Ink Burns

Chapter 61 The Stomped Whistle

As the sky began to brighten, the milky white smoke dissipated, replaced by the gauze-like morning light.

Cheng Xingyu, Wei Ruchun, and Peng Dapenger left first. Shanyue reached out to help Wei Ruchun tuck her loose hair behind her ears, and said softly, "Miss, see you next time."

Wei Ruchun smiled and yawned, revealing a row of neat white teeth: "Sister, see you next time!" After a pause, he said: "Go to the pharmacy and pick some Prunella Vulgaris to soak in water and drink it more often, it can relieve liver depression."

Shan Yue also smiled shakily with her: "Is it bitter? If it is bitter, I won't drink it."

Wei Ruchun curled his eyes and said, "If the medicine is not bitter, is it still medicine? You might as well prepare a few skewers of pork meat that is roasted with fat and sprinkled with dogwood, or roasted pork belly with alternating fat and lean meat. Let's drink the medicine, eat the meat, drink the medicine, eat the meat, eat the medicine, drink the meat."

Wei Ruchun swallowed his saliva: I successfully said I was hungry.

Shanyue also laughed: This is not taking medicine, it's just a bowl of soup to go with the barbecue.

The Peng brothers, who were leading the mule in the distance, whistled.

Cheng Xingyu whispered softly, "Miss Wei now lives in Yuhua Lane in the south of the city. There is a red stove grilled chicken restaurant opened by a person from northern Xinjiang at the door. We will have many opportunities to meet in the future—"

The whistle sounded again.

Shanyue wanted to crush the whistle.

The mule cart started off shakily. Wei Ruchun opened her arms and waved goodbye to Shanyue. After saying goodbye with a full sense of ceremony, she turned around and lay down on the stumbling mule cart frame to catch up on her sleep. She was indeed a good girl who seemed to have drunk fake wine and didn't care about anything.

Shanyue's smile gradually faded as the mule cart went away. She was still waiting for the gambling game to end.

The dealer has changed several times. Blindly throwing the dice to bet on the size is the most addictive. It does not require any thinking and only depends on whether your luck is good or not. It is most suitable for brainless people to invest money and have fun.

Huang Xiaozhi played with them as if they were playing with cucumbers.

At the first cockcrow, Huang Zhi came out first with a proud look on her face, her wallet as bulging as her big, plump face, followed by the three brainless members of the Jiang family who were overjoyed.

The Cheng family had two carriages, one going to Beijing, the other moving goods locally. Jiang Er followed Huang Zhi to drink soup and eat meat. Now was the time to be attentive to Huang Zhi's little aunt. He risked delaying the delivery of medicine to Beijing and sent Shan Yue and her group back home first. He immediately arranged a soup and meat party: "Ms. Huang Zhi is a real person who never shows her face. When we come back, will you take us out to play?"

Huang Zhi sat upright, with a sullen face, looking like a big shot, and spoke in jargon: "Each of you pay your own capital, the prize is 3 to 7, and you can grind the tea--"

Shan Yue: When I have taken revenge, I will give you a lucky pavilion.

Shan Yue looked relaxed, and even though he hadn't slept all night, his eyebrows and eyes were full of energy.

Miss Wang Er bumped Shan Yue's shoulder and said, "Are you in a good mood?"

Shan Yue curled his lips into an unnatural smile, turned his head and looked out the car window. Looking at the endless mountains and roads, he suddenly felt that the future was not so difficult to endure.

Zhou Liniang was also looking out the window, her hands supporting her chin, smiling dreamily: "Yes, I also think the second young master is quite handsome."

Miss Wang Er sighed and raised her other shoulder: "You said yesterday that Zhou Damao from the outer courtyard was good-looking, and the day before yesterday you said that Diwa, who delivered water, was good-looking."

Zhou Li Niang's face turned red: "All of them are passers-by!"

Huang Zhi said leisurely: "No wonder you are the only one who has had a lover." With such a pair of eyes that are good at discovering beauty, how can you not have a lover? "

Everyone in the car laughed.

Shanyue also laughed. After the beginning of winter, there was a light snow. Shanyue painted a picture of withered lotus in the dusk and handed it to Cheng Xinghe for assignment. He also took the opportunity to go to the silk and satin shop in the east of the city on his way to Lord Liu's house. Master Wu Sun was already waiting there. Shanyue handed the relatively complete draft of Zhu Siming's "Autumn Trees after the Rain" to Master Wu, and also matched it with two imitations of Shen Huaizan's paintings of ladies that were hung in the outer hall of the Cheng family.

"The Cheng family is short-sighted and rich, and they spend a lot of money. The walls of their house are covered with real and fake paintings. People who don't know would think they have entered a painting studio - before the New Year, I can paint three more paintings." Shanyue pushed the bamboo tube package to the Fifth Master as he had to grasp both the main and side businesses.

Wu Ye's eyelids drooped: "Tell me honestly, what is the purpose of the Cheng family?"

Shan Yue pressed his tongue against his teeth, his refusal attitude was firm.

Uncle Wu stroked his forehead and said: This is a stubborn fish. Once it bites the hook, it can wrestle with you for a whole day and a night.

"Forget it, forget it. If you don't want to talk about it, just forget it." The Fifth Master threw a few more peacock green phosphorescent minerals and said, "If you need anything, come to the silk shop in the east of the city to find me. I will be in Songjiang Prefecture until the New Year."

If someone with "bridge bones" wants to fly away, he is willing to hold him up with both hands and help him flap his wings, including the company of Wang Erniang beside Shanyue, Lao Lu's inquiries, and assistance within his ability. After Shanyue entered the Cheng family, Master Cheng died immediately and he realized something was wrong - there must be something hidden!
But Shanyue has always been wary of him and only talks about business and nothing else.

He knew that it was because he bought her but was unwilling to spend money to treat her illness, which left a knot in his heart.

He didn't want to comfort her, nor did he want to break the news - it's not easy for people from the bottom of society to break out of their cocoon. He had struggled for decades to get to his current position of power. He would help if he could. In the past, he was poor and had few ambitions, so he could only help with five taels of silver. Now, his arms and sleeves are long, so he can help with thirty taels of silver.

Everyone has a pricing. It’s not just about how much you are worth, but also how much money I have!

Shan Yue took the peacock green phosphorescent ore, pursed his lips and said: "Don't stay in Songjiang Prefecture these days."

After saying this, he felt something was wrong. The entire Jiangnan officialdom was rotten, rotten from the root. It made no difference whether it was in Songjiang Prefecture or Suzhou Prefecture. There was the Cheng family selling fake medicine in Songjiang Prefecture, so why didn't there exist the same family in Suzhou Prefecture?

"You should stay at home more and go out less. Winter is coming and all the insects and rats will wake up."

Shan Yue reminded him cryptically, but was afraid that Wu Ye would not understand, so he said, "The Cheng family has been taking inventory of medicinal materials recently. It's already cold now, just after a little snow. I'm afraid this winter will be difficult - I heard that one household after another in northern Anhui is suffering from illness."

Shanyue has been in a very good mood recently, and he rarely joked: "Although I am only worth five taels of silver to you, I am very grateful to you for being here with me."

Master Sun Wu looked at Shan Yue and reached out to touch his head, but failed in the end.

As soon as Shan Yue finished meeting the people, the epidemic came.

The arrival of the epidemic was not overwhelming and ostentatious, but rather it accumulated slowly day by day without any warning - which is three points similar to the generation of hatred.

The number of patients in the provincial Chinese medicine hall increased from about ten a day to about twenty a day, and then to about thirty a day. Finally, there were patients standing, sitting, and lying in the hall, crying out "ouch" continuously.

Cheng Xinghe did not go to see him, but hid in the back house, washing his hands with scented pancreas all the time, covering his mouth and nose tightly with a natural silk towel, and ordering people to surround the main courtyard with silk cloth. Those who brought water and food had to soak their hands in strong liquor when going in and out. He decocted medicine every day, and took the medicine given by Lord Liu even if he was not sick - he was extremely afraid of death.

The managers of the Chengji Pharmacy in Songjiang Prefecture couldn't even get in, and shouted to Cheng Xing through the fence: "There are too many patients! Not enough doctors! Not enough medicine in the pharmacy! Master, open the Dongchizi warehouse!"

Cheng Xinghe held a copper trumpet and shouted through the window lattice at the door: "Open! Open! Open! Tell all the doctors to come out! And the maids and servants in the house should go out and get bamboo poles to work overtime to build the charity hall!"

Opportunities often come with challenges. If this wave of operations is done right, the Cheng family will be able to soar.

But the prerequisite is that he has to be fine.

　Asking for a monthly ticket! ! !

　　
　
(End of this chapter)