Chapter 157: Turning Back
In the dining room, everyone was observing their surroundings silently, each with their own thoughts. Qin Xiangnuan was completely unaware that everyone's eyes were on her. After finishing her meal, she put down her bowl and chopsticks, turned her head and stared at Jiang Lin. "Tomorrow, I'll check everyone's condition again. If there's nothing wrong, we can inform the prefect and get Lotus Town back to normal operations."
"Okay, if you need me to do anything, just tell me and I'll cooperate."
Jiang Lin nodded, believing Qin Xiangnuan's words without refusing. Qin Xiangnuan turned to look at Ying Niang, remembering what she had told her about the current situation in Lotus Town. Seeing that she hadn't touched much of her food, she considerately moved two plates of vegetables and placed them in front of her. "You've been weak these past few days, and you need to replenish your nutrition to get better soon. Your life is your own, so you must always take it seriously."
"You once said that the rivers and ponds in Lianhua Town have been dry for a long time?" Qin Xiangnuan asked in a gentle tone.
Jiang Lin suddenly felt a little jealous, thinking that she had never been so friendly to him before. But then he thought again: their positions had been unclear since their first meeting. Someone as cautious as Qin Xiangnuan naturally wouldn't open up to him. Even now, they seemed very close, but there was still an invisible wall between them that Jiang Lin couldn't overcome no matter what he did.
"Yes." Seeing Qin Xiangnuan's interest, Ying Niang wanted to put down her bowl and chopsticks. But Qin Xiangnuan shook her head, indicating that she should finish eating first, and then considerately picked up two pieces of yam and placed them in her bowl. Ying Niang usually disliked the soft and sticky texture of yam and never wanted to eat it. But now, she picked it up without hesitation and tasted it. She found it had a hint of sweetness and tasted better than any other time.
Qin Xiangnuan's burning gaze made Ying Niang nervous. She paid attention to her manners, ate in small bites, and then said shyly, "I'm full."
"Okay." Qin Xiangnuan nodded and told Anliu to get pen and paper. Following his memorized route to Lianhua Town, he drew the terrain and surrounding mountains. With just a few strokes, he achieved remarkable precision. Such a remarkable memory amazed Anliu and Anfeng, believing that even the most astute secret guards couldn't match Qin Xiangnuan's ability.
Ying Niang stared with wide eyes, silently watching, and said in surprise, "Yes, it's here!"
She pointed to the spot where Qin Xiangnuan's circle had emerged, nodding her head emphatically. "A few years ago, the river in Lianhua Town was very clear. We would go to the river to eat or wash clothes, and Dad's restaurant would often go fishing there. But then... I don't know when it started, but the water in the river became extremely turbid, and all the fish died." Ying Niang didn't know what this meant, but she occasionally heard the old man muttering by the river, "It's all a sin."
"It looks like a disaster is about to happen!"
Ying Niang told Qin Xiangnuan these words. Qin Xiangnuan and Jiang Lin looked at each other and thought of the crux of the problem at the same time.
This plague likely originated in the river and pond. Judging from the topography of Lotus Town, this river and pond should connect the mountains above and below. Natural disasters have been frequent in recent times, with significant damage occurring across the country. This has also led to a surge in disease among the wild animals in the mountains. The water they normally drink is the same source as that used in Lotus Town. If a wild animal dies and its body rots into the water source, all water sources will be contaminated.
I think the owner of the restaurant where Ying Niang's father worked saw that the fish in the pond were dead, but didn't care.
If any citizen or restaurant took the infected dead fish home and ate them, the plague would spread explosively in a short period of time. The people of Lotus Town had no sense of crisis, naturally no protection, and no knowledge of how to deal with it, plunging the entire town into crisis.
According to what Qin Xiangnuan and Jiang Lin saw along the way, there were no such water sources in other places, so they naturally would not get sick.
Once you find the key to the problem, the next step is to deal with it.
"You two, go to the mountain at night and take a look. I will prepare some sachets for you to wear with you. Don't take off the mouthpiece on your face and don't touch anything. If you find something wrong, come back and tell me immediately." Qin Xiangnuan was unable to handle the task and could only leave it to Anfeng Anliu.
The two brothers nodded heavily, clasped their fists and walked out of the dining room.
"I still have something to discuss with him, Ying Niang..." Qin Xiangnuan turned her head to look at the woman sitting in the distance and reminded her softly. Ying Niang hurriedly stood up, and in her haste, she almost bumped into the round stool. Fortunately, a pair of hands appeared in time to support her.
Anliu asked naively: "Are you okay?"
Ying Niang raised her eyes and looked back at Qin Xiangnuan. She found that she was looking at her. She hurriedly pushed Anliu's hand away, bowed and said, "Thank you, sir, I'm fine." Her face felt like it was on fire as she ran out of the dining room. Qin Xiangnuan looked at Anliu who was stunned in the place and whispered to him, "Go out and take a look. I'm afraid you'll get hurt."
"Yes." Anliu followed closely. When Jiang Lin heard Qin Xiangnuan's words, he lowered his eyes and said, "It's not good to be affectionate everywhere."
Qin Xiangnuan was confused and turned to look at the man who had been talking strangely recently. "Flirting everywhere? Could the prince be talking about me? I am much better than some people who do many things when they are not aware of the situation and then turn their backs on them when they wake up." After she finished speaking, she was so angry that she almost forgot about the business and stormed out of the dining room. Jiang Lin was confused by the scolding and kept thinking about Qin Xiangnuan's words, "What did I do to her?"
Outside, Anliu ran to Ying Niang, took out a bottle of ointment from his arms and handed it to her, "This is given to me by our master. It works wonders on wounds caused by bumps and bruises. I used some, and I'll give these to you. It's not good for a woman to get scars from bumps and bruises." Anliu was not good at saying nice things. He pondered over it anxiously for a long time, and finally managed out some not-so-nice expressions of concern.
"Thank you." Ying Niang carefully took the bottle and looked at Anliu. She rolled her eyes slightly and asked carefully, "Do you... know that young master? Has his family already married?" Anliu didn't react for a moment and pointed at herself and asked, "Our master?"
Ying Niang hurriedly shook her head and raised her hand to measure, "The young man who treated us."
"You mean the third..." Anliu was about to reveal Qin Xiangnuan's identity, but he suddenly stopped and blinked rapidly, "The third young master? She is not married. In fact, she and our master." Anliu wanted to continue, but Yingniang turned away with a blushing face. She twisted her handkerchief and muttered with joy, "Fortunately, he has no wives or concubines."
Anliu stared at Ying Niang's back and scratched his head. "The Third Miss is a woman. Even if she gets married, she will marry someone else. How can she have a wife or concubine?"
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