Chapter 193 – The Old Madam is from a Scholarly Family (part 7)

Li Yu’s body was getting better day by day. Liu Yingniang’s belly was also getting bigger day by day. The small private school at home was also open. Li Yuan and Li Ru had more playmates and were happier. The yard was filled with the laughter of children.

There were also neighbors who knew that the Li family opened a small private school. They also knew that the Ling family sent their children there, so they also wanted to send their children to the Li family to study. Li Su said that Li Yu’s body had not recovered yet, so he would not accept many people for the time being. After he recovered, then he may find a place to open a private school. At that time, everyone would be welcome to send their children to study.

When the neighbors heard that they were going to open a private school that would be done in a formal and regular way, their enthusiasm was not very high. After all, in this day and age, not everyone could read.

Li Su did not force it either. Seeing this, Li Yu secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He was really afraid that those people would agree without saying a word if his mother really made him open a private school to teach and educate people.

The life of the Li family seemed to have leveled off.

Li Su had been waiting to see when Li Yu’s fox tail would be exposed.

One month later in the event after Li Su had washed up, she suddenly heard movement outside when she was about to enter the space to pour a glass of red wine.

Li Su hurriedly sat upright and saw that it was Li Yu knocking on the door. “Mother, can I come in?”

When Li Su heard it was him, she got up, put on a coat, and sat down at the table.

“Come in.”

After Li Yu came in, he saw that his mother had changed into her pajamas. It seemed that she was going to sleep. Li Yu lowered his eyes. “Mother, I hope I didn’t bother you?”

Li Su was helpless. Why did he come over here? “Come in and sit. It is late. Is there something wrong?” Li Su poured a cup of tea for Li Yu.

Li Yu said that he had not made any progress in his studies for a long time and wanted to go out to study.

Li Su understood as soon as she heard it. He was here to ask for money. “That’s a good thing. But before you go, you have to get the children settled. How much money do you need?”

Li Yu cleared his throat. “Money is secondary. I thought about how inconvenient it would be to go out alone, so I wanted to buy a book boy to follow me. It would be good to have someone to take care of.”

Li Su thought about the scholars in the TV series. A book boy and a little servant seemed to be standard, so she nodded. “Okay, go back and pick one yourself.” So sleepy. Li Su couldn’t help but yawn. Then she kept yawning and couldn’t stop.

Seeing this, Li Yu was secretly happy. It was the best time to talk when his mother was dozing off.

“Mother, can your son ask you a question? How much money does our family have now?”

Li Su yawned. “You want to know?”

Li Yu took the opportunity and said, “Mother, you said before that I am now the head of the family and I have to take up the responsibility of the head of the family. So I think that, in the future, I will take care of these things. What do you think? Of course, every time I spend money, it will give mother a purpose.”

Li Su laughed twice. “You are very reasonable. Yes, I’ll answer!”

Li Yu was ecstatic in his heart and his hands were shaking with excitement. He didn’t expect it to be so easy! It’s a shame he spent so long preparing!

Li Su opened the cabinet by the bed and took out a locked box. “All of our family’s property is here.”

Li Yu stared. Wasn’t his mother the best at hiding things? Why was it so casually placed without even a lock?

Li Yu took it. No, this weight was wrong! It was too light! It was possibly all silver notes. Li Yu comforted himself like this, and then opened the box.

“This…” Inside was the family’s household registration and the deed of the old house. Li Yu was stunned. This was not what he wanted!

“This is all our family’s property. It isn’t much. Oh, and the Zuo Kui family’s deed. But the Zuo Kui family was bought by me with my money, and they are mine so the deed is not in here.” Li Su yawned with tears leaking from her eyes.

“Mother, that’s not what I said,” Li Yu said anxiously.

“Then what are you talking about? Oh, I see. You are thinking about your mother’s dowry, aren’t you? Haha, Li Yu, Li Yu, you are really promising! After spending your wife’s dowry, you have started thinking about your mother’s dowry!” Li Su folded her arms and sneered.

Li Yu stood up quickly. “Mother, I don’t mean it that way. We are all a family, so there’s no need to be so clear about it!”

“You are bullying me for not having read about Daqi’s laws, isn’t that right?” Li Su said angrily. “Even if you don’t talk about Daqi’s laws, a woman’s dowry is the woman’s own property, I’m also still alive. It is my dowry and not things for you to do as you see fit!”

“Mother! You were not like this before.” Li Yu was embarrassed.

“Yeah, I wasn’t like this before, so get used to it! After you’ve finished with your wife’s dowry, you’ve begun to think about your mother’s dowry. I have raised you for so many years, and the money I spent on you is enough to raise a man well. But what about you? After reading books for so many years, you are only a scholar! You haven’t accomplished anything! I don’t only have you as a son, but I also have my grandchildren and the one in Yingniang’s belly! If you annoy me, I’ll throw you out the door. We’ll see who you can rely on then! Do you expect a silver tael that month?” The more Li Su said, the angrier she became. She took out the feather duster from the vase and struck.

“Mother! Mother!” Li Yu knelt down quickly, not daring to hide much. He took a few hard blows. The pain was terrible.

The movement in the room alarmed the others. Liu Yingniang came over. When she saw that Li Yu was being beaten, she immediately knelt in front of Li Yu, holding her stomach. “Mother, calm down. Don’t get angry.”

“I have nothing to be angry about. I haven’t raised a good son in my life so I deserve this!” Li Su said angrily while sitting there. She threw the feather duster in her hand to the side.

“Mother! What did Husband Yu do to make you so angry?” Liu Yingniang was relieved to see Li Su throw away the feather duster.

“He… Why are you still standing there? Help your wife get up first. She is still pregnant with your child!” Li Su said angrily.

Li Yu quickly helped Liu Yingniang get up. He then graciously helped her sit down.

“He’s my son. What else can I do to him? Why are you here when you’re pregnant? It’s dark outside. What if you fall?” Li Su looked at Liu Yingniang’s big belly and complained. “However, you are only six months pregnant, so why is your belly so big? Could you be having twins again? Have you seen the doctor? What did the doctor say?”

Liu Yingniang shook her head. In the past few months, she ate well, slept well, and didn’t feel uncomfortable, so she didn’t see the doctor.

“How can you not see a doctor? I’ll ask the doctor to check your pulse tomorrow to see if you are having twins. Go to the doctor early tomorrow, and also invite Doctor Xu from Tongren Pharmacy. He is best at gynecology and obstetrics,” Li Su ordered.

Li Yu was still in pain. When he heard that, he nodded quickly. “Got it.”

“Also, don’t go on your study tour. Just now, I didn’t have a clear mind and didn’t think much about it. Your wife is about to give birth, so what kind of study are you travelling for?” Li Su said.

Li Yu’s eyes widened. Yingniang would give birth to a child. What did that have to do with him? Why couldn’t he go to study abroad? But he was still smart. He knew that his mother was in a bad mood right now. If he said this, then he may be scolded again. He had to bow his head and acquiesce. But, it was also strange. His mother was not like this before!

This was indeed his mother. After all, some of her habitual gestures and expressions proved that this was his mother.

So what was going on?

The next day, when Li Yu went to Tongren Pharmacy to invite Doctor Xu. Seemingly unintentionally, he asked, “Doctor Xu, you have a lot of knowledge. What do you think of a person, who is good-natured, changing their temperament? But, their usual movements and expressions are the same as before!”

Doctor Xu stroked his beard. “In the Inner Canon of the Yellow Emperor1, it is said that when women reach a certain age, they will show obvious signs of aging. The three yang meridians are weakened at the top, the surface is all scorched, and the hair begins to turn white. As they continue to age, the Ren meridian is deficient. The Taichong meridian also declines, they stop having their period, and they become illogical. Their body shape is bad and they can’t have children. Most women in this age group are moody, irritable, easy to anger, and have mood swings.”

Li Yu suddenly realised that his mother was turning 45 this year. No wonder her temperament had drastically changed. It was almost like she was a different person. It turned out that this was an illness! He just said it!

“Doctor, is there any medicine for relief?” Li Yu asked quickly.

“She can eat some sweet barley and red date soup. This disease is a knot in the heart, and the patient needs to adjust by herself. The medicine is only an aid,” said Doctor Xu.

Li Yu nodded. Okay, he considered himself to be a dutiful son. Now that his mother was ill, he didn’t fuss over her anymore. He was so benevolent and righteous. He was very relieved to think that his mother would recover in the future.

Li Su did not expect that Li Yu would associate her transformation with menopause. In fact, Li Yu’s guess was correct. The original owner did indeed have menopause, but she was reluctant to vent at her son. Liu Yingniang was the only target of her venting. Therefore, the image of the original owner in Li Yu’s heart was always so wonderful.

After Doctor Xu checked on Liu Yingniang, he confirmed that she was indeed pregnant with twins.

Li Yu was overjoyed. Having more offspring was the foundation of the prosperous family! His eyes were full of joy when he looked at Liu Yingniang’s towering belly.

Li Yuan and Li Ru were also happy!

Li Su was a little worried. When a woman gave birth, she was risking her life. It was dangerous. Even in the era when Li Su lived, the medical level was so high, but there were still dangerous situations such as amniotic fluid embolisms. The current medical level was far worse…

Additionally, Liu Yingniang was having twins.

Li Su was worried, and said to Doctor Xu, “Doctor Xu, how is my daughter-in-law’s health? Should she eat less? If the child is not big, would it be easier to give birth?”

Dr. Xu was a little surprised. Most people only asked how the foetus was, and rarely asked about the pregnant woman. This old lady was not bad. She deserved to be an old lady of a scholar family. She was more knowledgeable than the average person.

“The lady is in good condition during this pregnancy and her body is okay. As for what the old lady said about eating less, it’s fine. If you supplement too much, the foetus will be too large, and the lady may suffer a lot when giving birth in the future,” said Doctor Xu.

Li Su was relieved. “Doctor Xu, until my daughter-in-law gives birth, I would like to invite Doctor Xu to come to my house on the first and fifteenth day of every month to check the situation for my daughter-in-law. When my daughter-in-law is giving birth, I will have to trouble Doctor Xu too. I will pay double the consultation fee!”

As soon as she said these words, everyone was stunned. Liu Yingniang was a little embarrassed. Li Yu also said, “Mother, there’s no need for it. Women giving birth to children is a common occurrence, so there is no need to be so cautious.”

1.(黃帝內經) The Inner Canon of the Yellow Emperor: a medical text from 300 BC that has been treated as the fundamental source for Chinese medicine for more than 2 millenia. Not sure if I translated the doctor’s meaning accurately though, sorry

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huangdi_Neijing