Chapter 215: Wild Duck Eggs

Yan Lao’er was running short on silver.

Every coin he had brought with him had been spent on medicine.

The result? He completed the procurement task at more than double the expected quota.

His purse was nearly empty.

It wasn’t that he felt awkward asking Qi Si for help.

He just wanted to save Qi Si’s silver for emergencies. Until they made it back to the village, there was no telling what might happen on the road.

They needed to keep some silver, just in case.

Besides, his stinginess was acting up again.

This trip had cost too much, especially the last batch of medicine—which was priced higher than expected. It made Yan Lao’er’s heart ache.

To prevent his condition from worsening any further, he had only one thought now: no more spending.

…

“My lord, we’ve scoured all of Gufeng. Every licentiate and student from Leshan Prefecture has been recorded. They’re all accounted for. Could it be that the ones we’re looking for went straight back to the camp without using those identities to hide their trail?”

The man with his mouth and nose covered sat atop his horse, gazing out over the city of Gufeng.

At this moment, both the inner and outer city were in utter chaos. People were being dragged away and buried every day. The plague spread quickly, and the number of infected climbed by the hour.

Yongning had mobilized a large supply of medicine and physicians, barely managing to contain the outbreak beyond the city walls.

Within the city, people were gripped by panic. Families sealed their doors. If inspectors discovered a concealed illness, the entire household—and even neighbors—would be dragged out. The worst fate was being sent outside the city.

Now, the outskirts had become a place the townsfolk spoke of with fear and dread.

Their group had infiltrated Gufeng early on, but had been cautious, holding off on any major moves.

Ironically, the outbreak had created an opening. With silver paving the way, they bribed a city scribe and obtained a copied list of new registrations. In the days that followed, they quietly investigated each one, but found nothing suspicious.

According to their lord’s theory, if these people were hiding their identities, they would have registered in Gufeng as disaster refugees, then looked for a way to slip away later.

But the registration records showed nothing out of place.

This raised the troubling possibility that their lord… had guessed wrong.

The men were growing increasingly frustrated. They had been careful, and so far none had fallen ill, but no one knew how long their luck would last. The best move was to leave this place as soon as possible.

But their lord refused to give up.

“If Gufeng turns up nothing, this trail goes cold.” The eyes visible above the veil were filled with a dark, brooding malice.

He was convinced that the refugee status held clues. Investigating this angle was bound to yield some thread to follow.

Unfortunately, while the outbreak gave them an excuse to check the records, it also barred them from entering Guanzhou proper. They could go no deeper.

No one dared speak out.

They could all sense their lord was in a foul mood.

“Didn’t that scribe say other cities took in some of the refugees? Tell him to find out if any of them match the people we’re after.”

He paused, then added, “Also, have him keep an ear to the ground—see if any news of the Leshan Prefecture bandits has made its way out of the army camp. No matter how trivial, report everything.”

Such a major feat as wiping out a bandit group was bound to bring rewards. Even if nothing was said publicly, rumors would spread eventually.

Anything done leaves a trace.

He didn’t believe those people could have covered their tracks so perfectly.

“Yes, my lord!”

“Leave a few behind to tie up loose ends. The rest—return to camp with me.”

“Yes, my lord!”

This reply was far more heartfelt than the last.

They couldn’t wait to get out of this cursed place.

…

The scribe they had “persuaded” hurried to report the group’s departure to the city magistrate.

The magistrate’s expression was grim.

Were it not for Gufeng’s current dire state, he would never have allowed the people from Xizhou to come and go freely within Guanzhou’s borders.

Time is not on our side!

He silently chanted the words like a mantra.

“Keep investigating,” he ordered. “If you do find them, report to me first.”

For a thousand-man commander from Xizhou to lead a team here personally—

His instincts told him this wasn’t just about killing bandits.

If it were that simple, why all this?

He was certain that among the refugees in Gufeng and the surrounding cities, there was no trace of the ones Xizhou was seeking.

With a wave of his hand, he dismissed the scribe.

…

The wild ducks in the reed marsh weren’t easy to catch. They could fly—and pretty high at that. They swam fast, paddling across the water with great speed.

The children tried and failed, again and again, but refused to give up.

They were locked in a stubborn battle of wills with the wild ducks.

Still, it wasn’t a complete loss—they’d managed to collect quite a few wild duck eggs from the reeds.

Inspired by the idea that hens could hatch eggs, they figured they might try the same with the duck eggs. If ducklings really hatched, they’d clip their wings, tie their feet with string, and then see how far they could run!

When they’d left their old homes, some families had brought chickens along. But none had been as lucky as the Yan Family’s hens, which had survived the eggless period and resumed laying at just the right time—saving their own necks.

All the other chickens in the village, sooner or later, ended up in someone’s stew pot—sacrificed to feed their owners.

Right now, the Yan Family’s hens were the last four left in the village.

The children pinned all their hatching hopes on those hens.

Two of the Yan Family’s hens were indeed brooding. No one knew how Granny Rong had managed it, but they were obediently nesting.

When Granny Rong received the eggs the children had gathered, she was delighted. After talking it over with the mistress of the house, she carefully selected some of the duck eggs to keep and returned the rest, which showed no signs of life.

Yan Yu was craving salted duck eggs.

So she struck a deal with the other kids—she’d trade some of her family’s work points for a few of the eggs.

It’s worth noting that the Yan Family’s work points could only be exchanged for goods. Only the physician Cui’s family had work points that converted to actual silver.

The children were more than happy with the trade.

There were plenty of wild duck eggs, anyway—they could always go collect more.

Yan Yu cheerfully carried the basket of eggs back home.

Granny Rong dug out a large earthen jar from the storeroom and immediately turned to her. “Salt,” she said.

Yan Yu’s mouth fell open in surprise. She froze for a moment, then hurried over to check the salt jar.

There was still a bit left, but not enough to pickle a whole batch of duck eggs.

Come to think of it, though they’d bought quite a bit of salt along the way, they’d used just as much.

To make their meat last longer, they hadn’t hesitated to salt it heavily.

And now the problem arose—should they go out and buy more salt?

Yan Yu thought: Of course they should!

Not just salt. There were all sorts of things the village needed. Right now, every household was making do with what little they had.

She hadn’t thought much of it before, but now that she did, the list of things she wanted seemed endless.

If someone was going out to buy, it’d be best to pick up supplies for everyone.

But of course, before any shopping could happen, they had to solve the matter of silver.

She’d figured it out—without a proper reason to spend, no one was willing to touch their coins. The silver handed out earlier was as good as dead.

Fortunately, the weather had been fine the past few days. Her uncle said a portion of the herbs had already dried and could be packed up for transport anytime.

(End of Chapter)