Chapter 114: The Token of Gratitude from the Yuan Couple

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“Your kindness in saving my life is greater than the heavens, Miss Wei. You are more than worthy of this courtesy,” Yuan Zhengqin said.

Madam Yuan smiled. “Miss Wei, there is no need to feel awkward. If you refuse my husband’s gesture, he will feel uneasy.”

Wei Ruo could say no more.

Madam Yuan then had the wet nurse bring over a six-month-old baby.

He had a plump little face, fair and round, and a pair of large, bright eyes that gazed at Wei Ruo with undisguised curiosity.

Though he could not yet speak, he was not shy in the least. He merely grinned at Wei Ruo.

“Little Sheng must recognize the woman who saved his life. Look at him smiling the moment he sees you,” Madam Yuan said with a laugh.

She then asked Wei Ruo to hold the child. “His name is Fu Sheng. That he was able to come into this world is entirely thanks to your blessings.”

Wei Ruo took the child into her arms. The little one kept laughing, waving his tiny hands excitedly, as though he truly remembered Wei Ruo and was delighted to see her again.

Infectious as his laughter was, it brought a smile of joy to Wei Ruo’s face.

After playing with Fu Sheng for a while, Wei Ruo returned him to Madam Yuan.

Madam Yuan had the wet nurse take the child away to feed him.

Looking at Madam Yuan, Wei Ruo took the initiative to say, “If you do not mind, may I take your pulse?”

Madam Yuan looked surprised.

“I heard that you have been suffering from weakness ever since giving birth,” Wei Ruo said.

At once, Lord Yuan spoke up from the side. “Yes. My wife often breaks into a cold sweat at night. She cannot tolerate anything cold, and she tires easily. She also suffers from headaches and back pain. We have consulted many physicians and tried countless medicines over the past six months, but nothing has helped.”

Perhaps Miss Wei could find a way to improve his wife’s condition.

Lord Yuan looked deeply earnest, his face filled with concern for Madam Yuan. The fact that he could describe her symptoms so precisely made it clear that his concern was genuine.

“I will take your pulse first,” Wei Ruo said.

She sat beside Madam Yuan and placed her fingers against her wrist.

Lord and Madam Yuan held their breath, not daring to make the slightest sound lest they disturb her.

After a while, Wei Ruo withdrew her hand. “I will write you a prescription shortly. Several of the ingredients are rather rare. If you can gather them all, decoct them by boiling eight bowls of water down to one, then have Madam Yuan take one dose before bed each day. Continue the treatment for a month to begin with.”

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“Very well! Write whatever you need, Miss Wei. No matter how rare the medicinal ingredients, I will do everything in my power to find them!” Yuan Zhengqin promised.

Wei Ruo wrote out the prescription and handed it to him.

Yuan Zhengqin accepted it with great care. After bidding Wei Ruo farewell, he took the prescription to his study, intending to make a copy and immediately send people out to purchase the required ingredients.

After Yuan Zhengqin left, Madam Yuan said, “Miss Wei, I truly do not know how to thank you. Not only did you save my life and Sheng’s, but now you are helping restore my health as well.”

“There is no need to be so formal, Madam Yuan. Besides, you helped me these past two days as well,” Wei Ruo replied.

“That was merely a small favor.” Madam Yuan did not consider what she had done the day before worthy of repayment.

Wei Ruo shook her head. “What was a small favor to you was a tremendous help to me.”

Madam Yuan smiled. “I do not care what you say. I have prepared another gift for you, and you must accept it.”

Wei Ruo looked at her curiously.

Madam Yuan brought out a box and opened it. Inside lay a land deed and a property deed.

“These are the deeds to a manor outside Taizhou Prefecture, along with a thousand acres of fertile farmland.”

Land in Taizhou Prefecture was considerably more expensive than in Xingshan County. A thousand acres of fertile fields there would cost at least several thousand taels of silver, perhaps even more.

Moreover, Taizhou Prefecture was home to many powerful families, while fertile farmland was scarce. At times, even those with money could not purchase it.

Madam Yuan explained, “I know these things may seem rather ordinary, but I could not think of anything better at the moment. My husband reminded me that you have been teaching people in Xingshan County how to reclaim wasteland and cultivate fields, so you must have considerable knowledge in this area. We thought it would be better to give you some fertile land. It can serve as a means of support, and you can also put it to good use.”

The previous night, Madam Yuan and Lord Yuan had discussed today’s gift at length.

A life-saving favor could never be settled with a mere spoken word of thanks.

Even if Wei Ruo had simply left without asking for any reward, they, as the recipients of her kindness, could never pretend that nothing had happened.

Yet if they wished to express their gratitude, they had to find an appropriate way to do so, and the gift had to be suitable.

Since Wei Ruo did not want others to know that she possessed medical skills, the Yuan family could not openly send a large quantity of gold, silver, and valuables to the Wei residence. They needed to give her something that she could carry and keep discreetly.

Thus, they had thought of land and property.

It had to be said that Lord and Madam Yuan had chosen a gift that struck directly at Wei Ruo’s heart.

Wei Ruo did not continue to exchange polite refusals with Madam Yuan. Instead, she openly expressed her delight.

“I truly like this gift very much, Madam.”

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Madam Yuan was pleased to hear this. “Your liking it is all that matters. I will send someone to the authorities shortly to register the property in your name. Do not worry. I will handle everything quietly and make sure no one outside learns of it.”

Madam Yuan knew that since Wei Ruo intended to conceal her medical abilities from the Wei family, she certainly would not want the other members of that family to know about the land and property registered under her name.

“Thank you, Madam!” Wei Ruo said, genuinely grateful.

“What are you thanking me for? This is precisely how my husband and I intend to repay you. Why are you thanking us instead?”

“I still must thank you for considering everything so carefully and sparing me so much trouble,” Wei Ruo replied.

Madam Yuan spoke gently. “It is only what I ought to do. When you saved me that day, you were considerate beyond words. As I lay in pain and despair, the sound of your voice rang out like music from heaven and pulled me back from the gates of death.”

Wei Ruo smiled faintly.

Madam Yuan then took her hand and began chatting with her. “To be honest, I specifically invited the Wei family from distant Xingshan County to this garden gathering because I wanted to meet you.”

“Was it because of the reclamation of the wasteland south of Xingshan County?” Wei Ruo asked.

Madam Yuan nodded. “Exactly. I wonder if you know that this year, it is not only Xingshan County that has suffered a poor harvest. The entire Taizhou Prefecture is facing the same problem.”

A shortage of grain throughout the whole of Taizhou Prefecture was a serious headache for Yuan Zhengqin, who served as its prefect.

“I have heard a little about it,” Wei Ruo said. She had already learned of the matter.

“Before I knew that you were the one who saved me, I already wanted to meet you and ask your opinion on how to increase grain production throughout Taizhou Prefecture. That is why I specially invited the Wei family to this garden gathering,” Madam Yuan explained.

Wei Mingting was a military officer, while Yuan Zhengqin was a civil official. Although Yuan Zhengqin held a higher rank than Wei Mingting, he could not summon him directly. Madam Yuan had therefore used the opportunity of the garden gathering to send an invitation to the Commandant’s Residence.

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