Chapter 6: Strange Words

In the fine, slanting drizzle like spun silk threads, Liu Jinyi hurried briskly toward his small courtyard, carrying a basket on his back with quick, hurried steps.

When he pushed open the gate, he abruptly halted.

“I’ve brought all the medicinal herbs inside,” Lu Shijiu said coolly, leaning on his cane beneath the eaves.

Veins throbbed wildly on Liu Jinyi’s forehead. “How many times have I told you to rest more? There’s no need to rush your work!”

“I’m not going to die!” Lu Shijiu replied.

“You!” Liu Jinyi was so angry steam seemed to rise from his head.

Lu Shijiu gazed at the rain swaying in the wind. “I want to repay my debt soon. They’re coming.”

“Good. Then let them pay the consultation and medicine fees! If they don’t pay in full, don’t let them take the person back!”

“They won’t pay!”

“I’ll just ask Lu Xingfa directly. As long as he has any shame, how could he refuse? Come inside, let me feel your pulse first! Don’t waste the effort I’ve put in these past few days!”

Lu Shijiu sat upright, placing his hand on the pulse pillow, his sharp black-and-white eyes fixed on him. “The money in his hand is easy to take but hard to spend.”

“You’re just a child; why do you worry so much!” Liu Jinyi snapped irritably. As he glanced at Lu’s pulse, his fingers trembled, and a cold sweat broke out on his back.

That look in his eyes—lifeless, devoid of light...

It was back again!

That indescribable, unsettling feeling.

Suppressing his unease, he cleared his throat. “Are you so sure?”

Lu Shijiu’s lips twitched slightly. “Because you have conscience and limits; they do not.”

“What work will you do when you go back?” Liu Jinyi changed the subject.

“Washing clothes, cooking, cutting pig fodder, chopping firewood, tidying up the firewood, cooking pig feed, feeding the pigs...” Each task Lu Shijiu mentioned made Liu Jinyi’s brow furrow deeper.

“You can’t do any of those for now! If you don’t get well now, you’ll end up with chronic illness. Never mind! I’ll speak to your grandfather.”

“Grandpa Liu, can I learn to prepare herbal medicine from you?” Lu Shijiu suddenly asked.

“It’s good to know some herbs. You can collect some and trade them for silver...” Liu Jinyi paused, suddenly aware. “What did you say? Prepare herbal medicine?”

Lu Shijiu nodded gently.

“Children say whatever comes to mind. Do you even know all the herbs? Preparation methods differ for different herbs. Even the same herb is prepared differently depending on the symptoms,” Liu Jinyi’s face darkened.

“I’ve memorized all the herbs you mentioned, though I don’t fully understand their effects.”

“That’s impossible!”

Because spring brought many patients, he had mentioned hundreds of herbs in recent days.

“Don’t believe me? Test me,” Lu Shijiu challenged.

Liu Jinyi, after feeling his pulse, casually picked two herbs from the gathered bundle. “Which is licorice root, which is gentian?”

“The one that’s cylindrical, three feet long, one inch in diameter, with obvious longitudinal wrinkles, is licorice; the root that is thick at the top and tapers at the bottom is gentian,” Lu Shijiu recited matter-of-factly.

Thinking carefully, these were exactly the descriptions Liu Jinyi had muttered while sorting the herbs.

Unwilling to give up, he tested her on dozens more herbs. Each time, she answered perfectly.

Staring blankly at the girl not yet waist-high, Liu Jinyi asked, “When did you memorize all this?”

“If I see or hear it once, I can remember it,” Lu Shijiu said, her cool brows knitting slightly, as if something still eluded her memory.

Liu Jinyi sighed wearily.

This was a gift from heaven, not to be envied.

“Alright! Since you want to learn herbal preparation and have such talent, follow me and watch. But remember, how much you learn is up to you!”

“Okay!” Lu Shijiu nodded solemnly. “Do I have to kowtow and formally apprentice?”

“If you were a boy, I’d insist on it, pressing your head down to formalize it. But sadly, you’re a girl!” Liu Jinyi clicked his tongue regretfully.

“Then no kowtow!”

“No kowtow, no kowtow!” Liu Jinyi waved his hand without looking up, continuing to sort the newly dug herbs.

“Uncle Liu, Uncle Liu, are you home?” a voice called from outside.

“At home!”

Liu Jinyi stood up, wiped his hands on a rag nearby, then shot a warning glance at Lu Shijiu. “Go lie down properly. If your body isn’t well, you can’t do anything you want.”

“Okay!” This time Lu Shijiu didn’t refuse.

“Uncle Liu!” Liu Ding walked into the courtyard carrying a basket, braving the light drizzle.

“Has there been any result from the county office?”

“Yes. Though it’s not perfect, it’s a relief. Uncle Liu, we bought meat today and cooked several meat dishes. I brought two bowls for you to try!”

Liu Ding placed the basket on the dining table.

“Why so polite?”

“It’s only right,” Liu Ding smiled. “If you hadn’t suggested reporting to the authorities and spoken a few fair words for us, how could that wicked woman from the Lu family have been brought to justice?”

“The wife of Lu Xingfa was punished?” Liu Jinyi poured tea for Liu Ding, surprised.

Liu Ding accepted the tea but did not drink immediately.

“Yes, a major case! My brother-in-law travels far and wide and has broad knowledge; he predicted the outcome almost perfectly.”

Liu Jinyi’s face twitched sharply. “So Lu Xingfa’s wife really trafficked children nearby for over ten years?”

“More or less!” Liu Ding gripped his cup. “If it weren’t for the new county magistrate and his advisor, this big case would have ended without resolution.”

“I heard about our new county magistrate. They say he was transferred from the capital with a powerful background. Even the advisor was appointed by him,” Liu Jinyi sipped his tea. “He’s young, hasn’t been corrupted by old officials, and works sincerely for the people.”

“Uncle Liu’s right. When the magistrate received the report, he immediately sent people to the village to arrest suspects. During the investigation, he combined the decade-long child trafficking cases for joint inquiry. Unfortunately, only two cases from half a year ago had solid evidence; the others were too old or lacked proof.”

“Then why was the case closed so quickly?”

“Don’t mention it!” Liu Ding frowned. “This morning, Lu’s wife committed suicide by biting her tongue in court. The magistrate couldn’t continue the inquiry. The rest of the Lu family was released due to insufficient evidence.”

Liu Jinyi was taken aback. “Could Lu Xingfa’s wife have done all the child trafficking alone?”

“Exactly!” Liu Ding thumped his thigh in frustration. “But that wicked woman insisted she acted alone. The magistrate had no choice. Without enough evidence, holding them for half a month was already extreme. In the end, the magistrate punished Lu Xingfa and Lu’s third son with twenty lashes each for failing to control their family.”

“Such a domineering woman, publicly scolded and threatened with divorce by Lu Xingfa, yet she took the blame, even committing suicide to stop the magistrate’s investigation. That’s truly...” Liu Jinyi sighed deeply.

“That’s what I can’t understand. Even stranger were her last words.”

“What did she say?”

“She said she repaid a debt of gratitude from over ten years ago with ten years of effort and her life. Now that she’s dead, her sons shouldn’t live burdened by guilt.”

“What was Lu Xingfa’s expression then?” Liu Jinyi asked.

“Nothing special. He silently took her body home without a word.”