"Madam, Madam, please wake up!"
"Madam?"
Xiao Shan looked anxious and gently shook Tang Xun’s body.
"Madam, please wake up!"
In the dream, Tang Xun heard someone calling her. It was like grabbing a life-saving straw; she searched everywhere following that voice.
"Madam!"
Xiao Shan raised her voice a little.
Tang Xun was jolted awake, her eyes snapping open as she drew in a sharp breath of cold air.
"Madam, what’s wrong? Did you have a nightmare?" Xiao Shan’s face was full of worry.
Still shaken, she looked around at everything around her and couldn’t speak for a long while.
"I..."
"I! What’s wrong with me?"
"Just now... I was dreaming, right!"
Xiao Shan hurriedly helped her sit up.
"Madam, you were dreaming!"
"What did you dream of? You scared this maid half to death too."
With that, she quickly called out toward the gauze curtains.
"Xiao He, hurry and pour a bowl of tea for Madam to calm her nerves. Xiao Xi, come and take Madam’s pulse!"
"Yes!"
The two answered and quickly hurried over.
Tang Xun found herself surrounded by the three of them.
One was comforting her, one was handing her tea, one was taking her pulse, making her feel like a precious delicate girl raised deep in the boudoir.
Tang Xun looked at this one and then that one, and only then slowly felt embarrassed.
"N-no... no need!"
"I’m fine!"
"Since it was just a dream, I’ll be fine after I calm down a bit! You don’t need to bustle about!"
Xiao Xi hurriedly stopped her.
"Madam, don’t move!"
"You were pressed by a nightmare, it’s better to be careful!"
"In a bit this maid will prescribe two doses of calming medicine for you, and also make a batch of Sweet Dream Incense!"
"I guarantee from now on you’ll sleep straight through till dawn and never have nightmares again!"
Tang Xun felt even more embarrassed.
"You all..."
"I’m not that delicate!"
Having a nightmare and actually needing medicine? It’s so bitter!
Before, she often had nightmares herself and nothing ever happened, right? How could it need such a big fuss!
Xiao Shan persuaded her.
"Madam, you’re mistaken!"
"Times are different now; Master sent us here precisely to serve you!"
"If we don’t do anything and Master finds out, he’ll punish us!"
"Besides, your health is what matters most. We truly are doing this for your own good!"
Tang Xun was left speechless and could only nod along.
"Th-then... all right."
Xiao Xi instantly let out a breath of relief.
"That’s more like it!"
With that, she rose to take her leave and went down to write the prescription and get the medicine dispensed.
In fact, though it was called medicine, the thing brought up didn’t smell unpleasant at all; instead, it carried a faint, clean herbal fragrance.
It wasn’t bitter in the mouth either. Aside from being a bit astringent, there was actually a hint of sweetness afterward.
Tang Xun widened her eyes, very curious.
"Is this... medicine?"
In her impression, medicine decoctions were always black and bitter, which was why she had resisted so much.
But now this medicine in front of her wasn’t bitter at all! How strange!
Xiao Xi smiled.
"The ones you took before were all inferior herbs with lots of impurities; the bitter and astringent tastes were heavy!"
"The medicine in our manor is all refined; that’s the first point!"
"Secondly, Madam, you don’t have any serious illness, so there’s no need for those extremely bitter brews!"
"In this bowl I added donkey-hide gelatin, Ginseng, cassia, and so on, as well as some osmanthus and peach blossom petals. It both nourishes and calms the mind, so the aftertaste is a bit sweet and fragrant!"
Tang Xun’s eyes lit up.
"Ginseng? Cassia? This bowl must be... not cheap, right!"
Xiao Xi hurriedly said.
"Madam, there’s no need for you to worry about that!"
"You’re too thin, too undernourished, your pulse is thin and weak, and your complexion is also a bit pale. It’s a sign of insufficient qi and blood!"
"But it’s all right. As long as you nourish and recuperate more in the future, you’ll recover very quickly, and your face will turn rosy and glowing!"
Tang Xun touched her own face, then looked at her hands.
They really were just skin and bones; even the veins on her slender wrist were translucent.
She grit her teeth.
"All right! I’ll really make up for it!"
Not just tonifying her body, but also her brain.
She really had too little in her stomach.
If she didn’t study more, she feared the scene in her dream would come true sooner or later.
Even if her husband wouldn’t divorce her, he would be laughed at and lose face because of her.
Yes, study, study! Recuperate and adjust.
She had to actively adjust herself and stand side by side with him in her best state.
...
Tang Xun’s gaze was firm as she finished off the not-at-all-bitter decoction in one go, then said,
"Xiao Shan, Xiao He, Xiao Xi, starting today, whatever you know and are good at, I’m going to learn too!"
Xiao Shan couldn’t help teasing with a laugh.
"Madam is so eager to learn, could it be... you plan to sit the imperial exam and become a top scholar someday?"
Xiao He and Xiao Xi pressed their lips together, laughing in unison at the side.
The three mistress and maids were chatting and joking.
From outside came the sound of footsteps, and Xia Jingfeng lifted the curtain and walked in.