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"The color on this scar..."
"Is also from the Dye!" Hui Niang bit her lip, her expression turning ugly: "It's because of this scar that my mother-in-law... she only does this so that I will remember why I was punished."
"After all this, the truth is just one: your mother-in-law is trying every means to torment you." Xing Ruyi said, taking the lamp and carefully examining the scars on Hui Niang's body: "Is this color from Sweet Potato Leaf?"
"Sweet Potato Leaf? I think I've heard that name somewhere."
"Sweet Potato Leaf, like Purple Grass, is both a type of Herbal Medicine and a dye. If I remember correctly, Madam, you just mentioned that your Mother had an accident because she heard you were pregnant and rushed to visit you, only to encounter misfortune on her way home, right?"
Hui Niang nodded, her eyes slightly red. It seems that her Mother's incident was also a difficult knot in her heart.
"That child... was not able to be saved?"
"That's right! After my Mother's incident, my mood has been quite poor. About half a month later, that child was lost. Because of this, my mother-in-law has blamed me even more, saying that the child was lost due to my negligence in taking care of myself. After that incident, my body also suffered some damage. Although I have been recuperating all these years, the effect seems minimal."
"You don't need to blame yourself, Madam. While I cannot determine the exact cause of your initial pregnancy loss at this moment, it may indeed be related to the scar on your body."
"Are you implying that my Child was harmed by my mother-in-law...? No! Even though she was angry at the time, the things she threw at me were just ordinary Dye items. My child in my womb could not have lost its life because of that."
"A Pregnant Woman's fetus is inherently unstable during the first three months. Coupled with your mother's innocent death at that time, it is inevitable that your emotions would fluctuate. As for the connection between this scar and what I just mentioned, it is not baseless speculation."
Hui Niang took a deep breath and looked into Xing Ruyi's eyes: "Hui Niang wishes to hear more details."
"The answer lies in this Sweet Potato Leaf. As I mentioned earlier, this Sweet Potato Leaf is both a dye and an Herbal Medicine. Its properties are cooling and toxic. It treats symptoms like coughing blood, vomiting blood, as well as common menstrual disorders and amenorrhea in women. It can also be used for treating postnatal Abdominal Pain and can be considered a good medicine. However, good medicine is not miraculous; Sweet Potato Leaf is strictly prohibited for Pregnant Women to come into contact with or consume."
"Could it be..." Hui Niang's face grew increasingly pale as she stepped back two paces and tightly grasped something nearby: "Could it be that this thing will..."
"That's right. If a Pregnant Woman comes into contact with Sweet Potato Leaf, it can very likely lead to miscarriage. The scar on your body has bled and over the years has darkened significantly. This clearly indicates that the dye thrown by your mother-in-law was made from Sweet Potato Leaf and that its medicinal properties entered your body through your wound. However, no matter how toxic a medicine is, it takes some time to take effect; moreover, since you did not ingest it directly, the substance did not undergo gastrointestinal breakdown but rather penetrated through your skin and even merged into your bloodstream. Therefore, it is highly likely that the child in your womb was lost because of this Sweet Potato Leaf."
Hui Niang collapsed weakly onto the ground. After a moment of daze, she covered her face and began to cry softly.
Xing Ruyi looked at Hui Niang and felt a pang of pity. However, there were some things she could not avoid saying. If she did not clarify things with Hui Niang today, she feared that in the future, Hui Niang would suffer more blame and grievances that she should not have to bear.
"The lady's constitution has indeed suffered some damage, but it is unrelated to the events surrounding her childbirth," Xing Ruyi said as she carefully checked Hui Niang's pulse. "The Fox Demon just examined the wounds on your body, and any discoloration is due to dye.
For example, this area on Madam Ru's chest is a bluish color, likely from indigo. In folk practices, the most common method for dyeing with indigo involves mixing the juice of indigo leaves with lime after sedimentation. As for lime, if you live in the countryside, you should be familiar with it; it is usually used for building houses and has a certain corrosive effect on the human body. If it enters the body, its harm is inevitable.
As for the black mark on your body, it should be from a substance called 'foot blue' or 'wrapped head blue.' This is typically made by boiling chestnut shells or lotus seed shells and then mixing them with iron sand and other metallic minerals. Your household does not produce this type of dye, so it is likely that you bought it and then boiled it in water before using it for dyeing. The goose yellow is usually made from yellow bark, while the official green is dyed using locust flower water.
These substances are generally not very heavy and usually do not cause direct harm to the body. However, you are different; these wounds on your body are man-made, and even the dyes have been artificially forced into your skin. Each wound has broken skin and drawn blood, so the substances contained in these dyes will gradually seep into your skin and blood. Over the years, some toxins have accumulated in your body.
The Fox Demon does not wish to sow discord between you and your mother-in-law nor does she believe that your mother-in-law understands these medicinal principles. However, unintentional harm can be the hardest to guard against. The reason your health has deteriorated over the years and why you have struggled to conceive may be closely related to these wounds and dyes on your body."
Hui Niang sat silently on the ground, her face pale. She never expected that because of her mother-in-law's punishments and her own past tolerance, she had been unable to conceive a child all these years. What was this notion of being childless being a great shame? The true reason for their family's lack of descendants—the one who had deprived her husband of children—was actually her mother-in-law.
Hui Niang's heart was in turmoil; she didn't know what to do.
Xing Ruyi did not speak further; she understood that Hui Niang would need time to digest this information.
About half an hour later, Hui Niang finally lifted her head. She looked into the Fox Demon's eyes and softly asked, "Will I ever be able to be a mother?"
While sorting through herbs, Xing Ruyi lowered her head and replied, "Whether you can be a mother is something you should ask yourself."
"Ask myself?" Hui Niang was confused. "I don't understand what you mean."
"If you are only worried about your own health," the Fox Demon said plainly, "I can assure you that your health is not a concern. Whether it's the scars on your surface or the toxins already inside you, I can think of ways to help you eliminate them one by one. Recovery is just a matter of time. As long as your health improves and you maintain affection with your husband, there’s no reason for you not to have children. It's just—"
"Just what?"
"Just that your mother-in-law seems to take pleasure in such punitive measures and may even be somewhat addicted to them. If this happens again, what will you do? Will you continue to endure and accept her punishments or will you resolutely refuse and become a bad daughter-in-law in others' eyes who does not heed her mother-in-law's guidance? I am fully confident that regarding what has happened to you, you would not say a word about it to your husband nor would you think of seeking any familial protection from him. That’s why I wanted to ask you: if this happens again, what will you do?"
"Hui Niang... Hui Niang..." Hui Niang's mouth opened slightly as she hesitated before finally elongating her name into a drawn-out "I."
“Fox Demon can help the lady heal once, heal twice, but cannot stay by her side every day for years. Moreover, this Yun Family Gathering is not the final destination for Fox Demon, who will eventually have to leave. When that time comes, what will you do, my lady? Both the healing process and the subsequent pregnancy are not short-term matters; have you considered this?”
“The meaning of Ruyi is understood by Hui Niang.” Hui Niang pressed her lips together, looking quite conflicted: “As for Husband, Hui Niang will not go there. First, this has already happened; blaming or resenting anyone now would be futile. Second, Hui Niang truly does not wish to create any rift between them because of these matters. As for my mother-in-law, Hui Niang can go and even ask her to find another way to punish Hui Niang.”
“My lady, you are indeed both kind and stubborn. Well then, it doesn't matter; after all, it will take some time to eliminate the toxins in your body.” Xing Ruyi said as she lifted the collar near Hui Niang's neck and evenly applied the freshly prepared ointment: “This is the detoxifying ointment just prepared by Fox Demon. As for its effectiveness, we will need to observe for a while. Please be mentally prepared for this. Fox Demon is not a divine doctor, and what has been prepared is certainly not a miraculous medicine; it cannot show results in just one or two days.”
“How long will it take approximately?”
“How long? If you want to completely eliminate the dye's color and the traces of scars, it will likely take at least half a year.”
“...Half a year? That long!” Hui Niang clasped her hands together, her eyes filled with anxiety and unease: “Is there no quicker Method? It’s not that Hui Niang lacks patience, but Husband will return in seven days!”
“Seven days!”
“Husband mentioned this in his letter, but perhaps he will return even sooner than seven days.” Hui Niang’s gaze grew more urgent: “It is precisely because time is so tight that I cannot afford to think of other Methods, which is why I had to come at night to seek your help. Please, I implore you to help Hui Niang think of a suitable plan. Otherwise… otherwise…”
“Otherwise what?”
“Otherwise, my mother-in-law will refuse to let Husband return to see Hui Niang, using my serious illness as an excuse, and she will arrange another marriage for him, thus forcing Hui Niang to be divorced under the seven out clauses!”
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