Chapter 97
The large cauldron prepared by the magistrate was also delivered. After preparing the medicinal ingredients for Ma Huang Tang, Director Ji began to teach the yamen runners how to cook Ma Huang Tang.
If the illness is serious, the medicine should be stronger; if the illness is mild, the dosage should be halved.
People were forcibly sent to the epidemic resettlement center one after another. Yu Ying put on the apron given by Director Ji's eldest disciple, and wore a homemade mask to take the pulse of the patients infected with the epidemic one by one to check their conditions.
She barely had time to drink a sip of water.
There are children here who are about the same age as Fu Ning, and some are even younger.
Some were taken care of and comforted by their families, but some had no adults around to comfort them, and they cried breathlessly, almost suffocating.
Seeing this situation, how could Yu Ying not feel uncomfortable?
She could only be patient, comfort them gently, stroke their heads, and tell them to take the medicine obediently, because only by taking the medicine can the illness be cured, and after the illness is cured, they can see their parents.
Without relatives around, and surrounded by strangers and an unfamiliar environment, sick children feel extremely helpless and can only express their inner fear by crying.
With reliable adults comforting them, the children's emotions calmed down a little and they cooperated with her.
After being busy for half a day until dark, she finally told Director Ji that she had a niece to take care of and would be back in the house for half an hour.
Director Ji is old after all, and after a busy day, his eyes are full of fatigue.
"We're not made of iron, so let's take turns resting. I'll keep watch with my eldest disciple for the first half of the night, and you and Dalang will keep watch for the second half."
After expressing her gratitude, Yu Ying went back.
Yu Ying went to boil half a basin of hot water, then took off her apron and thick coat outside the house, took off her mask, and washed her hands with the soap nuts she brought before entering the house.
Fu Ning's eyes were filled with tears due to the fever. Lying on the bed, he looked at Yu Ying who came in and weakly called out, "Auntie."
Yu Ying walked over with a distressed look on her face, put down the basin of water, and touched her forehead.
It's not that hot anymore.
He asked softly, "Are you feeling a little better than this morning?"
Fu Ning nodded and responded softly, "Yeah, it feels better, much better."
It has only been over two months since Fu Ning started speaking again, and his punctuation is still a little off, but he will slowly correct it later.
Yu Ying reached into the quilt and touched her back, and sure enough, she was sweating.
Fu Ning sweated from covering himself up. If he drank more medicine and more hot water, his fever would go away in the second half of the night.
Yu Ying wrung out the towel, wiped Fu Ning's body, and changed into dry clothes.
She looked at Fu Ning, who was cooperating well, and thought of the crying children, and asked her, "Are you afraid?"
Fu Ning shook his head: "Ningning, don't be afraid, I have your aunt here."
After thinking for a while, she said very sensibly: "Aunt, Ningning is not afraid of being alone. Aunt can go and treat others."
Yu Ying smiled with relief and patted her head again: "When my aunt is not around, if you are scared and want to find me, don't run around, just call out a few times in the house. If the yamen runners outside hear you, they will tell my aunt, and she will come to see you."
After she was washed, a yamen runner brought her food, which included white rice and one meat and one vegetable.
Perhaps he knew there was a sick little girl, so he also sent a bowl of minced meat porridge.
After receiving it, Yu Ying asked the yamen runner, "What do the others eat?"
The yamen runner said, "Our yamen isn't very wealthy, so all we can have is a bowl of rice porridge with soup. The old people and children will add some bones to the porridge, which at least gives it some meat."
At this point, the yamen runner continued, "Madam Yu and the doctors must not fall ill, so they can't eat bad food. We yamen runners also have a bowl of hot rice and some minced meat."
The porridge made from bones is very nutritious for the elderly and children.
Yu Ying thanked the yamen runner and turned back to the house.
Yu Ying originally wanted to feed Fu Ning, but the little girl, who had recovered some energy, didn't want to tire her aunt, so she sat up and wanted to eat by herself.
After dinner, Yu Ying had to take the time to rest because she had to keep watch in the second half of the night.
There were constant crying and coughing sounds outside, and Yu Ying was not sleeping well. With a loud scream of collapse, Yu Ying suddenly woke up.
Fu Ning, whose fever had just subsided, was frightened by the roar and her body twitched. She was so sick that she hugged Yu Ying and sobbed in fear.
Yu Ying quickly hugged her and patted her gently, whispering comfortingly, "Don't be afraid, Auntie is here."
After a while of comfort, Fu Ning's mood finally calmed down, but it was still noisy outside.
Yu Ying was worried and said to Fu Ning, "Auntie, please go out and take a look. You stay in the house and don't run around."
After giving the instructions, she got out of bed, put on her shoes, walked out of the house, put on the cotton coat hanging outside, and then went to the front yard to check the situation.
*
For patients who have caught a cold, night is the most uncomfortable time, when their cough is most severe and their will is weakest.
The coughing sounds in several courtyards were so severe that people felt uneasy and no one could sleep.
The coughing sound continued to rise and fall, and the patient's mood became more and more negative.
Under such circumstances, some people were driven crazy and cried and shouted to go back.
The people know how terrible the epidemic is.
A few years ago, there was an epidemic in other counties, and almost half of the people in the county died. Even the county magistrate ran away, leaving the people to fend for themselves.
People are in a panic now. Some people are upset and are clamoring to get out.
Many people ran into the yard, and the yamen runners hurriedly stopped them.
The noisy sound spread to the houses on both sides. The people in the next yard were locked in their houses and couldn't get out, but they all leaned against the windows and listened carefully to the movement next door.
They are all afraid. They are afraid that after they die, they will be rolled up in a straw mat and burned, and they won’t even be able to see their family for the last time; they are afraid that they won’t even have a tombstone; and they are even more afraid that they will die!
"The government is locking us up here. If the epidemic gets serious, they'll abandon us and let us fend for ourselves. I can't wait to die here. I want to get out!"
"I want to go out!"
The sound waves were getting louder and louder.
Some of the patients who were still in good spirits also started to make a fuss and wanted to leave, and the bailiffs could hardly stop them.
Seeing the sudden commotion, Director Ji, who was standing by, smashed several bowls to scare the crowd away. He shouted angrily, "If anyone doesn't want to cooperate with the treatment, just say so, and I will never treat him again!"
The noisy people didn't dare to speak, but the women and children were still sobbing.
The most terrifying thing is not the epidemic, the most terrifying thing is the people’s lack of cooperation.
If just one uncooperative person runs away, a disaster could occur.
Yu Ying saw this scene, walked over, and said in a clear voice: "If the government doesn't care, why did they clear out the resettlement area? Wouldn't it be better to just throw you into the mountains to fend for yourself? If they don't care, why did they make me wait here, and even send so many government officials to help?"
She glanced at the yamen runners, then at the rioting civilians, and asked in a resounding voice, "Doctor Ji, the others, and the yamen runners and servants haven't contracted the plague, but why are we risking our lives to come here?! Aren't we afraid of death?"
The voice grew louder and louder: "We are afraid! Who here isn't afraid of contracting the plague?! But we are afraid that if we don't come here to treat you, the plague will rage on and cause an even more tragic situation. We are also afraid that it will soon be our turn, and even more afraid that if this plague is not properly controlled, all our families will be infected. That's why we are risking our lives to come here!"
As soon as Yu Ying said this, the yard became quiet.
She said angrily, "If one of you goes out, two, four, or even more people outside will be infected with the plague. When other counties, or even the county government, hear about the plague in Yu County, do you think they will help us or abandon us like grass?"
"Right now, the magistrate is working tirelessly to find a way to curb the spread of the epidemic. The yamen runners and doctors have also come here, risking their lives, to curb the epidemic. But not only do you not accept their kindness, you are also causing trouble for them. What do you want to do?"
Yu Ying's voice suddenly became louder, and she demanded, "Are you trying to chill us to the bone and make us give up on you?!"
Yu Ying's voice penetrated several courtyards and was heard by almost everyone.
The noisy people lowered their heads in shame. No one spoke anymore. Only coughing and painful groans came from the house.
Yu Ying's words touched the hearts of all the doctors and yamen runners.
Even the doctors who didn't think much of Yu Ying gradually changed their views of her.
They do not ask for gratitude from the people, but only hope that they can cooperate, reduce their pressure, and allow this epidemic to pass safely.
Huo Yacha came out at this time and shouted: "If anyone doesn't want to be treated, I will lock him up alone and let him suffer on his own. If anyone wants to be treated, go back immediately."
As soon as he said this, everyone looked at each other, and then went back to the house in a sickly manner.
In order to prevent anyone from escaping again, the yamen runners had to be extremely vigilant.
Perhaps it was Yu Ying's words that worked, but some women whose illnesses were not too serious volunteered to take care of children who had no adults to look after them, sharing the pressure on the yamen runners.
On the first night, some people sweated after taking the medicine and their fever gradually subsided.
On the second night, those with mild symptoms almost all had their fevers subsided, but they still had runny nose and cough, and needed to be observed for a few days.
But the people who need the most attention are those with high fever. They are breathing heavily and are almost unconscious due to the fever.
Things like feeding medicine, feeding food and wiping the body require help from others.
There will definitely not be enough manpower to do this, so there is no other way but to let the patients help each other.
Perhaps due to proper control, the number of patients sent to the resettlement center decreased on the third day.
The epidemic in the city was gradually brought under control, but not in the villages.
Yu County was not a big county, and each clinic had only two or three doctors. The magistrate had no other choice but to force all the doctors in the clinic to go out.
The epidemic in the resettlement area has been brought under control for the time being, so three doctors will be selected to accompany the yamen runners to each village to check the situation.
Yu Ying was concerned about Lingshui Village, so she asked Huo Yacha to help look after Fu Ning, who was already half recovered. She then suggested going to Lingshui Village to take a look and then return to the resettlement site in the evening.
Someone volunteered to see the patient, and it was Madam Yu, who was respected by the yamen runners, so they would definitely agree.
After Yu Ying settled Fu Ning, she and the yamen runners took an ox cart to Lingshui Village.
Due to the epidemic, the villagers stayed indoors and the entire Lingshui Village seemed like a deserted village.
The yamen runners sent Yu Ying directly back to the Fu family.
Unexpectedly, Yu Ying saw Fu Wei and her elder brother at Fu's house.
While Fu Wei was discussing with the yamen runners, there was a knock on the door.
The yamen runner went to open the door, and when he saw someone, he was surprised and said, "Madam Yu, why are you here?"
Fu Wei's expression paused, his body stiffened for two breaths, then he slowly raised his head and turned to look.
The moment their eyes met, everything around them seemed to be still.
In the past few days, if Fu Wei wanted to know the news about Yu Ying and his niece, he had to go to the yamen early to ask the yamen runners who came back to report the news.
He heard everything about her stay at the resettlement center and knew that she was in good health and that his niece's condition was gradually improving.
But despite this, as long as he didn't see anyone, his worries were like an endless black hole.
I couldn't sleep or eat well and couldn't fall asleep at night.
It was not until today when he saw the real person who was safe and sound that Fu Wei's tense mind, which had been tense for several days, finally relaxed.
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