Going into town

Early the next morning, Shen Jingchuan woke just as the sky was beginning to lighten.

He got up and washed, and had just finished getting ready when a young maid called from outside his door. Breakfast had been prepared in the front courtyard, and she had come to invite him over.

Shen Jingchuan answered, then opened the door and headed for the front courtyard.

The three men of the Lin Household were already waiting in the dining hall.

"Good morning, Young Master Shen," Lin Weiyuan greeted him with a smile. "Come, sit."

"Good morning, Chief Escort Lin, Brother Lin." Shen Jingchuan cupped his fists in greeting and sat down as instructed.

Breakfast was millet porridge, steamed buns, and pickles, simple but substantial. They chatted as they ate, and the atmosphere was fairly pleasant.

Halfway through the meal, Shen Jingchuan set down his chopsticks and spoke.

"Chief Escort Lin, there's something I'd like to discuss with you."

"Please, go ahead, Young Master Shen."

"The dressing on your sister's back was changed yesterday, but it needs to be changed again today."

Shen Jingchuan spoke earnestly.

"It's just that men and women should keep a proper distance. Could you find a clever maid to come over? I'll teach them how to change the dressing, and they can do it for your sister from now on. It'll be more convenient that way."

At his words, everyone at the table froze for a moment.

Lin Yue was the first to recover, and he breathed a quiet sigh of relief.

Just last night, he had been grumbling to himself that this man looked so refined, yet paid so little heed to the strict boundaries between men and women.

Now that he heard this, it turned out Shen Jingchuan knew what was proper after all. He himself had judged a gentleman by his own petty standards.

"Young Master Shen, you've given this careful thought. We were the ones who overlooked it." Lin Weiyuan nodded at once. "I'll have someone arrange it right away."

"Yue'er, go make arrangements in the rear courtyard. Call Qingyao's maid Xiaoju over and have her follow Young Master Shen's instructions."

"All right." Lin Yue answered readily, and the look he gave Shen Jingchuan was much friendlier.

After breakfast, Lin Yue led Shen Jingchuan to Lin Qingyao's chamber in the rear courtyard.

At the courtyard gate, Lin Yue stopped. "Young Master Shen, I won't go in. Xiaoju is already waiting inside. If you need anything, just call me."

"All right." Shen Jingchuan nodded, pushed the door open, and went in.

A faint scent of sandalwood lingered in the chamber, which was clean and elegantly arranged. Lin Qingyao sat propped up against the head of the bed. Her complexion was better than yesterday, though still a little pale. A young maid stood beside the bed, her hair in two buns. She was about fifteen or sixteen, with round eyes and a bright look about her.

"Young Master Shen." When Lin Qingyao saw him enter, her cheeks reddened again, and she greeted him softly.

"Miss Lin." Shen Jingchuan gave a slight nod, then looked at the maid beside her. "You're Xiaoju?"

"Yes, young master. I'm Xiaoju." Xiaoju curtsied and answered with easy confidence.

"Good. I'll teach you how to change your young lady's dressing today. Listen carefully. You can't get a single step wrong. This is a miraculous medicine from overseas, and it has to be used a special way. If you get it wrong, there could be serious consequences."

"Yes, I'll learn carefully." Xiaoju nodded quickly, her eyes full of curiosity.

Without saying more, Shen Jingchuan took iodophor, sterile gauze, medical tape, and tweezers from his backpack and laid them on the table one by one.

Xiaoju's eyes went wide.

She didn't recognize a single one of the things. Some were perfectly clear, others snowy white, and all of them looked strange and fascinating.

Shen Jingchuan stood up. "I'll change your young lady's dressing one more time today. Watch from the side, and pay close attention."

At once, Lin Qingyao's face turned scarlet. She lowered her head, and even the tips of her ears went pink.

She knew it was to treat her wound, but the thought of taking off her clothes in front of him still made her blush.

Xiaoju was startled too. She stole a glance at Shen Jingchuan and grumbled inwardly:

This young master looks like a decent fellow, so why does he insist on doing it himself...? The second young master is still standing guard outside. If word gets out, what will become of the young lady's reputation?

For all her private grumbling, she didn't dare say it aloud and could only stand obediently to one side and wait.

"Miss Lin, pardon the offense." Shen Jingchuan's voice was calm, without a trace of improper intent. "Please lie down on your front and lower your upper garment a little. Just enough to expose the wound."

Lin Qingyao bit her lip without speaking. She slowly turned her back to him and undid her collar with trembling hands.

The fabric slipped down little by little, revealing her fair shoulders and back as she lay on the bed.

Sure enough, the wound was a little red and more swollen than yesterday. Fortunately, it wasn't serious, just mildly inflamed.

Shen Jingchuan's gaze was clear, his attention entirely on the wound. He didn't let his eyes wander in the slightest.

He picked up the tweezers, took an iodophor-soaked cotton pad, and gently disinfected the wound.

"See? Wipe from the inside outward like this, one circle at a time. Don't go back over it."

He explained as he worked. "Make sure you wipe every red area. That's where it's a little inflamed. Disinfecting it will be enough."

Xiaoju hurried closer and watched intently, her eyes wide.

Lin Qingyao lay with her face buried in the bedding. She could feel his slightly cool fingertips brush her skin now and then, and her body involuntarily tensed a little more with each touch.

It was clearly treatment for her wound, yet it was more of an ordeal than taking the blade.

Only after he had finished disinfecting it, sprinkled on the medicinal powder, and wrapped it in gauze did Shen Jingchuan withdraw his hands.

"There, that's it. Did you see everything clearly?"

"Yes, I did!" Xiaoju nodded quickly. "I've remembered it all."

"Good. Change it once a day from now on, and wash your hands thoroughly first. Don't let the wound get wet, and don't let your young lady make any strenuous movements. It'll be trouble if she pulls at the wound."

"Yes, I'll remember."

Shen Jingchuan took a blister pack of antibiotics from his bag, pressed out three tablets, and handed them over.

"This is medicine to take for the inflammation. Swallow it with warm water, once a day. Once she's taken all three tablets, she can stop. There's no need for more."

"This... is it really that miraculous?" Xiaoju took the white tablets, her face full of curiosity.

"Just take it as I said." Shen Jingchuan didn't explain further. Even if he did, she wouldn't understand.

After going over all the precautions and packing up his things, he turned and left the inner chamber.

When he reached the courtyard gate, he saw Lin Yue pacing back and forth, "unhappy" written all over his face.

The moment Lin Yue saw Shen Jingchuan come out, he went up to him, his tone a little awkward.

"Young Master Shen, thank you for your trouble."

Shen Jingchuan found it amusing but didn't point it out. He merely said calmly:

"It was only right. I've taught Xiaoju how to change the dressing, so she can do it every day from now on. The wound is slightly inflamed, but it's nothing serious. A couple of days of medicine will clear it up."

"That's good, that's good. Thank you, Young Master Shen."

"You're too polite."

Shen Jingchuan waved a hand.

"By the way, I wanted to let you know I'd like to go into town for a look around in a little while, get familiar with the prefectural capital."

Lin Yue said at once, "Then I'll go with you! You don't know the place or anyone here. What if you get lost?"

"There's no need to trouble yourself, Brother Lin."

Shen Jingchuan smiled and declined.

"The prefectural capital should be fairly safe, shouldn't it? I'll just look around and come back later. You have plenty to do at the escort agency, so there's no need to make a special trip with me."

Of course, he couldn't let Lin Yue follow him.

He was going into town today to test the waters selling things. With someone from the Lin Household beside him, many things would be inconvenient.

Lin Yue hesitated.

The prefectural capital was indeed fairly peaceful. Though things were chaotic outside, soldiers patrolled the city. There was petty theft, but murders for the sake of robbery were genuinely uncommon.

Lin Yue thought it over, then nodded.

"But you don't know the place or anyone here. Take some silver with you, just in case."

As he spoke, he pulled a stack of silver notes from his robes and pressed them into Shen Jingchuan's hand. "There are a hundred taels here. Take it and use it for now. Buy whatever you want, and don't stand on ceremony."

Shen Jingchuan was just about to refuse when Lin Yue held down his hand.

"Young Master Shen, you saved my sister. What's this little bit of silver? If you won't accept it, you're looking down on the Lin Household."

With Lin Yue putting it that way, Shen Jingchuan could hardly refuse again.

"Then thank you, Brother Lin."

"I'll be off, then. I'll be back before dinner."

Shen Jingchuan waved and turned toward the front courtyard.

Once outside the escort agency's main gate, Shen Jingchuan looked at the people coming and going along the street and let out a long breath.

He was finally free.

With the Lin Household around, he had to keep up appearances at every turn, and there were many things he couldn't do freely. It was much more convenient on his own.

He walked slowly along East Street, looking around and observing as he went.

Yuxi Prefecture was indeed on the scale of a prefectural capital. Its main street was broad, with shops lining both sides: grain shops, cloth shops, pawnshops, restaurants, blacksmiths... everything one could want. It was far more prosperous than a small county town.

Pedestrians streamed along the street without end: peddlers carrying shoulder poles, scholars in long robes, martial artists with sabers at their waists, and wealthy families riding in carriages.

But a closer look revealed quite a few refugees in ragged clothes huddled by the walls along the street, their faces sallow, their bodies emaciated, and their eyes numb.

It seemed the years of drought Lin Yue had mentioned had indeed had a considerable impact.

Shen Jingchuan looked away and turned his thoughts to the business at hand.

His main task today was to test the waters, but he couldn't sell on East Street. It was too close to the Zhenyuan Escort Agency.