RMM – Chapter 111 Two Places of Idle Sorrow

He Wen’s car had just driven out of Zhengjia Courtyard when a car slowly approached from the opposite direction.

She slowed down, preparing to pass carefully.

Although the He family’s conditions weren’t bad, they still weren’t qualified to live inside Zhengjia Courtyard. Every resident here was either a senior official or from the highest levels of central authority. Not just anyone could live here. But at the same time, not everyone could stay forever—life was full of ups and downs. Today you might be in the limelight, but tomorrow you could fall from grace, and then naturally you would no longer be able to remain here.

He Wen had originally planned to give way to the oncoming car. Unexpectedly, that car stopped right in front of her.

Who could it be? Did they know her? He Wen turned her head in puzzlement.

At a glance, her face darkened. Wasn’t this that rascal Feng Weijia’s car?

Sure enough, the car window slowly rolled down, revealing the smiling face that had practically been engraved in He Wen’s mind these past few days.

“He Wen, just coming out of Ruoruo’s house?”

Feng Weijia hadn’t expected to bump into He Wen here. Startled but delighted, he thought—it really is true, fate makes people meet everywhere.

“None of your business. Move aside, I have to leave.” He Wen slanted her eyes at Feng Weijia and gave a cold sneer.

“Hey, what’s the rush? It’s not like I’ll eat you.” Feng Weijia wore a wounded expression.

The two of them blocked the road with their cars, chatting, inevitably affecting passing traffic. Even though no cars were coming at the moment, it still didn’t look good.

Before long, a guard in military uniform came striding over.

Seeing the guard’s stern face, He Wen felt embarrassed. Before the man could even open his mouth, He Wen spoke first.

“Comrade, I’ll move right now. Sorry, sorry.”

Without giving Feng Weijia another glance, she stepped on the accelerator and squeezed past the narrowed road blocked by Feng Weijia’s SUV, leaving behind the roar of an engine echoing in the air.

Feng Weijia sighed regretfully. Then he looked at the guard still standing there, glared at him, and only then started his car and drove into Zhengjia Courtyard.

Couldn’t the guard see that young master was in the middle of a romantic chat? Why come over and ruin the mood? Spoiling things for no reason.

The guard, baffled, looked at the departing SUV. He recognized it—it was Minister Feng’s youngest son, known for his flamboyant behavior. But what had he done to offend him just now? He was only maintaining order. Cars weren’t supposed to stop at the entrance to Zhengjia Courtyard, let alone two vehicles blocking the way to chat.

The next morning, Su Ruo woke up only to discover, much to her dismay, that she really had caught a cold.

Her head felt heavy, her body weak, though not too serious. Likely the result of drinking plain boiled water last night.

She was somewhat relieved, but didn’t dare take it lightly. She struggled up and walked into the bathroom.

This was something she ought to tell her mother-in-law—she herself had no experience and didn’t know what to do.

“Sister-in-law, why’s your face so red? Too hot?”

Xi Yuehui, who had just returned from a morning run, spotted Su Ruo coming downstairs and asked curiously. The house wasn’t particularly warm.

Shen Liang, busy in the kitchen making soup for Su Ruo, also found it strange when he heard Xi Yuehui’s voice. Handing over the soup he was holding, he quickly walked out.

“Yes, Ruoruo, why do you look so listless?” Shen Liang asked worriedly, hurrying toward her.

“Mom, I think I might have a slight cold.” Su Ruo frowned slightly, speaking with concern.

Right now, Su Ruo was the treasure of the Xi family. Any minor incident naturally caused great alarm.

“A cold?” Shen Liang’s heart skipped. She rushed forward, reaching out to touch Su Ruo’s forehead. Only when she felt no fever did her tense expression ease slightly. “Fortunately, no fever.”

Standing nearby, Xi Yuehui also looked worried at Su Ruo’s discomfort. After thinking for a moment, he said: “Mom, I’ll call Dr. Chen to come take a look.”

“Good. Explain the situation clearly, tell her to bring everything she might need, and make sure she hurries.”

After giving instructions, Shen Liang took Su Ruo’s hand and led her back upstairs. “You really… feeling unwell yet still came down. Go lie down properly. Wait for the doctor to come and give you a thorough check.”

Actually, Su Ruo herself felt weak and wanted to rest. Hearing her mother-in-law say this, she didn’t argue, and obediently went back upstairs.

Lying down, Su Ruo uneasily asked: “Mom, will this affect the baby?”

Shen Liang smiled gently and reassured her: “It’s just a mild cold, not a fever, nothing serious. Don’t worry. When the doctor comes, you’ll feel reassured.” She stroked Su Ruo’s forehead with a look of pity.

Having given birth herself, Shen Liang knew it was best for nothing to go wrong in the early stages of pregnancy. Since medication was not advisable, even small discomforts could make things harder for the mother and possibly affect the child.

But if it was only a light cold, as long as one was careful, it wouldn’t be a big deal—drink hot water, eat fruit, endure it, and it would pass.

Even so, she still worried. When she had been pregnant, everything had gone smoothly, so she had never experienced such problems herself. Now, with both Su Ruo and her grandson at stake, she couldn’t help but feel anxious. The pregnancy had already been unstable before—after all the effort to stabilize it, what if the cold affected the child? And Su Ruo herself was suffering too.

In truth, aside from a headache and overall weakness, Su Ruo wasn’t suffering much. Her main worry was the baby.

It was normal—for a first-time mother, without any experience, to feel anxious at the slightest thing.

Dr. Chen soon arrived. Since Xi Yuehui had only said “she caught a cold” on the phone, without details, Dr. Chen thought something serious had happened and rushed over in a hurry.

“Dr. Chen, sorry to trouble you.”

Xi Yuehui led her to Su Ruo’s bedroom door, letting her in while he stayed outside.

Hearing the door, Shen Liang turned and quickly greeted her.

“It’s nothing, I wasn’t too busy at the hospital.” Dr. Chen wouldn’t dare act aloof before Shen Liang. Smiling politely, she said, “Is Miss Su all right? I’ll take a look first.”

Su Ruo sat up slightly, leaning against the soft pillows. Perhaps due to her uneasiness, she looked weary and spiritless, which gave the impression of being more serious than it was.

Alarmed, Dr. Chen hurried over and began examining her carefully.

Throughout, Shen Liang closely observed Dr. Chen’s expression, hoping to glean something. Only when Dr. Chen’s expression eased did her heart finally relax.

“It’s nothing serious,” Dr. Chen smiled, standing up. “She just caught a bit of a chill, with a mild feverish symptom, but not bad. Rest for two days, drink water, eat some fruit to detox, and she’ll be fine.”

Both Su Ruo and Shen Liang let out sighs of relief.

Outside, Xi Yuehui also relaxed visibly. Clearly, this sudden cold had caused a stir for the whole household.

“Then… no need for medicine?” Su Ruo asked hesitantly, still uneasy.

“No need. Just rest, drink water, let the body detox naturally. At this stage, better not to use medication.”

Dr. Chen smiled, shaking her head. Young mothers always worried too much.

“That’s good. And to think we troubled you to come all this way for something so minor. I feel embarrassed.” Shen Liang gave a polite smile.

“Not at all, this is what I should do.” Dr. Chen gathered her things with a smile.

Their hospital existed precisely to serve Zhengjia Courtyard. No matter how minor the ailment, making house calls was expected, not something to complain about.

After Dr. Chen left, Shen Liang went to the kitchen, ladled out the soup she had prepared earlier, and set out two small dishes. Carrying the tray herself, she headed upstairs, refusing to let others help.

Fortunately, she had made a light soup in the morning. Otherwise, she would have had to start anew—she couldn’t let Ruoruo go hungry.

As she reached the stairs, the old man returned from walking his bird, humming happily to himself, clearly in good spirits.

“Xiao Shen, what are you doing?”

Hearing his voice, Shen Liang’s body stiffened. She closed her eyes briefly, exhaling.

Why did he have to come back now? With how much he doted on Ruoruo, if he knew she had a cold, who knew how worried he would be.

“I… I’m bringing soup up for Ruoruo, to nourish her.” Shen Liang turned with a forced smile.

The old man might be aged and retired from affairs, but he wasn’t blind—her obvious unease was plain to see.

“Don’t beat around the bush. Tell me the truth.” He snorted.

“Ruoruo just caught a slight chill yesterday. I’m bringing her something to eat.” Shen Liang chose her words carefully.

“A chill? Is she all right? Did you have the doctor come?”

To Shen Liang’s surprise, the old man remained calm, though clearly concerned.

“It’s fine. The doctor came and said rest is all she needs.”

He glanced at the tray in her hands. “Go on then, bring it up before it gets cold.”

“Oh, all right.” Though puzzled, Shen Liang quickly headed upstairs.

The old man watched her disappear, then slowly wandered into the garden. Autumn had already set in. Though flowers still bloomed, they couldn’t conceal the air of desolation.

Sigh…

He let out a long sigh, softly humming a Kunqu aria—an excerpt from The Peony Pavilion’s Wandering in the Garden.

The broken, lingering notes drifted far, filled with a poignant, sorrowful beauty.

After watching Su Ruo finish her soup, Shen Liang tidied up and left, telling her to rest well.

Su Ruo sighed as the door closed. All this fuss over just a little cold—what a commotion.

Life here was good, yes, but not always satisfying—almost boring in its idleness.

Her thoughts drifted to Xi Yuechen, wondering when he could return. She hadn’t seen him in so long. Then she huffed to herself—that annoying soldier probably hasn’t even thought of me, with only his military tasks in his eyes. Hmph, I won’t think about him either!

Little did she know, Xi Yuechen was thinking of her just as much. He only worried that if he let his thoughts wander, he would endlessly miss her, and feared he might not make it home as planned—so he buried himself in work even harder.