Seeing her friend's serious expression, Yang Zhizhi knew that something urgent must have happened. Without asking any more questions, she stood up and walked out with Xu Qinyu, "Qinyu, follow me."
The Yang family lived with the county magistrate in the backyard of the county government office, but in fact the Yang family also had a house.
Madam Yang Wei owned shops and land, and collected a lot of rent every year, so she was well-off, even wealthy. Otherwise, she wouldn't have spent twenty taels of silver every month to lose weight for her children.
Yang Zhizhi didn't ask any more questions on the way, and led Xu Qinyu to her father's front yard.
The county magistrate was in the front yard, handling official business and looking through case files when he heard a yamen runner say that the young lady had come with the young lady from Xu's Restaurant. He invited them in and saw the young lady's serious expression. He asked in surprise, "What's this about Miss Xu?"
Xu Qinyu immediately said, "Sir, I just saw some disaster victims outside the city heading towards the town."
The county magistrate knew that many disaster victims in the north had fled because of last year's snowstorm, but he thought they had fled to the south or the capital. He never expected to see them outside the town.
He pondered for a moment and said, "Since they're disaster victims, it's natural to see if they'll enter the town. Once there, they'll want to decide where to register. While some places charge a high fee for registration, some of the villages under their jurisdiction don't charge a fee. They can go there and ask the village head to allocate them some land for reclaiming. If they have money, they can also buy houses and farmland."
Generally, disaster victims carry all their belongings with them when they flee, and they may have some money left on them, which is enough to help them settle down and make a living.
"Sir, no!" Xu Qinyu shook her head. "Sir, when I came back, I ran into several of these disaster victims. They were extremely emaciated, with sunken cheeks and eye sockets. They were dehydrated, so they had dry rashes on their faces and cracked lips. They looked very ill. If only one person had these symptoms, it wouldn't be a problem, but with several people having them, I'm a little worried."
It is common sense that major epidemics are likely to occur after major disasters.
The border town is far away from the south and the capital, and many messages are not delivered in time. We have no idea what the situation of the victims there is, or whether any of them are infected with the plague.
When she came back, she ran into a group of disaster victims. Except for the woman who was carried on the man's back, several other people behind her had symptoms similar to the woman's. If it was just one person, it would be fine. But if several people had the same symptoms, it probably meant that they had the same disease, and the same disease meant that it was contagious, so she was worried that these disaster victims had actually contracted the plague.
When the county magistrate heard this, his expression changed as he figured out the reason.
He hurriedly stood up and ordered the yamen runners, "Hurry, go to the two town gates and tell the officers and soldiers guarding the town to set up wooden fences at the town gates, at least a hundred feet away. Tell them not to let the victims into the town for the time being and stay outside the fences. Hurry and ride over."
After the two yamen runners left, the county magistrate was so anxious that he paced around in the house. If it really was a plague, there was nothing he could do. He could only confine all the victims together and give them some food and water. If they all got sick, he could only wait for them to die and then burn the whole place down. There was no way to cure the plague at all.
"What should I do? What should I do?"
He had experienced a plague, although it was not in the village where he lived, but in a nearby village. In the end, the entire village was ordered to be blocked, and after everyone in the village died of the disease, the village was burned down.
Xu Qinyu and Yang Zhizhi's faces were pale, and Yang Zhizhi's body was trembling slightly. She had never experienced the plague, but she knew how terrible the plague was. No one here did not know how terrible the plague was.
Xu Qinyu took a breath and said, "Sir, the most urgent thing now is to have the doctor check the pulses of these victims to see if it is really a plague."
She knew that if you contracted the plague here, you would basically die, and there was no cure, but she didn't know how to protect yourself and prevent it. Even if you were cured, you would be infected again. Naturally, there was no cure, and you could only wait to die.
She actually hoped that she was wrong. In fact, she was just overthinking it. But if the victims were infected with the plague, then the victims who went to other places would probably be the same. If they brought the plague to people in other states and counties, many people would die.
The county magistrate was almost crying, "How could a doctor dare to take their pulse?"
If we keep it a secret and let the doctor take the pulse of these patients, and it turns out to be a plague, and the doctor returns to the town, everyone in the town will be infected.
In the past, when there was an epidemic, doctors who went to diagnose patients’ pulses usually never returned.
Xu Qinyu said, "Sir, I can prevent them from being infected after coming into contact with the sick. If there really is a plague, these methods can also be applied to the patients and everyone else. As long as we use these methods, perhaps the plague can be controlled. Also, perhaps I am worrying too much, and perhaps none of the victims are infected."
Plague is mainly transmitted through contact, breathing, mosquito bites, food, etc. As long as you take good precautions, it is not easy to be infected.
The county magistrate was stunned for a moment. "Ms. Xu, do you really have a way to prevent the plague from spreading?"
Xu Qinyu said, "Cover your mouth and nose with gauze, wash your hands with strong alcohol after contact with the patient, and burn any clothes you change immediately. Also, be careful about what you eat and drink."
The county magistrate was very hesitant. If it was really a plague, his only choice was to believe that Xu Qinyu might be able to control the plague, or to imprison the victims and burn them after they all died of the disease, and be responsible to the people of Yuanbao Town.
The county magistrate paced back and forth in the room, and finally gritted his teeth and called the yamen runners, asking them to invite all the doctors from all the pharmacies in the town to the yamen to discuss something.
After the bailiff left, Xu Qinyu asked Yang Zhizhi if she had any gauze at home. Yang Zhizhi nodded with a pale face.
Only then did Yang Zhizhi take Xu Qinyu to the backyard and ask her mother for gauze.
Wei was curious about why Miss Xu had suddenly come to her house. She asked the maid to fetch some gauze and asked with a smile, "What does Miss Xu need the gauze for?"
Yang Zhizhi glanced at Xu Qinyu, and seeing that she didn't stop her, she whispered what had just happened to Wei Shi. Wei Shi's face turned pale.
Xu Qinyu didn't care about anything else and just wanted to make the masks first.
To provide protection, at least ten layers of gauze were needed. This was easy to make, and even though Xu Qinyu was not very good at needlework, she managed to sew a few. Yang Zhizhi and Wei Shi were absent-minded and worried, but their hands were moving quickly. Together with the maid, they also finished sewing quickly, making about thirty in total.
Xu Qinyu took it all and gave it to the county magistrate.
The yamen runners had also invited all the doctors in the town.
These doctors are all quite old, but there are also a few younger doctors in their twenties or thirties.
The county magistrate talked about the possibility that the disaster victims outside the town might be infected with the disease, and said that he had a way to protect the doctors who had come into contact with the patients from being infected. He hoped that the doctors could go outside the town to help the patients among the disaster victims take their pulses.
Before leaving, Xu Qinyu told the county magistrate not to tell anyone else that this was her idea.
After all, she was a relative of a criminal. If she really made a contribution and let some people in the imperial palace in the capital know about it, wouldn't it bring disaster to the Pei family, herself, and her natal family?
The doctors present all looked different when they heard this.
Several old doctors trembled and said, "Sir, aren't you sending us to our deaths? Are you going to kill everyone in this town? If the higher-ups knew that the people of Yuanbao Town had come into contact with someone infected with the plague, I'm afraid they would send soldiers to guard Yuanbao Town and leave us to fend for ourselves. Sir, regardless of whether any of those disaster victims are truly infected, they shouldn't be allowed in. Confine them outside the town first. If they do contract the plague, they'll only have themselves to blame."
The county magistrate frowned and said, "If it were possible to save them, why would we let them perish on their own?"
The doctor said, "But from ancient times to the present, no matter what kind of plague it is, there is no way to completely cure it. Even if there is a prescription that can make the patient feel better temporarily, they will be infected by contact with the patient and will catch the disease again. There is no cure at all."
The county magistrate said, "So this method can prevent people around you from being infected, and it can also prevent the patients from being infected again."
He took the gauze mask that Xu Qinyu handed over, put it over his mouth and nose, and fastened the ear ties before saying, "Cover the mouth and nose with gauze like this. After taking the patient's pulse, wipe your hands with strong liquor, take off your clothes, and burn them. This will stop the source of the disease. If the doctor who took the patient's pulse really diagnosed the plague, he must not return to the town for the time being. He must live in a wooden shed outside the town. He can only return to the town if there are no symptoms after two days."
The county magistrate also said that if anyone was willing to diagnose the pulse of patients outside the town, they could receive twenty taels of silver each.
There were some brave men who were willing to go under such a high reward. Two younger doctors stepped forward and said, "Sir, we are willing to go."
The county magistrate took out forty taels of silver from the public account and gave them to the two men. Only then did he let them wear gauze veils, linen clothes, and bring strong liquor to the town entrance.
The disaster victims at the town entrance had been stopped outside the wooden frame. The soldiers listened to the county magistrate and had no contact with the victims. When they saw other villagers entering the town, they drove them away.
At this moment, there were only a group of emaciated victims at the entrance of the town.
The victims stood at the entrance of the town in a daze. They were terrified. Even though people started dying along the way, they didn't know what was happening. They just wanted to find a place that could take them in and let them settle down.
The wealthy provincial government would not accept these disaster victims at all. They walked and walked until they came here, not knowing where this place was. When they saw a town from afar, they rushed over. Unexpectedly, they were stopped by someone. The officers and soldiers who stopped them said that they could not enter the town for the time being and needed to wait for the county magistrate's words.
So they waited.
Two doctors in sackcloth came over, with a thick layer of gauze covering their mouths and noses. They came to take the pulse of the patient among them. As they were feeling the pulse, the two men's faces changed drastically. Finally, they retreated to the wooden shed at the entrance of the town, washed their hands with wine in the wine jar, took off their sackcloth, and burned it with a fire starter.
The two younger doctors did not expect that these patients were really suffering from the plague.
They shouted something to the soldiers guarding the town entrance. The soldiers' faces changed slightly and they hurried back to the county government to report.
Xu Qinyu, the county magistrate, and the doctors didn't leave for a while, all waiting in the front yard of the government office. Xu Qinyu was also a little worried, her heart in a mess. She thought that if her fourth brother was here, with his excellent medical skills, and combined with her protective measures, any plague could be controlled and cured...
Just as he was thinking about it, a soldier guarding the town came over and said to the county magistrate in a trembling voice, "Sir, some of the victims at the town entrance have diarrhea."
When they heard it was diarrhea, all the doctors present changed their expressions.
Xu Qinyu knew that diarrheal disease was similar to cholera in later generations, both caused by contaminated water and food, resulting in rice-waste stools, vomiting, and ultimately severe dehydration. This made sense, as after a major disaster, the victims' food and drink were often unclean, and with summer approaching, food rotted easily. Disaster victims didn't care whether food was edible or not, or whether the water was drinkable. Starving, they would eat anything, so diarrhea was the most common disease. This disease could be largely avoided by maintaining hygiene awareness, boiling all drinking water, eating cooked food, and washing hands frequently.
She doesn't understand the treatment prescription, but these doctors should know.
Xu Qinyu called the county magistrate to the outside of the courtyard and whispered to him how to prevent the spread of diarrhea.
The county magistrate was so anxious at the moment that he was about to get angry. After hearing this, he knew what to do. Naturally, he would first remind the townspeople of Yuanbao Town and the nearby villages and towns that diarrhea had occurred. He told everyone not to go out in the near future, to boil all water before drinking, not to eat raw or cold food, and not to eat raw or cold fruits. He should also wash his hands frequently with soap or soapberry every day.
In addition, he also had to send someone to Raozhou City to report to the prefect of Raozhou. After all, there was a military camp guarding the border city near Raozhou City. If the diarrheal disease spread to the military camp, it would be a disaster. The border city would fall to the enemy country without a fight.
In addition to informing the prefect that the victims had arrived in the southwest, a letter was also required to be sent by the yamen runners with information on how to prevent diarrhea.
There are more doctors in Raozhou City, and their medical skills are better, so they definitely have more prescriptions for diarrhea.
As long as we find a way to prevent the spread of diarrheal disease and treat the patients, this plague may really be stopped.
After Xu Qinyu finished speaking, she knew that there was probably nothing left for her to do here. All she could do was probably cook some food for the doctors who were treating patients outside the town and the victims.
The prerequisite is that there is a doctor willing to go outside the town to treat patients with diarrhea.
The two doctors who went outside the town to diagnose the victims' pulses will definitely not be able to come back. They need to stay outside the town and treat the patients as well.
After Xu Qinyu left, the county magistrate spoke with the doctors. As expected, no one was willing to go. They were also afraid of death. The county magistrate knew he couldn't force them. The plague was too terrible. Even a narrow escape from death was the least of their worries. He sighed and said, "If the two doctors outside the town haven't contracted diarrhea from treating patients these past two days, I hope you all will lend a hand. Otherwise, it will be difficult for them to handle the workload alone. I will reward any doctor willing to go out of town to treat patients with ten taels of silver."
These doctors had no hope at all. They thought that the two young doctors from outside the town were too reckless. Diarrhea was highly contagious. Even if the patient felt temporarily better after taking medicine, he would be dead if he got infected again in two days.
Xu Qinyu went to Xu's Restaurant first. The mushrooms and wild vegetables she brought back were sent back to Guihua Lane by Cheng Ge'er. The wild grapes were still in the backyard of the restaurant.
Xu Feng and the others were also in the restaurant, and Wen had returned to Guihua Lane first.
Xu Feng and the others didn't know what had happened. Seeing Xu Qinyu's gloomy face, they couldn't help but feel worried. Xu Feng asked, "Boss, did something big happen?"
"Yes." Xu Qinyu said, "The restaurant will probably be closed for the next half month. Disaster victims have arrived from outside the city, and some of them have contracted diarrhea. So everyone should stay home for the time being. You should also stay in the restaurant and don't run around."
The large storage room in the backyard of the restaurant was filled with rice, flour, grains, dried goods, eggs, and some live poultry that she bought. These things were enough to feed the restaurant's diners for a month, which was enough to feed their family of six and Xu Feng and the other children for several months. They didn't have to worry about the convenience of eating and drinking.
She was just worried about other things. She felt very uneasy. She was not a doctor and did not know how to treat illnesses. Even if she knew some protective measures, it was unknown whether they would be useful or whether everyone would follow them.
Moreover, this place is different from the later generations. Not to mention that the one who ascended the throne is useless, the queen mother is also cruel and ruthless. If there are really victims of the disaster going to the capital, and the court knows that there are patients with diarrhea among them, it is estimated that they will not confine the victims and wait for them to die of the disease, but will directly kill and burn them.
Although Xu Feng and the other children were young, they knew what diarrhea was. After hearing what it was, their faces turned pale and they were terrified.
Xu Qinyu could only tell them not to worry, and together with a few children, she washed and removed the stems of the wild grapes, so that they could be dried tomorrow to make wine.
She had wanted to make wine some time ago, so she ordered a lot of large wine jars.
After washing all the grapes, she cooked some noodles for herself and Xu Feng and the others, and told the children to lock the door and get some sleep, as she would come over again tomorrow.
That night, the county magistrate personally led the yamen runners to the town entrance. He comforted the victims and told them the truth that they had diarrhea. The victims panicked and wanted to run away, fearing that they would be imprisoned and left to die.
The county magistrate stopped them and told them, "I've asked a doctor to take your pulse. Both doctors live outside the town. What are you worried about? If you really run away, you will die. Now there are doctors willing to treat you. As long as you accept the treatment and take precautions, there may be a hope of survival. Do you really want to run away and wait for death?"
The victims indeed stopped and looked at the two doctors wearing strange masks under the wooden shed in the distance. They shouted to them from a distance, "Are you really willing to heal us?"
In fact, the two doctors were also panicked and regretful.
At first, they just thought it was such a coincidence. These victims came from the north, and if it was really a plague, they would have died long ago. They could get twenty taels of silver for free by going out to check their pulse, so they went there naturally.
Now that things have come to this, the county magistrate will definitely not let them enter the town. Their families are all in the town. If they run away like this, the county magistrate will definitely arrest their families. Now they can only bite the bullet and agree to the victims.
The victims finally quieted down.
The county magistrate began to give orders that in uninhabited areas outside the town, only an area half a mile away could be marked out for the victims to stay and not run around. They would be given food and water, but other than that, they were not allowed to eat outside casually. There were also designated areas for excrement, and they were not allowed to defecate anywhere.
The victims all went over obediently, and the place where they were originally staying was also sprayed with strong liquor.
The medicinal materials and the stove for boiling the medicine that the two doctors wanted were also delivered to the town gate.
…
It was already midnight when Xu Qinyu returned to Guihua Lane. Everyone in the family had eaten and gone to bed, but Wen was still waiting for her. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw her return. "You're back, Madam Yu. Have you told the county magistrate? What are his plans? Will he find a place to confine these disaster victims first?"
Since ancient times, all places infected with plague have been confined, and even if there are people to treat them, it is of no use.
The final fate is to be burned after death.
Wen also thought that her daughter-in-law went to report to the county magistrate in order to prevent the victims from entering the town.
Xu Qinyu nodded. "I've already told you, don't worry too much, Mom. Go to bed early. The restaurant will definitely not be open tomorrow, so Mom doesn't need to go there."
Wen sighed, feeling sorry for the victims.
Xu Qinyu still couldn't sleep, so she took some gauze from home and sewed some masks to cover her mouth and nose.
Seeing this, Wen Shi also did not sleep, and helped Yu Niang sew these strange things, and asked her, "Yuniang, why are you sewing this?"
Xu Qinyu briefly explained the reason. She did not tell Wen that the county magistrate had already planned to treat the victims. Wen also thought that Yu Niang was afraid, so she sewed this thing covering her mouth and nose.
The two of them sewed a lot before going to bed, but they didn't sleep well at all.
The next morning, the county magistrate sent yamen runners to post notices in the town and nearby villages. Not only that, the runners also beat drums and gongs, and then shouted in every street and alley, informing the victims outside the town that diarrhea had occurred and telling them how to prevent it. They asked everyone not to go out for the time being, stay at home, and sew some gauze masks to cover their mouths and noses. The method of sewing gauze masks was already written on the notice, so everyone was asked to go and read the notice first.
These yamen runners who posted notices and went to various villages and towns to spread the message also wore veils.
The residents of Yuanbao Town were terrified. They had seen the notice and were stunned. When they learned that the disaster victims were being held outside the town, they began to complain to the county magistrate, asking why he allowed them to remain outside and why he didn't find a place to confine them. But despite their complaints, they had no choice but to stay home. They were so afraid of death that they no longer dared to drink raw water, only boiling it. They also refused to eat raw or cold food, only cooking it. In this respect, they were surprisingly obedient.
Although the county magistrate had arranged everything properly, he was still worried and his cheeks were swollen from anger.
Xu Qinyu arrived at Xu's a little late today. When she got there, the three waitresses and Da Niu and Er Niu had also arrived. However, all the other shops in the market had their doors and windows closed, and there were few pedestrians on the street. They also knew that some of the victims had diarrhea.
Everyone was staying in the restaurant, and when they saw Xu Qinyu, for some reason, they all seemed to have found their backbone.
Xu Qinyu discovered that not only had everyone come, but there were also fish and milk in the backyard.
Xu Fengcai told her that it was delivered by Uncle He. It turned out that the village below did not know that diarrhea had occurred among the victims, so Uncle He naturally did not know about it. He came every morning as usual to deliver fish and milk, as well as the snails and eels that were requested on weekdays.
However, Xu Feng told Mr. He to stay at home for the next half month and not to come again for the time being.
I believe that by tomorrow, people in the nearby villages will not have the courage to run to the town.
The fish were still half alive, so Xu Qinyu found a wooden basin and kept them all in it. However, milk was no longer effective. This stuff had to be drunk on the same day. It was hot, and if they were not finished, it would go bad tomorrow. Besides, no one could finish eating all the fish. Even if they were kept in the wooden basin, there was not enough oxygen, and it would be lucky if they survived until tomorrow. They still had to be eaten in the next two days.
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