01x08 - Wheat st*lks

[bunniefuu]

THE APOTHECARY DIARIES

THIS STORY IS A WORK OFFICTION. THE NAMES OF ALL OF

THE CHARACTERS, ORGANIZATIONS,AND SO ON ARE IMAGINARY.

EPISODE : WHEAT st*lks

Oh, right, I'm home.

So sticky...

Dad...

Must be out in the field.

I wish he'd stop working the field at his age,

but he just really enjoys makingmedicine out of the herbs he grows.

Don't break it.

I don't know you. Are youa servant at a different brothel?

My dad's—

- My dad's—- Come with me!

Hey!

Big Sis! I brought the apothecary!

Hurry!

This smell...

Apothecary! I made themthrow up already, but...

Right!

The man isn't breathing!

The woman's breathing is too weak.

We'll check if there's anyvomit left in their throats.

You check her.

Y-Yes!

No pulse. Nothing clogging the throat.

Just saliva.

Bring water!

No water! Bring charcoal. Charcoal!

Y-Yes!

Great way to start the morning.

Wow, I need a bath...

Thank you, apothecary. They're both stable now.

Wait, leave that alone.

Even what they threw up on?

There could still be poison in it.

Poison...

I'll go make some tea.

The two who collapsed here werea courtesan and her customer.

The room was filled withthe scent of alcohol and tobacco.

Two bottles.

Broken glass cups.

This is... a wheat stalk?

A pipe and some tobacco leaves.

They really went out oftheir way to cause trouble.

I've got the charcoal...

Good. Also, get me a text plateand something to write with.

Huh?

My dad should be out in the fields,near the southern wall.

Bring him over here later.

Got it.

You're late, Dad.

This girl was worried about my leg.

I crushed the charcoal.

Yes, let's mix it with the herbsand give it to them immediately.

Can you drink this?

What about him...?

He's safe. He had the medicine, too.

Your treatment's not bad.

& quot;Not bad, & quot; huh?

Dad's able to deduce two or three thingsfrom a single piece of information.

What kind of poison do you think this was?

Here goes!

Dad sometimes tries tomake me learn stuff this way.

Tobacco leaves are deadly poisons.

That would be what they'd usein a double su1c1de.

You didn't have them drink water, right?

Water would make things worse, right?

Correct. Gastric juices can preventthe intake of poison in some cases,

so diluting it might make things worse.

However, what if this poisonwas already soaked in water?

There are no leaves in the vomit.

I missed that.Maybe I'm still half asleep.

If the poison was soaked in water, sometimesdiluting it with more water is good.

Got it. Lesson learned.

Sorry for the trouble.

Serving us snacks reserved for customers?That's quite generous of her.

I see, it prevents lipstickfrom getting on the cup.

You really saved us. This is justa small token of our gratitude.

Oh no, that's too much—

Dad, can you afford rent this month?

Ah, in that case...

Jeez, you old man...

Must have been a double su1c1de.Not exactly rare in the pleasure district.

A man who can't afford to buy out a courtesan,

and a courtesan with time left on her term.

People like that often reachthis same conclusion.

Still, that man was very well-dressed.

He had a handsome face, too.

Didn't seem like someone who'd beshort on money or women.

Dad wouldn't approve of mejudging through stereotypes, but...

He didn't seem like someone

who'd drink poison with a courtesanout of despair for their future.

I'm going to go check on them.

The man seemed to be in worse condition...

What are you doing?!

Don't stop me!This guy deserves to die!

Wh-What are you doing?!

Apothecary, may I speak with you?

That man was always a problem customer.

He'd sweet-talk a courtesan andinsinuate that he would buy her out.

When he got tired of her,he'd just dump her.

He was widely hated. Some womantried to s*ab him, even.

He'd been poisoned in the past, too.

But his rich merchant father pampers him.

He settles everything with money.

Recently, he asked his father to hireguards for him to travel to the brothels with.

This girl's older sister got dumped by him, too.

She was so happy she could live with him,

but on the day of the buy-out,he suddenly canceled on her.

That's why, I think, she couldn't forgive him.

The courtesan who drank the poisontoday was close to her, as well.

So, you want me to pretendI didn't see anything?

If he's such a problem, why not just ban him?

It's the courtesan who fell for him.

In that case, I supposeword of a double su1c1de

would make matters worse for the brothel.

So, they served us the good snacks

because we prevented a rich merchant'sson from dying on the premises.

And...

That must have felt unfair to her.

I understand.

I just happened to be home today,

but if the girl shops with us often, perhapsshe knew when my dad is usually away.

Normally you'd call fora doctor at a time like that,

but she went out of her wayto find a missing apothecary.

That servant girl is scarier than she looks.

It's too bad your homecomingturned out this way.

Dad, show me that money from earlier.

Hmm?

Yep, all there.

As expected, including hush money.

Something bothers me, though.

Judging from the stories,the man is pretty clever.

Would someone like him joina double su1c1de over romance?

Was it a forced su1c1de? No, a man who'dbeen poisoned before wouldn't easily—

Maomao, you shouldn'tspeak based on conjecture.

Dad, you already figured outwhat really happened, right?

Let's try to recall what was atthe scene and what I might have missed.

Tobacco leaves are deadly poisons.

This would be what they woulduse in a double su1c1de.

However, what if this poisonwas already mixed in water?

It's the courtesan who fell for him.

This guy deserves to die!

The courtesan who drank the poisontoday was close to her as well.

I see, it prevents the lipstickfrom getting on the cup.

This wasn't a double su1c1de.

It was m*rder.

Poisoned water, wheat st*lks,two separate drinks with different colors...

It's already over.

I know.

m*rder, not a double su1c1de.

And it's the courtesanwho tried to k*ll the man,

using drinks laced with tobacco poison.

But the man was cautious enoughto have guards around.

How did she get him to drink the poison?

Simple. She took a sip as well.

If the courtesan was safe,the man would drink, too.

But if she drank the poison,she'd be in danger herself.

That's why she used a trick.

Two drinks, one cup.

Different drinks have varyingthicknesses and weights.

By pouring a lighter drinkslowly over a heavy drink,

you can create a pretty-looking,layered drink.

She used that as a small parlortrick to impress her guest.

Then, she used the wheat stalk to drink justthe lower layer, without raising suspicion.

Afterwards, she drank fromthe upper layer as well.

Just a little bit, so it wouldn't k*ll her.

She didn't want to end up dead herself.

She did the act in the morning toincrease the odds that he would die,

and she would survive.

And conveniently, someone came to witness it.

She appeared fragile,but she's actually quite clever.

What are you doing, Big Sis?!You should stay in bed!

The servant girl didbehave a bit strangely.

In order to make sure the man didn't survive,

she went to an apothecary, not a doctor.

She even took her timebringing my dad over.

Wasn't she worried thather Big Sis would die?

Wasn't she worried that someone closeto her would die again, like her real sister?

It's almost as if she knewthe courtesan would survive.

Or am I over-thinking this?

In addition, the other courtesanwas sympathetic to the servant girl.

Plus, the very generous madam...

Once I start doubting, there's no stopping.

Could they all have been...

I shouldn't speakbased on conjecture.

I really missed this pleasure district,

but in essence, it's no differentfrom the rear palace.

It's both a garden and a cage.

The stale, trapped air poisons everyone.

The courtesans also eat the poison around them

to become a sweet poison themselves.

I don't know what'll happen to that courtesan.

Maybe the annoying customerwill assert that she tried to poison him.

Maybe the brothel will accuse himof ruining their merchandise instead.

Well, whatever.

You can't live life in this neighborhoodworrying about every little thing.

Maomao.

Meimei.

You're going back to the rear palace already?

I have a year left on my term.

I also have work to dothat I can't force on others.

That's too bad. You just got back.

Everyone was worriedwhen you suddenly went missing.

Pairin, Joka, and even the old lady.

Really? She never said...

She acted like usual, right?It's because you came back.

I see.

Oh no, did I make youall sentimental? There, there!

Come on, Meimei!

Maomao, did you visit the annex?

I'll go later.

Take care of yourself.

You, too.

I'm off.

My three-day homecomingwas over before I knew it.

I'm so sad to see you go so soon!

Right, Master Lihaku?

Yes! I'm so sad, too!

Looks like he had a good dream.

Once you have a taste of the heavenly dews,there's no turning back to reality.

I'm sure they'll squeeze him dry,gently but thoroughly.

That said, I'm the one that has to coverfor the amount that I couldn't pay up front.

Let me know when you're coming home next.

And thus, my next buyer has been determined.

What's with the intense stare?

I'd better make my escape.

I'll go get changed.

Tell us...

Everything...

Later!

I'll be waiting for you in the parlor.

Excuse me.

For some reason, he seems really upset.

Am I over-thinking it?

I hope I'm over-thinking it.

Let's go with that.

Why are we alone, anyway?

So, you went home, huh?

Yes.

How was it?

Everyone's doing well,so I was glad for that.

I see.

Yes.

What is this Lihaku fellow like?

He was my guarantor.

How does he know that name?

Do you even know what that means?

Yes. Only a higher-ranking official witha good record can serve as a guarantor.

Did he give you a hairpin?

He was passing out several,so I took one as a consolation prize.

So, I lost to a consolation prize, huh?

I thought I gave you one too,but I never heard from you.

Huh?

In other words, he's just unhappybecause I didn't rely on him instead?

Weird. It's obviously way betterto not get involved in any trouble.

Is he so bored that he wants attention,even if it'll cause problems?

I'm sorry. I couldn't think ofa repayment that you'd enjoy.

What repayment?

Did you give something to this Lihaku guy?

Yes, I granted him a nightof blissful dreams.

A night...

He seemed very happy.

I worked hard, so I'm pleased with myself.

What are you doing?

Let's wipe you off before it stains.

Excuse me.

You should get this washed right away.

I'll clean up the cup rightaway, too. Don't touch it.

Excuse me.

Whoosh.

Ow!

Not just some superficial sweetness

I want more warmth than I can even use, oh

Having these selfish idealistic thoughts

I swallowed them again todaybefore putting them into words

Still in my memories,the scent of fragrant olive

The color of twilight in the city

We were laughing...

Filled with sadness,the tears welled up in my eyes

I found a glow during those days

I guess I took everything for granted

The wind was so loud I covered my ears

I gotta stop being like that

Even if I stumble over the words of love

NEXT TIME

NEXT TIME- Next time: su1c1de or m*rder?

NEXT TIME EPISODE : su1c1de OR m*rder?- Next time: su1c1de or m*rder?