IDWBE -Chapter 419 Allergic

“Mm,”

Guan Xiaoqi casually pulled the rough cloth over her face a little tighter, covering her mouth and nose more securely, then nodded to Lin Yi, saying, “Stay back a little. Just take care of the donkey for me. You can wait nearby.”

Such a subtle, precise movement immediately caught Lin Yi’s attention, and he felt quite pleased. “What do you want the donkey for?”

This girl definitely had no ill intentions.

If someone were pretending or deceitful, they would never be so meticulous.

Guan Xiaoqi said, “The donkey will carry the lotus roots and water caltrops to the city to sell.”

Lin Yi smiled. “It would be best to go to the city early tomorrow morning. It’s almost dark now. Who will you sell them to?”

Proudly, she lifted her head. “You wouldn’t know. The lotus roots and water caltrops we pick always have restaurants that want them. Even at night, they need fresh produce. If it’s too hot or the color isn’t good, they won’t take it.”

“What kind of restaurants are so picky?”

Lin Yi laughed. “Lotus roots and water caltrops won’t spoil in a day. This fussiness is over the top!”

She was even more meticulous than he would ever be!

Guan Xiaoqi’s face suddenly flushed red. Hesitantly, she said, “You know Wenxiang Lou in the city, right?”

“Of course I know. The brothels of Ankang City are famous. The latest top courtesan, Liu Bieniang, said to be the most beautiful woman in the world, comes from Wenxiang Lou. She’s stunning. Even if someone spent all the gold in the world, they wouldn’t get to see her easily,”

Lin Yi was well-acquainted with the entertainment districts of Ankang City, knowing them like the back of his hand. He smiled, “The clientele there are high officials and nobles, naturally picky about their meals.”

Most importantly, they were even more extravagant than him.

When he first returned to Ankang City, the kitchen at the He Manor was just as particular.

As the ruler of Daliang, he naturally had the right to enjoy luxuries beyond what he was accustomed to.

But indulgence aside, spending money like water was unacceptable.

For some seasonal delicacy from the sea, three fast horses had to be worked to death!

For his favorite lychees, he spent hundreds of taels of silver every day.

Labor, horses, storage, logistics—everything cost money.

Poets in Ankang City had already written verses criticizing him:
Riding through the dust, laughing with He Wang, no one knows these lychees came here.

Occasionally, one’s actions could even risk lives.

Everyone worked desperately for just a bit of his indulgence.

He was a man who enjoyed comforts, but sacrificing others’ lives and families for his whims was unbearable.

Now, whether at He Manor or the palace, everything had to be makeshift.

Fortunately, Emperor Delong was sickly and had lost power; he had no high demands for food. Usually, whatever the imperial kitchen prepared, he would eat without complaint.

Even for Consort Yuan, Lin Yi dared not go all out to satisfy her. Transporting southern fruits to Ankang City required huge manpower and resources!

Even if Consort Yuan was displeased, Lin Yi had no choice.

His mother was human—did that make others less than human?

Those accustomed to drinking human blood didn’t even know how they died in the end!

Especially in feudal society! Lin Yi always remembered this historical cyclical law.

Moreover, Daliang was already impoverished. Exhausting the little resources on this rotten ship would truly end the country’s fortune.

Cherish what you have as you go.

One shouldn’t be too capricious.

If there’s food, it’s already good. Why demand more?

Having spent time in Sanhe, he had learned their ways: frugality.

If it could be bitten, eat it; if not, make soup.

If it couldn’t be bitten and was bitter, soak it in wine.

If it still couldn’t be used, shape it into a bead! Otherwise, one would die with regret!

“Do you really know?”

At first, Guan Xiaoqi didn’t believe him. Then, without waiting for his reply, she said calmly, “I get it. You lazy types, wandering around every day, there’s nothing you don’t know, nothing you can’t find out.”

Lin Yi smiled wryly. “Guan Xiaoqi, you can eat carelessly, but you can’t speak carelessly. According to the Liang Law, I could sue for malicious slander.”

“Then sue,” Guan Xiaoqi said casually, then took a serious tone, “After you help me deliver these water caltrops and lotus roots to Wenxiang Lou, I’ll add a copper coin for you.”

“Deliver for you?”

Lin Yi thought she’d go with him. “Then what will you do?”

Guan Xiaoqi coughed twice loudly. “I’m sick. If you follow too closely, I might pass it on to you.”

Lin Yi shook his head. “What illness? Say it and scare me if you dare.”

“Pulmonary tuberculosis!”

Guan Xiaoqi shouted, “Are you scared now?”

“Tuberculosis?”

Lin Yi shook his head. “You’re just taking advantage of my ignorance. You look rosy, speak with vigor—how could you have Tuberculosis? You’re deliberately deceiving me.”

Guan Xiaoqi said, “I’m not lying. My father has Tuberculosis, so I might get it too. If it passes to you, you’d be in trouble.”

Lin Yi laughed. “I’m not afraid.”

Guan Xiaoqi shook her head. “My father says harming others harms yourself. In the next life, there will be no good rewards. You just stand aside. I’ll load the lotus roots and water caltrops, then deliver them to Wenxiang Lou, saying they’re from the Guan family.”

Lin Yi said, “Aren’t you afraid I’ll take your lotus roots and water caltrops and not come back?”

“At worst, it’s a day wasted. What’s the big deal?”

Guan Xiaoqi sighed. “My father says with Tuberculosis, we never know how long we’ll live. There’s no time to fuss over it.”

Lin Yi curiously asked, “How did you deliver them before? Why can’t you do it now?”

Guan Xiaoqi answered honestly, “With this illness, we can’t pass it on to others. So we can’t risk giving it to you either.”

Most importantly, the villagers avoided them. They truly couldn’t find anyone to help.

Lin Yi laughed. “Fine. I’ll reluctantly take this trip for you.”

He patted the donkey’s rump and stepped back.

“Donkey.”

Once Lin Yi was far enough away, Guan Xiaoqi jumped off the boat, tied the donkey to a willow tree despite its protest, then climbed back onto the boat, struggling to move the basket of water caltrops close to the boat’s edge.

Near the shore, she had to try lifting the basket to avoid the boat’s edge.

But her face flushed, and despite using all her strength, the basket didn’t budge.

Lin Yi was about to step forward to help when a man’s voice came from the boat.

“I’ll do it, cough cough—”

Then came continuous coughing.

“Father!”

Guan Xiaoqi, ignoring the basket in her hands, hurried to support the figure emerging from the boat. “You’re not feeling well. Rest more, don’t worry.”

“It’s fine,”

The man, tall and thin, sweat darkened his face but never dripped, and he weakly said to Guan Xiaoqi, “This is hundreds of pounds of stuff. How can a girl handle it?”

He grabbed the basket, but as soon as he tried, his body curled up and the coughing worsened.

“Father, father!”

Guan Xiaoqi supported his arm with one hand and patted his back with the other, anxiously. “Are you okay?”

“I won’t die,” Guan Sheng’s face nearly bloodless. “You just had trouble.”

“Your daughter is fine,” Guan Xiaoqi’s tears spilled over. “Don’t worry. After delivering the last batch, we’ll move to the river island. No one will bother us.”

Guan Sheng’s tears streamed like a kite with a broken string. “Daughter, father has harmed you!”

“Father,” Guan Xiaoqi wiped her eyes. “It will be fine. Everything will be fine.”

“Alright, I’ll do it,” Lin Yi strode forward but was stopped by Guan Sheng’s loud shout, “Absolutely not! I have Tuberculosis! I can’t risk you!”

“Tuberculosis my foot,” Lin Yi laughed. “You have asthma!”

He was extremely familiar with this disease.

Orphanages were full of kids with similar symptoms.

Asthma could be caused by many things—congenital, allergies—but to him, the symptoms were unmistakable: young, coughing constantly, wheezing like an old man.

“Asthma?”

Like his father, Guan Xiaoqi’s face showed confusion. They had never heard of it.

Lin Yi nodded. “Yes, asthma. It’s completely different from Tuberculosis.”

Guan Xiaoqi said, “You’re talking nonsense. Everyone in the village says my father has Tuberculosis.”

Lin Yi smiled. “If it were Tuberculosis, he would be coughing blood. But his coughing is just breathlessness. Guan Sheng, tell me—have you coughed like this since childhood?”

“Ah…”

Guan Sheng suddenly raised his head. “I coughed a few times as a child, but it always turned out fine.”

“Could be allergic asthma,” Lin Yi guessed. “Think carefully. Did you see any flowers, birds, cats, dogs, or eat something that made you uncomfortable? Or is it the cold of early autumn?”

Few young men went shirtless in late summer and early autumn like him.

“Uncomfortable?”

Guan Sheng thought hard, then said, “Cats. Seeing cats makes me feel miserable, worse than death.”

Lin Yi snapped his fingers. “Then it’s certain: allergic asthma.”

Fear nothing but allergies.

A true incurable condition.

The only solution: avoid the allergen.

“Do you really know everything?”

Guan Xiaoqi asked incredulously.

“I don’t,” Lin Yi smiled. “But I probably won’t be wrong. If you don’t believe me, call a doctor. This is definitely not Tuberculosis, not even a little.”

He was certain: this was not Tuberculosis! Tuberculosis and asthma were entirely different.

Guan Xiaoqi stubbornly said, “Everyone in the village says my father has Tuberculosis.”

“Do villagers always get it right?”

Lin Yi said confidently, “If you don’t believe me, call a doctor. The most famous healer in the city is Hu Shilu. I suggest bringing him over.”

“You lazy man is talking nonsense,” Guan Xiaoqi said angrily. “Master Hu is a high official. We lowly folk can’t just see him!”

Lin Yi frowned, then laughed awkwardly. “Fair point. But if you really care about your father, I suggest you move south. Farther away is better.”

He didn’t know what triggered Guan Sheng’s allergies, but distance couldn’t hurt.

“You say it’s easy, but where can we go?”

Guan Xiaoqi said resentfully. “Father says: born here, die here. That’s justice.”

Lin Yi shook his head. “That’s wrong. If there’s a chance, you must try. No need to waste your life. I promised to take this donkey to Ankang City, but you must promise not to act recklessly and risk your life.”

He couldn’t bear such human tragedy.

“If there’s any hope, only a fool would want to die,” Guan Sheng, silent until now, spoke up. “I’m not done living yet.”

“That’s right,” Lin Yi laughed, walking closer and patting his shoulder. “Don’t give up. If you want to live, follow my advice: leave Ankang City, go far away, and the illness will leave you.”

“Father,” Guan Xiaoqi cautiously said, “I’ll listen to you.”

Guan Sheng shouted, “Get off the boat!”

“Father?”

Guan Xiaoqi was confused.

“Go!”

Guan Sheng suddenly roared and kicked the basket full of lotus roots and water caltrops.

Behind the basket was fragile Guan Xiaoqi.

Frightened, she stumbled, falling from the boat onto the riverbank.

When she looked up, the boat had already drifted away.

Guan Sheng, with a burst of strength, propelled the boat far, but once exhausted, he could barely hold the pole.

He lay in the center of the boat, letting it drift with the wind!

“Father!”

Seeing this, Guan Xiaoqi nearly jumped into the river.

“Guan Xiaoqi,” Lin Yi grabbed her soft hand. Calmly, he said, “For your father’s sake, follow the boat. I’ll sell the lotus roots and water caltrops for you. I’ll give you the money in full later.”

“Thank you.”

Guan Xiaoqi dove into the water.

“Take care.”

Lin Yi trusted the swimming skills of these fisherfolk children.

Sure enough, soon he saw Guan Xiaoqi clinging to the boat, her wet hair shining in the sunset.

“Your Highness,” Jiao Zhong watched a completely untrained girl swimming fiercely, feeling a bit moved. “This girl is quite determined.”

Lin Yi sighed. “These days, nothing comes easy.”

When the boat disappeared around the river bend, he looked at the basket on the ground and said to Jiao Zhong, “Deliver it to Wenxiang Lou. If even a penny is missing, burn it down.”

“Yes.”

Jiao Zhong dared not slack.

Having served the prince for years, he knew well: when the prince was displeased, the best policy was to speak little and act more.

Otherwise, there would be no chance to reverse decisions.

He always remembered He Hong’s lesson: in Daliang, only the prince could act as he pleased.