Ningguo Mansion Offers New Year’s Eve Sacrifice in the Ancestral Temple; Rongguo Mansion Holds a Lantern Festival Night Banquet

When Baoyu saw that Qingwen had finished mending the peacock-gold cloak and was utterly exhausted, her spirit nearly spent, he hurriedly called a little maid to massage her. They massaged each other for a while before she finally lay down. Before the time it takes to eat a meal, dawn had already brightened. Baoyu did not go out, but only called for the doctor quickly. Presently Doctor Wang arrived. He felt her pulse and said doubtfully, “Yesterday she was somewhat better. Why today has her pulse become weak, floating, and receding? Could she have eaten too much? Or else she has overtaxed her mind. The external infection has cleared, but after sweating she failed to recuperate properly. This is no small matter.” As he spoke, he went out and wrote a prescription. Baoyu looked at it: the medicines for dispersing and driving out evil had been reduced, and instead fu-ling, rehmannia, angelica, and other remedies to nourish the spirit and blood had been added. Baoyu quickly ordered it decocted, sighing, “What shall we do? If anything happens to her, it will all be my......