On the other hand, Yue Yuan could only tell Hua Hao about the bitterness in her heart when she returned.
"I didn't expect her to be that kind of person. She didn't stop even after saying that."
Hua Hao sighed. "You've tried your best. We're all servants. We don't overstep our master's boundaries."
Yue Yuan said, "Even so, I'm still unwilling. We're all humans. Why can't a master treat a servant's life as their own? One sentence and they've set someone else's life."
"There's still a chance to turn things around," Hua Hao said.
"Good sister, what good idea do you have?" Yue Yuan asked.
Seeing that there was no one else in the room, Hua Hao whispered, "I think Hai Tang is an expert in medicine. You can let her do something to the old lady's prescription..."
"Are you crazy? How can you have ideas about old lady, you..."
Hua Hao covered full moon's mouth. "Let me finish first. It's not what you think. I was thinking that Hai Tang is skilled in medicine and can control the prescription a little so that the old lady won't be cured so quickly. Originally, she said she needed two months to recuperate. Can she increase it to three months or more? Didn't Hai Tang say that the medicine has no side effects? It is just a little troublesome to take the medicine. Since Second Miss cannot speak before the old lady's illness is fully cured, we will delay it for a few more days. I want to see if she will continue to wait."
When Yue Yuan heard this, she was silent for a long time. In the end, she still shook her head. "Even so, we still cannot do this. The old lady cherishes and pities the old and is the kindest. We cannot scheme against her. I will think of another way."
Hua Hao was just saying it. In fact, how could she not know that this method was immoral?
If they were discovered, the consequences would be unimaginable.
At night, when Qu Fulan brought the medicine to the old lady, the Second Miss also came to her and asked about her well-being.
"I've been back for so long, and I didn't even know that Grandmother was ill. If word got out, people would only treat me as an unfilial granddaughter and not care about grandmother."
"I've specifically instructed that no one is to spread this, so how would you know?" Old Lady Pei laughed. "Don't blame yourself."
The Second Miss smiled and her eyes fell on Hai Tang. "I didn't expect this girl to have such ability. A problem that the doctors in the residence can't solve, she can solve it."
The old lady laughed and said, "Isn't that so? It's thanks to this girl, otherwise, I would have to continue to suffer today."
Yue Yuan echoed from the side. "Nowadays, the old lady really values Hai Tang more and more. I'm afraid tomorrow she will surpass me and Hua Hao. I might have to ask the old lady in advance not to forget her 'old love' when she has a 'new love'."
The fact that she dared to make such a joke in front of the old lady showed how deep the relationship between master and servant was. Not only did the old lady not mind, but she also laughed out loud.
"You only know how to talk. You've always relied on this mouth to make me laugh. Don't worry. You and Hai Tang are both good. I want both of you. Hahaha."
The Second Miss laughed along, but that smile didn't reach her eyes.
After a long conversation, the medicine was just warm, and it was time for the old lady to drink it and go to bed. According to the usual practice, Yue Yuan would stay behind to serve the old lady while the rest of the people had to leave.
However, Yue Yuan had left Hai Tang behind. "Recently, when I was brewing medicine for Hua Hao, I accidentally burned my hand. Hai Tang, come over and feed the old lady medicine."
Before the Second Miss left, she glanced at Yue Yuan without saying a word. Then, she retracted her gaze and walked out.
She did not notice Qu Fulan's gaze as she left.
The next day, when Qu Fulan was preparing the medicine for the old lady as usual, Hai Xia was sitting obediently at the side and watching.
Although she didn't allow anyone to disturb them, it was just that she didn't allow many people to disturb her. It wouldn't affect her if she didn't move.
Hai Xia could not find anyone to chat with, so she came to Hai Tang's place.
Seeing Hai Tang sorting the herbs, weighing them one by one, cutting them into pieces, and grinding them into powder... Every process was delicate work. She finally knew why Hai Tang was irreplaceable.
"Sister Hai Tang, what are these herbs?"
Qu Fulan mentioned a few medicinal herbs, but Hai Xia did not recognize any of them. However, it did not affect her admiration. "Sister Hai Tang is too amazing. Not only do you remember the names of these herbs, but you also know the effect of each herb. I can't even remember the names of these herbs, let alone distinguish them."
Qu Fulan laughed. "Identifying medicinal herbs is not an easy task. I spent a lot of effort when I first learned it. Later, I realized that other than identifying medicinal herbs, the connection between medicinal herbs is also very important. Otherwise, the medicinal herbs will counter each other. Not only will it not save people, but it will also harm people."
"That serious?" Hai Xia's eyes widened.
Qu Fulan's eyes did not leave the medicinal herbs in her hands. "Besides that, the effect of the medicine is also different. This is also why the doctors in the residence know the formula but can't make the same effect. After all, no one can guarantee that every process they make will be the same as last time. A slight difference can lead to a thousand miles of error, and the old lady's body is precious. Not a single mistake can be made, so the doctors in the residence naturally don't dare to take on this task."
"Even a doctor can't make the exact same recipe, so how did Sister Hai Tang do it?"
"Because this medicine is my life-saving medicine... It is a life-saving medicine. I operated on it day after day, and I am familiar with it. Practice makes perfect."
Hai Xia nodded, not fully understanding.
"Sister Hai Tang, you're so good. You're so patient in explaining these things to me. Although I don't really understand, no one else has ever been so patient with me. Even my parents are impatient with me asking all sorts of questions."
Qu Fulan smiled. "It's a lonely thing to have no one listening to you. It's a good thing for me that you can listen to me without getting annoyed."
Hai Xia smiled. "That's great. We're a perfect match."
"Is this medicine really effective for treating insomnia? Can we spread it later and let the public benefit?" Hai Xia asked seriously.
"The prescription is not a secret. Naturally, it can be passed on to outsiders. There's just one thing."
"What?"
"Do you know how much silver it costs to make a prescription like this?"
"I don't know."
"Just this herb alone costs ten taels, and it's the cheapest among all the herbs."
Qu Fulan picked up a herb and showed it to Hai Xia.
Hai Xia was immediately dumbfounded. A single medicine cost ten taels of silver... Ten taels! She only earned five hundred coins a month. How long would she have to save to afford this medicine?
Qu Fulan did not take Hai Xia's shocked expression to heart. She kept the herb and said, "That's why the prescription is not a problem. The key is that the medicinal herbs themselves are expensive and ordinary people can't afford it, so there's no need to popularize it."
The world of the rich was not something that ordinary people could imagine. Letting others know how good the lives of the rich were would only add to their troubles.
After mixing the herbs, she stored them in a jar and waited for the afternoon to brew the medicine.
"Let's go. I'm bored staying in the house. Let's go out for a walk."
Even if she wanted to learn needlework, she had to relax her eyes.
However, as soon as she walked out of the door and looked at the sky, Qu Fulan said that she wanted to take back all the blankets and clothes that had been dried outside.
"Why? The weather is so good. It's a good time to dry the blankets." Hai Xia was confused.
Qu Fulan kept the clothes in her arms and said, "Keep it, the weather is about to change."
It was almost time.