Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Ruyi Rouge Shop
Hui Niang shook her head: "My grandparents passed away early, so I don't know if there were any such ailments in the family. As for my mother’s side, my grandfather is still alive, but I have never heard my mother or maternal grandparents mention anyone else suffering from this condition."
"The Fox Demon was just asking casually. This Asthma, while somewhat related to the family lineage, has various causes. Although it is difficult to cure, if managed properly, it shouldn't significantly affect daily life. I happen to have a Prescription for treating this Asthma. While it may not eliminate the problem entirely, it can help manage it. Li Mao, bring me some paper and a pen."
Upon hearing this, Hui Niang felt immensely grateful and hurriedly bowed deeply to Xing Ruyi: "Hui Niang thanks you, Miss! However, I did not come here today to ask for your prescription... Oh, that doesn’t seem quite right either. I did come to the Ruyi Rouge shop seeking your help, but not for my own matters. I don’t have much silver on me, so I’m afraid I won’t be able to pay for your Prescription."
"What you need to take care of can wait. It's already dark, and considering your condition, you must have traveled quite a distance. Even if you wanted to return now, time may not be sufficient. Why not stay here at my shop tonight? As for your family, you could write down your detailed address and give it to my assistant; he can run an errand to inform your family about your stay."
"That won't do! Although the snow has lightened up a bit, the road to Hui Niang's home is indeed difficult to navigate. I cannot trouble this gentleman."
"It's no trouble at all. He is not only my assistant here at the Rouge shop but also a man; helping you run an errand is nothing unusual. Besides, your purpose for coming here is still unclear. Whether you intend to buy Rouge and Face Powder or seek another Prescription, it will take some time. If you rush back now, I'm afraid you won't be able to explain things properly to your family."
Xing Ruyi continued as she took the paper and pen from Li Mao: "This Prescription is based on an ancient formula called Jade Screen Powder. Its main ingredients are common herbs like Fangfeng, Huangqi, and Baizhu. The effectiveness varies from person to person. As for the cost, you need not worry; consider this Prescription a gift from the Fox Demon. If it works well for you, perhaps you could help promote the Fox Demon in the future; if it doesn’t work out, please don’t hold it against her."
Xing Ruyi handed the written address to A Niu, who took the Prescription and quietly went off to prepare the medicine.
Seeing Xing Ruyi's enthusiasm, Hui Niang felt embarrassed to refuse further. She glanced at the paper and pen in Xing Ruyi's hand and said: "Hui Niang isn’t very literate; could I dictate my home address while you write it down?"
"Please go ahead."
Hui Niang’s home was not too far from Yun Family Village; it was just outside of town. Based on Li Mao's pace, it would only take about the time of a tea break for a round trip. After writing down the address, Xing Ruyi handed it over to Li Mao, giving him a few instructions before he left.
"Ah-choo!"
Suddenly sneezing caught Hui Niang off guard and reminded Xing Ruyi of something else.
"After you take this Jade Screen Powder home, please do not use it right away."
"Why?"
Confused, Hui Niang looked at Xing Ruyi.
"Hearing your sneeze made me remember something important. While the exact cause of your Asthma is unclear and can be triggered by various factors that are hard to guard against, one common cause is exposure to cold wind. Looking at how you're dressed, which seems warm enough, I suspect like me that you're sensitive to cold. Today’s heavy snow means you didn’t even bring an umbrella to shield yourself from it while walking such a long way; with these unexpected circumstances, it's likely that you've caught a cold due to wind chill aggravating your chronic condition."
"The young lady is not wrong, but this cold has not just appeared today. The symptoms have been mild, and since I usually stay at home, I haven't paid much attention to it. It turns out that this cold is closely related to the old ailment."
"The lady needs to take more care in the future. This asthma, although caused by the cold, requires separate treatment. Asthma is an old ailment; while it may seem more severe than the cold, there is no need to rush, as urgency will not address the root cause. However, this cold is a trigger that needs timely treatment to prevent the two conditions from interacting and causing new symptoms."
"There are still some medicines for treating colds at home, so there's no need for the young lady to trouble herself with preparing them." Hui Niang said, bowing again.
Xing Ruyi initially wanted to prepare a prescription for Hui Niang's cold but felt she might be overstepping since it was their first meeting. Excessive enthusiasm could lead others to think she had ulterior motives.
"The lady should change into another outfit first."
Xing Ruyi changed the subject and led Hui Niang to her bedroom to choose a set of clothes similar to what she was wearing. Fortunately, she had bought ready-made garments that fit Hui Niang well.
The clothes Xing Ruyi brought were custom-made at a luxurious shop in Luoyang. If she were in Luoyang, it would be fine to wear them; after all, even paper was expensive there, and wealthy ladies roamed the streets. Wearing clothes from a fine shop wouldn't attract too much attention. However, Yunji was different; being in a small town made one stand out too much and could lead to trouble.
Especially after the Hu Family incident, Xing Ruyi wanted to avoid drawing attention and simply purchased several plain styles from a ready-to-wear store in town—ordinary materials and subdued colors that wouldn’t attract notice. The outfit she offered Hui Niang was among those. Although she claimed it was old clothing, it had only been tried on once in the store.
While dressing, Hui Niang carefully noticed that the ready-to-wear store's sign was still there, feeling grateful again. However, since Xing Ruyi did not understand her feelings, she kept quiet and planned to visit the store another day to return the money for the clothes to Fox Demon.
Hui Niang's thoughts did not escape Xing Ruyi's notice; inexplicably, she felt more fondness for Hui Niang. After all, few people understood gratitude these days; many were accustomed to taking advantage of others.
"Did you come looking for Fox Demon about something?"
"Hui Niang heard that your Rouge shop sells more than just rouge and face powder; it also has some remarkable remedies for skin ailments. That's why I took the liberty of coming here to ask for a prescription."
"My Ruyi Rouge shop indeed does more than sell rouge and face powder; we also offer exclusive skincare products tailored for our customers and provide consultations for ailments and exorcisms," Xing Ruyi replied with a smile. Her smile caused Hui Niang's previously serious expression to soften.
"Ruyi, you are indeed different from others. I haven't felt this relaxed in many years."
"Did you come here because of the injuries on your face?"
Xing Ruyi had noticed the scars on Hui Niang's face and neck while she was changing clothes. The scars looked strange; although they were caused by human action, their colors were abnormal—either indigo or bright red—and some areas even had raised symptoms.
"You saw them just now?" Hui Niang said, covering her face. "Actually, it's not just my face; I have some on my neck, back, and arms as well—though they aren't as severe as those on my face."
"Madam, this injury doesn't look like it was self-inflicted," Xing Ruyi asked as she stood up and poured a cup of tea for Hui Niang.
"Indeed, it wasn't!" Hui Niang's voice caught in her throat as she lowered her head. "These injuries were inflicted by my mother-in-law when she punished me."
"Your mother-in-law!" Xing Ruyi paused her pouring. "Could it be that your mother-in-law is abusing you? What about your husband? Why doesn't he intervene?"
"No! No, no! Ruyi, you misunderstand. It's not that my mother-in-law is abusing me; it's that I made a mistake, and that's why I was punished," Hui Niang explained repeatedly, but the grievance and pain in her eyes were hard to conceal.
"As a daughter-in-law, it's only right to show respect to your in-laws. If you make a mistake and get scolded or punished by your mother-in-law, that's to be expected. The blame lies solely with you for not being able to win your mother-in-law's favor or for not handling the tasks she assigned properly."
"I understand that the relationship between mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law has always been difficult. There are certainly domineering mothers-in-law and overbearing daughters-in-law in this world, but I have rarely seen a mother-in-law who resorts to physical punishment like this. And these injuries on you are quite unusual; it seems your mother-in-law doesn't use ordinary methods of reprimand. Does your husband not know about this? If he doesn't know, then he is unworthy of being a husband. If he does know and simply watches his mother torment his wife without asking questions, then it's not just about being a worthy husband; it's about whether he deserves to be called a man."
"My husband treats me very well! He is unaware of these matters," Hui Niang pressed her lips together, eager to defend her husband. "Since I married him, he has been busy outside most of the time. Our family of four relies solely on him for support. It's only natural that he cannot pay attention to household matters. Moreover, I do not wish for these issues to trouble him or distract him while he is away."
"Then what brings you here tonight?"
"My husband has been away for nearly two years since his last trip. Yesterday, my in-laws received a letter from him stating that he would return in the next couple of days and mentioned specifically in the letter that he would stay longer this time. By now, we should have a child together. My in-laws are worried that these injuries will upset my husband when he sees them, which is why they urged me to come here and ask you for a prescription."
"Hah!" Xing Ruyi let out a light laugh. "Your mother-in-law is quite interesting. If she left these marks on you, why would she fear them being seen by her son? If it truly was because you made a mistake that warranted punishment, she could simply explain it to her son. Such secrecy only raises suspicion and makes one wonder if she is intentionally making things difficult for you."
Comment 0 Comment Count