"Second brother," Lili teased, "Second brother's Pear Fragrance Pavilion is getting better and better. You truly live up to your name."

Who doesn't appreciate genuine praise, especially from their own sister?

Shen Jialu proudly raised his head: "That's right, don't you know who my brother is? How about that, I didn't hold our Lili back, did I?"

Pear Fragrance Pavilion's monthly revenue is comparable to that of the Shen family's business, yet Shen Jialu still claims it's dragging them down. Pear is truly ashamed.

"Second brother, don't say that. If Lili were to do these things, the shop would have to close down in three days."

Shen Jialu was flattered by the praise. When Lili and her guards entered, they said a few words to Huang Ying. Huang Ying then came up to Lili and asked, "Miss, should we move those medicinal herbs down?"

Shen Jialu: "Medicinal herbs? What medicinal herbs?"

Lili revealed her entire plan: "I need to trouble my second brother to help me with this."

Shen Jialu has his own caravan, which was originally trained by Gu Ziyi's men. They are very clever. Later, Shen Jialu recruited many more people, expanding the caravan and making things much easier for him in all aspects.

Lili had originally considered not troubling Shen Jialu, since it was too unusual for a caravan to go to a place with an epidemic at this critical juncture.

But if she didn't go to Shen Jialu, she would have to go to her father, which would inevitably involve the government officials. Then this matter would not be as simple as the Shen family doing charity. In short, Lili didn't want to get involved in so many things.

Gu Ziyi has been busy repairing houses for the people lately, and with that big golden man who's been mingling in the Red Eagle Army, Gu Ziyi is so busy he's dizzy, and Lili doesn't want to bother him.

After much deliberation, it seems the only option left is to trouble Shen Jialu.

“This is no trouble at all. My fourth brother’s journey is fraught with danger. Physician Sikong is old, and my fourth brother is young. I’m quite worried about him. You’re just like me. I just gave orders to purchase medicinal herbs in other counties, and you’ve already taken care of it all,” Shen Jialu said with a smile.

Lili had already guessed that Shen Jialu would also think of this, so she wasn't surprised: "I don't have many medicinal herbs. I bought them all today from various pharmacies in the city. These will be enough to tide me over for now. Second brother can continue with the rest."

After the brother and sister quickly discussed the important matters, Shen Jialu was about to take her to the shop to choose some things.

"You just saw it, didn't you? The silkworms and silk were just transported from Jiangnan a few days ago. They're very good. Pick some to take back with you."

In fact, whatever new things Lixiang Pavilion has, they are always delivered to Lili's courtyard first. Lili also has these silkworms and silk.

Shen Jialu didn't say anything, but he was really depressed. He could only suppress his frustration by sending things to Lili.

Lili knew perfectly well that Shen Jialu, who appeared carefree and easygoing like Shen Jialuo, was actually the most cunning of the five brothers.

Businessmen are always more perceptive and shrewd than others.

With one Shen Jiahao going to the battlefield and the other Shen Jiaqing treating the epidemic, how could their brothers be at ease?

Lili smiled slightly, not pointing out his mistake, and obediently picked out a few fresh colors.

Shen Jialu couldn't help but pick out a lot more jewelry for her, until Yun Shu and Huang Ying, the two maids, couldn't carry any more, and he finally stopped, still feeling unsatisfied.

Lili was both amused and exasperated, jokingly telling him that if he kept stuffing things into her yard like this every time, even if Lixiang Pavilion was very successful, it would still lose money.

Shen Jialu didn't seem to care much: "So what? As long as my sister is happy."

A few days later, on the day Yang brought Shen Jiawen to Liucheng, it snowed lightly in Liucheng.

Snowflakes fell in abundance, like willow catkins, swaying and drifting down, making Lili's heart skip a beat.

There is enough food, and the houses in the suburbs that are not stable and may be crushed by heavy snow have been reinforced. Even if there is a blizzard in Nanlin County, there will not be much damage. At most, the land will not be able to be cultivated for a period of time, and the days will be a bit colder.

But Lili was still extremely anxious.

This was something she had never experienced before when she first noticed the heavy snowfall.

What has changed?

Perhaps it was because her fourth brother and the divine physician Sikong were far away in Xixiang County, and in a village that had been hit by cholera.

Lili felt frustrated and couldn't bring herself to write anything, no matter how hard she tried.

I originally wanted to write a few pages to calm myself down because I was upset, but in the end, the more I wrote, the more upset I became.

Gu Ziqi craned her neck to look at her increasingly flamboyant handwriting, and exclaimed with exaggerated disbelief, "So even you have weaknesses, sister!"

In Gu Ziqi's eyes, Lili was the perfect older sister.

She is gentle, intelligent, kind-hearted, and skilled in many things. In short, in Gu Ziqi's eyes, who is obsessed with his sister, she is perfect in every way. This is the first time Gu Ziqi has seen something that Lili is not good at.

Well, it's quite a contrast that this gentle and sweet girl writes in such a... unrestrained and bold way.

Lili gently tapped Gu Ziqi's head with the end of her calligraphy brush, feigning anger, and said, "Well, huh? You dare to make fun of your sister?"

"No way," Gu Ziqi pleaded, covering his head.

Lili sighed and resignedly put down her brush.

Sure enough, she wasn't cut out for calligraphy.

"Alright, alright, judging by the time, your brother Jiawen should be here soon. I'll have him teach you calligraphy in a bit."

Gu Ziqi had already promised Lili that he would practice calligraphy with Shen Jiawen, so he didn't object and obediently answered yes.

Lili rubbed his head and praised him for being good.

After thinking for a moment, Lili asked Yunshu to write a letter for her.

"It's snowing in Liucheng, and it shouldn't be too long before it snows at the border. Let's remind His Highness."

"yes."

Lili rested her chin on her hand as she watched Yun Shu write a letter. Gu Ziqi asked her curiously, "Sister, when I was in the capital, I often heard Mother say that the South is like spring all year round, but it's only the beginning of winter, how come it's already snowing?"

After a moment's thought, Lili used a gentler approach: "Ziqi, do you remember the great drought in Xixiang County a few years ago?"

“I remember, my mother told me that Ziqi was still in her belly that year.”

"Yes, this year, it's the Great Cold."

Gu Ziqi seemed to understand, but not quite.

"I heard that many refugees from Xixiang County went north back then, but many still died. Is it the same this year? It seems that it's not just Xixiang County that's experiencing this severe cold this year. They are so pitiful."

Gu Ziqi was born with a silver spoon in his mouth and doesn't understand much yet, but his childlike innocence and kindness still drive his inner nature.

Lili was taken aback, unsure how to respond.

A moment later, Lili smiled and reassured him, "No, don't worry."

A cold wind blew, and snowflakes fluttered down like cotton wool. The world was desolate, and the bare branches were covered with frost and snow, resembling silvery coral.

The snow had intensified without anyone noticing. A warbler hurried in with the letter, her footprints quickly covered by the snow, leaving only silence.

"Miss, Miss, a letter from the Fourth Young Master!"

Lili suddenly looked up, got up to take the letter, and eagerly opened it.

Huang Ying explained, "This was sent by the Fourth Young Master two days ago. Although Li Village is located deep in the mountains, it is fortunately on the edge of Xixiang County, not far from our Nanlin County. It takes one day to walk along the official road between Liucheng and the prefectural city, and then another day to go around the mountain road. The Fourth Young Master spent ten taels of silver to send this letter by express."

Lili quickly finished reading the letter. Apart from the brief two sentences at the beginning reporting that she was safe, there were only two pieces of bad news left.

First, the number of infected people in the village far exceeded their expectations. When the news first came out, only a few families in the village had contracted the disease, but by then almost the entire village had been infected. The medicinal herbs that he and Doctor Sikong brought were almost used up. There was a town at the foot of the mountain, but they couldn't leave. Now they could only go deep into the mountains to collect herbs.

Secondly, the divine physician Sikong diagnosed the type of disease as cholera.

No wonder the infection spread so quickly; when we set out, it was just a few households, but when we arrived, it had become the entire village.

This result, both expected and unexpected, left Lili with even more mixed feelings.

Currently, there are several doctors in Licun who were sent there by the local government. Doctor Sikong and Shen Jiaqing are the only two who went there voluntarily.

However, once the government heard that the disease in Licun was cholera, they stopped paying attention to the situation there and even blocked the mountain roads, preventing people from going down the mountain for fear of spreading the disease. It was as if they were leaving Licun to fend for itself.

The government originally sent five doctors, but three of them left, leaving only two to continue working with Physician Sikong to save people.

After all, even the legendary physician Sikong had no cure for cholera, and it could be fatal; no one wanted to risk their life.

Even if two people stayed behind after hearing of the renowned Physician Sikong's name, they could only cooperate with him to temporarily stabilize the condition of those people and prevent it from worsening.

Although Physician Sikong couldn't cure cholera, he had the good fortune to have studied it. While he couldn't find a cure, he did find a way to prevent it, which could keep uninfected people from getting infected for a short time, thus relieving them of immediate danger.

Officials also came and advised Physician Sikong and the others to hurry down the mountain. If they stayed any longer, they would contract cholera and die once the so-called "short time" was over.

Physician Sikong refused, saying he couldn't bear to watch so many people die.

Even if it's just a try, a gamble, he has to stay there.

The divine physician Sikong was highly skilled and virtuous. He had saved many high-ranking officials and nobles. Even the current head of the Imperial Medical Academy was his student. It was extremely difficult to find a doctor for him even with a large sum of money.

Such a miraculous doctor was beyond the persuasion of the government officials, who dared not forcibly take him down the mountain. Fearing that he might cause trouble on their own turf, they even sent people to the capital overnight to find the head of the Imperial Medical Academy and ask him to persuade him.

Whether or not they can persuade them, the government has made an effort and shown its attitude. Even if Physician Sikong really dies of cholera later, it can't be blamed on them.

But before the people from that side arrived, the divine physician Sikong had been among a group of cholera patients, and the government dared not let him go down the mountain.

Physician Sikong asked the government officials to help bring medicine, but cholera is such a terrible disease, what if it breaks out one day?

If we give the medicine to them now, what will happen to the others?

Therefore, the pharmacies in the town at the foot of the mountain were unwilling to sell medicine, preferring to keep it for future use.

In addition, the government officials also had the idea of ​​using the pretext of myrrh to force the divine physician Sikong to come down the mountain, and they were unwilling to go to distant places to buy medicine, which is why Shen Jiaqing said in the letter that he could not go out to buy medicine.

Lili frowned repeatedly as she watched, feeling like ants were gnawing at her heart, and paced anxiously around the room.

Seeing her seriousness, Gu Ziqi dared not act silly anymore.

Yun Shu finished writing the letter: "Miss, I'm done."

Lili nodded haphazardly: "Okay, let's find someone to deliver it."

"yes."

Yun Shu opened an umbrella and went outside. Li Li looked at the snow-covered floor outside and her brows furrowed even more.

If the first snowfall is this heavy, what will it be like later?

"Fortunately, the batch of medicinal herbs is already on its way. The caravan is not as fast as a horse, so it is slow. Fourth Brother will have to hold on for a few more days."

Lili felt both relieved and frightened. She hadn't expected the local government to block the road down the mountain, cutting off their access to medicine.

If Lili hadn't thought of sending the medicine back then, something terrible could have happened.

Huang Ying comforted her, "Yes, Miss, it won't be too long. It will arrive in three days at most. Physician Sikong and the Fourth Young Master are both righteous people. I believe that good people will be blessed by heaven."

Pear responded.

"These officials are truly inhumane. Not only do they ignore life and death, but they also deliberately refuse to give medicine!"

Even Riri, who is always considerate of others, couldn't help but get angry.

Regardless of whether the villagers of Licun live or die, Lili can understand that cholera is indeed an extremely serious disease, incurable and highly contagious. Most people would think that it is certain death and that it is better to isolate them directly.

Xixiang County had just experienced a major disaster a few years ago, and after a severe drought, everything was in need of rebuilding. They did not want to be dealt another heavy blow by a sudden outbreak of cholera. Although it was unjust, it was the right thing to do for the sake of the greater good.

However, deliberately cutting off medication is truly despicable!

Lili got angrier and angrier, and she didn't even care that Gu Ziqi, that little brat, was still there. She kept cursing.

The soft, gentle voice that uttered those vulgar words truly shocked Gu Ziqi once again.

Why is Lili so angry?

A young man walked through the snow, his elegant white robe standing out even more against the snow.

With a posture as upright as a pine tree, eyebrows as dark as ink paintings, and eyes as deep as stars, he exudes elegance and composure in every gesture, and his refined and cultured temperament is natural.

Seeing who it was, Lili's agitation eased slightly: "Third Brother!"

Shen Jiawen stayed at the Yang family home and studied with Old Master Yang. Sometimes they could only meet once every six months. Every time they met, Lili felt that his temperament had become more refined.

Yes, that kind of temperament unique to scholars.

Shen Jiawen was only fourteen years old, but he was as composed as someone in their forties.

Lili has truly experienced what it means to be well-read and eloquent.

Shen Jiawen took off his snow-covered outer robe before hugging his younger sister who had run over to him. Amused, he asked her, "What made our Lili so angry?"

Huang Ying quietly slipped out.

Huang Ying had never seen her young mistress so angry before.

The young lady said that eating sweets can improve one's mood.

Just then, the Third Young Master arrived. It's best to leave the task of comforting the young lady to this elder brother. She needs to go and instruct the small kitchen to prepare some sweets for the young lady.

When Lili explained the situation, Shen Jiawen frowned.

“Even the fastest journey from Xixiang County to the capital takes a month, and a round trip would take two months. They have calculated that they will use myrrh to invite the divine physician Sikong down the mountain.”

"That's right."

Lili was extremely angry.