The person on the bed lay flat, exhausted and breathing rapidly.
"I ask you, what did you eat at the Gao family's banquet?" Ah Jiu slowly put away her silver needles.
"Meat... Dongpo pork, but it wasn't from the Gao family." He was extremely tired, his voice as low as a mosquito's buzz.
Ah Jiu noted the discrepancy in timing, "After you left, Qian Youjin hired other cooks, right? One named Ma Ce and another named Qin Dayuan?"
The man squeezed his eyes shut, "Mm."
It seemed this poisoned meat had been around for a while, and it had indeed originated from within Meng Hua City.
Just as she had suspected in the past, there was a massive conspiracy behind all this.
"Then do you know if they are still around?" Ah Jiu pressed.
"They died," Bai Qijun murmured. "As soon as I felt unwell, I went to find them. They died at the Yi Zhuang in Nanzhou County."
He struggled to speak now, but seeing this, Officer Bai's eyes welled up with joy:
"My son, you finally have some spirit."
Died? Ah Jiu slowly stood up. It seemed the source of this illness truly stemmed from beneath Prince Qi Ming of Meng Hua City. However, such matters were for the authorities to handle.
Those who fell ill first had all died, making investigation impossible.
The one who discarded the poisoned meat in Heba Village was likely trying to cause harm deliberately. If that person could be caught, perhaps a lead could be found.
"I'm leaving, there's nothing else now," Ah Jiu said, getting up to go.
Upon returning to Hualan Medical Hall, Cai Lihua, having heard the news from Tongzi, was extremely worried.
"Don't just wander around. Most people in the city are now refugees," Cai Lihua pulled Ah Jiu into the kitchen, lifting the lid of a pot as she spoke. A large bowl sat in warm water, still steaming from the residual heat at the bottom of the pot.
"Quick, drink some hot congee. The weather is getting colder each day, though it's scorching hot at noon."
Ah Jiu took the bowl and looked around, "Where is Father?"
"He's gone to look for work."
"Looking for work? What kind of work can Father do?" Ah Jiu asked, slurping some thin congee.
"He heard there's a private school here called Ziten Yuan, where children are taught to read." Cai Lihua's heart warmed at the thought.
At least they could earn some silver to supplement the household expenses.
"Ah?" Ah Jiu was so startled her bowl almost dropped, "Father... he went to a private school to look for work?"
"Yes, what's so strange about that? Your father is well-read and used to teach high school students."
"High school?"
Ah Jiu felt something was amiss. Her father could barely recognize a few characters, and she herself only learned a few by chance when Mrs. Qian was sold to the Li family and she was tasked with taking the young ladies to private school.
"Oh, this... your father is self-taught, yes, self-taught," Cai Lihua realized she had misspoke and quickly changed the subject.
"By the way, Ah Jiu, there's an egg left for you in the pot. I bought it from the neighbor this morning. With the current grain shortage, an egg costs one tael of silver. Mother couldn't bear to buy many, only three."
Saying this, she took another egg from the kitchen and placed it in Ah Jiu's hand. "Eat it, it will help you grow taller."
Ah Jiu looked down at the hot egg in her hand, "It's that expensive?"
"Of course. Your father and I didn't even bear to taste it, we divided two for the children, Tietui." Cai Lihua felt a little displeased.
She realized that as mothers, they all showed favoritism to their own children.
However, seeing Mao Junlan about to kowtow in gratitude, Cai Lihua's heart softened.
"And your aunt has also gone out to find work. She said that if we can have a stable life, we shouldn't be idle. Tongzi is also playing well with the two children."
Ah Jiu took a bite of the egg, gazing at the sunset-red yolk nestled within the jade-white albumen. A whimsical thought crossed her mind: it would be wonderful if she could grow eggs in the fields using spiritual spring water.
"Oh dear, sister-in-law, I've found work," Mao Junlan returned from outside, her face beaming with joy, her hands clasped nervously.
"So soon?" Cai Lihua asked, stepping forward. So many poor people were flooding into the city now, all wanting to earn a living, but there was little work for many, making it not so easy.