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墨書 Inktalez
Pang Yuanying had been sleeping soundly for a long time, only opening his eyes when the light dimmed. He sleepily gazed at the plain curtains and was startled to see the sunset through the crack in the door.
How could he have slept so peacefully?
Pang Yuanying was always delicate; whenever he arrived somewhere, he would go to great lengths to have various furniture transported from the capital. It wasn't just about showing off; he had a habit of being picky about his surroundings. If the bedding was even slightly uncomfortable, he would become irritable and unable to sleep. If the items were not what he was used to, he felt they were dirty.
This pretentious habit left his older brother and parents speechless. They tried various ways to force him to change, but after all, they were his own parents and brother. Even if he looked a little haggard, they couldn't bear it. Moreover, with the Empress Dowager around, how could they bear to let him suffer?
In the end, the Empress Dowager spoke up—"Noble Young Master, there's nothing wrong with being particular. If you are reluctant to spend money, I will cover it. He can have whatever he wants from my share."
Who would dare to trouble the Empress Dowager? Thus, they could only let it be and tacitly accepted that the Scholarly Family's Pang Family had produced an extremely pampered young master.
Now in Wudang County, although Lord Pang's residence was luxurious and the furnishings were transported from afar, it still did not meet his expectations. Even at home, he often found it hard to sleep comfortably and felt uneasy all over. Yet today, he had slept soundly and sweetly.
Pang Yuanying was momentarily dazed as he stood up and walked out of the somewhat shabby hut, only to see Qin Yaru sitting by the fire, laughing with someone.
The person's cheeks were rosy, her face serene, and her lips slightly curled in a charming smile. Pang Yuanying found himself unable to look away as he watched her take out a handkerchief to wipe clean a dirty girl’s face. That kind of tenderness was something he had never experienced. Thinking of how this beautiful girl avoided him as if he were a venomous snake made him feel somewhat uncomfortable.
The atmosphere on the platform was lively; a large pot was set over the fire, simmering with fragrant meat soup. People gathered around, eating and chatting merrily.
Qin Yaru was like a bright moon surrounded by stars; no matter how far away one was, she was always the first person noticed.
Unknowingly and instinctively, Pang Yuanying seemed drawn in closer until he stood right in front of Qin Yaru. However, as soon as he approached, the previously lively scene fell silent.
Qin Yaru suddenly turned her head, narrowing her eyes slightly. She stood up quietly and took two steps back.
A group of doctors, assistants, and some patients were originally laughing and chatting while eating, but they now watched the Marquis with caution. Su Tu and Meng Ge subtly moved closer to Qin Yaru, effectively shielding her.
Pang Yuanying was taken aback, feeling an odd discomfort within himself. Why was he so wary? He scoffed inwardly and disdainfully surveyed the surroundings—just some ordinary villagers, not even worthy of carrying his shoes. That bowl of meat soup was murky, containing only bits of minced meat; in the past, he would have found its smell unbearable.
Pang Yuanying awkwardly averted his gaze, suddenly feeling a mix of emotions that extinguished his interest in teasing beautiful women. He seemed to realize that his mood was inappropriate, shot a glare at Qin Yaru, said nothing, then turned away and walked to his horse, mounting it without looking back.
As his figure grew distant, the people around them finally exhaled deeply.
Su Tu couldn't help but mutter, "Finally gone. Having this guy around makes me feel uneasy. If he drops a hair here, our entire Wudang will be in trouble."
Meng Ge frowned. "Who knows when he'll leave? The Wu County Magistrate sounded terrified. It seems he faced some trouble in Yun County. With this noble's domineering nature, if things don't get resolved soon, he might cause some major disturbance before leaving us with a mess to clean up."
Qin Yaru smiled and felt relieved that he didn't cause any trouble; otherwise, no matter how she responded in front of so many people, it wouldn't have been appropriate and would surely lead to embarrassment.
The free clinic seemed long but actually ended quickly. Aside from encountering a few difficult cases, most were common ailments that didn't provide much learning experience. However, having so many patients allowed the young doctors to practice their skills, which was quite valuable. At least Qin Yaru felt she had learned a lot; her previously rudimentary medical skills had improved significantly, and others were also quite satisfied.
Qin Yaru returned to Ji Ren Tang first to pick up her son and prepare some disinfectant powder for all the doctors who had close contact with the disaster victims to thoroughly disinfect themselves from head to toe.
After all, those disaster victims had traveled far and passed through many places; they might have unknowingly picked up some bacteria or viruses. When treating others, one must also protect oneself.
Coincidentally, when Qin Yaru returned to Ji Ren Tang, she overheard Elder Ji mention that next month he would send a convoy to the capital. It seemed that Ji Ren Tang's current stock of medicine was running low and that Elder Ji had withdrawn some working capital to buy a 'fake' medical book. The pharmacy was facing a bit of a crisis; fortunately, Elder Ji had extensive connections and still had a senior brother in the capital who could lend him some money for temporary use.
Upon hearing this, Qin Yaru's mind began to race. Who in the Song Dynasty didn't yearn for Kaifeng? Moreover, if she went to Kaifeng, she could find ways to search for her sister Xiu.
Elder Ji thought for a moment and did not strongly oppose it. He was quite open-minded; as long as his descendants were not engaging in criminal activities, he did not care what kind of life they chose. Otherwise, he would not have allowed his second son, Ji Rufeng, to mess around like this. He could not help but remind her a few times: "I heard Chen Wenyue is currently in Kaifeng. If you are serious about remarrying, it would be better to go to another town, far away from him, to avoid gossip."
In the Song Dynasty, it was not taboo for widows to remarry; even the Empress Dowager was a remarried woman. However, staying in the same place as an ex-husband always felt awkward.
Qin Yaru shook her head: "Now we are strangers. If I go to Kaifeng, I will not go near him, but there is no need to go out of my way to avoid him."
Seeing her insistence, Elder Ji said no more and only asked her to pack her things and wait slowly. This time, Ji Ren Tang sent a convoy to the capital not only to borrow money but also to deliver a batch of medicinal products. Traveling far was not easy nowadays, and preparation took a long time. Fortunately, Qin Yaru was not in a hurry; it did not matter whether it was one day earlier or later.
Since she had decided to go to Kaifeng, Qin Yaru seriously converted all the large items at home into cash and exchanged them for gold and silver. She initially planned to build a carriage herself but later thought better of it. Horses were hard to buy, and Ji Ren Tang had already decided to hire a carriage from a carriage shop, so she did not pursue it further.
Qin Yaru did not have many things to handle; she did not plan to sell the house but wanted to rent it out. The estate and shop given by Chen Wenyue had caretakers and a shopkeeper watching over them. Even though these people might embezzle some funds, as a woman, she could not think of a better solution. At most, she could only ask the Wang family and Lai San to keep an eye on things.
When preparing her dowry, Qin Yaru inevitably felt a bit sad.
After her separation from Chen Wenyue, the Chen Family Clan clearly put a lot of pressure on Chen Wulang. Without Qin Yaru's knowledge, the clan leader personally intervened and discussed with several elders, deciding that Chen Wulang should return all her dowry. However, most of that dowry had already been spent by Chen Wenyue.
In the end, she only received a few pieces of jewelry that were not particularly new.
Among those items was the phoenix hairpin that her mother left her—the one she liked the most—but it was not included. She knew very well that Chen Wenyue must have already given it to Gentle Blue Princess.
Although she was aware of this, Qin Yaru did not want to complicate matters further; ensuring a smooth divorce was the most important thing. If it were not for Chen Wenyue actively compensating her with several fixed assets, she would not have intended to take this too seriously. After all, she had the dowry list in hand; if he kept some of her dowry items with him, they might still be useful in the future.
Qin Yaru felt at ease organizing household chores at home while coaxing Da Lang to study and waiting for news from Ji Ren Tang. Outside, however, there was quite an uproar.
The number of unruly people in Yun County is increasing, and they appear and disappear mysteriously, leaving the Official Authorities in a state of confusion. Pang Yuanying is particularly exhausted, while Qin Yaru occasionally hears snippets of conversation that make her want to laugh. This group of unruly individuals is clearly organized, and their leader is quite clever, well-versed in guerrilla tactics and adept at utilizing their knowledge of the terrain. If they were to join the military, they would likely become outstanding generals.
One day, Qin Yaru took Da Lang out to buy some pork. As soon as they stepped out of the alley, they heard someone banging a gong and shouting loudly, "The Marquis has captured three hundred twenty-nine unruly individuals. Tomorrow at noon, they will be executed publicly. Everyone come and see; these are the unruly people."
Qin Yaru looked up and saw a long line of prison carts approaching from behind, filled with crying prisoners. Among them were not only young men but also frail elderly people and children. Occasionally, the sound of women sobbing could be heard. The pedestrians on the street were taken aback and began to discuss among themselves.
"Isn't that one from Wang Village in Yun County? He just married a new wife; he's an honest man. How did he become one of the unruly?"
"And there are children too! How can they capture such little kids?"
"Could it be that the Official Authorities can't catch real criminals and are just randomly rounding up people to make up the numbers? Over three hundred is too many."
"This is terrible; how many lives will be lost? That Marquis isn't afraid of retribution."
Qin Yaru frowned and shielded Da Lang's eyes from the sight. They didn't even buy any meat and hurried back home to shut the door, a layer of cold sweat forming on her back.
Having spent too long in the twentieth century, she was almost forgetting that even in the relatively tolerant and open Song Dynasty, those in power could still control the lives of ordinary people.
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