Madam Li’s maiden surname was Han, and her given name in youth was Han Xiuxiang. Her family ran a bodyguard escort business.
She was short and slight in build, but had practiced martial arts since childhood and had a strong, sturdy physique. In her teens, she had already followed her father across the country escorting shipments. Even after giving birth to three daughters and two sons, she still had a sharp, bright gaze and an alert, formidable presence.
When Old Doctor Li was still alive, she handled everything in the household and the medical clinics, big matters and small alike. After his passing, it became even more so. She was a famously formidable old madam in the surrounding area.
But the moment she saw this newly married, “ugly” young husband, Madam Li felt uncomfortable.
It wasn’t that she disliked Jian Ru’s poverty. The Li family wasn’t extremely wealthy or noble, but they lived comfortably and didn’t need to rely on in-laws.
It was just that her youngest son was the child she treasured most.
Thinking of her most handsome, most delicate son marrying someone like this made her feel deeply unsettled.
However, she had agreed to the marriage. She had even personally arranged the wedding with great care. After all, the other party was an innocent ger who had been held by her son through an entire night, not to mention that he had saved her son’s life. By reason and morality alike, marrying him into the family was only proper.
But as a mother, she still wanted the best for her child.
Back then, when Jian Ru was still unconscious at her brother-in-law’s estate, she had only glanced at him once and already felt displeased. Later, her youngest son wrote to her, saying the ger’s leg also seemed slightly impaired. That night, Madam Li tossed and turned in bed, sighing the entire night. But the next morning, she still wrote back agreeing to the marriage.
Her youngest son had willingly asked for it in earnest, pleading in his letter, so how could she bear to disappoint him?
And now, this son-in-law was standing right in front of her, smiling brightly and politely greeting her, as if the person who had just deliberately angered her in the room earlier had nothing to do with him at all.
Madam Li suppressed her anger, gave him a sidelong glance, took a sip of tea, and said lightly, “Someone has complained about you.”
“Who?” Jian Ru put his hands on his hips. “And what did they complain about me for?”
“You drove the cook out of the small kitchen?”
Jian Ru let out an “ah,” then said indignantly, “Wasn’t it better that she didn’t have to work? And she still went behind my back to complain? How petty!”
“Watch your tone,” Madam Li’s expression turned stern. “Granny Wang has been cooking for the Li family for decades. No one has ever driven her out of the kitchen before.”
“I didn’t say it to her face anyway,” Jian Ru refused to back down. “I was just talking with my own family inside the house, so what’s wrong with that? I just won’t say anything next time.”
When Madam Li heard the phrase “my own family,” her anger faded quite a bit. But she still intended to scold him a few more times when Jian Ru already pressed his hands together and quickly gave in.
“Mother, I was wrong.”
That one sentence choked the rest of her anger right back down.
“Since you’re so capable,” Madam Li took a few breaths and said, “from now on, you’ll be in charge of cooking in your own small kitchen.”
“I’ll do it, I’ll do it,” Jian Ru agreed immediately. “Don’t worry, I’ll do it properly! If I don’t understand the medicinal dishes, I’ll ask Aunt Jin.”
At that, Madam Li’s expression eased a little. She motioned for him to sit on a nearby stool and asked, “Has Jinfeng been to your room today?”
“Eldest Brother came,” Jian Ru nodded. “He said he’s a bit better than yesterday.”
Madam Li felt a little more at ease. “These next few days, take extra care. The youngest likes sour jujube cakes from Shengxiang Zhai. If he can’t eat meals, have Xiao Ning go out and buy some.”
After that, Madam Li continued giving a long list of detailed instructions, speaking for quite a while, everything down to the smallest things. It was obvious she was still uneasy, so Jian Ru obediently agreed to everything.
He also mentioned the idea of making a small bedside table. Madam Li was slightly surprised and asked, “Did the youngest agree to that?”
“What’s there to disagree with?” Jian Ru said. “Eating in bed is warmer.”
Madam Li said nothing more.
When everything had been more or less arranged, she straightened her back and said, “Alright, it’s getting late. Go back.”
Jian Ru stood up and was about to take his leave when, as if thinking of something, he walked back a few steps toward her, saying, “I heard your back has been hurting these past two days.”
Hearing his concern, Madam Li’s expression softened a little. “Just an old issue from when I used to take the younger ones around,” she answered. “It’s nothing serious.”
However, Jian Ru bent down and supported her arm, offering, “Let me massage it for you.”
“Enough,” Madam Li waved him off. “I appreciate the thought, but don’t go showing off your filial piety here.”
Jian Ru ignored her, simply holding her arm and, like a bandit… hauling her straight onto the bed to lie face down.
“You little rascal!” Madam Li immediately cursed. “Our household is full of doctors; do you really need to show off your massage skills in front of me?!”
“Just try it.” But Jian Ru had already rolled up his sleeves and started pressing. “My mother used to have back pain too; she said my massage worked really well.”
Madam Li naturally knew about his family background. Hearing this, she fell silent and, resigned, lay there and let him continue. Jian Ru pressed with full effort, without cutting corners, and his technique actually hit the right points quite accurately.
After a while, Madam Li said, “Alright, that’s enough. I feel much better.”
Jian Ru helped her sit up, then served her a cup of warm water before properly taking his leave.
The door creaked open and closed again.
Aunt Jin was tidying up the washing items while secretly observing Madam Li’s expression.
The old Madam sat at the edge of the bed. The anger on her face had long disappeared, though she still muttered, “…That little rascal.”
Aunt Jin couldn’t help but turn her head away and smile.
After scolding a bit more, Madam Li said, “Go find someone to make a bed table for the youngest’s room.”
Aunt Jin was surprised. “But before, when we suggested a bed table for eating in bed, the Second Young Master refused no matter what.”
“If the wife says it,” Madam Li rolled her eyes slightly and a bit sourly, “he’ll agree.”
……………….
When Jian Ru returned to the room, unexpectedly, Li Jintong had already woken up.
Xiao Ning was busy mixing warm water in the washbasin. Seeing him come back, he lowered his voice and said, “He woke up not long after you left. He even vomited once earlier.”
“Did he rinse his mouth?” Jian Ru asked.
“He did,” Xiao Ning replied, “and he also drank some water.”
Jian Ru rolled up his sleeves, washed the cloth, wrung it dry, and hurried to the bedside.
Half the bed curtain was drawn back. From his angle, he could see a pale hand resting outside the quilt at the edge of the bed. The wrist was so thin that the bones stood out sharply, blue veins clearly visible beneath the skin.
Jian Ru stepped into the bed curtain and saw Li Jintong lying on his side with his eyes closed, face buried into the pillow. His complexion was deathly pale, his illness severe, and he was coughing hard, tendons standing out at his neck.
Jian Ru crouched by the bed and waited until the coughing subsided. Then he wiped his forehead, cheeks, and neck with the cloth. He even reached under his collar to wipe his armpits, and only then did Li Jintong struggle slightly.
“Almost done,” Jian Ru hurriedly soothed him.
Li Jintong stopped resisting. Jian Ru quickly finished wiping him, handed the cloth to Xiao Ning, and instructed him to go cook another bowl of porridge. Then he took off his cotton robe, returned to the bedside, and held the man’s hand. Feeling the heat of his skin, he asked softly, “Is it very uncomfortable?”
Li Jintong did not answer. He only frowned tightly, eyes closed, gripping Jian Ru’s hand. After thinking for a moment, Jian Ru climbed onto the bed and let him rest his head on his lap.
He had just come in from outside, so his hands were still a little cool. When he gently pressed them against both of Li Jintong’s temples, it eased some of the unbearable heat, and the furrow between Li Jintong’s brows gradually relaxed.
Jian Ru massaged him while coaxing him in a soft voice, “Sleep a little more. You’ll feel better when you fall asleep.”
That night, Li Jintong woke once more later on, ate a few spoonfuls of porridge, and Jian Ru massaged his temples again for a while before he finally fell into deep sleep.
Jian Ru took care of him meticulously every day, to the point that he himself grew thinner, yet he felt no complaint at all; on the contrary, he was quite willing. Even such days were far better than how he had lived in the past three years.
Besides, when the Second Young Master was ill, he was still extremely good-looking, clear-eyed, and elegant. Jian Ru looked at him every day and felt his heart soften; no matter how tired he was, it felt worth it.
Li Jintong noticed that he had lost weight, but said nothing. After the first couple of days, he no longer called for Jian Ru at night. Until one night, when Jian Ru got up to relieve himself, he happened to notice that although the man beside him looked like he was sleeping soundly with his eyes closed, a closer look revealed something was wrong: his face was tense, veins standing out on his forehead. Jian Ru immediately realized he was enduring discomfort and pretending to sleep.
After that, Jian Ru became more alert when sleeping, checking on him every so often.
Normally, a common cold would clear up in one or two days if mild, or six or seven days if more severe. But Li Jintong’s illness dragged on for more than ten days before he finally recovered. However, Li Jinfeng said this was already because Jian Ru had taken such good care of him… previously, it was common for him to be ill for over a month.
Hearing that, Jian Ru sighed inwardly at how difficult Li Jintong’s life had been.
After being ill for over ten days, Li Jintong finally wanted to take a proper bath now that he had mostly recovered.
Jian Ru did not dare let him bathe casually and went to ask Li Jinfeng. Only after confirming that it was fine as long as the room was kept warm and no wind blew in, and that adding medicinal herbs like goji fruits and ginger to the bathwater would also help recovery, did he feel reassured.
Therefore, he had Xiao Ning bring back the herbs and had a large pot of water boiled and prepared.
T.N: If you like his novel, you can read up to chapter 23 on my Patreon, with new updates coming every week!
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