Chapter 15:  “Smart” Yueyue

For lunch, Yun Cuihe wielded the spatula, while Chu Yue helped out, making a pot of fragrant pig blood and wild vegetable soup.

After a quiet meal, everyone retreated to their rooms to rest while the sun was high.

Seeing Yun Cuihe always sitting inside doing needlework, Chu Yue knocked on her door and entered.

Yun Cuihe looked at Chu Yue and resumed sewing the shoe sole. “Why are you in my room, Yueyue?”

After hesitating for a moment, Chu Yue finally spoke.

“Mother, I see you sitting all day, which isn’t good for your health.  How about I teach you a set of exercises?  I heard that it can strengthen your body.”

Her intention was to make sure Yun Cuihe was well, as she’d been kind to her. She wasn’t sure if her words would upset her.

Yun Cuihe didn’t get angry. She put down her needlework.

“Are those exercises that your neighbor taught you?”

Chu Yue shook her head, her face betraying no sign of deception. “No, it was taught by the neighbor’s wife.  As for whether the wife was taught by the neighbor, I don’t know.”

Yun Cuihe wasn’t against exercising, but her body wouldn’t allow it.

She leaned close to Chu Yue’s ear and spoke a few words, a touch of embarrassment in her voice.

Chu Yue raised her eyebrows after listening.

What her mother just said was clearly about postpartum urinary incontinence^[1]Postpartum urinary incontinence refers to the involuntary leakage of urine experienced by some women after giving birth. This condition is common and can occur due to the physical changes and stress … Continue reading. It seemed that she had suffered a lot when she was pregnant with Xingping and Xing’an, and she still hadn’t recovered.

But wasn’t this a common symptom for many women after childbirth?

This was relatively easy to solve.

“Mother, is your condition severe?” Chu Yue asked softly.

Yun Cuihe shook her head.

“It’s not that bad, but I can’t do any strenuous activities or carry heavy things, especially when I sneeze…”  She lowered her head, a little embarrassed.  “Look at me, what am I talking about? You must think I’m ridiculous.”

Chu Yue stepped forward and took Yun Cuihe’s hand, showing no sign of looking down on her for this.

“Mother, it’s really okay.  I heard from the neighbor’s wife that childbirth is very taxing on the body, and many women experience these things after giving birth.  But if you do rehabilitation exercises later on, it can be alleviated or even fully recovered.”

Yun Cuihe perked up after hearing this.

“Is that really true, Yueyue?”

Chu Yue blinked playfully.

“Whether it’s true or not, Mother, why don’t you try it and see?  I wouldn’t harm you.”

First, she would deal with this urinary incontinence problem, then she would properly nourish her body and strengthen it.  Step by step, she believed it would improve.

Yun Cuihe smiled helplessly.

“Alright, I have nothing else to do at home all day anyway.  I’ll listen to you and try it.”

If Chu Yue’s method really worked and her body improved, she would be happy.

She was tired of taking bitter medicine for so many years.

“Mother, lie down flat on the bed first.”

Chu Yue helped Yun Cuihe lie down and began to guide her through the exercises.

“The first movement is very simple. Mother, first take a deep breath.”  Seeing Yun Cuihe do so, Chu Yue continued, “Then do a Kegel exercise.  It feels similar to holding back your bowels or bladder when you have to go.  Mother, just squeeze inwards as hard as you can.”

At first, Yun Cuihe was a little embarrassed and her movements were very restrained.  She felt ashamed, but once she got the hang of it, it became much smoother.

Chu Yue kept her hand on Yun Cuihe’s lower abdomen, carefully feeling her exertion with each repetition.  She could also tell if she was using the right muscles by observing the contraction of her abdomen.

“Good, exhale, relax.”

After about fifty repetitions, Chu Yue looked at Yun Cuihe and said, “You should have a feel for it now, right?”

Yun Cuihe nodded, a little embarrassed.

Chu Yue continued, “Now that you’ve got the hang of that movement, I’ll teach you another one.  You can do it while lying in bed.”

After teaching three sets of exercises, Yun Cuihe was sweating profusely.

“Mother, practice these movements for now. Twice a day, at least two quarters of an hour each time. You should see a noticeable effect after a month.”

Yun Cuihe’s eyes widened.

“Just these movements? No need for medicine?”

Chu Yue smiled. “This kind of problem can’t be solved by medicine.  Trust me, Mother, these few movements are enough.”

Since Chu Yue said so, Yun Cuihe put her mind at ease.

“Alright, I’ll listen to you and practice diligently every day.”

Chu Yue nodded. “Then you can practice some more.  I’ll go back to my room now.”

Yun Cuihe continued practicing the movements Chu Yue had taught while saying, “Go, go.  Just close the door when you leave.”

These movements were definitely not something to be seen by others.

Chu Yue returned to her room and sat by the window, watching Lu Xinghe dip his brush in water and practice calligraphy.  He parted his lips as if he wanted to ask something, but ultimately didn’t say anything.

Chu Yue walked over to him, looking at the ink that was still wet on the table, and said with admiration, “Husband, can you teach me to read?”

Although she could recognize some characters, she came from a poor farming family with no one who could read.  It was already surprising to others that she could recognize a few medicinal herbs.  If she could also read, people might really think she was a monster.

Lu Xinghe nodded.

“Okay.”

He didn’t know how much she could learn, but it was good to learn even a few more characters.

After all, he had nothing better to do at the moment.

He said so and dipped his brush in water, writing a few simple characters on the table to teach Chu Yue. In the end, he even gave up his seat at the table to Chu Yue and held her hand, teaching her how to dip the brush in water and how to use the brush to write the characters she had just learned.

Fortunately, Chu Yue was “smart,” and within half a day, she could recognize and write 20 to 30 characters, which truly surprised Lu Xinghe for a long time.

He couldn’t help but lament that she wasn’t a man.

Such a clever mind, if she were a man, she might be able to pass the Imperial exam.

Chu Yue only smiled, biting her lip, and didn’t say anything.

…

The next day.

Because of the return visit, Yun Cuihe prepared twenty pounds of old rice for Chu Yue early in the morning. She also took down the larger piece of wild boar meat from the roof beams, weighing about two or three pounds. She strung together one hundred copper coins and put them in the basket, along with the meat, and covered it with a cloth.

After Chu Yue finished breakfast, Yun Cuihe began to urge them.

“We should get going. It takes half a day to reach Niutou Village.  Go early and come back early.”

Chu Yue picked up the basket and found it quite heavy.  She lifted the cloth and was stunned.

“Mother, so much stuff?”

Yun Cuihe waved her hand. “Not much, not much. Take it.  Let your parents know that their daughter, who they treat like grass, is valued by our family.”

Chu Yue shook her head and took out the one hundred copper coins.

“Mother, I can take the rice and meat. After all, my little sister needs to eat, but this money is no good. You know my father is a gambler.  He won’t spend a single penny of this money at home.  It’s better to keep it and use it slowly than to take it there and have him gamble it away.”