novelhk Chapter 500: Uncle Qiu's Heartache
Chapter 500: Uncle Qiu's Heartache
"Wine? Doctor Meng, if Uncle Qiu can drink, why not let him have a few sips?" Feng Ming turned to Doctor Meng and asked.
Doctor Meng shook his head and did not answer.
Feng Ming didn't understand what he meant: "You can't drink it anymore?"
"It was Uncle Qiu who insisted on not drinking." Skinny Monkey added.
Feng Ming was at a loss as to what to do. He turned around to say a few words to Uncle Qiu, but Uncle Qiu closed his eyes again. It was unclear whether he fell asleep or fainted.
Zhou Chang was startled and quickly gave up his seat to let Doctor Meng take Uncle Qiu's pulse again.
Doctor Meng seemed to have known the situation for a long time, but he still went up and took the patient's pulse again as instructed.
Doctor Meng is over seventy years old, more than ten years older than Uncle Qiu. Although they are both old men, their conditions are really very different when they are put together.
After a moment, Uncle Qiu slowly opened his eyes again.
"Uncle Qiu, are you craving for wine? If you want to drink, just drink a little. Doctor Meng said it's okay." Feng Ming took advantage of Uncle Qiu's soberness to say a few words.
Uncle Qiu took a while to understand, then slowly shook his head.
"If you want to drink, just drink some, it's okay." Doctor Meng gave his affirmation as if he was persuading a child to eat candy.
Uncle Qiu seemed to be too tired to open his eyes, and closed them again.
Feng Ming was really worried: "Doctor Meng, why hasn't Uncle Qiu gotten better? It's already the New Year, why does he seem to be getting sicker?"
Doctor Meng shook his head, stood up, and motioned Feng Ming to go out.
Feng Ming glanced at Uncle Qiu who had fainted, and had no choice but to follow him out.
Doctor Meng arrived at the hospital and shook his head again: "It's the same old problem. The liver qi is stagnant and the five internal organs are not comfortable. If we can get through this first month of the year, with the help of the vitality of all things, maybe there will be a turn for the better. But as the saying goes, heart disease needs heart medicine. If the heart knot is not resolved, no medicine or stone can help. No one can help."
"Heart knot? What heart knot?" Zhou Chang looked at Aunt Jing and Shou Hou who followed them out, "Uncle Qiu, is he still upset about that little Jiangzi?"
The skinny monkey frowned: "Maybe, but since Uncle Qiu stopped drinking recently, he has talked even less and never mentioned it to us again."
Aunt Jing sighed: "Alas..., Your Majesty does not understand. Qiu Chang has no other hope in his life. One is to drink a little wine every day to relieve his worries, and the other is to have someone to rely on when he is old. But these two things were ruined by that little Jiangzi."
"How could it be ruined? Uncle Qiu has you, me, and Skinny Monkey. That Xiao Jiangzi just bought two jars of wine and hid the map. What's the big deal?" Feng Ming couldn't figure it out. "Even if Xiao Jiangzi is gone, we can still drink wine. A little bit of wine can make us happy. Even the doctor won't stop us. What's the problem?"
Aunt Jing shook her head slowly: "Why has Qiu Chang been drinking for so many years? Even if this old servant doesn't tell me, the prince should know it. In addition, he is a thoughtful person, so I'm afraid he will be sad about this matter."
Feng Ming remained silent, but Zhou Chang could tell from his heart that Uncle Qiu had developed a habit of drinking because, on the one hand, he probably could not accept his own identity, and on the other hand, not only that, but he had his legs broken by Liu Dexia and became disabled for life.
Although she had someone to rely on for the rest of her life after following Feng Ming, it was not as good as having a reliable family member by her side. However, she did not expect that she would be fooled by Xiao Jiangzi in a moment of thought.
With so many misfortunes added together, others might not be able to come to terms with it.
When Feng Ming thought that these were all unsolvable problems, he became upset and could only turn to Meng Youfang for help: "Doctor Meng, you are saying that if I can survive the first month of the year and take some care of myself, I will still have hope of recovery, right?"
Meng Youfang stroked his gray beard, thought for a long time, and finally nodded.
"That's good..." Feng Ming let out a long sigh, feeling relieved. "Doctor Meng, just use good medicine. I also understand that illness comes like a mountain and goes like a thread. No matter how long it takes, as long as I can cure Uncle Qiu, I will spare no effort."
Meng Youfang nodded gently again and said nothing more.
Afterwards, Feng Ming was worried and went back into the house to take another look.
Uncle Qiu suddenly opened his eyes again, as if he had forgotten that he had just met Prince Yi, and suddenly said: "Ninth brother, how come you have grown so tall all of a sudden? You will be seventeen after the New Year, and you will be old enough to leave the palace and build your own residence. Everything will be fine then."
It was obvious that he had mistaken the age, but Feng Ming's tears suddenly burst out.
During the years in the palace, especially in the more than ten years after Concubine Lan passed away, although there was no special celebration on Feng Ming's birthday every year, everyone in Huilan Garden looked forward to it as if it were their own birthday.
Everyone is silently waiting for the day when Feng Ming grows up, waiting for the day when he can leave the palace. Leaving the palace may not necessarily be good, but it is always freer than being confined in the palace.
"Yes, Uncle Qiu, I have grown up. We have waited for this and now we have all come out." Feng Ming wiped away his tears with his sleeves and cooperated with Uncle Qiu.
Uncle Qiu's cloudy eyes blinked after seeing Feng Ming's tears, and suddenly seemed to be clearer, but he still said the same words as the Ninth Prince back then: "Yes, Ninth Brother finally has his own mansion. From now on, he doesn't have to be cautious and compromise anymore. He can do whatever he wants in the future. My legs are useless, so I will guard this palace for Ninth Brother and be his gatekeeper to prevent those annoying people from coming in."
"Okay..., when Uncle Qiu gets better, we can sit at the gate and drink some sun." Feng Ming was also coaxing an old child.
Zhou Chang also felt sad. In the past, every time she went in and out of the palace, Uncle Qiu might not come to greet her in time, but as long as she saw Uncle Qiu's figure, she would always feel at ease.
Ever since Uncle Qiu became ill, she could no longer see him at the gate. She felt lost, let alone Feng Ming.
After Uncle Qiu said these words, his eyelids closed heavily again.
Feng Ming just looked at Uncle Qiu's wrinkled face quietly, and only waited until the tears on his face had dried up, then he stood up again and left with everyone.
Afterwards, Zhou Chang was not in the mood to celebrate his birthday. After all, it was Prince Yi Fengming’s birthday, so he simply chose to watch.
Feng Ming was no longer in the mood, so he reluctantly went back to the central hall and watched two more acrobatic performances, then returned to the study early.
It was finally night and the formal birthday banquet was served. Feng Ming could hardly eat anything, but in order not to disappoint Yuan Qi, he pretended to be in high spirits and took a bite of the main course.
After the dinner and a whole day of busyness, everyone finally dispersed, but Yuan Qi invited them to watch the moon in the back garden together.
No matter how bad Feng Ming was in the mood, he would not refuse Yuan Qi. He also knew that this birthday party was definitely not over yet and the most important part was still to come.