The government had more manpower, and things were consequently handled much faster. In less than two days, nearly all the villagers in Liu Village who had contracted the epidemic had been given medicine.
The prescription proved reliable, and no further problems arose. However, while treatment was underway, the village remained under quarantine to prevent the illness from spreading.
Duan Yan had spent most of the past few days in the village, bringing people with him to help maintain order and keep watch.
Earlier, Old Daoist Hu’s prescription had been flawed. Not only had several people died after taking it, but even those whose lives had not been threatened had suffered various aftereffects.
Those who had originally been among the first to receive the medicine were mostly well-connected, wealthy households in the village. Some had pulled strings, while others had been given the medicine as a personal favor by the village head. Who would have thought that they would end up suffering for it—some falling ill, others losing their lives? Naturally, they were unwilling to let the matter go. Yet they did not dare confront the authorities, so they all ran to the village head’s home to make a scene.
The remaining farmers, seeing how fiercely things had erupted, had lost faith when the authorities sent medicine again. Some of them even began shouting that they would refuse to take it.
The village had been in chaos for the past two days. The physicians who had come in to treat the sick went door to door, trying to persuade those who refused the medicine. Meanwhile, Duan Yan led the constables in alternating shifts, patrolling day and night to keep order.
In short, there had been hardly any time to rest.
Only after the new medicine had been taken for two days without causing any discomfort did the villagers finally set aside their misgivings and accept the arrangements to take it.
As for the households who had taken the poisonous prescription first, they were appeased one by one and given a certain amount of compensation. Only then did they stop causing trouble.
At noon that day, Duan Yan led the constables on a circuit through the village. Not a single person had come out to wander about, and under the blazing sun, even the patrol formation had grown somewhat lax.
“Brother Duan, look at how obedient the villagers have become under your strict supervision these past few days. They don’t dare come out anymore just to stroll around and gossip. We’ve been out patrolling four or five rounds since early morning and haven’t seen a single person disobeying the rules. How about we call it a day for now?”
Duan Yan saw that the weather was indeed unbearably hot. Since there was nothing happening outside, it would be better to return and rest for a while. That way, no one would suffer heatstroke and end up delaying the rest of their duties.
“Then let’s return to the estate for now. Before we left, I told the kitchen to prepare some perilla drink to ward off the heat. It should be ready by the time we get back.”
“Thank you, Brother Duan.”
Duan Yan walked at the very back of the group and could not help glancing twice toward the eastern end of the village.
Since he had escorted Song Fengsui home, he had been in the village these past two days, yet he had not seen him even once.
The Song family’s home was far from the densely populated parts of the village. The patrols mainly kept watch over the more crowded areas, so even though Duan Yan often walked through the village, as long as nothing happened at the Song residence, he naturally had no reason to come into contact with them.
Although he followed the principle that anyone currently living in Liu Village deserved protection and that he should maintain order throughout the village, he had deliberately brought people to the foot of the mountain twice. Yet he had not seen Song Fengsui either time.
Once, he had run into Song Xuemu; the other time, he had encountered Song Wushen. Neither of them had seemed averse to him, and both had greeted him courteously.
He had asked a few questions concerning official business. After hearing that everything was fine at home, he had led his men away. They were neither relatives nor acquaintances, and he was an outsider besides, so it would not have been appropriate for him to ask specifically about Song Fengsui.
“Brother Duan, what are you standing there daydreaming for? Come on!”
One of the constables, who had gone some distance ahead, stopped and called back to him.
Duan Yan came to his senses and strode over.
“It’s been clear for more than ten days now, hasn’t it? I wonder whether we’ll have any rain soon.”
One of the constables said, “The long stretch of clear weather has certainly made it hot. It’s hard not only on people but on the crops as well. My second uncle knows a bit about reading the weather. He says there’ll be heavy rain in a couple of days.”
Duan Yan’s eyes shifted at that. “Is that so?”
“The old man’s predictions are surprisingly accurate. Whenever the village holds a rain-praying ceremony, they always call on him to help.”
Duan Yan said nothing. When they returned to the estate, the constables who had been assisting him went into the courtyard to drink the perilla beverage and escape the heat. He, however, did not stop. Instead, he went to find Manager Lü and had the storeroom opened.
From inside, he selected a good deal of lumber, then dug out some reeds, tree bark, bamboo strips, and other materials…
At the Song family’s small courtyard, the midday heat was stifling. Song Fengsui dozed for a short while inside the house, but the bedding on the floor dug painfully into his body, so he did not sleep for long before getting up.
He sorted through the clothes belonging to everyone in the family, paying particular attention to those of his grandfather. Although Old Master Song’s epidemic had nearly cleared up after being carefully nursed these past few days, his advanced age and the severity of the illness had left his body unable to endure much. He had therefore remained bedridden.
Song Fengsui planned to make use of the extra free time while the epidemic was being brought under control to wash all the clothes and lay them out beneath the blazing sun, killing off any lingering traces of sickness left on the garments.
He busied himself with all the chores that needed doing, both inside and outside the house. That way, when life returned to normal, he would not find himself too exhausted to do anything else after spending the day working in the fields.
After Mu Linghui finished tending to Old Master Song, she saw Song Fengsui washing clothes in the corner of the room.
“Sui Sui, leave that for now. I’ll wash them later.”
“There are only a few pieces. I’ll be finished soon.”
Mu Linghui nevertheless pulled him to his feet. The previous day, she had seen the bandages wrapped around his arm when he changed clothes, and she refused to let him injure his hand again.
Mother and son went back and forth a few times. Fearing that Old Master Song might hear them from inside the room—and that his father would find out as well—Song Fengsui had no choice but to put down the clothes and let his mother handle them. He took a bucket and went to the stream behind the house to fetch some water instead.
In summer, many of the village’s small streams gradually dried up. Fortunately, this one was close to the mountains and woods, so it still carried enough water for washing clothes and other household items. They did not have to rely entirely on the village well.
The current in the stream was weak, however, so he had to leave the wooden bucket in place and let it fill slowly. Since he could not carry a full bucket for long, he first filled a wooden basin with some water, poured it into the bucket, and then returned to fill the basin again.
The stream could not be left unattended, which made the task rather time-consuming.
Just then, he looked up and saw a figure walking straight toward him along the village road.
Song Fengsui watched the approaching person, his brows twitching slightly.
“Brother Song, why are you fetching water here? Let me help you!”
“No need. I’m almost done.”
Song Fengsui shifted to the side, avoiding the pair of hands reaching toward him, and poured the water into the bucket.
The man did not appear embarrassed. Instead, he immediately reached for the bucket. “Then I’ll carry it home for you.”
Song Fengsui said indifferently, “Brother Zhou, did you come here for some reason? The epidemic in the village has not yet been cleared, and villagers aren’t permitted to wander about freely. If the patrolling constables see you, you’ll probably be reprimanded.”
“Don’t worry. Those patrol officers are very familiar with my father. It only takes a word from him. They’re all at my house drinking wine and tea.”
Song Fengsui’s brows drew tightly together as he pressed him for clarification. “You said Inspector Duan is drinking at your house?”
Zhou Qingyun had merely been boasting, trying to put on a show in front of Song Fengsui. Hearing him ask so closely, he became vague.
“They’re all the people in charge of organizing and handling the duties. Isn’t it normal for them to drink and have tea together from time to time?
“The inspector is responsible for keeping the village peaceful, while my father is the village head. Of course he ought to show some hospitality and entertain the constables who came to help.”
Song Fengsui pressed his lips tightly together.
He had not seen Duan Yan for several days. Song Fengsui had assumed the man was busy with village affairs and had no time to spare, never imagining that he had enough leisure to go to the village head’s house for wine and tea. Song Fengsui had even reminded him several times not to drink before he had fully recovered.
When they were together, Duan Yan had agreed readily enough, but the moment they were apart, he had apparently forgotten everything.
Zhou Qingyun continued speaking as though to himself. “Besides, your family’s the only household over here. The inspectors mainly keep watch over places with lots of people. Your family’s always followed the rules—they won’t come this way.”
Song Fengsui had never liked Zhou Qingyun. Before the epidemic, the man had come over here to show off whenever he had nothing better to do. It had only been after the disease spread through the village that he finally quieted down for a while. Now that medicine had been found and the epidemic was easing, he had started coming around again.
Having heard that Duan Yan had gone to the village head’s home for drinks, and now hearing Zhou Qingyun say this, Song Fengsui’s temper began to flare. His expression turned even colder.
“Whether he comes or not is beside the point. The village head is in charge of managing the epidemic, and he has said that no one is allowed to wander into other households without urgent business. As the village head’s son, how can you openly violate the rule?”
Zhou Qingyun rubbed his hands together and grinned. “It’s not like I came out just to idle about. The epidemic was so bad these past few days that no one could leave their homes. I missed you terribly, so I came to see you. That’s important business. And I’m here on my father’s behalf to check on his son’s husband—how could that count as wandering around for no reason?”
Song Fengsui’s expression changed abruptly. If they were not in such circumstances, where he had to remain rational and avoid causing trouble, he would have slapped Zhou Qingyun across the face on the spot.
He forced down his anger at being insulted and said coldly, “Mind your words, Brother Zhou.”
“We’re just country folk. We don’t have so many rules here. Brother Song, I’ve missed you so much that I dream about you every night. Look, when a man comes of age, he has to marry, and when a ger grows up, he has to wed too.”
Zhou Qingyun completely ignored Song Fengsui’s warning and continued, “My family’s well-off, and my father’s an official. I still haven’t married, and now you’ve come to our village. Isn’t it obvious that Old Man Yue deliberately brought us together?”
“Though you’re an exiled criminal, you’re so beautiful that I don’t mind your background.”
After pouring out his feelings, Zhou Qingyun gazed at Song Fengsui’s immortal-like face. Seeing that there was no one else around, he could no longer restrain himself and reached out to grab Song Fengsui’s hand.
He had barely extended his arm when he let out a howl of pain. Someone had seized his arm and twisted it firmly behind his back, making his face contort.
“What exactly have you missed so badly? And who said you were my husband? It’s broad daylight, and it wasn’t enough for you to trespass into someone else’s home—you even dared to harass him!”
When Song Fengsui saw that Zhou Qingyun was becoming more and more shameless, with a lewd look creeping into his eyes, he instinctively reached for the dagger hidden at his waist. His hand had only just closed around the hilt when, from the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Duan Yan approaching in silence, his face ashen with anger.
Song Fengsui said nothing. He let Zhou Qingyun keep babbling until the man finally lost patience and acted first.
“Ah—ah! Inspector Duan, go easy! It’s me, it’s me!”
Zhou Qingyun twisted his head around and finally recognized Duan Yan. He cursed his luck inwardly. It was the middle of the day—wasn’t this man afraid of the heat? Why had he come patrolling all the way out here?
“And who are you?”
“I’m Zhou Qingyun! The village head is my father!”
Duan Yan gave a cold snort. “Didn’t your old man tell you that no one is allowed to wander into other households during an epidemic? Good. I’ll take you over there and ask him myself.
“The village was in chaos a few days ago, and Magistrate Kong is already furious that the village head handled things so poorly. If the Zhou family can’t even keep their own son under control, it seems I’ll have to discuss the matter with Magistrate Kong properly.”
Zhou Qingyun was a spineless coward who could not withstand a fright. He immediately begged for mercy. “Inspector Duan, I know I was wrong! Please let me go. I swear I won’t go wandering into other households again!”
Duan Yan scolded him, “You think wandering into other households is all you did wrong?”
Zhou Qingyun hurriedly apologized to Song Fengsui as well. “Young Master Song, it was my fault. I shouldn’t have said those foolish things. Please don’t take them to heart. I won’t do it again!”
“Brother Zhou, your affection is misplaced. Please don’t waste any more thought on me in the future. You’ll only be throwing away your own fine youth.”
Seeing that Zhou Qingyun had finally begun to understand plain speech, Song Fengsui took the opportunity to make himself clear, lest the man continue pretending to be deaf and treat his refusals as nothing more than words blown past his ears.
“Don’t come looking for me again.”
Duan Yan tightened his grip on Zhou Qingyun’s arm, and the man hurriedly answered, “Yes, yes!”
After Zhou Qingyun clutched his arm and scurried away with his tail between his legs, Duan Yan picked up the water bucket that had been set aside with one hand.
“Your home isn’t far away. That kind of fool comes to pester you, and you’re too foolish to call anyone from your family? Even if you were afraid of offending the village head’s household and didn’t want to argue with him, you should have called someone over to receive him. That would have been better than facing him alone.”
Song Fengsui cast him a sidelong glance and said sullenly, “Inspector Duan, you weren’t drinking at the village head’s house after all. How rare that you still had time to come all the way out to this deserted place.”
“What drinking?”
Duan Yan quickly explained, “I did go to the Zhou family several times these past few days, but that was because the village head had been abusing his position to let people jump the queue. Old Daoist Hu’s medicine turned out to be faulty and killed someone, so the victim’s family came over crying and smashing things. I went there to maintain order. When would I have had time to drink?”
“Besides, didn’t you say that the poison in my body hadn’t been completely cleared and that I shouldn’t drink? How could I possibly forget something like that?”
Hearing this, Song Fengsui looked at Duan Yan, who seemed entirely serious. It appeared that Zhou Qingyun had invented all those drinking stories merely to curry favor.
He gave a light cough. “Then why haven’t you come over these past few days?”
He hesitated before adding, “...To take my pulse.”
“Though we’ve been switching off on patrol duty, the government lost some of the farmers’ trust because of Old Daoist Hu’s first prescription. Some people were so resentful that they even beat the physicians who went to deliver medicine and treat them. I had to accompany them, so I had no time.”
Duan Yan really had been kept busy for two solid days. Once things settled down, he had felt that it would be inappropriate to come over for no reason just to ask Song Fengsui to take his pulse.
After hearing all this, Song Fengsui’s spirits finally brightened. He invited Duan Yan home for some water.
As they walked back together, he said, “My father and Second Uncle secretly went into the mountains. Only Mother and Grandfather are at home. I thought I could dismiss Zhou Qingyun with a few words, but who would have guessed he’d gone completely mad this time? He couldn’t stop himself once he opened his mouth.”
Duan Yan’s brows drew together. “Then I was too lenient with him just now.”
Song Fengsui let out a soft sigh. “To them, the Song family is a family of criminals. We can hardly expect them to show us any respect. This sort of thing is nothing unusual.”
Duan Yan was just about to say something when they arrived at the Song family’s courtyard.
It was Mu Linghui’s first time meeting Duan Yan. Song Fengsui had been away for so many days that her worry had made her ill. Once he returned, she naturally had to question him carefully about everything that had happened outside.
To reassure his mother, Song Fengsui had no choice but to tell her about Duan Yan. Young Master Song had certainly not held back when praising Duan Yan’s good qualities.
Duan Yan had arrived at the house first with some things in hand. After Mu Linghui learned who he was, she told him that Song Fengsui was drawing water from the little stream behind the house.
While he went to fetch water for Song Fengsui, Mu Linghui prepared a bowl of cooling soup for Duan Yan. She trusted her son’s judgment of people, but after meeting Duan Yan, she felt even more at ease.
The young man was tall and upright, without a trace of that slick, unpleasant air.
Song Fengsui took the bowl of cooling soup his mother had prepared and drank a large mouthful. He had originally thought Duan Yan had only come to check his pulse, but when he returned to the courtyard, he realized that Duan Yan had brought quite a number of things with him, all piled up in the yard.
Duan Yan also held a bowl of water as he ate some soup and said, “I heard there might be rain over the next couple of days, so I had some old materials hauled over from the estate. I thought I’d repair the house while I had the chance, so you won’t suffer when the rain comes.”
Song Fengsui hurriedly nodded. He did not want to be afraid of thunder and rain anymore. During the day, patching leaks was manageable, but at night there was little lamp oil. It was pitch-black, and he still had to run around making repairs. It was truly troublesome.
“This is too much trouble,” Mu Linghui said.
Though she knew he was kindly offering his help, she also knew that the family currently had nothing with which to repay him. She could not help worrying that he might have his eyes on Song Fengsui.
“I already discussed this with Xiao Song beforehand. The reason I have earned the Inspector’s regard is entirely thanks to him. Helping repair your house is nothing, so there’s no need for you to feel burdened, Madam Mu.”
Mu Linghui could not help glancing at Song Fengsui.
Song Fengsui nodded. “Mother, let’s hurry and repair the house together.”
Thus, Mu Linghui said no more. She returned to the house and tidied up the interior. Only then did Duan Yan set up a ladder and climb onto the roof.
Before even an hour had passed, Song Wushen and Song Xuemu also returned from the mountains with several bundles of firewood. Earlier, Duan Yan had brought the Song family several useful knives and hoes, making it much more convenient for them to go into the mountains to gather wood.
When the two saw Duan Yan at their home, wearing a straw hat and working energetically on the roof, they did not stand on ceremony. After hurriedly wiping away their sweat, they immediately joined in.
Although Song Wushen had once been an official, he was extremely capable with his hands. He was just as skilled as Duan Yan at such repair work, and after they had the thatching grass for the roof, his movements were no less nimble than those of an experienced builder.
Song Xuemu, on the other hand, had never done this sort of work before and nearly suffered heatstroke while on the roof.
The other two urged him to climb down, so he switched to passing them thatching grass and tree bark.
Partway through, Old Master Song also woke from his sleep. He called Song Fengsui over and asked whether a guest had come to the house, saying that he seemed to have heard an unfamiliar voice.
“Grandfather has excellent hearing. It’s the inspector who handles matters in the village. He came to help us repair the roof. Father and Second Uncle are working with him,” Song Fengsui coaxed. “It looks as though Grandfather is about to recover. You could even hear an unfamiliar voice in your sleep. Would you like to meet our guest later?”
There was little light in Old Master Song’s eyes. Although the epidemic had improved and his eyes were no longer as cloudy as they had been during his illness, the blow he had suffered this time had been severe. His eyes always seemed to be veiled by a layer of gray mist.
He said softly, “A sick man is unfit to receive guests. It would be discourteous. Sui Sui, thank the inspector on my behalf.”
Seeing that his grandfather still lacked spirit and could not rouse himself, Song Fengsui lowered his eyes slightly.
“Mm. Get some good rest, Grandfather.”
After helping him lie down, he went back outside.
Duan Yan had just climbed down from the roof. His entire face and neck looked as though someone had poured water over them. He wiped the sweat from his neck with a handkerchief, and when he saw that Song Fengsui did not look well, he asked, “What’s wrong? Has Old Master Song still not recovered? Should I go in and take a look?”
Song Fengsui gently shook his head. “His heart has been damaged, and medicine can do little for it. His illness is of the heart. He doesn’t want to see any guests.”
“Old Master Song likely spent his whole life weathering the ups and downs of court politics. Perhaps he has no regrets about where he has ended up, but seeing his children and grandchildren implicated and forced to suffer would inevitably leave him burdened by guilt,” Duan Yan consoled him. “Once some time has passed and life gradually settles down, he may well get better.”
Song Fengsui felt that, after all, they were family and there was no need to speak of anyone being implicated or not. Still, he felt that what his grandfather was thinking was probably much as Duan Yan had said.
The only thing they could do was let life settle down again. Only then might his grandfather be able to let go.
“Is the roof repaired?”
“More or less,” Duan Yan said. “Your Second Uncle is truly impressive. Once he got the hang of laying the thatch, his work was no worse than that of a veteran builder.”
“The courtyard probably won’t be finished today, though. I should be leaving in another hour or so. But I noticed that the fence you put up earlier is quite sturdy. The materials are simply poor. It can keep people out, but it won’t do much against wild beasts.”
“Second Uncle used to oversee the construction of palaces, buildings, and city defenses in the capital. He received no shortage of commendations. He enjoys this kind of work, so of course he’s quick at it.”
Song Fengsui said, “You still have official business to attend to, so go take care of it. This can wait. Since you’ve brought us the wood and the tools, Second Uncle can figure things out and work on it slowly.”
As he spoke, he looked into Duan Yan’s eyes and said gently, “The fact that you were able to come today is already more than enough. Thank you.”
Duan Yan stopped wiping away his sweat. “Have you been infected by your family’s habit of being so polite? Why are you thanking me too?”
“If you’re short of anything, just ask. I’m sure there are things I’ve overlooked, and I may not always be able to send them over at exactly the right time.”
If they insisted on being so polite and refused to ask, it was difficult for him to find a suitable excuse to come over.
Especially since he had checked Song Fengsui’s pulse earlier and found that he was recovering very well. He would probably need only two more acupuncture treatments before he could stop, after which he would simply have to take medicine for a while.
Once his illness was completely cured, then…
Duan Yan sighed inwardly. In this era, men and ger were subject to far too many proprieties and rules. They had to be mindful of too much.
Perhaps the events of the past few days had made him realize even more deeply that without a relationship between their parents’ generation, or some sudden emergency, it was truly difficult for two young people to maintain even a perfectly proper association on their own.
Modern times were better after all. Judging by how he and Song Fengsui had gotten along during this period, they should have added each other on WeChat by now. Although he had never been one to fuss much with his phone in the modern world, if he wanted to contact Song Fengsui, simply keeping his phone on him would have made meeting and communicating with him far easier than having to search for proper reasons to do so.
Hearing this, Song Fengsui chuckled. Then he asked slowly, “What are you to me? How can I come to you whenever I run into trouble, or ask you for whatever I need?”
Duan Yan answered with a perfectly straight face, “I’m your patient, of course. You never accepted payment from me. Isn’t it only right that I give you a few other things in exchange for the medical fees?”
Song Fengsui raised his brows slightly. “Then my consultation fees are rather expensive.”
“Famous physicians are like that~”
Duan Yan felt that he was talking nonsense, but those words did come from the heart.
Feeling a little awkward, he changed the subject. “And one more thing—if anyone comes to harass you again, and it’s something you can’t conveniently discuss with your family, you must tell me.
“These local ruffians have no sense of propriety. They won’t learn their lesson until they’re hurt, and your father and Second Uncle may not be easy for them to deal with.
“Trouble caused by ruffians is best handled by another ruffian.”
Song Fengsui laughed. “Are you one of them? You’re just claiming the title without reason.”
Having said that, he avoided Duan Yan’s eyes. “In any case, I promise you.”
