Chapter 38 He was still a beast after all.
Being treated like this, Li's father was naturally embarrassed. He wanted to turn around and leave, but he was still very distressed about the silver coin he had given to the woman earlier.
Finally, following the old woman's directions, Li's father picked up the medicine bag and the packet of maltose, lifted the straw curtain, and went inside.
The space inside the straw curtain was only about square, containing just a low couch. There wasn't even a window; the only source of light was the spot by the straw curtain hanging at the entrance.
Therefore, after taking two steps inside, Li's father finally saw a small girl with a flushed face lying on the bed.
Yes, there lay a disheveled girl wearing only a thin long robe.
Even if Li's father was a beast, upon seeing this girl who looked to be seriously ill and about the same age as his daughter, he lost all interest in having fun.
He went up to take a closer look at the girl named Yingniang. She was lying weakly on the bed. When she heard Li's father approaching, Yingniang suddenly opened her eyes. She glanced at Li's father, but neither spoke nor responded. She just reached out to untie the belt of her clothes with a numb look in her eyes.
Mr. Li was startled and turned to run outside. He ran into the yard and angrily questioned the old woman on the recliner: "Hey, I say, the woman in that room looks like she's about to die. How can she receive guests?"
"My lord, I paid for this too! Change it! Change it for me!"
The old woman didn't bother with Li's father. She only raised her eyelids to glance at him before closing them again. While fanning herself with a palm leaf fan, she slowly replied to Li's father, "If you don't like Yingniang, then go ahead."
"Here, you get whatever price you're willing to pay. If you have the money, sir, just take it and go find Meiniang."
Li's father still had money, but even if he had a lot of money, he didn't have fifty taels of silver.
So, Li's father angrily shouted at the old woman, "Then give me back the money, and I'll leave!"
But once the money is in someone else's pocket, why would they take it out and return it to you?
The old woman kept her eyes closed. "Young master, you are joking. We are not taking you to find Yingniang. It is because you do not wish to, so there is nothing we can do."
If you, sir, continue to pester us, remember that this is the business we're in, and we're not to be trifled with.
At this point, the old woman lightly tapped the armrest of the recliner with her fan twice. Li's father then saw two burly men in vests appear out of nowhere, and the two men stared at Li's father intently.
Mr. Li chickened out. He stomped his foot hard, picked up the medicine bag and candy, and headed towards the courtyard gate.
But as soon as he reached the door, he stopped in his tracks.
The servant who had been waiting to lead the way looked up at Li's father with some confusion. Li's father was full of resentment; he was really heartbroken about losing that piece of silver.
After some internal struggle, Li's father turned back around.
He carried the medicine bag and maltose and stepped back into the house with the straw curtain serving as a door.
Li's father was ultimately a beast.
Mr. Li wasn't very good at it; he finished quickly.
After finishing, Li's father was cleaning up when he saw the bloodstains on Yingniang's body, and he felt a pang of pity.
After straightening his clothes, Li's father took two candies from the bag of maltose and placed them next to Yingniang's pillow.
After tidying himself up, Li's father, carrying his medicine bag and maltose, was led out by the servant. He wandered around the streets casually, and finally bought two meat buns to eat before heading into the dead end.
Li Shiyue and the others had already gone to the pharmacy to buy some commonly used medicines, such as those for treating colds, diarrhea, and fever. Li Shiyue bought some for each member of her family, taking into account their numbers.
After shopping, Li Shiyue and Li Wangshui were waiting outside a bookstore. Li Shiyang said they were going to the bookstore to see if they could find any useful information.
After waiting for a short while, Li Shiyang, with a furrowed brow and a solemn expression, walked out of the bookstore.
Li Shiyue and Li Wangshui quickly stood up from the wall to greet them, "It's getting late, let's go back."
There were hardly any people on the street at this moment, and this wasn't a place to talk. Li Shiyue shook the basket on his back and followed Li Shiyang's footsteps with Li Wangshui toward the dead end.
Because the price of salt had risen so high, the money pooled together by the families in Lijia Village really couldn't buy much salt; the amount that Li Wangshui bought could be carried all by himself.
Li Shiyue's basket contained only salt she had bought for her family, some medicine packets, and her wood-chopping knife.
As dusk approached, we arrived at the jujube tree outside the city just a quarter of an hour before 5 PM.
As soon as they walked over, Ma Zi, Wei Zi, and the others who had been waiting not far away emerged from the grass.
"Scholar, what do you think?"
"Nephew Shiyang, how is things in the prefectural city? Have you managed to buy salt?"
Following Li Shiyang's instructions, Li Wangshui took out the salt bag he was carrying and showed it to everyone. Seeing that they had bought the salt they needed most, everyone was relieved and started chattering about the situation in the prefectural city.
"...There's actually no chaos in the prefectural city?"
So... shall we still go?
"Or, why don't we just stay here?"
"No!"
Ignoring the man's expression, Li Shiyang directly rejected his suggestion to stay in the prefectural city.
"Not to mention that none of our village's residents are registered here, many of our villagers have evaded military service."
Even if we manage to stay, how will we survive?
Not to mention, you all saw the refugees outside the city.
We can't stay in the prefectural city now; we have to leave as quickly as possible!
The prefectural city is bound to descend into chaos!
The people still believed Li Shiyang's words.
After all, they had seen along the way of fleeing famine that if it weren't for Li Shiyang leading them, they would either have been conscripted by the government troops or died of thirst in the barren fields.
Not to mention, the destruction of the entire village of Yujiatuan, and the two misfortunes they encountered on the road, all indicated that a chaotic era was about to begin.
As everyone was talking, Li Shiyue held a wood-chopping knife and looked anxiously in the direction they had returned from.
Because Li's father still hasn't returned!
Li Shiyue wasn't worried about her father's safety, but her father knew everything about the people in their Li Family Village. If her father were captured, he wouldn't need much torture; just two slaps would be enough for him to reveal everything he knew.
"October?"
Li Xiatian carried the bag of salt she had bought herself, and looked at Li Shiyue with some concern.
"Sister, you go back with them first. I'll go see why my father hasn't come back yet."
"No, don't go alone, I'll go with you."
Just as the two sisters were about to say something to Li Shiyang, they heard their father calling out from behind them.
"Hurry, let's hurry! When I came out, I passed the main gate and saw people on the city gate launching fire arrows from afar!"
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