Shang Ruyi’s eyebrows furrowed.
Before Su Qinglan could finish speaking, a sudden sound of gongs and drums ca from outside. Although it was distant, the sound that reached there was already soft, but it abruptly interrupted Su Qinglan’s words.
The sick patients around, upon hearing this sound, also gradually beca conscious.
Their previously lifeless faces began to show lively expressions.
At first, they appeared delighted, but then, as if rembering sothing, their joy gradually subrged into worry, as if so invisible burden was suddenly pressing on their hearts, leaving them breathless.
Shang Ruyi looked at these people, then at Su Qinglan.
She then said, "I will go out and have a look."
After speaking, she put down the fan in her hand, stood up, and walked outside.
Passing through the long corridor they previously walked through, she returned to the long street in front of the market, and the scene before her eyes had changed drastically—the patients who were originally lying weakly on straw mats had all stood up now, rushing forward one after another, afraid to be left behind. Even the city guards and doctors had to step forward to pull and stop them, maintaining order.
"Don’t rush."
"Be careful not to fall!"
"Queue up, everyone will get a share!"
However, these people wouldn’t listen, just like drowning people seeing a life-saving straw, they all rushed forward.
The direction they crowded was towards the entrance of Changle Square.
Shang Ruyi was about to move forward, but was bumped by a few patients rushing forward behind her, almost causing her to fall. Stabilizing herself, she looked up to see dical Supervisor Wu Huanzhi standing by the roadside, frowning at this scene.
He slowly walked up and said to Shang Ruyi, "Young Madam."
Shang Ruyi said, "Mr. Wu, this is—"
"This,"
Wu Huanzhi let out a bitter laugh, looking at the surging crowd ahead, said, "Young Madam, surely you know what this is about?"
"..."
Shang Ruyi paused, not saying anything further.
However, at this mont, the people at the front, under soone’s direction, slowly ceased crowding and began to line up. The line of thousands quickly wrapped around various streets and alleys, with everyone stretching their necks and standing on tiptoes, eagerly looking ahead.
Before long, they reached the entrance of the market.
Wu Huanzhi pointed forward and said, "Young Madam, see for yourself."
Shang Ruyi looked up, only to see a long table set up at the entrance outside the wooden railing, unbeknownst from when, with soup bowls neatly arranged on it. Beside them stood a young man, holding a jug filled with dicinal soup, pouring it inside; behind the long table sat a clerk, holding a pen and several account books, seemingly ready to record sothing.
In the air, a rich scent of dicinal herbs wafted.
The eyes of everyone turned eager and ravenous, barely restraining from rushing forward, yet a group of people ca across to stop them, and behind these people, slowly walked out a gentleman in a jade-colored robe, graceful as if a light breeze—a tree standing in the wind.
It was Pei Xingyuan, whom Shen Wuzheng referred to as "shaless".
On his face, he wore the kind of face veil Shang Ruyi had previously given him—normally, wearing a face veil would make soone appear quite mysterious, like Yu Wenqian before, who, with the face veil, only revealed a pair of clear, enchanting eyes, seeming like an immortal hidden in clouds, mysterious and elegant.
Even those with plain looks would gain a touch of charm wearing a face veil.
However, Pei Xingyuan, being naturally handso, but because his face often wore a smile filled with the air of the common world, once he put on the face veil that covered his features, exposing only those perpetually smiling eyes, the mystery dissipated, yet revealed a bit of... cheerfulness.
As he stepped out, he shouted to the crowd, "Account keeping, account keeping, a bowl for a silver coin, money and goods exchanged, cure for the disease!"
If not for the seriousness of the situation, Shang Ruyi almost laughed out loud.
In fact, although she didn’t laugh openly, underneath the face veil, the corners of her mouth couldn’t help but curl up, with her eyes bending as well.
But the next mont, she heard the person beside her let out a long sigh.
Turning to see, Wu Huanzhi was frowning deeply, worriedly looking at the surrounding patients. So, dressed in fine clothes, seed to be from well-off families and readily took out silver; others in modest clothing, although troubled, had no choice but to reluctantly and tremblingly take out their moneybags to survive; while those in tattered garnts, clearly destitute patients, although holding so silver coins, looked as pained as if they were cutting flesh from their hearts.
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