Su Xiaoqi contemplated for a moment before speaking slowly, "Auntie's pulse is stagnant; this is postpartum illness resulting from not observing the confinement period properly.
Yurong appears to be suffering from uterine prolapse.
After a woman gives birth, the uterine ligaments, pelvic floor muscles, and other tissues are stretched during pregnancy. After childbirth, they return to their pre-pregnancy state abruptly, leading to a loosening.
A dropped uterus can cause symptoms such as a dragging sensation in the lower abdomen or back pain.
Furthermore, her cervical spine is somewhat uncomfortable, and she has a deficiency of qi and blood, leading to dizziness.
Yurong hadn't held out much hope, simply not wanting to refuse the younger generation's kindness.
But she never expected Su Xiaoqi to diagnose her condition so accurately. Overwhelmed with emotion, she exclaimed, "Yes, yes, yes, when I gave birth to Yiyi, your uncle was away on official business.
I was recuperating at my maiden home when chaos erupted. I walked outside in the biting cold of the third winter month and caught a chill. Since then, my hands and feet have been cold, and I've had dizziness and headaches. This area here also aches from time to time.
For many years, I've frequently taken tonic herbs, but there has been no improvement."
Yurong said, patting her lower abdomen, her delicate brows furrowed.
The pain struck as she spoke.
Du Yiyi had always known her mother had this ailment but never understood its cause.
This was the first time she heard about it, never imagining it was due to not properly observing the postpartum confinement period after giving birth to her.
With a pained expression, she hugged her mother, resting her head on her shoulder, and said softly, "Mother, you've suffered so much. It's all my fault. Punish me."
"Silly girl, I gave birth to three boisterous boys before finally having you, my little girl. I love you and dote on you; how could I bear to punish you?
Besides, back then... if I'm going to blame anyone, it's only the person who caused the chaos. What does it have to do with you?"
Yurong said, her expression hardening slightly, indicating that the scene at the time had caused her great discomfort.
She had never let it go over the years.
Du Yiyi nodded repeatedly at her mother's words, agreeing that her mother was right and that she was too worried about her mother and had lost her head.
The mother and daughter then hugged each other warmly.
Su Xiaoqi took a step back, watching the affectionate scene of mother and daughter, a smile gracing her lips.
It was truly wonderful, a great mother and a filial daughter; this was the best mother-daughter relationship in the world.
It was something she could only dream of.
She silently wrote out a prescription and, after the mother and daughter had finished their affectionate exchange, handed it to Du Yiyi, asking her to have someone fetch the herbs according to the prescription.
"Auntie's postpartum illness has been present for over ten years. My medical skills are shallow, and I cannot guarantee an immediate cure. I can only offer regulation.
Here is a prescription to try. I will prepare some medicinal pills for you when I return."
Su Xiaoqi said this, though in her heart, she had a good idea of Yurong's condition.
She simply didn't want to be too definitive, lest she give too much hope and then cause disappointment.
However, she could still treat her.
Su Xiaoqi finished writing the prescription, and Yurong took it to look.
After a moment, she realized she didn't understand much, but many were tonic ingredients. Suddenly, she remembered something:
"Oh, right, my parents just sent me some Wudingzhi from the capital. Knowing you were coming, I had someone simmer it for you. It's ready to eat now."
As Yurong finished speaking, the sensible Mama Hu, accompanied by a maid, brought the dish.
Su Xiaoqi looked at the silver-white, transparent substance in the porcelain bowl, not quite grasping it. "What is Wudingzhi?" Isn't this just white fungus?
Yurong saw Su Xiaoqi looking at the bowl with a bewildered expression, assuming she had never eaten it before.
She thought about it; this was Wudingzhi, as precious as lotus root powder.
Its market price was extremely high, a small box costing twenty taels of silver.
Recalling Su Xiaoqi's earlier mention of her humble origins in the bustling streets, she assumed Su Xiaoqi wouldn't have had the means to eat such fine Wudingzhi.
Feeling a pang of affection, she quickly urged Su Xiaoqi to eat, assuring her there was more in the kitchen and she could pack some to take back.
Su Xiaoqi's mind was already racing.
She had figured it out.
This Wudingzhi was indeed white fungus.
Furthermore, in ancient times, because people didn't know how to cultivate white fungus, they could only find it naturally growing on trees in the mountains.
In the northern regions, white fungus growing on mulberry trees was called "Sang'e," also known as Wudingzhi.
Su Xiaoqi's silence made Du Yiyi a little nervous. She knew of Su Xiaoqi's medical skills and immediately asked, "Sister Xiaoqi, is there something wrong with this Wudingzhi? Can my mother eat it?"
Su Xiaoqi quickly replied, "The Compendium of Materia Medica states that white fungus, no, Wudingzhi, is 'sweet and neutral in flavor, clears lung heat, moistens kidney dryness, calms the spirit, and benefits qi and blood.' It's a good thing.
If it's simmered with wolfberries, red dates, and rock sugar, it tastes even better."
"Oh, then we can try it," Du Yiyi said happily, taking Yurong's hand. "Mother, now you can eat it with peace of mind."
Her mother, for reasons unknown, simply liked to eat this tasteless thing for ordinary people.
She couldn't tell the difference between good and bad, but her mother found it delicious.
Thinking that adding the ingredients Sister Xiaoqi mentioned might indeed make her crave it a little.
"Ah, it tastes good, but it's expensive. It hurts the heart to eat it; how can we have it every day? We can only simmer a bowl every few days," Yurong chuckled.
A small box was only one tael, costing twenty taels of silver, meaning a pound would cost over a thousand taels.
Even for noble families like theirs, they wouldn't dare to consume it so freely.
What began as casual conversation, however, registered with Su Xiaoqi.
She recalled how many ancient texts described the high price of white fungus.
If she could cultivate this white fungus to sell, wouldn't she make a fortune?
Coincidentally, during her university days, she had specialized in studying the cultivation methods of white fungus, even learning it in Gutian, the hometown of white fungus cultivation.
Su Xiaoqi's thoughts drifted, but she still politely accompanied Du Yiyi to visit Old Madam Du.
Upon their return, Old Madam Du's impression of Du Yiyi had changed considerably.
She was overjoyed to see her, asking Ping Niang to bring out all the delicacies.
She even said they were specially saved for her.
Du Yiyi was not ungrateful.
Seeing Old Madam Du like this, she also made every effort to fulfill her role as a granddaughter.
As Sister Xiaoqi had said, for an elderly person like her grandmother who was lonely, what she lacked was companionship.
Perhaps she didn't particularly like Sun Jiaojiao, but Sun Jiaojiao was worth spending time with, so her heart would naturally lean towards her.
Indeed, if someone could genuinely accompany the elderly lady, Du Yiyi felt it wouldn't matter if she suffered some minor loss.
The crucial point was that Sun Jiaojiao had ill intentions and did not treat the elderly lady sincerely.
She always wanted to use the elderly lady for something, so naturally, Du Yiyi couldn't tolerate her being presumptuous.
The two of them doted on the elderly lady, and each presented the gifts they had brought.
Su Xiaoqi knew Old Madam Du liked lotus root powder, so she sent her another two catties.
Du Yiyi, on the other hand, brought the Wudingzhi her mother had recently acquired.
Old Madam Du was so delighted that her eyes crinkled into a smile.
She was discerning and knew that both items were precious.
Additionally, Su Xiaoqi left ten catties of bitter buckwheat tea for Old Madam Du to drink slowly.
If she finished it, she could send someone to Dongzhuang in the eastern suburbs to fetch it, or Su Xiaoqi would have it delivered periodically.
Old Madam Du was deeply touched, her eyes instantly reddening.
Her affection for Du Yiyi and Su Xiaoqi grew even deeper.
After leaving Old Madam Du, Du Yiyi said she would escort Su Xiaoqi back, and they happened to pass by the bookstore where she had previously bought medical texts.
Su Xiaoqi's thoughts stirred, and she went inside to visit Lu Yang.
Recalling the medical principles she had learned from the books in the past two days, Su Xiaoqi took out bitter buckwheat tea and lotus root powder from her space to give to him.
Lu Yang was surprised by Su Xiaoqi's visit and even more so by her gift of such precious lotus root powder.
He had often seen such things in the palace before, but after leaving, he hadn't seen them for a long time.
However, the bitter buckwheat tea suited his taste.
"In my youth, I drank all the good teas in the world. In my old age, my heart has grown indifferent to tea, but drinking bitter buckwheat tea is quite pleasant."
Watching Lu Yang speak like this, Su Xiaoqi instinctively felt he was a man with a story.
However, their relationship was based on only two meetings.
Anything more would be considered overly familiar.
Perhaps sensing her sincerity, Lu Yang's attitude towards her improved significantly.
As she was leaving, he suddenly narrowed his eyes and warned, "Girl, we have only just met, and it's inappropriate to speak too deeply.
However, I must remind you that your husband is no ordinary person. If things turn unfavorable, you must be ready to withdraw in time."