Chapter 50 The Eldest Sister-in-law’s Decision

Chapter 50: The Eldest Daughter-in-Law's Decision

The ice in the cellar only lasted about two days. Jian Ru couldn't stand to let the leftover ice go to waste, so he had Xiao Ning send some to his siblings.

Even so, there was plenty left, which helped him get through the worst of the pain.

However, he overindulged with the ice, eating and using it without restraint. The Second Young Master, though worried, could not dissuade him and eventually let him be. On the third day after the surgery, Jian Ru came down with a fever.

This terrified Li Jintong.

Although Jian Ru had many cuts on his face, none were serious or life-threatening. At worst, they might leave slightly more noticeable scars. But a fever could signal serious complications.

The surgery itself was not the danger; the real threat was the risk of uncontrollable infection afterward. Even a small wound could be fatal.

Despite Jin Rong and Jin Tong having taken all possible precautions, no one could guarantee there would be no infection.

When Jin Rong was summoned in a hurry by Xiao Ning, she found Jian Ru with a flushed face and neck from the fever, though he was still in good spirits. Seeing her enter, he smiled and called out, "Second Sister."

Jin Rong then glanced at her younger brother-in-law, Li Jintong, who was sitting by the bedside. His eyelids were red, his face pale, and when he looked up at her, his expression was filled with panic.

Alarmed by his appearance, Jin Rong wasted no time. She washed her hands, approached the bed, carefully removed the bandages on Jian Ru’s face, and examined him closely. She checked his forehead and neck and asked, "Does your stomach feel uncomfortable?"

Jian Ru nodded. "A little bloated and tender."

After observing, listening, questioning, and checking, Jin Rong relaxed and tsked, "You’ve had too much ice."

Hearing this, Jian Ru looked sheepish.

The Second Young Master suddenly relaxed, leaning against the bedpost.

Jin Rong scowled and scolded her younger brother, "And you call yourself a doctor? You’re just spoiling him."

With that, she left.

The two in the room looked at each other. Just as Jian Ru was about to speak, the Second Young Master leaned down and gently embraced him.

Jian Ru felt the lingering intensity of his emotions and gently rubbed his back for a while.

After a moment, the Second Young Master stood up, calmer now, and examined Jian Ru’s face. "I'll redress your bandages," he said.

Jian Ru held his wrist. "I want to see for myself."

The Second Young Master did not stop him and went to fetch a bronze mirror.

Jian Ru had expected to see a bloody, crusted mess covering half his face, but the moment he looked into the mirror, he was stunned.

At first glance, the skin on that side of his cheek showed only a nail-sized, uneven blood mark on the cheekbone. The rest of the skin looked nearly normal.

You had to look closely to see the sutures.

The half of his face that had been tightened and distorted by scars was now almost completely smooth. The corner of his mouth, which had been slightly pulled up by the scar, had returned to normal, making his lips symmetrical again.

Jian Ru tried pursing his lips and no longer felt the odd tightness he used to.

He could hardly believe his eyes.

Unable to touch his face, Jian Ru kept hold of the bronze mirror with one hand while the Second Young Master pointed with his index finger at the corresponding areas in the reflection. "This scar was the most complicated. We spent most of the time dealing with it, but thankfully, it was worth the effort—the result is very good."

"Here, a small piece of skin was removed, so it might feel a bit tight, but it will gradually stretch as it heals. If it doesn’t recover perfectly, you can continue applying the ointment you used before. It should clear up in ten days to two weeks."

"But this spot..." The Second Young Master pointed to the coin-sized blood mark. "When you were burned, some tissue was lost here. It couldn’t be stitched back, so we had to remove the poorly healed skin and let it regrow. This area might not heal smoothly. From a distance, it won’t be noticeable, but up close, you might see some unevenness and a slight difference in skin tone."

His tone carried a hint of regret for what could not be fully restored.

Jian Ru’s eyes, however, shone as he stared intently at his reflection in the mirror. In a dreamlike voice, he said, "I never thought I’d see this day. My goodness, I’m so satisfied and happy."

Hearing this, the Second Young Master felt a pang of tenderness in his heart and leaned down to press his cheek against Jian Ru’s hot forehead.

...

Two days later, Jian Ru’s fever subsided, and he was much more himself.

Madam Li came to the small courtyard to visit him, with gifts in hand. The older woman sat on the edge of the bed, touching Jian Ru’s arm and shoulder, and said, "You and the youngest are both so hard to put on weight. Just when your cheeks were starting to fill out a bit, this happened, and you’ve lost weight again."

Jian Ru ate the raisins his mother-in-law had brought and said with a smile, "In the future, we’ll eat more and make sure to fatten up."

Madam Li asked Granny Jin to bring over the bundle she was carrying and said, "Jin He sent you this from the prefectural city. In her letter, she said she can’t come back to see you for now and asked you to take care."

Jian Ru unwrapped the bundle and found not only local specialties from the prefectural city but also a set of exquisite writing brushes.

Jian Ru picked them up delightedly. Madam Li explained, "Jin He heard you’re learning to write and specially chose these for you from Jingbaozhai in the prefectural city. They’re beautiful and suitable for someone like you."

Jian Ru clutched the brushes lovingly. "Third Sister is so good to me."

Madam Li smiled. "Save your sweet words for when Jin He returns, and tell her in person."

Jian Ru exclaimed happily, "Third Sister is coming back?"

Madam Li nodded with a smile. "She’s scheduled to return in mid-July."

Jian Ru thought for a moment and understood. Old Dr. Li’s anniversary of his death was in late July, and Jin He was returning to pay respects to her father.

Jian Ru asked, "Will Big Brother go to fetch Third Sister then?"

Madam Li said, "That’s the plan. In July, we need to buy a shipment of medicinal herbs in the prefectural city. Jin Feng can conveniently pick Jin He up on the way."

As she spoke, Madam Li’s expression grew less cheerful and darkened. "We’ll see when the time comes. If needed, we might have to ask the eldest son of Second Uncle’s family to help make the trip."

From the sound of it, Big Brother might not be able to go after all. Jian Ru looked up at Granny Jin, who was standing nearby, and Granny Jin shook her head at him, so he didn’t ask further.

Jian Ru changed the subject. "Mother, I was thinking that after I recover, Jin Tong and I should visit my godparents’ home."

Madam Li’s expression brightened a little. "You should indeed pay them a visit. They’ve helped a lot this time. Later, I’ll prepare some gifts for you to bring along."

Jian Ru said, "You don’t need to spend money. We’ll use our own. Just advise us on what would be appropriate."

Hearing this, Madam Li looked pleased and held his hand. "You’re so thoughtful. Finally, someone who gives me less to worry about."

Granny Jin coughed lightly nearby. Madam Li sighed and then remembered something. "By the way, there’s no need to rush visiting your godparents. Wait until you’ve fully recovered. It can wait a while."

"Why?" Jian Ru asked, puzzled.

Madam Li said, "You weren’t there that day, but when your Big Brother and Second Brother stayed for dinner, they told me that the third son of their family has been making trouble at home every day."

Jian Ru frowned. "I thought he behaved himself after recovering from his illness?"

Madam Li chuckled dryly. "He was well-behaved at first, but Sun Yushuang doesn’t want to stay with him anymore. She’s moved back to her parents’ home and wants a divorce."

Jian Ru said in surprise, "I heard some time ago that Sun Yushuang asked our godparents for money to open a shop?"

Hearing this, Madam Li smacked her thigh and said, "What shop are you talking about? That Sun Yushuang used the excuse of opening a shop to ask Second Brother for money—now saying he needed to rent a place, then saying he needed to renovate, and later claiming he had to buy inventory and hire workers. He asked for quite a bit of silver over time, but there wasn’t even a shadow of a shop. All the money was taken to his family home."

Jian Ru was momentarily stunned by what he heard.

Madam Li lowered her voice and said, "Their eldest also said that Sun Yushuang might have been planning to separate from him for a while. He put up with Third Son’s illness episodes earlier just for the money. Because Third Son is such a scoundrel, Second Brother and his wife, to placate him, had him handling the family finances since last year. It wasn’t until Sun Yushuang returned to his family home and refused to come back that Second Brother’s wife grew suspicious. She carefully checked the accounts with the bookkeeper and discovered that this young man had been embezzling money from the accounts intermittently since last year, pretending she had approved it."

"The eldest didn’t tell me exactly how much Sun Yushuang took, but it must have been a sizable amount."

Jian Ru asked in confusion, "Even if they’re getting a divorce, there are rules for how a couple divides their property. How could he just take the money and leave? What are Second Brother and his wife planning to do? Aren’t they going to report it to the authorities?"

Madam Li shook her head and sighed, "What’s the point of reporting it? They just hope Sun Yushuang doesn’t expose Third Son’s shameful condition. Besides, they already feel guilty toward Sun Yushuang, so they have no choice but to reluctantly let go of the money."

Jian Ru asked again, "If Sun Yushuang wants to leave, it’s because of Third Son’s own actions. In that case, why is Third Son making a fuss at home?"

Madam Li said through gritted teeth, "He claims it’s his parents’ fault for not keeping a closer eye on the money. He says Sun Yushuang only left him because he got his hands on the money."

"That boy is truly beyond help."

Jian Ru was astonished.

Madam Li lowered her voice and said, "The eldest said he hasn’t dared to tell his parents yet, but recently, Third Son has been sneaking out to visit brothels again behind their backs."

Jian Ru gasped, "Is he trying to get himself killed?"

Madam Li said angrily, "Let him carry on. If he falls ill again, not even a god can save him!"

"Don't worry about these things. They have nothing to do with you two. Once things settle down in their household, I’ll take both of you to visit," Madam Li said before leaving.

Jian Ru nodded in agreement.

After the conversation, Jian Ru felt somewhat tired and lay down for a while. Soon, he saw the Second Young Master enter from outside, carrying a basket, with Eldest Sister Jin Hui following behind. In her loud voice, she said, "Let me see how my little brother-in-law is recovering."

Jian Ru sat up and said, "I’m much better."

The Second Young Master placed the basket on the table and said with a smile, "Eldest Sister bought a basket of muskmelon."

Jian Ru smelled the air and said, "No wonder it smells so fragrant. Thank you, Eldest Sister."

Jin Hui sat by the bed, touched his uninjured cheek, and said, "Good boy."

After entering the room, the Second Young Master took off his outer robe, washed his hands, poured water for both of them, and asked Jian Ru if he was feeling unwell anywhere. Noticing the window was still open, he worried that Jian Ru might catch a chill and develop a fever again, so he closed it. Then, he brought over some pastries in case Jian Ru got hungry, and after saying a word, he took the basket to the outer room to wash the muskmelons.

Jin Hui, watching from the side, covered her mouth and laughed, "My little brother is quite domestic."

Jian Ru also smiled.

Jin Hui had a cheerful personality, and her presence livened up the room. Jian Ru enjoyed chatting with her.

The two of them talked about matters at the clinic and also discussed Jin He’s upcoming return.

When this topic came up, Jin Hui lowered her voice and asked Jian Ru, "Did Mother tell you?"

Jian Ru didn’t understand, and asked, "Tell me what?"

Jin Hui, seeing his reaction, realized he didn’t know. Her expression turned grim as she leaned closer and whispered, "Your sister-in-law went to see Mother some time ago and asked her to arrange for Jin Feng to take on a concubine."

"What?" Upon hearing this, Jian Ru was completely stunned.