Chapter 23: The Idea of Stockpiling Medicine

Chapter 23: Chapter 23: The Idea of Stockpiling Medicine

Hua Buwan had no idea what Ling Qianjun was thinking at that moment.

She rode her electric scooter and quickly arrived at the pharmacy. Fortunately, it was open twenty-four hours a day, or else she would have had to wait until dawn to buy what she needed.

Medicine was crucial for exiled prisoners. She figured she should order a batch of medical supplies for her supermarket the next day so that if Ling Qianjun needed them later, he could get them immediately. Besides, since he was still on the road to exile, only his family required these provisions right now. Hua Buwan didn’t need to hoard too much at once. By accumulating items gradually, she wouldn’t draw unwanted attention and risk being brought in for questioning by the authorities.

Once Ling Qianjun reached his destination and settled down, this batch of medicine would likely play a massive role.

Upon entering the pharmacy, Hua Buwan first bought some iodine, alcohol cotton balls, sterile gauze, hemostatic bandages, and adhesive patches—a whole range of supplies for dressing wounds and stopping bleeding. Afterward, she picked up antipyretics, cold medicine granules, and cooling gel patches. Giving it another thought, she grabbed a few more boxes of the cooling patches, along with some tranquilizing pills.

Buying all this cost a good few hundred. Fortunately, the pharmacy accepted her health insurance card. She swiped it, signed her name, and carried a large bag of medicine back to the supermarket.

Ling Qianjun hadn’t been idle after Hua Buwan went out, either. He first returned to Dongxuan Country to explain the situation to his family and soothe their nerves. Otherwise, they would have been terribly worried about him being gone for so long.

Learning that Hua Buwan’s place had been burglarized, the Ling family was worried sick for her. They all silently prayed for her safety. They knew that even as they moved forward on their journey, Ling Qianjun could still enter that door and buy supplies. This was their life-saving trump card, so naturally, they didn’t want anything bad to happen to her.

Following the assassination attempt, the government officers treated the Ling family much more amiably and were no longer as harsh as before. Even if the family went into the woods to relieve themselves without reporting it, the officers wouldn’t bat an eye.

They all understood that the people in their group were relatively well-behaved. If any of the prisoners had wanted to run, the chaos during the men in black’s ambush would have been the perfect opportunity. Yet, not a single one had fled.

Because of this, the government officers gathered to discuss their next move. Ultimately, they made the final decision: tonight, they would head straight into the city and stay at an inn!

Many of the government officers were injured. Although they carried medicine on them, it was safer to see a doctor. They all valued their lives dearly. Furthermore, a few people among the exiled group had died, and many of the survivors were wounded. While the government officers had an allowed quota for casualties, they would be held accountable and punished if the death toll rose too high.

When the government officers announced this news to the exiled crowd, everyone was thrilled. Some even shed tears of joy.

For the past three days, they had been sleeping out in the wilderness. Aside from eating and sleeping, they had spent every waking moment traveling. Forget about taking a bath—they didn’t even have time to wash their faces. They had barely encountered any streams or rivers along the way, and the water carried on the government officers’ carts was strictly for drinking.

Staying at an inn meant there was so much more they could do!

The crowd listened expectantly to the government officers’ briefing. They were allowed into the inn, but where they slept would be entirely up to them. Simply put: it depended on money. Those with money could stay in guest rooms, while those without would have to sleep in the communal quarters, the cowshed, or the woodshed. Of course, the government officers were acting as middlemen to take their cut.

Before even reaching the inn, they began collecting money and registering names outside the city.

A private room cost five taels of Silver. Sleeping in the communal quarters cost thirty copper coins per head. The woodshed was twenty copper coins per head, and the livestock shed was ten copper coins per head...