Chapter 90

Transmigrated into a cat 12 (birth mother is the female lead of a female-path novel)

After crossing mountains and rivers all the way, the group finally reached Peace Brocade City smoothly.

Luo Lao Ye, through connections, finally found a Western doctor said to have decent medical skills.

Luo Jia Ming was also full of hope; nowadays everyone across the country says Chinese medicine is inferior to Western medicine, that Chinese medicine is just witchcraft, and Western medicine will surely work!

But the blond, blue-eyed Western doctor—Dr. Smith—felt he wasn't up to the task.

He made a suggestion: "Anyway, it's useless; why not cut it off?"

Dr. Smith thought, "With such swelling, it might get infected; it'd be safer to cut it off, and it wouldn't endanger his life."

Luo father and son only felt like thunderbolts striking their heads; they had come to find a Western doctor hoping to keep it, not to cut it off, nor to cut it off as a permanent cure.

Dr. Smith thought for a moment and suggested: "Our country has excellent sculptors who can make a fake one for you, absolutely lifelike! By the way, doesn't your country have a miraculous figure who can make flying birds? Right, I remember his name is Master Lu Ban; you could get him to make a moving one…"

He concluded: "So better to cut it off; cutting it off is safer!"

Luo father and son never expected that the Western doctor they found through connections would be unreliable; just hearing him, they knew it was hopeless.

"Cutting it off? Would I still be a man after that?" Luo Jia Ming raged impotently.

Indeed, Western medicine is crap; at least the Chinese medicine doctor told him he could preserve that piece of flesh, even if it couldn't be used. These Western doctors just want to cut wherever it's bad—indeed, Western medicine, developed only a few hundred years ago, is nothing but demons and monsters!

Dr. Smith adjusted his glasses and said seriously: "Mr. Luo, perhaps being a man shouldn't be determined by the genital; losing the symbol of manhood makes one feel like a woman, which is a sign of poor mental health. Although our hospital doesn't have a psychiatry department, our country has excellent psychologists; I suggest you go to my country…"

"Nonsense! Screw your mother's nonsense!" Luo Jia Ming trembled with anger, "Get out, I don't want your treatment!"

Luo Lao Ye was also furious; he suppressed his anger and asked the hospital to give him a doctor who could speak human language.

The hospital, always enthusiastic about wealthy patrons, dispatched a domestically trained doctor who had studied abroad for many years.

Luo Lao Ye clenched his fists: "That quack doctor said my son couldn't be saved; if you can save my son, no matter the cost, it doesn't matter."

"He's Dr. Smith, our best surgeon here." The doctor, skilled in both Chinese and Western medicine, said, "I can preserve Mr. Luo's vital part without cutting it off, but the nerves inside are dead…"

In other words, keeping it would only be ornamental; whether to cut it or not makes little difference, just psychological comfort.

Upon hearing this tragedy, Luo Jia Ming was overcome with grief and only wanted to jump from the third-floor hospital to end it all.

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He tearily handled the hospitalization procedures for his son; because of the ordeal, Luo Jia Ming's area had already become inflamed, and a doctor proficient in both Chinese and Western medicine advised hospitalization, suggesting he first hang a few days of IV fluids to reduce inflammation.

The doctor implicitly said: "For anti-inflammation, Western medicine is better than Chinese medicine; these fluids are worth their weight in gold, and ordinary families simply can't afford them."

Luo Jia Ming, however, couldn't take it in, lying in bed as if his soul had been sucked out.

What good is being worth gold? Now even gold can't save him; he's about to become a monster. I heard that after the previous dynasty fell, the eunuchs who walked out of the palace were regarded as monsters, and no one wanted to support them.

When he returns to Pomegranate Flower Town, will everyone look at him the same way?

Luo Jia Ming's face was pallid; his gaze hollowly fixed on the medicine in the glass bottle, which had been shipped from the foreigners' country, enduring storms at sea before arriving at this hospital, and was injected into his bloodstream.

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Luo Lao Ye was asleep on the opposite hospital bed.

Unable to rest easy about his son, he simply rented a ward and stayed there to keep watch.

After days of labor and travel, plus mental exhaustion, the fifty-something Luo Lao Ye was utterly exhausted and fell into a deep sleep.

Luo Lao Ye's back was against the window, his bed placed by it; if his son became desperate and tried to jump, he could also intervene a bit.

Unlike the excellent eldest son, the second son differs: the eldest son has a resilient character; the second son was pampered from childhood. The eldest son would persist in studying even under scorching sun or freezing snow, unafraid of hardship or fatigue; he holds convictions, wanting to become someone useful to both country and family.

On the contrary, the second son fears cold, heat, and loneliness; he enjoys indulging in beautiful women and cannot uphold the family.

When the eldest son was around, they never pressured him to improve; the eldest son would surely support his useless brother after their parents' passing—what does it matter if he indulges in pleasure and lacks ambition?

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In his sleep, Luo Lao Ye murmured the eldest son's name, tears trickling from the corners of his eyes.

Next door, Luo Jia Ming, unable to sleep from pain, heard that name; his body jerked as if struck by lightning.

He looked at his father, still asleep opposite, murmuring the elder brother's name, and felt angry—because he was useless, did his father now miss the eldest son more?

Indeed, the eldest son is a genius; he is a fool, played around by two women; if there were a choice, his parents would surely wish it were him who died.

Luo Jia Ming wanted to laugh, but found he couldn't; resentment began to sprout faintly from his heart.

He was merely the parents' non-choice; when the eldest son was present, no one noticed him—he was like a shadow blocked from any light.

If the parents treated him equally, if they didn't compare him to the eldest son, always saying he's inferior, if they showed him a bit more care and affection…

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Because he resents and hates, knowing he can never match the eldest son, forever falling short, he would rather become a playboy, letting them forever worry about him.

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Xu Shi, who had taken her two daughters back to her maiden home to pay respects, finally returned.

Unexpectedly, as soon as she arrived home, the mother and three daughters received the bad news; Xu Shi's face instantly turned pallid, she nearly fainted.

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Xu Shi felt her heart was about to break; how could her proud husband accept becoming a eunuch?

Luo Lao Tai Tai was busy sending people to find out the whereabouts of He Saniang and Mu Dan; she hadn't rested these two days, and hearing Xu Shi's wails, her head felt like it would split.

"Shut up!" she shouted angrily, "Give me some peace, old lady!"

If only she had known earlier, she would have stopped her son from marrying such a good-for-nothing; not bearing a son would have been fine, but he can't handle anything.

How could Xu Shi listen? At this moment, her whole heart was fixed on her husband.

"Mother, I want to go find Jia Ming! I want to stay by his side and never leave again."

Luo Lao Tai Tai's expression eased slightly; although Xu Shi had many flaws, the only thing worth praising was her wholehearted devotion to her son.

Their son had been ruined by two shameless women; this was precisely his vulnerable moment, and Xu Shi's previously suffocating love now became a benefit, able to soothe his fragile self-esteem after losing the symbol of manhood.

Luo Lao Tai Tai said without good grace: "These days are chaotic with war and bandits everywhere on the roads—do you have a death wish?"

"What are you looking for? She doesn't have the energy to arrange someone to send her to Peace Brocade City."

Xu Shi wept softly, thinking of her pitiful husband: "But Jia Ming..."

"What good would it do for you to go? You can't count on your help at all; it'd be better to help me look over these accounts, or find the whereabouts of those two wretches—those who harmed my Luo Family people and now want to flee?" Luo Lao Tai Tai's voice was sinister, "In this lifetime they shall never have happiness!"

In many people's eyes, Xu Shi was a saintly mother; she couldn't bear to harm even an ant. When there was extra food in the kitchen, she would have the cook give it to homeless beggars to fill their stomachs. For relatives from her natal family who were especially poor, she would, whenever she could, give them some money and goods.

The only thing that made her not saintly was her feelings toward Luo Jia Ming; she loathed Mu Dan, who had stolen her husband, but she didn't expect that the fox spirit wasn't just one—there was also a young widow?

Xu Shi only felt dizzy and began to tear up: "Jia Ming, why can't we just live happily together? The women outside are so wicked, all after the Luo Family's money; only I am sincere to you..." "Get out, get out, get out!"

Luo Lao Tai Tai only felt her head dizzying further; she now only wanted help, not a lovesick fool who can't stand up.

Fortunately Xu Shi was useless, but the several maids were sensible and filial.

"Grandma, are you alright?" Da Ya asked concernedly, somewhat wanting to massage her forehead, but she reached out then hesitated and drew back, as Grandma didn't seem to like them getting close.

They also wanted to be filial to Grandma, but Grandma's temper was volatile, always either beating or scolding them; even a glance seemed to anger her. Consequently, from childhood onward, the four sisters were actually not close to Luo Lao Tai Tai.

Luo Lao Tai Tai said irritably, "As long as your mother cries less, I'll be fine."

She put down the account book; her husband didn't know when he would return, but before he came back the Luo Family must not be in chaos.

Da Ya timidly asked, "Then, then do we need the granddaughters to help with something?"

Luo Lao Tai Tai lifted her gaze to Da Ya, the thirteen‑year‑old maiden, graceful and lovely, her appearance resembling Xu Shi's, charming and moving, yet the expression in her brows was firmer than Xu Shi's.

Although Xu Shi's heart was set on her husband, as the sole daughter of a former scholar she had dabbled in music, chess, calligraphy and painting; after her careful instruction, her daughters actually seemed quite proper.

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Da Ya blinked, shook her head, and said, "I've never seen it; Mother didn't teach me."

Luo Lao Tai Tai got a headache again; what use is it for Xu Shi to teach the daughters the refinements of wind, flower, snow and moon? Can you eat or drink it? The truly important things she teaches not at all.

But now the Luo Family has no one usable; Luo Lao Tai Tai had no choice, saying, "Come here, Grandma will teach you."

Although she doesn't like the granddaughters and wants to scold them on sight, she also knows these granddaughters are the Luo Family's flesh and blood, thus more reliable than outsiders with no blood ties.

Da Ya was especially quick‑witted, immediately saying, "Grandma, I'll call Second Sister and Third Sister over; they can read, and more hands make the reckoning faster."

One sheep is driven, a flock is also driven; Luo Lao Tai Tai acquiesced.

As for Mu Dan's side, we need not worry for now; the child in He San Niang's womb is of utmost importance.

It's impossible for A Ming not to sell; the Madam won't interfere with the Old Madam's decision, nor can she, and besides it's her husband who's hurt—what does 'lightly strike and let go' mean? Others would surely doubt her feelings for her husband.

Xu Shi's complexion also shifted unpredictably, her feelings tangled; why wasn't it she who was pregnant? When her mother spoke to her, she spoke lightly, without detailing her husband's injury; she had already braced for the worst, if Jia Ming truly…

She involuntarily touched her own belly; last night she had a beautiful dream, vivid as life, a dream she had never had before that was so logical; waking up, her expression was dazed, feeling this wasn't a dream but her real life.

Upon thinking this, A Ming slapped his forehead, wondering how he'd forgotten, and hurriedly said, "Young Mistress, He San Niang is pregnant with the Second Master's child."

Luo Lao Tai Tai happily discovered that, although her son was a good‑for‑nothing and her daughter‑in‑law a waste, the three granddaughters were all fine.

Luo Jia Ming obeyed her and his son completely; she abused the daughters born of Xu Shi, and Luo Jia Ming pretended not to see. Later, Luo Jia Ming even sacrificed several daughters for her son's sake; when she sold the best‑looking San Ya, Luo Jia Ming didn't get angry with her.

Mu Dan was both jealous and resentful; He San Niang managed to do what she, tossing and turning, could not—how could her fate be so good?

Luo Lao Tai Tai realized that as long as she could tolerate the girl's speed, the girl's work needed no checking at all, which put her especially at ease.

A Ming was almost desperate; He San Niang, what the hell are you trying to escape? You're carrying Second Master's child; the Luo family will only keep you provided for—who doesn't know the Luo family's heart condition? As long as you bear a son, you can even run roughshod over the mistress's head.

A Ming again found the intermediary who had originally bought He San Niang's house.

Mu Dan often thought, if Xu Shi showed even a tenth of the affection she gave others' sons to her own daughters, those girls wouldn't have lived so miserably.

His fate would most likely be a black coal mine somewhere, unless he could redeem himself through merit.

But her son and daughter-in-law were merely ornamental, useless; she could never find a suitable choice.

After Luo Jia Ming died, the Luo family's fortunes plummeted; luckily Xu Shi was still around—her children had been killed or gone missing by her own hand and her son's, yet she bore no resentment, still doting on her son; later her son took up opium and gambling, and even this birth mother loathed him, but Xu Shi still earnestly urged her own son to turn over a new leaf.

"I really don't know where she fled; I'm just the intermediary who bought her house at half price." The intermediary felt bitter—sure enough, a bargain isn't easy to come by, but a half-price house without any trouble would be abnormal.

After being beaten, A Ming fainted and that night came down with a high fever.

As for the third granddaughter, no need to say—she is exceptionally bright, can do accounts without an abacus, just a glance and she knows the answer, very much like the eldest son who died young.

She recalled when her second son and Xu Shi had just married; between the new daughter-in-law and mother-in-law, household matters were always a clash; back then Luo Lao Tai Tai was still young, unwilling to relinquish authority, thinking she could still manage, but the daughter-in-law didn't mind at all and actually breathed a sigh of relief.

Xu Shi brought Si Ya over to deliver a late-night snack; it was noodles she herself cooked, and she secretly slipped a poached egg into the bottom of each daughter's bowl.

At that time, in that situation, he was at a loss—after all, those two would eventually become Second Master's concubines; if he tried to pull them apart, there would inevitably be physical contact, and Second Master could have him killed on the spot, so he hesitated.

Alas, the good days passed in a flash; Luo Jia Ming ruined the Luo family far too quickly, Pomegranate Flower Town was no longer an isolated utopia, as bands of ruffians kept coming to extort money, and the Luo family had to pay out just to keep the peace.

After they finished eating, Xu Shi cleared the bowls and chopsticks and left the study.

This Xu Shi—she has plenty of flaws, but she doesn't hold grudges; if you scold or hit her, she forgets it afterward; when she's kind to the young ladies, she's genuinely kind, but when her mind is not right, all that remains is her husband, and she completely forgets her daughters.

In her dream, she conceived Luo Jia Ming's only son; Luo Jia Ming happily welcomed her through the door; after giving birth, in the Luo household she demanded the stars and got not the moon, she had Xu Shi bring her foot-washing water, and Xu Shi could only obey.

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A Ming also achieved his goal of redeeming himself through merit, for he was among the few who had seen He San Niang and had dealings with her, and the old lady had sent him out to find people.

"Not speaking yet!" Chun Hua shouted ferociously, "You think after this happened you could still stay in the Luo mansion? Once the old lady finds time, she'll definitely sell you off—think of your parents and siblings back home; if the mistress shows a bit of mercy, they might still have a decent life."

A Ming didn't want to become a soldier—being a soldier doesn't pay much, they say the food is bad, and you'd be shoved to the front to block cannon fire; dying would be pointless.

After so many years of marriage, she ought to be a mother by now and should want to take charge of household authority; Luo Lao Tai Tai was mentally prepared for that, but she never expected the daughter-in-law to be so unmotivated, leaving all the affairs of her own little courtyard to the eldest daughter to manage, and as for household matters, even Luo Lao Tai Tai couldn't be bothered to bring them up.

Unfortunately, after searching for several days, they still couldn't find anyone.

The Luo Family also put out a notice, stating that as soon as He San Niang appeared, they would immediately take her in as a daughter-in-law.

Later, for the sake of the Luo Family and her son's interests, none of Xu Shi's daughters came to a good end; Xu Shi herself didn't even make a fuss, just crying that this was a woman's fate.

In these troubled times of war everywhere, grown men are even less safe than young girls, because they can be conscripted.

A Ming wept before Xu Shi, saying, "Madam, it's all my fault; if I had been braver and held onto them, it would have been fine."

A Ming only felt the bitter taste of medicine in his mouth; when the master met with misfortune, a lowly servant like him had to bear all the blame, and he wanted to find work in a wealthy household again, but no one would take him.

For a moment, Luo Lao Tai Tai truly felt some guilt—she hadn't painstakingly cultivated her few granddaughters, yet from Xu Shi's modest background such a clever child could be raised, showing they were truly gifted.

A Ming was young and strong, and he recovered quickly; after waking he drank two big bowls of clear water and a large plate of steamed buns—if it weren't for his butt wound not healed, he'd have to lie prone, but he looked as if nothing were wrong.

How good it is to be a concubine—well fed, warmly clothed, and free of worries.

Er Ya's delicate face showed a soft, bashful smile.

But He San Niang still didn't appear, as if she had evaporated from Pomegranate Flower Town.

In the original world's trajectory, the clumsy, introverted girl gradually revealed her bright side under her sisters' encouragement and guidance.

Although the Luo Family's monthly allowance was not much, having enough to eat was never a problem, and sometimes they could even eat white-flour steamed buns.

She knew Mu Dan, after all, she had been in contact with her husband for over five years, almost six; as for He San Niang, she had never even heard of her.

Conversely, Mu Dan, who had not evaporated, was gritting her teeth in a dilapidated wooden house on the hillside; Fang Dequan had sent a rustic country girl to attend to her, to keep her company and pass the time.

Unfortunately it wasn't a son, otherwise she truly wouldn't have to worry about the Luo Family having no heir.

Xu Shi put down her bowl and chopsticks, walked over with a cold face.

Not to mention how delighted Luo Lao Tai Tai was upon hearing the news; she issued a series of orders, and everyone in the Luo Family gathered to search for He San Niang.

If we let those few granddaughters train for another two or three months, they could completely surpass their own father.

She hurriedly rushed toward the study.

However, there truly exists such an oddity in the world: the primary wife dotes more on a concubine's son than on her own biological son.

Xu Shi asked, "What kind of person is that flirtatious widow He San Niang? When did she hook up with Luo Jia Ming?"

Seeing Xu Shi like that, she also didn't want to become a proper wife anyway; after all, Xu Shi merely bore the title of primary wife and lived worse than this concubine. With Xu Shi blocking the front, the Luo Family's daughters lived poorly—who wouldn't say it's because this birth mother is useless and mentally ill? Who would blame the chief culprit, her?

"How did I end up hurting Luo Jia Ming? I clearly only wanted to get rid of the little widow's child."

Perhaps Xu Shi is simply mentally ill.

The second granddaughter's calculations are indeed slow, but she makes no mistakes.

Looking at the money and valuables Luo Er Ye gave He San Niang, altogether they could buy several fine flower-bedecked maidens as wives.

The eldest son had great talent for study; if the previous dynasty hadn't collapsed, he would surely have passed the imperial examinations and become an official.

If the child in He San Niang's womb were a son, then Luo Jia Ming's incense could continue, and after his death there would be descendants to break the basin.

After assessing the three granddaughters' abilities, Luo Lao Tai Tai coldly praised, "The second girl does things quite meticulously, not bad."

A Ming lowered his head, not daring to look at her.

If it were normal times, she being strong and healthy would rather slowly wrangle with Madame Huang; but these past two years, perhaps because she's grown old and lacks energy, she just wants to cultivate a reliable person to manage the household affairs.

What she finds most unbelievable is Xu Shi—her head might be filled with water; even though her own concubine mistreats her daughter, she hardly manages it, doesn't get angry, and treats her non-biological son better than her own biological daughter.

He also didn't want to return to the countryside to farm; after paying taxes, there was hardly any grain left, his parents and brothers were constantly starving, and if it weren't for the Luo Family refusing, his parents would have wanted to stuff all their children into the Luo mansion.

Xu Shi had just stepped out of the study when a servant came to report, "Madam, A Ming has awakened."

Xu Shi quickly made up her mind: "Did He San Niang run off with Er Ye's child? I'll go tell Mother to have her search for He San Niang—the Luo Family's flesh and blood must not be left wandering outside!"

She knew where her husband was injured—that was a man's vital point—but exactly how he got injured was confusing to her; she needed to know more clearly.

He was Er Ye's attendant; for many things Er Ye wouldn't let him speak, so he didn't dare. He knew Er Ye was lascivious by nature, often Er Ye would cavort with He San Niang while he guarded the door for them, and he helped Er Ye deceive everyone in the Luo Manor; in front of the lady he didn't know how many times he had covered up for Er Ye, the first time he deceived her he felt a bit guilty, but later he could take reward money from her hand while lying to her face without changing expression.

Luo Lao Tai Tai couldn't help but let out a long sigh; previously her husband had shown her the account book their son had kept, which was a complete mess, impossible to look at.

"Are you serious?" Chun Hua cried out in alarm, hurriedly asking for clarification.

If it weren't for the fact that the younger sisters at home were still young, A Ming would have wanted to let them become concubines for Er Ye.

"I was indeed too impulsive back then; that flirtatious widow might not even have Luo Jia Ming's child in her belly. As for me, ever since I met Luo Jia Ming, I have remained chaste for him."

The intermediary was very impatient, having repeated the same words countless times without knowing it.

A Ming dejectedly searched He San Niang's room again, even questioning everyone who had contact with her, but turned up nothing.

How sharp Luo Lao Tai Tai's eyes were—she snorted, pretending not to notice, until she also picked out a boiled egg with her chopsticks.

Back then she was so proud—after the elderly couple of the Xu family passed away, the entire Xu estate fell into Luo Jia Ming's hands.

She had no interest in ledgers or household management whatsoever; besides, she had more important things to do. She wanted to find those two women, to scold them, slap them—her husband, whom she regarded as her life, they had actually harmed him like this!

A Ming endured the pain in his buttocks, knowing he had only one chance; if he could find He San Niang, he might still be able to stay in the Luo manor.

Luo Lao Tai Tai's face twisted for an instant.

Da Ya kept her accounts well; only after inquiring did she learn that Xu Shi had entrusted all the greeting-and-seeing-off affairs of her courtyard to the eldest daughter, giving her more time to sigh over flowers and moon, longing for her husband.

If it weren't for Chun Hua having called a doctor on the grounds that he was still useful, after downing two bowls of bitter medicine juice, he probably would have died.

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