My Cold-Hearted Wife Chapter 54

Cheng Danruo had not forgotten that she had come to the capital to treat Lady Hong.

The next day, she rose early to wash and dress, then went to the main courtyard to pay her respects to her “adoptive mother.”

Lady Hong was somewhat surprised. Smiling, she had someone call her in and serve tea and refreshments. To Yan Hongzhi, who was combing his hair, she said, “This child is far too polite.”

“Having lived under others’ roofs since childhood, she can’t help but be careful in everything,” Yan Hongzhi said, adjusting his beautiful beard in the mirror. “Only if we accept it will the child feel at ease.”

“Do you think I don’t know that?” Lady Hong had spoken with her husband half the night and had clarified the whole matter. She felt considerable goodwill toward Cheng Danruo and sighed, “She probably got up at the crack of dawn. The poor thing.”

She shook her head and, without dawdling, finished getting ready and went to the front.

Cheng Danruo was just having tea and refreshments. Seeing her arrive, she made a deep curtsy. “Peace to you, Mother.”

“Please, no need for such formalities.” Lady Hong smiled and said kindly, “I know you mean well, but tomorrow you needn’t get up so early. It’s fine to sleep a little longer.”

Cheng Danruo assented softly, then stated her purpose. “I wonder if you have any free time. I would like to take your pulse.”

Her eldest son had been married for many years, and Lady Hong had long since handed the household affairs to her daughter-in-law to manage, while she herself enjoyed a life of leisure. Hearing this, she said, “I am a person of leisure. When would you like to do it?”

“If you don’t mind, how about now?”

On the Essential Subtleties of Pulse Diagnosis says: The method of diagnosis is ordinarily carried out at dawn, when the yin qi has not yet stirred, the yang qi has not yet dispersed, food and drink have not entered, the meridians are not yet full, the collateral vessels are harmoniously regulated, and the qi and blood are not yet disordered – thus one may diagnose abnormal pulses.

In other words, it is best to diagnose right after waking in the morning before eating breakfast, much like going to the hospital to draw blood for tests.

Cheng Danruo was not very confident in her pulse-reading skills and wanted to be as cautious as possible, so she could take the pulse more accurately.

Seeing her caution, Lady Hong actually found it amusing. She nodded and said, “All right.”

Cheng Danruo then took out a pulse pillow and felt her pulse.

The pulse was floating, thin, and soft – perceptible with light pressure but not with heavy pressure. She then examined the tongue coating: yellow and greasy, a typical sign of damp-heat.

After pondering for a moment, she said, “Mother, since we are both women, I will ask you directly.”

Lady Hong was advanced in years and was naturally not as reserved as a young girl. “Ask what?”

“Is your menstruation regular? Does it come early? Is the flow heavy or light?”

Lady Hong gave a light cough, but was quite candid. “It always comes a few days early, and the flow is heavy.”

Cheng Danruo said, “Is it bright red? And do you often have abdominal pain?”

Lady Hong nodded.

“It is a case of damp-heat,” she said.

Lady Hong had seen a doctor. “Doctor Bai said the same and prescribed me Wenjing Soup.”

Cheng Danruo asked, “Did it work?”

“It always helped somewhat.” Lady Hong had had this condition for quite a few years. Every time her period came, her whole body felt unwell, with abdominal pain and fatigue. She had taken medicine, and it helped more or less, but it had never been cured.

As time went on, she stopped taking it seriously and just let it be.

Cheng Danruo thought for a while and asked, “Did the symptoms appear after childbirth? Were they more severe at the beginning?”

Lady Hong sighed, “Indeed. It has been many years now. At that time I had a child, but couldn’t keep it…” As she spoke, she realized it was inappropriate and quickly stopped, “Why am I telling you all this?”

Cheng Danruo, however, showed no change in expression. She thought to herself: history of miscarriage, abdominal pain, accumulated damp-heat… this should be chronic pelvic inflammatory disease that developed because acute pelvic inflammatory disease was not properly treated.

Since a formula had already been prescribed based on accumulated damp-heat, taking more medicine to regulate qi and blood would not be of much use.

She might as well try anti-inflammatory and antibacterial treatment.

“I would like to prescribe ‘Taohe Chengqi Soup’ for you. The main ingredients are peach kernel, cassia twig, rhubarb, licorice, and mirabilite,” Cheng Danruo said. “Combined with daily acupuncture and moxibustion, perhaps there can be some improvement.”

Lady Hong nodded. If it could be cured, no one wanted to suffer.

Cheng Danruo laid aside one worry, and her brow relaxed considerably. She smiled and said, “Then every day after the midday rest, I will come to administer acupuncture for you. That will be more convenient for you as well.”

“You are too kind.” Lady Hong patted her hand. Seeing that her hairpins and ornaments were plain, she called a maid to bring her dressing case and picked out a jade bracelet for her. “Yesterday was rushed, and I forgot to give you this. All the children in our family have jade; you cannot be without one.”

The jade bracelet was made of Hetian jade seed material. Its quality was neither good nor bad, worth about a hundred taels of silver. Although Cheng Danruo did not care for such things, a gift from an elder could not be declined. Lady Hong intended to elevate her, and she could not fail to appreciate the kindness. She quickly accepted it with both hands and put it on at once.

Lady Hong, however, secretly regretted it when she saw this.

It was not that the white jade bracelet was bad. Cheng Danruo had a fair complexion and could carry off its quality. But her whole person was so plain and subdued. White jade was certainly noble, clear, and gentle, yet it hardly brought out any color in her.

She awkwardly picked up her teacup and took a sip to moisten her throat. After a moment, she asked, “The weather improves by the day. Have autumn clothes been prepared?”

Cheng Danruo said, “You have taken great trouble. I have them all.”

“If anything is lacking, speak up freely.” Lady Hong said warmly, “Your father and I have only two sons. From childhood to adulthood, they have never been easy to set one’s mind at ease about. Now that we can have a daughter to bring us joy, it is thanks to heaven’s favor.”

Even though she knew these were polite words, Cheng Danruo still felt extremely awkward. After a long pause, she responded, “It is my good fortune instead.”

Lady Hong was amused. Smiling, she looked at her for a while and said, “Coming so early today, you have not eaten yet, have you? Are you hungry?”

Cheng Danruo said apologetically, “I have delayed your meal.”

“What does that matter? It is just right for you to eat with me.” Lady Hong had someone set the table.

The Yan family ate simply. The staple foods were plain congee, noodles, steamed buns, accompanied by four dishes of pickles on a platter, one or two dishes of fermented vegetables, sauce made from venison and pheasant, one dish of pork, one dish of smoked fish, and several boiled eggs.

There was also a bowl of hot milk.

“You lived in the south for several years. I do not know whether you are used to this,” Lady Hong said. “Milk is a little gamey and not easy to drink. If you do not like it, do not force yourself.”

Cheng Danruo said, “I often drank it in childhood. It is no problem.” Her body had grown more and more like that of a modern person, so lactose intolerance naturally did not exist. She drank the whole bowl without any change in expression.

After the meal, before Lady Hong could speak, she took her leave herself.

“I still need to write a prescription for you.”

Lady Hong did not detain her and ordered a maid to escort her.

Returning to the small courtyard, Cheng Danruo immediately wrote out the prescription and handed it to Xi Que. “This is Madam’s prescription. Give it to Madam’s people. I have written out all the instructions for its use.”

Xi Que responded briskly, “Yes, I will go at once.”

With the proper business done, Cheng Danruo could finally take a breather and sit down to finish her needlework. Lady Hong had given her a jade bracelet, so her return gift of respect could not be delayed any longer. She needed to hurry and finish knotting the cord.

Zi Su quietly edged closer and asked in a low voice, “Miss, Xi Que says the little young master born to First Madam has already reached his full month. Should we make something to send over?”

Cheng Danruo said helplessly, “I don’t know how.”

Currying favor with the eldest madam was the right thing to do. To establish herself in the Yan family, she had to build good relations with the mistresses of two generations. But her sewing skills were limited to making undergarments for herself and sewing menstrual belts. Children’s things were the hardest to make. Rather than muddle through, it was better not to make anything at all.

After all, “adoptive daughter” was merely a title. It was better to regard herself as a family physician.

Since she was a family physician, there was no need to do work outside her proper role, lest she seem overly sycophantic and instead be looked down upon.

She simply stayed in her room to read.

She had already read most of the minor Four Books used for elementary education earlier. Since she did not need to take the imperial examinations anyway, the first recitation was only for the sake of gaining familiarity. Forgetting some details did not matter.

While she was still in the Yan family, it would be best to read the Four Books through once.

According to Zhu Xi: “First read the Great Learning to establish the framework; next read the Analects to establish the foundation; next read Mencius to observe its expansiveness; next read the Doctrine of the Mean to seek the subtle points of the ancients.”

At present, Cheng Danruo was still at the stage of reading the Great Learning.

She had never read these Confucian classics through in the past. Now that she had no choice but to read them, she had actually gained quite a lot.

For example, the opening passage discussed the principles of conducting oneself in the world.

“Knowing where to rest, one may then be settled.” Only by knowing the state one wishes to reach can one have firm resolve.

Cheng Danruo agreed. She hoped she could live like a human being in ancient times. That was why she had resolved to leave the Chen family and establish herself through medical skill.

“Being settled, one may then be calm; being calm, one may then be at peace.” Only with firm resolve can one be calm and not restless; only with calmness can one be at peace in heart.

This also made sense. Only when one cannot see the road ahead does one become anxious. She knew what she wanted, so she would not be troubled by marriage, nor would she concern herself with a lost romantic fate.

“Being at peace, one may then deliberate; having deliberated, one may then attain.” Only with peace in the heart can one think things through thoroughly; only after thinking things through thoroughly can one handle matters properly.

Cheng Danruo’s earlier choices and decisions had come precisely from this principle.

It could be seen that although Confucian thought has certain limitations, it runs through the veins of Chinese civilization. Even a modern person can draw inspiration from it.

Of course, the later parts about cultivating oneself, regulating the family, governing the state, and bringing peace to the world, as well as the duties of ruler and minister, parent and child, needed to be viewed dialectically with the eyes of later generations.

What interested Cheng Danruo most was the doctrine of “investigating things to extend knowledge,” a common intellectual weapon for transmigrators. “It means that if one wishes to extend one’s knowledge, one must investigate the things in the world and exhaust their principles.” This could be interpreted as the necessity of scientific inquiry.

As for the chapter “The gentleman is cautious when alone,” it also required careful understanding. This was the thought advocated by the School of Mind.

She was just reading intently when Xi Que returned and brought with her a summons from Yan Hongzhi. “Miss, the master asks you to the study in the front courtyard.”

Cheng Danruo did not know what it was about and said at once, “Lead the way.”

Xi Que led her out through the side passage, along the winding covered corridor, out the decorative hanging-flower gate, and handed her over to Mo Dian, who was waiting there.

Mo Dian said, “Sorry to trouble you to make the trip.”

“I serve the young lady. It is my duty.” Xi Que stood properly at the gate. “Miss, I will wait here.”

Mo Dian said, “The master has called Miss Cheng to read. I am afraid she will not be back for quite a while.”

Cheng Danruo had not expected this, so she smiled and said, “Xi Que, go back first. I already remember the way.”

“How could that be proper?” Mo Dian quickly said. “When the time comes, I will find someone to escort the young lady.”

Only then did Xi Que go back.

Cheng Danruo followed Mo Dian to the study. Before she could curtsy and greet him, Yan Hongzhi said, “It was inconvenient to practice writing on the boat. Now that you are back, there is no more delaying.”

He handed her a copybook and said, “You are a girl. You must be dignified, yet not petty. Yan style is still the best.”

Cheng Danruo had no objection. “Yes.”

Yan Hongzhi asked again, “Has the place been tidied up?”

Another servant, one with an unfamiliar face and somewhat older, smiled at Cheng Danruo and said warmly, “It was ordered this morning, and it was tidied up by noon.”

Yan Hongzhi nodded in satisfaction. “Dan-niang, come with me.”

He walked out of the main room and went straight into the small side room on the west. It was not large inside. There was only a writing desk, a row of bookshelves, and, farther in, a screen, behind which were a chamber pot and a washbasin.

On the desk were displayed a brush rack with various brushes hanging from it, a porcelain brush rest, a white stone inkstone with cloud patterns, and a new inkstick.

“From today on, you will read and practice writing here. Every day you must write large characters for a full hour. I will teach you books for another half hour, and there will be tests every other day. If you cannot recite three times, then in the future you need not study with me anymore.”

Yan Hongzhi stared into her eyes and asked, “Do you understand?”

Cheng Danruo immediately became solemn. “Yes.”

“Very good.” Yan Hongzhi stroked his beard and smiled, becoming kindly again. “I have not taught for many years, and there is no desk in the house specially prepared for a girl. This was back then…”

He stroked the desk as if not quite certain. “I remember, it seems it was used when the third young master studied with me?”

The older servant beside him said, “Yes, you have a good memory, Master.”

“How time flies.” Yan Hongzhi sighed twice, then said to her, “The rules for studying here are that no maids or young servants are allowed to attend you. You must manage everything yourself.”

Cheng Danruo had no objection. “I understand.”

Yan Hongzhi looked at her and smiled with deep meaning. “That is very good.”