As June arrived, rain fell incessantly across Shuzhou Territory.
Ten straight days of rain had dispelled the oppressive summer heat, but also raised the Chishui River north of the Prefectural City by a foot, bringing it just level with the "normal" mark on the Water Gauge Stele.
Although it had yet to reach the major flood line of previous years, it had already drawn the attention of everyone in the Shu Provincial Administration.
Right Envoy Yang Ye personally led men to the embankment to inspect the water conditions.
Besides ordering men to stand watch day and night, he specifically instructed the Shuzhou Prefect's Yamen to prepare supplies, assign personnel, and take preventive measures, among other things.
For a time, Yamen Runners in straw rain capes could be seen hurrying throughout the Prefectural City, covering every street and alley to notify households in low-lying areas to clear the drainage channels outside their homes.
Yamen Runners even visited Jishi Pharmacy.
Unlike residential neighborhoods, however, the East Market was a concentration of businesses, and by convention, the shops paid to hire workers to maintain the drainage channels.
The amount was not large: three taels of silver per shop.
Thus, Chen Yi had the accountant, Liu Quan, fetch the silver and hand it to the Yamen Runners, who registered the payment before taking it to the Market Guild.
Liu Quan warmly saw them off, then returned to the pharmacy. Seeing Chen Yi sitting beside the physicians, engrossed in watching them diagnose patients, he could not help wondering.
This shopkeeper was supposedly a talented scholar, so why did it look as though he also had some knowledge of the Medical Dao?
Liu Quan asked the apprentice by the door, "Has the shopkeeper been watching your master and the others examine patients these past few days?"