Chapter 82 Lifesaving Medicine

"He's out!" Aunt Yang, with her sharp eyes, immediately recognized the man covered in dirt as Uncle Yang.

"How did he get like this? This time it's only been half a month..." Aunt Yang looked at the man's sunken cheeks, his once strong body now so thin that he was just skin and bones.

"Why are you here? Hurry up and go back..." Uncle Yang was afraid that the officials here would make things difficult for them, so he started urging them as soon as he saw them.

"Don't worry, we've given them money, they won't kick you out so quickly. Uncle, these things are for you, change your clothes."

Even now, there's still a cold snap in early spring, and clearing silt is physically demanding work. A slight mistake can lead to catching a cold, which can be fatal.

"No need, it's a waste to give it away. We won't get any good stuff, and they'll just benefit from it," Uncle Yang said, refusing to accept the gift. He had come to know the greed of these officials well these past few days. As soon as they arrived, they were asked to hand over their rations. They were only given thin porridge each day, with hardly any rice in their bowls. They even had their warm clothes stolen.

"How could this happen..." Aunt Yang looked at her husband with heartache.

"Eat first, then my aunt and I will alter your clothes," Song Yushu said, handing the food to Uncle Yang and then throwing a cotton coat on the ground and stepping on it.

"What are you doing? You're wasting it..." Uncle Yang quickly spoke up to stop him.

A perfectly clean cotton coat was trampled and made so dirty that it was unrecognizable after Song Yushu stepped on it.

Song Yushu still felt it wasn't enough and tore several more holes in his cotton-padded coat. Uncle Yang felt sorry for him, but he couldn't stop him and could only eat first.

"Alright, Uncle, try this on. It's warmer than what you're wearing now," Song Yushu showed off the result. A perfectly clean cotton coat was now covered in dirt and had several tears.

However, the new clothes were much better than his old ones, which were full of drafts, and he immediately understood why Song Yushu did this.

"How is the situation inside?" Song Yushu asked other questions only after seeing that he was dressed warmly.

“Oh no, Da Niu and Lao Sun from my village have been crippled, and two other people were beaten and their fevers died that night. There are fewer and fewer people left, and the remaining people are suffering every day. We don’t even know if we can go back alive,” Uncle Yang sighed.

Song Yushu fell silent upon hearing this. If they could send things in, others could too, but it still wouldn't change the current situation of their relatives who were performing corvée labor. Bringing more things would only feed those greedy officials.

"If possible, please find me some medicine to treat colds and external injuries. There are many injured people there, and their wounds are festering and swollen. The situation is very bad." Uncle Yang felt sorry for several of them who were still unmarried. They were all children from poor families, thirteen or fourteen years old, even younger than his son.

“Okay, try to bring the medicine pack in first. I also bought some pills. Pills are easier to hide and less likely to be discovered,” Song Yushu said, having prepared for both possibilities, and took out all the medicinal materials.

"My aunt and I will wait in the prefectural city for a few days and come over every two days. If you need anything, just tell us." Seeing this, Song Yushu was also worried about taking his aunt away. After all, it would take a lot of time to come, and if something went wrong, it would be difficult for them to get over in time.

"Okay, I'll go back first, otherwise they'll be urging me," Uncle Yang said, his eyes reddening for once. He glanced at Aunt Yang and then turned to go back.

Despite their age, their relationship was enviable. Seeing how much they cared for each other, Song Yushu was reminded of the time when Xue Huai'an came to deliver her carriage before his departure.

"Let's go to the prefectural city to rest first, and visit my uncle in a couple of days. Let's go," Song Yushu helped Aunt Yang onto the carriage and led the two masters to the prefectural city to find a place to stay.

This was Song Yushu's first time visiting the prefectural city, and it was indeed far superior to her small county town.

The streets of the prefectural city are wide and smooth, with many shops on both sides selling a wide variety of goods, as well as many high-end and impressive restaurants.

If it weren't for the fact that Uncle Yang is still serving his corvée labor and Song Yushu isn't in the mood to go shopping, she probably would have been tempted to take a good stroll.

"This place will do. The prices at restaurants in the prefecture are all about the same." Song Yushu asked at several restaurants, but none of them were cheap. He decided to make do for one night and find a courtyard to rent tomorrow, otherwise it would be inconvenient to stay in restaurants all the time.

After a long and tiring journey, Song Yushu was finally able to lie down and get a good night's sleep. He didn't have any problem with being in unfamiliar beds and fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

"You're awake? I went out to buy some food. The food at the restaurant is too expensive." After learning that her husband was alright, Aunt Yang felt much more at ease and resumed her elder-like demeanor. She got up early to buy food and waited for Song Yushu to get up so they could eat together.

"Aunt, if you're hungry, go ahead and eat. Don't wait for me. Have the two masters eaten yet?" Song Yushu was relieved to see that she had recovered.

“They’ve gone out. I gave them some silver. They must have gone out to eat. Come on, eat more. You’ve worked so hard these past few days. It’s kind of you to come with me on this trip. Otherwise, I wouldn’t feel at ease,” Aunt Yang said, feeling very grateful to Song Yushu. She pushed the food on the table toward Song Yushu, looking at her with a face full of affection.

"It's alright. My uncle is good to me, so I can't just watch him suffer. These buns are delicious, Auntie, you should have some too," Song Yushu quickly changed the subject, afraid that Auntie Yang would cry.

As soon as Uncle Yang walked over, he was stopped by the officials.

"What did you bring? Let us see," two or three officers noticed that he had brought something and quickly surrounded him, no longer paying attention to the people clearing the silt.

"Sir, these are just medicine pouches! They're worthless, but my family brought them for me because they were worried about my health!" Uncle Yang, not one to be stubborn, handed over the pouch directly.

"It really is a medicine bag, ptooey! A family of poor bastards, even their clothes are tattered, get out!" The official picked open the medicine bag and saw that it contained only worthless medicinal herbs. Even their clothes were tattered and dirty. He immediately threw the medicine bag away impatiently and told Uncle Yang to get back to work.

Uncle Yang lowered his head, picked up the medicine packet, put it in his pocket, and continued cleaning the sludge.

It wasn't until nightfall that he quietly made his way to the group of people with fevers.

"Shh! Don't make a sound, how are you?" Uncle Yang asked in a low voice.

"My legs are getting more and more swollen, and I feel like I'm starting to get a fever. If I don't make it through this, could you please ask my mother for me to say something..." Da Niu recognized Uncle Yang and breathed a sigh of relief, but soon felt desperate about his current situation.

"Me too... If I had known this forced labor would result in death, I would have rather gone bankrupt to raise the money. My wife just gave birth, what will they do without me!"

"Don't cry, I've got the medicine. Let's find a place to brew it, and none of us will die," Uncle Yang said, taking the medicine packet out of his pocket.