"To me, making money is as easy as breathing." Shen Tang used the deposit she'd collected to buy a few packets of medicine for his injuries. "There's no Xinglin Physician around here, so make do with these for now. Get your strength back as soon as you can, and then you can get to work."
The young man reminded Shen Tang, "Zi Kuan hasn't agreed yet."
Shen Tang held out her hand. "Oh, then give me back the medicine."
The young man gritted his teeth in anger. "You—"
But he couldn't beat Shen Tang, and Zi Kuan needed her care. He could only swallow the words he wanted to say. Shen Tang scoffed, "I can't treat Yuan Liang, but I can treat you!"
The young man: "..."
Shen Tang tossed him the utensils for boiling the medicine. "Go!"
The young man carried them outside to draw water from the abandoned well.
He still couldn't help wondering, though. "What wealthy family is looking for these things, and is willing to put down such a large deposit?"
"How would I know?" Shen Tang said. "Some people are born in Rome, and some are born to toil like oxen and horses. What might be a rare delicacy to us is just scraps to feed the pigs for them. They're probably so rich they can't be bothered with this stuff."
The young man stared at the flames inside the stove.
He reminded Shen Tang, "Things here are not like they were in the north."
Shen Tang tore off a piece of flatbread and stuffed it into her mouth, then looked at him to ask what was different. His expression was serious. "If the secret recipe you offer doesn't satisfy them, you may not make it back alive."
"That's it?"
She'd thought it would be