LW chapter 55

 

They hurried to deliver the medicine to Doctor Yu. Coincidentally, they saw Zhang Yin performing acupuncture at the clinic. After two days of acupuncture, she looked very weak. Doctor Yu promptly adjusted the prescription, telling her to drink the medicine after the treatment.

“Doctor Yu, we found it.” Zhou Yuan stepped into the clinic and saw Li Xin helping Zhang Yin sit down.

Zhang Yin looked a little worried. “Where have you two been recently? You haven’t come back for several days.”

Cheng Qing leaned forward to talk to her. Meanwhile, Zhou Yuan went inside to find Yu Nian.

Cheng Qing replied, “We went to Shopkeeper Tian’s village to check it out and discuss doing business. We stayed in the village for the last two days, so we didn’t come back.”

Zhang Yin was suspicious, but she had a hunch that Cheng Qing wouldn’t lie. She reached her hand toward Cheng Qing. Cheng Qing lowered his head and saw Zhang Yin pluck a few dried leaves from his head. “You went up the mountain?”

Cheng Qing nodded. “Yes. There are also some plants grown in the mountains. Shopkeeper Tian took us to see them.”

“Mother, you’d better rest first.” Li Xin was afraid that Cheng Qing wouldn’t be able to hold on. “We’ll come back to question them after you’ve drunk the medicine.”

Inside the room, Yu Nian glanced at the medicine in Zhou Yuan’s hand and looked behind him. Zhou Yuan understood and said, “Shopkeeper Tian is behind us. We came back first. He asked me to tell you that he’s safe.”

Yu Nian nodded. “That’s good.” He examined the herbs carefully and said, “With this medicine, you can rest easy now.”

Zhou Yuan breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you very much.”

Yu Nian shook his head. “You’ve been lacking rest lately. Get enough sleep and don’t worry too much. Your mother’s illness isn’t incurable. Acupuncture and medicine will help her.”

Upon hearing Yu Nian’s words, Zhou Yuan felt truly relieved. Recently, he had felt as much pressure as anyone else. Li’s family trusted him. After hearing his words, the entire family had followed him here. Even if Li’s family didn’t blame him if he couldn’t cure her, he would still feel uncomfortable.

Now, he could finally put his mind at ease.

Yu Nian patted his shoulder, then went to decoct the medicine himself. This medicine couldn’t be boiled by the healer, it had to be done himself.

After Zhang Yin drank the medicine, Li Xin and Cheng Qing helped her back. When Zhang Yin reached Cheng Qing, she noticed that his clothes were damp and hadn’t been changed in days.

“A Qing, where have you been recently?” Zhang Yin asked again.

Cheng Qing looked helplessly at Zhou Yuan. Zhou Yuan replied, “I followed Shopkeeper Tian back to his home, then went to the mountains to look for medicine.”

“What medicine? Did you find it? Was it dangerous?” Zhang Yin was anxious. She didn’t want to seek medical treatment, she was just afraid that such a thing would happen.

“Look, we all came back healthy, and we found the medicine. You’re a lucky person,” Zhou Yuan said.
“If you feel sorry for us, let Li Xin cook us something delicious,”

Li Xin quickly replied, “I’ll go back and cook something good in a moment.”

Back at their home, Li Xin helped Zhang Yin to her bedroom so she could rest. Cheng Qing went to the kitchen to boil water. When Li Xin came out, he carried a basket and said, “I’m going out to buy vegetables.”

Li Xin had recently gotten used to the area and knew where to buy fresh, inexpensive vegetables.

Cheng Qing nodded and said, “Go take a bath and rest for a while.”

Everything in the house was well-arranged. The water tank was full, and the firewood in the kitchen was neatly stacked.

After Li Xin left, Zhou Yuan entered the kitchen. Seeing the fire in the stove, Chen Qing stood up and pulled Zhou Yuan into a tight embrace.

Startled for a moment, Zhou Yuan hugged him back. “Are you still scared? Don’t be. I’m here.”

Chen Qing’s eyes turned red as he looked at Zhou Yuan. “Ever since I met you, I’ve always believed that no matter what happens, as long as you’re here, we’ll find a way.”

Zhou Yuan smiled and tapped his nose. “Really?”

“But I just realized…you’re afraid of many things, too. Sometimes you get tired, but you never say it.”

Zhou Yuan hugged him tighter. “There’s nothing I need to be afraid of.”

“That day, I saw you were afraid of heights,” Chen Qing said.

Zhou Yuan fell silent for a moment, then smiled awkwardly. “That wasn’t me being scared. I just wanted to act like I could do anything in front of you.”

“But we’re husband and wife. If you have something to say, you can tell me. I might not be able to help, but saying it might make you feel better.”

Zhou Yuan patted his back. “I know. I’ll tell you everything from now on.”

After holding each other for a while, Zhou Yuan let go. He took some water and went to their room. They hadn’t been able to rest properly lately and just wanted a warm bath and a good night’s sleep.

When Li Xin returned from buying vegetables, the house was quiet. Assuming Chen Qing and Zhou Yuan were sleeping, he didn’t disturb them and went to the kitchen to cook.

Every morning, he accompanied Zhang Yin to the clinic. By the time he woke up, everything at home was already taken care of—the water tank was filled and the firewood was neatly stacked.

Qi Shuning woke up earlier than them every day. Since he was a sponsored student, he didn’t have a place to stay at the academy, so he came home every day.

Looking at the neatly stacked firewood, Li Xin realized that he hadn’t given Qi Shuning any money recently. He wondered where he had gotten the money to buy it.

As he washed the vegetables, he was lost in thought.

In the bedroom, Chen Qing was still asleep beside Zhou Yuan. Though it was the height of summer, their room was shaded and stayed cool. It wasn’t too hot for two people to sleep together, and Chen Qing slept soundly.

But a sudden falling sensation startled him. Zhou Yuan instinctively hugged him tightly and patted his back gently.

Chen Qing woke up then, and the sky was already dark.

He got up, and Zhou Yuan woke up too. They got dressed and went out together. Li Xin had set up a table with dishes in the courtyard. Qi Shuning stayed nearby and told him about school.

When they came out, Li Xin came over and pulled Chen Qing aside. “What happened? Why were you gone for days?”

Zhou Yuan didn’t say anything dangerous. He simply said that it took time to find the medicine and that they had stayed in the mountains for a while. He also repeated Doctor Yu’s words that Zhang Yin’s illness could be cured, but it would take time and proper care.

Hearing this, Li Xin’s eyes reddened, and he nodded repeatedly. “Alright, brother, thank you.”

Zhou Yuan patted his shoulder. “We’re family—there’s no need for thanks.”

Chen Qing also wiped his eyes with his sleeve. Knowing that Aunt Yin’s illness could be cured made Zhou Yuan feel much better. At least he wouldn’t be frowning in his sleep anymore.

Zhang Yin was still weak, so Li Xin brought the prepared food inside for her. The rest of them ate in the courtyard.

“I wanted to buy a chicken and make chicken soup, but Doctor Yu said Mother shouldn’t eat too much. Just regular home dishes will do.” Li Xin handed out chopsticks, and Qi Shuning served the rice.

“Listen to the doctor. If you have any questions, just go ask him,” Zhou Yuan said.

“I know. What are your plans next?” Li Xin asked.

“I’m planning to go back, bring some goods to sell, and make some money,” said Zhou Yuan. “We can’t live on our savings alone. I think we’ll stay here for a while and report back later.”

Then he turned to Qi Shuning. “Shuning, after we leave, you’ll have to look after the family. No matter how capable Li Xin is, he’s still a ger. Some things will require the two of us to discuss.”

“I understand, brother.”

Chen Qing sat beside Zhou Yuan, watching him calmly arrange the next steps. He remembered the worry and hesitation Zhou Yuan had shown that afternoon before going to sleep. Only he could see Zhou Yuan’s vulnerability.

Whether it was him, Li Xin, Qi Shuning, the blacksmith, Li, and his mother far away or Meng Qi and Meng Shuanzi in the village, they had all grown used to relying on Zhou Yuan. But Zhou Yuan was only twenty-five, and he had to lead them all forward.

For business matters, they needed to bother Shopkeeper Tian, but he was busy during the day, so they could only visit him at night.

Though Shopkeeper Tian’s family had everything they needed, they still brought gifts whenever they visited — not just for business, but also to show their appreciation for him and his family.

Qi Shuning passed Tian Ji’s shop every day on his way back and learned that it closed around 11 p.m. If they went at that time, Shopkeeper Tian would be free.

So, on the third day, Zhou Yuan and the others brought many gifts and went to Tianji’s door.

Seeing how formal they were, Tian Yao asked a shop assistant to open the private room and instructed the kitchen staff, who hadn’t completely shut down for the night, to prepare two dishes.

It was Chen Qing’s first time sitting in a private room, and he was a little overwhelmed. He’d never had the chance to eat in a restaurant before, but now he could sit in a private room. He was so nervous that his palms were sweaty.

“Seeing that you’re here so formally today, is there something you need from me?” Tian Yao asked as he carried in a few plates and a bottle of wine. He didn’t act like a typical shopkeeper, he did many things in the shop himself.

“Yes.” Zhou Yuan shared his thoughts, and Tian Yao stayed silent for a while.

Chen Qing grew nervous again, his palms sweating constantly.

The silence was broken by a knock on the door. Yu Nian pushed it open and came in. “What are you talking about? It’s so quiet.”

Tian Yao chuckled when he saw Yu Nian. “They want to do business with me.”

With just that sentence, Yu Nian could guess what was going on. “What do you think?”

“Of course,” Tian Yao said. “The land looks promising this year, and the villagers are anxious. They’re asking me what they should do.”

They talked about many things. Though I couldn’t follow everything, I overheard that Manager Tian was actually the president of the Yunxi City Chamber of Commerce. It turned out that a ger could do what men could do as well.

Zhou Yuan hesitated. “Why don’t you sell on a large scale?”

Tian Yao smiled. “We only have one small city, and the things we can grow are limited. We have to provide the capital and sell the goods ourselves. We actually prefer that those who buy our goods grow them themselves, but unfortunately, no one does.”

Zhou Yuan was slightly surprised. “Wouldn’t it be better if these goods were in your hands?”

“I’ve always thought that if I get rich, I want to bring the people around me up with me. As long as everyone can live well, that’s a blessing for me.”

Zhou Yuan hadn’t expected Shopkeeper Tian to be so devoted to others. No wonder Yunxi City prospered.

“So, you want to transport these specialty goods back to your place. I can give you a discount.”

Zhou Yuan asked again, “Have there been caravans like mine before?”

“Yes, but they didn’t stick with it. There were many reasons for this, but Tian Yao didn’t elaborate.

“Since you’re so eager, come back to the village with me tomorrow, and I’ll load a few carts for you. But take note—it’s summer now, so food spoils easily. That might be one reason why no one has been selling our goods for a while.”

Zhou Yuan toasted Tian Yao with a cup of wine. There was so much he wanted to say, but he decided not to waste words. Meeting these two elders, Tian Yao and Yu Nian, was the luckiest thing that had happened to them.

Finally, Tian Yao said the most important words: “The main thing is that profit and loss are your own risk. I’m not a saint. If you make money, everyone smiles. If you lose, everyone suffers. Don’t come to me for a refund if you lose money.”

“Of course not,” Zhou Yuan said. “I understand these principles.”

 

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