The Apothecary Diaries Book 11

A Brother's Return

It had been ten days since the first wave of the insect plague when a dark shadow appeared in the sky again.

So they're back.

Maomao had just returned from checking on the girl on whom she'd performed surgery. The child was stable, but this new swarm couldn't have come at a worse time for her. Maomao hurried back to the annex and locked the medical office.

The people at the estate had already received word via messenger that what appeared to be a grasshopper swarm had been spotted. They were more ready than they had been the last time.

"Heek! Bugs again," moaned the quack doctor, who was curled up in a corner. Maomao tossed a jacket at him.

"Master Physician, those bugs won't wait for us. You need to get ready."

"Wh-What will we do?"

"For starters, you should put on thick clothing that will survive some gnawing. Then lock every window you can lock. After that, I want you to plug any gaps in our building with mud or clay to keep the grasshoppers from getting in that way." Maomao pointed outside. There was no time. This was so urgent that they would need even the quack doctor to be on the alert.

"Mud? Are you sure we should be getting this nice house dirty? I have plenty of oil paper. We can use that!"

"Don't waste it. The place is going to get dirty when those bugs show up anyway. No point worrying about it."

The quack shuffled outside and started scooping dirt from the garden into a bucket. The duck appeared from who knew where and started squawking threats at the sky.

"What do you want me to do?" asked Lihaku, who had already wrapped a cloth around his face.

Maomao glanced in the back of the medical office. "I think we still have some seed potatoes left in the storage room. Spread some of these chemicals around the area to keep the bugs from getting at them." As there was still no sign of Lahan's Brother, it fell to Maomao to keep the potatoes safe. She clenched her fist: she was damned if she was going to let the likes of some insects have them.

"Oooh! Your famous poison!"

"It's pesticide!" Maomao snapped. If she let the mistake go once, everyone would start making it, and then there would be no going back.

The second wave of insects was modest compared to the first. In just a few hours the grasshoppers had left again, and none had penetrated the carefully secured medical office or storeroom.

The people of the western capital were already on edge mentally and physically, however, and this new swarm was more than enough to rob them of any composure they might have regained after the last episode. With each day that went by, they found themselves further drained of what little wherewithal they had left.

Day 13:

Another case of arson. Someone was trying to steal food. The culprit was soon apprehended, but the merchant's entire store burned down.

Day 14:

Not enough doctors. Dr. You appropriated Tianyu and he hasn't come back. A very pleasant day indeed.

Day 15:

Food problems. People are hoarding provisions everywhere. Fights are breaking out among the commoners, and there are more and more attacks on rich people's houses.

Day 16:

Victims of the swarm have started arriving in the western capital from other areas. One of them was supposedly demanding to see the Imperial younger brother.