The Apothecary Diaries Book 11

The Letters That Arrived

Day 20:

Bandits have appeared all over I-sei Province. The soldiers stationed in the farming villages seem to be quite busy.

Day 21:

Lahan's Brother is renovating one of the storage rooms. Apparently building something.

Day 25:

Supplies have arrived from the central region. Much sooner than expected. In addition to food, there's a bit of medicine included, but still not enough.

Day 27:

Some stores are beginning to open. However, stock is still minimal, and low-quality items are rampant.

Day 28:

Seeing an increase in patients complaining of bleeding from the gums. Suspect malnutrition from a lack of fruits and vegetables.

Day 32:

The cooks in the kitchen tried their hand at grasshopper dishes, but it didn't go well. We're grateful for the occasional side of duck egg—it's a rare and precious source of nutrients.

Day 37:

Lahan's Brother was playing with the duck in front of his storage room. The duck wanted to get in, and he was trying to keep it out. Strangely, despite the species difference, they seemed to be having a successful conversation.

"What are you doing playing with that duck?"

"Who's playing?! Come here and help me catch Jofu! Please—come on!"

It was the first time Maomao had heard anyone but Basen use the animal's name. Lahan's Brother and Basen hadn't talked much in the farming village, but maybe the duck had been a shared point of conversation for them.

Anyway, Maomao dutifully scooped the duck up from behind. The humans might be suffering from malnutrition, but the bird was fat and boasted lustrous feathers. If Jofu had dared to step out the mansion's gate, she would have soon found herself on someone's dinner table. Maomao had to restrain herself from wringing the animal's neck by constantly reminding herself that ducks laid eggs.

"She certainly seems to want to get in the storage room. Is there something in there?" Maomao asked.

"Here. This is what I've been making," Lahan's Brother said. He opened the door. In a corner of the room, Maomao saw a black curtain; Lahan's Brother pulled it back to reveal a pile of trays. They had water in them, and some kind of seed, which had sucked up the water and was sprouting.

"Bean sprouts?" she asked.

"Exactly. This estate has a pond—I thought it might be worth a shot. I'd prefer some nice, running water, but we all know how precious water is here."

"What are these seeds? They don't look like mung or soybeans."

Mung beans, in addition to producing sprouts, could be used to make noodles and for medicinal purposes. Soybeans—well, the benefits need hardly be enumerated.

"Burr clover," he replied. "It's used as fodder for horses, but I heard that humans can consume the fresh buds, so I thought it would be worth growing. I brought the seeds back with my grain."

"Oh, that's what that was?" Maomao asked. She remembered now that Lahan's Brother had had several bags strapped to his body. The wheat had been so striking that she'd forgotten about the others—but she saw now that Lahan's Brother had hardly met a seed he didn't want to try cultivating.

"Yes, that's right. And Jofu is so perceptive that she's been trying to eat them since before I planted them. Hey! You! Yes, you! Don't Basen and Baryou share their food with you? Not enough? You want some more? Just you try it, you little..."