Learning To Live As A Cultivator 229 Chapter Twenty Nine - We Think About Matters Of Money

"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 s.h.i.+eld 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 bra.s.s 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 sc.r.a.p 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 a.s.sistance 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 a.s.sent 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 succ.u.mbing to sleep.