The sun, which had blazed all day, was gradually sinking westward, and half the village lay in the shade.
Song Fengsui gathered a small armful of firewood from the courtyard, intending to carry it inside so they could start cooking.
His second uncle had spent the entire afternoon smoking pork, and the old storeroom was filled with the aroma of roasted meat. The wild boar meat, which had originally smelled rather rank, had lost much of its gaminess after being rubbed with salt and ground peppercorns.
There was enough meat stored away to last the whole family through the winter, saving them a great deal of money on buying meat.
Then he began wondering how Duan Yan was doing, and whether he had managed to see the supervising magistrate. He could only worry about it; there was no way for him to receive any news.
He rose with the firewood in his arms, but his vision suddenly dimmed and his head grew faint. His body really was becoming more and more useless.
He shook his head and was just about to go inside when he suddenly heard a familiar voice call out, “Song Fengsui.”
For an instant, he thought he was imagining it. He turned toward the sound—and there, running toward him, was Duan Yan.
Sweat dripped from the man’s brow and neck. He had clearly hurried all the way there.
“Why are you here?!”
Song Fengsui’s eyes widened slightly as he pressed on, “Did something happen?”
Duan Yan waved his hands. “It’s not as bad as you think. I came in such a hurry because I want to ask you for a favor.”
“What is it?”
“Come out with me on a house call.”
Song Fengsui blinked, then let out a sigh of relief.
The two of them entered the house one after the other and went to speak with the elders about leaving.
“The sun is almost down. You want to go see a patient at this hour?”
When Song Wushen saw Duan Yan had come again, he did not object to the young man visiting their home. But hearing that he wanted to take his own son out once more, he could hardly be pleased.
The boy had only been brought home in the middle of the night. He had not even been home for a full day, and now Duan Yan wanted to take him away again. Even after marrying and leaving home, no one would rush to carry him off like this.
Song Wushen was a steady-tempered man. Though displeased, he ultimately did not lose his temper. Instead, he said, “I know illness does not wait for a convenient hour. It comes without warning, whether in the day or at night. But Fengsui is a young gentleman. How can you take him out at a time like this?”
Duan Yan thought that if he were a father and some man came to his home after sunset asking to take his daughter or young son out to do something, he would be anxious too.
But the matter was urgent. He had gone to see Wang Quan’s old mother, and she was truly gravely ill. When she had held his hand and spoken to him, she had been breathing in far more air than she could exhale. She could barely manage two sentences before coughing, and when she moved the handkerchief away from her mouth, there had been fine threads of blood on it.
If there had been any time to spare, he would not have turned around and come straight to find Song Fengsui. He truly had no other choice, and that was why he had come shamelessly to ask for help.
Duan Yan could only explain to Song Wushen, “The patient’s condition is extremely urgent. I’m afraid she won’t survive much longer without treatment. Uncle, if you will allow me to take Xiao Song with me, I promise I’ll protect him properly and return him to you safe and sound afterward.”
“We have to go all the way to Tianhui Village. There’s no guarantee we’ll be back tonight.”
Song Wushen drew his brows together. “What am I supposed to tell his mother and grandfather when they ask about him?”
Thinking of the two sick elders in the Song family, Duan Yan fell silent as well.
“I’ll speak with Mother and Grandfather myself. Grandfather is an understanding man. Once he knows I’m going to treat someone and save a life, he’ll surely allow it.”
Song Wushen looked at Song Fengsui. “And what will you tell your mother? How will you explain it to her?”
Song Fengsui blinked. “I’ll say… I’ll say I’m tired and went to bed early.”
“Only you could come up with that.”
Song Wushen scolded him lightly.
“Brother, Sui Sui has already spent several days outside with Xiao Duan. Didn’t Xiao Duan bring him back safe and sound? Treating the sick is important, and he only came to fetch Sui Sui because he had no other choice. I can see that Xiao Duan is a reliable young man. He’ll keep Sui Sui safe.”
Song Wushen shot a glance at Song Xuemu, who was helping the two of them plead their case. “Are you really Sui Sui’s second uncle? Why are you encouraging this nonsense?”
Song Xuemu protested, “How am I not his second uncle? I’m only saying this because the boy wants to go. If you’re worried, Brother, I can go with Sui Sui to see the patient.”
Song Wushen gave Song Xuemu a sidelong look. He was always making things more complicated.
He remained silent for a long while. Then, seeing Song Fengsui’s pursed lips, he let out a long sigh.
“Come straight back as soon as the consultation is over!”
“Good!”
Seeing that his father had relented, Song Fengsui’s brows lifted with delight, and he agreed at once before turning to gather his things.
“You agreed quickly enough. But does your word count for anything?”
Song Wushen scolded him once more, then turned to Duan Yan.
“Thank you for allowing this, Uncle Song. I won’t delay. As soon as I’ve seen the patient, I’ll bring him straight back.”
Duan Yan made repeated assurances.
When Song Fengsui and Duan Yan left together, the evening clouds had set half the sky ablaze.
Song Wushen stood in the courtyard with his hands behind his back, watching the two young men walk away, one ahead of the other. Yet the furrow between his brows refused to smooth.
Song Xuemu tried to reassure him. “I know you treat Sui Sui like the apple of your eye, so of course you have a hundred worries in your heart. But Xiao Duan seems like a proper young man. Otherwise, Sui Sui wouldn’t follow him so willingly and happily.”
Song Wushen understood all of that. After returning home, Sui Sui had even gone to great lengths to vouch for Duan Yan’s character. If that boy had shown him the slightest disrespect, Sui Sui would never have spoken up for him like this.
“I’m only worried that he’s still young and can’t distinguish his feelings clearly. He may not be able to restrain himself and could fall into an affection he should not.”
“You mean Sui Sui has taken a liking to Xiao Duan?”
Song Wushen did not answer.
Song Xuemu drew in a sharp breath. “If that’s truly the case, wouldn’t it be a good thing? It’s better than letting him remain trapped in the past. He should forget that useless man from the Marquis’s residence as soon as possible.
“Since our whole family has come to this place, we should put our old lives in order and make a fresh start. There’s no point in constantly clinging to the glory we once had. If Sui Sui finds someone dependable here whom he truly likes, that would lift a great burden from the whole family’s heart.”
Song Wushen’s gaze grew distant. Sometimes, his younger brother saw things more clearly than he did and acted with far greater ease.
In truth, he was merely afraid that his only young son would suffer. He was also afraid of entrusting him to the wrong person again.
The boy was still young and could not yet see his own feelings clearly. But as parents with more experience, they could tell at a glance that he treated that young man surnamed Duan differently from everyone else.
“Let time reveal a person’s true nature.”
As for Song Fengsui and Duan Yan, once they had walked beyond the Song family’s view, Duan Yan crouched down and let Song Fengsui climb onto his back.
They soon reached the abandoned cellar.
Lying on Duan Yan’s back, Song Fengsui was perhaps already accustomed to it after their first experience together, and no longer felt awkward in the slightest.
His foot had improved considerably, and he could walk now, but it still began to ache after he had been on it for too long. Besides, he was slow, and if they continued at that pace, who knew when they would finally get out of the village?
In any case, he felt that since Duan Yan had come to ask him to make a house call, it was only right for him to carry a physician whose legs were still inconvenient.
While there was still light in the sky, Song Fengsui flipped through the account book Duan Yan had shown him. It contained detailed records of the expenses at the Liuming Village estate. Every entry was clear and meticulous, showing that the estate manager had taken great care with it.
He closed the account book and shifted his position. Without thinking much of it, he slipped an arm in front of Duan Yan’s neck and draped it over his other shoulder.
“Manager Lü certainly put a great deal of thought into this. Your trip was quite fruitful. With this account book, we’ll have solid evidence when the time comes to deal with Chen Hu.”
To take a man down, you needed to produce the stolen goods—especially when dealing with someone like Chen Hu, who had built a deeply rooted network within the organization. Only irrefutable evidence would convince everyone and prevent anyone below from speaking up on his behalf. They could not be allowed to think that their leader acted on a whim and disposed of people however he pleased, or it would unsettle them.
When his family had been confiscated and exiled by the emperor, there had actually been many loopholes in the evidence fabricated to accuse the Song family. Many of the students whom his grandfather had once protected and taught had stood up to speak for him. Unfortunately, the emperor had chosen to believe the treacherous officials, and had even punished those who pleaded on his grandfather’s behalf.
Fearing that more upright men would be dragged into the matter and that the treacherous officials would benefit, his grandfather had instead urged his close associates not to anger the emperor any further.
In truth, the Song family’s exile had already caused a tremendous stir at court. The officials had grown fearful for their own safety, sensing that the world might undergo great changes in the future.
But Song Fengsui had no heart to investigate matters so far away in the capital. The troubles before him were already more than enough to occupy his mind.
Duan Yan said, “Mm. As you said, there are still quite a few people below who are on my side. It’s only that I neglected to cultivate those relationships before and allowed us to grow distant.”
“It’s not too late. If you make amends in time, there’s still a chance to turn things around.”
The corners of Duan Yan’s lips lifted slightly. His gaze fell on the slender arm before him, and he asked, “Does your arm still hurt?”
Only then did Song Fengsui realize that his arm was nearly pressing against Duan Yan’s neck. He loosened his hold a little and said softly, “It started hurting a bit after I woke up.”
Duan Yan’s brows drew together. “And you still dared to carry firewood?”
Song Fengsui pressed his lips together. “I couldn’t let Father find out that I still had such a wound on my arm. If he started asking questions, even my talent for lying wouldn’t be enough to escape Lord Song’s interrogation. He used to work in the Ministry of Personnel, and his eyes are exceptionally sharp.
“Besides, they were all simple tasks. Doing a little wouldn’t have mattered.”
Considering how complicated their situation had been, Duan Yan knew that explaining it to Song Fengsui’s family would indeed be difficult. Still, it pained him to see Song Fengsui suffer.
“Once this tense period has passed, I’ll come over and help you.”
Song Fengsui did not respond to that. Instead, he changed the subject. “Why were you willing to go to such trouble to have me treat Wang Quan’s mother? Aren’t you resentful that he colluded with Chen Hu?”
“As for the matter of seeking medical help, that was my fault to begin with. He came to ask me to find him a physician, and I turned around and forgot about it. Whatever he may be like now, I owed him that much.”
Duan Yan continued, “His devotion to his mother is rare. He’s a filial man.”
Song Fengsui turned his head to look at Duan Yan and saw that his expression was completely earnest.
“Sometimes I wonder whether you’ve become so clear-sighted and perceptive now that it makes your former foolishness seem even more absurd, or whether you truly were that muddleheaded when I hadn’t met you yet.”
“Can a person really become enlightened overnight?”
Duan Yan paused. Under Song Fengsui’s searching gaze, he felt faintly guilty.
“If someone has experienced great upheaval, perhaps it’s possible.” But he had never suffered such a calamity himself, so he did not know.
He seemed unwilling to lie to Song Fengsui.
“...When the right opportunity comes, I’ll tell you the answer to these changes.”
Song Fengsui pressed his lips together and chuckled softly. “You’re always putting on that worldly, old-soul act, just like my father.”
At that, Duan Yan turned his head to look at Song Fengsui. “Really?”
“What?”
“Do I resemble your father?”
“Stop taking liberties with me.”
“...”
By the time they reached Tian-shui Village, night had already fallen.
Wang Quan had already paced around the courtyard several times and craned his neck toward the village road leading home seven or eight times.
He could not settle his nerves. Although Duan Yan had promised to bring a physician for him and told him to wait at home, after what had happened before, he was afraid Duan Yan had once again given him the slip.
Just as he was growing frantic with uncertainty, he finally spotted a dark figure in the distance. He hurried forward to meet it.
To his relief, Duan Yan had indeed come this time. But what left him speechless was that Duan Yan had carried Song Fengsui here on his back.
He stood blankly at the roadside, staring at the two of them, his expression visibly turning grim.
This was simply outrageous!
Before leaving, Duan Yan had gone to see his mother. She had been coughing blood, yet here he was bringing along a young master raised in a wealthy household, someone who had never lifted a finger to do manual labor. And earlier, he had described this person to Wang Quan as a mysterious physician with excellent medical skills.
Was he treating his mother’s life as a joke?
Wang Quan’s emotions surged violently. When it came to his mother, he was genuinely desperate. He was so anxious that he could not even summon the energy to put on a polite front.
“Big Brother, you... Young Master Song... Ah!”
How could he have trusted Duan Yan? The man had always lost his head over young men before, and this time he seemed even worse than ever.
But even if he wanted to please someone, he could not use another person’s desperate situation as entertainment!
“Your big brother insisted on carrying me here through the darkness,” Song Fengsui said. “The whole way, there were mosquitoes and spiderwebs everywhere. He wouldn’t have gone to all that trouble just to play a prank on you.”
He could tell from Wang Quan’s expression what the man was thinking, so he added, “There’s no need to argue about the rest right now. Let’s examine your mother first.”
Hearing Song Fengsui’s words, Wang Quan abruptly calmed down. Gritting his teeth, he invited the two of them into the house.
The moment Song Fengsui entered the Wang residence, he caught the strong scent of medicine. It was not the smell of medicine being boiled at that moment, but the lingering odor that seeped into every corner of a home where someone had been taking medicine for a long time.
Wang’s mother was propped up on a rather soft bed. It was clear that whoever cared for her had been attentive.
The woman’s face was grayish, her skin an unhealthy, deathly pallor. Dark circles shadowed her eyes, which had sunk somewhat into their sockets. She was emaciated, and her hands were like withered branches.
She certainly looked like someone who had suffered from a chronic illness for a long time. But if she had truly been receiving proper care, she should not have been in such a state.
Song Fengsui knit his brows and asked Wang Quan, “I heard from Duan Yan that you had already consulted every physician in this area. Since they couldn’t cure her, did you stop having doctors come to examine her?”
“What are you saying, Young Master Song? I’ve always had physicians come to examine my mother and monitor her condition. The last physician visited only five days ago!”
Wang Quan hurriedly explained, “I recently found a new physician who is exceptionally skilled at treating stubborn illnesses with unconventional remedies. But my mother’s condition is severe, and she cannot go without his treatment. He has been away these past few days, and I couldn’t get him to come. That’s why my mother’s condition has worsened again.”
Song Fengsui had his suspicions, but he did not make a judgment based on a mere glance. He focused his mind and first took the old woman’s pulse.
The moment his fingers touched her wrist, his expression grew even more solemn. He then took out his silver needles and prepared to administer acupuncture.
Wang Quan was startled by how practiced Song Fengsui’s pulse-taking technique was. It seemed the man truly possessed some skill after all. But before he could finish marveling, he saw Song Fengsui about to insert silver needles into his mother. That was no trifling matter. He instinctively moved to stop him, only for Duan Yan to catch him by the arm and signal with his eyes that he must not recklessly interrupt the physician’s examination.
In that brief moment, Song Fengsui had already steadily inserted a silver needle into his mother’s body.
Seeing that nothing had gone wrong, Wang Quan finally calmed down a little.
Song Fengsui was always quiet and serious when examining a patient. He never voiced conclusions that had not yet been fully confirmed, though his expression could not conceal his thoughts.
Forced to wait in silence, Wang Quan grew increasingly anxious. Seeing the gravity on Song Fengsui’s face, his heart rose into his throat.
After a while, Song Fengsui told the old woman that her condition was not critical. He then straightened the bedding and instructed her to rest properly. After that, he gave Duan Yan and Wang Quan a look, calling them outside.
“What medicines has your mother been taking lately? Bring them out for me to examine.”
As soon as they left the room, Wang Quan had not even had the chance to ask what was wrong before Song Fengsui questioned him.
He hurriedly replied, “The medicines Mother takes are brought by the physician who usually treats her. He never prescribes much at a time, saying that the ingredients are difficult to obtain. Usually, he only brings more when she is nearly finished with the last batch. She took the final dose yesterday. I can’t get that physician here at the moment, and I was already worried because Mother had run out of medicine.”
After hearing this, Song Fengsui became even more certain of his suspicions. “The pot you usually use to boil the medicine should still be there. Bring it to me.”
Wang Quan could hear the gravity in Song Fengsui’s tone. He answered twice in quick succession, then hurried off to fetch it.
“What is it?” Duan Yan asked in the meantime. “Is it hopeless?”
“She was probably harmed by a quack,” Song Fengsui replied.
Just as he finished speaking, Wang Quan returned with the medicine pot. Song Fengsui immediately examined it.
He ran a finger along the rim of the pot, rubbed the residue between his fingertips, and sniffed it. Then he looked at Wang Quan, his expression almost that of a judge delivering a verdict.
“The physician you hired probably isn’t a legitimate doctor who keeps a proper practice, is he? In the past, the reputable doctors who examined your mother couldn’t really control her illness. At best, they treated the symptoms without addressing the root cause. But after this physician came, she improved remarkably quickly. The phlegm seemed to clear, and she stopped coughing.”
Song Fengsui continued, “But recently, for some reason, you could no longer summon that physician, and the medicine ran out. Your mother’s illness immediately came roaring back, far worse than before. Her coughing and shortness of breath became much more severe.”
Wang Quan’s eyes suddenly lit up, though the light in them was one of terror. “That’s exactly what happened! Young Master Song, your diagnosis is incredible!”
“Do you know how fierce and dangerous the medicine that quack prescribed was? He added opium to it, along with large amounts of mulberry bark and apricot kernels, supplemented by powerful lung-clearing and asthma-relieving medicines such as ephedra and gypsum. Not only would the medicine make the patient addicted, but once she stopped taking it, the effects would rebound. Her lung qi would become utterly depleted, and the slightest mishap could cost her life!”
“Medicines prescribed by ordinary physicians tend to be mild. They may not work quickly, or may not work at all, but at least they will not damage the patient in return. The quack you hired has not an ounce of medical ethics. He recklessly prescribed potent drugs, caring only about superficial results and ignoring the patient’s health. Naturally, the effects appeared miraculous.”
Wang Quan’s face turned deathly pale. In truth, he had vaguely sensed that something was wrong before. Every time his mother stopped taking the medicine, she would become terribly ill. But the quack, Doctor Hu, always claimed that folk remedies had their own merits, and that medicine was poisonous in moderation. He said that Wang Quan’s mother was too frail, and that without his medicine sustaining her, she would have died long ago.
Wang Quan had had no choice but to continue using it. Who could have imagined that the truth would be this...
A chill ran through him. He had probably been schemed against by Chen Hu from the very beginning. Chen Hu had claimed that his big brother did not care about other people’s affairs, and that only he had gone to the trouble of finding a physician and shown concern for his mother’s life. In reality, it had merely been a means of winning Wang Quan’s loyalty.
No one was more vicious than him. Wang Quan had spent the past year running errands for Chen Hu and serving him hand and foot because of his mother’s health. He had even given nearly all his money to the quack Doctor Hu!
Only now did he realize that it had all been a deception—and that it had nearly cost his mother her life. For a moment, the world spun around him, and his legs almost gave way.
As though awakening from a dream, Wang Quan cried out, “Young Master Song, Young Master Song! You must save my mother! Whatever you ask, I promise I can do it. Please, I beg you, save my mother!”
Perhaps his emotions had overwhelmed him, for he suddenly lunged toward Song Fengsui. Duan Yan hurriedly shielded Song Fengsui behind him and scolded, “I know you’re anxious, but calm down. Are you satisfied only if you frighten Suisui?”
Song Fengsui frowned tightly. “Since your big brother brought me here, of course I won’t stand by and watch someone die.
“But let me make one thing clear first. Your mother has been harmed by that quack for so long that her body is already depleted. I cannot restore her to perfect health. At most, I can save her life for now. After that, she will need to recover gradually through careful treatment.”
With a loud thud, Wang Quan dropped to his knees before Song Fengsui and Duan Yan. Tears clung to his lashes as he said, “If you can save my mother’s life, I will already be endlessly grateful!”
Then he began kowtowing. “Thank you, Young Master Song. Thank you, Big Brother!”
In that instant, Wang Quan finally understood what Duan Yan had called out to him at the blacksmith’s shop that day. He suddenly grasped the deeper meaning behind those words.
From the very first time Song Fengsui had seen Wang Quan, the man had seemed sly and crafty. This was the first time Song Fengsui had seen him so sincere. It truly was difficult not to be moved by such filial devotion.
“Get up, get up. What good will it do to split your head open? These are troubled times we’re living in.”
