Chapter 235 Malaria
For Maodan's safety and her own safety, Xia Xiaoman found a helper to help her build the wall.
This person was none other than Chen Peiqiong, the former director of the Shuiyue Bay Logistics Department.
Xia Xiaoman originally wanted to ask Sun Haiyun for help, but Sun Haiyun also wanted to build a wall, so he recommended Chen Peiqiong.
If it were someone else, Xia Xiaoman might have to think twice before hiring him. But Chen Peiqiong used to be good friends with Old Man Luo, and anyone who could win Old Man Luo's favor should not be a bad person.
Chen Peiqiong has been working in the planting area. In addition to working hours, she occasionally does some part-time jobs to earn extra money, either helping others process steel-tooth rabbit meat or sewing rabbit skin blankets and coats.
Chen Peiqiong had saved up a lot of supplies herself, so there was no need to take the risk of someone trying to steal her supplies.
Chen Peiqiong came to help after work. She arrived at her house on time at 6:30 every day, had dinner at her house, and was busy until about 10 o'clock before leaving.
Xia Xiaoman likes Chen Peiqiong very much. Chen Peiqiong majored in Chinese. Maybe it’s because she reads a lot of books, but she has the temperament of a scholar. Even though she is dressed simply now, she still gives people a feeling of being gentle, elegant and well-educated.
The most important reason is that she feels that Chen Peiqiong is a bit like her past self. She used to have no money in her pocket, just like Chen Peiqiong now, she has a stable job and will find ways to make extra money after work.
"Xiaoman, do you want to dig a drainage hole in the corner of the wall? Otherwise, if it rains, the water won't be able to drain out." Chen Peiqiong said gently.
Xia Xiaoman came back to his senses, thought for a while and said, "Now the wall is built. If we dig a drainage hole, will the wall collapse?"
Chen Peiqiong smiled and said, "No, the wall has no foundation, and there is yellow mud underneath. We can just dig a hole under the wall to get out, and then level the ground outside the hole so that the water can drain smoothly to the roadside."
"Okay, then let's do as you say." Xia Xiaoman nodded readily.
Chen Peiqiong said again: "There is one more thing, Xiaoman, don't light so many mosquito coils during this period. Mosquitoes are rampant recently, and the prices of mosquito repellent items at trading points have been sky-high. If you light too many mosquito coils, the smell will drift outside, and it will not be good if others smell it."
Xia Xiaoman was stunned. "Are mosquito repellents very expensive now?"
Chen Peiqiong nodded and said, "It's very expensive. One box of mosquito coils costs five kilograms of grain, and you may not be able to buy it."
Five catties of food, if eaten sparingly, can last at least 5-7 days. If it weren't for the mosquitoes, no one would be willing to exchange five catties of food for a box of mosquito coils.
If someone smells the scent of mosquito coils coming from her house, it will definitely attract their covetousness.
"Then I won't light mosquito coils from tomorrow on. The mosquitoes in the house are almost dead anyway. At worst, I can just hang a mosquito net at night." There is no normal bed in her house, nor in the space.
When she was collecting supplies, she only considered food and drink and didn't think about looking for furniture, so she didn't even have a bed in her space to hang a mosquito net, which resulted in her still not having a mosquito net.
When I get home from work in the evening, I try to figure out how to hang up the mosquito net.
…
The weather was humid and warm, and the roads were littered with garbage. Such a dirty and messy environment was the best place for mosquitoes to breed and grow. In just one month, mosquitoes were everywhere.
Xia Xiaoman didn't dare to wear short sleeves when she was building the fence outdoors. She wore long sleeves and long pants every day, and wrapped her head with a silk scarf, leaving only her eyes exposed. If she accidentally exposed her skin, she would be chased and bitten by mosquitoes in less than half a minute.
Fortunately, with the help of Chen Peiqiong, the construction of the wall was accelerated, saving her from being harassed by mosquitoes for several days.
On the last day, after the yard gate was installed, Xia Xiaoman settled Chen Peiqiong's salary.
Seeing that the salary was a few more packs of compressed biscuits than expected, Chen Peiqiong hurriedly took out the biscuits and said, "You gave me too much. Take these packs back."
Xia Xiaoman didn't answer. "You deserve these few packs of biscuits. You've worked so hard during this period and given me a lot of practical suggestions. Consider it my bonus to you."
Chen Peiqiong works in the planting area. Maybe she will need Chen Peiqiong's help in the future. Using a few packs of compressed biscuits to maintain the favor is a good deal.
Chen Peiqiong couldn't refuse, so she had to accept the biscuits. Before leaving, she thought for a moment and turned back to remind him, "Xiaoman, there are a lot of mosquitoes recently. When you go out to fetch water, be careful to prevent insects. Don't drink the water immediately after fetching it. Boil it before drinking it, so as not to drink parasites."
After hesitating for a while, she continued, "If you have chills, fever, or sweating, remember to go to the medical station for treatment as soon as possible. Don't delay."
Xia Xiaoman heard something behind her words and asked, "Is someone suffering from parasitic disease?"
Chen Peiqiong frowned, not knowing whether she should tell the news she heard this morning. Thinking of the extra packets of compressed biscuits Xia Xiaoman had given her just now, she gritted her teeth and said in a low voice, "I accidentally heard our director talking to someone else this morning. It seems that many people have contracted malaria recently."
There are three types of malaria: malaria quartan, falciparum, and vivax. There are many reasons for getting malaria, but the most common one is the bite of a mosquito called Anopheles.
Malaria has a history of more than 3,000 years in the Xia Dynasty, and is considered a relatively ancient disease. In the past, people who had malaria had to take medicine for a long time before they could gradually recover, and the treatment time was very long.
Later, a female scientist, inspired by ancient Chinese medical books, extracted a highly effective antimalarial drug from plants to treat malaria, and malaria gradually faded from people's sight.
When Xia Xiaoman heard the word "malaria", the first thing that came to her mind was the name of the female scientist. After she came to her senses, she asked, "Does the medical station have medicine to treat malaria?"
"That's why I told you to be careful." Chen Peiqiong sighed helplessly, "If you get malaria now, it's like you have one foot in the gate of hell. Whether you can survive depends on whether the King of Hell will take you away."
Xia Xiaoman frowned, "Does the higher-ups have any plans for this problem?"
Now there are mosquitoes everywhere. Mosquitoes are small and can get into homes if you are not careful. It is easy to be infected with malaria. If you don't want the floating city to become a dead city, you should either arrange personnel to kill mosquitoes or find a way to make a medicine to treat malaria.
Chen Peiqiong shook her head. "In the planting area where I am, everything is still the same. I am not sure whether there are other arrangements in other planting areas."
"In short, if you don't need any supplies, stay home as much as possible. If you must go out, remember to prepare mosquito repellent. The water you fetch must also be boiled to eliminate any possibility of malaria."
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