Capítulo 2096: Chapter 2071: People Arrive
Last ti, when Manbao took out a bottle of dicine to share with Imperial Doctor Zheng and others, she had a bitter look on her face. Bai Shan guessed that those pills were probably not cheap.
But gold and silver seem to have no use in the afterlife; anyway, he never saw Manbao worry about such things, so the expense of these pills is likely covered by his father-in-law.
He knew his father-in-law liked so plants, flowers, and animals, and he now realized they could perhaps be exchanged for money in the afterlife.
Bai Shan smiled slightly and whispered to Manbao, “I heard there are many deer on the grasslands. I’ll buy a live deer for you then and quietly send it to your father…”
Manbao’s eyes lit up, and she beca very happy. Even Keke, who had been silent, said, “According to my scan, there are many types of deer on the grassland, such as red deer, thorold’s deer, tufted deer, sika deer, and more. Besides deer, the host could also collect sheep, which also co in different types like argali, saiga…”
Manbao quickly said in her mind, “I got it, we’ll talk about it when we reach the grassland, Keke, we need to take it slow.”
Keke understood, “Just a reminder to the host, there are actually many noteworthy biodiversity on the grasslands. These are just the more common animals; there are also many precious plants. You’ve previously been collecting plants in forest areas, so this will be a chance to experience the grasslands.”
Manbao started to look forward to it and said to Bai Shan, “Go and return quickly.”
She then rembered, “Did you choose to count the villages at this ti because people from the capital are coming?”
“Yes,” Bai Shan replied, “This ti, Erlang and I will take so guards. Once we find patients, we’ll bring them back to the city. Doctors from the capital are arriving soon, so they’ll have a role to play.”
Manbao: …thought she could relax a bit after they arrived, but who knew the more doctors there would be, the more patients, too?
Bai Shan pointed in a direction and said, “The County Governntal Office plans to select a plot of land on the southern outskirts of the city to build a dical shed. People sent there can stay there. Construction started today, and it can be completed in two or three days.
The dical shed will be built entirely of wood and thatch, which is not difficult, just requiring the cutting of wood and the collection and purchase of thatch.
But these can all be managed, though it takes a bit of effort.
Manbao sighed, understanding, “We’ll be ready.”
Bai Shan served her another bowl of soup and said, “Drink more, you look so thin.”
Manbao looked at Bai Shan earnestly and said, “You look thin too.”
Two days later, Zhou Liru stood in front of Manbao, crying and holding her aunt, “Aunt, you look so thin.”
Alongside, Liu Sanniang and Zheng Gu and Zheng Shao were in complete agreent.
Manbao was quite shocked, “Why did you all co?”
Zheng Gu, as the Senior Brother, replied on behalf of everyone, “The Imperial Hospital issued a notice; as aides from the Imperial Hospital, we can’t lag behind folk doctors, so we all signed up to co. Moreover, Master is here, and as disciples, we should be around to assist.”
Manbao asked, “It’s fine for the three of you, but why did Liru co too?”
She had only been learning for a few years and, although she was starting to have so skills, she couldn’t yet independently manage patients.
Zhou Liru quickly said, “Aunt, I’m here to help you. I heard from an officer that you don’t have a suitable assistant here. The senior brothers and sisters can manage patients on their own, so I’ll assist you.”
Then she quietly said, “I’m worried about you and my second sister, so I ca to check on things.”
Since they were all already here, they couldn’t be sent back, so Manbao nodded, “Alright, you can stay and help . Did you take the pills I sent back?”
“I did, Aunt. Those pills taste just like the sugar you gave us when we were little.”
Manbao internally complained: the taste might be similar, but the price certainly wasn’t. That kind of candy only cost one point for a whole bunch, whereas these pills cost over a thousand points each.
Oh, right, after several trades, it’s now at eighteen hundred points per pill.
Manbao touched her chest and asked, “Did everyone at ho take them too?”
Zhou Liru nodded, “Everyone did, even the household servants.”
The servants belonged to the Bai Family, but Manbao wrote in the letter she sent back that each household servant should also have one to prevent infection when going out.
Manbao nodded, then turned to find Liu Sanniang to ask, “Did the dicine bottle I sent back get delivered to the Crown Prince?”
“Yes, I personally watched the Crown Princess and the little prince take it. As for the last pill, since His Highness wasn’t there, I didn’t witness it, but I asked when I took the pulse of the little prince, and the Crown Princess said His Highness had already taken it.” Liu Sanniang paused and then smiled softly, “The Crown Princess also said the dicine was like a sugar pill, and His Highness talked about it for quite a while after taking it.”
Manbao let out a sigh of relief and nodded, “Good that they took it.”
Then Liu Sanniang hesitantly said, “Aunt, Lichong also ca.”
Manbao’s eyes widened, “Why did he co too?”
Liu Sanniang replied, “He ca to deliver grain. The main reason is that the family was worried about you and Fourth Uncle, so they let him co with us.”
In fact, as soon as they received the officer’s letter, and the governnt’s announcent recruiting doctors ca out, Zhou Lichong decided to co to Xiazhou with them.
He left half a year’s worth of grain at the restaurant and ho and brought all the millet allotted to Aunt and the grain harvested from the Pu Village fields in sumr and autumn, then followed the court’s procession to the capital.
This ti, the imperial guards would personally escort the dicinal materials and people to Xiazhou. Because his wife and sister were in the team, and he was Zhou Man’s nephew, the people from the court took good care of them too.
Liu Sanniang said, “Today, as soon as he entered the city, the manager of the city’s grain store invited him, and the governnt also sent people over—all wanting to buy grain from him.”
Actually, there wasn’t a big grain shortage in Xiazhou now. This year’s autumn harvest was pretty decent, as Yang Heshu and Bai Shan privately calculated, and people had surplus grain at ho, so no one would starve.
But amidst the epidemic, people were anxious, and grain prices rose, so the governnt had to release grain to calm the public. While households might still have so reserves, the governnt’s reserves weren’t plentiful.
Moreover, after the epidemic, there’d be half a year before the sumr harvest. The epidemic had already affected this year’s farming, so from March to June next year, grain prices in Xiazhou will inevitably soar.
Ordinary people might not consider such things, but they have their survival strategies and would certainly keep so grain in reserve.
This is why there is a scarcity of grain circulating in the market now.
Zhou Lichong led people to transport the grain to the city gates. He didn’t let the tenant farrs who escorted it into the city but instead had soone send a ssage to Zhou Silang, then opened the sacks to give them so grain, “This is dry rations for the journey back. You all should head back together now, holding on to the docunts we traveled with. You haven’t entered Xiazhou City or co into contact with smallpox patients, so you can pass through the checkpoints.”
He also said, “When you get ho, my father will settle your wages.”
Yes, Zhou Lichong hadn’t hired anyone from outside. The workers for all ten grain carts were tenants from Pu Village. It was agreed before setting out that they only needed to deliver the grain to the outskirts of Xiazhou City and need not enter the city.
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