Chapter 235 – The Actual Procurement Slips

Doctor An thanked him not only for making the trip to Huimin Hall, but more so for the effort he had made to personally purchase the herbs.

He opened the bundle and saw a letter resting on top.

The ink was layered—some old, some fresh. The earlier lines were filled with everyday chatter, asking after his well-being and urging him to take care of his health. But toward the end, a few hurried lines had been added, speaking of the situation in Gufeng.

His family had practiced medicine for three generations. After his grandfather passed away in old age, the most skilled of his father’s generation was Third Uncle. At the onset of the epidemic, he had been conscripted by the prefectural office and sent to Gufeng. The earlier part of the letter bore the tone of his father; the added lines were clearly written by Second Aunt.

Both his father and Third Uncle had gone to Gufeng.

Reading that, Doctor An’s brows furrowed deeply.

His father, while of average talent, had worked hard to inherit the family craft. But Second Uncle had taken the path of a scholar. Though he’d grown up immersed in medical talk and knew more than the average person, when it came to an epidemic this fierce, he would be utterly powerless.

Second Aunt had explained why they’d gone—things in Gufeng were dire, and the epidemic showed no signs of abating…

“Second Brother Yan, did anything seem off to you in Yongning City?” Doctor An asked.

Yan Lao’er blinked. Off? What off?

“I did visit a few pharmacies in the city. I noticed the price of medicines for treating the epidemic had gone up, and that drove the prices of other herbs higher too,” he replied truthfully.

Doctor An sighed and asked again, “Did you hear any rumors in the city about Gufeng?”

It was a shot in the dark—he didn’t really expect Yan Lao’er to have paid attention to that sort of thing.

But to his surprise, Yan Lao’er actually had.

“Oh, I heard plenty. All kinds of stuff.” Yan Lao’er mimicked several versions of the rumors he’d picked up, then gave his own conclusion: “Honestly, sounds like gossip that got all twisted—can’t be trusted.”

Doctor An stood in silence.

He lowered his eyes.

Maybe the truth was hidden within those hard-to-believe rumors.

If the epidemic couldn’t be controlled, someone—somewhere—would suggest relocating the infected to some barren, isolated place.

Leave them to live or die on their own.

And afterward—

Burn everything to the ground.

It was the cruelest method. And the most helpless one.

He clenched the letter tightly, cradled the bundle in his arms, and left without another word.

Yan Lao’er: …

What was that all about?

“Doctor An, you done checking the herbs? Everything good?” he called after him, craning his neck.

Doctor An paused, turned back, and gave a firm nod. “They can go into storage,” he said in a low voice.

Then he turned and walked away without another glance.

When Yan Huaiwen returned, Yan Lao’er immediately started grumbling. “Brother, don’t you think Doctor An’s acting strange? Like he’s exhausted from too many house calls or something. He started asking me about the rumors in Yongning City, about Gufeng. I told him what I heard, and he just turned around and walked off looking like he’d swallowed a bitter melon.”

Yan Huaiwen asked, “And what exactly did you say?”

So Yan Lao’er repeated it all.

Huaiwen frowned, a creeping sense of dread settling in his chest.

“Oh right, Brother—here’s my procurement slip.” Yan Lao’er slapped his forehead, having nearly forgotten something so important. He pulled the slips from his chest pocket and handed them over.

Huaiwen gave them a cursory glance and raised an eyebrow.

With hopeful eyes, Yan Lao’er asked, “Brother, for this trip Qi Si and I made on official duty, how much silver do we get?”

Yan Huaiwen rubbed his temples.

Trips like this, where there was room for a little margin, usually had lower officials clamoring to go. Some would even grease palms for the opportunity. No one actually expected to be paid official wages—they weren’t doing hard labor, after all.

He’d left blank space on the documentation, planning to copy in the city prices one by one. That wouldn’t be a problem. But…

If he did that, what would that say about Tian You?

Tian You loved money, yes—but he had his principles.

If he, the elder brother, muddled up the difference between purchasing costs and travel stipends, wouldn’t that be an insult to Tian You’s genuine sense of duty?

Absolutely not!

With that in mind, Yan Huaiwen took the slips and walked off.

Yan Lao’er, meanwhile, stood there waiting, eyes full of hope, running numbers in his head. How much margin could there be? Would he get a whole tael to himself? The trip had been long and exhausting—he and Qi Si had gone through a lot. He’d be satisfied with a single tael. Really.

But if it turned out to be less… it had better not be under five qian. Anything less would be such a loss—he’d have been better off just staying home making charcoal.

Still—no, that’s not the right mindset. This trip was for the greater good. Whether it was going into the mountains to forage or traveling far to buy herbs, they hadn’t done it for the silver. Even if they didn’t get anything, it was fine.

Yes, yes. Can’t think like that. This was a good deed.

Crouching Tiger County had it rough—resettling disaster victims, providing food and seeds—and now they were dealing with an epidemic on top of it.

Sigh. If he’d known, they wouldn’t have stopped at so many post stations along the way. Wasted so much silver.

Alright. Next time he went out, he’d bring more dry rations and take care of everything himself. Avoid post stations unless absolutely necessary…

With that thought, Yan Lao’er, though heartbroken over the expenses, still declared righteously to Qi Si, “Qi Si, let’s just recover the base cost this time. If we don’t get any stipend, so be it. I’ll cover all the travel expenses—just count it as us doing a good deed.”

Qi Si, honest as ever, said, “Yan Lao’er, how can that all fall on you? I ate and drank too. We’ll split it.”

Yan Lao’er nodded solemnly. “Alright, we’ll split it.”

Then Qi Si frowned. “Wait, that’s not right. I ate more—you should get more back.”

“We’re brothers! No need to split hairs like that. Settled.” Yan Lao’er waved him off, completely unconcerned.

…

Magistrate Tian received the three thin sheets of procurement slips and was surprised.

Not because he hadn’t seen them before—he’d seen plenty. Any government purchase typically came with one of these records.

What was rare was what had happened yesterday: directly purchasing herbs from Little An Village through Registrar Yan. That was an exception.

What surprised him now was that all three slips were real.

Not just clerical records for official filing, but actual procurement documents.

Registrar Yan’s younger brother…

Magistrate Tian recalled that smiling, somewhat slick-tongued Yan Huaian—and found himself looking at him in a whole new light.

There was a trace of admiration in his gaze. “Registrar Yan, your younger brother is a man of rare character.”

Yan Huaiwen replied, “Huai’an is still inexperienced in the ways of the world. There are many things he does not yet handle properly.”

Magistrate Tian shook his head with a smile.

“You’re far too modest, Registrar Yan. No doubt it stems from your family’s upbringing. Both you and your brother possess admirable integrity. That the two of you have taken up residence in this county is truly Crouching Tiger’s good fortune.”

“You flatter us, my lord.”

“No need for such courtesy, Registrar Yan. I have high hopes for your future. If you advance further in the ranks, your brother may serve in your place as Household Registrar.”

With a grand wave of his hand, Magistrate Tian filled in the blank lines on Yan Huaiwen’s document with the market prices for each of the medicinal herbs.

Every figure came fluently, without hesitation—clearly all committed to memory.

“Registrar Yan, tally up the total.”

Yan Huaiwen received the paper with both hands and acknowledged the order with a respectful “Yes.”

Magistrate Tian added a final instruction: “Ah yes, I recall your younger brother once delivered a batch of face masks. We’ll count that as part of official procurement as well—set the price at two wen per mask.”

“Have them sent over shortly. Once the seal is affixed, we’ll settle the silver with your brother.”

Yan Huaiwen had reviewed countless ledgers in his time. A brief glance was all it took to get a general total.

Two wen per mask—Magistrate Tian was quite openly giving them a subsidy.

(End of Chapter)