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Wei Yichen explained, “First, Elder Sister truly hasn’t had the time. The epidemic is such a complex matter, she’s been working from dawn till dusk every day. Second, I think she probably doesn’t want us to worry about her. Even the news I received today was from Madam Yuan’s people. If it were up to Elder Sister herself, she might have tried to hide it from us altogether.”
Madam Yuan never said such a thing; it was just his own interpretation.
Upon hearing this, all of Yun Shi’s resentment and dissatisfaction toward Wei Ruo vanished, replaced entirely by shame and worry.
“I never imagined Ruo’er was working so hard for such an important cause. I’ve truly wronged her.”
It was rare for Yun Shi to admit her mistakes.
After all, the matter was grave, and her daughter was now in danger— one misstep, and she might never return home.
Wei Yichen added, “As her eldest brother, I feel both proud and ashamed. I study to one day serve the people and speak for them— yet Elder Sister has already done so before me.”
Hearing this, Yun Shi couldn’t help but feel moved.
Perhaps her eldest daughter really did take after her husband more— it was just a pity she wasn’t born a man, or else she might have been even more suited to carry on her father’s legacy than Yilin.
Watching the expressions on her mother’s and brother’s faces, Wei Qingwan lowered her head again.
She had thought that Wei Ruo’s actions would surely provoke their mother’s anger and her brother’s disapproval— yet the outcome turned out to be the complete opposite.
Her right hand unconsciously tightened on her skirt, as frustration and bitterness welled up inside her.
###
On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the Lantern Festival, Madam Yuan sent over a grand table of fine dishes to reward everyone in the courtyard who had worked tirelessly for half a month.
Doctor Cheng, taking charge, told everyone to take a break. He told them to sit down, eat well, and regain their strength, for only then could they continue their work effectively.
A few of them sat down at the table. Compared to when they first arrived, all of them had noticeably lost weight— Wei Ruo included.
Fortunately, they were all sturdy to begin with; so far, none had fallen ill or collapsed from exhaustion.
Although everyone had remained busy over the past few days, not daring to relax even for a moment, their appetites and moods had improved considerably. The situation was getting better—patients were recovering each day, and the number of the sick was steadily decreasing.
As a result, when faced with a table full of delicious dishes, everyone’s appetite naturally improved.
Looking at the spread of chicken, duck, and fish before them, Doctor Cai from Baoshantang Clinic sighed with emotion.“These days have indeed been tiring, but the Prefectural Princess hasn’t treated us poorly in the slightest. The meals have been plentiful every day, with both fish and meat. Compared to those outside who are starving or freezing to death, we are truly blessed.”
This Doctor Cai had, in fact, met Wei Ruo once before—back when Wei Ruo had first come to the prefectural city with Yun Shi. At that time, to stop Wei Qingwan from pestering her, Wei Ruo had pretended to be ill, and Yun Shi had called for a doctor to diagnose her. The doctor invited then had been this very same Doctor Cai from Baoshantang.
However, during that visit, Wei Ruo had been examined behind a gauze curtain, and the doctor had never seen her face. Even if he had, now that Wei Ruo had disguised herself, he would not recognize her.
Doctor Cheng sighed and said, “Let’s not dwell on those things. The yamen will handle such matters. What we can do is focus on our own work—for every life we save, that’s one more person who gets to live.”
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