A Good Country Wife

Zhao Erhu’s mind was filled with a whirlwind of thoughts, but with his little wife in this state, everything was still uncertain. No amount of worrying was going to help, and no matter what, as long as she woke up healthy and well—even if she remembered the scholar, what of it? She was already his wife, and as long as he treated her doubly well, his little wife wouldn’t bear to leave him.

Then there were the children; his little wife doted on them the most. It would be even better if she could carry a child of their own, but she was still too young, and the doctor had said that it was dangerous for her to have a child now. It would be best to wait a couple more years. Sadly, Zhao Erhu really wanted to have a child with Lin Yue, something to tie his wife to him. At the end of the day, Zhao Erhu was somewhat insecure, feeling that his little wife was too good for a brute like him.

Worried that he would jar Lin Yue, the carriage wasn’t moving fast. Lin Yue was cradled in Zhao Erhu’s arms the whole way, and he didn’t mind the fatigue, only willing to hold her this way to keep her more stable.

Upon arriving at Jimin Hall, Doctor Zheng was astonished to see Lin Yue covered in wounds. How had she gotten like this in such a short time since he last saw her? This couple seemed to be beset by a continuous string of disasters; no sooner had one recovered than the other was injured.

"Quick, follow me to the inner room," Doctor Zheng said, also ordering a young boy to bring his medicine chest along.

For the usual patient injured to this extent, Doctor Zheng would not neglect their care, but since the patient was Lin Yue, he dared not take any chances. He hurriedly arranged for people to enter a private room in the inner quarters, a place normally reserved for the rest of Doctor Jiang when he visited Xin’an City. It was elegant and quiet, rarely used otherwise. Given the emergency and the fact that Doctor Jiang was on good terms with Lin Yue, Doctor Zheng thought it appropriate to use the room, confident that Doctor Jiang would understand and not blame him.

After taking Lin Yue’s pulse, Doctor Zheng’s expression loosened somewhat. Lady Lin’s external injuries seemed severe, but internally they were not too serious. At the very least, he was seventy or eighty percent sure he could cure her. When Lin Yue had tumbled down the slope, she had instinctively used her arms to protect her head, partly hoping to avoid disfigurement, which had lessened the injuries. Moreover, although the slope was steep, apart from some jagged rocks, it was mostly loose soil that also played a part in her injuries not being too severe. This was indeed fortunate.

After taking her pulse, Doctor Zheng examined Lin Yue’s external injuries, checking everything that could be checked. For the less accessible parts, he entrusted this task to Zhao Erhu.

Zhao Erhu already had an idea of Lin Yue’s injuries when he had changed her clothes earlier, but considering the gravity of the situation, he had focused on getting to the city quickly to see the doctor and didn’t dare to move Lin Yue too much. Thus, he had not bandaged her external injuries, only giving cursory treatment to the more serious ones.