The Wheel-Turning Master.

Chapter 34: Lighting up (Seeking follow-up reading)

There is considerable order outside the north city.

Many disaster victims were eating porridge at the porridge shed, holding bowls in their hands. Those who had already eaten were gathered in groups of three or five, and no one knew what they were talking about.

Several constables were patrolling back and forth with whips in hand to prevent any disputes.

Toilet sheds have been built on both sides of the road, and there are people dedicated to collecting feces.

The people from the Nancheng Cao Gang were recruiting laborers, and there were also old servants from wealthy families who came to buy servants and maids of the right age.

"Why do they have grass stuck on their heads?" Xiuxiu pulled the hem of Lin Bai's clothes and asked curiously.

"To sell oneself voluntarily to others as a slave is to sell oneself voluntarily to others as a slave."

Lin Bai thought for a moment and added, "This kind of thing usually happens during times of famine or war. Those who stick one blade of grass are usually children, and those who stick two blades are usually middle-aged men, who are a little more expensive and can do some hard work. Those who stick three blades are people with some skills, such as being able to read and teach, or being able to sing and dance."

Xiuxiu was stunned for a moment and asked, "Is there no one to take care of them?"

"You don't care about the things you should care about, but you care about the things you shouldn't care about." Lin Bai sighed and didn't say anything else.

Xiuxiu didn't say anything either, just grabbed Lin Bai's sleeve tightly.

Not long after walking away, a constable came up to meet him.

The constable's name was Xing. He had a long face full of smiles. He said, "Doctor Lin, the noble has told us that you and Doctor Bai will come to see patients. Please arrange a place for us."

This is all thanks to Doctor Bai and Xiuxiu.

"Thank you, Captain Xing, for leading the way." Lin Bai bowed.

"Please." Captain Xing held the knife on his waist and was very polite.

Coming to a shady shed, Lin Bai put down the medicine box and Xiuxiu sat beside him, like a pair of brother and sister.

Captain Xing said a few more words, then went out and shouted, "The miracle doctor is here! Those with fever and diarrhea, come see him! Those who can't defecate, come here too! And you! The one with the cough, come here quickly! And the one who got whipped for grabbing food just now! Come here! Line up! Whoever cuts in line will get whipped!"

Lin Bai and Xiu Xiu in the shed looked at each other.

"The first time I saw someone soliciting customers for a doctor, I saw some aunties and grandmas on the street asking if they wanted to sleep..."

Before Xiuxiu finished speaking, Lin Bai grabbed her face and said viciously, "Mr. Bai, the punishment you gave me was too light! You must copy all the medical books again!"

Xiuxiu muttered to herself and didn't dare to say anything else.

After a while, the victims came to see the doctor.

Lin Bai treated the men and children, Xiu Xiu treated the sick women, and some of the disaster victims who had nothing to do helped boil the medicine and water.

When they rested at noon, they ate some biscuits they had brought with them in the morning with water. Xiuxiu did not find it bitter at all, but enjoyed it with gusto.

Lin Bai glanced at the black cicada on the tree outside the shed, but ignored it and just closed his eyes and pretended to take a nap.

Everything inside the stone plate was the same as yesterday.

"My destiny... the theory of elixir... these are all levels that I cannot reach at present."

"What's so special about my destiny? Is the fog also a part of my destiny, or is it specially designed to protect me?"

"The fog blocks Sister Zhen's sight... How can I open a path for her?"

Lin Bai looked around, his mind moved, and the fog began to roll endlessly.

Then a small crack suddenly appeared in the surrounding fog, first as wide as a finger, and then as big as a fist.

Beyond the fog there is a vast expanse of space, and there seem to be stars, but they cannot be seen clearly.

Soon, the fog closed up and returned to its previous state.

“Indeed, you can…”

Lin Bai stroked his chin and thought to himself, it would be okay if he let her take a look. If she had other thoughts, he could immediately separate them.

As for the request... Lin Bai didn't intend to take the opportunity to make a request. In other words, even if he wanted something, he couldn't use it as a threat.

We have been sleeping together and talking frankly with each other. Is there anything that cannot be discussed under the pillow?
When he opened his eyes, Lin Bai saw Xiuxiu staring at him with her big dark eyes.

"What are you thinking about?" Xiuxiu asked.

"I was thinking, you are so well-behaved and cute, I wonder who you will marry when you grow up." Lin Bai pinched her face.

"Don't worry about it, I'll find one myself." Xiuxiu pried Lin Bai's hands apart, half of her face red, and she added, "Unlike you, you don't even know how to save money to marry a wife!"

Lin Bai was too lazy to pay attention to her.

"I think that sister surnamed Pei is pretty good. If I meet her later, I can help you to get together with her?" Xiuxiu said with concern.

"She's not your sister, she's your uncle. You can call her aunt." Lin Bai scolded, "Also, if you mention me in front of her in the future, we will break up!"

"Why are you so fierce?" Xiuxiu curled her lips again, her face showing understanding, "Oh, I get it, you are very afraid of her. I've seen that you are a coward and afraid of your wife." Lin Baiqing knew that if he continued talking to this chatterbox, they would chat till the end of time, so he simply shut up and didn't respond to her no matter what she said.

After noon, there was suddenly a commotion outside.

Lin Bai immediately got up and went outside to see what was happening. After asking around, he found out that something had happened in the city.

It turned out that it was Sister Pei Ning who led the Qinglong Gang and directly wiped out two major families in Huaxi County, which were among the nine families from yesterday.

The two families resisted fiercely and gathered slaves to protect the house. As a result, Pei Ning only allowed the Qinglong Gang to go out and he insisted on outlasting them.

After this battle, hundreds of people from those two families died. Since Ren Biao's death, there were only about 200 people left in the Qinglong Gang, and this time only 50 or 60 were left.

"Drive the tiger to devour the wolf? That's not right. In Sister Pei's eyes, the Qinglong Gang and those two big families are probably not tigers or wolves..."

"It seems that Sister Pei is only focused on governing the country and doesn't care about me, a lawless criminal."

"Or is there another plan? Is it a diversion to make me let my guard down? No, her not making any noise is the best way to confuse the enemy..."

"It's obviously a bloody thing, but it's the best thing for the people."

Lin Bai respected her more and more, but he still felt it was better to stay away from her.

In the evening, Lin Bai took Xiuxiu back to the city.

After sending her back to the clinic, Lin Bai went back to Mu Zhen's home.

The moon was at its zenith, and the two of them talked at night.

"Sister Zhen, where are you from?" Lin Bai asked.

Mu Zhen looked at Lin Bai, frowned slightly, and asked with displeasure: "If I don't tell you, will you stay still?"

"How dare I?" Lin Bai immediately gave in.

Another night.

As the day gradually brightened, Lin Bai went out to the clinic.

Before I could even get warm to the atmosphere, news spread from the street.

It was said that the county magistrate had issued a clear order to go to court to deal with the unjust cases in Huaxi County.

It is true that the sun rises from the west.

It was after noon when Lin Bai heard from others that the person trying the case was not the county magistrate, but the black-clad girl who had become famous in Huaxi County in the past two days.

Moreover, the girl in black did not accept bribes and only acted according to the law. She was fair and just, and everyone was convinced by her.

That’s right, those who refused to obey were already killed by her.

"Sister Pei, what is this? Black-faced... Black-robed Justice?"

Lin Bai didn't dare to ask or go and see, and could only listen to the gossip of people on the street.

Another day passed, and the deadline Mu Zhen required was getting closer.

That day, Lin Bai did not leave the clinic until very late.

I went back home first, looked at the jujube trees, and thought it was almost time to pick them. But it rained a lot this year, so the jujubes were not very sweet.

Moreover, the black cicada was still lying on the tree trunk, chirping.

Lin Bai took some water to rinse his body, changed into clean clothes, and went to Mu Zhen's house.

There was an oil lamp lit in the room, and Mu Zhen was doing needlework under the candlelight.

Holding the embroidery hoop with a thimble on her finger, she really looks like an embroiderer.

"What are you doing?" Lin Bai sat down opposite her.

"Making handkerchiefs. I have learned a lot of skills in the past few years, so I won't go hungry when I go out in the future." Mu Zhen smiled.

"Sister Zhen, did you make the pair of cloth shoes you gave me yourself?" Lin Bai asked again.

"Every stitch, every part by myself." Mu Zhen turned her head to look at Lin Bai, smiling slightly, and said, "When I gave you the cloth shoes, you looked like that. Even if I asked you to kill someone, you wouldn't say a word, right? You took the shoes home and put them away specially, and you couldn't bear to wear them, right?"

"Yes." Lin Bai nodded heavily, then smiled and said, "So, I wore it as hard as I could these past few days, and I didn't feel bad at all. It was stretched so much."

"You'd better say cloth shoes." Mu Zhen put down the embroidery hoop and took off the thimble.

"I was talking about cloth shoes. What do you think I was talking about?" Lin Bai asked seriously.

Mu Zhen picked up the lamp flowers with a needle and said with a smile, "I won't waste my time talking to you. Let's get started."

The candle flickered a few times, then straightened itself out, casting shadows of the two of them on the wall.

(End of this chapter)