Chapter 82 Smallpox
Looking at the white cloth fluttering outside the car, Xie Mubai's face was also very gloomy: "Did you see anything?"
Shen Wan nodded: "I'm not sure."
She wasn't sure, and the other prisoners didn't dare leave.
"Sir, isn't this place too weird?" A prisoner looked at Hu Dahai with horror, "Let's take a detour."
Fortunately, it was broad daylight. If they had encountered such a gloomy and eerie place at night, they would probably have been scared to death.
"Why are you going around in circles?" Hu Dahai said impatiently, his face gloomy. "This road is the shortest. If we go around in circles, not only will it take several days, but the road won't even be as flat as here."
"I've been traveling all over the country for many years, and this isn't the first time I've encountered something like this."
"With the intense fighting at the border these years, it's not surprising that so many families are holding funerals at the same time."
"Besides, what are you afraid of in broad daylight?"
"As long as there's nothing to hide, there's nothing to be afraid of!"
He didn't lie.
In the Battle of Yumen Pass, all 100,000 soldiers of the Wei Dynasty were wiped out.
Even though their bodies could not be returned home, their families still built cenotaphs for them.
For a time, the coffin shop business was booming, and even the suona players made a small profit.
After hearing this, everyone finally let go of their worries.
Just go.
The village is not big. If we quicken our pace, it will only take a quarter of an hour.
Given the choice between living in fear for a quarter of an hour and walking under the scorching sun for several days, they decisively chose the former.
"Brother, be careful!" Shen Wan advised, seeing this, "I always feel like something seems wrong."
"Oh, you never forget to jump out and give orders!" Sun rolled her eyes with a look of disdain, "Don't forget, you are just a fugitive. You have no right to give orders here!"
"We obey the official, let's go!"
As she spoke, she carried Zhao forward.
By this time she was already notorious, and no one except Baozi Li was willing to pay attention to her.
For the sake of her only accomplice, Sun could only endure the pain in her back and grit her teeth to carry Zhao.
"Sister, nothing will happen." Hu Dahai heard it and looked up at Shen Wan, "Besides, there are so many of us, what is there to be afraid of."
Seeing that he didn't listen, Shen Wan didn't say much, after all, she had no evidence.
She thought for a moment, then took out several towels and handed them to Hu Dahai and the Xie brothers and sisters: "Everyone, cover your noses with these, and try not to take them off unless you leave the village."
Although Xie Murong didn't understand what she meant, he still did as she said.
Hu Dahai disagreed.
He knew that Harley Quinn was smart, but this time she was being too cautious.
This isn't a poisonous forest, why would you need to bring a towel?
The other prisoners didn't think much of it. Why cover their noses in such hot weather? Such a clean and soft towel could be used to wipe sweat.
Soon, the group entered the village.
The village was extremely quiet, with only the occasional crow's cry.
Xie Murong felt uneasy when he heard this, and his thin body trembled slightly.
"You go in." Shen Wan took a look and said.
With Xie Mubai around, I believe this girl won’t be too panicked.
Xie Murong heard this and shook his head stubbornly: "No, I want to accompany my fifth sister-in-law."
"If my fifth sister-in-law isn't afraid, then I'm not afraid either."
Shen Wan smiled and said nothing more.
Wang Qi came up pushing a cart, with a white towel tied around his face that Hu Dahai had just given him.
Seeing his look, Shen Wan couldn't help but pursed her lips and smiled.
"Strange, why is there no one here?" Wang Qi asked when he saw her laughing.
Shen Wan shrugged: “I don’t know either.”
She hoped she was overthinking it.
If my guess turns out to be right, the consequences will be disastrous.
Not far away, I saw a skinny old man squatting on the side of the road burning paper money.
A gust of cold wind blew by, and the paper money that had not yet burned up fluttered up like soul-broken butterflies.
Seeing how pitiful he was, Hu Dahai asked, "Old man, who are you burning this for?"
The weather was so hot that he didn’t listen to Shen Wan’s words and just casually put the towel on his shoulders.
"Leave it to myself." The old man coughed heavily, his voice very hoarse.
When Hu Dahai heard this, his expression suddenly changed.
The old man slowly raised his head, and his messy white hair hid a face full of pus-filled sores.
Hu Dahai was so frightened that he quickly took a few steps back, his teeth chattering wildly: "Smallpox?"
"Yes." The old man said with a wry smile as he burned paper money, "Some time ago, someone in our village suddenly got sick with this disease."
"As a result, many people were infected soon. Now those who are not infected have fled to hide in caves, leaving us here to fend for ourselves."
"I have no children, no one to see me off to the grave. I can only burn some paper money for myself to avoid suffering in the underworld."
After hearing this, Hu Dahai regretted it so much.
"Retreat, retreat immediately!" He quickly covered his mouth and nose with a towel and shouted loudly.
Some prisoners walking behind didn't know what was happening in front. When they heard that they were going to retreat, they couldn't help but complain: "Sir, let's take this road."
"Yeah, it's so troublesome to take a detour!"
Hearing the crowd's complaints, Hu Dahai could only shout, "Hurry up, there's smallpox in this village!"
When the prisoners heard the word "smallpox", they were shocked.
They covered their mouths and noses and immediately turned and ran away.
At this time, they only hated their parents for not giving them two more legs.
Sun was also panicked.
She dropped the stretcher and ran away like a flash, following the crowd.
"At least you should bring your sister-in-law with you!" Li cried angrily.
It is impossible to make Sun turn back.
Shen Wan drove the carriage as fast as she could. Just as she rushed to the entrance of the village, she saw that a large number of soldiers had set up roadblocks and sealed off the village.
"By order of the county magistrate, a large-scale plague has broken out in Niujia Village. All intersections must be closed and no one is allowed to enter or leave!" The leading officer shouted sternly with a gloomy face.
Upon hearing this, the convicts panicked.
After hearing this, several timid women were so scared that they burst into tears.
Seeing this, Hu Dahai hurried forward and said with a smile: "My dear brothers, I am an official from the capital, responsible for escorting the fugitives."
"We've only been in this village for a short while, so there's no way we could have been infected with the plague. Please do us a favor and let us out."
The soldier sneered and looked at him mockingly: "If everyone says this, then don't I have to release everyone in the village?"
"If the epidemic spreads, can you bear the responsibility?"
One prisoner protested and asked, "Are you trying to trap us, who are not sick at all, to death here?"
"They're just a bunch of prisoners. It wouldn't be a big deal if they died." The officer's gaze tightened, and he sneered sinisterly, "Archers, get ready! Anyone who dares to step beyond this roadblock will be killed without mercy!"
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