Chapter 322 Sequelae of Coal Poisoning
The cold wind howled through the winter night.
The ventilation holes in the Zhang family's kitchen were all blocked, so the strange smell in the house couldn't dissipate at all.
Mrs. Zhang quickly felt unwell: "My head is spinning, I feel nauseous, I feel terrible..."
She lost her footing and fell headfirst to the ground.
Zhang Wulai was squatting on the ground, hiding raw coal. Gradually, he also began to feel uncomfortable all over his body.
He clutched his chest and vomited.
He suddenly remembered that the village head had said this stuff was poisonous. He secretly thought that the village head was deliberately fooling them, just to prevent them from taking and burning too much... The village head also seemed to have said that ventilation was essential when burning coal, and he had just closed the kitchen door to hide the raw coal...
Zhang Wulai forced himself to get up and tried to open the door.
He had just gotten up when his legs gave way and he collapsed to the ground again. His head hit the stove, and he lost consciousness with a thud.
The candles were still lit in Cheng Wanwan's house. The children were reading, and she was practicing calligraphy. The house was very quiet, with only the cold wind howling and the branches of the trees outside rustling.
Suddenly, a commotion arose outside.
She put down her pen and rubbed her slightly sore wrists: "What happened so late at night?"
Zhao Dashan put on a coat and got off the kang (a heated brick bed): "I'll go out and take a look."
He went out and returned shortly after, his face extremely grave: "The Zhang couple burned coal at home and got poisoned. Zhang Dagang went to ask Doctor Zheng to examine them, but Doctor Zheng couldn't figure it out either. The two brothers, Zhang Dagang and Zhang Daqiang, knelt on the ground and kowtowed to Doctor Zheng..."
On the main road in Dahe Village, Zheng Langzhong was stopped.
"My parents are still breathing, please, Doctor Zheng, save them..." Zhang Dagang knelt on the ground, his head banging repeatedly. "Please, Doctor Zheng, at least prescribe some medicine, I beg you..."
Many villagers nearby were awakened by the noise and came out to see what was going on.
"Zhang the scoundrel is truly incorrigible. He actually went to the mountain to steal coal to burn at home. Didn't the village head say it's poisonous? He's courting death."
"To be honest, I also thought Uncle Village Chief was bluffing. This stuff does have a strange smell when it's burned, but I never thought it would kill anyone."
"I just went to the Zhang family's house. The couple's faces were deathly pale, but their lips were blood red. It looked really creepy."
"Zheng Langzhong, please try to save that couple. Although they are quite annoying, they are still neighbors from the same village."
"If the village roads hadn't been blocked, we could have gone to the city to get a doctor, but now we can only rely on you..."
Dr. Zheng sighed, "I'm just a mediocre doctor. I've never seen these symptoms before, so I can't prescribe anything. How about this, I'll go back and look through some medical books to see if there's any prescription for treating coal poisoning..."
Black gold stone is a product of the north, and it is rarely seen in this place that is neither north nor south. This is the first time he has burned coal, and it is also the first time he has seen someone suffer from coal poisoning. He has no idea how to treat it.
He has more than a dozen medical books at home, and he mainly reads those written by people from the north, hoping to record some information.
However, it's uncertain whether the Zhang couple will be able to hold on until he finds the prescription...
"For coal poisoning, immediately administer raw radish juice to the affected area, and it will be cured." A clear, cold voice came from behind. "Zhang Dagang, hurry up and go to your field to pick radishes, mash them into juice, and give it to your parents."
Zhang Dagang looked up and saw Cheng Wanwan walking towards him in the night, wearing a rabbit fur cloak.
As soon as she arrived, Zhang Dagang felt at ease. Although she was not a doctor, everyone in Dahe Village inexplicably believed her words.
Zhang Dagang got up from the ground: "Thank you, Aunt Zhao, I'll go right now!"
Doctor Zheng exclaimed in surprise, "Grandma Dashan, how did you know...?"
“I’ve also read some medical books, and I just happened to come across this passage,” Cheng Wanwan said. “There is also a Earth Skull that can greatly clear the lung qi and detoxify people from coal smoke poisoning.”
Earth skeletons, which are dried radishes in the ground, can also cure coal poisoning.
These were all first aid methods she had seen in ancient medical books. Fortunately, she had read the books beforehand, otherwise Zhang Wulai and Zhang Po Niang would have been difficult to save. Even if they had survived, they would have been prone to brain damage, which, simply put, would have made them susceptible to dementia.
Severe cases of coal poisoning can lead to various long-term effects, such as poor coordination or slowed brain function.
As Cheng Wanwan and Zheng Langzhong talked, they walked towards the Zhang family's house, and some people who liked to watch the excitement followed them.
Zhang Dagang worked quickly and soon squeezed out radish juice, which he then poured down his parents' throats, making them drink three bowls.
"Wow--"
"vomit--"
Zhang Wulai and his wife turned over and began to vomit.
The villagers all breathed a sigh of relief.
"If you can still vomit, it means you're okay."
"Old Lady Dashan is truly amazing; she knows even more than Doctor Zheng."
"How could she become Lady Sui if she wasn't capable? Do you think just anyone can receive the Emperor's bestowal?"
"..."
"Zhang the Scoundrel, Zhang the Wife, you two brought this on yourselves!" The village head stood in the courtyard and shouted sternly, "We just found two large baskets of coal in your kitchen. Tell me, what were you doing digging so much coal for?!"
Granny Zhang's eyes darted around listlessly, as if she hadn't understood what the village head had said at all.
Zhang Wulai lay groaning uncomfortably in Zhang Dagang's arms, his face still pale: "I don't feel well, I'm dizzy, dizzy... Dagang, help me to the bed..."
"Zhang the Scoundrel, don't try to fool me with your nonsense!" the village head said coldly. "I've said it before, this coal belongs to the imperial court. Mining it privately is embezzling imperial property, a capital offense! And everyone in the village, listen up, this stuff is poisonous. If you die from burning coal illegally, that's your own fault. If you don't die, I'll report you to the county magistrate. Anyone who can handle the consequences can go ahead and steal coal!"
The village headman flung his sleeves and stormed off in a huff.
The villagers who had come to watch the commotion were yelled at, and they stood there dumbfounded, not knowing how to react.
Cheng Wanwan said gently, "The village head is actually worried that everyone will get carbon monoxide poisoning. Don't be fooled by the fact that Zhang Wulai and Zhang Poni have woken up. Tomorrow you will know how terrifying this poison is. The village head is doing this for everyone's good. Remember, never do things that are not allowed to be done. Heaven's gifts may be taken back in another way."
The night passed without incident.
The next day, the villagers finally realized how terrible coal poisoning was.
The Zhang couple did indeed escape with their lives, but Mrs. Zhang was particularly slow to react. Her once sharp-tongued and troublemaking mouth was now somewhat incoherent. As for Zhang the Rascal, he was uncoordinated and would often stumble while walking, making him even more comical than a cripple.
With the Zhang family taking the risk, no one in the entire Dahe Village dared to steal coal again.
The next few days passed peacefully.
By the sixth day of the lunar new year, the heavy snow had gradually stopped, and on the seventh day, the sun even came out, and the warm sunshine swept away the gloom of the past few days.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
