CHAPTER 1815: CHAPTER 1815: THE BEAUTY RETURNS

"Accounting and makeup I can understand, but why study medicine?" On the opening day, many people gathered to watch in excitement, and a curious matron who was closest asked.

Bai Ruozhu smiled and said, "If ordinary families have a minor headache or fever, they can’t immediately visit a doctor, right? Or if someone at home gets a fever in the middle of the night, what to do? What if it’s inconvenient to find a doctor?"

"Imagine, if a new bride knows some medical knowledge, wouldn’t she be able to take better care of her husband and in-laws? Wouldn’t she earn more respect from her husband’s family sooner? Not to mention, even if she’s pregnant, she would know how to take care of herself and protect the pregnancy. I don’t need to explain the importance of the first pregnancy, do I?"

"That makes sense, so what do you say if someone in the house has a fever?" the matron continued to ask, and the onlookers pricked up their ears.

Bai Ruozhu patiently explained, "You need to first determine the situation if there’s a fever. If it’s a cold with a runny nose, low fever but feeling cold, you can cover up with a thick quilt to sweat and drink some ginger sugar water. However, if it’s a high fever, you mustn’t cover them with a quilt too much, or it will only make them hotter and might burn their head seriously."

"Exactly, a child from my neighbor’s house once had a fever and was covered up too much, and ended up convulsing and foaming at the mouth," someone said.

"That’s called febrile convulsion, which is common in children, so you must pay attention and give them physical cooling." Bai Ruozhu continued patiently.

"What is physical cooling?" someone asked.

Bai Ruozhu answered one by one, solving the doubts of many. People praised Bai Ruozhu for her kindness, but in the end, not many signed up.

Someone else suggested Bai Ruozhu open a cooking course to teach new brides how to cook meals, having heard that her menu ideas are very popular at Yingkelai.

Bai Ruozhu could only smile and explain, "You can learn cooking at home, but you see, I’m already pregnant, and I’ll have even less energy to teach later, so the cooking class can’t be opened for now."

Many felt it was a pity, but sensible people also said privately that cooking recipes are family secrets, and teaching them would break the tradition.

On the second day, finally, a woman brought her daughter to enroll in a makeup and grooming class. The young lady was fairly delicate, the only flaw being a lot of acne on her face.

Xin Mother-in-law frowned at the sight, thinking that no amount of powder could cover such large pimples.

Seeing this, Bai Ruozhu immediately recognized it as youth acne, something oily-skinned youngsters are most prone to. She remembered having a lot on her forehead in Mi Country in her previous life.

"Mother Xin can not only teach you how to dress up but also cure your acne, although you need to cooperate actively by avoiding spicy and greasy foods," Bai Ruozhu said.

Mother Xin felt anxious, not knowing how to treat these pimples, but then remembered Bai Ruozhu was a chief doctor for women and felt relieved since she must have a solution.

The girl with acne was so excited after hearing this that she nodded vigorously and said, "Okay, I’ll enroll and promise to listen to the teacher."

Her mother asked beside her, "My daughter’s wedding is scheduled for six months later, will there be time?"

"There should be enough time. There might still be some acne scars, but maintaining good skin care is essential for every woman. If one learns some medical knowledge and takes care of their health daily, acne will be less likely to occur," Bai Ruozhu replied.

The girl with acne quickly looked at her mother, who gritted her teeth, "Sign up for both makeup and medical theory!"

Bai Ruozhu winked at Mother Xin, indicating that the first business deal was struck just like that.

For these opening days, Bai Ruozhu simply came to the bride school every afternoon to oversee it, and once the business was on track, she wouldn’t need to be there personally anymore.

Then, on the third day of the opening, suddenly a plainly dressed woman visited, insisting that she must meet Bai Ruozhu to decide on enrolling her daughter in a course.

Mother Xin secretly examined the visitor, noticing her sallow skin, drooping eyes, and slightly crooked mouth, thinking this person might be difficult to deal with, so she sent her son, Xin Quji, to inform Bai Ruozhu and see if she had time to come over.

However, the woman wasn’t in a hurry to leave, saying she’d wait for Bai Ruozhu in the backyard. Mother Xin thought there was nothing valuable in the backyard anyway, nor had the courses officially started, so she agreed.

Upon hearing from Xin Quji, Bai Ruozhu guessed it might be a servant sent by a family from the Capital City, and since she was planning to go to the bride school anyway, she accompanied Xin Quji over and soon met the female guest in the backyard of the school.

The woman turned to look at Bai Ruozhu, her eyes filled with excitement and a hint of tears, her lips trembling before she even spoke.

Bai Ruozhu was surprised to see the woman in front of her, although her skin had turned yellow, her eye corners drooped strangely, and her mouth was slightly crooked, she still recognized her as the Empress Dowager!

"Empress..." She was about to speak when the Empress Dowager suddenly stepped forward and grabbed her hand, saying, "My daughter wants to enroll, but she has a special situation. I need to talk to you alone."

Bai Ruozhu, overwhelmed with emotion and unsure of how to respond, nodded hastily, "Alright, let’s talk over there."

Mother Xin and the others were not familiar with Bai Ruozhu, so they didn’t notice anything unusual. When Bai Ruozhu took the Empress Dowager to another room, they continued to receive guests in the front.

As soon as they entered the room, the Empress Dowager’s tears finally couldn’t be held back and poured out, "Ruozhu, how did you become so thin?"

"Empress Dowager, you’re alive! This is wonderful! This is wonderful!" Bai Ruozhu was overwhelmed with joy, not even hearing the Empress Dowager remark on her thinness, repeating how great it was.

"Little did you know, I deceived the Consort recently, saying you had been saved by a master and would be coming in a few days. I never thought it would come true. Am I dreaming?" She said this as she foolishly pinched her cheek, wincing and smiling stupidly at the pain.

The Empress Dowager held her hand, "It was Yao Yuxuan who saved me. It’s a long story, but listen to me first."

She sat Bai Ruozhu down, "I don’t want others to know I’m still alive, but I couldn’t rest easy without checking on you. I wanted to sneak back for a look, but I don’t want to return to the Palace and be the Empress Dowager again."

Bai Ruozhu immediately understood, grinning mischievously, "You’ve already decided to pair up with Mr. Yao, haven’t you?"

The Empress Dowager blushed deeply, but she did not deny it, lowering her head to say, "I’ve let him down for half a life, and he’s waited for me for half a life, sacrificing so much for me. I don’t want to fail him anymore in the future."

"Then..." Bai Ruozhu thought about why the Empress Dowager sought her out first; the Empress Dowager was worried the Emperor might not agree.

"I’ve heard there’s been no news from Diao Bin and Ning Yu, and Wenwen is also unwell. I can’t be at ease, and the Emperor..." The Empress Dowager sighed, "I’m not a good mother."

At this moment, there was a clear sound from the window outside, and suddenly a large figure jumped in. Jianqi, who was outside, was about to act but froze upon seeing the newcomer...