Chapter 98 - 94: Medicine Gatherer
"Mr. Qin."
Zhao Pu was at the door.
He held a notebook in his hand. "I’ve compiled a list of all the residents in our Building 1."
"Let’s go upstairs to talk," Qin Ziwen said, leading him up.
Apartment 602 now served as their regular meeting place. His own apartment held too many secrets to let others inside.
"There aren’t many people with symptoms in our building. I’ve checked everyone. Only two households are showing signs of a cough: 202 and 901."
If Qin Ziwen remembered correctly, 202 was Granny Li’s apartment.
𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖
He wasn’t familiar with the resident of 901, having only met him once when dealing with the incident in 801. He seemed to be a tall, heavyset man.
Zhao Pu said, "Not many people are showing symptoms yet, so I haven’t had them quarantine together. The man in 901 is a bit hot-tempered. His wife is the one who’s infected, but I have a feeling he might be showing some signs as well..."
"The residents of 202 are an elderly couple. After I warned them, they promised to stay home and not go anywhere."
At this, Zhao Pu sounded helpless. He’d had the door shut in his face several times today while making his rounds. The neighbors were all extremely wary.
If he hadn’t stressed the severity of this infectious disease, they might not have opened their doors at all.
Qin Ziwen asked, "What’s the situation in the other buildings in the Gated Community?"
Zhao Pu shook his head. "I don’t have the full picture, but I met with a few other building representatives today. Basically, every building has infected individuals. Some have just one or two, like us, while others have four or five. If you factor in those who might be hiding their condition, the number could be even higher."
"Renhe Hall has also temporarily closed its doors. They don’t have direct contact with patients; they’re only responsible for brewing medicine. They’re cooperating with the Mutual Aid Association now."
"It seems our building doesn’t have many infected cases then." Qin Ziwen considered this to be good news.
Zhao Pu’s face was etched with worry. "That’s just the number of people showing symptoms. There’s still the incubation period. To be completely sure we’re safe, we’ll need to observe for another two or three days to be safe."
Qin Ziwen said, "Thank you for your hard work, Dr. Zhao."
Zhao Pu sighed. "It’s not hard work, just a hard life. To be honest, I really don’t want to be this building’s representative. It’s just a pile of responsibilities, and I have no time for my own affairs anymore."
As he spoke, Zhao Pu looked at Qin Ziwen. "Mr. Qin, when I went to the Mutual Aid Association to report the latest situation today, Zou Jianghe invited me to join them. I refused."
"A doctor is a scarce talent. It’s only natural for them to try and recruit you," Qin Ziwen said with a smile. "Since he invited you, you might as well go ahead and join."
Zhao Pu thought Qin Ziwen was being sarcastic, but after studying his expression, he realized that wasn’t the case. "Mr. Qin, are you suggesting... that I infiltrate their ranks?"
Qin Ziwen waved his hand. "I never said that."
After a pause, Qin Ziwen continued, "It’s just that the Alliance Mutual Aid Association is a public welfare group dedicated to the entire Gated Community. I think our Building 8 should have someone on the inside, so we can all reap the benefits."
Zhao Pu understood. "Alright, then I’ll infiltrate the enemy’s ranks."
Seeing Zhao Pu’s hesitant expression, Qin Ziwen knew what he was thinking. "Tomorrow’s Card has been reserved by Deng Guang. After that, I’ll give you the next Card."
Zhao Pu’s face lit up. "Thank you, Mr. Qin!"
Watching Qin Ziwen’s back, Zhao Pu gloated inwardly. ’Following Mr. Qin was definitely the right choice.’
He had only learned today, when speaking with the other building representatives, that some teams had fallen apart and some people had even turned on their own comrades, all for the sake of a single Card.
It was just that the Gated Community was too large and populous for some of this news to have spread very far.
...
Back home, Du Yu emerged from the Celestial Star Arrow Gallery and found Qin Ziwen. "My lord, earlier today when I was retrieving the Card, I felt like something was watching me from the depths of the cave. I turned off my flashlight, grabbed the Card, and only dared to turn it back on after I was far away."
Qin Ziwen’s brow furrowed.
Last time, a sound had come from the depths of the cave. This time, something had been watching Du Yu. It meant there was truly something down there.
Du Yu cupped his fists. "My lord, we must be on our guard. Let me be the one to go into the cave next time. My intuition tells me that thing inside... it’s very dangerous. Ten times more dangerous than the tiger I once encountered in the mountains!"
"Mm, I understand. How’s that Precepts Saber Li Tieshan forged for you?"
At the mention of this, the corners of Du Yu’s mouth turned up. "It’s a fine saber. Feels good in my hands."
After dinner, Qin Ziwen went to the Celestial Star Arrow Gallery to practice his archery for a while. An hour later, he felt his touch had improved considerably.
Then he took a warm shower, changed into a fresh set of clothes, and went to the tavern.
He felt he was being a rather unprofessional tavern owner.
His opening hours were random, lasting only an hour or two each day.
But the core reason was that he was short on help. Li Tieshan was his only Blacksmith; he was indispensable for forging ironware. When he wasn’t making finished products, he was busy casting Ferrous Iron Ingots.
Du Yu was the waiter, and he needed to be ready to protect him, the Shopkeeper, at all times.
However, there was nowhere to spend the money they earned anyway, so there was no rush to attract customers.
Night fell. Qin Ziwen and Du Yu sat in the tavern’s main hall for a while, but no one came in.
Qin Ziwen sighed. ’I guess we can’t attract any customers at night, huh?’
It was the same last time. No customers at night, but people showed up as soon as it was daybreak.
Du Yu was surprised. "My lord, are you trying to attract customers?"
"Yes. Why else would we be here?"
After a moment of silence, Du Yu looked at the extinguished lantern outside the shop. He found a stool, took the lantern down, and rummaged around inside. "My lord, do you have any candles?"
"No." Qin Ziwen shook his head. They really didn’t have any candles. "But you can try this."
Du Yu took the flashlight, lost in thought.
A moment later, the lantern was hanging from the bamboo pole outside the tavern, emitting a bright light. It was even brighter than a candle, though the light source was a bit strange, shining in only one direction.
"Excuse me, is the shop owner in?"
Before long, there was a knock on the door. A head poked in, and a voice asked cautiously.
"We are. What would you like to eat, guest?"
Outside, an old man with a basket on his back first cleaned the mud off his feet before carefully stepping inside.
"I am a Medicine Gatherer from the nearby mountains. A sudden flash flood cut off my path, and I passed by your esteemed establishment while taking a detour home. Might I rest my feet for a while?" The old man first explained his origins.
Qin Ziwen gestured for the old man to sit. "Of course. Please, come in and sit."
A trace of gratitude appeared on the old man’s face. After sitting down, however, he seemed a bit uneasy. He fumbled in his pocket and said shyly, "Do you have anything cheap to eat? I’ll have one of those."
Qin Ziwen saw his predicament and smiled faintly. "It’s alright. Just sit and rest, old sir. You don’t need to order anything."
The old man thanked him profusely.
Afterward, Qin Ziwen chatted with him for a bit. The old man was a Medicine Gatherer from a nearby village who had made a living collecting herbs for many years.
He didn’t know the current era name, only that there had been one called "Yongjia" some years ago. The only reason he remembered it so clearly was that His Majesty the Emperor had granted a general amnesty that year, exempting them from half a year’s taxes.
...
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