Chapter 15

Chapter 15

The entrance to the clinic was piled with medicinal herbs dug out from the ruins. A tall man was half-lying on a wooden plank, staring intently at them.

Zhao Dashan and the others pretended not to notice, just followed the shop assistant. They watched as he skillfully picked herbs from the pile, using a small handheld scale. He was precise with each grab, rarely needing to add or remove any, clearly an experienced hand at dispensing medicine.

Their spirits lifted. Seeing such an 'old hand' gave them a renewed sense of hope and expectation.

They not only bought medicine for head injuries from beams—supposedly to promote blood circulation and reduce swelling—but also purchased medicine for colds, fever reducers... they bought everything they could think of, the more the better.

No one was stingy with money now, only hoping the young man would be generous, especially with the cold medicine. They told him to just keep dispensing it, as they had brought money pooled from the whole village.

The current situation was that every house in the village had collapsed. Before, they complained about their thatched huts being drafty from all sides, but now they didn't even have those drafty huts to shelter them from wind and rain. In the depths of winter, adults might manage, but the children definitely wouldn't withstand it. Getting sick was inevitable.

They were lucky to have encountered a kind-hearted shop assistant. Regardless of whether he was only half-skilled, as long as it didn't kill anyone, they'd count themselves lucky.

If someone did die from it, then it was just fate being thin, and no one could be blamed.

After the incident where commoners robbed them of medicine, the shop assistants had their own calculations. It was only the first day after the earthquake, and already people were brazenly robbing in the streets, disregarding the law. As time went on, the town would likely become more chaotic. Doctor Lin had unfortunately passed away, and the only thug left alive was now incapable of protecting the clinic or them. Relying on just the few of them to safeguard the medicinal herbs was like daydreaming in broad daylight.

But if they exchanged the herbs for money, that was a different story. Then they could just find a secluded place, quietly wait for the main family to send a manager, explain the situation, hand over the money, and not only avoid blame but also they'd each have a place to go. Why not do that?

Both sides had their own agendas, but neither was malicious. Everything proceeded quite smoothly.

Some quick-witted commoners even came forward, took out money to buy a few packets of cold medicine and plague-prevention medicine... Seeing this, Zhao Dashan followed suit and bought a few packets as well.

He carried all the family savings his mother had given him—five taels and three mace. Besides medicine, his family also wanted to see if they could buy some grain, coarse salt, and other supplies... But judging by the situation in the town, where even the clinic was being robbed, the grain shops probably weren't faring much better.

Normally, who among the common folk would dare cause trouble at places like grain shops or clinics? Even when encountering a shop assistant, they had to bow and respectfully call him "sir," showing the utmost deference.

But now it was different. Natural disasters didn't discriminate. Without thugs for protection, and with the officials at the county yamen overwhelmed themselves, these shop assistants guarding medicine and grain became meat on the chopping block, left to be slaughtered.

Zhao Dashan never imagined that an earthquake could cause the town to lose all order, as if laws no longer existed, the court was absent, and chaos was just beginning.

What he witnessed today left him feeling uneasy and unsettled.

It was as if something bad was about to happen.

Or, was already happening.

...

In the past, if someone had a minor illness or injury, they would either go to the back mountain to pick some herbs to boil into tea, or simply tough it out. If they endured well, they lived; if not, they kicked the bucket. Going to the trouble of seeking a doctor in town and buying medicine was out of the question—they had no money!

They didn't even dare step through the clinic's door, afraid of dirtying the place.

Only the old Zhao family, with their prized son, would buy a few packets of Chinese medicine every winter as a precaution. If it weren't for Zhao Dashan taking the lead today, the people of Wanxia Village wouldn't have dared go to town to find a doctor. At most, they would have sought out a barefoot doctor in a neighboring village.

No wonder they were afraid to come—it was truly expensive! A single packet of cold medicine cost seventy-five wen, while that black-hearted barefoot doctor in the neighboring village only dared charge thirty wen.

But no one dared complain. The men, faces flushed, grunted as they fished out their money, thinking one packet per family should be enough. They could brew a large pot, and everyone could have a few sips. How many times could they brew it? Their peasant bodies weren't as precious as those of the wealthy; they were built tough. Those who couldn't endure died young.

Wanxia Village wasn't large, with just over thirty households in total. Calculating one packet per family, just the cold medicine cost nearly three taels. Adding the fever-reducing and plague-prevention medicine Zhao Dashan bought separately... it came to about five taels of silver.

This amounted to more than a year's expenses for a single household, truly not cheap.

Besides buying for their own families, Zhao Dashan decided to buy some for the village as well. As he put it, it was better to be prepared. Being able to buy medicine now was a stroke of luck. Given the current situation in town, with the only doctor dead, who knew what state the barefoot doctors in the surrounding villages were in.

Being able to spend the money was something to thank their ancestors for. It was better than watching people slowly waste away and die later.

After paying, Er Lai's father carefully wrapped the medicine in oilcloth and placed it in Zhao Dashan's back-basket. With the medicine on him, everyone felt at ease.

Now, the old Zhao family had become the spiritual leader of the clan, and even of Wanxia Village.

The village chief had died. During the earthquake, his sons only cared about their own immediate families, and it took them a long time to realize their father was buried. They ultimately missed the best rescue time.

This time, when buying medicine, the villagers didn't include their family. Everyone looked down on such unfilial descendants. After all, the village chief position wasn't hereditary; they certainly wouldn't elect anyone from that family to be village chief again!

Zhao Dashan and the others then went to the grain shop. Just a street away, they saw the grain shop assistants fighting with a group of commoners. Several women were nearby, secretly stuffing rice into cloth bags. The chaos was hair-raising.

"How did the town become like this?" Zhao Sanwang scratched his head. He had only been to town twice before, and each time he envied how well-off people lived there. But, but now it looked worse than their village! These people were actually stealing rice from the grain shop in broad daylight!

And no one was stopping them.

That no one was stopping them was the most frightening part. After all, who didn't have some dark thoughts... Zhao Sanwang looked at the rice scattered all over the ground. Normally, it was sold at a high price, but now it was just piled there, and anyone dared to reach out and grab a handful. His eyes couldn't help but flicker.

"What are you thinking!" Zhao Dashan slapped him on the head. This kid's eyes were darting around, full of mischief bubbling up. He was never a well-behaved one in the village either.

"Uncle Dashan, that's rice! So much fine rice!" Zhao Sanwang grimaced in pain. That snow-white rice was probably this year's new harvest, selling for over ten wen per dou. Just grabbing a few handfuls could cook a meal. How long had it been since he'd eaten white rice? "There are so many people. If each of us grabbed a handful and ran, no one could catch us..."

Before he could finish, he got another slap on the head.

"Let's go!" Zhao Dashan turned and left. There were too many people ahead. He'd be a fool to go up and try to buy grain. Everyone was looting; if he went to buy, he'd probably be seen as an idiot, might even get surrounded and beaten, and all his money would be stolen.

Right now, medicine was the most important. His mother's idea was also to buy some grain if possible; if not, forget it, as they still had some at home.

Naturally, they didn't manage to buy coarse salt either. The sundry goods shop was so collapsed you could hardly recognize the front from the back. Who would be open for business now?

The entire Tongjiang Town had descended into chaos. People in the town waved to shoo away these tall, rustic men from the countryside, saying a few words before calling for shop assistants or thugs, leaving no room for negotiation.

It seemed everyone was only concerned with their own safety, only wanting to close their doors and guarding their own property and goods.

Zhao Dashan had no choice but to lead his clansmen around to inquire about the situation. After all, the earthquake happened late at night, only a night and half a day ago. Not much news had reached them yet. They only vaguely knew that Tongjiang Town was on the edge of the earthquake zone, not at the center. Although there were casualties, it was far less severe than elsewhere.

The entire Guangping County, and even Qingzhou Prefecture, wouldn't focus much attention or manpower on their area.

Other places needed help more.

...

They returned to the village late at night.

Walking mountain paths at night was dangerous, but fortunately, nothing unexpected happened along the way. In winter, wild beasts holed up deep in the mountains. Besides their own footprints in the snow, there were no others.

While still some distance from the village, the group spotted the glow of fire at the village entrance. Several men were huddled together holding torches, apparently waiting for them.

"Zhao Dashan, is that you?" Li Dashun sniffled and called out loudly.

"It's us! We're back from town!" Zhao Sanwang waved the torch in his hand. The swaying flame nearly singed the hair of Wang Damao behind him, who jumped in fright and promptly kicked him in the butt. Caught off guard, Zhao Sanwang stumbled forward a few steps, and the torch flew right to the feet of Li Dashun and the others.

"Wang Damao, why did you kick me?!"

"Don't wave your torch around like that! You scared me to death!"

Li Dashun and Zhao Sanwang cursed simultaneously.

Zhao Dashan walked straight past them. The several men waiting at the village entrance with Li Dashun hurried forward to meet them, leading them towards the threshing ground while explaining the current village situation: "After you left for town, Uncle Da Gen and the Village Elders discussed it and set up over a dozen makeshift shelters on the threshing ground. They told the villagers to make do for a few nights first, and decide on the next steps once the quakes stop."

Zhao Dashan nodded and also said, "We bought quite a bit of medicine. Tomorrow, have everyone come collect their family's portion. With the remaining money, I decided to buy some extra. Later, have two aunties take two packets to brew. I noticed many children in the village have caught chills and are coughing badly."

"Mm!" The man nodded firmly, feeling deeply grateful. "Zhao Dashan, you've had a rough trip."

"Don't mention it—we're all from the same village. My family has several boys too," Zhao Dashan replied with an easy smile.

"Exactly because we're from the same village, we should remember this kindness," the man insisted, waving a hand.

Not everyone in the village was reasonable. When Dashan and the others went to town to find a doctor, many didn’t take it seriously—after all, not every household had injured members. A few families initially adopted an indifferent attitude, until several Village Elders stepped in and spoke plainly: if they didn’t stick together now, no one would lend a hand later when something happened. That shut a lot of them up.

The elders were playing it safe too. Suppose one family bought medicine and another didn’t—if the latter later fell ill and tried to borrow from others, only to be refused, wouldn’t that spark conflict again?

To avoid trouble, they decided every household would chip in a little money. If medicine could be bought, every family would get some. If not, then no one would. The rule was clear: we all make it or we all don't—and nobody better cause any drama!

Of course, the village chief’s family was excluded.

The people of Wanxia Village had already quietly cut off that family of unfilial descendants. Whether they lived or died was no one else’s concern.