Chapter Fourteen: A Reward of One Thousand Taels of Silver

The two strings of coins she’d earned yesterday were still warm in her pocket—she had enough for the consultation, but how much would remain afterward was anyone’s guess. Whenever she thought of this, Yunshuang felt the urge to sigh, but glancing at the two children beside her, she could only swallow her helplessness for now.

The carriage soon arrived at Tongxin Hall, a clinic run by a doctor surnamed Gao. He appeared to be in his fifties, his face long and narrow, with a mustache on his upper lip and a goatee on his chin, giving him a shrewd look. His medical skills, however, were truly impressive.

Doctor Gao carefully examined Erya, inserted a few needles in her, then dissolved a pill and fed it to her. The little girl, who had been clutching her stomach and murmuring “it hurts,” gradually relaxed her tightly furrowed brow and soon drifted into a peaceful sleep.

Seeing this, Yunshuang finally let out a breath she’d been holding; Gou Dan, for his part, couldn’t hide his excitement and stayed faithfully by his sister’s side, though he was careful not to make a fuss.

Doctor Gao instructed two of his apprentices to prepare a decoction, then called Yunshuang aside and spoke in a low voice, “You must be Madam Yun, yes? Your daughter’s abdominal pain was caused by irregular eating and a chill, but the root of the problem is her frail constitution. Other children might not fall ill under the same circumstances, but your daughter’s body is like a fruit already riddled with a thousand cracks—any mishap could lead to irreversible consequences. Children her age must be raised with particular care.”

Yunshuang pressed her lips together and replied, “I understand, doctor. I’ll trouble you to help regulate my daughter’s health this time. I’ll be more careful in future.”

Doctor Gao’s eyes passed over Yunshuang’s worn linen skirt; he understood that some families did not neglect their children by choice, but simply lacked the means. That this mother had managed to bring her child here for treatment was already no small feat.

He chose his words with care, speaking as gently as possible. “Fortunately, you sought help in time—her condition isn’t too severe. I’ll prescribe three days’ worth of medicine. Take it home, prepare two doses a day, and give them to her after meals. I’ll also teach you a massage technique for certain acupoints to use before bedtime; that should suffice. However, her fever hasn’t subsided yet. I recommend letting her stay here until it does, then take her home. Once home, keep her warm and feed her light, nourishing food. If she shows any further discomfort, bring her to me immediately…”

Noticing Yunshuang’s lips pressed tighter and tighter, Doctor Gao paused and coughed lightly. “In any case, let’s proceed with this treatment for now. Don’t worry too much.”

How could she not worry? It was only early autumn—the harsher winter was yet to come.

The final bill, including consultation and medicine, came to two hundred sixty coins: eighty for the consultation, one hundred eighty for three days of medicine, two doses per day.

Ordinary physicians charged between twenty and fifty coins for a consultation. Medicine costs varied greatly depending on quality, but Tongxin Hall, intent on building its reputation, would hardly prescribe inferior remedies. Nor was Yunshuang willing to skimp on her children’s health—the body was not to be neglected, or else the expenses later would be far greater. That was why she’d chosen Tongxin Hall without hesitation.

She paid the fee with a pang of regret. Two hundred sixty coins might seem little compared to her two thousand, but that covered only one consultation and three days of medicine. Moreover, after this ordeal, she no longer dared cling to the hope of improving her family’s situation only after she’d earned more money. She needed to buy warm clothing and bedding, have the countless holes and cracks in the house repaired, and provide more nutritious food for the children.

Gou Dan’s constitution was unlikely to be much better than Erya’s. That he hadn’t fallen ill this time was nothing but luck. She needed to find a way to nip all their ailments in the bud!

With that thought, two thousand coins seemed woefully inadequate—scarcely enough to count for anything.

Was there any way to earn money quickly?

Afterward, seeing Erya’s condition stabilize, Yunshuang entrusted her to Doctor Gao’s care, took Gou Dan with her, and set out to buy some necessities for the household—and perhaps, just maybe, to look for a business opportunity.

After leaving Tongxin Hall and rounding a corner, they reached the main street—North Street—in Shanyang County. The larger shops were clustered here, with many vendors peddling their wares along the sides, making the place far livelier than their village.

As she walked, Yunshuang kept a keen eye on her surroundings. Suddenly, she noticed a crowd gathered by a wall, apparently discussing something posted there. She hesitated, wondering whether to go over and take a look, when two men walked past her, talking as they went:

“Hey, that Scholar Fan actually raised the reward to a thousand taels. Rich families are on a different level—I’ve never seen that much money in my life!”

“A thousand taels? That’s nothing. Now that Lady Luo is missing, and with the Luo family lacking any male heirs, if she never returns, the family’s wealth—all ten thousand strings—will be up for grabs. Honestly, if I were Scholar Fan, I’d be praying day and night that she never comes back! Besides, Lady Luo vanished without a trace—who knows if she was abducted? After so many days, what innocence could possibly remain?”

“You shouldn’t say such things. Scholar Fan and Lady Luo are known as a match made in heaven. Since her disappearance, his anxiety hardly seems feigned…”

Though their words contained much that was distasteful, Yunshuang caught the key phrase: a reward—a thousand taels!

If she could get her hands on that, she’d never have to worry again. It was enough to make her want to laugh out loud even in her dreams.

Her mind made up, Yunshuang was about to head toward the crowd when a loud, familiar voice called out nearby, “Madam Yun!”

The voice was unmistakable. Yunshuang thought, “It can’t be such a coincidence,” as she turned to see Yan Fang, whom she’d met just the day before, standing not far off, waving his arm with great enthusiasm.

Today, he wore a plain dark robe instead of armor. Tall and broad as an ox, he stood there like a mighty black bear. Yet for all his intimidating size and rough features, there was an undeniable air of foolishness about him.

Did she know him that well? The way he called to her was far too familiar!

Yunshuang was silent for a moment before realizing he was standing right in front of the county yamen. Shanyang’s county office was, of course, located on the main street. She and Gou Dan had nearly walked there without noticing.

No wonder the missing person notice had been posted nearby. Since it concerned a disappearance, the yamen officials must know more about it.

The thought made the man before her suddenly seem much more agreeable, so she strode toward him.

Yan Fang flashed a row of large, white teeth. “Madam Yun, you’re in town again today!”

As he spoke, he glanced at Gou Dan, who was following close behind Yunshuang.

Well, well, the boy was glaring at him! Just as Wu Qi had said, this little fellow, though young, had quite the fierce spirit.

“Mm,” Yunshuang replied coolly, wasting no words. She went straight to the point: “I just heard someone talking about Lady Luo’s disappearance. Deputy Yan, do you know the details of this matter?”