"Thank you, ladies. I'll have to trouble you all here. Please continue picking the seeds of the Thunder Fruit these next few days. I'll collect them when I return, and I'll still pay you two coins per pound then."
Pei Yao urged everyone to continue picking Thunder Fruit, because they still needed to deliver goods to Gu Mingqian in a few days.
Moreover, she knew that no matter the era, going to a clinic was always the most expensive thing for a person.
People are important, but the family business can't be neglected; life has to go on.
When Pei Yao and the others arrived home, Niu Qingshan and Erdan were waiting at the entrance of the Pei family's courtyard.
Pei Yao greeted them briefly and then went inside with Yunniang to pack their things. There wasn't much to pack, just a few sets of clothes to change into.
When Yunniang went in, Pei Yao stopped her and whispered, "Mother, take all the silver notes and silver we have saved and hide them well."
The silver notes and money were kept by Chen Fang, and Pei Yao and Yun Niang knew their exact location.
Yunniang took out the money and brought her household registration certificate, as she would need it to enter the city gate of Shangtang County later.
Pei Yao had just finished packing her things when she came out.
She took the silver note from Yunniang, folded it up, and stuffed it under the insole. The shoes were made by Yunniang herself, and there was an insole underneath.
Pei Yao put the money in this hidden compartment.
The two of them kept all the remaining silver close to their bodies.
After all, she was a little worried about having so many silver notes and money, and the county was quite far away, so she had to hide them well.
Pei Xuan, the youngest in the family, looked at them in confusion. She didn't know what had happened; she only saw her mother and older sister busy at work.
After they finished packing, they took her to the Liu family's courtyard and asked Aunt Liu to look after Xiao Xuan'er.
Although Xiao Xuan'er is young, she understands reason and knows that her mother and older sister went out on business.
The little girl was very well-behaved and sensible. She didn't cry or make a fuss and pulled Pei Yao and Yun Niang, saying, "Mother, elder sister, you must come back to pick me up soon."
Yunniang gently patted her daughter's head: "Mother will be back soon, Xuan'er, be a good girl and listen to your aunt."
They don't know when they'll be back, and it's really inconvenient to have a child with them, so they can only leave her with the Liu family.
After packing their things, the group boarded an oxcart and set off for town. On the way, Pei Yao asked about Erdan, Pei Dalang, and Pei Erlang.
Erdan wasn't entirely clear on the specifics either. It was Zhang San, whom Manager Qian had sent to inquire earlier, who brought back the news that Pei Dalang and Pei Erlang had been found. However, both of them had been seriously injured recently, and Manager Qian had to pay a portion of the ransom to temporarily take them to a clinic for treatment.
Just as Erdan heard the news, Liu Tie came to Deyun Restaurant to deliver goods. Erdan quickly told Chef Qin in the kitchen to pack up the goods, and then followed Liu Tie to Pei's stall at the dock to find Chen Fang and the others. Chen Fang turned pale with fright as soon as she heard the news.
Erdan found a carriage belonging to an acquaintance, gave him some silver, and asked him to take Chen Fang to the county clinic first.
The stall had only been set up for a short time, and there were many customers waiting there, so Qiaohui and Liu Tie decided to stay at the stall.
Meanwhile, Pei Yichen, Niu Qingshan, and Erdan drove the oxcart back to Liangshui Village to find Pei Yao and the others.
After hearing this, Yunniang's tears fell again. She looked at Erdan, who knew the most, and asked in a choked voice, "Brother Erdan, do you know where they are injured?"
Erdan shook his head, somewhat reluctantly saying, "I don't know the specifics, I only heard that the injury was very serious."
In fact, the person who delivered the message also said that if the two members of the Pei family had been delivered any later, their lives might not have been in danger.
But seeing Yunniang's red, swollen eyes and Pei Yao's furrowed brows and silent expression, he dared not say another word.
Yunniang glanced at Pei Yao, who was looking down with her brows furrowed, seemingly lost in thought.
When the oxcart arrived in town, Erdan rented a horse-drawn carriage for Pei Yao and the others, and had the driver take them to Tongrentang in the county. He himself had to return to Deyun Restaurant, since Manager Qian was not around and he needed to keep an eye on the restaurant's business.
Niu Qingshan was worried about the three Pei family members, who were all women and children, so he left the oxcart with a friend and went to the county with the horse-drawn carriage.
The carriage bumped along the way, and the journey from the town to the county took two hours by carriage, so the group arrived at Tongrentang in Shangtang County in the afternoon.
Pei Yao got off the carriage, paid the coachman, and deliberately paid a little extra so that the coachman would wait for them at the door.
Pei Yao didn't know what the situation was between Pei Dalang and the other man; everything was still uncertain.
But with such a big thing happening at home, the ice jelly stall at the dock can close tomorrow, but the orders for Deyun Restaurant are hard to come by, so she has to go and check the situation first before making a decision.
When Pei Yao entered, she saw Chen Fang standing in front of the clinic counter, seemingly talking to a doctor.
"Auntie." Pei Yao walked towards Chen Fang first.
Chen Fang was standing there when she heard someone call her aunt behind her. She thought she was just hallucinating because she was too stressed.
It wasn't until she turned around and saw Pei Yao and the others that she felt it was real.
"Yao girl, Xiao Chen, you're here." Chen Fang looked wearily at her family members walking towards her, and when she saw Yun Niang's tearful face, she almost couldn't help but shed tears herself.
Pei Yao nodded, then frowned and looked at Chen Fang, whose face was pale, and asked, "Aunt, are you alright?"
Yunniang also looked at Chen Fang with concern. Although she was worried about the safety of her husband and elder brother, she was also worried about Chen Fang's health when she saw Chen Fang's pale face.
Pei Yichen came over to help his mother.
Chen Fang shook her head: "It's alright. Da Lang and Er Di are in the leftmost room in the backyard of the clinic. I'll take you there."
As she spoke, Chen Fang turned around and took the medicine packet handed to her by the doctor, then led the three of them to the backyard of Tongrentang.
Because Pei Dalang and Pei Erlang were more seriously injured, they had a separate room, with a curtain barely blocking the doorway. The others were all in several other large shared rooms.
As soon as Pei Yao entered the room, she saw three people lying on the bed, or rather, three mud figures, with only a small patch on each of their faces cleaned off.
Pei Yao recognized the two people on the outermost edge; they were her uncle and father. The other person looked somewhat familiar, but she couldn't place him.
When Yunniang saw this scene, her tears flowed like a burst dam, unstoppable, and she stood aside, sobbing incessantly.
Pei Dalang and Pei Erlang were covered in mud because they had been buried in ore, and they were lying on the bed with their eyes closed.
According to the doctor nearby, they were seriously injured, and if they had arrived any later, they might not have survived.
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