Chapter 201 – Seeking a Diagnosis

Nanny Rong snipped away with her scissors, snip snip, without pause.

Despite not using a ruler, the fabric strips she cut were precise to the millimeter.

But Yan Yu saw this and immediately knew it wouldn’t do.

She stealthily tugged at the nanny’s arm.

Nanny Rong looked down at her.

Yan Yu’s small mouth moved slightly as she muttered near her lips, “They can’t all be the same. Some people have big faces, some have small.”

Nanny Rong understood. From then on, she cut with more variation—some slightly larger, some a bit smaller.

Yan Lao’er was still thinking about the questions his daughter had asked earlier.

Seeing the mask production running smoothly, he pulled Li Xuemei and Yan Yu aside.

Time for another little family meeting of three.

Yan Lao’er confessed, “When I first heard about it, I panicked and rushed back without finding out the details properly.”

Li Xuemei, who had been studying her handwritten medical notes these past few days and had grown particularly sensitive to topics about seeking treatment, asked, “Do you think there’s any real hope of curing the sick in Crouching Tiger City?”

Yan Lao’er gave a bitter smile. “Thinking back on it now, the situation is a mess.

Those sick refugees are living in straw huts outside the city walls—poor conditions aside, there’s no separation between the sick and the healthy. With so many people crammed together, it’s a breeding ground for infection.

Also, I didn’t see a single physician. From what the gate guards said, medicine was being sent out from the city, boiled in bulk, and distributed like porridge.

Sure, the communal meals might smell good, but I have no idea whether that communal medicine is effective at all.”

Li Xuemei frowned. “That won’t work. No matter what the illness is, cross-infection is the biggest taboo.

Among these people, some likely have contagious diseases, while others might simply be sick from weak immune systems. They must be distinguished before appropriate treatments can be given.

And those patients you mentioned with vomiting? They especially need to be isolated. Even their vomit needs to be handled separately to prevent airborne transmission.”

Yan Yu had stayed quiet all this time, but now she finally spoke. “Father, Mother, Crouching Tiger is a border town, not heavily populated. I remember last time we visited the city, there weren’t many pharmacies on the streets. Now the city is sealed—let’s try to imagine: how much medicine is even left inside? And among that, how much can treat an epidemic?

Same goes for doctors. Few pharmacies mean few resident physicians. The stationed army might have military doctors, but I figure they’re better at treating wounds and fractures.”

Yan Lao’er came to a realization. “So the city is both short on doctors and medicine?”

The family fell into a heavy silence.

If old Yan weren’t personally caught up in this, they’d have just kept to their own plot of land.

To not cause trouble for the court—that’s the greatest contribution common folk can make.

But reality didn’t allow them to stay out of it.

“I’ll go to Yongning to bring back a doctor.” Doctors in the nearby towns probably wouldn’t be enough. They had no choice but to head to Yongning.

Yan Yu shook her head. In ancient times, doctors rarely traveled far for house calls. Hiring one from another city meant they’d have to prepare to be charged exorbitantly.

She looked longingly at the nearly dried batch of fragrant soap.

A deep sigh escaped her heart.

The only thing in their home that could be quickly converted to cash—was these.

Li Xuemei also turned her head to look and said, “Given the situation, we’ll need a large amount of silver on hand to handle whatever might happen. We can’t afford to sell just a little. Let’s bring it all. I’ll go to Yongning with you both. We’ll visit as many shops as possible and try to sell in separate batches.”

It was a desperate move, but the only one they had.

“Mother, you shouldn’t go. The road is bumpy and unsafe.” Yan Yu saw her mother was about to argue and quickly added, “Besides, someone has to stay at home. Big Brother and Big Sister aren’t ready to hold down the fort yet.”

Something this big had happened—someone from the Yan family had to remain in the village.

To keep everyone grounded.

“No time to waste—we leave now,” Yan Lao’er decided immediately.

Yan Yu said no more. Father and daughter quickly packed up the fragrant soaps.

Before they left, Yan Yu dug out the ginseng powder she had previously bought and waved it in front of Maomao.

In a soft voice, she said, “Maomao, this is ginseng powder. Go into the mountains and look around. If you find any, be careful when you dig them up. Don’t damage the ginseng.”

She thought a moment longer. “Just two roots—that’s enough.”

Maomao nodded and disappeared from view in a lithe leap.

On the way, Yan Yu mentioned to her father that she’d asked Maomao to search for ginseng.

“I didn’t tell it to find too much. Just two roots.

Mother says all accounts have to withstand scrutiny—I remember that.”

Yan Lao’er had always trusted Yan Yu. Don’t be fooled by her always laughing and joking—she was sharp when it counted.

“I’m worried it’ll be hard to find a doctor,” he admitted.

Yan Yu wasn’t confident either. Not only were they traveling far, they were heading toward a disease outbreak area. Would any doctor be willing to go?

Sanbao carried them in a swift gallop. The straight path from Big Stone Bridge to Yongning was nearly worn into a road by Sanbao’s hooves.

Dust-covered and weary, the two arrived outside Yongning.

Yan Lao’er tossed the reins and jumped down himself.

Yan Yu, not wanting to attract suspicion, naturally picked up the reins and held them.

She bowed and smiled politely, explaining that someone in the family was ill and they hoped to enter the city to seek a doctor. She quietly slipped over fifteen copper coins, and the father-daughter pair was smoothly allowed through.

The gate guard even kindly pointed them to Doctor An at the Huimin Hall in the northern part of the city, praising his benevolence and skill.

Yan Lao’er thanked him sincerely.

After discussing it, the pair decided to head to Huimin Hall first.

Whether or not the doctor would agree to go to Crouching Tiger was more important than cashing in the soaps.

The north of the city was home to commoners and small households. The livestock market and human trade area were here as well. As soon as they entered the northern district, the stench hit them like a wall.

Yan Lao’er drove the cart forward. One bold man reached out to grab the ox by its head.

But Sanbao nimbly dodged, then butted forward without mercy.

“Good yellow ox, quite the temper.” The man who was nearly hit laughed it off and stepped forward to offer his services. “Brother, need help with anything? Buying livestock? Or people?”

He looked Yan Lao’er and Sanbao up and down.

Silently assessing their financial standing.

As for the boy on the cart, clean clothes and a clean face—clearly not up for sale—so he lost interest and didn’t spare another glance.

“Please make way. Someone at home is gravely ill. We want to ask for a diagnosis at Huimin Hall,” Yan Lao’er said politely.

The man’s expression immediately fell. He shouted to a few others nearby, “They’re headed to Huimin Hall—don’t bother, brothers.”

At his words, a few sharp-eyed men who had been about to approach stopped in their tracks and went back to scanning the crowd. They chatted up both strangers and familiar faces, dashing about the street in constant motion.

“Father, who are those people?” Yan Yu asked in a low voice.

Yan Lao’er replied, “Local street agents. They know people on the inside. They connect clients to buyers and take a fee as middlemen.”

Yan Yu let out a soft “oh” and looked at them with curiosity.

There were quite a few people already at Huimin Hall seeking treatment. They had to wait in line a bit before it was their turn.

Two doctors sat in attendance—one older, one younger.

(End of Chapter)