Chapter 746 - 748: Dengdeng suddenly got sick
With the chairman’s words, even those who had opposing opinions had to tread carefully and not criticize too harshly. Moreover, there weren’t many people who were against it in the first place. Finally, the proposal was decided upon, and due to the many aspects that needed refinement, the Commerce Association’s meetings for the entire following month revolved around the discussion of this brand tax.
Consequently, other traditional issues and Li Dan’s proposal were not discussed in that day’s meeting, and the focus was on the brand tax proposed by Bai Ruozhu. Strangely enough, Bai Ruozhu did not dominate the conversations but silently watched the fiery debates, occasionally offering a few suggestions.
"Bai Ruozhu, about this tax, apart from collecting it at the time of registration, do you suggest collecting it uniformly every year, or collecting it every year on the date of their initial payment?" an elderly manager turned to ask Bai Ruozhu.
"Collecting it uniformly every year is more convenient, but merchants might make their first payment in the middle of the year, or even less than half a year. We can divide the annual tax by twelve, and they can pay for the remaining months. Then on the standardized tax day, they can pay for the next year," Bai Ruozhu proposed.
"Yes, yes, I think that’s a good idea," the old manager happily agreed.
Afterward, whenever there were differing opinions, they would ask Bai Ruozhu. By the end of the meeting at noon, Bai Ruozhu had become the focus of the assembly. Li Dan was full of sour grapes, glaring at Bai Ruozhu and even tried to trip her up a few times, only to be easily brushed off by Bai Ruozhu or turned over to the group for discussion, making him even more frustrated.
The handsome Young Master Zhou Shibin would occasionally glance at Bai Ruozhu, but his attitude was friendly and didn’t show any hostility towards her like Li Dan did, making one wonder what he was thinking.
After the meeting was over, Bai Ruozhu left with her master, and by the time they returned home, Lin Zhenghui was still praising Bai Ruozhu with a smile, saying, "Disciple, you’ve done your master proud today, not bad at all."
In Bai Ruozhu’s mind, she had already moved on from the Commerce Association’s affairs, and her thoughts were on Qizuo Mountain.
"Master, I plan to take the child and meet up with Achun. There won’t be much for me to do in the Commerce Association these days, right?" Bai Ruozhu asked.
Lin Zhenghui was in a good mood and immediately agreed, "Originally, you should be attending each meeting because it’s your proposal. But, if you want to continue looking for that little Jiang fellow, go ahead. We’ll discuss further when you get back."
"Alright, then I’ll pack up and set off." Bai Ruozhu had originally thought that the meeting would delay her by one day and planned to leave early the next day. Leaving half a day earlier now was even better.
"Go on, go on, can’t you see how lovey-dovey you are with Jiang? You’re really making this old man feel nauseous," Lin Zhenghui teased Bai Ruozhu, revealing his mischievous nature.
Bai Ruozhu wrinkled her nose but didn’t retort because she was in a hurry to set off.
She quickly returned to the side house and saw Lamei anxiously standing at the door, continually twisting her head to look inside the room.
Bai Ruozhu instantly felt a sense of foreboding and hastily ran over to ask, "What’s wrong? Where’s Dengdeng?"
Lamei, who couldn’t speak, pointed to Dengdeng on the bed inside the room and started gesturing. She touched her forehead with the back of her hand, and Bai Ruozhu immediately understood. Lamei was saying that Dengdeng had a fever!
She lunged to the bedside, finding the sleeping Dengdeng’s face flushed. Lamei didn’t understand and thought the fever was caused by Dengdeng catching a cold, so she had firmly tucked him in.
"When children have a fever, they shouldn’t be wrapped up so thickly. They could potentially develop complications if they do not dissipate heat," Bai Ruozhu replied anxiously, her tone sharper than usual.
Frightened by Bai Ruozhu’s reprimand, Lamei kneeled down and kept kowtowing to Bai Ruozhu, who helplessly said, "Get up quickly, go fetch some well water and bring a towel."
After giving her instructions, Bai Ruozhu began to check Dengdeng’s pulse. She had been worried since Dengdeng was poisoned by the Poisonous Insect and often examined him to ensure his health. Thus, she knew that Dengdeng had a robust constitution. It was unexpected that he would get a fever given that he showed no signs of catching a cold or having any abdominal discomfort recently.
What could have caused the fever? Bai Ruozhu deduced from Dengdeng’s pulse that he had contracted an urgent rash illness, also known as rubella in Danliang Country. It is common for a child to contract this disease before the age of two; in fact, many children get their first fever due to this illness.
Bai Ruozhu heaved a sigh of relief. The symptoms of this illness usually comprised a three-day fever, followed by a rash that would quickly fade. This process did not require medication and was part of a child’s immune development.
However, this meant they couldn’t set off on their journey. Despite rubella not being a serious condition, Dengdeng’s weakened body from the fever made it unsuitable for him to travel, and being exposed to the wind was not advisable.
Upon understanding the situation, Bai Ruozhu summoned Jianqi to dispatch a message to the dark guard, stating that Dengdeng was ill and would need several days to recover. Therefore, they would postpone their journey for now and would make further arrangements once Dengdeng got better.
Lamei promptly came back with water, her eyes swollen like small peaches due to crying because she felt guilty about Dengdeng falling sick under her care. After placing the water basin and towel down, she kneeled down again.
Bai Ruozhu, in exasperation, said, "Get up immediately. It’s not your fault. This is common among children and the fever will fade in three days, followed by slight rashes, and then he’ll be fine by himself. For now, let’s not set off to find Achun, instead, let’s stay here and look after Dengdeng."
On hearing Bai Ruozhu’s explanation, Lamei got off the ground, her face still painted with guilt.
Bai Ruozhu sent a message to Lin Zhenghui via a servant waiting outside the courtyard, informing him that Dengdeng was ill and their departure would be postponed.
She loosened Dengdeng’s collar to allow him to breathe better and used the chilled water to wipe his hands, feet, and forehead. Soon, the flushed redness on Dengdeng’s face receded significantly, but his forehead was still hot.
By the time she was done, Lin Zhenghui rushed over, bringing numerous precious medicinal materials and supplements to help his ’grandson’ recover. He was extremely worried.
Bai Ruozhu couldn’t help but twitch at the corners of her mouth when she saw the ginseng and Ganoderma Lin Zhenghui brought over. Her master was truly extravagant. However, none of these items were suitable for children. Was he sure he was there to visit a sick patient?
After a while, Dengdeng woke up. He was not as lively as usual, but his spirit remained strong. He now knew how to roll around and had a wonderful time doing so on the bed. Seeing how lively Dengdeng was, Lin Zhenghui was relieved and finally left.
That night, Bai Ruozhu scarcely closed her eyes. Every so often, she got up to wipe Dengdeng’s hands, feet, and forehead with a towel wetted with cool water. She was afraid that a high fever might harm his brain. Fortunately, although Dengdeng’s temperature was high throughout the night, it did not reach dangerous levels.
A dark guard reached Jiang Yichun’s party— who had not yet arrived at Qizuo Mountain — on horseback and delivered Bai Ruozhu’s message. Upon receiving the news, Jiang Yichun would have immediately turned back to be by his son’s side if not for the Imperial Decree that made any further delay impossible.
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I can’t keep up, my eyelids keep fluttering. I originally planned to update four times today, including one catch-up Chapter, but clearly, I won’t be able to do so now. Ahhhh, what to do, I need to adjust my schedule as soon as possible.