The Lady’s Sickly Husband

Translator: Antonia

Asan and Awu left. Mo Qianxue pondered a little, ordered Chuyi and Shiwu to make some hot water, and had charcoal burnt in the room.

When they would come back with the doctor was unknown. If the room was warmer, and Ning Shaoqing was bathed in hot water, he might feel better, even if the poison couldn’t be removed. The hot water helped maintain his temperature. If one bucket wasn’t enough, then use two and three and more. As long as his temperature was maintained, it didn’t matter for her to take the trouble. In less than a quarter, the hot water was ready, so Mo Qianxue let Chuyi moved in the room a big wooden bucket and poured the hot water into before putting Ning Shaoqing in it.

Afterwards, Mo Qianxue found that the frost between his eyebrows seemed to melt a little. Gratified, she ordered Chuyi to let Mingyue and Caixia begin to keep boiling water from now on.

The cooking pot in the workshop and in the kitchen were used respectively by them to keep boiling water which then was sent to the room by hidden guards.

She stood on the side to instruct Chuyi to change water continuously in order to maintain the temperature of the water at around 38 degrees Celsius. By the constant hard work, the three of them quickly found their clothes soaked in sweat.

Chuyi knew that she couldn’t stop lady from this, so she tried beyond her limit to concentrate on the labor. As long as Mo Qianxue gave her a look, she knew what to do next.

Fortunately, at four o’clock in the morning, Asan and Awu came back with the strange doctor.

Seeing old Mr. Wang, Mo Qianxue instantly got a little relived, but as her tense nerves relaxed, she suddenly felt dizzy. Shaking hard her head, she greeted the doctor as Chuyi opened the door and led him in.

Seeing the scene and feeling the high temperature in the room, the odd doctor was moved. Probably, only a girl clever as her was able to think of such an idea, which was although troublesome, useful.

Mr. Wang sighed. Even if she was smart, without the guiding herb, the effort was in vain after all.

Shaking his head, he looked to Mo Qianxue’s expectant eyes and said, “This poison could have been cured, but now the guiding herb was destroyed. I really can’t do anything.”

Mo Qianxue wobbled, and Chuyi hurriedly walked over to support her.

If there was really nothing he could do, this strange old man wouldn’t have come here. Thinking of this, Mo Qianxue’s drooping eyes looked up again, “Really? Is there nothing you could do or you’re not willing to do?”

She didn’t know that the odd doctor had come here only because of the token from lord Lu. He was strange, but he was also a man who kept his words.

He owed lord Lu a favor and had promised that no matter how held this token and whether there was a cure, he would go to visit the patient. He didn’t talk and only felt with interest the water temperature in the barrel.

Mo Qianxue squinted her eyes, “I have many other peculiar food prescriptions and a dozen methods of first aid against diseases similar to stroke. If you’re interested, I can write them down for you to study.”

This wasn’t a threat but a pleading.

One method of first aid might not intrigued the doctor, but a dozen would. Mo Qianxue believed that he must be moved.

Real master doctors were all interested in cures against intractable diseases. As expected, brilliance glistened in his eyes.

However, he had his own principles. As long as he decided to treat the patient, he must remove the root cause of the disease. If he wasn’t able to, he wouldn’t start the treatment.

Yet and yet, those methods of first aid still intrigued him. Since his principles were set up by himself, of course he could change them as he liked.

The old man found himself an excuse and said, “If Mrs. Ning is willing to offer these, I think of a way to save his life, but…”

“Feel free to put it straightforwardly.” Even if her blood in her heart was needed, she would carved it out with a knife without hesitation.

“Even if his life was saved, there will be a lifelong regret.”

“What regret?” It’d be better than losing him forever.

Outside, the thunder was still rumbling and the rain still pouring.

However, no matter how loud was the thunder and the rain, it wasn’t bigger than the words said by the strange doctor.

The doctor stared at Mo Qianxue and said word by word, “No offspring.”

No offspring…No offspring… The words spun around in Mo Qianxue’s brain to develop an echo, as if a quaking thunder had struck on her heart. If Chuyi hadn’t supported her, her collapsing body almost slipped onto the ground.

The words deprived her of faith at once.

Instantly, Chuyi, Shiwu, Asan and Awu also felt bitter. Collecting herself, Mo Qianxue took a deep breath and squared her bowed shoulders so that she wouldn’t collapse.

She looked up at the doctor again, eyes unprecedentedly sharp, “…What do you mean by no offspring? Please make it clearer. Will his sexual function be weakened or totally disappear like an eunuch?

Or will his sexual function remain normal but suffer infertility? Besides, is this after effect curable?”

The series of question were asked naturally by Mo Qianxue, but Chiyi and Shiwu lowered her blushing faces and began to stare at their toes.

When Chuyi spooned out the relatively cool water from the barrel, the water almost poured to her own feet.

When Shiwu added hot water into the barrel, she almost poured all the water to the ground.

Asan and Awu also coughed slightly and looked out, pretending not to have heard Mo Qianxue’s words.

The air condensed. Quickly after a moment of distraction, the four people returned normal. Yet, their ears all stood up for fear of missing one single word.

The dim old eyes of the strange doctor blinked, and the old face flushed. Obviously, he hadn’t expected such straightforward questions like something weakened and the sort from a girl.

Although he was a doctor, he, best at curing poisons, never got married, and most of his patients were men, so he had never talked with a girl about sexual functions and the similar topics.

Hence, he was a little embarrassed and beat around the bush, “I’ll give him a wicked drug and then acupunctured him with gold needles so that the breakout of the poison will be restrained… The gold needles will be performed on… and it will promote…”

He was discussing medical treatment with her?

Mo Qianxue became somewhat impatient. Now they didn’t have the time for it. She could wait but Ning Shaoqing couldn’t.

A doctor shouldn’t mind the gender difference.

Hence she directly cut in, “Mr. Wang, I’ll appreciate it if you answer my questions forthright.”

Lady was too bold! Chuyi and Shiwu still fixed their eyes on the bucket, not daring to move.

Freaking awesome lady! Asan and Awu subconsciously turned around and looked out.

The doctor found it no where to escape, coughing in embarrassment, and replied, “You’ll…still be able to sleep together, but without the guiding herb, the root of poison can’t be removed and will be totally sealed up in his body. The coldness accumulated in his body will make his sperms inactive so the woman can’t conceive children, so it’s not because…cough…”

What he meant was glossed over by a cough, and then he looked serious again, “This poison is so cruel that after this treatment, although it will be sealed up, on the full-moon night every month, it still attack the patient’s heart. Therefore in the long run, his life will still be shortened by the torture. Mrs. Ning please think twice before you make a decision…”

The poison wouldn’t be removed but sealed up?! Besides, afterwards it made him infertile and tortured him every month?! And finally…shortened his life?!

No!

Tears welled to her eyes. She didn’t want them drop, so she raised her head so that she could swallow the tears.

Taking back the tears of bitterness, she composed herself and asked sadly, “Could you let him wake up first?”

It’d be better to let him make a decision.

It didn’t matter either the poison gave him pain or shortened his life. She would stay by his side.

However, …

The ancients value offspring terrible. Infertility was able to destroy all the self-esteem and dignity of a person.

What’s more, he liked children very much. In childhood, he had enjoyed the joy that his younger brother brought to him.

And now, every time Yaya dropped by, he would put down the book in his hand and teased Yaya, smiling and hearing her playing cute in her child tone, even if he had deliberately kept a distance from the Fangs.

Sometimes, when he joked with her, he always dreamed about having a few children and leading a happy and lively life together for this life.

But now…how should he accept it?!

People live in the world with different bottom lines, but they share several things, that is dignity, happiness and hope…

If this had happened, then in what did his dignity, happiness and hope lie?

This decision was too huge for her to make on half of him.

This decision wouldn’t be terribly painful but must be done by himself.

No matter what he choice was, she wouldn’t leave him.

Ning Shaoqing didn’t have a modern mindset, so she wouldn’t force him in making the decision. However, if he chose dignity, she would accompany him on the way.

Anyway, her life was given by others.

If he chose to live on, then she would also stay by his side.

There were many dink families in modern times, so why not to give it a try in the ancient time.

“Excellent that you came up with such a method.” The strange old man paced around the bucket.

This girl was really bright!

In such a case, most people would use quilt to keep the patient warm, but they didn’t know that when a patient suffered cold poison within his body, the wrapping of a quilt would not only stop the coldness from scattering out but also speed up the breakout of the poison to make the patient die faster of coldness which would even freeze the quilt.

Regarding Chuyi and Shiwu’s proficient movement of changing water, the doctor nodded, “The constant-temperature steam is indeed able to slow down the breakout of the coldness. I believe after I acupuncture him, he’ll wake up.”

Mo Qianxue gave a look and Chuiyi and Shiwu walked out of the room. Then Asan and Awu picked Ning Shaoqing up from the bucket and put him on the couch, under the doctor’s instruction.

Mo Qianxue hadn’t seen how the strange old man moved and Ning Shaoqing’s body was already full of needles. And in another blink, the needles were all gone. Mo Qianxue opened her eyes round but didn’t find out where the needles were.

Amazing! These needles seemed to have eyes and listen to his order to get in and out.

Spectacular magic! If the patient hadn’t been Ning Shaoqing, Mo Qianxue would clap hands for him and shouted encore. After the acupuncture, Ning Shaoqing slowly opened his eyes.

He chatted with Mr. Wang and when he knew Mo Qianxue’s concerned questions, he didn’t display a bit of sorrow or hesitation but only gazed intently at Mo Qianxue and at last, lips curling up at the corners, smiled.

Couldn’t this woman be implicit? She should talk before so many people of weakened function and even the word eunuch?! It seemed that she really felt left aside.

When he got well, he must make up for her.

He could still smile at this moment? Mo Qianxue, in confusion, was scared by his smile.

No… Was he driven crazy by the sudden misfortune?

She was about to say something to comfort him when Ning Shaoqing talked, “Mr. Wang, can I choose the third way?”

Ning Shaoqing leaned on the couch, with slight smile on his face, as if the patient wasn’t him at all, as if he wasn’t dying. At this moment, although his lips were still pale and he himself still looked feeble, he was in high spirit.

Before others, he became the gentle elegant lord again.

Mr. Wang was a little perplexed, “The third way?”

Ning Shaoqing replied calmly, “The third way is to take the detoxification medicine directly.”

Only the medicine with the guiding herd wouldn’t do any harm later on his body, and in future he could still be healthy and have children. Of course Mr. Wang knew what Ning Shaoqing meant, “However, we don’t have the guiding herb.” His tone was sorry. He also didn’t want such a beautiful young man to take the cruel drug.

“I have.” Ning Shaoqing’s expression remained the same calm.

“Yes, but it was polluted by toxic blood. It can’t be used.”

“Mr. Wang misunderstood me. I’ve prepared another guiding herb. Please wait for a moment.” How could he possibly put himself in danger? Certainly he had made a plan B.

“Uh…” The strange doctor found it somewhat hard to believe. But in such a condition, it would be fine for Ning Shaoqing to wait for an hour or two.

Alright. The strange doctor had been chasing after that man for many days and nights and was exhausted. He could take a rest now. Therefore, without invited by others, he sat on the chair next to the desk and fell asleep, snoring.

In the room were Asan and Awu and the strange doctor’s snoring.

The doctor was here; the sky was bright; and he made it. Ning Shaoqing pulled over to sit next to him on the couch. The couple looked at each other, speechless, but it seemed that they had said everything.

“You…” Fixing their eyes on each other for a long time without taking, the couple started at the same time and paused at the same time.

“You go first…” Again they started and paused simultaneously, followed by a smile.

It was a good day. The storm was finally over.

Asan and Awu had turned away.

The room was too warm, and Mo Qianxue’s hair and body was all sweaty. Ning Shaoqing reached out to tuck a strand of hair behind her eyes, and said lovingly, “Thank you.”

She was injured and had stayed by his side the whole night. He knew that she wouldn’t leave until his poison was cured, so he didn’t ask her go to bed.

He wanted to hug her but feared that the coldness around him would freeze her.

“You asshole! Why didn’t you tell me your plan B? I was so worried.”

“I’m not an asshole. I just didn’t want you to worry too much.”

Hearing Ning Shaoqing said that there was another guiding herb which could be obtained soon, Mo Qianxue was finally relieved. In the future, she could still give birth to cute babies and hear them sweetly calling mom and him dad. How nice!

Nevertheless, she no lingered wanted to hear the argument of ‘no match-maker or betrothal presents’ again, “If you’re not, then give me a grand wedding.”

After such a crisis, she believed, a grand wedding wasn’t too much.

Ning Shaoqing stared at Mo Qianxue.

The eyes were as deep as a lake, attracting her sight as well as herself.

Seeing Mo Qianxue’s dumb gaze, Ning Shaoqing leaned forward, whispering with full love and affection to her ear, “Yes. We’ll have a grand wedding.”