From one end of the Luoyang Bridge to his brother-in-law Wang’s house, more than half of Luoyang city lay in between. The closer he got to the Wang residence, the quieter it became, the hustle and bustle fading into tranquility. Ryan Carter stopped, wiped the fine beads of sweat from his forehead, and realized that after passing through this quiet alley, he would arrive at the Wang family’s home.

This was an alley so silent it was almost deathly still. Ryan Carter looked up at the sky—deep blue, the sun blazing, not a trace of the lonely, rainy alley described by Dai Wangshu, “walking alone under an oil-paper umbrella.” He could only laugh at his own boredom before continuing forward at a leisurely pace.

On both sides of the alley were old, rustic courtyard walls of commoners’ homes, covered in moss. Some walls were densely draped with lush green ivy, and under the narrow shadows, it seemed to sweep away some of Luoyang’s summer heat, bringing a hint of coolness.

He hadn’t gone far when he heard, not too far ahead, a low, suppressed sobbing, accompanied by the sound of someone banging against a wall. Ryan Carter was startled, hurried a few steps forward, and saw at the doorway of a modest home, a young man in plain clothes banging his head against the wall, his hands clawing painfully at the damp surface, dust and dirt falling down.

“Brother, what could make you so sad?” Ryan Carter couldn’t help but ask.

The young man abruptly stopped crying, glanced at Ryan Carter, a faint sorrow on his dark face, silently shook his head, and lowered his head again.

Ryan Carter felt awkward and could only continue on his way. But after just a couple of steps, he heard a loud crash behind him. Turning back, he saw the young man had punched the wall hard, smashing a big hole in the not-so-sturdy mudbrick wall, with weeds, stones, and dirt tumbling down from the top.

“Yu’er, Yu’er!” came a hoarse, weak woman’s voice from inside the courtyard. Hearing this, the young man quickly wiped away his tears, dusted off his clothes, sighed, and went inside.

Not long after, the young man reappeared, carrying a bamboo basket, looking dazed as he headed toward the mouth of the alley. As he passed by Ryan Carter, he glanced at him, and the bitterness in his eyes made Ryan Carter pause.

Though the young man was plainly dressed and dark-skinned, he was sturdy and had a certain resolute, heroic air. Seeing his unsteady steps and dazed expression, Ryan Carter almost instinctively followed him, all the way to a pharmacy at the end of the street.

Pharmacies in the Tang dynasty were the kind where the physician sat in the shop, diagnosing patients, prescribing, and dispensing medicine all in one place—the physician was also the shop owner (though sometimes a physician was specially hired), much like a modern community clinic. There was no need to register, and most of the time, no need to queue.

Ryan Carter stood under the pharmacy’s glaring white cloth sign, watching the young man inside pleading with the physician, who was sitting cross-legged on a stool with his eyes closed, resting. For a long while, the middle-aged physician didn’t even open his eyes to look at him. Seeing the young man still pleading in a low voice, the physician impatiently waved his hand, “Peter Grant, I know you’re filial, but this is a pharmacy, not a charity kitchen. You keep buying on credit—how is my family supposed to survive? Go on, go on. To be honest, if you have no money, don’t come for medicine.”

“Peter Grant—Yu?” Outside the pharmacy, Ryan Carter nearly bit his own lip in surprise. Only after hearing that the name had an extra “Yu” at the end did he come to his senses. “I was wondering, how could the great hero Peter Grant from ‘The Smiling, Proud Wanderer’ end up in Tang dynasty Luoyang? Still, this young man does have a bit of a hero’s air about him.”

While Ryan Carter was “commenting” outside, inside the pharmacy, Peter Grant stood frozen, his face flushed with shame and anger, his body trembling. Yet he did not lose his temper, showing good upbringing and self-restraint. He steadied himself, bowed to the physician, and left in disappointment, his steps faltering slightly as he crossed the threshold.

Ryan Carter entered the pharmacy and cupped his hands to the physician. “Sir, what medicine was that young man trying to get?”

The physician opened his eyes and glanced at Ryan Carter. Seeing his fine clothes and healthy complexion, he stood up and smiled in return. “Young master, that’s the boy from the The Grant Family. His mother has been suffering from rheumatism for a long time and has been coming here for medicine… but lately, he’s started buying on credit. I’m just a small business—how can I keep it up?”

Ryan Carter touched his money pouch and smiled. “How much is a dose of his medicine?”

“Three wen.”

“Then prepare ten doses according to his prescription.” Ryan Carter casually took out thirty Kaiyuan Tongbao coins from his pouch and placed them gently on the physician’s desk.

……

……

Ryan Carter carried the ten doses of medicine, tied together with a grass rope, and quietly entered Peter Grant’s small courtyard. Though the place was poor and bare, it was exceptionally tidy—a detail that spoke volumes about the owner’s character. He stood in the courtyard, clapped his hands lightly, placed the medicine on the stone table, and called out, “Is anyone there?”

Peter Grant appeared at the doorway almost as soon as Ryan Carter called, staring at him in surprise and asking in a deep voice, “Who are you? What are you doing at my house?”

Ryan Carter smiled, pointed at the medicine, and said, “Brother Grant, here are ten doses of medicine for your mother’s rheumatism. Please remember to decoct and administer them on time.”