RMBLCUCS – Chapter 52: A Treatment She’d Never Received in Two Lifetimes
Tang Mo’s stomachache lasted till midnight. He nearly collapsed atop the chamber pot. There was no physician on the estate, and the nearest barefoot doctor lived ten li away. Xin An wiped his sweat, fed him sugar water, and even pressed acupuncture points. Only after midnight did the pain finally subside.
“I barely ate anything… How did it turn into this mess?” he groaned.
Xin An let go of his hand. “Think about what you normally put in your mouth. That wild game was charred to a crisp, and you still stuffed it down along with melon. I told you, your constitution is too weak for tonics, yet you keep bragging that you’re strong as a tiger.”
Tang Mo opened his eyes weakly. “My dear auntie, must you keep calling me ‘too feeble for nourishment’? It’s the dead of night—watch your mouth, what if the Black and White Impermanence spirits drag me off? You’d be left a widow.”
“You’d be the pitiful one, not me,” she quipped, then got up to pour herself some water. After climbing back into bed, she muttered, “Next time, don’t just eat whatever you see. Good thing you didn’t touch those colorful mushrooms. You should be thanking me—I saved your life.”
With a yawn, she added, “Sleep.”
After the night’s ordeal, they were both exhausted. Tang Mo, weakened, couldn’t hold out much longer either. Soon, the two of them drifted into slumber. It wasn’t until morning that Old Madam Tang and Wang Shi learned that Tang Mo had suffered a bout of violent diarrhea through the night. The news left them in a cold sweat. Chunyang reassured them, “The young master is fine now. The Young Madam knows a few acupoints to stop diarrhea—they were quite effective. But they slept late last night, so they haven’t risen yet.”
Wang Shi clasped her hands together, chanting a soft Amitabha, and ordered the kitchen to prepare a light breakfast. Still uneasy, she insisted Old Madam Tang remain at the estate.
“I didn’t eat anything strange,” Old Madam Tang said flatly. “Besides, didn’t you arrange for a physician to visit? What’s there to worry about?”
They’d only been at the estate for a few days, but the old lady’s demeanor had already changed—more relaxed, speaking as she pleased, doing whatever she liked. But her spirit was visibly better.
What could Wang Shi do?
She dared not provoke this elder, either.
Inside the room, the two didn’t stir until the sun was high in the sky. Tang Mo was the first to wake. Opening his eyes, he saw her still fast asleep, lost in dreams. He had intended to rise and drink some warm water, but his gaze was drawn to Xin An’s face. He found himself staring for quite a while before murmuring, “When she’s not bickering with me, she’s actually… rather charming.”
As soon as the words left his lips, he clapped a hand over his mouth. Why did I say that out loud?
Flustered, he scrambled out of bed. His shoes weren’t even on properly, and his legs gave out beneath him. He tumbled forward but managed to keep silent—though the thud was loud enough to wake Xin An. She saw him awkwardly trying to get up and rushed over to help.
“What happened?” she asked, reaching out to touch his forehead. “You seem fine.”
“Just tripped. My legs are weak,” Tang Mo muttered, pretending to be composed.
Xin An exhaled in relief, but the scare had driven all sleep from her. As Tang Mo bent to adjust his robes, he noticed she wasn’t wearing shoes. Her pale feet stood out starkly against the cool stone floor. Without thinking, he pulled her to sit by the bed, knelt down, and took her ankle in his hand, using a cloth to wipe the dust from her sole.
It would’ve been fine if he’d said something. But he didn’t utter a single word the whole time. Xin An didn’t know what to say, either. From her angle, she could clearly see his face. A handsome young man kneeling before her, carefully wiping her feet—it was an oddly stirring sight. She couldn’t help where her thoughts wandered.
In both her lifetimes, she’d never received this kind of treatment. I really must be getting old… I’ve started to fancy younger men.
Tang Mo slowly looked up. Xin An, both embarrassed and confused, blurted, “Did I say that out loud?”
“You did.”
Tang Mo was still holding her other foot. An absurd image suddenly popped into his mind: he, fallen into poverty, waiting on a wealthy widow who found his attentiveness quite satisfactory.
Xin An covered her face with both hands. “I didn’t say anything.”
Tang Mo’s gaze drifted back down to her foot just as Chunyang pushed the door open—and froze at the strange scene. One foot was inside the room, the other outside. She didn’t know whether to enter or retreat.
Later, both of them behaved extremely politely. When it came time to step outside, they reached the door at the same time.
“You first,” Tang Mo said.
“No, you go ahead.”
“Please, after you.”
“No, you.”
Chunyang watched this display with great interest, her eyes gleaming with curiosity. After watching them go back and forth for a while, she stepped forward and opened the other half of the door. “Second Young Master, Young Madam—you may exit together.”
The two offered sheepish smiles. Even as they sat down for breakfast, they seemed distracted, sipping their porridge without speaking. If not for Wang Shi warmly picking dishes for each of them, they probably wouldn’t have lifted their chopsticks.
“What’s going on with you two?” she asked, puzzled. Something was clearly off.
“Nothing,” they replied in unison.
Then, their eyes met—and instantly looked away.
Xin An: A dashing young man wiping her feet? Utterly disarming. She was already daydreaming about shoulder massages and back rubs. These thoughts… too scandalous. She could no longer look Tang Mo in the eye.
Tang Mo: The image of serving some rich old widow was terrifying… but serving a beauty like this? Strangely alluring. The more he looked at Xin An, the lovelier she became. Honestly… it wouldn’t be so bad.
Wang Shi’s gaze flicked between the two. “Did you two have a fight?”
“No.”
Tang Mo stood abruptly. “I’ve got something to do. I’ll take a stroll.”
At the door, he suddenly turned back to look at Xin An. “Care to join me?”
“Ah? Oh… sure.”
Xin An quickly stood up, silently grateful that Tang Mo had spared her from being interrogated by her mother-in-law. She hurried to follow him. After stepping outside, she took three deep breaths in quick succession. As her head gradually cleared, the embarrassment that had weighed on her just moments before suddenly felt unnecessary. How absurd… She berated herself inwardly—at this age, and I still let a young man get the better of me? “What’s on the agenda today?”
Tang Mo was also regaining his clarity. Now that he’d eaten, his legs felt steadier, and he too realized the awkwardness between them had been unwarranted. This was, after all, the woman he had married. Though they had not knelt together at the altar, she had entered his bridal chamber. In the eyes of the world, she was his proper wife.
To be nearly unsettled by one small woman—he had to admit, that was unbecoming.
“I’m going to speak with Steward Yang.”
He had many matters to attend to in the coming days and would need a clever hand to run errands. He still hadn’t forgotten about Ershan.
Steward Yang arrived quickly. After offering a few words of concern about Tang Mo’s health, he began reporting on Ershan’s family situation.
“There are too many children in that household—naturally, some get neglected. That boy’s a stubborn one, always resentful over how the family plays favorites. He’s clashed with them time and again. But what good does it do for one child to rebel? In the end, it only earns him another beating. They say he’s just too much trouble.”
“As for his younger cousin, Xia’er, she’s truly a pitiful girl. Not much to look at, perhaps, but diligent and never lazy. It’s just that her parents only had a son after three daughters, so they dote on that boy like he’s made of jade. The two elder sisters have already been married off. Originally, they planned to secretly sell Xia’er off too, but Ershan caught wind of it and reported it to me. The servants on the estate have all signed indenture contracts. His Lordship, Prince Jin, is merciful—he allows them to marry of their own free will, but outright selling is forbidden. The girl was brought back.”
“But after that, her days became even harder. She’s only thirteen and already skin and bones, her body covered in overlapping wounds. I’ve spoken to her parents myself. They promise to behave whenever I’m around—but once my back is turned, it’s another brutal beating.”