Su Xiaoqi was currently picking silver ear mushrooms that had just been baked.
It turned out that cultivating silver ear mushrooms from cotton seeds was indeed better than using wood chips.
The process was faster, and the silver ear mushrooms were plumper.
"Is this how you cultivate silver ear mushrooms with cotton seeds?" Shen Yun asked softly from behind Su Xiaoqi.
The coldness he had shown earlier when facing Zhao Xiaohua was completely gone, replaced by a face full of interest.
Whenever he was in front of Su Xiaoqi, he would always adjust his demeanor immediately.
Su Xiaoqi nodded and carefully removed a piece of silver ear mushroom, handing it to Shen Yun.
A few unrotted small cotton seeds were still attached to it.
"My wife, you're so clever," Shen Yun smiled. He put down the silver ear mushroom and naturally took her hand, his star-like eyes sparkling as he looked at her, filled with joy.
Su Xiaoqi was taken aback by his undisguised praise, and soon found herself lost in his stunning smile.
The main purpose of Su Xiaoqi's herb gathering this time was to treat Old Madam Yu's legs.
She had already prescribed medicine for her and had Li Daniu continuously simmer it.
Therefore, during the follow-up examinations in the past few days, her condition seemed to be improving.
Even her legs, which had been immobile for over a decade, were gradually regaining sensation.
"Do you know Chuanxiong, Honghua, Chishao, Danshen, and Puhuang?"
Shen Yun raised an eyebrow. "Aren't these all blood-activating herbs?"
Su Xiaoqi nodded. Old Madam Yu's paralysis was caused by blood stasis and stagnation after a fall.
Continuous use of these herbs could promote blood circulation and dissolve blood clots, and combined with specific massage techniques, it would help the recovery of her legs.
Shen Yun understood the medicinal principles, and with his photographic memory, recognizing herbs was not a problem.
Soon, the two of them returned to the estate with a large basket of herbs.
Su Xiaoqi immediately added the medicinal ingredients bought from the city pharmacy by Li Shushao, and asked Li Daniu to help her simmer a bowl of Tao Ren Cheng Qi Tang and Xue Fu Zhu Yu Tang.
She also brewed a pot of Wen Jing Tang for her to soak her feet in.
"Why so many medicines this time?" Old Madam Yu drank one bowl and wanted another, with her feet placed in the dark, simmering medicinal broth, feeling quite displeased.
"The previous medicine was for activating blood and resolving stasis. This bowl is for tonifying qi, nourishing blood, warming the meridians and dispelling cold, clearing heat, regulating qi, and clearing obstructions. They must be used together to be effective," Su Xiaoqi knew Old Madam Yu's contrary nature.
Although she complained vociferously, she would meticulously finish every dose of medicine given to her.
This was because she feared wasting it, and after being strong-willed for most of her life, she did not want to continue being an immobile invalid.
"Oh dear, my legs have been like this for so many years, can they really be cured?" Old Madam Yu spoke as she forcefully patted her leg, even pinching her numb calf.
Su Xiaoqi quickly stopped her and said, "Didn't my maternal grandmother tell you that you had regained some sensation earlier?"
Old Madam Yu shook her head, saying it seemed so, but it was only for a moment, and then it was gone.
So she was unsure if it was her imagination.
Su Xiaoqi's face twitched.
Sighing, she let Li Daniu dry Old Madam Yu's legs and said that she would continue with the current prescription and soak her feet in Wen Jing Tang daily.
Fearing that Old Madam Yu would not comply, Su Xiaoqi specifically instructed Li Daniu not to return to live in the back, but to stay in the side room of the main courtyard to take care of Old Madam Yu closely.
Li Daniu's heart leaped with joy. This meant her master was promoting her to be the old lady's personal maid.
She quickly curtsied and responded crisply.
Su Xiaoqi also drew a set of exercises for Old Madam Yu, asking her to do them whenever she had free time.
This would be beneficial for the early recovery of her legs.
"What kind of exercises?" Old Madam Yu was a little curious.
She had almost given up hope.
But seeing Su Xiaoqi's wholehearted efforts for her, returning from the mountain with herbs and immediately busy brewing medicine and foot soak water, she couldn't bring herself to give up.
"Ba Duan Jin, and a set of health massage techniques. I'll teach them to Daniu, and she'll massage and knead them for you every day. It can help qi and blood circulation."
As Su Xiaoqi spoke, she gently pressed and kneaded Old Madam Yu's acupoints such as Ge Shu, Xue Hai, and He Gu.
Li Daniu was also quick-witted and quickly leaned in to watch.
She soon learned and, under Su Xiaoqi's supervision, tried kneading.
Initially, she was unsure of the strength to use, but gradually got better, kneading Old Madam Yu into a state of comfort.
She no longer mentioned letting her do it herself to avoid bothering the young lady.
Shen Yun stood by watching. Seeing that Su Xiaoqi had been working hard for most of the afternoon, he felt very concerned. Noticing she was about to demonstrate the exercises, he proactively offered:
"Ba Duan Jin? I know that. My wife, you're tired, go rest for a while."
Su Xiaoqi said with pleasant surprise, "That's even better."
Actually, she hadn't practiced Ba Duan Jin for a long time.
She came from a family of traditional Chinese medicine practitioners, and when she was young, her elders often practiced it, and she learned by watching.
But after starting school, she was very busy and hadn't practiced for a long time, so she had almost forgotten.
She had originally intended to recall it herself before teaching.
Unexpectedly, Shen Yun knew it, which saved her a lot of trouble.
While Shen Yun was demonstrating to Old Madam Yu, Su Xiaoqi called Li Daniu over and whispered a few words: "Will you take care of the old lady from now on?"
Li Daniu quickly agreed, "Yes, your servant thanks the young madam."
Su Xiaoqi continued, "One tael of silver a month, four sets of clothes per season, and many more benefits if you do well."
Li Daniu was almost overjoyed. "One, one tael of silver, that's, that's too much." Her family couldn't earn one tael of silver a month, otherwise, they wouldn't be living in such a house.
"As long as you serve the old lady well, one tael of silver is nothing!" Su Xiaoqi chuckled.
Since there were several people called Daniu on the estate, Wang family's was Wang Daniu, and Tian family's was Tian Daniu.
Shouting Daniu while standing on the ridge would summon several maids.
To accurately distinguish Li Daniu's name, Su Xiaoqi decided to give her a new name.
"Yan Zhi, you will be called Li Yan Zhi from now on," Su Xiaoqi said.
Li Yan Zhi adapted to the new name immediately.
These estate servants had signed indentures. Being bestowed a name by the master was a mark of kindness, and they could only be happy.
Moreover, the name Li Yan Zhi sounded much better than Li Daniu, which her father had carelessly given her.
She happily agreed.
After this conversation, Su Xiaoqi sent her in to attend to Old Madam Yu and then saw someone peeking at the entrance.
She went out to see Li Shushao standing there, looking somewhat anxious.
She hurried to ask him if there was anything important.
"Master, Young Master Zhao is here," Li Shushao replied respectfully.
He, along with Qin Guo'er, was the only ones Su Xiaoqi brought from Yizhou Prefecture, considered old retainers.
The more he served Su Xiaoqi, the more he admired her, and thus he was very respectful.
Su Xiaoqi looked up and saw the slender figure of Zhao Ye standing by the moon gate connecting the main courtyard to the front courtyard.
Su Xiaoqi invited him to the main hall of the front courtyard.
However, she had come out in a hurry and forgotten to bring a hot water bottle.
Furthermore, the main hall had not been used for guests in a while, and there was no charcoal brazier lit. As she entered, she was hit by a gust of cold wind, making her shiver involuntarily.
"Hiss." She quickly retracted her hands into her sleeves.
Zhao Ye knew she was particularly sensitive to the cold, so he quickly stood in front of her, blocking the cold wind for her.
"What's wrong? Have you found out about the matter?" Su Xiaoqi asked, rubbing her fingers vigorously.
Zhao Ye had indeed come to tell Su Xiaoqi about the follow-up to the previous incident.
However, he could not speak and could only write.
Therefore, Su Xiaoqi looked around. Finding no one to translate sign language for her, she handed Zhao Ye a piece of paper and asked him to write down what he wanted to say.
Zhao Ye quickly took the paper and wrote at the desk:
"After returning, I kept a close eye on Xiao Sanzi, and things are not as we imagined."
Zhao Ye's words were very objective, without any personal emotions.
Su Xiaoqi remained silent, awaiting his further explanation.
"Xiao Sanzi said that he had long discovered people from the He family lurking around their residence.
He also saw them inquiring about their buckwheat tea production.
He remembered you mentioning at the time that they should not leak the tea-making techniques, otherwise, there would be great losses.
So he kept it in mind.
Thinking that it would be better for him to handle it himself than for them to find someone else, causing the situation to be uncontrollable."
"So Xiao Sanzi did not betray us, but took the initiative to intercept the troublemakers in advance?" Su Xiaoqi said with some skepticism.
Zhao Ye nodded, then wrote, "Xiao Sanzi is also here, just outside."
Su Xiaoqi was a little speechless, thinking that the main person had come, why didn't they call him in, but instead sent you, who cannot speak.
Well, of course, she only thought this in her mind and did not say it out loud.
However, her eagerness for someone to bring Xiao Sanzi in still revealed her emotions.
"Sister Xiaoqi." As soon as Xiao Sanzi entered, he lowered his head.
He was already shorter than most of his peers, and with his head bowed, he appeared even shorter.
He only reached Su Xiaoqi's shoulder.
"Sit and talk," Su Xiaoqi said gently, not wanting to put too much pressure on him.
Xiao Sanzi sat down with his head lowered, and Su Xiaoqi waited quietly.
But Xiao Sanzi remained silent for a long time.
She became frustrated, trying her best to control her impatience, and said lightly, "So why have you come to see me?"
She wasn't a mind reader, and if he didn't say anything, just stood in front of her, she certainly wouldn't be able to know his thoughts.
"Sister Xiaoqi, I, I was wrong, please punish me." Xiao Sanzi suddenly stood up, rushed to Su Xiaoqi, and knelt down with a thud.
"What do you mean by this?" Su Xiaoqi frowned.
"If you have something to say, can't you just say it properly instead of using this method?"
"Sister Xiaoqi..." When Xiao Sanzi looked up, tears were already streaming down his face.
Su Xiaoqi's brows furrowed even tighter.
She had a rough idea of what was going on.
"You didn't decide to secretly associate with people from the He family behind everyone's back all by yourself, did you?"
Xiao Sanzi's eyes widened in shock. "S-Sister Xiaoqi, h-how did you know?"