Ink Burns

Chapter 70 Snail Liquid for Foot Soak
The sudden sound of drums rang out in all directions, at crossroads, at the foot of the city wall, in the north and south alleys, and in the neighborhood heads - in an instant, many yamen officials, in rows of four, carrying drums on their shoulders, ran at the intersection of the streets and alleys, wearing veils on their faces, wearing official uniforms, and dancing with their hands to beat the drums!
"Boom boom boom——"

The people of Songjiang Prefecture were urged out of their homes, alleys and shops by the loud drumbeats. Neighbors put on veils and gathered in three layers, looking around, wondering what was going on in the government office.

Wu Xiaohei, who lived at the foot of the city wall, supported his mother who was exhausted, and walked three steps, slowed down for two steps, and rested for one step.

Wu Xiaohei said, "Mom, how about I go and take a look? You go back and lie down?"

Although my mother was feeling unwell, she said: This epidemic is so evil that it makes people vomit and have diarrhea. The fat that they, the poor people, have saved for decades is gone just like that!

But the energy is abundant.

The young lady waved her hand: "You have to come out and see - I haven't seen the fun for a long time."

Wu Xiaohei:?

By the time we reached the foot of the city wall, a lot of people had gathered. The clan leaders and the village heads were shouting and greeting people. At some point, two men in long gowns and veils appeared and sat next to the drum. They played the sanxian with one hand and the pipa with the other. As the strings moved, "Fisherman's Drum and Songci" began. The actors sang Feng Menglong's "Stories to Enlighten the World". Although the Wuzhong and Songjiang accents were different, one could understand about 50% of it if one listened carefully - during the epidemic, it was a very rare pastime.

Wu Shen patted her son's hand and said, "Why don't you let me come out and see how beautiful it is!"

After half an hour, the actors stood up to take their bows. Someone in the crowd asked loudly, "Sir! Will you come to sing again tomorrow?"

The yamen official carrying the drum hid his face behind the veil and pulled the corners of his mouth: How happy you are now, how much more you will jump when you go back
——"They steal corpses!!!"

As the night deepened, after the patient stabilized, the Cheng Family Charity Hall's medicine shed was already deserted. Wu Xiaohei slammed the table in grief and anger: "We were all enjoying watching 'Tanci'! After watching it, we returned home to find that our house had been robbed! All the corpses in our ancestral hall were secretly taken away one by one! - Taken away! Gone!"

Wei Ruchun silently moved the inkstone on the table inward: This thing is the most expensive, it would be bad if it hits her foot.

Cheng Xingyu returned Wu Shenshi's wrist to her, raised his head slightly, his eyes were calm and clear, with a glimmer of warmth, and explained the condition first: "Very good. You will be nursed for half a month. It is a great thing that you can walk from the foot of the city wall to here. You can stop taking medicine first. Medicine is three-quarters toxic and can remove fat, blood and bones. You can drink porridge. If you are concerned about the heat, you can eat some egg drops. If you are not concerned about the heat, you can start by eating a small amount of meat and fish and then progress to normal."

Then he turned around and responded to the sentence "stealing the corpse".

Although the theft of the corpse in the ancestral hall was a terrible thing for the clan and family, he still wanted to laugh out of negligence.

"Not just you. The ancestral halls that were empty and where there were many corpses were all taken away by the government while we were listening to the tanci. The east gate of the city wall was half opened, and hundreds of corpses were transported to the nearby suburbs and burned."

Cheng Xingyu clenched his right fist to cover his mouth and nose, and coughed several times. He looked at Wu Xiaohei with comfort in his eyes, "It's actually a good thing. Corpses can spread diseases. If nothing is done for a long time, there will be a big epidemic after this one, which will cause even more suffering. Lord Bai cares about the people and is willing to take the risk of being hit to do this. He is also a good official."

Shan Yue lowered his eyes: Cheng Xingyu has a pair of good eyes and everyone he sees is a good person.

Wu Xiaohei immediately argued: "It wasn't Lord Bai! It was a high-ranking official wearing scarlet with a peacock on his chest! - Someone from our clan wanted to take the body back, so he rushed to the city wall, but before he got close to the wall, he was blocked by an arrow!"

He was right next to them at the time, but he didn't dare to go. Only then did his mother come back to life and his father finally stopped lying on the cold ground and was able to die with dignity. The corpses lay there day after day, and he was afraid that mosquitoes would bite the back of his father's hand, and that the rain would wash away the skin on his father's face. Rather than letting it rot and stink there, it would be better for him to die with a clean conscience.

Doctor Cheng once advised him: "When a person dies, it's like a light goes out. Only memories remain." As long as their wives don't forget him and they live well, his father won't be completely forgotten, let alone disrespectful - he understood this truth early on, but he couldn't beat the elders of the clan.

So when the elders went to attack the city wall, he did not go. He just watched from the side.

He saw the old man being stopped by the long arrow.

A tall, straight figure appeared on the city wall at some point. He was wearing a bright red outer garment embroidered with peacocks, ganoderma lucidum, and auspicious clouds, holding a bow in one hand. His face was blurred in the backlight, but his sharp and cold eyes seemed to penetrate the halo and strike people's hearts.

"Old man, stand back."

Four words fell lightly from the towering city wall to the ground.

With great pressure.

It seemed that as soon as the old man took another step forward, another arrow would pierce the sole of his foot!
"Burning corpses is a helpless act after the epidemic. I hope you will understand. After the epidemic is over, if you want to appeal, you can file a complaint with the prefect Bai Yusi. This is all the fault of Xue Xiao, the censor of the Imperial Censorate!"

The official's voice was so youthful that everyone could easily hear him without even a copper trumpet to pass on the message.

"But now!"

The senior official paused and said, "I hope you will step back."

In the hazy light, one could vaguely see the senior official raising his chin, his expression taking on a look of unquestionable majesty as a result of the action.

"If anyone crosses this arrow, don't blame me. I will shoot an arrow through your head."

On the city wall, the official raised the bow in his hand, then took a big step forward. Soon, he saw black smoke floating in the sky not far away along the city wall.

Everyone in the city fell together, sobbing and crying.

"Anyone who tries to rob will be punished according to military law and killed without mercy!"

Wu Xiaohei waved his fist in the air: "A third-rank official is so domineering!"

But for such a high-ranking official, isn't the man too young?

Wu Xiaohei added angrily, "Most of them are children of noble families from the capital. How can they become high-ranking officials at such a young age? The white beard of the previous governor Liu almost hung down to the ground! The wrinkles between our heads' brows are so thick that they can kill mosquitoes!"

"What if she takes good care of herself?" Wei Ruchun finally interrupted, somewhat excitedly: "She may be already 78 years old. Every day after work, she goes home to apply melon slices on her face, rub her hands with mud, and soak her feet in snail liquid. She is so busy!"

Wu Xiaohei: "Ugh—you're the one who uses snail liquid to wipe your feet!"

"Wipe your feet!"

"Wait!"

The topic smoothly shifted from "burning corpses" to "who uses snail liquid to wipe their feet".

Shan Yue curved her lips, and her gentle gaze was like the moonlight, casting a rippleless and traceless light on Wei Ruchun's face. In her heart, she felt an unprecedented peace: she was even happier than if she had cut off Cheng Xing's tongue with her own hands.

　There may be another chapter, but if not, I fell asleep with my mouth open.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)