"En," Sun continued, breezily. He was quite proud of his association with Leon, their previously and very one sided enmity at the beginning of their relationship completely forgotten. "Teacher Corne of the martial arts school considers Leon.. Leo very reliable and consistent. And I heard from my Teacher, Corvus, that Healer Lepus likes to keep a stockpile of Leo's pills in stock for emergencies."
"Pills?" Lessa latched onto the word in the paragraph with some fervour.
"Leo's a part of the alchemist school..." Sun tilted his head realising that something was amiss.
"Sun, shut up," Jin Li commanded, before refilling their cups, but it was too late to retract his words.
Men and women of the countryside relied on herbal medicines for ailments, which were almost always bitter and unpalatable and unfortunately not always reliable. Herbal medicine relied upon the prescription, thus the knowledge of the doctor, the quality of the herbs as well as in small part, the skill of the one to boil it into medicine. However, it's not as if they did not know about pills. But in comparison to Herbal medicine, many pills were that much more expensive and then a reliable pharmacist would not sell too many freely. Who would purchase a soft ice pill for fevers when herbal medicine coupled with cooling towels cost half the price, even after paying a doctor's fee? Granted a pill would ease the fever in the time it took to burn two sticks of incense, while the latter method could take a couple of days. But that extra money could provide food for the rest of the family for a few days, so it could not be easily parted with.
However, if she could get her hands on pills for free...
Her lips curved into a smile that seemed so out of place upon a face etched with scowling lines, it terrified Sun. The boy looked over his shoulder to offer an apology with his eyes, sorry that he had inadvertently dug a huge pit for his friend rather than helped him out as was his original intention. Leon simply shook his head; it wasn't Sun's fault. His aunt was just that sort of person. If you were a hinderance, she hated you. If you were useless, she had no time for you. But if you had something she wanted, a bloodsucking leech would be easier to get rid of.
"My dear Nephew," she beamed and rose from her seat, though Leonard glared at her as if he could ensure she remained. Such was futile to a woman with determined intent. "You know Aunty was hard on you because I could see you had potential but not the will to succeed." Leon noticed the avarice in her eyes and shuddered in distaste. It was even more unpleasant than dealing with the hare's guts and organs in order to provide the two Coeurl a meal.
Jin Li also noticed her behaviour and immediately moved to shield his small alchemist. How dare she covert his things! Of course Lessa did not want to provoke the Martial Artist, she knew where the line was even if she did not like it, she could only force down the dissatisfaction in her heart.
"Lessa, go home," Leonard sighed, grouchily from his rocking chair. "This house cannae cope with a big woman such as ye self." The woman sent her father an unhappy look, before waltzing out of the door, though not before declaring that she would return to see them both soon. Those young master's wouldn't stick around in the poor village for long, it was all a novelty for them, they'd soon understand the difference between them and the villagers. And then Leo would only have her father as a pillar of support. The old man was crumbling, how could he compare with her husband's household?
And naturally her husband thought it would be an excellent boon to his family and heir that an alchemist be related to them, it would be good for both connections and reputation. Even her mother-in-law insisted that the youth be invited to visit as soon as possible. Lessa glanced at the beaded bracelet on her wrist which she had coveted for an age, but the old biddy would never have let her touch before. Now it was hers, a reward for being her nephew's aunt. Now she just had to figure out how to improve the ties between them, too aware that blood was not everything.
*****
Just after the lunch of hare stew, Sun grudgingly left the village with his drivers and servant-guard. He planned to stay in town for the night before making his way back to the city, where they should arrive a few hours after dusk the next day.
If Leonard was surprised that Jin Li did not go with him, instead staying with his grandson, he did not mention anything.
The two Coeurl, as well the refreshed supplies of coal, rice, corn and dried peas were reallocated into the cleaned out side building. Leon had purchased a new belt and teacups as gifts for the old man, but he had been unaware just how impoverished he and his grandfather had been and how matters had worsened since.
He recalled that a few times, before he became Leon, he had swapped pills for brass coins with fellow students when they needed some to make up quotas for requests that they had undertaken. These coins he'd dutifully sent to his old grandfather with a letter saying how he was doing. But after he was targeted by Caprian, he was seldom approached for help, plus he often got lost in his own pill making and research even before that, so he couldn't say he sent much money. He had no excuses, just never had much of a concept of money.
Before, as a child, he'd grown simple vegetables in the courtyard to supplement their meals of rice and potatoes, while grandfather had earned their money with his craft. When he had grown older, he'd scavenged for herbs with Russ in the woods and sometimes by himself, Russ would then take them to sell in town and hand him money, which he in turn gave to his grandfather. Sometimes grandfather would try to make him take some if not all of the bronze coins back, but Leo never had any plans to buy anything so just made his Grandfather keep it all, while he happily returned to the garden or practiced letters in the scrap paper book the old man had made him for new year each and every year. These had later become his collection of diaries, some of the older versions could still be found in his room, dusty and worn.
When Leo had become Leon, understanding about money came along with the knowledge from his past life, so he was frantic to earn it in order to live comfortably. But he had forgotten about his grandfather and his home so had no way of sharing his earnings with the old man. He now had the ability to rectify this and planned to do so in the morning. He spoke of his plans to Jin Li as they lay upon the heated brick bed together that evening.
"Good," Jin Li complimented his suggestion. "That old man raised you. It's only right to now take care of him in turn. This place is lacking, but I also wouldn't purchase too much."
"Why n-n-not?" Leon questioned, snuggling deeper against Jin Li's warm chest. The thin blanket of the bed did little to keep him warm, he could only rely on his lover's body for much needed warmth.
"Do you really think your grandfather would except it if you threw around your money at him?" Jin Li pointed out, bluntly. The old man was clearly a proud individual who did not like to ask for assistance or favours. Even if help was offered, it was doubtful that he'd accept. The grain was different; they needed to eat too and Leonard's stores had been practically empty until the next time he could exchange the blank books for money and the money for rice. He'd only accepted Sun's people fixing up the side building as it was really hard to reject the jubilant boy. Jin Li understood that more personally than anyone. Of course, he was not so easily swayed by Sun's enthusiasm, but that was a different matter entirely.
Leon understood what Jin Li was getting at and murmured softly in assent as he drowsily breathed in the other man's scent. He felt Jin Li's fingers comb through his long hair once or twice, before succumbing to sleep.
Russ came to visit the next morning sporting a rather prominent black eye, sealed to the point that he could barely peek through the swelling and Leon felt aggrieved for him.
"Your d-d-dad?" He wondered whether to rummage around in his pouch for a blood pill, eventually deciding to do so later and more discreetly as he also noticed the other boy was having difficulties getting about.
"It's no' so bad," Russ lied as he tried not to limb over to his friend.
Leo and Jin Li had made plans to head to town to purchase some things for his grandfather's home and also to help the old man get by this winter. There was also the new year to celebrate. Leonard could cook basic things, but around this time, most villager would eat more festive foods. Those with chickens would find people asking if they could exchange sweet potatoes or herbs for eggs and those with pigs would find people asking if they could spare a trotter or snout from their annual feast in exchange for dried peppers or pickles. Leonard usually relied on the spare bronze he'd saved all year round and most of the villagers accommodated him, selling him dumplings and meat filled steamed buns, pickles and eggs for his and Leo's New Year's Day. After all, he was a man of letters and to be respected. In turn, they'd give a few of these bronze coins in red envelopes to the children under ten in their families as a new year's gift.
Russ had appeared at the wall of the courtyard as Jin Li saddled Wu Ye. Wu Ye was just about big enough to ride and it was more than strong enough to carry it's human and the other one, just that Jin Li did not like to ride it anymore than Wu Ye liked to carry others. Their tactic understanding had them working side by side to hunt and ignoring each other at most other times. However, it was a good couple of hours to ride to town in a carriage, let alone walk by foot. Jin Li had no trouble with it, but his small alchemist could be inconveniently weak at times.
"D-did he st-st-steal all of your earnings?" Leon's memory on something's were much more clear now. Things that involved his grandfather and Russ were more easily remembered, with his aunt as well, but those memories with her mostly involved matters he didn't care to recall.
Russ glanced over his shoulder before leaning forward to whisper; "I managed t' keep some from him. I give it to me ma." He grinned brightly and Leon couldn't help but return the smile, not noticing an increasingly darkened expression behind him. "What are ye up to?"
"G-going to town," Leon replied. "Wanted t-t-to b-buy some supplies."
"Eh, I'll go with ye!" Russ declared and shivered thinking he needed another layer of clothing, the temperature was definitely lower than yesterday. "Me sister's and me ma go' some cold growin' herbs t' sell and I need t' buy flour and oil. Grandma didna think our lo' needed i' seein' as I were away."
Leon frowned; "Not even for your d-d-dad?"
"Ye know tha' big aunt is me grandma's favourite," Russ scratched his scruffy hair as he spoke. Leon nodded, that woman had given birth to two sons, no daughters and was also the wife of Russ' eldest uncle. "So big aunt cooks for grandma and me da' and uncles an' by doin' so gets the best stuff for her sons and sneaks a bi' for herself. So grandma gives her mos' of th' oil and flour and tha' while me other aunts and me ma can only ge' a wee bi'."
"Based on n-number of g-grandsons?" Leon guessed with a heavy sigh. He felt it was really strange when a woman suppressed other women in favour of the males in her family. She had once been in their position after all, why insist on hurting them so? He shook his head. Everyone had family members who were not nice people, but if he had to choose, he'd suffer his horrible aunt who lived in another household than Russ' biased grandmother who made his mother and sisters suffer under her roof so badly.
"Aye!" Russ said without a shadow of defence in the old woman's favour. "I'll go saddle up Bol' then we can ge' goin'!"
Leon nodded and watched as his friend half ran, half limped away. Two fingers pinched his chin and forced his head to turn around. Leon found himself glancing up at a very unhappy lover. "W-what's the m-matter?" Leon asked completely oblivious.
"Why are we waiting for him?" He demanded to know, sullenly.
"Is it th-that m-much of a p-problem?" Leon questioned, still confused.
"This Lord expects you to make up for it later," Jin Li told him and finished dealing with Wu Ye's saddle, leaving Leon feeling as if he had missed something.
*****
Bol' or Bolt was an ugly looking, wall-eyed donkey that belonged to Russ' second uncle. This uncle was a mild mannered man, who while did not agree with his mother's ideas, (mainly as he also had three daughters and not yet any sons thus his household didn't receive much from the family pot) was also not the sort of man to stand up to his oppressive mother. He owned the donkey and a small wagon and would earn money by taking villagers or herbs and other things to and from the village. But it was winter and there was less demand, so he currently only travelled once or twice a week now rather than every day, so he was fine lending his nephew the wagon and the donkey for the day.
It was naturally not Wu Ye's opponent when it came to speed, so the beast, which was carrying a small alchemist on its back, was a bit cross that it could not stretch its legs and had to actually wait for the inferior creature. Li Ming, on the other hand, didn't really care and curled up in the wagon base in amongst the small sacks of herbs, to nap for a bit.
On the way, Leon passed Russ a blood pill which would heal his inner injuries, such as the majority of the bruising. Any surface wounds, cut and scraps, would remain, so no one would think that Russ hadn't taken a nasty beating, but Russ would no longer be in pain nor limp from it. Russ took it, more out of good will than thinking that it would be of use. Naturally, he trusted his best friend, but he didn't understand much about medicine. Despite the beatings over the years, he never got sick and although his sisters had once or twice, their old grandmother never spent the money on medicine for them. He was very surprised when his eye opened, the swelling practically gone and the aches and pains eased until he no longer felt them. It made him even more certain that that he was right to make that agreement with Leo in the past! He talk to him about it later, when they returned home.
While Russ went about his business, Leon bought some dried meat, potatoes and pickles to increase the food stores at home. Next was candles, soap, salt and oil as well as a small lump of ink. He then found a store selling cheap hides, such as oxen and bison. Many people raised these animals for milk and heavy chores, their fur was a bit on the rough side, so their hides were not as valuable as some wild animals and much less than wild beasts. Leon bought four that were reasonable in size and quality, thinking of the warmth they'd provide at night for him and his grandfather. It would be nicer to have a duvet, but these tended to be filled with feathers or wool and sewn by the women of the house, it was not so easy to find one for purchase. Leon definitely could not sew.
Lastly, he purchased a new broom and two sets of plain, but new, hemp clothing for his old grandfather as well as a cloak and boots. He suspected the old man would attempt to refuse him so much new clothing, so he would gift them for new year, when it was considered inauspicious to reject. People believed doing so was not a good sign when ushering in a fresh year. Jin Li suggested that they split the packages into two, with himself gifting the cloak and boots in order to further give the old man less reason to refuse the good intentions. Leon agreed that it was a good idea.
With their purchases tucked away, they waited on Russ, who rushed over with the oil and flour he had bought and the three began to make their way back to the village. They entered Herb village just as the sun was a couple incense worth of time above the horizon and the houses were darkened by the long shadows of their neighbours. "Leo," Russ began as they reached Leon's grandfather's home. Li Ming jumped down from the wagon bed and rushed over to Wu Ye's side. "D' ye remember the promise we made before ye wen' away?"
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