Song Fengsui first wrote two prescriptions: one to treat Madam Wang’s cough, and the other to repair and nourish the ailments caused by the previous quack doctor’s treatment. He then gave Madam Wang acupuncture to ease her symptoms and protect her heart meridians.
Duan Yan looked over the prescriptions and handed them directly to Wang Quan. “All the medicine shops in the city have already shut their doors and are too afraid to open. These days, even illnesses unrelated to the epidemic are difficult to find medicine for. Do you have any medicinal supplies at home?”
“Mother has been ill for a long time, so we usually keep some medicine at home. I saw that we still have several of the ingredients listed in the prescription, but we don’t have fritillaria bulbs, coltsfoot flowers, or stemona root. As for the ginseng and poria used to nourish the heart meridians, we never had any stored.”
Duan Yan clicked his tongue. “I remember taking some ginseng and poria from the storeroom at the ironworks. I’ll fetch them from the residence later and give them to you. It seems we still won’t be able to put together the medicine for the cough, though.
“Go to the farm and ask the steward whether they have any.”
“Yes, yes.”
Wang Quan agreed twice in quick succession. Seeing Song Fengsui carefully administer acupuncture to his mother while Duan Yan was also thinking of every possible way to gather the medicine, he was filled with gratitude.
“I’ll go ask right away.”
“Mm. This matter can’t be delayed. The people at the farm probably haven’t gone to bed yet.”
Wang Quan immediately hurried out. Duan Yan seemed to remember something and followed him outside.
“Wait. Do you have anything to eat at home?”
At Duan Yan’s question, Wang Quan, who had been too flustered to think clearly, slapped his forehead. “Yes, yes! The wife from the Xu family in the village works for me. Whenever I’m away, she comes to look after my mother. There should be food in the kitchen. I’ll fetch some for you, Big Brother.”
“You go take care of your business. Since there’s food ready, I can find it myself.”
Wang Quan hesitated. Seeing this, Duan Yan added, “What time is it now? Your mother’s condition is what matters. There’s no need to worry about empty formalities and let them interfere with something important.”
Only then did Wang Quan agree, running toward the farm.
Duan Yan went to the Wangs’ kitchen, and it was just as Wang Quan had said. Someone regularly tended and cleaned the place. Not only was it neat and spotless, but there were also fresh vegetables and other ingredients inside.
He picked through them for a while, but in the end, he took out some flour and kneaded dough. Using several small eggs and tender green vegetables, he simmered a thick egg-and-vegetable soup. He pulled the dough into fine noodles, boiled them, and then fished them out and placed them in the soup, making a bowl of noodles.
Song Fengsui had just finished administering acupuncture to Madam Wang. Her body could not withstand too much exertion, but after the treatment, she felt more at ease and quietly drifted off to sleep.
He had sat there with complete concentration for a long while, exhausting both his mind and his strength. His body was already beginning to struggle. After steadying himself, he suddenly realized that Duan Yan was no longer in the room.
Song Fengsui knew rationally that Duan Yan would never leave him alone in an unfamiliar place, but when the man suddenly disappeared, he still felt anxious.
He hurriedly rose and was just about to go outside to look for him when someone carrying the warmth and scent of cooking entered the room. Without realizing it, Song Fengsui let out a quiet breath of relief.
“Finished with the acupuncture?”
Duan Yan asked as he glanced toward Madam Wang, who was sleeping on the bed.
Song Fengsui gave a soft acknowledgment. His head felt a little dizzy, and his stomach was uncomfortable as well. He had slept for several hours during the day and had only eaten a little porridge in the morning. He had skipped lunch, and now that night had fallen, his body was naturally running low on strength.
He looked at Duan Yan. “I’m a little hungry.”
“I figured you hadn’t eaten anything this late at night, so I went and made you a bowl of noodles.”
Duan Yan spoke gently. “It’s a good sign that you still know when you’re hungry.”
Song Fengsui’s eyes flickered. As he followed Duan Yan in small steps toward the main room, he couldn’t help asking, “You cooked for yourself in someone else’s house?”
“No matter whose house we’re in, I can’t let you go hungry.”
Song Fengsui pressed his lips together lightly, a hint of a smile hidden in his eyes.
When they entered the main room, he saw a bowl of steaming noodles in a thick egg-and-vegetable broth already waiting on the table. The broth was rich, and the egg was tender and fluffy, stirring his appetite even further. He looked around for somewhere to wash his hands so he could eat at once, but Duan Yan handed him a damp cloth.
He quickly took it, wiped his hands, and then picked up his chopsticks.
Duan Yan sat to one side, quietly watching him eat.
A trace of worry rose in his heart. When he was with Song Fengsui, he could at least prepare food for him, and Song Fengsui would manage to eat a little. But what would he do when Duan Yan wasn’t there?
He knew he was only worrying needlessly. People had their own ways of getting by, whether those ways were good or bad. No one was foolish enough to starve himself to death.
Even so, he seemed unable to bear seeing Song Fengsui suffer. He didn’t want him to suffer at all.
“Why do you keep looking at me? Aren’t you going to eat?”
Song Fengsui had lowered his head and eaten half the noodles. He was genuinely hungry and only now noticed the gaze fixed on him from above.
Duan Yan looked at the bowl. Nearly all the noodles and egg had been eaten, while the green vegetables had been left coldly abandoned at the side. He couldn’t help letting out a soft laugh.
“I was wondering how you managed to hide so many little green vegetables in a bowl of soup.”
Song Fengsui could tell he was teasing him. In front of Duan Yan, he deliberately picked up a chopstickful of vegetables and put them into his mouth.
Duan Yan turned his head slightly, but his smile only grew broader.
Just as the two of them were sitting beneath the warm yellow glow of an oil lamp, nearly finished with their evening meal, Wang Quan came rushing back, breathless with excitement.
“We found them! We gathered all the medicine!”
Song Fengsui and Duan Yan instinctively looked over.
The two of them went to meet him. Song Fengsui examined the medicine Wang Quan had brought back, and only after confirming that everything was correct did he nod.
Wang Quan let out a small sigh of relief. He then went inside to check on his mother. Madam Wang, who had previously been wheezing heavily and suffering fits of urgent coughing, was no longer coughing at all. Even the brows that had long been drawn tight by her illness had relaxed somewhat. She had probably not slept this peacefully in several months.
In the past, the medicine prescribed by the quack Doctor Hu had immediately reduced her phlegm and stopped her coughing, but Madam Wang’s body had always felt unwell afterward. It was as though one kind of discomfort had merely been replaced by another.
This time, Song Fengsui’s treatment had been just as effective, yet without causing any other discomfort. The difference between a skilled physician and a harmful quack was plain to see.
Seeing his mother comfortable, Wang Quan felt greatly relieved and overjoyed.
Song Fengsui reminded him softly, “Now that the medicine has been gathered, you need to decoct a dose right away. Once your mother wakes, give it to her. Acupuncture alone won’t be enough for her condition. She still needs medicine to treat and nourish her body.”
Wang Quan immediately agreed and was about to begin preparing the medicine.
Seeing the sweat covering Wang Quan’s forehead, Duan Yan said, “I’ll do it. You’ve been busy for so long and haven’t even eaten dinner. If you collapse, what will happen to your mother? I left you a bowl of noodles on the stove. Go eat it quickly, or it’ll turn soggy.”
Wang Quan froze for a moment. He followed Duan Yan and Song Fengsui into the kitchen, where he saw the bowl of noodles warming on the stove. His heart felt warm and sore all at once.
Duan Yan lit the fire beneath the stove, while Song Fengsui carefully placed the herbs into the medicine pot and added water. The two of them stayed by the stove, one crouching and the other bent over, patiently tending the fire and the medicine pot.
Wang Quan sat to one side with his bowl in both hands, head bowed as he ate to his heart’s content. He had no idea how the noodles had been made—the strands were wonderfully chewy, and the broth rich and fragrant. He even drank every last drop. With his belly growing comfortably full, he looked up and saw Duan Yan and Song Fengsui sitting together in perfect harmony.
For one fleeting moment, he felt as though Duan Yan were his elder brother and Song Fengsui his sister-in-law, the whole family working together over their mother’s troubles........ Though his mother’s illness weighed heavily on his heart, at least he had an elder brother and sister-in-law now, so he would not have to bear all this bitterness and pain alone.......
But in the next instant, he came back to his senses and realized that this was nothing more than the yearning he had carried in his heart for so many years. Even so, during that brief moment of panic, he had truly felt the warmth of such affection.
Wang Quan carefully set down his bowl and said, “I never imagined that Young Master Song could be so young, yet possess such remarkable medical skills. Before this, I even mistook my elder brother for......... In any case, I thank you, Young Master Song, for putting aside our past grievances and coming to treat my mother today. Otherwise, who knows how long my mother would have continued to suffer at the hands of that quack!”
Seeing this, Song Fengsui said, “There’s no need to thank me so profusely. If you want to thank someone, thank your elder brother. I only came because of him.”
Wang Quan turned to Duan Yan, but instead of saying anything, he dropped to his knees with a thud.
Duan Yan’s brows drew together. “Not this again! You’ve eaten your fill and regained your strength, so now you have the energy for this nonsense, is that it? Get up. Quickly.”
But Wang Quan refused to rise no matter what. “Elder brother, I’m no better than an animal. Punish me!”
Song Fengsui looked toward Duan Yan. Their eyes met, and it seemed they both wanted to understand the meaning behind Wang Quan’s words. In silent accord, they shifted their gazes back to him.
“What nonsense are you spouting for no reason? What would I punish you for?”
Wang Quan steeled his heart. Today, he had decided to conceal nothing any longer. Heaven had given him a path forward; if he still refused to take it, the only outcome would be for him to remain trapped until he died.
And now that he knew the truth about his mother’s illness, his hatred for that bastard who had harmed him had grown even more poisonous.
“Chen Hu had long harbored evil designs against you, Elder Brother! He is shameless, with an appetite for power as great as his ambition. He not only wants your business—he wants your life as well!”
Wang Quan knocked his head against the floor. “He sought out a quack doctor to treat my mother. During that time, the man said all sorts of things to sow discord. I was frantic with worry for my mother, and he deceived me easily, using me to do his bidding.
“Over the past two years, he has repeatedly driven a wedge between you and the people under your command. Taking advantage of your trust in him, he secretly pocketed money and used it to buy people’s loyalty and have them work for him.”
“When you changed the lock on the warehouse some time ago, he held a grudge. He also blamed me for failing to carry out his orders properly, so he actually gave me a packet of poison and intended to use my hand to kill you!”
As he spoke of this, Wang Quan’s entire body trembled. He knew that neither of the two men would be able to accept these sordid secrets, but he had no other choice.
“Elder brother, elder brother......... I should have told you long ago, but that bastard had my mother’s life in his hands. Because I refused to do what he wanted for so long, he stopped letting that quack come to treat my mother........ I wouldn’t have minded dying, but I couldn’t bear to watch my mother suffer after all these years of hardship, after she had raised me with so much pain.........”
Wang Quan spoke the truth without trying to excuse himself. He had expected that once the words were out, Duan Yan would fly into a rage and at the very least kick him several times. Yet the man in front of him remained utterly still.
He lay prostrate on the floor for a long while before cautiously lifting his head. To his surprise, Duan Yan’s expression was calm—calm as though he had expected all of this.
“.........Elder brother?”
Wang Quan was bewildered. Could it be that Duan Yan did not believe him, or that he still trusted Chen Hu? In a panic, he quickly took out the item he had been carrying and held it out with both hands. “This is the poison he forced me to take that day!”
Song Fengsui stepped forward and took the little packet from Wang Quan’s hands. He carefully opened it, then used a needle he carried on his person to test the powder. A moment later, he let out a cold laugh.
“This is indeed the poison he usually uses. But the concentration in this packet is far higher than normal. It seems he was growing impatient and wanted a quick result.”
Duan Yan stared at the poisonous powder, his chest rising and falling heavily.
Wang Quan looked blankly at the two men. He did not quite understand what they were saying, yet at the same time, he seemed to understand something.
“Your elder brother has known about that venomous bastard Chen Hu’s malicious schemes for a long time.”
Song Fengsui looked at Wang Quan and said slowly, “At least you still have a little conscience left, and were willing to confess now. If you had waited until the time came to settle accounts with him, you wouldn’t have gotten off so easily either.”
“Elder brother knew all along?!”
Wang Quan found the news difficult to digest. But when he thought about it carefully, there had indeed been clues.
Duan Yan’s attitude toward Chen Hu had changed in recent days. It was just that no one had thought in that direction; everyone had assumed it was because of Song Fengsui.
Then he suddenly caught the key point in Song Fengsui’s words. “Young Master Song, when you say this is the poison Chen Hu usually uses, does that mean he had already poisoned my elder brother?!”
Only then did Duan Yan speak. “This poison won’t kill a person immediately. But if it is used over a long period, the body will gradually deteriorate. Once it can no longer endure the damage, the victim will be poisoned to death without anyone realizing it.”
“At first, I naturally had no idea. If I had known earlier, he would never have been able to remain at large under everyone’s noses until now.”
Wang Quan’s heart was filled with horror. He looked at Song Fengsui, and suddenly understood everything.
With Young Master Song’s extraordinary medical skills, how could such poison have escaped his notice once he came to Duan Yan’s side?
In that instant, Wang Quan was immensely grateful that he had told them everything. Otherwise, when the matter eventually erupted, he might well have ended up taking the blame for Chen Hu!
“Wang Quan, over these past two years, you and I have taken many wrong turns. I did bear some responsibility for what happened. I sowed the cause, which led to you being manipulated by Chen Hu into committing acts of disloyalty, and thus brought about the consequences.
“But since we have both made different choices today, there is no point remaining trapped by the past. Let us wipe the slate clean. From now on, let us treat each other with sincerity.”
Wang Quan raised his eyes to Duan Yan, his gaze suddenly burning with tears. “Elder brother is still willing to give me a chance? I don’t even know how to express my gratitude. But there’s no use saying more now. From here on, you can judge by what I do, and see whether I can live up to your painstaking kindness.”
With that, he knocked his head against the floor twice more.
By a twist of fate, they had gained both a witness and physical evidence.
Song Fengsui carefully put the poison away. When the time came to settle accounts with Chen Hu, it would certainly prove useful.
Afterward, Duan Yan and Song Fengsui questioned Wang Quan about Chen Hu in greater detail. Wang Quan had been involved with Chen Hu for quite some time and truly knew a great deal about his schemes. This time, he told the two men everything he knew without reservation.
For instance, as far as Chen Hu’s poison was concerned, the three of them deduced that it had been concocted by the quack Doctor Hu, the man who had treated Wang Quan’s mother. Something so insidious was not the sort of thing an ordinary physician could produce; only a quack doctor who delighted in crooked and unorthodox practices would have been able to concoct it.
They absolutely had to catch the quack Doctor Hu and force him to write out a confession.
After discussing the matter at length, Duan Yan instructed Wang Quan not to reveal for the time being that the two of them had treated his mother. They should continue acting as though nothing had happened. This would allow Wang Quan to keep an eye on Chen Hu’s movements, while also preventing them from alerting him and driving him into a desperate corner.
Once they obtained the quack Doctor Hu’s confession, it would be enough to have Chen Hu thrown into prison, where he would never be able to turn things around.
Wang Quan agreed to everything carefully.
It was nearly the second watch, and the third watch was fast approaching. Seeing that it was getting late, Duan Yan felt that it was about time to escort Song Fengsui home. They could not keep his family waiting and worrying for too long.
He therefore brought their continued discussion to an end. “It’s getting late. Let’s leave things at that for today.”
“Big Brother and Young Master Song might as well spend the night here,” Wang Quan suggested. “It’s dark, and the roads aren’t easy to travel. Otherwise, you could rest at the farmstead.”
Seeing how pitch-black it was outside, Wang Quan was somewhat concerned that the two of them had been busy for so many hours and would still have to travel by night.
Duan Yan said, “How could we do that? Xiao Song is a ge’er. He can’t just stay somewhere outside.”
“Yes, yes, of course. Look at me—I’ve gone muddleheaded.”
Wang Quan continued, “Since Big Brother and Young Master Song are leaving, I won’t keep you any longer. It’ll put my mind at ease if you get home earlier.”
He rose and escorted the two of them out. Once they reached the courtyard gate, he had intended to see them out of the village, but Song Fengsui remembered that Madam Wang still needed someone to care for her and told him there was no need to see them any farther.
Song Fengsui then strode along the village road. After taking two steps, however, he realized that Duan Yan had not followed.
He stopped and turned to look at him, a little puzzled. Could there be something Duan Yan still needed to say to Wang Quan privately—something he did not want Song Fengsui to hear?
Before he could ask, he heard Duan Yan say to Wang Quan, in a tone that suggested he could bear it no longer, “Did you forget something?”
Wang Quan was just as bewildered by the question. “Huh?”
Duan Yan said with a perfectly serious expression, “You forgot to pay for the doctor’s house call.”
Song Fengsui: “..........”
Wang Quan: “..........”
“Right, right! The consultation fee! The consultation fee!” Wang Quan clearly had not expected Duan Yan to bring that up, but fortunately, his mind worked quickly, and he immediately reacted. “May I ask how much Young Master Song’s fee is? I’ve been so anxious about my mother that I completely forgot about this. I hope Young Master Song won’t take offense!”
Song Fengsui shot Duan Yan a sidelong glance and asked in a low voice, “You charge your own sworn brother too?”
Duan Yan coughed lightly. “Even brothers should keep clear accounts.”
Wang Quan thoroughly understood his big brother’s ways and was quite willing to play his part.
“Big Brother is right. One should naturally pay a doctor. I’ve already benefited from Big Brother’s help in getting Young Master Song, such a skilled physician, to come here. I certainly can’t expect Big Brother to cover the cost of the consultation as well.”
Song Fengsui tugged at the corner of his mouth. “A house call at night costs fifty coins. As for the medicine, ask your big brother how much he wants to charge you for that........”
