"It is my honor that Madam does not find fault, truly."
As she spoke, she brought out the milk cake. Indeed, its fragrance was incredibly enticing.
Nearing childbirth, Madam Wen's appetite had suddenly become poor these past few days. She had no interest in anything, only wishing for bland food.
Compared to her former plump and well-fed appearance, her face and arms had thinned somewhat, while her belly protruded high, appearing quite large.
Madam Wen was a little worried, "If you eat so little, I fear you will have no strength on the day of your delivery. Please eat something. Isn't this milk cake your favorite?"
Madam Wen smiled and removed the handkerchief from in front of her nose. Not wanting her mother to worry, she picked up a piece. Just as she was about to eat, the fishy smell made her feel nauseous.
The cake fell to the ground. Zhu Jin and Madam Wen took turns patting her back and bringing her warm water.
"Alright, alright, if you don't want to eat, then don't. Take it away, lest Yun Niang smells it and feels uncomfortable."
Meng Jie'er and Hui Ge'er also frowned. They had seen other pregnant women, but this was truly the first time they had seen their sister like this.
Others vomited fiercely in the first few months, but she only had a reaction close to delivery.
A doctor was called, but he could not find anything amiss. They could only try to regulate her diet.
Although Yun He was young, he had also experienced things. Seeing this scene, he couldn't help but run towards Ning An Yuan.
When he saw Feng Jin Yao, she was packing her luggage.
This time, her accompanying Feng Er to his post had become an unpublicized secret of the Feng family. To outsiders, it was said that she was going to Jiangnan to invite a renowned physician to treat her father's injuries, so no one had any objections.
As she had to rush to Jinling City immediately after her coming-of-age ceremony, she did not bring much, and was thus streamlining her belongings.
Upon seeing Feng Yun He, his small face was scrunched up like a bun.
"Yun He? Why have you come? Aren't you with your maternal grandmother and the others?"
"Aunt, I think Mother's condition is a bit unusual. Could you ask Divine Physician Zhang to examine her?"
Ever since the smallpox, Feng Yun He's admiration for Divine Physician Zhang had remained in his heart.
If he weren't going to school, he would probably go to the Zhang family every day to learn some skills.
At that time, he had only experienced a slight fever and weakness in his limbs. Other doctors could not find anything amiss. His mother's condition this time was very similar.
Her body was genuinely uncomfortable, but no illness could be found.
Under such circumstances, he was naturally worried.
Feng Jin Yao pondered. In her previous life, her elder sister-in-law had already passed away by this time, so how could there be a pregnancy? Therefore, she had not paid much attention.
Now, hearing Yun He describe her condition, she also had some doubts.
She instructed Yun Xu, "You go make a trip. See if Shou Bo is at home. If he is, please invite him to see my elder sister-in-law."
"Yes!"
Upon hearing this, Feng Yun He's heart finally settled.
Whether there was anything wrong or not, as long as Divine Physician Zhang examined her, he could be at ease.
"Don't be afraid. Perhaps your sister-in-law's pregnancy is just special, which is why this is happening. The household is clean now, and all the servants have been carefully selected. Nothing will go wrong."
These words were meant to comfort Feng Yun He, while Feng Jin Yao herself kept recalling events from her previous life.
There must have been something she overlooked!
But she could not recall it at all.
Yun Xu was quick on her feet and returned shortly, with Shou Bo following behind, looking displeased.
Upon seeing Feng Jin Yao, he couldn't help but complain, "Why are there so many troubles in your family? How many people have been harmed already?"
Feng Yun He stepped forward and bowed. He apologized slightly to Divine Physician Zhang.
"It was I who was worried about my mother's health, so I asked my aunt to find you. Please do not blame my aunt, Divine Physician Zhang."
For his young age, he was quite responsible. Divine Physician Zhang ceased his complaints and directly asked, "Where is the patient?"
"I'll take you there!"
Feng Yun He took the lead. Despite being a child himself, he acted with the demeanor of an adult, which made Feng Jin Yao almost laugh.
"Let's go, we'll go and see as well. If there's nothing wrong, then that's for the best."
Feng Jin Yao strode forward, following behind Divine Physician Zhang and Feng Yun He to the main house's courtyard. As they passed through the covered corridor, they happened to see a servant carrying bundles of firewood towards the kitchen.
She felt a little puzzled and asked Yun Xu.
"I remember we stocked up on firewood a few days ago. Why are so many being delivered today?"
"Miss, please don't worry. Madam thought that there would be many people during the coming-of-age ceremony and worried that there wouldn't be enough firewood for the kitchen, so she specifically procured more. It would be fine to set up more large pots then."
So that was it.
After hearing Yun Xu's explanation, Feng Jin Yao quickly put the matter out of her mind and followed them to Yan Le Xuan.
Madam Wen and the others were somewhat taken aback by the sudden arrival of so many people.
Feng Jin Yao stepped forward and explained, "Yun He is worried about his elder sister-in-law's health, so he asked me to invite Shou Bo to take a look. His medical skills are truly miraculous. There are very few in all of Da Jin who are more skilled than him. Aunt, please be at ease. He will just examine your daughter's pulse to reassure us."
Madam Wen was not foolish. She said gratefully to Feng Jin Yao.
"It is indeed Yun He who is thoughtful, and Ah Yao who always cares for my Yun Niang. In that case, please ask the divine physician to examine my daughter as well. She is with child now, and any mishap cannot be afforded."
Divine Physician Zhang did not reply. His mind was always difficult to fathom. Not only Madam Wen, but even noble ladies in the palace behaved this way when meeting him.
After glancing at Madam Wen, Divine Physician Zhang's expression was not good. Her belly was as large as a sieve, and she was abnormally thin.
Normally, most pregnant women nearing childbirth were plump, except for those with special constitutions.
But Yun He had also said on the way that she had been fine before, and only recently had she started to have difficulty eating.
Mother and child are one. If she could not eat much, the child in her womb would naturally not have much nourishment. Yet, her belly was growing rapidly. It was likely that someone was indeed causing trouble.
Especially since she had eaten some Buddha's Heart Fruit in the early stages of her pregnancy, she should not have had such a situation!
After taking her pulse, everything became clear.
"This has been about the past half month, hasn't it? My appetite was always good before, but for some reason, it suddenly disappeared."
"Did you use anything during this period? Eat anything? Or see anything?"
Upon hearing this, Madam Wen's heart became uneasy. She looked at Zhu Jin beside her with a worried expression.
Zhu Jin immediately stepped forward and replied, "Divine physician, ever since my mistress became pregnant, all the food, fabrics, and bowls she has used, as well as the flowers and plants in the courtyard, have been inspected one by one. There has been nothing different these past few days."