Denghuaxiao

Chapter 227 Debt
Thick clouds piled up, a cold wind suddenly rose, and the north wind was biting beneath the ruined city gate.

The young man sat high on his horse, glanced at everyone indifferently, and whipped the whip. Several people who were tied up tightly rolled in front of everyone.

He said, "Caught a few thieves, from Southern Jiangsu?"

Cai Fang stepped forward quickly and said, "Yes, sir. These people killed the guards of the treasury last night and stole the medicine and grain in the city. Thank you for arresting the criminals!"

The other party glanced at him and said, "Handle it yourself." He raised his hand again. Seeing this, the guard beside him dismounted and dragged out a number of heavy boxes from the back of the carriage. He bowed to Cai Fang and said, "My master encountered this group of people outside the city. Seeing that they were acting suspiciously, he arrested them. These should be the stolen medicine and grain."

Cai Fang was overjoyed. He walked to the box in two or three steps and opened the lid. Seeing that the herbs and food were intact, he breathed a sigh of relief and looked at the man on the horse, feeling grateful.

"Your Excellency is..."

The guard who had just spoken stretched out his badge and waved it in front of Cai Fang's eyes. Cai Fang took a closer look and showed surprise on his face.

The waist badge of the Palace Front Department, is this the Shengjing Royal Guard?
Why would the Royal Guards come to Southern Jiangsu?

Thinking of what the yamen runner had said earlier, Cai Fang's mind changed.

The Qishui rebellion has not been stopped yet, and the court has sent people to suppress it. At first, it was said that it was General Zhenwei, but now it was replaced by someone from the Palace Front Department.

However, the affairs of Shengjing are too far away from southern Jiangsu, so it is meaningless to inquire about them.

Li Wenhu on the side couldn't help but wonder, "Why did you come to Southern Jiangsu?"

The young man immediately heard this and said slowly, "Didn't you write to ask me to come?"

Li Wenhu was stunned.

Cai Fang blushed, "I wrote to ask Qishui for help... Thank you for your help, sir."

In fact, he wrote the letter with the idea of ​​trying his best. After all, his previous requests for help to Qishui had fallen on deaf ears and there was no response at all. He never thought that this lord from Shengjing would come to him.

A round-faced young man with a friendly look came down from the carriage team. He smiled and said to Cai Fang, "Don't worry, County Magistrate. His Majesty is fully aware of the situation in southern Jiangsu and has specially sent Lord Pei to help." He pointed to the convoy behind him and said, "We brought a lot of rice, medicine, and warm things. We should be able to help."

"Really? That's great!"

Cai Fang was serious, clasped his fists and bowed deeply, "Your Excellency's kindness, I will never forget it on behalf of the people of Southern Jiangsu."

"It doesn't matter."

The medical officers beside him saw the familiar face and began to whisper. Lu Tong stood in the crowd, looking at the young man on horseback, feeling a little complicated.

She didn't expect Pei Yunying to come to southern Jiangsu.

I heard from Chang Jin before that Pei Yunying went to Qishui. When Lin Danqing talked to her about this, she also wondered whether he would come to southern Jiangsu.

Lu Tong thinks this possibility is very small.

Southern Jiangsu was an epidemic area. Even if he successfully quelled the rebellion, his top priority should be to return to Beijing to report.

I happened to come here.

She raised her eyes and looked at Pei Yunying.

The young man sat high on his horse, his eyes calmly sweeping over the people in front of the city gate. He stayed on her for a moment and then looked away, as if he was a stranger he had never met before.

Lu Tong also withdrew his gaze.

Cai Fang's voice came from the side: "My Lord, you are tired from the journey. I will take the people to unload the rice first." He turned to look at Chang Jin and said, "My Lord, now that the herbs have been found, can we make the plague-preventing medicine for throwing into the well?"

Chang Jin paused, recovered from the surprise of seeing an acquaintance, and said, "Yes, business is more important." He called to the medical officer behind him, "Don't stand around and watch the fun, there is no time to lose, go check the location of the well where the medicine is poured."

Li Wenhu took Chang Jin and several medical officers to check the location of the well where the medicine bags were thrown. The other medical officers, except those on duty at the plague center, went back to pick out the medicine bags and make plague-repelling incense. Cai Fang first led people to settle the carriages and horses from Qishui.

Lu Tong, Lin Danqing and his party returned to the medical officers' quarters and continued the work they had not completed earlier on, namely, making plague-avoiding incense.

The ground was covered with medicinal herbs and spices of all sizes. Lin Danqing was pounding the herbs in the jar vigorously. She asked suspiciously, "Why did Pei Dianshuai suddenly come to Qishui? Shouldn't he be returning to the capital to report?" He then approached her secretly, "Is it because of you?"

"How is that possible?" Lu Tong said calmly, "I already said it was His Majesty who ordered it."

"That's right." Lin Danqing nodded, and then thought about the new emperor ascending the throne. He wondered what changes might have taken place in Shengjing. He wondered if these changes would affect the Lin family, and he sighed with worry.

The two of them worked for a while, and then Lin Danqing took a batch of plague-repellent incense outside to distribute to the medical officers. Lu Tong sat alone in the yard sorting out the medicinal herbs. After picking and sorting for a while, he suddenly heard a voice behind him, "Doctor Lu."

Lu Zhuo made a move.

Looking back, Duan Xiaoyan's smiling face was right in front of me.

"I saw you at the city gate just now," the young man sat down on the stone bench opposite her, "but there were so many people there that it was difficult to greet you. The carriages and horses have been arranged, and I came to see you first."

Lu Tong looked at him, and Duan Xiaoyan took the initiative to explain: "Brother Yunying is with County Magistrate Cai. The thieves who stole the medicine and grain yesterday have not been dealt with yet, so he is very busy today."

Lu Tong lowered his head and continued what he was doing: "I didn't ask him."

Duan Xiaoyan touched his nose.

Lu Tong picked two bunches of herbs and put them into the bamboo basket. After a moment of silence, he asked, "Aren't you guys causing trouble in Qishui? Why did you suddenly come to Sunan?"

Duan Xiaoyan was stunned for a moment.

There was no one in the yard, and the medical officers had all gone to the front to distribute incense to ward off the plague.

"You should know everything about Shengjing?"

"I've heard a little bit about it."

"Your Highness... The Emperor sent Brother Yunying to Qishui to quell the rebellion. The Qishui soldiers have been rioting for too long, and our people quickly captured their leader. We should have gone back, but later we learned that Sunan was short of supplies, medicine and food, and there might be a snowstorm this year. There will be famine, snowstorms, and plague. We are afraid that Sunan will not survive. Brother Yunying asked His Majesty for permission to bring people to help Sunan fight the epidemic, and His Majesty granted his permission."

Lu Tong paused.

He actually brought it up on his own initiative.

"Deputy Envoy Xiao will take the rest of the troops back to the capital to report first. Brother Yunying and I will come to help, but Sunan is in worse shape than I thought." Duan Xiaoyan glanced at the gray sky in the distance. "On the way here, we encountered bandits who stole your food and grass. We dealt with them. I wonder if there are other people."

The thing to worry about is not thieves stealing, but thieves thinking about stealing. In the past, we did not have enough manpower and were no match for them. Now that the soldiers have arrived, it is just the right time to wipe out these bastards, and it is also a big worry for Sunan to get rid of.

Seeing Lu Tong remained silent, Duan Xiaoyan blinked: "How about you, Doctor Lu, how have you been these days?"

"It's okay." Lu Tong reminded, "The medical officers will give you face towels soaked in medicine. Remember to wear them at all times to avoid infection."

"That's not what I'm asking," Duan Xiaoyan moved closer and whispered, "Are you planning to reconcile with Brother Yunying?"

The young man scratched his head, looking distressed. "Although I don't know what happened to you, I always feel that something is wrong. Deputy Envoy Xiao said that you had a quarrel. Why?"

"How did he make you angry?"

Lu Tong leaned over and picked up the bamboo basket full of medicinal herbs. He did not answer his question, but only said, "There are ready-made plague-preventing medicine bags in the wooden barrel at the door. You can take them to them according to the number of people." After that, he carried the bamboo basket and walked out of the door without saying anything more to him.

Duan Xiaoyan sat in the yard, stunned for a while, looked at her back, touched his chin, and said to himself: "Why do I feel weird?"

……

The day passed in busyness.

In the next few days, the medical officers' workload increased dramatically.

Chang Jin confirmed the wells where the medicine packages were to be placed, and immediately ordered the medical officers to speed up the preparation of the medicine packages. Because Pei Yunying and his party brought new medicine and food, the medicinal materials were more abundant, and Cai Fang added a few more wells. Each well required a lot of medicine packages, and they had to add more from time to time. The medical officers were often busy until midnight, and some of them were so tired that they fell asleep on the spot in the plague center and the dormitory.

Lu Tong and Lin Danqing were also among them.

The weather in southern Jiangsu was getting colder day by day. Lu Tong took a nap, and when he woke up, a line of white was faintly visible in the sky.

The winter in southern Jiangsu is always foggy, like a pile of accumulated haze above people's heads. Lu Tong sat up, while Lin Danqing was leaning over the desk with a half-finished medicine bag in front of him. Several medical officers were sleeping in the room, and they fell asleep halfway through writing a prescription because they were extremely sleepy.

The lamp oil has burned out.

She got up quietly, pulled the half-torn mattress off Lin Danqing, and went out.

Just as he walked into the yard, he felt a little bit of coldness and moisture falling on the tip of his nose. Lu Tong raised his eyes and saw the flying snow in the sky dancing like poplar catkins.

Lu Tong was startled.

I don’t know when it started snowing in southern Jiangsu last night.

"You're awake." A voice came from behind.

She turned around and saw Ji Xun sitting in the corner under the eaves, fiddling with a charcoal brazier in front of him.

Medicinal herbs such as Atractylodes lancea, which can prevent plague and strengthen health, were burning in the charcoal basin. On weekdays, medical officers were always ready to fill the burned medicine basins in order to drive away the plague.

"Doctor Ji got up very early." She looked at Ji Xun.

Ji Xun was wearing a gray-green cotton gown distributed by the Medical Officers' Institute. His clothes were wrinkled and a bit messy. He no longer looked like the elegant young man he used to be in Shengjing. I remembered that Zhu Ling had said before that Ji Xun changed his clothes every day.

When we arrived in southern Jiangsu to help with the epidemic, we didn’t care so much about anything.

"Can't sleep."

Ji Xun put down the branch that was poking the brazier, stood up, looked at the snow dancing in the yard, and spoke softly.

"There are fewer people infected with the disease these days, but we haven't found a cure, and patients in the plague center are still dying. If we go on like this, we're just delaying time, and sooner or later they'll all be buried in the execution ground behind the temple." Lu Tong was silent.

"I used to be so proud of my medical skills that I looked down upon everyone in the Imperial Medical Bureau. But now, after going deeper into this field, I realize that everything I have learned is just a drop in the ocean. Medicine is ever-changing and diseases are difficult to treat. I feel ashamed to be a doctor when I see patients suffering and cannot help them."

Lu Tong glanced at him.

The young medical officer's expression was no longer as proud and arrogant as before, but rather looked a bit tired.

It was the first time she saw Ji Xun so lost.

"Doctor Ji," Lu Tong said after a pause, "We are doctors, not Bodhisattvas. We can only try our best to save lives. It's not your fault that the epidemic is difficult to treat. Instead of blaming yourself, you should try your best to study it."

"I believe there will be a way."

Ji Xun looked at Lu Tong.

During her time in southern Jiangsu, she went back and forth between plague clinics distributing medicinal soups, discussed ways to fight the epidemic with Chang Jin, and worked until midnight making medicine bags.

She always looked indifferent and spoke in a cold tone, seeming a little unkind, but she never failed to do what she was supposed to do. She always seemed to have firm confidence. No matter what happened, no matter how bad the situation was, after a short silence, she would immediately think of ways to solve the next problem and never dwell on irrelevant matters.

He used to think Lu Tong was very special, and now, he seemed to know her better.

Ji Xun's heart moved slightly.

"I'm going to deliver medicine to the plague center." Lu Tong asked, "Doctor Ji, are you going?"

Ji Xun thought for a moment and nodded: "Let's go together."

Lu Tong picked up the medical box and went out with Ji Xun.

Just as they reached the door, Ji Xun suddenly remembered something, glanced at Lu Tong, and said, "I'm going to go back and get something, you wait for me at the door."

Lu Tong nodded, watched him turn around and go into the yard, then turned back and pushed the door.

"Creak-" a sound.

The door of the dormitory was pushed open. Lu Tong was about to walk out when he suddenly stopped.

It was a cold day, snow was falling, and someone was passing by the door.

Pei Yunying was walking towards the plague center with a few guards. When he heard the noise, he turned his head to look over here.

He was standing in the midst of the north wind and powder, wearing an inky black cloak, and his beautiful, dark eyes looked over with an ambiguous look.

Before Lu Tong could speak, she suddenly felt warm and a furry cloak was draped over her shoulders. Ji Xun walked up to her and said, "It's snowing today. You're wearing too little."

After he finished speaking, he seemed to have just seen other people at the door. Ji Xun paused and bowed, "General Pei."

Pei Yunying's gaze swept over the two of them, his expression indifferent, it was impossible to tell whether he was happy or angry. He left with his guards without saying anything.

Ji Xun frowned and looked at Lu Tong: "He..."

Lu Tong lowered his eyebrows: "Let's go."

……

It was very lively outside the plague center.

It is snowing today.

The "Collection of Explanations of the 72 Lunar Calendars" says, "At this point, the snow is heavy."

Southern Jiangsu is located in the south, and in winter, except in the mountains, it rarely snows in the city. The last time it snowed heavily was during the Great Cold six years ago.

Unexpectedly, heavy snow suddenly came in this winter when the locust plague, famine and plague were raging.

The door of the plague center was half open, a charcoal brazier was burning inside, Pei Yunying's men brought heating supplies, and the temple door was also repaired. The plague center was much warmer than when Chang Jin and his group first arrived.

As soon as Lu Tong arrived at the plague center, Cuicui ran towards her.

The little girl wore a brand new light pink cotton skirt today. Perhaps because she had been taking medicine these days and was no longer hungry, she looked much better.

Lu Tong asked: "Where did you get this new dress?"

There was a shortage of supplies in southern Jiangsu, and clothes for such a beautiful little girl were rare.

"Master Xiao Pei sent it to me. Master Xiao Pei's subordinate Brother Duan was distributing new warm cotton-padded clothes to everyone in the plague center. He found a beautiful skirt among them. He knew I was in the plague center and kept it for me."

Cuicui pointed outside.

Lu Zhuo turned around.

Outside the temple, Pei Yunying was talking to Chang Jin. Beside him, several guards were unloading supplies from the horses.

Pei Yunying's arrival has helped a lot these days.

The county government's medicine and grain were stolen, and Pei Yunying arrested the bandits and solved the problem in southern Jiangsu. The grain and herbs he brought from Qishui also greatly alleviated the problem of the medical officer's hospital. At least now, the medicine poured into the well every day is enough, and when making plague-proof incense and medicine bags, there is no need to worry about the lack of medicinal materials.

"Everyone is very grateful to this young Master Pei," Cuicui leaned close to Lu Tong's ear and whispered, "Every time he comes to the plague center, he brings us good things, and when he talks to people, he doesn't look down on us like those high-ranking officials from Shengjing did before." Cuicui smiled embarrassedly, "My father told me that if I look for a husband in the future, I have to find someone like young Master Pei who is handsome, has a good temper, and is very skilled."

Lu Tong couldn't help but be amused by her.

"So what good things did he bring you today?" Lu Tong asked.

"It's snowing heavily today." Cuicui opened her eyes wide. "In the past, when it snowed heavily, people would eat tonic food, and every household would pickle bacon. This year's plague in southern Jiangsu is not as severe as in previous years. I heard from Brother Duan that Master Pei brought some dried meat, and today he asked someone to make us some meat soup to welcome the New Year."

The little girl said this, swallowing her saliva, with a hint of desire in her eyes.

For the people in southern Jiangsu who have been hungry for a long time, being able to drink a mouthful of meat soup is undoubtedly the happiest thing.

Lu Tong looked outside again.

Pei Yunying was talking to someone outside and seemed to notice the gaze from this side and looked over here.

Lu Tong glanced away quickly.

When he is serious about doing something, he always considers it very carefully. It is always easy for him to please others.

"It's time to change the medicine bag." Ji Xun walked over to her and reminded her.

The anti-plague medicine sachets lose their effectiveness after a few days, and must be replaced with clean herbs. When Lu Tong and Ji Xun went to replace the herbs for the patients, the medical officers came in.

Also coming in were Chang Jin and Pei Yunying.

The guards carried the boiling iron pot into the plague center. The temple immediately became lively, the tempting aroma immediately filled the room, and the patients all cheered.

"Slow down, everyone gets one." Chang Jin raised his hand and asked the patients to line up one by one to get their servings, and everyone got a bowl of broth.

The previously deserted plague place gradually became noisy, with charcoal basins and hot soup. It was previously as quiet as a pool of stagnant water, but now there is hope and smiles are no longer a rare sight.

Pei Yunying wanted to leave, but was stopped by Chang Jin, who said with a smile, "General Palace has been very busy these days, drink your soup before leaving."

There is not much dried meat in the broth, but it is added with a lot of anti-plague medicinal herbs. Drinking it is quite effective in avoiding plague.

Pei Yunying paused, took the bowl of soup, and sat back.

Chang Jin scooped another big spoonful: "Doctor Lu, you drink a bowl too."

Before Lu Tong stood up, Ji Xun had already walked over, picked up the bowl of soup for Lu Tong, handed it to her, and sat down next to her.

Pei Yunying looked at Lu Tong for a moment, then was called away by Chang Jin.

In the crowded temple, separated by the crowd, he was on one side and she was on this side. It was obviously small, yet it seemed as far away as a chasm.

Lu Tong looked outside the temple.
There was heavy snow outside the door, and in the distance towards the execution ground, it was all silvery white.

Ji Xun's voice came from beside me.

"An old farmer got a lucky divination when occupying a field. One night, the north wind blew and snow covered the house. The house is about to collapse, please don't be sad. The new wheat on the top of the field is covered with mud..."

As he spoke, his expression gradually became silent.

The Imperial Medical Bureau teaches medical theory, and the Medical Officers' Institute reads medical records. However, only by going deep into the most impoverished places can one understand how difficult people's lives are. Only at this moment can a young man who lives in luxury in pearl towers and jade pavilions understand the true meaning of a doctor.

The art of medicine is endless, and benevolence is its foundation.

The plague center was bustling with activity. The patients and medical officers were discussing the plan to remove the clay Buddha statue in front of the altar. Since the medical officers came, the patients' illnesses had slowed down a lot. However, the number of people joining the plague center continued to increase, and the already narrow temple became more crowded. If the clay Buddha statue was removed, at least a little more space would be available.

The situation is getting better now. Medical officers are more useful to the living, so this clay statue of Bodhisattva is not so popular anymore.

Cuicui ran to the altar and planned to measure the size of the Bodhisattva. Her wooden bed was very close to the altar. If she removed the statue, there would be a gap between her father's and her own wooden bed.

She bent down and crawled inside.

There was a lot of noise all around, and Lu Tong lowered his head to drink the herbal soup in his hand. In the midst of the conversation, suddenly, the little girl's voice rang out in surprise:
"Hey, why is there a debt note on this wall?"

(End of this chapter)