The couple of the second son had the children put on clothes and returned to the main room. Mr. Gu came out from the inner chamber and saw that the children were in good spirits.
The third son, Gu Chenglian, who was older, led Gu Chengchi and Gu Wan into the main room. Mr. Gu asked them how they felt and, seeing that they didn't feel unwell, relaxed a bit. He reminded them not to enter the inner chamber. Although they seemed fine, Doctor Li needed to check them. The youngest son inside was still little and couldn't handle headaches or fevers.
"Third son, are you and your younger siblings feeling alright? How about the fourth one? Don't let him fall ill again." Mrs. Lv, aware of Mr. Gu's concerns, asked Gu Chenglian from the inner chamber.
"Mother, we're fine, and so is Fourth Brother. I want to see the little brother." Before Gu Chenglian could answer, Gu Wan replied eagerly.
Gu Chengchi pursed his pale lips after seeing his sister respond and didn't speak further, as too much speaking would induce a cough.
Gu Wan knew from yesterday that their mother had safely given birth to a little brother and had gone to see him. The little brother was tiny, red all over, like a monkey upon birth, but she wanted to see him nonetheless. "Wan'er, be good. The little brother is asleep. Wait for Doctor Li to check if you're sick, and then you can see him later! Not going out to play today? Didn't you say Chunhua from Sun Family asked you to go play?"
Gu Wan's attention was immediately diverted. "Oh! Mother, I don't want to drink bitter medicine. I made plans with Chunhua to dig for wild vegetables. Mom, I'm leaving now."
Finishing her words, she skipped off to the kitchen to grab her small basket. In truth, compared to the two main vegetable gatherers from the big family, Mrs. Lv knew her youngest daughter only idly swung the basket around, never bringing back even half a basket when mealtime came. However, considering her daughter was still young and at the age to play, it wasn't necessary to restrain her. She didn't consider that the two eldest were about the same age and could handle tasks like cutting potherb mustard, sweeping the courtyard, and feeding chickens, while even two-year-old Gu Lan could fill a basket of wild vegetables.
Mrs. Lv instructed Gu Chenglian to look after his siblings and, once Doctor Li had seen them, to go find Gu Wan and have all three checked by Doctor Li. If everything was fine, they could go to the foot of the mountain to collect some firewood, calling for help if it was too heavy. A nine-year-old was almost strong enough for such tasks. Though manual labor was too much for him now, idling could provoke gossip. As for the fourth one, he was still too young and weak to do much.
He had already finished simmering ginger soup in the morning, and the couple went to their west wing room.
Returning inside, He found the boys Gu Wanjiang and Gu Wanhe awake. She coaxed them into eating corn buns. The Gu Family only ate two meals a day, and the children, being active, had eaten little at the table and were already hungry, quickly grabbing the buns when they saw them. As long as they had food, they wouldn't go outside. He was also worried about spreading sickness to others, so while the mother-in-law was in confinement, the children could at least be spared for a month. As for the big family's tasks, she had no energy to manage. After all, work at home had to be done, right?
"Husband, why do you think Father was so generous this time? Mother didn't agree, and Father didn't interfere either." He took the opportunity to ask while they had some time.
"Da Ya didn't look good, but she's still Father's granddaughter. He couldn't just watch her die, could he? Even though she's a girl, if something happened, wouldn't people gossip? Father is still her blood relative, and Mother... people usually have personal considerations, and I didn't expect much from her."
He scoffed. This mother-in-law wasn't related by blood and naturally wouldn't make plans for the elder sons. If she were the mother-in-law, she probably would do the same. People tend to be selfish. But her husband's father wasn't the biological son of this mother-in-law, so this was different.
"Husband, look, our three younger ones are still little, and now the stepmother has another child. This family surely won't split. Aren't we just working hard for others' benefits? We have two sons ourselves and we must plan for them. Doesn't it take money to marry them off? Can we really rely on Father and Mother? I feel like Father's heart has long been biased towards them. We should plan early on."
He, analyzing as she spoke, decided to set aside more private money. Gu Chengyi had already come around to this way of thinking, otherwise, he wouldn't have allowed He to stash money. Also, he never worked himself to exhaustion, preserving his strength. Should he collapse from exhaustion, there might not even be money for treatment, let alone would Father forsake the little ones for his sake? Think not. There's an old saying: with a stepmother, you get a stepfather. Though Father seemed fair, with the stepmother managing the household, there were inequities that he never meddled in. Moreover, there were many intricacies entangled, beyond explanation.
"Don't worry, I understand. Just take care of the boys. Once the fieldwork is done, I need to go out again for short-term work, and I'll call on Big Brother. That way, we can look out for each other."
"Still call on your Big Brother? What if he accidentally spills the beans again when you get rewarded? Your brother is truly foolish. It baffles me. Doesn't anyone plan for themselves? Even if not for themselves, wouldn't they think of their children? How much will Father and Mother help with marriages in the future? How can we not secretly support them?" He worried that the elder brother might act foolishly again, implicating her husband, and thought the sister-in-law was also useless, though perhaps she had her strategies?
"Mind your own business. Big brother and I are blood siblings, not like the others, with a generational gap between us. When I go out next, I'll persuade him. Without a penny in hand, nothing can be done. Alas, I wonder how Da Ya is doing. If Father had really disagreed, I would have tried to secretly loan some to Big Brother, after all, she is my niece."
"What? You would loan them money? Would they pay back? Besides, if you take it out, wouldn't it be discovered by Father and Mother? I won't agree." He was startled, patting her chest in relief. Had he really loaned it, it would be like carving out her own heart and lungs. No, once he's gone, she needed to change where she hid her money. What if he secretly gave it away?
"What do you know? Big Brother and I are siblings born of the same mother. We must support each other in the future."
Meanwhile, on the east side, Doctor Li had already been invited over by Dazhu to assess Da Ya's condition. He stated she had caught wind and, mainly, experienced great fright. He prescribed several doses, expecting the fever to gradually subside by nighttime with medication. Rest for a few days, as her diet was sparse, leaving her body somewhat weakened and needing nourishment, but young bodies recover quickly.
Mrs. Fang, relieved upon learning Da Ya's condition wasn't serious but fretting over the need for rest and nourishment, felt a tinge of worry.
"Mother, don't worry, I'll go catch fish by the river to supplement our little sister." Dazhu, noticing Mrs. Fang's concern, quickly reassured her. Seeing Dazhu so obedient, Mrs. Fang gently patted his head, feeling somewhat relieved.
Doctor Li sighed witnessing this. Life on a farm was difficult, not even affording the luxury of illness. Luckily, his skills prevented him from such misery. He penned a prescription and instructed Gu Chengli to accompany him home to fetch herbs, opting to avoid the pharmacy for commonplace ingredients. After checking several of the Gu children and finding nothing worrisome, he recommended ginger soup for extra peace of mind, then prepared to leave with Gu Chengli to retrieve the medicine.
Gu Chengli was about to follow when he suddenly remembered he didn't have a single copper coin on him and needed to go to the main room for money.
"Uncle Li, please wait a moment, I need to inform my father."
"Go ahead," said Doctor Li, immediately understanding. Since the Gu Family hadn't split, the medical expenses still required parental agreement. Considering the Gu Family's large household, Gu Chengli, being the eldest, had many young siblings and cousins to manage, while the only able laborers were Gu Chengyi and Gu Chenglian. Gu Changqing was of considerable age, and the family relied on the two sons. Inequities in the family's distribution of resources could certainly cause issues. However, recalling the master's positive predictions for the Gu Family's youngest son, who knows, perhaps the family could rely on the youngest in the future? He pondered such things but, recognizing they were beyond his control, merely waited in the courtyard for Gu Chengli.
Entering the main room, Gu Chengli reported Da Ya's condition to Mr. Gu. Mr. Gu handed Gu Chengli a hundred copper coins for the medicine, assuring him it should be more than enough considering it was only for common cold remedies.
Inside, Gu Chengyu, overhearing from the other room that the little girl would recover after medication, felt relieved. Though he had developed a cold and hardened disposition in a previous lifetime, this current life, despite financial difficulties, hadn't hindered access to medical care. If the family indeed neglected her, it would be too cold-hearted, especially since that little girl should have been his niece!
Having endured to this point was hard enough, and upon hearing the news, Gu Chengyu relaxed and drifted off to sleep.