Chapter 14

"Jue Ge'er, come sit here too, it's steadier."

Aunt Zhang, the village head, told him to move further in, saying that in his current condition, he needed to sit securely.

Chen Jue accepted her kindness.

Before long, the ox cart was full, but many people still surrounded it, refusing to let it leave. They were all family members entrusting Zhou Shuyao with asking at the county office when the men conscripted for corvée labor would return.

Corvée labor started in the second lunar month. In previous years, it lasted at most a month, but Zhou Qingshan hadn't been sent home until late in the third month, and only because he had a broken leg.

As for the others, not one had returned.

The families of those who hadn't returned felt a pang of panic the moment they saw Zhou Qingshan come back with a broken leg.

But they had no idea where to find their loved ones, so every time Zhou Shuyao went to the county, they'd beg him to inquire at the county office.

Zhou Shuyao stifled his impatience and said, "Fine, fine, fine, I'll go check. I'll come back and tell you the second I have news."

With a flick of his whip, the sturdy yellow ox started moving. The villagers were left behind, gazing after them with hopeful eyes.

Chen Jue looked at the old folks, women, and children, then quietly turned his head away.

He was a cold man, and his thoughts were equally cold. Those who'd gone to the battlefield and still hadn't returned must have run into trouble.

The fact that they'd drag unarmed villagers to the front lines showed just how fierce and desperate the war had become. Even those cooking in the rear might be sent to the front at any moment.

Once on the front lines, they'd probably end up like that Huo Lin guy.

Chen Jue thought this indifferently, saying nothing, just gazing at the peach blossom grove in the distance.

Pingshan Village was beautiful. A river roughly ten feet wide wound gently around the village, and the peach blossoms on the hillside had passed their peak, petals falling in profusion.

It was a scene from paradise. Looking at this peaceful scene, you'd hardly imagine there was a war going on outside.

Where was the battlefield? Had it crossed the city moat yet?

Chen Jue could only guess that Pingshan Village was in North China, which probably wasn't far from the northwest.

If this war were lost, this paradise-like scene would be gone.

No matter how well hidden, they'd be affected. When the lips are gone, the teeth feel the cold.

In his past life, he'd lived in a peaceful era. Though there were trade wars year after year, he couldn't feel the danger without seeing smoke and fire—totally different from this ancient era where war could break out at any moment.

So Chen Jue couldn't help but worry about it.

Just as Chen Jue was lost in thought, the ox cart came to a stop. Aunt Zhang had called for a stop because the old yellow ox had done its business.

Aunt Zhang told Zhou Shuyao to get off and pick up the cow patty.

This was Chen Jue's first time on an ox cart, so he didn't know that cow dung dropped on the road had to be collected. He was just thinking about how cleanly the villagers were when he heard Aunt Zhang say: "Hurry up and grab it. If you're too slow, someone else will snatch it up. This cow dung is good stuff—we need to save it."

Chen Jue was silent for a moment. So that's how it was.

In modern times, people used chemical fertilizers for crops; this kind of animal and human waste was rarely used anymore.

Zhou Shuyao reluctantly got off to pick it up, and when he came back, he caught Chen Jue's surprised look. He coughed and turned away.

When the ox did its business again later, he flat-out refused to get off.

He said to Aunt Zhang: "Mom, the sun's almost up. Let's get moving. Don't Uncle Liu's vegetables need to be sold fresh? And didn't you want to buy pork early, and those reed leaves for zongzi? If we're late, there won't be any left."

"Oh, Shuyao's in a hurry to eat zongzi, huh? Haha, well, you'll have to wait—it's still half a month until the Dragon Boat Festival."

"Oh, you almost made me forget. The Dragon Boat Festival's coming up. Time really flies."

"Right. After the Dragon Boat Festival, we'll be harvesting wheat. I was so focused on the wheat harvest that I almost forgot about the Dragon Boat Festival."

"Exactly. When we get busy, there's no time to come to the county, so I figured I'd buy the reed leaves this trip." Aunt Zhang said.

Chen Jue silently did the math. He'd been in Pingshan Village for almost half a month now. He'd arrived in mid-April by the lunar calendar, and sure enough, the Dragon Boat Festival was half a month away.

The wheat along both banks was already turning yellow. It wouldn't be long before harvest, and then he could buy some fresh flour.

Chen Jue unconsciously smacked his lips. This was actually a thought that had popped into his head—how strange. He'd never planned for daily necessities like food and oil before.

Since Zhou Shuyao refused to get off and pick up cow dung again, the ox cart picked up speed. In less than an hour, just as the sun was rising, they finally arrived at the county seat.

Dongling County, Xuzhou Prefecture.

It was carved on the stone road marker. This dynasty was divided into provinces and prefectures.

Chen Jue hadn't expected that an hour's ride from Pingshan Village would bring them to the county seat.

Seemed they weren't too far from the capital.

No wonder there was war not far from here. If this was the historical Xuzhou, then it was a place every military power fought over.

Yongzhou, Xuzhou, Jinzhou, Jizhou, and Jingzhou were known as the five strategically contested regions in history.

This was recorded in history books. Chen Jue only remembered it; he didn't have a strong sense of what it meant.

He looked at Dongling County before him, which didn't seem to resemble a county town. Not that the area was small—it was actually vast, with mountains and water, and he could even see mist rising from the eastern end, where there was a dock, as Uncle Liu had told him.

Dongling County was very large. What he was seeing was just one of its more prosperous corners—the main market.

It was only because he was a modern person, accustomed to the splendor of later-era metropolises, that he hadn't yet adjusted.

Chen Jue looked around silently. Uncle Liu noticed him gazing everywhere and remembered that he rarely came to the county—it was always Huo Lin who came before. So he smiled and said to him: "Isn't it lively and grand? Today is market day, so there are more people. Once the market disperses, I'll take you over to that side—that's where the elegant streets and buildings are."

Following Uncle Liu's pointing finger, Chen Jue finally saw the two-story wooden buildings at the end of the market.

After a moment, he nodded. Indeed, compared to Pingshan Village, this place was bustling and prosperous.

Once he found the right comparison, he could accept it well. Chen Jue even felt that this small county town had an antique charm—this kind of antiquity was absolutely nothing like the cheaply constructed sets on television.

Though it was also quite dilapidated, this dilapidation was real.

"Would you like some tea, sir? One coin a bowl!"

The tea stall's hawking call came through. Their ox cart had stopped at the head of the market, under a large locust tree.

A sweet tea stall had been set up here, and most people stopped to rest at this spot.

As they drew near, Chen Jue caught the faint fragrance of locust blossoms.

It was May, the season when locust flowers bloom, but there wasn't much left on this tree—probably all picked clean by people.

When it came to such rare delicacies, the county couldn't compare to Pingshan Village, nestled against three great mountains. At least Chen Jue had gotten his fill of locust flower cakes over the past few days.

Everyone began unloading their things from the cart. Chen Jue helped Uncle Liu hoist his basket of vegetables onto his back. His own herbs were sun-dried and lighter, so he thought about trading loads with Uncle Liu. It was the tail end of market day, and they still had a ways to walk before reaching the main area.

Uncle Liu chuckled, "You shouldn't be hauling anything heavy in your condition. I've carried this load for years—I can manage fine. Don't you worry about me. You go on ahead to the medicine shop and sell your herbs, then come back here to meet up. You can still ride the ox cart on the way back."

Chen Jue knew he was worried about his belly, so he said no more. Uncle Liu's vegetable stall was in the main market, while Chen Jue needed to go to the medicine shop at the far end of the market. Or maybe somewhere else entirely.

Today, he wanted to look around Dongling County.

Zhou Shuyao wanted to help carry the herb basket for him, but Chen Jue had already shouldered it himself, so he could only remind him, "The ox cart heads back around three in the afternoon—don't miss it. Sell your herbs quick and come wait under this tree early."

As Chen Jue walked off with Uncle Liu, he called out after him, "And don't go wandering off either—this ain't our village."

Chen Jue quirked an eyebrow. Why was this Zhou Shuyao being so attentive?

He was a married man, after all. Could there be something else going on?

Ah well, whatever. Let him feel what he feels.

Chen Jue shook his head and walked away.

Uncle Liu briefed Chen Jue on Dongling County. He had visited many times—with no man in the house, he had to go out and earn a living, so he knew the county well.

He pointed out where the medicine shop was—on the busy street in the middle of town.

Chen Jue nodded along. After getting Uncle Liu settled, he strolled around at a leisurely pace.

Chen Jue first checked the route on the bulletin board in the market street.

Dongling County had four main streets, laid out pretty evenly.

Each main street had its own specialty. South Street was the snack street and where the market was—the liveliest spot, meant for everyday folks. Right next to it, East Street was home to restaurants and pastry shops—the fancier places to eat.

West Street was for clothing and silk shops, while East Street had medicine shops and pawnshops. North Street was where the government offices were located. Since ancient times, the north has been the seat of imperial power.

Once he had the layout down, Chen Jue wandered street by street. The East Street where the medicine shops were located was very long. He wasn't in a hurry to sell—he walked from one end to the other, just scoping things out first.

The three largest medicine shops were: Huichun Hall, Renxin Medicine Shop, and Jishi Hall.

The storefronts all looked alike, with benches out front for patients to sit on.

Perhaps because it was market day, there were a good number of patients.

Especially in front of Jishi Hall at the west end—the line almost reached the end of the street.

Chen Jue stood off to the side and observed for a while. The patients at Jishi Hall were different from the ones at the other two shops—going by their clothes, most were poor.

The doctor on duty was an old man with a white beard. He was examining a middle-aged man with a sallow face and hunched back. One hand clutched his abdomen near the liver, and he coughed now and then, still seeming short of breath. His son beside him was patting his back. After the man coughed forcefully, Chen Jue saw his son crumple the handkerchief into a ball and put it away, his face looked grim.

The old doctor frowned slightly but still reassured him, "Same old problem, eh—constipation, chest and back pain, especially bad when you cough. The weather's about to warm up, so things should get a little better. I'll write you a few more prescriptions."

As he wrote the prescription, he added, "About these herbs, if your family has time, you can also pick them from the mountains. Half-branch lotus—the ones with the little blue flowers—they're all over the place. Pair them with snake tongue herb, and then... astragalus. Ten grams of dried half-branch lotus, twenty grams of snake tongue herb, three qian of astragalus... After the Dragon Boat Festival, boil some reed leaves and mugwort in water and soak your feet in it once a day."

Chen Jue's lips twitched slightly. The old doctor spoke as if it were nothing, but anyone who knew their craft could tell the patient was already terminally ill—like a lamp running out of oil.

A weak body can't handle strong tonics.

Maybe the patient couldn't afford expensive herbs, so the old doctor didn't prescribe any. Instead, he went with cheaper, milder substitutes—affordable and just as effective for someone too weak for heavy tonics.

Chen Jue chose this shop to sell his herbs. From the way the old doctor prescribed medicine, this pharmacy seemed fair—they might not give him the best price, but they wouldn't cheat him either.

Since he didn't know the going rates for herbs in this era or how other shops operated, playing it safe was the smartest move.

He was in it for the long haul.