Chapter 219: We’ve Come to Deliver Medicine!

This time, to deliver medicine to Crouching Tiger, Village Chief Luo chose his sons Luo Da, Hu Da, and Qi Da to accompany Yan Xiangheng.

Luo Da had a steady nature; the Qi family was close with the Yan family, and Qi Da was strong and full of energy. Hu Da wasn’t just a skilled archer—his eyes were sharp, too.

The four of them set off with two mule carts, loaded with eight sacks of light medicinal herbs.

Yan Yu glanced around. As the group was just about to depart, she dashed over to her eldest sister, lowered her voice, and asked, “Eldest Sister, you want to go, don’t you?”

Daya hesitated, then gave a small nod.

“Then what are we waiting for? Let’s jump on the cart now! We’ll definitely be able to go with them to Crouching Tiger.”

Daya wavered. Village Chief Luo hadn’t arranged for them to go, and doing this… wasn’t it a little improper?

A bit… unladylike.

“Aren’t you worried about Uncle? Big Brother’s watching over him, sure, but it’s not the same. Seeing with your own eyes—that’s the only way to feel at ease. Eldest Sister, trust me. If I say go, let’s go! Don’t worry, no one’s going to kick us off the cart!” Yan Yu said with full confidence.

The longing for her father outweighed her sense of propriety. Daya pressed her lips together and murmured, “Alright.”

“No time like the present—charge!” Yan Yu took the lead.

Seizing the moment when Yan Xiangheng was bidding farewell to the village elders, she bolted like a little cannonball, grabbed the edge of the cart with both hands, sprang up with agile legs, and landed squarely on the cart’s frame. She stood there proudly, grinning at her wide-eyed big brother.

The whole movement was smooth as flowing water—quick and clean.

Daya walked briskly to catch up, her cheeks flushed a deep pink. She climbed on quietly, carefully settled herself down, lowered her head, and sat stiffly, not daring to move.

“Aunt Rong, I forgot my little basket! Can you grab it for me?” Yan Yu called out.

Granny Rong turned around, picked up the basket Yan Yu had “forgotten” and handed it over.

From inside came a soft meow.

Yan Yu patted the basket to calm the cat inside.

It looked light in Granny Rong’s hands, but the basket was packed to the brim—with a cat stuffed inside to boot.

Yan Yu scooted to the side to make room for Big Brother.

She had calculated everything. Two people and a few bags of medicine on the mule cart—more than manageable. Even with her and Eldest Sister added in, it could still run fine. At most, they’d shift a couple bags to the other cart.

Sure enough, none of the others said anything about the sudden appearance of the two sisters.

Li Xuemei smiled and shook her head—her daughter had gotten lucky, riding along thanks to Daya.

If it had been her alone, she doubted Heng’er would’ve let her on.

The mule cart moved at a leisurely pace, gently rocking along the way.

Yan Yu grinned, pulled out some dried apricot slices from the basket, and popped one into Daya’s mouth, took one for herself, then held the rest out to Big Brother.

Yan Xiangheng had been scowling the whole time, but couldn’t hold out. With a sigh, he said, “Why are you two following along? There’s still illness in Crouching Tiger. We’re delivering medicine—we have to be extra careful.”

“We know, we know,” Yan Yu said sweetly, nudging the golden, sun-dried apricots closer to him. “Big Brother, just try one—they’re even sweeter than fresh ones.”

Unable to resist his little sister’s sugary tactics, Yan Xiangheng took one and popped it into his mouth. His expression softened.

Yan Yu slipped a few into Uncle Hu Da’s hands, then tossed the rest of the half-pack to the other cart, calling out, “Uncle Qi, Uncle Luo—try these! We dried these apricots at home—super sweet!”

Qi Da grinned and grabbed a couple with his big hands. Sure enough, the taste was excellent. He even handed one to Luo Da, who hesitated to reach out.

Luo Da tasted it—the sweetness spread through his chest like warmth straight to the heart.

Hu Da asked, “Xiao Er, these apricots are really something. Could your aunt teach my wife how to make them? It’d be nice to have a sweet snack now and then.”

“They’re not hard to make. Once my dad’s back, he’ll buy some more from that estate with the fruit trees. My Aunt Hu just needs to see it once—she’ll get it.”

Yan Yu added, “The main thing is, the apricots themselves are sweet.”

Luo Da chimed in, “The apricots around here are a bit bigger than the ones in Qishan. You planted the pits from yours—do you think they’ll grow?”

“They will!” Yan Yu said confidently.

With Granny Rong around, how could they not? The pits hadn’t sprouted yet, but Granny Rong had already checked—those seeds were strong and full of life.

“We planted so many, some are bound to sprout. Sure, it’s slower than planting saplings, but it saves money—hehe! My dad says if there’s nothing else to do, just buy some fruit, eat the flesh, plant the pit—two birds with one stone, super cost-effective.”

Luo Da and Hu Da both thought to themselves: Can’t deny it—Yan Lao’er really knows how to stretch a coin.

It made a lot of sense—delicious and practical. They ought to buy some, too. Just a basket would do. Sweet for the family, and seeds for planting.

They chatted on, turning the topic to the Yan family’s house.

“The beams are up, and the tiles are on—your house should be almost done, right?” Luo Da asked.

Yan Yu shook her head. “Still lots to do. The pigsty’s just been plastered, and we still need to do the flooring and courtyard walls. Master Lu says those heated walls have to be tested—if anything’s off, they’ll need fixing.”

The Yan family had quite a few requirements. With heated walls, they also wanted a kang—and not just any kang, but a big one. Brick tiles on the floor inside, the courtyard leveled with mortar, and ideally, even the walls smooth as glass—so slick that even a thief wouldn’t be able to get a foothold.

Master Lu had initially agreed only to build the house, but now he was handling every task, big and small.

Partly because the whole village had lined up for his crew to build their stoves and kangs—once they finished the Yan family’s, they could spend the New Year in peace. But more than that, it was because the Yan family was generous and kind. The meals were thoughtful, with meat on the table every day. Master Lu and his men had grown rosy-cheeked from the hearty fare.

With the two main men of the Yan family away, Master Lu felt he couldn’t just leave them hanging. He never brought up money. Whenever Yan Xiangheng or Yan Yu came looking for him, he did his best to solve any problem.

The village had all its accounts recorded under the Yan Family’s name. Every day, Yan Xiangheng would go over them line by line with Master Lu, which earned the old craftsman’s particular satisfaction.

At first, Master Lu had tried to keep his own records, but eventually gave up—there was no need. He could just refer to the Yan Family’s books.

“According to our village custom, when someone builds a new house, they must host a ‘warming feast.’ All our houses are going up around the same time. Has Village Chief Luo said anything about how this is going to work?” Hu Da asked Luo Da.

Luo Da replied, “My father’s been fretting about it. The dates have to be chosen carefully, and then we’ll need to line up the order—who goes first, who follows… It’s going to take a while. Could stretch right into the New Year.”

Yan Yu: …

That extreme?

But thinking about it, it made sense.

Even without skipping any days, going household to household with back-to-back feasts would still take a few months.

“Right now there aren’t many people around in the daytime. Uncle Luo, why don’t you speak to Grandfather Village Chief? Instead of each family throwing their own banquet, we could host a joint one. It’d save time and conserve food,” Yan Yu suggested.

Yan Xiangheng nodded. “It’s not a bad idea. If we go by the old ways, it’ll cost each household quite a bit.”

It wasn’t just about grain. A warming feast had to include meat. The dishes couldn’t be too plain either. Whether it was a mud-brick house or something fancier, the first meal in a new home symbolized prosperity and a bright future.

The more people who came, the livelier it was. The better the food, the more praise the host would earn. And that praise meant face.

In the village, hosting a feast was no small affair. Whether a family was doing well or barely scraping by—it all showed in the banquet.

What Yan Xiangheng said about the expenses was true.

The hosts had to provide meat and vegetables, and guests couldn’t come empty-handed. They’d have to bring gifts, which varied in value depending on how close they were to the family. There were levels to these things.

All in all, it was elaborate. And exhausting.

As one of the most prominent families in the village, the Yan Family couldn’t give lightly if they were attending someone else’s feast. And in turn, no one would dare be stingy when the Yan Family came to theirs. Balancing this give-and-take of gifts and etiquette made Yan Yu’s head ache just thinking about it.

Luo Da considered it and said, “I think it’s a solid idea. But convincing my father and the other Village Elders won’t be easy.”

The old folks were stubborn when it came to tradition.

They might not be willing to accept such a frugal version of the warming feast.

“I’ll ask Uncle about it later. Heehee!” Yan Yu said casually.

The only one who could get Village Chief Luo to budge was her uncle. No one else stood a chance.

And truthfully, Uncle would agree—he was practical.

Right now the whole village was running at full tilt, spinning like a top.

It really made more sense to gather everyone together, pick one day, celebrate all at once, and take a breather.

…

From afar, Yan Yu’s group pulled on their face masks.

Crouching Tiger City looked much the same.

And yet, something had changed.

More shacks had popped up outside the city. Some were draped with patchwork sheets sewn from old clothes and quilts. They were ugly, but showed a serious effort at enforcing isolation.

The sight made Yan Yu’s eyes brighten at once.

Looking closer, many of the refugees were wearing masks as they bustled about.

Some were helping stir and serve porridge, others were brewing medicine. Some balanced shoulder poles with buckets of water—who knew where they’d fetched it from?

A few women scrubbed laundry with grunts of effort. Ropes were strung between nearby trees, heavy with drying clothes.

There was a lot hanging up—not just clothes and blankets, but mats of every size. Some were frayed from wear, others from washing, flapping like wild things on the lines. The wind kicked up now and then, blowing bits of straw loose.

Doctors with medicine chests had proper places to sit. Refugees queued up, answering questions. The doctor would observe their expressions, scribble out a prescription, and wave them off.

One person left, and the next came forward holding their stomach, muttering something. The doctor pointed to the side and had them wait separately.

After seeing the whole line, the doctor took that lone person into a shack.

He emerged not long after—but the patient didn’t. Likely he was being held for observation.

Yan Yu’s heart was pounding with excitement: “Triage! They’re actually doing triage now!”

Dear heavens!

She and her father had only hinted at it. Could Doctor An really have taken it all in so quickly? Already set it all up?

Exactly like this, exactly!

With measures like these, how could the plague not be driven out?

Then she caught sight of a familiar figure.

It was Old Yan!

“Uncle! Uncle! We’re here! We brought the medicine!” Yan Yu called out loudly.

A child’s sharp voice cut through the air, drawing everyone’s attention.

Especially at the mention of medicine—it stirred every heart.

Yan Huaiwen had just been told by a city guard that two mule carts were approaching in the distance, likely bringing his family’s Xiao Er!

Yan Yu had long since stood up, craning her neck and tiptoeing for a better look—completely conspicuous.

Upon hearing it, Yan Huaiwen hurried over.

He was ready to scold her—why was she here again?

Again and again—did she think Crouching Tiger City was some sort of playground?

While everyone else avoided it like the plague, she kept running straight toward it.

But the moment he laid eyes on her, hearing that joyful shout from his niece, Yan Huaiwen faltered. A helpless smile tugged at his lips.

“Father, we’re here with the medicine. These eight sacks are ready. Could you… have someone check them?” Yan Xiangheng said.

He couldn’t take his eyes off his father. No matter how long he looked, it never felt like enough.

It had only been a few days, but his father had grown visibly thinner.

Still, he knew what mattered most—he needed to get the task handled first.

Yan Yu didn’t care about any of that. The medicine had arrived—who cared about inspection? What mattered now was payment!

Where was the senior official? Where was he?

Seeing how the mood among the refugees outside Crouching Tiger City had lifted, now was the time to strike while the iron was hot. It was time for everyone to take their medicine.

Hope was the spark that made medicine work.

Yan Huaiwen called Liang Manshan over. “Manshan, go ahead and tally things up. I’m going to fetch the doctor.”

Liang Manshan understood—this was just a pretense to leave him behind, to give him a chance to ask about home.

The gesture touched him deeply. His eyes misted over.

Yan Yu, quick-witted as ever, was already chatting with Uncle Liang while her big brother and eldest sister were still trailing after her uncle.

“Uncle Liang, you’ve gotten so thin—have you not been eating well? Fengnian sent food for you. You have to take care of yourself. And when you get back, check his schoolwork, will you? He says he’s memorized everything already. I don’t believe him. There’s so much of it—how could he possibly learn it all that fast? He must be lying to me, haha!”

She said it on purpose, teasing, trying to lighten Uncle Liang’s mood before he really started crying.

Sigh.

Her father had been right—Uncle Liang was a man of deep feeling.

But these tear ducts were far too shallow.

“Xiao Er, how is everyone at home? Is my father well? How’s my wife? And Fengnian… did he really finish all his work?”

Why did she suddenly switch to a question when it got to Fengnian? It was supposed to be a smooth, layered build-up—three parts, with the emotion deepening each time. But this twist threw it all off; the sentiment broke clean in half.

“Grandpa Liang comes out all the time now to weave baskets with Grandpa Luo. His hands are so quick! He weaves fast and well. Look—this little back basket I’m wearing is his work! Isn’t it tightly woven and sturdy? I love it!”

Yan Yu’s mouth ran a mile a minute: “My aunt joins the village women every day to dig herbs in the mountains. Don’t worry—they don’t go deep, just around the lower slopes.

And Brother Fengnian, he’s carrying a big responsibility now. There aren’t many people in the village who can read and count, so every day he goes to Physician Cui’s house to record all the herbs everyone brings back from the mountain. I brought the notebook with me—wait, let me find it.”

Yan Yu rummaged through her basket and pulled out Liang Fengnian’s work points ledger.

Liang Manshan reached out with trembling hands to take it.

(End of chapter)