Chapter 239: Grim Outlook

 Chapter 239: Grim Outlook

"Amitabha, thank heavens, thank the heavens, Big Brother finally stopped having diarrhea!"

Looking at Yan Wenxiu, who was lying peacefully in bed, breathing steadily and fast asleep, Yan Wenkai and Yan Wentao both sighed in relief at the same time.

Yan Wenxiu had suffered from diarrhea for three days straight. If it had continued any longer, they truly couldn't imagine the consequences.

Yan Wenkai left Qin Shisan behind to take good care of their elder brother in the room. He then quietly exited the room with Yan Wentao. Once outside, he spoke in a low voice, "If we had known that the medicine Little Sister prepared was so effective, we should’ve given it to Big Brother when he first started having diarrhea. He wouldn’t have suffered for three whole days."

Yan Wentao replied, "Alright, enough of that. Let’s hurry and deliver the medicine to Brother Zhou. Don’t forget, his diarrhea lasted even longer than Big Brother’s."

Yan Wenkai nodded repeatedly, and together with Yan Wentao, they quickly headed toward Zhou Chengye’s courtyard. As they walked, Yan Wenkai muttered, "I told them that scholars aren’t suited for physical labor. They used to argue with me about it, but after this experience, let’s see if they’ll still be so stubborn."

On the way, they encountered Wu Hongda.

Yan Wenkai hurriedly asked, "What are you in such a rush for?"

Wu Hongda looked anxious. "Brother Su has started having diarrhea too. I’m going over to check on him."

Yan Wenkai and Yan Wentao’s expressions immediately changed with alarm. "He’s started too?"

Wu Hongda wiped the sweat from his forehead, and though he had a suspicion in his mind, he hesitated to speak out of concern for causing panic. He kept his thoughts to himself.

"What about the physician? Why are you the one going?" Yan Wenkai frowned.

Wu Hongda explained, "This morning, Brother Zhou began vomiting and having diarrhea. His situation is not looking good. The physician can’t leave him, so he asked me to check on Hongxin’s condition."

"Is it that serious?" Yan Wentao’s tone became urgent.

Without wasting any time, he quickly pulled out two pills and handed them to Yan Wenkai. "I’ll go check on Brother Zhou. You go with Hongda to see Hongxin. If it’s bad, have him take the medicine."

Wu Hongda immediately stepped forward, eyeing the pill bottle. "What medicine is that?"

Yan Wenkai quickly pulled him away. "Alright, we’ll talk while walking. Let’s go check on Hongxin first."

The group split into two.

Yan Wentao quickly ran to Zhou Chengye’s courtyard, where the young servants were all wearing worried expressions. Xiao Yeyang, Dong Yuanxuan, and the others were standing with serious faces.

Seeing Yan Wentao, Xiao Yeyang furrowed his brows and asked, "How is your Big Brother now?"

Yan Wentao replied, "He’s fine now. He’s asleep. I’ll give Brother Zhou the medicine first, and then I’ll talk to you in detail."

With that, he hurried into Zhou Chengye’s room.

Soon, shouts from the physician could be heard from inside.

"Ah, Third Young Master Yan, please step outside! Be careful or you might get infected too!"

"Infected? Does this disease spread?"

"Quick, get out, get out, there’s no time to explain!"

"I’m here to deliver medicine. After my Big Brother took this, he stopped having diarrhea immediately. Please give some to Brother Zhou."

"Really? What medicine is it? Let me see."

Outside, Xiao Yeyang and Dong Yuanxuan exchanged a glance. When Yan Wentao was pushed out of the room, they quickly grabbed him.

"Is Wenxiu really fine?"

Yan Wentao nodded. "He’s really fine now. He’s asleep. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have left him."

Hearing this, Xiao Yeyang and Dong Yuanxuan both visibly relaxed.

Xiao Yeyang asked, "What medicine did you give him?"

Yan Wentao replied, "It’s diarrhea medicine. It was prepared by Little Sister."

Xiao Yeyang raised an eyebrow. "If Daohua prepared the medicine for you, why didn’t you use it earlier?"

Yan Wentao hesitated for a moment and then answered, "We thought the medicine Little Sister prepared wouldn’t be as effective as what the physician prescribed."

Xiao Yeyang was speechless but didn’t press further. If it were him, he wouldn’t have trusted Daohua’s half-baked medicine either.

A moment later, the physician hurried out of the room with a joyful expression. "Young Prince, Young Master Zhou took the medicine, and now he’s stopped vomiting and having diarrhea."

Everyone in the yard sighed in relief, visibly relieved by the news.

The physician immediately turned to Yan Wentao. "Third Young Master Yan, do you still have any of the diarrhea medicine you brought earlier?"

Yan Wentao nodded. "I think I still have some. I didn’t check carefully earlier."

The physician’s eyes lit up. "Third Young Master Yan, if you still have some, could you lend it to me? As you know, many of the soldiers under the Prefect Magistrate’s command are at the frontlines helping with disaster relief, and a lot of them are suffering from diarrhea."

Yan Wentao replied, "Of course. But it might not be enough."

The physician said, "We’ll treat the more serious cases first, and later I’ll see if I can make more of this medicine."

Yan Wentao agreed, "Alright, I’ll go get it."

---

Xiao Yeyang spoke up, "Zhou Chengye is fine now, so we’ll go with you to check on Wenxiu."

Soon, they arrived at the courtyard where Yan Wenxiu and his brothers were staying.

The courtyard was very quiet. Xiao Yeyang and Dong Yuanxuan stood outside the window, looking at Yan Wenxiu, who was sleeping soundly in his room. Then they quietly moved to the main hall.

Yan Wentao took out the bundle that Daohua had prepared and placed the medicine bottles on the table one by one. He then examined them carefully.

There were medicines for reducing fever, stopping diarrhea, treating wounds, and curing colds—every kind of commonly used medicine, with three bottles of each.

After inspecting the medicines, Yan Wentao quickly picked out one bottle of each type and then pushed the remaining bottles toward Xiao Yeyang.

Normally, he would have shared all the medicines, but this time, seeing his elder brother sick had frightened both him and Wenkai. Whether they needed them or not, he decided to keep some of the medicines for themselves.

Seeing this, Xiao Yeyang and Dong Yuanxuan didn’t think much of it.

Good things should naturally be kept for oneself, and besides, these were life-saving medicines. Yan Wenxiu’s brothers had already shown great generosity by sharing some with them.

Xiao Yeyang asked Defu to take the medicine to the physician, then turned to Yan Wentao, patting his shoulder seriously. "On behalf of the soldiers, I thank you."

Yan Wentao quickly shook his head. "It’s the least I could do. Besides, if anyone should be thanked, it’s Daohua."

Hearing this, Xiao Yeyang smiled but didn’t say anything more.

Just then, Yan Wenkai and Wu Hongda returned.

As soon as Yan Wenkai entered, without anyone needing to ask, he immediately explained, "Hongxin’s a lucky one. He only had to go to the bathroom twice, and it stopped. He’s much better off than my brother and Zhou Chengye."

With Wenxiu, Zhou Chengye, and Su Hongxin all improving, Xiao Yeyang and the others felt much more at ease.

However, Wu Hongda, seeing the smiles on everyone’s faces, didn’t want to spoil the mood but couldn’t help his concern. With a serious expression, he spoke up, "Young Prince, Young Master Dong, Wentao, Wenkai, I’m worried…"

Seeing his grave expression, the others immediately stopped smiling.

Yan Wenkai, sensing that Wu Hongda had something important to say, asked anxiously, "What are you worried about? Just say it."

Wu Hongda gritted his teeth and said directly, "I’m worried that there might be an epidemic outbreak in Jiguang."

The room fell silent.

After a long pause, Xiao Yeyang finally spoke. "The weather’s too hot. The situation here in Jiguang is indeed not looking good." He continued, "A few days ago, my uncle sent word to me, warning me to be cautious about what I eat and to avoid unnecessary travel."

(End of chapter)