The two teachers tried to lift Xiao Yanci, but they couldn’t move him.
As Su Yaoguang supported Zhou Wangshu inside, she glanced back at Xiao Yanci.
Xiao Yanci’s gaze lingered on Su Yaoguang, his eyes full of anger.
Su Yaoguang rolled her eyes and muttered, "Definitely sick."
But it wasn’t surprising. If he wasn’t sick, he wouldn’t have taken a liking to Jiang Yihuan. How can you expect someone so ungrateful and unworthy to have a normal mind?
"Were you doing it on purpose just now?" Su Yaoguang whispered into Zhou Wangshu’s ear.
Zhou Wangshu scratched his ear and said, "What on purpose? My head was spinning so badly, everything in front of me was a blur. It’s a good thing you came; otherwise, I would have fainted."
Su Yaoguang looked at him skeptically.
Zhou Wangshu’s eyes were so clear and innocent, looking at her like a harmless fawn.
"I’ll trust you for now."
"Were you feeling sorry for him when I stepped on him?" Zhou Wangshu asked.
"I’ll give you another dose of medicine later; you’re sick too," Su Yaoguang said disdainfully, "Am I crazy or stupid to feel pity for that kind of man? Ugh..."
Su Yaoguang stood by the window and watched outside, seeing that the two teachers couldn’t lift Xiao Yanci and had to call two more people over to carry him away.
"The academy’s situation isn’t looking good; we can’t wait for the county government to test the medicine. I see Zhou Wangshu is doing well, maybe we should just use that medicine for the students!"
"I think it’s feasible. At the very least, no one will die; Zhou Wangshu is the best proof of that."
The teachers were discussing this matter. With the Mountain Master absent, besides the sick students and staff, everyone else had run away. These teachers also wanted to leave, but as educators, they needed to maintain some integrity. If they ruined their reputation out of cowardice, they wouldn’t have the face to continue teaching here after this was all over.
Seeing that Zhou Wangshu was in good condition, Su Yaoguang made braised pork ribs, fish head tofu soup, celery stir-fried with black fungus, and scrambled eggs with leeks for him. The remaining fish she steamed, filling the air with a mouthwatering aroma.
Zhou Wangshu stared at the delicacies on the table, swallowing saliva.
"Where did you get these things?" Zhou Wangshu asked.
"You know the dog hole in the wall on the east side of the academy, right? I saw a few kids passing by and got them to bring me some fish, which I exchanged for with some grain."
"Do we have enough grain?"
"It’s just the two of us; Jing’er packed us enough to last a month. If we run out, Jing’er will find a way to send us more, so don’t worry," Su Yaoguang said. "You were too sick to eat much recently. Now that you’ve finally recovered, you need to eat well."
Su Yaoguang said this while pinching his cheeks, "You’re just skin and bones now. You were skinny enough before, but now you’re like a twig. It’s not a good look; I need to fatten you back up."
Zhou Wangshu’s appetite had indeed returned. For some reason, seeing Xiao Yanci looking miserable made him hungrier, and he ate even more until Su Yaoguang stopped him.
"Now that you’ve regained your strength, walk around the room after eating; don’t lie down immediately," Su Yaoguang said, tidying up the leftovers. "Next time, I won’t make so much food; it’s wasteful when just the two of us can’t finish it. You don’t know, after this rain, grain can’t be transported here, and the rice at the grain shop outside has gone up to one hundred cents per jin, while cornmeal and sorghum flour that used to sell for three cents now sell for fifty cents."
Zhou Wangshu frowned, "Profiteering off a natural disaster, don’t they find it immoral?"
"They don’t care about that, only that they can make easy money and get rich," Su Yaoguang said. "I’ve already instructed Jing’er to hand over our stored grain to the county government if they accept her prescription. Lord County Magistrate is a good official and won’t let us ordinary people suffer a loss — we’ll at least get our capital back. Then those who’ve benefited from us will know about Taoyao Square."
Such a big good deed, she certainly wouldn’t just quietly do it without getting some credit. She’s not the reincarnation of a Bodhisattva. Good deeds can be done, but the good name must also be spread.
"I knew when you were storing grain that you weren’t just doing it for your family. If it were just for family, you wouldn’t need to store so much; that amount can open a grain shop,"
"I just wanted to make a goodwill gesture to the County Magistrate. As ordinary businesspeople, maintaining good relations with the government is always beneficial. On the County Magistrate’s turf, if something happens, he can lend a helping hand."
"If the County Magistrate asks after you, what will you say?"
"I’ll say I plan to open a grain shop, is there a problem with storing more grain?" Su Yaoguang said. "The County Magistrate wouldn’t be so ungrateful. Since he’s benefited and gained public support, why would he question the person who gave him this opportunity?"
Mr. Wang’s voice came from outside, "Miss Su, is it convenient to come in?"
"Please come in."
Mr. Wang pushed the door open and, smelling the lingering aroma in the air, looked at Zhou Wangshu enviously.
This guy is really blessed.
He had heard about his previous plight and thought it a pity. Now it seems he’s the most fortunate after all.
"Miss Su, the thing is, there’s really no one left at the academy. I wonder if you could help cook for the students and deliver meals?" Mr. Wang said with a bow.
Su Yaoguang: "..."
Though she wanted to be kind-hearted, she didn’t exactly have the look of a Living Bodhisattva!
"Sorry, it’s inappropriate for men and women to mix freely. I am taking care of Wang Shu because we are a couple, but for me to care for other students would be unsuitable. You could hire someone from outside," Su Yaoguang said.
"That’s not possible; it’s chaos outside. Everyone’s so busy taking care of themselves that no one wants to risk taking care of the sick. Miss Su, you’ve never left the academy, so you don’t know just how chaotic it is outside."
"So you’re saying I can come and go freely?"
"Of course. Initially, it was to prevent the disease from spreading to the academy from outside. Now that the academy is full of sick people, there’s nothing to worry about; you can freely come and go."
"Then I’d like to take Wang Shu and leave," Su Yaoguang said. "I want to take him home to recuperate."
"That’s not possible," Mr. Wang refused. "Although Zhou Wangshu’s symptoms have improved, there’s no guarantee they won’t relapse. Besides, if your family hasn’t fallen ill, bringing a patient home would increase the risk of infecting others. Even if you put him in a separate room, not letting others see him, you’d still be in contact with him, and your family would be in contact with you, increasing the risk of infection. The academy’s position is that you can go out to buy supplies, but you can’t take Zhou Wangshu away."
Su Yaoguang: "... Fine, we won’t go. But sorry, I really don’t have the strength to care for others. The academy can offer a handsome reward to hire brave souls, someone in this world will always be willing to take risks for money."
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