Chapter 24: A Glimpse of a Stunning Swallow 1

Old Huang was a bit surprised, as if in this Xiangcheng he had never seen such a carriage.

The thought flashed and vanished, but he didn't dwell on it and soon entered the courtyard with his grandson.

A cold wind blew in, and the lithe Red Date Horse let out a "hiss", a puff of white vapor billowing from its mouth.

"Master, it should be here."

The coachman seated on the carriage pole respectfully said to those inside, "According to what we've heard, the best physician in Xiangcheng is this Dr. Huang, and that elder is his Grandfather, both possessing superb medical skill. The Huang family for three generations have all come from the medical world, enjoying great reputation within a hundred‑mile radius."

After the words fell, in an instant, the heavy curtain at the fingertip was lifted by a slender finger.

That finger was like an ice sculpture.

The joints were distinct, slender as jade.

Each seemed like the heavens' most meticulous masterpiece.

At that moment, a low cough came from inside the carriage, followed by a deep, slightly sickly voice emanating from within.

"Come again tonight."

"If the master's body continues to be delayed…"

"No problem, return."

"…Yes."

With that voice, the curtain was lowered. Soon, the carriage, accompanied by the cold wind, slipped away silently.

Inside the carriage, a man in a silver long robe lazily leaned against the wall, one hand casually resting on his bent knee, the other idly handling the chess pieces inside a delicate box.

His posture was relaxed, yet exuded a hint of illness.

A shadow enveloped his whole body, leaving only a smooth, fair chin exposed.

The lines were graceful, like wall jade.

Suddenly, his thin lips curled slightly, emitting a light laugh.

In his ears echoed that woman's clear yet casual laughing words:

"Then I must turn myself into a sharp blade, so that this world will yield to me…"

— Heh.

This Xiangcheng is indeed an interesting place.

Hope this time won't be in vain.

…

Huang Yuanchang returned from the slums, his complexion looking terrible.

The plague‑afflicted patient's condition worsened; at this rate, within two days he might die suddenly.

At present, he can only quarantine them, using simple herbs to control the illness, but these medicines mostly treat wind‑cold and diarrhea, offering little effect on the disease itself.

Even in prosperous times, abundant herbs might not cure the plague, let alone now with scarce supplies and nothing at all.

If there is still no solution, these people have only death to await.

The plague must not be disclosed; otherwise, all disaster victims in Denggu Alley might face annihilation.

Yet what worries Huang Yuanchang most is not this… He fears the plague has already spread within the city. Remember, during those two days of flood, countless refugees entered amid chaos; who knows if any infected persons are among them?

Or perhaps they were already infected beforehand?

He asked the first patient, who was an incoming refugee; it is reported he came from Qianzhou, and many others from the same village fled famine, among them many with the same symptoms.

So, the infected are certainly not just him!

Perhaps initially the symptoms were mild or just in incubation, so they ignored it until it became severe…

Huang Yuanchang sensed the seriousness, but as a powerless, low‑status doctor, what could he do?

"Chang Er."

Old Huang heard the movement, stepped out, and faced his grandson with a worried expression.

"What's wrong? Is the situation over there bad?"

Huang Yuanchang nodded, "The plague patients' condition has worsened again; I'm worried they won't hold out much longer."

Old Huang's face also darkened.

"Given the current situation, we can only do our part and leave the rest to fate; you shouldn't worry too much. Tomorrow, I'll go with you to take a look. Now, let's go inside first."

The grandparent and grandchild entered the room.

After a short rest, the two went out again, intending to scout the city for any remaining herbs and also gather news.

…

In the courtyard, the Shen Family was resting.

For convenience, the Shen men temporarily stayed in the main hall,

while the women lodged in the side rooms.

After an afternoon of repairs, the wall was fixed, the house's drafts sealed, allowing temporary rest.

Yet even so, without a fire the interior remained as cold as an ice cellar.

Shen Qingquan worried about Grandmother and Mother's health, so she purchased four jin of black charcoal from the system.

One jin cost 5 gold coins.

Total 20 gold coins.

Now her balance was a pitiful 3 gold coins.

But these coals, if used sparingly, will last two days. No need to burn them by day; burning one night will warm the whole room, allowing comfortable sleep.

She also gave half to her father, who at first refused outright, but finally she said, "Ah Di and Fourth Younger Brother both have injuries; don't let them catch wind‑cold again. Resting their wounds will speed recovery."

Finally, the father accepted.

For her family, Shen Qingquan never hesitates to be generous.

Just after finishing work in the afternoon, she focused on returning to her room, linked her consciousness to the system, and began continuously farming, harvesting, and earning Gold Coins.

Harvesting grants Gold Coins as a reward; each 10‑square plot, each time it matures, gives 5 Gold Coins.

According to this algorithm, Wheat takes 10 minutes to mature; planting nonstop for an hour yields 6 harvests, thus earning a reward of 30 Gold Coins.

Millet takes 15 minutes to mature; in one hour it can be planted 4 times, gaining 20 Gold Coins.

Sweet Potato takes 20 minutes to mature; in an hour it can be harvested 3 times, rewarding 15 Gold Coins.

A packet of seeds is enough to plant one field (ten squares) ten times; she has bought many already.

The price of Wheat seeds is 10 Gold Coins per packet.

Millet seeds cost 12 Gold Coins, Sweet Potato seeds 15 Gold Coins.

Tomato costs 20 Gold Coins.

By this calculation, planting Wheat is the most cost‑effective, allowing her to earn Gold Coins the fastest.

So, the whole afternoon she almost exclusively planted Wheat; by nightfall, on two plots she harvested a total of 40 times, receiving 200 Gold Coins in rewards.

But after deducting the cost of buying seeds four times, 20 Gold Coins, she still had 180 Gold Coins left.

In the end she obtained 800 jin of Wheat, which after threshing was about 400 jin.

One bag holds 50 jin, and she stacked a full eight large bags in the warehouse!

The 200‑square‑unit warehouse hasn't even used a fifth of its space now, and she suddenly feels the road ahead is long.

Moreover, with threshing, one Gold Coin can process up to 100 jin of grain at once, so for the 800 jin she still spent 8 Gold Coins.

Therefore, she now has 172 Gold Coins in hand.

She looked at the afternoon's results and let out a long sigh.

172 Gold Coins, not bad. If this continues, she should be able to earn 2,300 Gold Coins a day.

But before she could be happy, a sharp stabbing pain suddenly surged in her head!

It felt as if something sharp was stirring inside her head!

Her face turned white in an instant! A wave of dizziness washed over her!

"Ajie? Ajie, what's wrong with you?"? This book first released on 17K Novel Network; read the official content right away!