A piece of Japanese incense

After they walked away, I sat for a while and then tiptoed into the backyard.

The Zhou family's courtyard was small and cramped, with weeds growing everywhere and sundries piled up randomly. Chickens, ducks and other poultry were foraging freely in the yard. The floor inside the house was unpaved, with a mixture of mud and dust, and a light step would raise a cloud of dust.

Passing by the old woman's room, the walls were mottled, cracked, dimly lit, and the only small window didn't let much light in. The old woman sat on a simple wooden bed, and a few worn-out stools and a rough table made the space cramped.

I lifted my skirt, stood on tiptoe, and tried to reduce the noise when walking.

Zhou Sanniang stood with her back to the door and windows, Yu Nian was sitting in front of the bed treating Zhou Song, he raised his eyes and glanced at me, I gestured to him to delay time as much as possible, he widened his eyes and waved casually.

Zhou Sanniang's room was next to the stove, with a low door that was only wide enough for one person to enter by bending over. Pushing the door open, the paper-covered windows rustled in the wind. In the room, besides a small bed, there was only a small wooden table, the surface of which was severely worn and uneven, but wiped clean; the edge of the bronze mirror had been somewhat oxidized, but the middle of the mirror had been carefully polished; a hand-carved wooden comb lay quietly on the table, its teeth slightly worn due to long-term use; bright red rouge, delicately spread in an exquisite porcelain box, the color was like the sunset; there was also a sewing kit wrapped in cloth, which contained a few needles and some thread ends.

There was silence all around me, and my heart beat faster, as rapid and heavy as a drum. Every nerve in my body was as tense as a string and could break at any time.

I quickly searched Zhou Sanniang's room, trying to find some clues. My mind was spinning rapidly and my attention became extremely focused.

A rooster flew onto the stove. The sudden movement was like ripples caused by a stone thrown into a calm lake. Sweat quietly slid down my forehead, dripped onto the sheets, and instantly evaporated into invisible anxiety.

Just when I was about to return to the front hall with a dry mouth, I felt a powder box under the pillow. It was made of glass with a yellow glaze. The glaze was thin and clear, and the gray-white body was delicate. The top of the lid was decorated with plain flowers, and it looked exquisite.

Open the lid, and the pure and bright red powder appears before your eyes, like the brightest touch of the setting sun.

"Squeak-"

"Sanniang? Is that you?" The old woman pushed open the door and stood at the door with a cane.

I hurriedly took a handkerchief and dipped it in some powder, then put the powder box back to its place. I hurried out the door, and just then Yu Nian and the others came out of Zhou Song's room.

"Why is Miss Zhi here?" Zhou Sanniang looked at me impatiently.

I pretended to be confused and said, "Well... I feel a little uncomfortable in my stomach, and I want to go... Oh, I'm so embarrassed."

"The toilet is at the west end of the alley. Do you want me to take you there?"

"Ah? Still going out? Haha, forget it, why don't I go home and talk about it later."

Yu Nian said, "I have to go back and look up medical books about Brother Zhou's illness. Today is quite rushed. Why don't we choose another day to prepare gifts and visit him again?"

I widened my eyes, pursed my lips and nodded to show my agreement.

As soon as the carriage started, I took out the handkerchief and showed it to them: "This was found in Sanniang's pillow, hidden in an exquisite porcelain bottle. That bottle alone is more valuable than anything in her room, no, more valuable than anything in their house."

Yu Nian was slightly surprised but said with deep conviction: "The wounds on Zhou Song's body are all festering and won't heal. However, I checked the ointment that Master Liu prescribed, and it is exactly the frost pain relief ointment that is unique to our pharmacy. Logically, after applying it for three days, even if the wounds don't heal, they won't rot and die."

Yu Tuan was distraught: "Is it related to his younger sister? I'll go find her!" Before he finished speaking, he was about to get off the car.

We hurriedly stopped Yutuan. She frowned, her mouth drooped, and she looked very depressed.

"The orchid flower between her eyebrows is a style launched by 'Wan Zhuang Nong' during the Mid-Autumn Festival last year. I saw the purple tassel when I passed by the 'Wan Qing Si' shop during the Qingming Festival. Her whole outfit looks like it was newly bought. If she was the one who harmed Zhou Song, then he was her brother. How could she have done that?"

"Let's find out what this red powder is before making a judgment. If it's just ordinary powder, wouldn't it be unwarranted accusations on our part?" Yu Nian pondered.

When we got home, mother and Aunt Hong were preparing to go to the dining hall for dinner. Seeing us coming back exhausted, mother became furious and picked up a lucky and longevity bottle and was about to throw it at me.

"Hey, this is what grandpa bought for himself on his 50th birthday. You'd better take it easy." Aunt Hong stopped my mother and winked at me frantically.

I took the opportunity to run to the dining room, where my grandfather was sitting on the couch. I closed the door, bolted it, took out my handkerchief breathlessly, and asked him what it was.

My grandfather lazily put down the book in his hand, spread the handkerchief in the palm of his hand, and carefully identified it under the lamp. He first sniffed it, then dipped his hand in a small amount of powder, drew a red line on the book, and then poured a glass of water and stirred the powder in the water.

"This is cinnabar, which can be used in pigments and handicrafts. It can also be considered a medicinal material with the effect of calming the mind and soothing the nerves."

"Oh...what would happen if someone with a wound used it?" I asked puzzledly.

"This substance is poisonous. If used directly on a wound, the cinnabar toxicity may seep into the blood, causing poisoning and wound infection. In severe cases, it may corrode the skin."

I was horrified and after thanking my grandfather, I opened the door. Yu Nian was still guarding the door.

"This thing is poisonous! It will corrode the skin, causing the same symptoms as Zhou Song!"

Yu Nian understood what I meant and pulled me towards the stable, while my mother's scolding was still coming from behind us.

On the way to Zhou's house, I went to Yishiyuan and bought some cakes.

Zhou Sanniang opened the door and saw that it was us again. She was obviously a little wary: "Miss Zhi, did you leave anything behind?"

"Sister Zhou, when I was going home, I passed by Yishiyuan and thought that Brother Zhou would like their pastries, so I bought some." I waved the food box towards her and continued, "Sister Zhou hasn't had dinner yet, I took the liberty of ordering food from Weidingxuan, it will be delivered soon, let's have dinner together."

Without waiting for her to say anything, I dragged her into the front hall.

It was already dark, and the house was dimly lit, with the only oil lamp flickering with a faint light.

Although Zhou Sanniang was somewhat reluctant, she still moved a table from the room, put two tables together, and opened the food boxes one by one to taste them.

"Where's my aunt? Shouldn't we ask her to come out and eat together?" Yu Nian asked.

"She is old and has a poor appetite. Don't worry about her." After saying that, Zhou Sanniang began to eat voraciously.

Yu Nian took two cakes and said, "I'll go give some to Brother Zhou."