"I'm sorry you had to make the trip for nothing—we're not treating him anymore!"
Aunt Ye said as she pushed the physician out the door, the man stumbling as he shouted:
"My medicine box! My medicine box! I need my medicine box!"
Ye Jinghe stopped Aunt Ye, his voice hoarse:
"Aunt, don't do this. Uncle can still be saved—we can't just give up!"
This was a life!
More importantly, he was the only family the original owner had left in this world. He had to save him.
"No, no—that's eighty taels of silver! Don't talk nonsense, Jinghe. It's enough that you have the heart."
Aunt Ye patted Ye Jinghe's head and wiped the tears from her face:
"Your uncle won't make it. I'm planning to sell the land, and after I've arranged his funeral, I'll take Yufang back to my maiden home. I'll have someone send you your share when the time comes."
The man was still breathing, but Aunt Ye was already forced to think about the aftermath—and the only person she could discuss it with was Ye Jinghe.
"I don't want it! Aunt, I told you—I'll find a way!"
"That's right! We can help Changfeng find a way too!"
"Me too!"
"And me!"
One little head after another popped out from beyond the door. Pei Du was the last to come in—he hadn't dared to at first, but seeing Ye Jinghe inside, he'd mustered the courage:
"Changfeng, don't worry. I'll give you silver—I'll draw from my account as soon as I get back. I've never touched my monthly allowance all these years."
"Tsk, by the time you get your money out, it'll be ages from now! Let's all pool what we have and see how much we can gather!"
Pei Peng took charge, and a dozen or so children each contributed—one pulling out a silver coin, another a string of copper cash. Before long, a small mountain of coins had piled up on the table.
Aunt Ye and Ye Yufang exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with surprise and joy. They hadn't expected a silver lining when all seemed lost!
"Father can be saved! Father can be saved! Mother, do you see? There's silver—there's silver now!"
Aunt Ye was too overcome to speak. Watching a group of little dumplings who barely reached her waist dig deep into their pockets, she didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
But a spark of hope had been kindled in her heart.
The donations were nearly complete when Pei Feng shuffled forward hesitantly and placed four copper coins on the table. Meeting Ye Jinghe's gaze, he said with a touch of irritation:
"Don't complain it's too little. I—this is all I have."
This was his New Year's money, saved since he could remember!
"…I'm not complaining."
Ye Jinghe blinked rapidly, forcing back the warmth rising in his eyes. He'd seen Pei Feng coax Pei Du into talking for a full quarter-hour just for a piece of meat—those four copper coins were everything to him.
Pei Du thought for a moment, then untied his little topknot. Two jade bells hung from the red silk ribbon, their texture smooth and warm, pure white throughout:
"Changfeng, these can be exchanged for silver too!"
His black hair fell loose across his shoulders, and Pei Du felt his cheeks tickle. Ignoring the sensation, he took Ye Jinghe's hand and placed the cool jade bells into his palm:
"Your uncle will get better!"
Ye Jinghe nodded gently, his throat tight, unable to utter a single word. It was Pei Peng who urged him:
"Changfeng, what are you standing there for? Count the silver!"
Ye Jinghe nodded. It was a long moment before he spoke, his face pale as if transparent:
"Right now… we have thirty-one taels, three qian, and thirty-two copper coins…"
Adding the jade bells from the Pei residence, they'd have about fifty taels—but that was still far from enough.
Hope had been dashed once again.
Seeing this, the little group fell silent. They truly had nothing left to give!
"Changfeng… that's all we have…"
At this, Ye Yufang stood frozen in place. Her tears seemed to have run dry, leaving only tear tracks behind. With dull eyes, she said softly:
"Jinghe, it's enough. It's really enough. My father… my father was fated for this."
Up and down, hope kindled then extinguished—Ye Yufang felt a chill spread through her body. She looked at her mother, wanting to say something, but was silenced by a glare.
She wasn't afraid of selling herself—but she was afraid her mother wouldn't use her silver!
Silence fell over the room once more.
Ye Jinghe steadied himself and turned to the physician, asking:
"Doctor, would it be possible to split the century-old ginseng?"
"Split?"
The physician was taken aback. He'd originally suggested the ginseng because the child's clothes were of fine quality, and he'd been even more shocked when a group of children managed to scrape together thirty taels on the spot.
Watching them go from joy to disappointment, he'd felt for them—but he hadn't expected this child to have another idea.
"The century-old ginseng is remarkably potent—one person wouldn't need the whole root. We don't have enough silver, but surely there are others who might be short on funds as well, wouldn't you say?
Eighty taels is no small sum, and preserving ginseng requires effort and resources. Better to exchange it for silver sooner—money in hand brings peace of mind, and it could save a life.
As the saying goes, saving one life is better than building a seven-story pagoda. If you could just make the connection, you'd gain both the benefit of the silver and the merit of saving a life—don't you think?"
Ye Jinghe spoke methodically, and the physician, listening, was genuinely drawn in. He thought for a moment and said:
"Young man, what you say makes sense, but how could things be so coincidental?"
But things were exactly that coincidental.
When the old physician brought Ye Jinghe back to fetch the ginseng, they happened to run into a scholar whose wife was in difficult labor. The scholar had sold his family heirloom and only gotten sixty taels of silver, and was now outside the pharmacy begging desperately.
The old physician glanced at Ye Jinghe, who was looking at him with pleading eyes, then stepped forward to make the connection. After dividing the ginseng, the scholar, as if having survived a disaster, thanked them profusely and left overjoyed.
"Did you already know someone would be short on money to buy ginseng?"
The old physician was very puzzled, but Ye Jinghe only shook his head:
"I didn't know."
He simply wanted to gamble one last time—to bet that heaven had sent him through time not to be someone's servant for the rest of his life!
The old physician's clinic was not far from the Pei residence. If no one had come to share the ginseng with him before dark, he would have followed his original plan.
The old physician shook his head, marveling:
"Then you're quite bold. Aren't you afraid of being blamed?"
Ye Jinghe lowered his eyes without speaking, only asking the old physician to make another trip to Little Stone Village. When the old physician saw him about to leave, he couldn't help but ask in surprise:
"Aren't you going back to watch over him?"
"I work in the household. I've already delayed a good part of the day. My uncle's illness will be in your care."
As Ye Jinghe gradually walked away, the old physician stood rooted in place, unable to snap out of his shock for a long time.
Wait, no?
This child… is a servant?
Then what about all those young masters who eagerly gathered around to donate so much silver for him?
"Remarkable, remarkable, truly remarkable…"
The old physician shook his head, looked at the darkening sky, and still shouldered his medicine box, heading out of the city.
A physician's heart is benevolent—having agreed to this, he would not slack off.
Ye Jinghe walked step by step to the gates of the Pei residence. The moment he entered, he saw Ali craning his neck, looking around. When Ali spotted Ye Jinghe, his eyes lit up and he rushed straight over:
"Changfeng! You're back! Third Master wants you at the family school—the masters from the other branches have also returned. You, you be careful…"
Ali looked at Ye Jinghe with worry. Ye Jinghe nodded. From the moment Pei Du and the others had appeared outside his uncle's door, he already knew they must have skipped class.
But they had all done it for him.
Ye Jinghe walked with steady steps to the courtyard of the family school and lightly stepped over the threshold. Inside, lanterns blazed brightly.
Beneath the eaves sat eight or nine people, all with cold, stern expressions, silent. Beneath them were blackwood chairs inlaid with gold, the gold glinting calmly in the darkness—the atmosphere carried the weight of a coming storm!
And in the courtyard knelt a row of people. The silk clothing of those at the front still gleamed under the lamplight—who else could it be but Pei Du and the others?
"Oh, the culprit has returned."
Pei Qingyan sat in the very center, his sharp phoenix eyes sweeping over Ye Jinghe with casual indifference. The black iron ruler in his hand, as he tapped it lightly against his palm, reflected a glimmer of light and produced a series of "crack, crack" sounds that made one's skin crawl.
Ye Jinghe neither argued nor defended himself. He stepped forward one pace at a time until he stood before all the students, then lifted his robes and knelt:
"The student has erred. Please punish me, Master. But this matter arose entirely because of me. I am willing to bear full responsibility—please spare my fellow classmates."
"That's not true! How could Changfeng order us around?"
"I was worried about Changfeng. Please forgive me, Master."
Pei Peng and Pei Du both spoke up, and the others voiced their agreement.
"Heh. What do you all think, brothers?"
Pei Qingyan didn't answer directly but looked at the other students' fathers. Even Pei Qinghe, at this moment, could only lower his head in silence as the parent of a student who had caused trouble.
Since he had first begun his studies as a child, he had never done a single thing out of line, nor given his old man a moment's worry.
And today, because of this brat, he'd been summoned by the third brother to be lectured. If the third brother weren't of a younger generation, all the brothers would probably have to stand and keep him company!
At this moment, Pei Qingyan's sarcastic tone made Pei Qinghe feel like his skin was crawling. But he was the eldest brother and couldn't easily take a stance.
Just then, Pei Changli scratched his ear and spoke lazily:
"What do we think? We'll sit and watch! What's the big deal—it's just skipping one class. Who among you has never skipped before?"
At these words, Pei Qingyan's expression darkened further. He smiled at Pei Changli:
"Fourteenth Brother, I have never skipped a class."
"So what? If you're saying these kids skipped class to go eat, drink, and have fun, then string them up and whip them—I'll even hand you the whip. But they did it to save someone's life. Just punish them by not letting them eat dinner!"
At Pei Changli's words, the whole group of little sprouts immediately raised their heads, their eyes filled with gratitude, looking at him with such excitement as if they'd found their second parents. Even Pei Changli couldn't help but turn his face away.
This was the first time this fourteenth uncle had been looked at like this by the little ones—it was rather embarrassing!
"What about the rest of you? Do you think the same?"
Pei Qingyan ignored Pei Changli. That man always spoiled the children—he was the main reason Pei Peng could still be bouncing around causing trouble today!
"I want you all to understand one fact: today, all eighteen of them skipped my class together and left the city with only a single coachman. If anything had gone wrong on the road, have you any idea what the consequences would have been?!"
Pei Qingyan let out a cold rebuke, and the kneeling figures on the ground trembled in unison. Pei Peng was the first to grovel, putting on a cheeky grin and saying:
"Eighth Uncle, we truly know we were wrong, and we'll never dare do it again!"
As soon as Pei Peng spoke, the others quickly followed suit, seizing the chance to back down. Pei Qingyan's temple twitched violently, and he turned his gaze to Ye Jinghe:
"Changfeng, you're the ringleader. You tell me—what punishment would be fitting?"