Hearing this, Song Wenqing felt his heart soften completely. The youth continued, “Next year at the Lantern Festival, I will be able to go together with Ah Wen.”
Next year?
He froze slightly. For the first time, he saw himself included in someone else’s future. Recalling his thoughts, Song Wenqing rubbed the youth’s head and said with a smile, “Then you must make this lantern look a bit more beautiful. Next year, we will go stroll through the Lantern Festival together.”
“Has Ah Wen ever been to the Lantern Festival in the capital?” Pei Jinrong’s eyes were bright, and Song Wenqing’s reflection was mirrored within them.
“I have never been there. What is the Lantern Festival in the capital like?”
Forget the capital’s Lantern Festival, he had not even been to the one in the market town.
Hearing this, Pei Jinrong described the scene of the capital’s Lantern Festival to Song Wenqing with great animation, “The streets in the capital are incredibly lively. There are riddle-guessing games, and if you guess correctly, you can pick out a mask from the shop owner. There are also dragon and lion dances. Chang’an Street is brightly lit all through the night and is exceptionally bustling. Ah Wen will definitely like it. When that time comes, we will take our lanterns and carry them through the city of Chang’an to pray for blessings.”
As Pei Jinrong spoke, Song Wenqing’s mind automatically pictured the youth’s former appearance as a splendidly dressed young nobleman riding a fine horse, and a trace of anticipation bloomed in his heart.
Song Wenqing said with a laugh, “Then you must stand up by that time and accompany me. I do not want to push you with one hand while holding a lantern with the other.”
The light in Pei Jinrong’s eyes dimmed. Seeing this, Song Wenqing stepped down, squatted down to look at him at eye level, and said in a warm voice, “I will cure you.”
His gaze was exceptionally resolute, “I will cure you. Do you believe me, Pei Jinrong?”
The youth’s heart trembled. He had fantasized about this many times. Every night when he lay in bed, he would think how wonderful it would be if he could stand up completely upon waking the next morning. Yet year after year and day after day, he remained crippled.
On the day he regained sensation in his right leg, he had thought with excitement that he was finally no longer a useless burden. However, a year had passed, and his left leg remained exactly the same as it was in the beginning.
Song Wenqing pulled him into his arms, “Pei Jinrong, it must be very exhausting to persevere with massaging a leg that has no sensation every single day. Your efforts will not be in vain. Thank you for holding on until now.”
The youth buried his head against his shoulder, his tears soaking through his clothes. Song Wenqing’s heart turned thoroughly soft, and he said, “Believe me, I can truly cure you.”
Pei Jinrong ultimately could not hold it in anymore, wrapping his arms around Song Wenqing as he sobbed quietly aloud.
“Mm, I believe you.”
Receiving his response, Song Wenqing curled his lips into a smile.
The youth was incredibly persistent. Even though his legs had lost all sensation and everyone had told him there was no hope, he still persevered with the daily massages for fear that his muscles would atrophy. Even if there was only a tiny shred of hope, he still anticipated that some day that speck of hope would allow him to stand.
The moment Song Wenqing looked at his legs last night, he knew exactly how much effort the youth had put in behind everyone’s backs.
Pei Jinrong felt somewhat annoyed with himself, fearing that his constant crying in front of Song Wenqing would irritate him.
Although his father had shared some nonsensical experience about pursuing a wife, stating that acting spoiled and showing vulnerability appropriately was useful for deepening a couple’s affection, his mother had complained to him behind his father’s back, saying his father was too clingy and warning him not to learn from it.
Holding the frame of the lantern in his hands, he secretly observed Song Wenqing’s movements out of the corner of his eye.
“I am going to the creek to cut some wild grass for the chickens.”
Pei Jinrong did not expect Song Wenqing to squat directly in front of him. His gaze darted about as he stammered, “You, you be careful and stay safe.”
“You stay at home and be good with Gray Ball.”
“Mm.”
Song Wenqing paused for a moment before continuing, “You do not look ugly when you cry. I like it very much.”
Hearing these words, an instant wave of heat rushed to Pei Jinrong’s face. His mind went completely blank, though the movements of his hands remained quite skilled.
Song Wenqing could not resist rubbing his head before reluctantly picking up his bamboo basket and sickle to depart.
There was a science to raising chickens. Aside from feeding them the kind of chicken feed sold at the market stalls, one also had to cut wild grass to mix into their food. Chickens raised this way would later produce a chicken soup where the meat melted like silk, the bones turned tender, and the flavor was exceptionally delicious.
Song Wenqing searched along the creek for a long time before geometry allowed him to find the grass, cutting enough to pile the bamboo basket completely full. The passersby all praised that Young Master Jin had found a wonderful partner who was both diligent and capable.
Song Wenqing did not take these compliments to heart at all. It was not out of arrogance, but rather because the matter of brewing wine was weighing heavily on his mind. Yesterday, the two large baskets of bayberries had been soaked in saltwater early on, and only after ensuring all the insects were forced out did he confidently place them in the cellar to cool. If the weather became too hot, they would easily spoil from the trapped heat.
Thinking about it this way, tomorrow would have to be entirely dedicated to brewing wine. This process appeared simple, but in reality, it required the strictest adherence to the purity of the ingredients and the control of time.
However, brewing wine would only make the future days a bit easier for him and Pei Jinrong; his primary focus still had to be placed on practicing medicine and treating illnesses. Furthermore, Song Wenqing had just confidently promised Pei Jinrong that he could cure his legs.
Fortunately, Pei Jinrong’s legs only looked severe on the surface. Coupled with the poor medical conditions of ancient times, it was natural that no one had been able to treat them. After the two of them had finished teasing each other last night, Song Wenqing had examined them closely, and he already possessed a general direction for the treatment in his heart.
As long as he could forge a set of medical instruments, he would naturally feel secure. Furthermore, since he had been consumed by his studies during his university years, he had forcefully crammed a vast amount of knowledge regarding biochemistry just to win scholarships through various competitions. If he could purify alcohol, he would definitely carve out a brand new path for the medical arts of this world.
Song Wenqing rallied his spirits, his eyes filled with vision for the future. By the time he returned home, Pei Jinrong had already heated the water. Song Wenqing used a large ladle to scoop a portion into another pot and started the stove fire. Once the water was boiling, he poured it into a bucket, mixing it with corn flour and chopped grass to scald it thoroughly before feeding it to the chickens.
To his surprise, Gray Ball, who had only been well-behaved for a couple of days, exposed its true nature by sticking its head into the bucket in an attempt to steal food. Pei Jinrong scooped Gray Ball up in one motion, pretending to threaten it.
Song Wenqing watched the two of them playing together with a smile, rushing to feed the chickens before the sky turned dark.
Seeing steam rise from the large pot, the two of them took turns bathing one after the other. They then placed the fully fed Gray Ball into the doghouse that Pei Jinrong had just built for it today.
Having shared an intimate moment the previous night, the two individuals, who had now tasted the sweetness of their union, played around for a while longer before completely resting for the night.
The next morning, just as the sky was beginning to brighten, Song Wenqing arose with the intention of heading to the market.
The items required for brewing wine needed to be gathered completely. This task was a long-term endeavor, requiring a sequence that would take at least several months to complete.
In the later stages, distillation would be necessary. Unlike modern times, the ancient world lacked heat-resistant materials such as steel and glass, so for the time being, Song Wenqing could only think of using copperware as a substitute. Fortunately, copperware was quite common in this world and was not considered expensive. Procuring it now for brewing wine would save a lot of trouble when purifying alcohol later on.
Song Wenqing first purchased the wine yeast, then went on to buy filtering gauze and clay jars for storing the wine. The merchant selling the clay jars saw that Song Wenqing purchased six jars all at once. Knowing that the customer was a major client, the merchant smiled so widely that his mouth could barely close, quickly instructing the shop assistants to transport the jars to Song Wenqing’s home using a handcart.
Song Wenqing had been worrying over how to transport them home, so he let out a sigh of relief upon hearing the merchant’s offer. He thought to himself that this merchant certainly knew how to conduct business.
But he was in no hurry to return just yet. He intended to purchase the copperware and the iron pipes needed for condensation first. The round barrels used for collection were already available at home, so there was no need to waste money buying more.
With this plan in mind, Song Wenqing handed eight hundred wen to the merchant and said, “Just deliver these clay jars to the household at the entrance of Yunhan Village.”
Hearing this, the merchant quickly called over a few assistants to set out. Once the merchant had departed, Song Wenqing took out another two hundred wen and handed it to the two laborers, saying, “Thank you for your trouble.”
The laborers did not refuse, wiping their hands as they accepted the money with smiles, saying, “Rest assured, young master. The two of us will absolutely deliver these clay jars safely inside your house.”
Song Wenqing smiled, offering no explanation to clarify that he was actually a ger.
After finalizing the arrangements, he entered another street, searching thoroughly until he finally found copperware and iron pipes that met his satisfaction.
In this manner, this single trip cost him two taels of silver. Now, excluding the silver that Pei Jinrong had earned from weaving bamboo baskets over the past few days, the household possessed a grand total of eight taels of silver remaining.
If he were to simply submerge the bayberries directly into the wine, it would only require a month. However, the villagers all knew how to use this method for themselves, and not many people would buy the resulting brew. Song Wenqing intended to utilize a different method, which would require a duration varying from two to three months. This also meant that the eight taels of silver would serve as the entire reserve fund for the two of them over the coming months.
Fortunately, Pei Jinrong possessed some craftsmanship skills. However, Song Wenqing considered the matter extensively; once the busy agricultural season passed in a few days, fewer people would seek out Pei Jinrong to weave baskets and crates. Looking at it this way, offering free medical consultations was highly necessary.
On his way back, Song Wenqing encountered several older aunts, all of whom were highly curious about the large items behind him.
“Wen-ger, these things you bought are not practical.”
Song Wenqing was not annoyed, saying with a smile, “I bought them to use for brewing wine at home.”
An aunt gasped, “Using clay jars and a wooden rice steamer is enough for brewing wine. What is the meaning of this?”
The mechanism of this wooden steamer was identical to a regular steamer basket, except that the exterior resembled a wooden bucket, and the steaming base contained many small perforations arranged in a conical arch. The villagers all liked to use this item to steam their rice.
Song Wenqing intended to use this item to create rice wine, so he said, “The wooden steamer will naturally be utilized as well.”
The aunts looked at him suspiciously before departing. Song Wenqing possessed excellent hearing; despite the distance, he could still catch the sound of their discussion.
“Wen-ger truly does not lower his hands to handle common chores, he does not even know how to brew wine.”
“Do not let him hear you say that. The child’s parents passed away early, after all. Shen Xiaolan is not a kind-hearted person either, let alone someone who would teach Wen-ger these matters. If he hears this, it will make his heart ache.”
“Sigh, he truly is pitiable. He will understand how to manage a household after a few more years of hardship.”
The conversation drifted away into the distance.
Song Wenqing collected his thoughts and led the laborer standing beside him into the house, unloading the items from the handcart.
Pei Jinrong had already assembled the frame of the lantern. Having produced paper and a brush from somewhere, he was sketching upon a sheet of Xuan paper.
After instructing the laborer on where to place the items, Song Wenqing secretly glanced at Pei Jinrong’s drawing. With a single look, his soul was instantly captured.
Upon that sheet of Xuan paper, he was depicted wearing a red robe, holding a lantern in his hand as he sat atop a horse, looking down at the prosperous Chang’an Street with a smile. A youth had turned his head, leading the horse for him with a smile, his eyes holding room for no one but Song Wenqing alone.