Chapter 7 Prescription [Revised]

The word "plague" was uttered.

Yunxi felt like she was doomed.

He was shivering and sweating profusely; he was on the verge of death.

Having no other choice, he secretly returned to the government office.

I heard that the county magistrate's wife and daughter are now in charge. They are known to be kind-hearted and should take me in and even treat my illness.

But he didn't know that he had contracted an epidemic!

The moment Yunxi collapsed to the ground, she lost consciousness completely.

It's over.

His life is over.

I should have known better than to be so cowardly and hide when something happened.

Otherwise, they would not have contracted the plague.

But how did he get infected?

Yunxi could no longer hear the sounds outside.

The officials and their staff were so busy they barely had time to breathe.

Following Su Qing's instructions, they quickly cleared out a room in a corner of the yamen.

They also invited a doctor to come to their home.

Most doctors, upon hearing that it was an epidemic, wouldn't even step inside.

Only a nearby doctor surnamed Bai gritted his teeth.

This is simply to repay the Su family's kindness.

If it weren't for Su Qingmei's mother stabilizing grain prices and providing free porridge and grain, his family's small pharmacy would probably have had to be pawned.

On the way to Doctor Bai's place, Su Qing instructed, "Take Yunxi's clothes off."

Everyone looked at him. Although Yunxi was only twelve years old, he was still a boy.

Su Qing explained helplessly, "These clothes are obviously ill-fitting; they're probably clothes worn by the dead, and I'm afraid they're the source of the epidemic."

In modern times, many people might find it hard to understand.

Who would want clothes belonging to a dead person?

However, in ancient times when productivity was underdeveloped, clothing was a very important form of wealth.

Stripping a dead person of their clothes and wearing them yourself or selling them is immoral, but it's a perfectly normal thing to do.

So after Su Qing finished speaking, everyone immediately went to do it.

Gu Congsi looked down at her and, seeing that she had no intention of leaving, stepped aside to block her.

Su Qing noticed his movements, thinking it was better to avoid trouble, and didn't bother to move.

In fact, with life and death at stake, why worry about anything else?

When Dr. Bai arrived, he saw patients' clothes being burned in the courtyard and nodded slightly.

But when he entered the room to take his pulse, his expression grew increasingly grim.

"It looks like dysentery, but it's a little different." Doctor Bai looked around.

Knowing that Su Qing was in charge, but being so young and completely blocked by Scholar Gu, she had no choice but to speak to Scholar Gu.

“How are they different?” Gu Congsi asked.

"Malaria plus measles fever." Doctor Bai looked at the red spots on Yunxi's hands, but there were other symptoms that he couldn't discern.

Su Qing said, "There are also early symptoms of infectious cholera."

Su Qing pulled Gu Congsi aside and said, "Look at his abdominal spasms and vomiting symptoms."

Upon hearing the word "cholera," the doctor, Gu Congsi, and two constables present all took a few steps back.

In the end, it was Dr. Bai who examined Yunxi with trembling hands and confirmed her symptoms.

When cholera strikes, there is little chance of survival.

It's over.

Nanjiang County is doomed.

Su Qing glanced at them and said directly, "This is only the initial stage; it can still be contained."

"Cheer up! If we're not nervous now, then the real doomsday is coming."

Su Qing's words brought everyone back to their senses.

One approach is to treat the symptoms directly.

Secondly, all the places Yunxi passed through and the source of the outbreak were located and disinfected.

When Yun Xi was not easily awakened, she was immediately interrogated.

"Where have you been? What have you eaten? Where have you been hiding? Tell me quickly."

Dr. Bai scratched his head, unable to make up his mind about the prescription.

To his surprise, the young girl Su Qing came over and pointed out a few medicines: "If you switch to this, it won't conflict with malaria."

"It's not true that only children aged three to fifteen are susceptible to measles fever. Nowadays, people's health is not good, so everyone under the age of eighteen should be careful."

"And these two herbs are conflicting."

Don't worry about how she learned it, as long as it works.

At times like these, no one asks so many questions.

Dr. Bai exclaimed in amazement at the ingenious use of the medicine.

He then immediately went to get the medicine, seemingly fully supporting Su Qing's actions.

The government office's busy work naturally did not escape the notice of the people of Nanjiang County.

Cholera, malaria, and measles.

Any one of these could be fatal.

In an instant, the streets and docks were deserted.

Many families voluntarily burned the clothes they had collected, and some people went around praying to gods, begging for divine protection and the removal of all diseases.

They can engage in feudal superstition, but Su Qing can't.

Su Qing stabilized Yunxi's condition.

On the other hand, they sent people to his residence to disinfect and then visited the surrounding residents to see if they had any symptoms.

The yamen was already short-staffed, and now it was even busier, so they had to temporarily recruit local militia.

However, the yamen runners were also filled with anxiety.

They are the ones who have the most contact with corpses!

Even so, everyone knew the importance of the matter; if they did nothing, the epidemic would only spread faster.

Seeing everyone busy at work, Gu Congsi suddenly said, "It's a good thing you recruited these people."

Even if Magistrate Su were in charge, not all of his subordinates would be fully committed.

Su Qingyou said quietly, "Because everyone is still in their internship period."

When I was an intern, I was always on edge.

She's been a corporate slave herself, so she understands.

That being said, Su Qing was also carefully considering the prescription.

This is where we have to thank that the information gap isn't as large in modern times.

Many ancient secret recipes could be published and printed today.

For example, the formula she has in her hand, which strengthens the body and consolidates its foundation, consists of Bupleurum, Scutellaria baicalensis, Pinellia ternata, Codonopsis pilosula, jujube, and other ingredients, and has the effect of strengthening the body and nourishing the vital energy.

It is an excellent prescription for preventing diseases.

After writing down the prescription, Su Qing opened the account book and sighed deeply.

"What's wrong?" Gu Congsi asked.

"We're poor," Su Qing said, looking at the government office's account books.

Barring unforeseen circumstances, the 1.5 million jin of grain, whether sold or given away, should last until the autumn harvest.

Now we need to recruit local militia, brew medicinal soup, and carry out disinfection, which also costs money.

We'll have to tighten our belts again.

When Doctor Bai arrived and saw the prescription for strengthening the body and consolidating the foundation given by Su Qing, he stood up abruptly, his hands trembling uncontrollably.

If he knew what he was about to see, he wouldn't have been so calm, much less just sitting there watching.

"Master Su, this, this prescription must be something only available in the palace," Doctor Bai said with some knowledge. "Such an exquisite prescription, it's amazing."

As Dr. Bai spoke, he stared intently at Su Qing.

If Gu Congsi hadn't known that Doctor Bai had a wife and children, he probably would have interrupted him.

Su Qing stopped her first: "Dr. Bai, is it possible to buy these medicinal herbs?"

Dr. Bai nodded: "Nothing particularly rare, you can buy them all."

"What I'm saying is, everyone in the county, from the elderly to the infirm, women and children, drinks it. Is it possible to buy it?"

Everyone present was shocked by Su Qing's words.

Does everyone in the county, the elderly, women, and children, drink it?!

Are you kidding me!

Do you know how many people there are?!

Su Qing said helplessly, "Actually, I would prefer that everyone in the county could use it, but we don't have the money."

Therefore, as a second-best option, the elderly and infirm, who are more susceptible to illness, are given priority.

Is it going to be used throughout the entire county?

This is an astronomical figure.

If it were someone else, they probably wouldn't even dare to think about it.

Su Qing not only dares to think, but also dares to act.

People in Nanjiang County were filled with anxiety.

If they knew there was such a person in charge, they probably wouldn't be so flustered.

Doctor Bai, seemingly misunderstanding something, had tears welling up in his eyes: "You brought out such a precious prescription because you wanted to save the people of this county, didn't you?"

"Master Su, your righteousness is truly unprecedented!"

That makes sense, doesn't it?

But her sacrifice was nothing compared to yours.

This prescription wasn't given away for free.

"Since the prescription is so precious..."

"What do you think about me trading it for medicinal herbs?"

It's not just the medicinal herbs from Bai Family Medical Clinic.

There are also five other clinics and pharmacies in the county that are avoided by the public.

She's going to get it for free.

No, she wants to exchange the prescription for the medicinal herbs!

Spend the money in her treasury?

Don't even think about it.

She's very stingy.

Unfortunately, at this moment, no one present thought she was stingy; they only felt that Su Zhu was different from others.

It is truly a blessing for all the people of Nanjiang County to have such a person in charge.

A note from the author: