nucmednet Chapter 234 The Mummified Corpse Case 27
Chapter 234 The Mummified Corpse Case 27
"Miss Shen, are you really not joking with me?"
"Madam, why don't you think about it yourself? Two months ago, you and Master Xiao..."
"Stop!" Madam Xiao didn't want to discuss such matters with an unmarried young woman.
She got up and walked outside, only to find that her maid had already disappeared.
She touched her stomach. If there really was a small lump inside, she wouldn't be able to walk alone at night, without even anyone to carry a lantern.
"Madam, would you like to sit here for a while? I'll go call someone," Shen Lan asked considerately.
"No need, do you have a lantern here? You can lead the way."
Shen Lan did not refuse. She lit the lantern and helped Madam Xiao walk step by step towards the backyard.
She had been to the backyard a few times before, but each time she was in a hurry and didn't see the route clearly, so she could only go wherever Madam Xiao pointed.
She assumed that Madam Xiao would definitely go back to the main courtyard, but instead she led Shen Lan to the back garden.
"Let's go sit in the pavilion in front."
Shen Lan helped her walk over and asked, puzzled, "Aren't you going back to rest first?"
Madam Xiao grasped her arm and asked cautiously, "Miss Shen, please tell me the truth, is it inappropriate for me to give birth at this age? Is it possible that I will give birth to a stupid child, or that I will not be able to give birth at all?"
Shen Lan hadn't expected that she was experiencing prenatal anxiety. At only thirty-seven years old, she would be considered an elderly mother even in modern times. In this era of poor medical conditions, she really couldn't guarantee the safety of Madam Xiao and her child.
Moreover, she is not a professional obstetrician.
"Madam, you don't need to worry. Many women give birth at this age. As long as you take good care of yourself during pregnancy and the baby is in the correct position during delivery, there shouldn't be any problems."
Regarding your concerns about your child's IQ, I'm sorry, I cannot answer that.
"Can't you be a little more tactful? You could at least offer some comfort. Feel my pulse right now, doesn't it feel unusually agitated?"
Shen Lan wasn't incapable of comforting people; rather, from a doctor's perspective, she felt that simply saying nice things was irresponsible.
"Your wife has already given birth, so you should understand that having a child is like opening a blind box. Whether the child is a boy or a girl, beautiful or ugly, smart or stupid, is unpredictable."
"Opening blind boxes? This is a novel concept, but it seems to be true."
There was once a royal physician who could deduce the sex of a baby at six months old just by examining its pulse, but even he wasn't entirely certain.
Do you care whether you have a boy or a girl?
“Of course, I want a daughter,” Mrs. Xiao said shyly.
The reason she wanted Zhao Xuan to marry into the family so quickly was because she desperately wanted a daughter.
During the three years that Xiao Ji was sent to serve as an official in a remote area, she and Zhao Xuan got along quite well.
However, after Xiao Ji returned, Zhao Xuan became somewhat unsettled and did a few disrespectful things, which caused Madam Xiao to become much colder towards her.
"I can hardly imagine whether I would be happy or worried if my daughter were as capable as you."
Shen Lan's gaze drifted through her and she thought of her parents in this life.
"If my parents were alive, I would probably live happily in the small town, occasionally helping out at the family clinic, and sometimes going up the mountain or down the river, living a carefree life."
Madam Xiao thought: Parents probably don't want their children to suffer, and Shen Lan's parents must love her very much.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought up your sad story."
Shen Lan shook her head, "It's alright, many years have passed, I've gotten used to it."
Perhaps, she was just a lonely person without any family ties.
The two were chatting and didn't realize that the Xiao residence had already been thrown into chaos.
The maid ran to inform the master, and the master immediately sent someone to invite the most famous female healer in the palace.
After his initial surprise, Xiao Ji realized what was happening and led his men to the front yard to fetch his mother.
But when he arrived at Shen Lan's residence with his men, he found that neither of them were inside.
He returned with his men, only to run into Master Xiao, who had also come to pick someone up. After asking around, neither of them saw Madam Xiao, and they immediately panicked.
Shen Lan was unaware that Madam Xiao had led her on a very secluded path so that she could have some private conversations with her, and that the garden was quite far from the main courtyard.
When they finally found their way here, they saw the two of them chatting happily.
Madam Xiao was a dignified and elegant lady who rarely laughed out loud.
No one knows what Shen Lan said, but it made her smile from ear to ear.
"Madam, why are you hiding here?" Master Xiao asked helplessly.
"Oh? We got so caught up in our conversation that we forgot the time."
As soon as she stood up, Master Xiao rushed over to help her, saying, "Take it easy, the doctor is already waiting, go and see him."
Mr. Xiao seemed a little unsettled, his expression a strange mix of joy and worry.
After they left, Xiao Ji asked curiously, "What did you and my mother talk about? She never smiles like that when she talks to me."
"I was just telling some funny stories from my childhood."
Shen Lan yawned, walked past him, and said with a smile, "Congratulations, sir, on becoming a big brother again."
"Did you read that correctly?"
"Probably. You'll know the answer when you go there now."
Xiao Ji sighed, "I'm just worried that my mother is getting old and childbirth will be difficult."
"It's alright, this isn't the first time Madam has given birth, she should be fine."
After thinking for a moment, Xiao Ji sincerely invited Shen Lan to be his mother's personal female doctor.
"I know you have excellent medical skills. I'll have to trouble you for the next ten months. Your wages will be paid separately."
Shen Lan wanted to correct him, saying that it wasn't actually ten months, the baby was born at most eight months.
However, Madam Xiao still had to undergo postpartum confinement after giving birth, which lasted for nearly ten months.
"it is good."
The Xiao family was destined for an uneasy night.
The next day, Shen Lan packed her toolbox early and met Xiao Ji at the door before heading out of the city together.
Minister Zhao wanted to hand over the Tong family's case to Xiao Ji, but unfortunately, he couldn't even find the man.
The Tong family's case is too important for officials of low rank to handle. Originally, Xiao Ji was thought to be the best candidate due to his reputation, but it turned out that his words last night were in vain.
Master Xiao directly refused Minister Zhao in court, and his reason was simple: his wife was pregnant and the house needed to be clean and peaceful.
The carriage was stopped at the city gate as it drove out of the city.
A maidservant ran nervously to the carriage. "Young Master Xiao, my young lady says she wants to... wants to leave the city with you."
The servants in the Zhao household are all saying that the maid who died earlier was murdered by the future son-in-law.
Now, Zhao Xuan's maids are all afraid of Xiao Ji.
Inside the carriage, Xiao Ji and Shen Lan sat facing each other, with a thick booklet in front of them.
Many people went missing in Bianjing that year, and even though Xiao Ji had investigated once, he couldn't be sure he hadn't made any mistakes.
Hearing the noise outside, Xiao Ji lifted the curtain of the car window and saw Zhao Xuan wearing a veiled hat in front of him.
He got off the carriage and walked up to Zhao Xuan.
"Did Miss Zhao come here specifically to wait for me?"
Xiao Ji had only mentioned his schedule for today in the Criminal Investigation Department. Was Zhao Xuan's appearance here a coincidence or intentional?