My Fulang is a Delicate Flower Chapter 25 Part 2

"All done. Does it feel alright?"  

Huang Yinsheng asked as Ji Taoyu returned the medicine chest.  

"It’s just a cut from a knife."  

Ji Taoyu explained, "Brother Huo is apprenticing at Butcher Qiao’s shop. It’s his first day, so he hurt his hand."  

Huang Yinsheng looked at Huo Shu, surprised. "You’re learning a craft now?"  

Ji Taoyu nodded.  

Huang Yinsheng stroked his beard approvingly. "That’s a good thing."  

"Go pour Warrior Huo some tea."  

Ji Taoyu hurried off to fetch tea for Huo Shu.  

As Huang Yinsheng watched them, a prescription was handed to him.  

"Physician Huang, please prepare this medicine."  

Huang Yinsheng took the prescription and skimmed it while retrieving herbs from the cabinet behind him. "Is someone in your family injured, Madam Zhang?"  

"Unfortunately, yes. My husband just returned from a trip a couple of days ago, and who’d have thought he’d run into a group of mountain bandits near the border of Yangqiao County and Tongzhou City? They ambushed a merchant convoy, and even passing peddlers weren’t spared."  

"My husband sensed trouble and hid under a steep slope by the roadside, but he slipped and fell down the hill. Thankfully, it wasn’t serious, just some scrapes and bruises."  

The woman shuddered as she spoke, muttering a few prayers to the heavens.  

Hearing this, another patient waiting nearby chimed in, "I’ve also heard things aren’t peaceful lately. With taxes rising this year, bandits have grown bolder, even daring to cause trouble at the prefecture borders."  

The woman shook her head. "Yangqiao County suffered a locust plague this year, ruining the harvest, yet the court raised taxes. Desperate farmers turned to banditry. With their numbers swelling, of course they’d grow more aggressive."  

"At least we’re safe here in the city. Those bandits wouldn’t dare raid us."  

"It's hard to say. A peddler from Linhe Lane said he’s seen those bandits within Tongzhou’s borders, rough-looking men who rob on sight. Now, no one from Linhe Lane dares to travel alone."  

The more they talked, the more uneasy the atmosphere grew. Some of the older folks, prone to anxiety, began muttering, "With autumn harvest over and the New Year approaching, this is when business should be picking up. How are we supposed to make a living like this?"  

Ji Taoyu’s mouth hung open in shock as he stared at the group, only snapping out of it after a long moment with a gulp.  

Though Tongzhou was generally stable, bandits and thieves surfaced every few years. While violent crimes were rare in the city, outlying counties occasionally saw trouble.  

City folk often dismissed such rumors, feeling they were far removed. But this time, the threat seemed closer. 

"The spark hasn’t landed on your foot, so it doesn’t hurt," one of the patient said with a sigh.

[火星子没有落在脚背上，不疼 (Huǒxīngzi méiyǒu luò zài jiǎobèi shàng, bù téng): lit. The spark hasn’t landed on your foot, so it doesn’t hurt; fig. People don’t worry until trouble affects them personally.]  

Ji Taoyu scurried back to Huang Yinsheng. "Grandfather, everyone’s saying such scary things. Maybe you should delay the herb deal?"  

Huang Yinsheng flicked his grandson’s forehead. "I’m going to another prefectural city, not some backwater. Besides, if bandits really dared to raid and disrupt travel, the prefectural government wouldn’t just sit idle."  

"But the bandits are already robbing people within Tongzhou! How terrifying! Even if the authorities plan to crack down, it’ll take time."  

Huang Yinsheng sighed. "There’s still some time. Let’s wait and see. If things really seem unsafe, I’ll send word."  

Only then did Ji Taoyu relax slightly.  

"By the way, are you heading back to the village today?"  

Ji Taoyu hesitated slightly, he could go back, but staying was also an option.  

"If you're returning, go with Warrior Huo. That way, I won’t have to worry about you traveling alone when it gets dark, especially with the risk of running into troublemakers from other villages who might see you as an easy target."  

Huang Yinsheng glanced at the composed man sipping tea nearby.  

Ji Taoyu pursed his lips. "Alright then."  

Huang Yinsheng added, "Since they say things aren’t safe around here lately, don’t go wandering outside alone these days."  

Ji Taoyu nodded obediently. "I understand."  

"Warrior Huo, are you returning to the village? Could you take Taoyu with you?"  

Huo Shu stood up. "Sure."  

Huang Yinsheng stood at the door, watching his grandson skip cheerfully beside the towering Huo Shu, making the young ger appear even more delicate in contrast.  

"Worried about Taoyu?"  

Huang Yinsheng shook his head. When he first heard about the You family’s situation, he had been surprised, but it also made sense. While he wasn’t overly regretful about the broken engagement, he had been concerned about how his grandson would cope with the heartache.  

But seeing him today, he realized he had worried for nothing. Ji Taoyu was handling it far better than he’d expected.  

The pharmacist remarked, "But is it really alright for Taoyu to go with that northerner?"  

"Look at them, they’re clearly familiar with each other. Xiao Taozi seems happy to go with him."  

Huang Yinsheng said, "It’s fine. Life goes on."  

The pharmacist understood Huang Yinsheng’s implication. "Are you thinking of matchmaking them? But Village Head Ji might not agree."  

"Whether he agrees or not depends on fate. If the heart is willing, no obstacle is too great. If not, even a marriage at the doorstep can fall apart."  

Huo Shu hadn’t brought his horse to town today, so he and Ji Taoyu took a cart back.  

With his imposing presence and cold demeanor, the usually lively cart fell eerily silent, none of the passengers dared to speak.  

Ji Taoyu sat across from Huo Shu, not saying a word either. In the quiet, any conversation would be heard by everyone.  

He noticed Huo Shu’s sharp eyes fixed on him. Though the man wasn’t staring rudely, Ji Taoyu inexplicably felt flustered. In the past, such a gaze would have unsettled him, but now… he wasn’t sure why it felt different.  

He averted his eyes, focusing instead on Huo Shu’s injured hand, wondering how long it would take to heal. His thoughts drifted to the mountain chrysanthemums Huo Shu had picked for him, which would be dried by tomorrow; to the copy of The Washing Away of Wrongs (forensic manual) left by his bedside, unfinished and possibly discovered by his mother…  

"We’re here."  

Ji Taoyu snapped out of his daze and looked up to see the path leading into their village. He quickly hopped off the cart.  

Huo Shu pulled out a few copper coins and handed them to the driver. Ji Taoyu fumbled for his purse. "Let me—"  

Before he could finish, the cart driver had already urged the ox forward. Ji Taoyu even caught a glimpse of the other passengers exhaling in relief now that Huo Shu was gone.