Wu Zhi: "I'm fine."
"I'm surprised you're fine. You're so feverish you're talking nonsense."
"What did I say?"
"You... are calling for your mother."
Wu Zhi was silent for a moment, then sat up and said, "Pour me a bowl of the medicine on the stove."
"Where's the medicine on the stove? It's all burned dry." Xu Jiang took out a handkerchief from the basin, wrung it out, and used it to wipe her face. "Is there any more medicine? I'll make you a new one."
"Yes, there are good and evil stickers on the shelf."
"Zhengxie Patches..." Xu Jiang stood up and searched the shelf. He quickly found the medicine package with 'Zhengxie Patches' written on it. Then he said to Wu Zhi, "Lie down first. I'll make it for you."
After Xu Jiang left, Wu Zhi sat wrapped in her blanket, the old muddy waves churning in her mind still lingering. She seemed to see the raging fire again, burning the corpse until it curled and deformed, then turning into thick black smoke that drifted into the darker night sky.
She took a few deep breaths, then stood up, put on some clothes and walked out.
Xu Jiang had just finished putting water into the medicine jar when she saw her come out. She asked, "Why did you come out? Can you see the wind?"
"It's okay." Wu Zhi came over and squeezed on a bench with her, picked up the fire stick and poked the fire in the stove.
The fire grew, casting a warm yellow light.
Wu Zhi asked, "Why did you come to see me?"
"I was just saying that. Today, the disciples of Qianjin Hall came to the bookstore to inquire about your whereabouts. They said they couldn't find you anywhere, so I came back to check. Fortunately, I came back, otherwise you would have been burned to death." Xu Jiang asked, "Where is the medicine attendant who followed you? Why can't I see him?"
"She is also sick." Wu Zhi didn't know if it was because of the dream, but he always felt ominous.
She took Xu Jiang's hand and felt her pulse. Finding it steady, she felt relieved, but she still reminded him, "Remember to take the Qi-tonifying and Muscle-strengthening Pills I made for you on time."
"One pill every day, use it all the time. Even if I can't remember, there are people who can remember." Xu Jiang's cheeks were rosy and her eyes were clear. She looked better and better these days.
Wu Zhi rolled her eyes helplessly, "How long have we been married? You still think it's not enough?"
Xu Jiang smiled with eyes curved and her eyes were as sweet as honey.
Wu Zhi got goosebumps all over his body, then glanced around and asked, "Where's that follower Yinyin? Why hasn't she come back?"
Xu Jiang's smile faded slightly. "I don't know why, but she said she was very tired. I asked her to rest in the courtyard, and was just about to send you to check on her if she got any worse. But when I came back, I saw you collapsed too."
"What are the symptoms?"
"She was weak, had lost her appetite, and kept complaining of being cold. I suspected she had a cold, so I gave her some cold-repelling tea. She broke out in a sweat, but she was still too weak to get up."
Wu Zhi asked a few more questions, and his expression became more solemn the more he listened.
When she first became ill, she vaguely felt that the disease was strange. After the pharmacist fell ill, she became more suspicious. However, the disease progressed rapidly, and before she could identify it, her mind became confused.
Now that she heard that Yinyin had also contracted the disease, and that her symptoms were almost the same as when she and Yao Shi fell ill, she felt even more uneasy.
Xu Jiang saw her face was gloomy and felt a little uneasy. "What's wrong?"
Wu Zhi came back to his senses, stood up suddenly, stepped back quickly, and stood half a foot away from Xu Jiang.
Xu Jiang was startled and was about to step forward, but Wu Zhi stopped her, "Don't come over."
"What happened?"
"I'm afraid this illness is not just an ordinary cold."
Xu Jiang's heart sank. "It's not a cold." She had copied medical texts for Wu Zhi, and considering these symptoms, she guessed, "Could it be... an epidemic?"
Wu Zhi didn't answer immediately, but instead asked, "The disciples from Qianjin Hall came to the bookstore today to look for me. Did they say anything else?"
"They said the clinic is short-staffed due to the number of patients. If I see you, I'll ask you to go back and help immediately." Xu Jiang saw that her face was getting paler and took two steps forward to ask, "You don't look well. Is anything wrong?"
Wu Zhi raised her hand to stop her from getting closer, thinking to herself: There are nearly thirty disciples in the clinic now. She has been in the clinic for nearly a year and has rarely encountered a shortage of staff. Sometimes the disciples even compete for cases, such as her, Qianji, and Fuzi.
Now they say they are short of manpower, I am afraid the situation is not good.
But her symptoms haven't fully developed yet, so she doesn't dare to see a doctor easily. To be on the safe side, she also shouldn't move around.
Wu Zhi said to Xu Jiang, "Hurry up and send someone to the clinic to find out what's going on. Also, tell Doctor Chen about my condition and see what he says."
"I'll go myself." This is the best way to deal with it.
"Wait." Wu Zhi stopped Xu Jiang and looked at her expression intently. "Are you feeling unwell?"
Xu Jiang closed his eyes and examined himself for a moment, then shook his head, "Nothing is wrong."
"That's good." He thought that the Qi-Yi Jingu Pills had a strengthening effect on his body.
But we can't be careless next time.
Wu Zhi instructed: "Go back first, then change clothes, take a bath, and smoke moxa immediately..."
Her breathing became heavier. "Have someone cut a face cloth, soak it in water boiled with Atractylodes lancea, and wear it before going out."
"good."
"Remember to make more and have everyone in the house wear them. Then have people inside and outside check each one. If anyone feels unwell, bring them to the medicine room immediately. Do you remember everything?"
"I've noted everything. Do you have any other instructions?"
"The entire house should be fumigated with mugwort, cypress leaves, or atractylodes to kill evil spirits. No corner should be left out, especially living quarters and sewers."
A fishy smell suddenly rose in Wu Zhi's chest. She covered her mouth, coughed twice, and then swallowed it.
She stood there for a moment, then added, "Once we find any snakes or rats, we'll kill them all, dig a pit, and burn them."
Snake and rat.
A chill rose from Xu Jiang's feet. She looked at Wu Zhi anxiously, "Can you still hold on?"
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