Chapter 34 Break of the Dam
n.o.body in the room was expecting Su Muge’s coming, and they were all stunned.
An had her hand on Zhao as if there were very close sisters, which was actually opposite the fact.
“Why didn’t you report the eldest Miss’s arrival?” An opened her mouth first.
Su Muge went forward, bowed slightly, and explained, “I was walking too fast and the maids had no time to report. Please don’t blame them.”
An put away her hand from Zhao, and was going to take the hand of Su Muge, yet Su Muge turned and sat on a chair cleverly to avoid any body contact with her.
“Madam, how did you spare your time to come here today?”
“Well, you sounded like I was not welcomed.”
Saying this, An took a look at Zhao with her eyes a bit gloomy and harsh. Zhao began to feel uneasy.
“Mumu, Madam An came to visit mother and your brother.”
Su Muge’s eyes on An were indifferent. She started to wonder about An’s true purpose since she had been behaving weirdly recently.
“Madam, it’s so considerate of you. It’s getting late and I believe there are other affairs and duties in the mansion waiting for you to deal with. I dare not waste your time on my mother and brother.”
An sat still with no intention to leave as if she had no clue of Su Muge’s dislike towards her. “Actually, I was talking to sister that you’re going to be fifteen this year and it’s the age for considering your marriage. You are the truth-born daughter of our mansion, and it’s natural for you to learn some skills of drink and food. I’m thinking of you coming over to my place these days if you are free, and you can learn those skills together with your sister.”
Zhao nodded her head as an agreement.
“Mumu, Madam’s right.”
Unlike other girls at her age, there was no shyness in the eyes of Su Muge when talking about her marriage, but only gloom, instead.
“Madam, thank you so much for being so considerate. But I do have to treat Old Lady Meng with her illness these days, and I’m afraid I don’t have the time.”
“You are indeed amazing. I heard it from your father that even the imperial doctor could do nothing with her illness. What great master have you met to teach you such outstanding skills?”
It was so clear that An wanted Su Muge to explain her secrets.
Su Muge managed to smile and looked at An. “I really don’t know how to answer your question. Madam, you know that I have almost died before. As a person who has seen the King of h.e.l.l like me, would definitely know more things than the others, right?”
The color on An’s face changed suddenly, and her hands holding the handkerchief became tighter and stiffer. She took a deep breath and stood up.
“You’re right. It’s getting late and I should not disturb my sister. Let’s go.”
Su Muge asked Meihua to get out and close the door as soon as An left.
Seated in the room with no more words, Su Muge reached out for the tea cup on the table slowly and took a sip.
It had been quite a while when Zhao sensed something not right in the room. She began to feel ill at ease.
“Mumu…Were, were you tired yesterday at the Meng mansion?” Zhao dared not to ask more about Su Muge’s medical skills since she already told them it had something to do with the King of h.e.l.l.
After Su Muge put down the tea cup in her hand, she looked at Zhao in a helpless way. Seeing the confusion in her eyes, Su Muge sighed.
“Mom, did you really forget how she had treated us before?”
Su Muge was the kind of person to bear grudges. Moreover, the sudden change of An’s att.i.tude was weird enough for them to be alert. How could her mother have no sense of awareness at all!
“I, as your mother, I think…she’s right.” Zhao looked at Su Muge dully. “Mumu, you are not a little girl anymore and it’s time for you to consider your marriage. I’m so useless that I have never been out of the Su mansion, let alone to find the appropriate family for you to get married. Only Madam An can…”
The anger faded away when Su Muge heard those words of her mother.
“Mom, don’t worry. Even if Madam An doesn’t care about me, I still have my father.”
“Your father? Will he be able to manage those things for you…” There was doubt in Zhao’s tone.
“Of course! Didn’t you see the things he had sent me only a few days ago? How can he leave his daughter uncared-for?” In order to smooth An’s emotion, Su Muge had to take Su Lun out as her shield.
“Madam An didn’t like you before, and nor will she in the future. So, do you understand what I mean?” It was impossible for anyone to suddenly become fond of a person they didn’t like without a specific intention. Only an idiot would believe that kind of change out of no reason!
Zhao was not dumb and she knew what Su Muge meant.
“I know, and I’ll be careful.”
“Mom, it’s good that you can understand. Where’s my brother? Is he asleep?”
Zhao’s eyes were brightened with happiness when talking about her son.
“He’s asleep. He is a boy of the quiet type, which is good for him. He doesn’t like much noise.”
…
The thunder was rumbling in the sky.
A lightning lid the carriage bright inside.
It was the third day that Su Muge went to treat Old Lady Meng.
The body condition of Old Lady Meng had been stable after the first two days of her treatment. At least there was no more sudden situation that made others unprepared.
Pulling away the carriage curtain and looking at the rain, Su Muge frowned.
It had been raining for too many days without even an interval. Sometimes, the rain looked as if it was going to stop, yet it was actually still drizzling.
The black clouds were all over the sky, like a giant dense and dark monster approaching the ground, which made people feel hard to breathe.
“Get out of the way! Be quick! All of you!”
A figure on a horse at its top speed was rushing along the street, and pa.s.sed away the carriage. It was fortunate that there were not many people in the street on such a rainy day.
“Who’s that? The horse was so fast in the rain! It could have hit somebody!”
The carriage driver murmured to himself with dissatisfaction. With a whip on his horse, he went faster too. It was dark as night in the daytime because of the weather, and it would be better for them to arrive at the Meng mansion as soon as possible in case the rain became heavier.
The figure on the fast horse didn’t stop until he arrived at the yamen.
“Lord, emergency! There’s an emergency situation in Zhou county!”
Su Lun was reading some official doc.u.ments when a yamen runner rushed in with a panic look. There was another man all wet after him.
“What happened?”
The man all wet knelt on the floor with a bang, his red eyes looking at Su Lun.
“Lord Su, the dam has broken in Zhou county, and the county magistrate was washed away by the flood!”
The official doc.u.ment in Su Lun’s hand slipped out to the floor, and he was frozen in shock. “What are you talking about?!”
…
When Su Muge was led to the Longevity Courtyard by a young maid, An Mama walked out.
“It’s the eldest Miss Su. Go and get a warm stove. Hurry up!” After leaving those words to the maid, An Mama led Su Muge into the room.
“Sorry to bother you so much, Eldest Miss Su. What a heavy rain out there! Please change to some try and clean clothes.”
After the previous night spent at the Meng mansion, Su Muge took Yueru with her the next day, and she would prepare a set of clean clothes for her master on a rainy day like this.
“Sure.”
Su Muge went into the room of Old Lady Meng after she changed her clothes.
She saw Meng Changde coming out with his hard face and gloomy eyes, and thought something bad happened to Old Lady Meng again.
Meng Changde paused when he saw Su Muge.
“Miss Su, here you are. I have got something to handle and I’ll leave my mother to you then. Thank you very much.”
“Sure, Lord Meng. Don’t worry.”
Meng Changde left immediately with his men.
“How could such a thing happen! How about the casualties?”
The voice of Meng Changde faded as he went further and further away. Su Muge eased her look and walked in.
There were only Old Lady Meng and two maids in the room, and maids stepped aside backwards when they saw Su Muge entering.
“Old Lady, you look much better.”
Two days ago, the face of Old Lady Meng was white as paper, but now there was some color on her face.
“Yes, I feel more energetic than before.”
Su Muge opened her medical case and took out the silver needles and bamboo tubes for cupping therapy.
“The purpose of today’s therapy is to help you remove the dampness and cold in your body and to make your vessels more un.o.bstructed. You may feel some pain during the treatment, but please stand the pain and then everything will be fine.”
“Cupping therapy?” Old Lady Meng was looking at the bamboo tubes in Su Muge’s hands with curiosity.
With many medical books read in the state of Chu, Su Muge knew that cupping therapy was not common and people usually didn’t know about it, not even doctors.
Since her body was recovering, Old Lady Meng had more faith in Su Muge’s medical skills, and so she nodded. She lied on her bed with her face down as Su Muge instructed, leaving her back and legs outside.
“I’ll use acupuncture to force the dampness and cold to move to the lower part of your body, and then I’ll use cupping therapy to remove them out from your body.” It was a regular step for Su Muge to explain the order of her treatment, no matter if the others could get her.
She picked up the silver needles and p.r.i.c.ked them in at the acupuncture points in the upper part of Old Lady Meng’s body. When the body gradually relaxed, she then took over the bamboo tubes, lid a fire, and quickly placed the bamboo tube on the leg after it was heated by the fire.
“Ouch!”
Old Lady Meng made a noise out of surprise, which scared An Mama. She went two steps forward with her face twisted in panic, and checked Old Lady Meng.
“Old Lady, are, are you ok?”
“Uhm…”
The effect of the bamboo tubes started to reveal. Old Lady Meng’s body was tightened because of the pain, and there was cold sweat on her forehead.
“Miss Su, what is happening to Old Lady? Could the bamboo, bamboo tubes really be used to treat a patient? ”An Mama looked at Su Muge with her face filled with doubt since Old Lady Meng was in such a terrible pain yet Su Muge did nothing. An Mama was unpleasant.
With a cold glance at An Mama, Su Muge didn’t stop the actions of her hands.
“The vessels of Old Lady were blocked badly. I am removing the dampness and cold out of her body after I unblocked her vessels with my silver needles. The reaction is normal for the beginning of this treatment.”
With the placement of the second bamboo tube by Su Muge, Old Lady Meng started making more noises out of pain.
“Miss Su, please stop! Old Lady cannot stand this!” Seeing Old Lady biting her teeth in pain, An Mama looked at Su Muge with alert.
Finally, Su Muge stopped her hands and looked at Old Lady Meng.
“Old Lady, do you also feel that you cannot stand this?”
Feeling a great pain as if someone was taking out something from her body together with her veins and bones, though, Old Lady Meng insisted that Su Muge should not stop.
“You…keep your treatment. Do it!” Old Lady Meng kept biting her teeth, and chose to continue with the pain even she wanted to scream out loud.
Su Muge took out the rest of the bamboo tubes, and placed them all on Old Lady’s legs.
With a sudden tremble of her body and a turn of both her eyes, Old Lady Meng fell into a comma.
An Mama was then in great shock. “Old Lady! Please! Don’t scare me!”