“So, Three months for the full effectiveness?” Lady Wu asked, as she stared at the parcel of leaves.
“Yes, this illness in the well is the resilient sort. The purge of it will take a while, and it must be completed in its entirety. Think of it like a dangerous wolf pack. You must slay all of them, else all one has accomplished is to cull the weak. The strong will co back worse than ever.” iling explained as she held the other end of the silk brocade. They moved together in synchrony, and began to prepare it.
It was surprisingly enjoyable to have a student, Lady Wu mused, as she watched iling work. The young woman learnt quickly and obediently, with the kind of drive and attentiveness to detail that she found most people lacked.
‘If I made a mistake with dicine, I could kill sobody.’ iling had said ‘This? This just requires a bit of focus.’
Not that she needed much training. She just needed guidance.
“It is good that this is so easy to cure,” Lady Wu tittered, “But what about you? It must be an absolutely dreadful disease you have, to produce such spots on your face. Is it contagious?”
An absolutely amateurish and blunt insult. The kind Lady Wu would not be caught dead uttering.
But the blunt insults seed to set her off the most. The first ti Lady Wu had insulted her, her entire body had twitched, her eyes narrowing into slits. The air had abruptly turned heavy...before iling realised what she had been doing.
When dealing with people like Lady Wu, one could never have an obvious weakness.
Well, of course, iling could always just strike those who insulted her, or poison them… The younger woman wanted to know how to prevent things from imdiately escalating.
This part was the most difficult. iling possessed a fire and vindictiveness that quite frankly terrified her. It reminded her of several much more severe won. The kind of won who would completely destroy any who went against them. It stewed, even now. It was clearly a struggle to clamp down on her reaction. But she managed it, rely raising an eyebrow.
“Better.” Lady Wu decreed. “Show no reaction, and then pay them back later. This, I find, is the best way. It keeps others guessing.”
iling nodded, and turned the silk with Lady Wu.
“This isn’t exactly what I imagined, when you said lessons.” iling admitted. “I expected more tea, and less needlework.”
“Oh? Like so kind of story? That all we do is sit around and drink tea all day?” Lady Wu asked, amused. “We do normally have more servants, but preparing silk is an essential duty of any noble lady. Additionally, doing it yourself is a bit cheaper.”
iling snorted. She hadn’t been expecting Lady Wu to be a miser. To spend heavily in one place ant you had to skimp and save in others! Manners, how to interact with those your better, beyond the scraping and simpering the common folk did, and her own financial tricks.
iling quickly went from calling her auntie to humor her to calling her that with earnestness.
How cute. Wu dearly hoped she wouldn’t entirely lose that reaction with those she trusted. Or at least took her just a little longer to grow out of. It was quite endearing.
Both moved with an easy grace, as they asured and cut. An easy grace that Lady Wu had thought dulled by age. She had forgotten what it felt like to be able to move so smoothly. But not even a week, and she could feel the dexterity returning to her. It was a heady feeling. Oh, for these simple folk, she had always been the very picture of grace. Most were awed by her, when she participated in the functions of the town. The other won tittered and crowded around as she held court, following behind her like ducklings. To them, her slow walk and hiding her hands in her sleeves were just refined, city-folk things. Her music was all slow, soothing lodies, long pauses in between notes instead of the more complex songs she enjoyed.
It was good to have a lot of what she missed back. Her husband had been surprised when she broke out a song he hadn’t heard since the incident, staring in wonder as her fingers danced across the strings.
The grumbling and fear had reduced significantly, after she had ntioned that she was paying iling directly for this.
He hadn’t even asked how much it was costing them, the silly man. He just asked how much more money she would need.
How foolish. How utterly charming.
They worked for a while longer, chatting away, when a guard knocked on the door.
“Lady Wu, a servant of the Zhuge Clan requests your guest. She says it is ti.” He inford them in a low voice.
The transformation was instantaneous. An invisible pressure filled the room, as iling’s eyes sharpened.
“If you’ll excuse .” iling declared.
Lady Wu nodded. “Go on, dear. I’ll be along shortly.” She raised an eyebrow at iling’s surprise. “I do have so experience in this matter, and ihua is quite fun to talk to.”
The young woman strode to her destination. Lady Wu pitied any who didn’t get out of her way in ti.
And it was not so inconceivable that she was going to be bringing gifts. Going personally was a bit more of a statent, but most won of influential families got sothing to know she was thinking of them.
She and the servants prepared for her departure swiftly, heading to the Zhuge compound.
“Are you sure there's no pain?” iling asked her exasperated friend.
“Nothing. I feel fine, save for so pressure and cramping.” ihua inford her. There was a slight sheen of sweat on her forehead, but other than that, she didn’t seem particularly in pain.
“Hello dear.” Lady Wu greeted. The other woman seed just a bit surprised, but she was a bit overwheld, judging by her reaction.
“Everybody calls a weed,and her a delicate flower, but look!” iling grumbled. “She has Yao Che’s constitution! Whenever there's sothing in the village, she also gets the easiest version of it too! I get laid up in bed, she gets a runny nose!”
ihua giggled. “I’m sure other won feel like this too-- ah. Felt that one.”
Now, of course, was the waiting ga. ihua was remarkably cognizant, laughing and joking while her friend fussed over her. Occasionally, she would shudder, but took them in stride.
“A little bit of pain now.” She inford them in a soft voice, as she held iling’s hand. There was a bit of blood, that the other servant of the Zhuge clan cleaned up, but that was normal.
“Okay. Push when you’re ready.”
Lady Wu stroked her hair, and took over holding her hand as she began to push. The girl had a remarkably strong grip, and slight collouses on her fingers that were just beginning to fade. Still, her hand would likely be numb, after how long this bit had taken for her--
“I can see the head.” iling inford them.
Already? Lady Wu tried not to feel jealous. It had taken her nine hours to bring her son into the world. Nine hours of pain, and not the enjoyable sort.
But after what seed like entirely too short a ti, and one final scream of effort-- the wails of new life began to fill the room.
“Against your chest. Just like that.” Lady Wu coached the new mother. She finally looked drained, and exhausted, but proud, as she cradled her son against her chest. Satisfied that she was doing everything correctly, she stood.
“Stay with your friend dear, I’ll tell the family.”
The n were on the other side of the house. Tingfeng was pacing while his father and grandfather stared on with amusent and commiseration.
All turned to her as she entered.
“The heavens smile upon you, Zhuge Tingfeng. A son.” The older n swelled with pride at that, while the husband just swallowed thickly.
“ihua?” he asked.
“In perfect health, as is the child.”
The young man collapsed with relief, sinking onto the cushion. He waved a servant over.
“In-- Inform her father.” He managed to get out. “May.. May I see her? Them?”
Lady Wu turned and began to walk. The boy scampered after her.
============================
It had been kind of a race to get to Verdant Hill, after Yun Ren had inford us of what had happened. We made tracks. I had taken the cart along, and we had grabbed Yao Che along the way.
“Look at him! He’s pretty big, isn’t he?” I asked, holding out my pinky so the kidlet could grab on. “Strong grip too!”
ihua giggled, smiling warmly at . I had nearly asked his na… but kids here don't get nad until after they were 100 days old. A child mortality thing. Hopefully this little one will be fine.
I wouldn’t say he was cute… as I don’t think any newborns are cute, but he wasn’t ugly.
“May I?” I asked.
ihua nodded, and offered the child to .
I heard a gasp. “Young man you must--” The Magistrate’s wife cut herself off as I turned to her, holding the baby. I was a bit surprised to see her here, especially doing so needlework. She was making a shirt for the kid.
“...ah. Never you mind. This one needed to be coached.” she said, gesturing to Tingfeng, who looked embarrassed.
Well, Rou certainly didn’t know how to hold a kid. But I’d had so experience.
I sat down, cradling the bundle against my chest, a little hand still grasped around my finger.
“...have you thought of any nas?” I asked anyway. Hey, I was curious! Just because they didn’t officially get nad, didn’t an they couldn’t think about it.
“We shall consult a diviner, but…” Tingfeng clasped his hands, and bowed his head. “I think Zhuge Jinhai would be an auspicious na.”
My face flushed. They were as good as naming him after . I looked to ihua, who nodded her head with a soft smile on her face.
I swallowed thickly at the complent.
“...it would be a great honour, Brother Tingfeng.” I managed to get out, before clearing my throat. ihua laughed at my bashfulness.
“So, love what have you been up to while you were in town?” I asked, redirecting the question.
iling, for so reason, blushed.
“...funny story, that.” She started, looking a bit shifty.
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