Having some free time, Ji Caimai spoke a few more words.

“To be honest, stomach aches aren’t a big deal for those people who make a living by setting up stalls,” Ji Caimai said, glancing at Lin Fei and the others. “Even after suffering from stomach aches for so long, they usually recover in a day or two, without causing any major problems. Compared to that, missing a day of work at the stall could mean the whole family goes hungry!”

Upon hearing this, Liu Yuan’s expression stiffened.

In Ji Caimai’s eyes, this reaction, though Liu Yuan didn’t say anything, was tantamount to saying everything.

“Does Shàoqīng Liu think my words are an exaggeration?” Ji Caimai chuckled, and then his smile faded. Before Liu Yuan could speak, he continued, “Even in Chang’an, a city where all directions pay tribute, many people still struggle to get enough to eat! This doesn’t just refer to beggars and refugees outside the city; even the small vendors in the market worry about having enough to eat every day!”

Liu Yuan did not come from a wealthy or noble background. His family merely did some small business to maintain food and clothing while supporting his studies. He himself could also be considered diligent. Without entering a school like the Guózǐjiàn, where teaching bóshì presided, he forced his way to fame through sheer hard study, rising to prominence in the imperial examinations from an ordinary school before later entering the Dali Temple as a Sìchéng. To many youths of similar birth, Liu Yuan could be considered a true “jùncái”.

However, even so, affording a decent house in Chang’an was no easy feat for him. Having worked at the Dali Temple for several years, he was currently renting a house and dared not spend money recklessly. His clothes were all old, and he rarely bought new ones.

Because of this, Liu Yuan always thought of himself as a genuine commoner among the officials of Dali Temple and felt that he understood the daily lives of ordinary people.

Although he wasn’t wealthy at the moment, he had managed to save some money carefully. It wasn’t a lot, but it wasn’t nothing either. He planned that in two years, when he got married, with his parents’ help and his own savings, he could get an IOU from the yamen, borrow some more money, and buy a small house in a less desirable location. Then he and his wife would live cautiously while slowly paying off the debt.

Liu Yuan had thought that no matter how one looked at it, his life had nothing to do with the word “wealth” and was even somewhat strained. Yet he had not expected it; he simply had never seen true hardship before.

“Many vendors don’t even have any savings. They have families to feed, and rent is another expense,” Ji Caimai said, glancing at Wen Mingtang, who was packing snack gift boxes. “The salary for a government job isn’t great, but at least it covers the major expenses like food and lodging, and there’s still some left. Don’t believe me? Ask Master Wen if that makes sense.”

Wen Mingtang, who lived alone, understood this all too well. Hearing this, she looked up at Liu Yuan and said, “Ji Caimai is right! Chang’an is prosperous and extravagant, but for most people, this prosperity and extravagance are just something to look at!”

“Speaking of this”, Wen Mingtang paused, thinking of the “rich idlers” who spent their days eating, drinking, and having fun, and who were so bored they were committing evil deeds, that Zhao Mengzhuo, the Minister of Dali Temple, was currently finishing up a case. The girl couldn’t help but shake her head, sigh, and say, “I’m not rich at all, but I don’t have to worry about food and clothing either. The daily shopping habits of those vendors are not exaggerated at all; they are all true, and some are even worse off!”

If it were just her own mouth to feed, and God had given her a good body, things would be better. But health was unpredictable; if it was not good, then it was truly… tsk tsk!

Moreover, the country was not like modern society. It was hard to say how many children one could have. Once a child was born, one had to raise them, and even if one was already raising them very strictly, there was still one more mouth to feed.

The whole family depended on a small stall for a living, so they dared not relax for a single day; otherwise, the whole family would go hungry.

“The issue of unclean ingredients has been going on for so long, but it hasn’t caused any major trouble. They probably don’t like the government interfering with their business,” Wen Mingtang said. “It would be better to investigate secretly and ask some questions later so they won’t be so resistant.”

Ji Caimai, who was standing next to her, nodded in agreement. After all, she had worked her way up in the palace, and although she was young, she knew these things.

Hearing their conversation, Liu Yuan subconsciously glanced at the menu in his hand.

While the menu didn’t list as many dishes as the lavish spread at the Duke’s birthday banquet, the banquet dishes weren’t like simple home-style stir-fries using only one ingredient. Even a simple stir-fried vegetable dish involves several different ingredients. Thus, although the menu was small, a careful count revealed twenty or thirty sources for the ingredients.

Twenty or thirty sources were considerable, especially considering that stomach upsets weren’t isolated incidents, and the problematic ingredients certainly weren’t limited to those used at the Duke’s birthday banquet.

Lin Fei, who had been listening nearby, slowly finished his boneless chicken strips, took the snack gift box from Wen Mingtang, and turned to Liu Yuantong and Bai Zhu, saying, “Let’s go see Wei Fu!”

They hadn’t seen Wei Fu for several days. If the matter was serious and difficult to investigate alone, given Wei Fu’s personality, he wasn’t the type to suffer for the sake of saving face; he would definitely come to the Dali Temple for help. The case had just been closed, and the Dali Temple staff were free, so they naturally wouldn’t refuse.

But Wei Fu hadn’t come to help, nor had he returned after catching the culprits who had tricked them. It was strange; they wondered what had happened to Wei Fu.

Lin Fei and the others would find out what had happened to Wei Fu when they arrived at the Wei family home.

In broad daylight, the Wei family’s door was open. Liu Yuan, standing at the entrance, knocked on the wide-open door, his feet outside but his head peeking inside: “Is anyone home?”

Hearing the noise, the door to the opposite room opened, and two teenagers came out. Upon seeing Liu Yuan’s face, they immediately called out happily, “Uncle Liu!” and then walked out of the house.

Their complexions were all right, but their steps were noticeably unsteady.

Lin Fei frowned slightly upon seeing the two unsteady children and immediately asked, “Have you been having diarrhea these past few days?”

Although the two children had never spoken to Lin Fei, they had seen him from afar because Wei Fu worked at the Dali Temple. Hearing Lin Fei’s question, Liu Yuan addressed him as “Young Master Lin”, then nodded, subconsciously rubbing his stomach, and replied, “It’s been on and off these past few days, sometimes better, sometimes worse. It’s not serious, and the doctor’s prescription has worked, but I still feel a bit listless.”

Hearing this, Liu Yuan subconsciously twitched his lips. How could he have any energy? The treatment for diarrhea was simply taking medicine and eating a bland diet.

With such intermittent diarrhea, he was probably taking medicine and eating only light porridge and vegetables for days, with no real nourishment in his stomach, plus the constant diarrhea—no wonder he had no energy!

(End of Chapter)

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