The General's Wife Wants to Leave-Chapter 54: Withering flower

Joanna got up from bed, intending to find Lucy to ask her to hurry with the tasks that she had assigned to her. However, before Joanna took more than three steps, Lucy entered the room at a hasty pace.

"These are all the things that you requested, my lady," informed Lucy, panting heavily, indicating that she had rushed to get to Liam’s room. She then placed a tray of a bowl of salty congee and a glass of hot ginger tea on the table.

"Thank you, Lucy," said Joanna, walking toward the table, which was not too far from the bed.

She touched the glass of ginger tea to check the temperature with her hand. It was hot but not too hot, which would make the tongue burn. Instead, it would make the stomach warm and relieved. It was also not full, only three-quarters filled the glass so that it would not spill by a slight motion when it was transported.

Thus, Joanna took the glass of ginger tea with her and sat on the side of Liam’s bed again.

"Liam, can you get up please?" inquired Joanna to the little boy who was still curling up in bed.

When Liam shook his head with his eyes closed tightly as he was enduring the pain, Joanna said again, "You have to drink this. It will ease the pain and help you get healed soon." Her voice was soft and low, enough to soothe the sick little boy.

Finding Liam slowly opening his teary eyes and looking up at her, Joanna offered him a warm, comforting smile. "Come, drink this. It will help in relieving your stomach," Joanna persuaded Liam, brushing his damp, sweaty hair with her free hand.

It was important for Liam to rehydrate his body as he had thrown up so many times and sweated a lot.

Liam then gingerly moved his small and weak body to get up from his lying position and was supported by Mrs. Powel so that Liam could sit with his back leaning on the chest of Mrs. Powel.

Joanna brought the glass close to Liam’s lips after she blew for a few times so that the temperature would decrease and be more acceptable to the tongue of the kid.

Liam slowly sipped the ginger tea. But it seemed that his stomach was too upset and he vomited again not long after he swallowed it.

Joanna waited for Liam to be calm before offering him the tea again. However, Liam was afraid to put something inside his stomach as he was tired of throwing up, but Joanna persuaded him again.

"If you don’t drink this, your body will be dry because you have lost a lot of water from your body. Just like flowers that will wither if they are not watered." Joanna tried to persuade with an analogy which hopefully would be easily understood by the kid. She added,​

"Then, you will be weak and unable to play with your brothers and sisters anymore. You don’t want that to happen, right, Liam?" Her voice was as gentle as before.

Liam gave a weak nod after contemplating for a brief moment and took another sip of the ginger tea.

Fortunately, this time he did not vomit even after drinking half of it. It could be that he restrained himself from vomiting again, forcing the tea to dwell in his body, or the ginger had worked to soothe his stomach. Joanna hoped for the latter.

"Can you eat at least three spoonfuls of this congee?" Joanna asked Liam after being pleased with the amount of tea that was drunk by him. It was now time for him to recharge his energy by filling his stomach with food.

When Liam gave no response but briefly looked at her before fixing his gaze on the bowl of congee that was held in her hands with a worried look, Joanna said, "Once this congee enters your stomach, it will recharge your energy. Once your energy is recharged, you will get healed soon. And once you get healed, you will be able to play in the forest with your brothers and sisters again. And you can also help Mrs. Powel to collect logs of wood in the forest. Don’t you think it is fun, Liam?" Joanna’s eyes twinkled and a radiant smile formed on her lips as if to show the little boy it was fun just by thinking of it.

She was once again successful in coaxing the little boy as he slowly opened his mouth and she fed him the congee. After taking three spoonfuls of congee, Joanna did not force Liam to take more when he shook his head.

Mrs. Powel then helped Liam to lie down and he chose to lie on his side as if lying down straight would make his stomach hurt.

Noticing that, Mrs. Powel asked Liam, "Is your stomach still hurt?" And Liam nodded his head.

Joanna, who saw them, then whispered something to Lucy, who was standing next to her, making Lucy leave the room after that. Not long after, Lucy was back in the room with a bottle filled with hot water and a cloth wrapped around the surface of the hot bottle.

Joanna placed the bottle on Liam’s stomach and asked him to hug it in his sleep. She hoped it would help soothe the cramp.

Watching the little boy was now calm, Joanna and Mrs. Powel let out a sigh of relief. They then decided to leave the room, letting the little boy sleep without any disturbance.

"I never thought that a young lady like Lady de Lara was very capable of handling a sick little boy with a lot of care and patience," commented Mrs. Powel with a smile when they were climbing down the stairs, and Joanna only responded with a small smile.

But the smile did not stay for long as it died down, like a withering flower, with the next words uttered by the old lady. "It seems that Lady Joanna is ready to have her own child," stated Mrs. Powel, beaming with a wider smile.

Joanna responded with silence and no smile crossed her face this time, which made the older lady question her response.

Why did the young lady not look happy or shy as usually shown in the expression of most ladies who had just got married?

Although the lady was still young, she seemed to be ready to be a mother, as Mrs. Powel had witnessed how capable she was, and how her emotions peaked when she looked after Liam. Furthermore, she also knew that the young lady loved children.

But Mrs. Powel did not ponder too long on that matter as she thought that the young lady might be nervous at the thought of having her own children.