Chapter 62 Shopping (Wishing everyone a peaceful Dragon Boat Festival!)

Isn’t it as if she had fallen from the sky! Wang Keyue thought to herself that if this old doctor’s disguise were ever exposed, she could simply change her appearance and return in another form.

“Congratulations, Host. Up to now, the system has recorded 500 compulsory epidemic treatments. There are still three days left until the task ends. Task summary will begin in three days. Would you like to use a space teleportation voucher to return?” System 9538 inquired.

“Not for now.” Wang Keyue sighed. The medicines produced by the system were indeed remarkably effective; in just a few days, the epidemic had been brought under control, and her compulsory task was as good as complete. She could avoid punishment, and so she breathed a sigh of relief.

Wang Keyue returned to her small courtyard. Outside, several stoves were still bubbling away with boiling herbs. The people working there were all busy, but when they saw Wang Keyue return, each greeted her with a smile.

After exchanging a few words with everyone, Wang Keyue hurriedly took Dali with her and slipped out through the back gate of the county yamen.

Now that she was a woman of some means, she wanted to take advantage of these few days to see what shops in Kangle County had to offer.

Though her system’s storage space still held a vast quantity of supplies, who would ever complain about having too many resources? In the future, she would have to provide for an entire city—no, an entire commandery!

Over the past few days, as the epidemic was brought under control, the refugees’ mood had eased, and the townsfolk no longer lived in the same terror as before.

A few shops had reopened along the streets, but the grain stores had long sold out of food. Only condiments, nuts, and dried mountain goods remained, and the prices were outrageous. A single pound of salt cost nearly two hundred copper coins. Wang Keyue made a symbolic purchase of ten pounds of salt and some dried mushrooms.

Next, she checked the fabric shops. There was not a single customer inside; the shopkeeper was dozing by the counter.

Upon closer inspection, although the prices of fabrics had risen, they were still within reason. Wang Keyue bought several bolts of fine cotton, well-suited for making undergarments.

Glancing at Dali beside her, Wang Keyue decided to buy out all the coarse hemp cloth in the shop as well. She was planning to take the Wen family outside the city gates with her, so she needed to make sure every last one of them survived these days.

Surviving meant clothing and food. The question of clothing was solved, but food remained a challenge. The county issued porridge every two days—not enough to stave off starvation, but enough to leave people weak and vulnerable. If winter came, they likely wouldn't survive the cold.

Wang Keyue asked Dali to take their purchases back to the yamen’s rear courtyard, while she continued to stroll through the streets alone.

She made her way to the property agency to look into estates on the outskirts. The agent, surnamed Yang, greeted her warmly.

This year’s drought had cast a shadow over every trade, and the agency hadn’t made a sale in months. But Doctor Wang was now a local celebrity, a guest of the county magistrate himself—Yang dared not offend her.

“Doctor Wang, what kind of property are you looking for? We have courtyards with two or three entrances, some with attached shops as well. I guarantee you’ll find something satisfactory!” Manager Yang personally attended to her, his face wreathed in flattery.

“Do you have any small country estates near the city? Nothing too large—three or four acres will suffice.” The four thousand taels in Wang Keyue’s possession couldn’t buy grain, so she might as well invest in an estate as a future base of operations. She could also take in some useful people for future use.

The property agent was surprised—buying an estate in a year of famine? Was Doctor Wang mad? But on second thought, with her powerful connections, it was perfectly normal for her to acquire some real estate.

“Don’t worry, Doctor Wang. I have several manors urgently for sale. Let me pick a few and introduce them to you.” Manager Yang pulled a ledger from the bookshelf, flipped through it carefully, and pointed out a page for Wang Keyue.

“Take a look. This estate is located in Plum Tree Village, two li east of the city gate. It’s close by, five acres in size with ten acres of fertile fields. Here, take a look at this illustration of the interior. It’s quite beautiful…” With that, Manager Yang produced a finely detailed landscape painting.

Wang Keyue was intrigued—an actual illustration for viewing! The property agents of this era were certainly business-minded.

She looked through several estates before settling on three, but insisted on visiting them in person. No matter how good the agent’s words, she’d only be at ease after seeing them herself.

It was still early, so Wang Keyue followed Manager Yang to visit the nearest estate in Plum Tree Village that morning, leaving the other two for the afternoon.

The manor in Plum Tree Village had been purchased by a local squire, but due to the drought, the ten acres of good farmland had withered for lack of irrigation. Looking out at the vast, desolate wheat fields, Wang Keyue frowned—water remained a major problem.

Inside, only an old servant remained to guard the gate. Upon opening the door, the estate revealed a scene of utter neglect and decay. Manager Yang, somewhat embarrassed, explained, “Doctor Wang, you know how houses are when left uninhabited for months. Once you move in and tidy up, it’ll be fine. Look—the house itself is still solid, with plenty of furniture inside.”

Wang Keyue pushed open the door. Indeed, every room had wooden beds and wardrobes, but most of the furniture was already moldy, much of it rotting and only fit for firewood.

Manager Yang felt uneasy—he blamed the squire for his carelessness. If only he had left a servant woman or two to clean up occasionally, the estate wouldn’t be in such a sorry state!