flstandardbreds Chapter 173 You'll feel unwell?
Chapter 173 You'll feel unwell?
“Of course I will listen to Miss.” Yu Die waved her hand and said, “This servant just wants to prepare in advance and dares not make the decision. Besides, this servant always has time to go out, while Miss rarely gets a day off.”
“Even if he’s busy, we’ll go out and pick up Miss Er. You all prepare some food.” Shen Li decided.
The maids were delighted to hear this.
"We can finally go out. The ladies and young women of other families have been going on spring outings and holding poetry gatherings since the beginning of spring. They've probably done it at least eight or ten times by now."
Peony continued, "Only Miss is busy with the imperial examinations and entering officialdom. I think she would be better off staying in the inner quarters."
“The inner quarters are a place of leisure and comfort, and people who are used to being idle will always want to find something to do.”
Shen Li had already changed into her everyday clothes. Looking at herself in the mirror, she felt much more comfortable. She wasn't used to wearing a black gauze hat, so she thought it would look better to put her hair up in a bun and wear hairpins and hair ornaments.
She would definitely petition Emperor Cheng to grant women unique official attire; it was an exception now, but it might become commonplace in the future.
The thought of women in dresses and adorned with gold hairpins making important decisions in the imperial court made her feel that she was doing something very meaningful.
It is meaningful to oneself and to others.
She tidied herself up and went to find Old Man Zou, bringing with her several drawings of herbs.
Old Zou had set up a medicinal herb hut in the Gu residence, where he cultivated some flowers and plants. In spring, there was a refreshing fragrance. Looking at the neat and orderly scene, one could easily imagine that the person who took care of these things was a slovenly old man.
The old man had a greenhouse surrounded by burning charcoal, where he cultivated some cold-sensitive herbs. He was just coming out of the greenhouse when he saw Shen Li and his eyes widened immediately.
"Li'er is here, where are the things?" Old Man Zou was quite unceremonious, opening his hand to ask for them.
However, when he saw that his hands were not clean, he ran away embarrassedly, washed and dried them before reaching out again.
"Please don't hesitate to give me your guidance, senior." Shen Li took the painting from Lian Qiao and handed it to Old Man Zou with both hands.
Because it's a pharmacopoeia illustration, the paper isn't large, and the drawing is only the size of a book page. Drawing such a small picture while still making sure the details are clear is not much easier than drawing a large picture.
However, because it was realistic, it didn't pose any burden for Shen Li.
Old Zou looked at each painting one by one, nodding repeatedly: "Your reputation is well-deserved, truly well-deserved! Your paintings are so lifelike, far superior to those of those pretentious scholars."
Even though he had seen many herbs, he still got excited when he saw each one. This time, treating Gu Chang'an was definitely worth it.
Once the pharmacopoeia is repaired, he'll have a lifetime of fame.
"So, it doesn't need to be changed?" Shen Li asked.
"It can't be changed, it's all good, I'll bring you a few more pots." Old Zou said as he walked towards the greenhouse.
"No rush. I'm not feeling well today. Could you perhaps take my pulse, senior?" Shen Li called out to him.
Upon hearing this, Old Man Zou turned around, looked at her face with a puzzled expression, and asked, "Are you feeling unwell?"
The girl's skin was whiter than that of an ordinary girl, but not in a sickly way; rather, it was clear and radiant. Looking at her eyes and lips, he felt that he had never seen such a healthy person in his life.
"Exactly, is it convenient to go inside and talk?" Shen Li told lies without batting an eye, appearing completely sincere.
"Come in." Old Man Zou's expression turned serious.
Could it be some hidden ailment he can't see? That would ruin his reputation, and if it can't be cured, who will he hire to paint for him in the future?
Shen Li then followed Old Man Zou into his reception room. It was usually deserted, but the servants kept it fairly clean.
"Come on, put your hands here." Old Zou took out a wrist pillow from his sleeve.
After Shen Li placed the pulse, he began to take it. The more he took it, the more serious his expression became. In the end, he was almost sweating. He carefully asked, "Where do you feel unwell?"
He really couldn't figure out what was wrong. The child's internal organs were strong, his blood and qi were abundant, and his bones and muscles were ridiculously strong. How could there be a problem?
Is there really a disease that he can't see?
Old Zou began to panic; would his lifelong reputation be ruined?
“This.” Shen Li pointed to her heart with her other finger.
"Impossible! Your heart pulse is terrifyingly strong." Old Man Zou stood up anxiously, pacing in front of her twice before saying, "Let me put it this way, even if you die from blood loss, your heart will beat for a quarter of an hour longer than others!"
"How could you possibly be feeling unwell?" Old Zou was practically tearing his hair out; he just couldn't understand it.
"Then let me be more specific. For example, you spend all day holding the courtesan, but you can only hold her. Does that make you feel bad?" Shen Li was being very direct.
"No, it would be great if I could hold him all day long, but I'm so old..." Old Zou seemed to realize something as he said this, and turned to look at her.
Shen Li's expression was calm and sincere, though there was still a hint of resentment in her eyes.
If he's lying to her, she promises to make him suffer longer than she will.
"Hey, you mean that matter..." Old Zou slapped his forehead and breathed a sigh of relief: "You scared the old man to death. I thought there was a real problem that I couldn't see."
"Is a mental illness not considered an illness?" Shen Li humbly asked for guidance.
“If you have a mental illness, it will show on your body.” Old Zou said, rolling his eyes at her. “You’re just being silly. You’ll behave if you skip a few meals.”
“…” Shen Li.
For the first time, she felt that what others said about her made a lot of sense.
She used to be the one talking about others, but the tables have turned so quickly.
"You little devil, do you think I'm lying to you?" Old Man Zou said irritably, then explained:
“Your husband has a good foundation, otherwise he probably wouldn’t have survived back then. But those punishments really left him with serious injuries and illnesses. Now he should focus on consolidating his foundation and preserving his vitality to nourish his body and spirit. If his essence and energy leak out, it will not only be of no benefit to health, but will also damage his vital energy.”
Shen Li's expression turned serious as she listened: "I'd like to hear the truth, is it possible for him to have fully recovered?"
"No, the human body has a limited capacity. Once injured, it can never compare to someone who isn't injured," Old Zou said, pouring cold water on the idea.
Shen Li gripped the corner of the table.
"But as long as he takes good care of himself, avoids exposure to wind and cold, eats more and worries less, he will not be able to fully recover in time, but he will not have any major problems." Old Zou added, "His constitution is still good."
Shen Li finally breathed a slight sigh of relief.
"As for how long this consolidation and preservation of vital energy will take, it depends on his recovery progress." Old Man Zou thought for a moment and said, "Judging from how tired he looks, it will probably take several months."
Shen Li didn't have the mind to think about these things now. As long as Gu Chang'an could recover from his injuries, that was enough. They had a long future ahead of them.
After she found out the details, she left. Before Old Man Zou chased after her, he noticed something extra on the table. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a corner of the table.
His pupils dilated as he looked closely and was shocked to discover that a corner of the table next to Shen Li's seat had been broken off and placed on the table without anyone noticing.
He stared at the uneven edges of the wood and swallowed hard. It was as if the wood had been plucked out of the wood. No wonder the man was so strong; he must have been incredibly powerful.