Duan Yan went to the kitchen and called for Madam Li to go buy some fresh vegetables and meat, and judging by Song Fengsui's frame, asked her to also make a trip to the clothing shop to get two sets of clothes fit for a young gentleman.
Madam Li took the orders and left, and Duan Yan then called Gou San'er over.
"I'm planning to head to Liucun village for a while. Don't rush off to other business—stay here and keep an eye on the house."
Given Song Fengsui's current physical condition, Duan Yan wasn't entirely comfortable leaving him in the hands of the two newly hired servants.
Gou San'er was sharp, and Duan Yan knew the lad was eager to earn his favor and secure his footing, so he would handle things reliably—for now, he was actually more dependable than Chen Hu and the others.
"Is Big Brother going to inquire about the Song family's situation?"
Duan Yan acknowledged with a grunt: "Young Brother Song was brought out of there; if not for the village being sealed off, the Song family would have already found their way to track him down. Right now, neither side can get word of the other, and both are anxious."
"That's true. It's understandable that Big Brother thinks highly of Young Master Song and wants to personally make the trip. But if you ask me, going to the countryside is something I'd rather do in your stead."
Gou San'er said, "Young Master Song is unwell and needs someone to look after him. An Ge'er and Madam Lin are new here and aren't familiar with him, and I'm not familiar with him either. He's recovering here right now and isn't feeling settled. If you're not around, he'll only worry more."
"Besides, you haven't set foot in the shop for most of the day. Brother Chen Hu and the others will probably come looking for you. If you've already left for the village and can't come back in time, a few rough fellows will be roaming the house—men who used to act however they pleased under your roof, with no sense of restraint. They might end up disturbing Young Master Song's rest."
Gou San'er didn't spell it out entirely, but based on how he knew the others behaved, Duan Yan could roughly grasp what he meant.
Song Fengsui had originally been drugged, bound, and delivered by Chen Hu. If Chen Hu showed up, Gou San'er's standing wouldn't be enough to hold him back, and there was every chance he'd harass Song Fengsui again.
It had taken Duan Yan considerable effort to calm the young man down; if Chen Hu and the others provoked him again, who knew what kind of trouble might flare up.
Duan Yan thought for a moment, then glanced at Gou San'er again.
"Set your mind at ease, Big Brother. I know the situation in the village. Those men guarding Liucun are stuck with a thankless task—they'll be more than happy to accept a small favor or two. Even if they won't let me in, helping me pass things along shouldn't be hard."
Gou San'er saw the look on Duan Yan's face, knew he'd convinced him, and added, "I'll make sure this is handled carefully and properly."
Just as Duan Yan had figured, Gou San'er was eager to use this time to complete a few reliable tasks for Duan Yan, to prove his competence. Once he'd secured his position, he wouldn't need to be as wary of Chen Hu and the others at the top.
And besides, he genuinely worried that if Duan Yan went down to the village, Chen Hu and his lot would come stirring up trouble over here. If he couldn't hold them back and failed to watch over Song Fengsui, Duan Yan would come back furious—that would truly be losing on both ends.
Better then, to go handle things in the village instead.
Duan Yan said, "Fine. Then I'll have you make the trip for me."
"Just remember—even if the guards at the village let you in, don't rush into the village itself and take risks. No one outside knows what the epidemic is actually like inside. A plague is no laughing matter."
Medical conditions in ancient times were poor, especially in a remote place like Yandi. If one truly caught the disease, there was no telling if they'd survive.
Gou San'er felt a warmth in his chest at those words: "I'm sturdy as it is—minor ailments don't touch me easily. And if I do go in, I'll take preventive medicine beforehand and cover my mouth and nose well."
Duan Yan shook his head, forbidding him from entering the village: "If you go inside, then this task isn't yours to handle anymore."
Seeing that Duan Yan was firm and wasn't just saying it politely, Gou San'er felt even warmer. He accepted the order: "Right, right. Since Big Brother is looking out for me, I won't give you cause to worry."
Only after the man had agreed did Duan Yan continue:
"Before you go, first buy some rice, flour, oil, and salt on the street. The Song family was exiled here—life in the village has been hard on them, and with the plague now, their household probably doesn't have much food left.
Don't prepare too much, though. At a time like this, bringing too many goods to the village will draw attention, and it'll likely be difficult to get it all past the guards anyway. Just enough to tide them over."
Truth be told, the compound's storehouse had grain stocked away—the original owner had tenant farmers in the countryside. With rice and grains, as a prominent household, they had reserves that ordinary families wouldn't have.
He could have taken some straight from the storehouse to give to the Song family, but since the village was sealed, sending too much food wasn't practical, so there was no need to specifically open the stores. As for fresh meat and the like—the summer heat meant the house couldn't keep such things, and indeed didn't have any on hand, so it had to be bought fresh outside.
And since he was buying anyway, he might as well purchase everything from the market.
Gou San'er smiled. "Big Brother certainly thinks of everything. I'll get to it right away."
After Gou San'er left, Duan Yan returned to the room. Song Fengsui was at the small table on his bed, writing a letter to his family.
He didn't have much strength, and he truly had nothing else he could send back. A letter was the most reliable—his family would recognize his handwriting, and in a small place like Rock Town, there weren't many who could read, let alone imitate his script.
Beyond that, he could explain things in words more thoroughly than sending a single token. It would set his family's minds at ease far better.
Duan Yan looked at the bold, forceful strokes on the page and couldn't help but marvel—truly, a young gentleman from a distinguished household.
He didn't read the contents of the letter. Once the ink dried, he carefully folded it and tucked it away.
"Now get some proper rest. By the time you wake up, you should have news from your family."
Duan Yan cleared the small table off the bed and glanced at Song Fengsui, who was clearly quite unwell: "I've sent Madam Li to buy vegetables and meat. I'll have lunch made extra generous for you. Eat plenty, and you'll recover faster."
Song Fengsui's long brows drew together slightly. That tone, those words—like coaxing a child. He really had noticed that Song Fengsui wasn't eating properly.
He pressed his lips together, averted his gaze, but still gave a soft hum of acknowledgment.
In Duan Yan's eyes, Song Fengsui truly wasn't much different from a child—young, prone to illness, and a picky eater.
As an old, seasoned older brother figure, wasn't it his job to coax someone like that along?
Song Fengsui's eyes flickered slightly, and seizing the moment, he handed Duan Yan another list he'd written out earlier.
"The medicinal herbs I need—I've listed them here."
Duan Yan took it, thinking to himself that this young man truly wouldn't spare himself a single moment of rest.
Still, with someone in his family already infected by the plague, his insistence on not delaying was understandable.
"Alright. I'll go to the pharmacy soon."
Song Fengsui saw that Duan Yan agreed without the slightest hesitation, and felt a quiet wave of relief. He thanked him once more, then finally lay down properly.
An Ge'er went over and carefully helped Song Fengsui settle into bed. With the summer heat, he only draped a thin blanket over him.
Seeing the man finally willing to sleep, Duan Yan said no more and left the room.
As he reached the outer courtyard, he happened to see Madam Li returning, carrying a basket, her face etched with worry.
Duan Yan thought to himself that she must not have been able to find fresh meat and vegetables. He walked over and saw that the pork in the basket, with its streaks of fat and lean, was a fresh, shiny red, the greens were crisp and tender, and a blue carp strung up on a grass rope was still lively and kicking.
Seeing that the meat and vegetables were all in good condition, he couldn't help but ask Madam Li, "What's the matter?"
Madam Li spoke in a low voice, but her expression was exaggerated, her eyes wide as she said to Duan Yan, "It's terrible! Word outside is that a plague has broken out in the countryside—spreads from person to person. Once you catch it, you get a high fever that won't go down, with vomiting and diarrhea. Even medicine can't stop it."
"They say it's hit hard in Liu Village—the whole place has been sealed off. Hardly any farmers have come into town to sell their produce. The price of rice, flour, meat, and vegetables on the street has shot up just on the rumor alone."
"And pork especially—it's gone up five coppers in one go!"
Madam Li lamented, "Meat was already expensive, and now it's gone up again! How can anyone afford to eat?"
Duan Yan listened to Madam Li's words and furrowed his brow slightly. When something happens in a small place, and those up top aren't capable, chaos is the easiest thing to follow.
He comforted Madam Li with a few words, advising her to avoid crowds when going out in the future and to wash her hands often.
After that, Gou San'er also returned and told him the same thing—that the prices of everyday goods were starting to rise outside.
He cursed, "That heartless Qian Lao'er, who controls the meat market in town—at the slightest sign of trouble he raises prices left and right, making his fortune off times of panic. And the other shops selling rice, flour, oil, and supplies just follow Qian Lao'er's lead and do the same."
The Qian Lao'er that Gou San'er mentioned was the pig butcher of Rock Town, and likewise the local bully of the area, holding a near-monopoly over the entire meat trade. He was also a domineering sort who threw his weight around.
When it came to cunning and connections, Butcher Qian was a fair bit stronger than the original owner of this body.
The two of them had come from the same village in the past, but they'd been sworn enemies, unable to stand the sight of each other for years.
"I'm afraid the prices will only go up higher from here. While they're still somewhat reasonable, I went ahead and bought a bit extra to stock up. I've put it in the cellar—it'll keep fresh for a couple of days. After that, I'll go to the tenant farmers in the countryside and get some live animals."
Gou San'er said, "We don't have to fear their price hikes. Rice, flour, meat, vegetables—we'll never be short of something to eat."
Duan Yan knew that even if Rock Town were thrown into chaos now, with the market prices of grain, meat, and oil in disarray, the local powers-that-be like themselves wouldn't go hungry or thirsty. In fact, they'd enjoy their privileges and relish in it. But when lean years came later, and the fields could hardly yield grain, that would be another story altogether.
But now wasn't the time to fret over distant troubles.
He checked the provisions that Gou San'er had prepared, confirmed everything was in order, and then handed him Song Fengsui's letter, telling him to get the matter taken care of quickly. He himself didn't idle around either, heading out to survey the situation in town and to buy medicinal herbs on the side.
Rock Town was only a small town, and it was in a remote location to boot, so the streets weren't all that lively to begin with.
It was nearing noon, and though the sun wasn't strong today, shifting between overcast and gloomy, perhaps because news of the plague in the villages had reached the town, folks were afraid to loiter about the streets. The town looked even drearier than usual.
There were five or six physicians in Rock Town, but only two apothecary shops in all. Duan Yan went straight to the larger of the two. Inside, it was actually busier than the streets outside—several people had come with prescriptions to fill, each covering their nose and mouth, keeping their distance from one another.
When they saw him enter the shop, the few people standing at the front actually stepped aside to the other side, clearing a path for him to go first.
Duan Yan was briefly taken aback. He knew the original owner of this body had a reputation for being overbearing, and everyone in town who recognized him was afraid of him. Though he was indeed in a hurry to get his medicine, he still believed in first come, first served, and politely yielded to those who had arrived before him.
The few people hesitated for a moment, and when they saw that Duan Yan truly intended to wait at the back, they hurriedly grabbed their medicine and left.
Duan Yan didn't have to wait long.
"Forsythia, honeysuckle, milk vetch root, codonopsis… Changpu, wild…"
Normally, it was a physician who handled the counter, but today there were only two apothecary boys busy at the front, not as familiar or nimble as the old physician. Their movements were a bit slower, which was why a long line had formed in the shop.
Just before Duan Yan arrived, the physicians in town had all been summoned by the supervising official. Though it wasn't said why, given the circumstances, it most likely had to do with the plague in the villages.
The sky, clouded over, stirred with a couple of gusts of wind. The dried, curled camphor leaves on the ground scraped against the blue stone slabs with a rasping sound. The whole of Rock Town was shrouded in a gray, muggy heat, as if a storm was brewing.
Given the weather and the condition of the town, it was hard not to feel uneasy and anxious.
"Brother Duan, we don't have any wild Bajiaolian in our shop."
Just as Duan Yan was gazing at the weather outside, one of the apothecary boys said to him timidly.
As if afraid he might lose his temper, the boy quickly added, "We did have some a month ago, but last month a merchant caravan came down from the city and bought up all the wild Bajiaolian we had in one go."
Wild Bajiaolian, also known as ghost's pestle, mainly grows in shady, damp environments like valleys and streams. It can be found in the deep mountains beneath the town. During its flowering season, when it's easy to pick, herb gatherers from the countryside would bring it in from the mountains to sell to the apothecary shops.
Collecting ghost's pestle isn't easy, so it sells at a high price, and it's also somewhat toxic. Physicians in a town like this, whose skills aren't particularly refined, rarely use it in their prescriptions.
So when the merchant caravan came down from the city to buy herbs, the shop sold off all the wild Bajiaolian they had on hand at once.
"Perhaps, Brother Duan, you could try the Ge Family Apothecary on North Street? Maybe they still have some Bajiaolian in their shop."
The apothecary boy suggested it to Duan Yan to give him an option, but in truth, he knew full well that the Ge family's shop probably didn't have any either. Their shop was smaller, dealing mostly in the most common herbs. Even if they'd had a bit before, they'd likely have sold it to the caravan too, given the high prices they offered for rare herbs.
That's just how it was in a small place—whenever there was something even slightly good or uncommon, folks couldn't bear to keep it, so they'd rush to sell it off for money.
The only reason he said that to Duan Yan was out of fear that the man might get angry and cause a scene in the shop. Sending him elsewhere was the best option. At least if he didn't find the herbs there, it wouldn't be this shop that bore the brunt of his temper.
Hearing this, Duan Yan had no choice but to settle the bill and promptly head over to the Ge Family Apothecary in the north of town.
After asking, sure enough, the Ge family shop had also sold all their Bajiaolian to the county merchant caravan. They'd figured that since the herb grew in the deep forests of these remote parts, they could sell it and wait for the herb gatherers to pick more and bring it in later. Who would have thought a plague would suddenly break out, and no herb gatherer had shown up to sell herbs in quite a while.
Though Duan Yan had been somewhat prepared, he still felt a pang of disappointment when he heard that there really wasn't any.
He asked the shopkeeper, "Do you have any other connections? I need this herb urgently."
The Ge family shopkeeper knew of Duan Yan's reach and dared not provoke him. Seeing him ask like this, he said, "There are only two apothecary shops in town. If the Qiao family doesn't have it, then there's truly no way around it."
Although I do have the intention of finding that medicinal herb for Brother Duan, the herb vendors I usually buy from are all out in the countryside trying to make a living. Those who keep their ears closed to the world outside probably don’t yet know what’s happened in the village, but with Brother Duan’s connections, you must already be aware of the current situation in these parts.
“If Brother Duan doesn’t urgently need this herb, it might be quicker to make a trip to the county seat rather than searching around our town for it.”
Duan Yan fell silent for a moment, thanked the shopkeeper, and left with the herbs he had purchased earlier.
