. "Don't cry, don't cry. It should be fine. The doctor is here, and Senior Doctor Wu will be here soon. Everything will be alright."
As she spoke, Dun Dun had already brought Senior Doctor Wu.
Senior Doctor Wu's face was deathly pale.
After entering the door and being put down by Dun Dun, she straightened her clothes and hat, ready to give someone a piece of her mind.
However, upon discovering that there really was a child with a severe fever inside, she coldly glanced at Lu Lianrong and then glared at Dun Dun.
Dun Dun seemed oblivious to her subtle cues and asked in confusion, "Why are you glaring at me? Go and treat the child first."
Senior Doctor Wu: ?
Damn!
I really owe you guys!
Gritting her teeth, Senior Doctor Wu moved forward.
Upon seeing Wei Mingqiao's badly burned state, Wei Dunqiao couldn't help but stomp her feet and curse angrily, "Who in the world did this to a child?"
Dr. Wu, who was a full head shorter than the tall Dun Dun, was swiftly carried over, grumbling and muttering all the way.
Fortunately, his curses were relatively refined, with minimal profanity.
Sui Sui, distracted by Lu Lianrong's soothing words, didn't quite understand the gravity of the situation.
Otherwise, Dr. Wu might have faced physical interruption.
As soon as Dr. Wu began to curse, Wei Yongmei stifled her tears and anxiously asked, "Dr. Wu, how is my younger brother?"
Dr. Wu, clearly displeased, rolled his eyes and replied, "Rest assured, he won't die just yet. However, the future is uncertain as his constitution is exceedingly weak. It's baffling that Madam Xu has managed to uphold such a virtuous and kind reputation throughout the capital."
Being in a foul mood, Dr. Wu held nothing back.
Wei Yongmei listened, feeling both touched and embarrassed.
She didn't know how to respond and stood there, her mouth moving silently before she finally managed, "Thank you, Dr. Wu."
Dr. Wu coldly hmphed, not bothering to elaborate further, and together with the previous physician, they administered needles and medicine to Wei Mingqiao.
Seeing that the child was no longer convulsing, Dr. Wu proceeded to apply acupuncture to a new set of acupoints to further alleviate the fever.
However, the next dose of medicine required...
Administration through the arm.
This wouldn't be appropriate for Sui Sui and the other children to witness.
In the eyes of Dr. Wu and his medical peers, gender distinctions were irrelevant, but they understood that others may not share the same perspective.
Hence, Dr. Wu directly shooed everyone out.
Sui Sui, perplexed, turned her head left and right, trying to understand the situation.
Fearing that her sister might get tired from holding her, Sui Sui struggled to get down.
Not wanting to force the child, Lu Lianrong allowed Sui Sui to get down, following her lead and placing her on the ground.
Sui Sui was concerned about the little brother whose face was flushed red from the burn. She gently tugged on Lu Lianrong's clothes and softly asked, "Sister, will the little brother be alright?"
Lu Lianrong wasn't entirely certain, but Dr. Wu had mentioned that the situation was manageable, so she assumed things would stabilize for now. "Don't worry, Sui Sui. Everything will be fine."
Lu Furen also anxiously watched, her eyes fixed on the burned child.
Lu Xinglan comforted her, "You should return to the banquet and maintain appearances. I'll stay here. Go ahead, I'll manage things here."
How could Lu Furen possibly leave when the child was in such a dire state?
However, it wouldn't do to neglect the banquet for too long either.
Even with the Grand Princess maintaining the atmosphere, it was still impolite for the host to be absent for an extended period.
Thinking of this, Lu Furen lightly sighed, "What karma have we accumulated to deserve this?"
She wanted to voice her frustration toward Madam Xu, but it wouldn't be appropriate to do so directly, so she sighed ambiguously.
Lu Xinglan also didn't know what to say. She considered suggesting they seek help from the Grand Princess, as seeing the pitiful state of Wei Mingqiao might stir her compassion to intervene. However, the Grand Princess was advanced in age and easily agitated, and Lu Xinglan didn't want to risk upsetting her further.
In the end, those words remained unspoken, and she merely offered a few words of comfort to Lu Furen before sending her on her way.
Watching Lu Furen's retreating figure, and then glancing at the tearful Wei Yongmei, Lu Xinglan turned to meet the Queen's gaze, and the two women shared a silent, sighing exchange.
(End of Chapter)
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