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But Wei Qingwan waited and waited, and still he said nothing.
Her brows drew together, and at last she couldn’t hold back herself.“Mother, don’t worry. Madam Yuan must be very fond of Sister, that’s why she’s keeping her for the New Year.” Qingwan took the initiative to comfort her.
“That’s not what troubles me,” Yun Shi replied, shaking her head. “What weighs on me is this plague. We can shut our doors and stay safe, but your father has no such choice.”
Qingwan froze for a moment, then understood. Her mother’s thoughts were completely occupied with worry for her father, leaving no room to care about whose home Wei Ruo was spending the New Year in.
As improper as it seemed for Wei Ruo to spend the holiday at another household, at least it posed no harm to the Wei family.
What’s more, to be favored by Princess Jingmin was no small matter—it could only benefit both Wei Ruo and the Wei family.
But a plague was different. A plague meant corpses in the streets and danger to their very lives.
Between the two, Yun Shi knew clearly which mattered more.
Of course, that didn’t mean Yun Shi felt no resentment toward Wei Ruo. After all, it was her first New Year back home with her family, and yet she chose to spend it elsewhere. It was truly excessive.
Seeing his mother so worried, Wei Yilin quickly spoke up,“Mother, don’t worry about Father. Father’s a great hero—he’s so strong, there’s no way he’ll fall sick!”
Listening to Wei Yilin’s innocent words, Yun Shi could only hope that everything would be as the child said, that nothing would happen.
Wei Yichen’s expression, however, was grave. He could not be as naive and carefree as his younger brother.
But given the current situation, as a mere scholar, there was nothing he could do.
In that house, everyone carried their own worries, and the atmosphere was heavy.
###
Yingzhu Courtyard.
Unlike the others in the household, Wei Jinyi suspected that Wei Ruo staying at the Yuan residence for the New Year was nothing more than an excuse.
With the epidemic spreading in Taizhou, and since Wei Ruo possessed medical skills, the true reason Madam Yuan summoned her and kept her at the Yuan residence for “New Year” was most likely because she wanted Wei Ruo’s help in treating patients and containing the outbreak.
But if that were the case, then Ruo’er’s situation was the most dangerous of all.
She herself was highly likely to become infected.
After careful thought, Wei Jinyi left Xiaobei behind at Yingzhu Courtyard, then evaded the guards of the Colonel’s Mansion and slipped out by climbing over the wall.
###
Those involved in the relief efforts for this epidemic, besides Wei Ruo, included several reputable physicians from the city.
Madam Yuan had prepared a room for them to use as a temporary resting place and as a space to discuss strategies.
By this time, Wei Ruo had already changed her appearance, taking part in the discussions under the identity of Xu Heyou.
Originally, Wei Ruo had not intended to go to such lengths in such an urgent situation, but Madam Yuan had reminded her.
Madam Yuan did not wish this matter to leave a negative impact on Wei Ruo, nor for her to have too much direct interaction with other men.
Thus, Wei Ruo used her old disguise, participating as Xu Heyou. To match her, Xiumei naturally changed her own appearance as well.
Inside the room, Wei Ruo joined the physicians in their discussions and voiced her opinions.
“Does Young Master Xu believe this is pneumonia? But I, having practiced medicine for many years and seen countless cases of pneumonia, find that this illness differs in some ways from the usual symptoms.”
The speaker was Doctor Cheng of Zhengyu Hall, the eldest and most senior among them.
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