Chapter 36 Chapter 36 "Wait for me here, don't follow..."
The night is deep, insects chirp intermittently, and the wind blows through the treetops.
Ji Yang suddenly woke from his dream, a thin layer of sweat on his forehead and a stuffy heat in his chest, as if something was blocking his chest. He sat up, raised his hand to lift the thin blanket, stood up, and pushed the door open to leave.
The courtyard was dark as water at night. A wisp of evening breeze passed through the corridor, bringing a cool touch to his face. He stood there, took a deep breath, frowned slightly, and finally felt a slight sense of relief in his chest.
He subconsciously turned his head and looked at the closed door not far away. The orange light in front of the door was out. Moonlight slanted across the door, like a layer of cold frost.
As he looked, his mind uncontrollably emerged from that unexpected night.
She wrapped her arms around his neck, whispering to him, her lips like petals, her breath soft and tender. He had thought he had long since forgotten this episode, but today's wind brought that scene back vividly.
His mind was slightly moved, he stretched out his hand blankly, subconsciously raised his hand to touch his lips, his fingertips were slightly cold.
After a moment, he suddenly came to his senses, cursed under his breath, turned around and quickly walked back to the house.
The door slammed shut.
He leaned against the door, raised his head, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath, but the boredom surged up like a tide.
He returned to bed, forced himself to close his eyes, and thought about food routes, dams, waterworks, and troop deployments...
He turned over irritably and lifted his collar, but felt that this night was somehow hotter than the day.
For several days afterwards, Ji Yang did not set foot in the county magistrate's mansion again.
Jiang Ci didn't notice it at first, until the fifth day.
Yue Bai returned to get Ji Yang's change of clothes, but was stopped by Jiang Ci for questioning. He scratched his head and said, "Madam, you don't know, but the governor has been staying in the barracks these days, saying it's closer to the dike and more convenient for travel. He left before dawn and returned after dark, without even having time to eat."
Jiang Ci was stunned for a moment when he heard this, then lowered his head and gently stirred the bowl with the spoon, wondering what he was thinking.
Seeing her strange expression, Wan Niang said softly, "If you are worried, go and see her. After all, you are... a family."
Jiang Ci was silent for a moment, then nodded gently. She called Yin Shuang to prepare the carriage and had Wan Niang braise a pot of beef. She added a few side dishes that she knew Ji Yang liked and personally filled the food box. As dusk fell, she took Yin Shuang to the West Camp.
When passing by the west city gate, before he got close, he saw several soldiers carrying a corpse covered with a straw mat out of the city.
A chill wind blew across her face, causing the corner of her cloth exposed beneath the mat to tremble slightly. Jiang Ci paused, her nose faintly scented with the faint smell of scorched earth. She looked to the nearby area where thick smoke rose from the embankment, mingling with the lingering glow of the sunset, as if the sky were on fire.
Jiang Ci's heart tightened slightly. He stopped a soldier and asked, "What happened?"
The soldier recognized her and quickly bowed. "Madam Governor, those people are those who recently contracted an illness and died suddenly. Initially, they only had a high fever and cough, but there were not enough doctors in the city, and the supply of medicine was tight, so they couldn't be treated in time. Dozens have died so far. The Governor, fearing the spread of the plague, ordered the bodies to be burned outside the city to prevent the spread of the disease."
Jiang Ci was shocked when he heard this. He had originally held out a glimmer of hope, but now he knew that the epidemic had finally come.
When she arrived at the military camp, Ji Yang was not there, so Yin Shuang placed the food box on the table in his tent. Jiang Ci stood there for a while, but in the end did not leave a note. He turned around and left quietly.
Not long after, Ji Yang returned. Having strained his right arm from helping carry sandbags that day, he was searching for medicine as he pressed the sore spot when he suddenly remembered that he had left his bottle of blood-activating and pain-relieving ointment with Jiang Ci. He frowned slightly and turned to call for help, but caught sight of the food box on the table.
He walked forward and opened the lid. A whiff of braised aroma filled his nose. Inside the box was bright red braised beef, a plate of lettuce and fried bean curd skin, and a bowl of warm porridge with a thin layer of steam on the surface.
He was stunned for a moment, then turned around and called out, "Yue Bai."
Yue Bai responded and entered: "Commander-in-Chief."
"Jiang Ci has been here?"
"Yes." Yue Bai replied with a smile, "She just left not long ago. How about I call her back?"
Ji Yang was silent for a moment, rubbed his shoulders, and said in a low voice: "No need, let her go back and rest."
He sat down again, picked up a piece of beef and put it in his mouth. As he chewed it, the spicy aroma and the warmth made his heart feel inexplicably warm.
The next day, before dawn, with only a hint of pale sky, Yinshuang pushed the door open and hurried in, her steps hurried and her face pale.
"Miss, something terrible has happened." She said breathlessly.
"Last night, several families suffered from fever and vomiting. Now the plague has spread throughout the city, and many people have already fallen ill. Although the government has relocated them to the north of the city and said that it will not affect this area for the time being... I still feel uneasy. How about we return to Fengdu first?"
Jiang Ci's heart sank when he heard this. He suddenly sat up, put on his clothes, and said firmly as he tied his belt, "We can't leave. The governor is busy with flood control right now, so he's definitely too busy to handle the epidemic. Besides, there aren't enough doctors in the city to begin with. If we leave, it will only make the situation more difficult."
She ordered Wanniang to stay in the mansion and not to go out without permission, and she hurried out with Yinshuang.
The streets were not yet bustling in the early morning, but the northern part of the city was already in chaos.
It was a temporary open space in the city. It was originally the corner of an abandoned post station, but now it was filled with temporary tents. It was muddy, with straw mats as beds and tattered tent cloths.
The morning light could not penetrate the heavy bitter air, and the wind was already carrying a faint fishy smell. From afar, the sounds of coughing and vomiting could be heard one after another.
Many civilians sat or lay, their faces pale and their lips purple. Some groaned in fever, while others huddled in corners, already fainting. Further away, children leaned against the wall, weeping silently, their expressions numb.
Yin Shuang was on the verge of tears. She grabbed Jiang Ci's sleeve and choked out, "Miss, it's too dangerous here. You can't go in! What should we do if you get sick?"
Jiang Ci simply took out a white handkerchief from his bosom and covered his mouth and nose with it, his eyes as calm as water: "Yin Shuang, if even we are afraid, then what about these people?"
She took a few steps forward and asked in a loud voice, "Is there a doctor here?"
As Jiang Ci approached the camp, he was stopped by several guards. They crossed their spears in front of them and said sternly, "This is a hotspot of the epidemic. No one is allowed to approach without permission."
Jiang Ci stopped and glanced inside. She saw a mixed crowd, many of whom looked normal, clearly not everyone was ill. She frowned and said, "You're mixing the sick with the healthy. This will only spread the disease faster."
The guard replied coldly, "Military orders are unavoidable. This is an order from the county governor. He orders us to surround the camp to prevent the spread of the disease and to prevent outsiders from entering."
"I used to accompany the doctor on his rounds in Zichuan, so I know a little bit about pulse diagnosis," Jiang Ci said, his voice quickening, but his tone remaining clear. "If you don't trust me in treating illnesses, you can let me bring someone in to identify the sick and the healthy, so we can separate them. Otherwise, if we delay this, there will only be more casualties."
The guard remained calm. "Madam, please forgive me. We only follow military orders. No one is allowed to enter."
Yin Shuang was also anxious. She gently tugged at her sleeve, her voice trembling, "Miss, forget it. This kind of thing is not something you can interfere with. If we get infected too... how can I explain this to the master?"
But Jiang Ci did not retreat.
She looked at the figures groaning and writhing among the tents, a lump forming in her throat. Those thin shoulders and backs, the low murmurs of pain, were so similar to the people she had seen in Zichuan.
With her father's encouragement, she went into the epidemic area for the first time. Her hands were shaking as she looked at everything in front of her. But her father said, "The people provide us with food and clothing. If they suffer, we should hold up a glimmer of hope for them."
She remembered the wish she made in her heart that day: May there be no more war in the world, may the people live and work in peace, and may everyone be healthy and safe.
Jiang Ci lowered his head and whispered to Yin Shuang, "Wait for me here, and don't come in."
"Miss--"
As soon as she finished speaking, she raised her hand to push away the guards' halberds and suddenly rushed in from under their arms. The guards were stunned for a moment, then quickly came to their senses and shouted loudly, "Do you know that if you go in, we will not let you out!"
Jiang Ci didn't turn around and said calmly, "I didn't intend to leave either."
Yin Shuang stamped her feet anxiously, clutching the fence with both hands, crying loudly: "Miss! How am I going to explain to the master if something happens to you——"
Jiang Ci looked back at her with a calm expression: "We've been through this before in Zichuan, and it's no different this time. Don't worry, the epidemic is still at its early stages. As long as it's handled properly, it won't get out of control. But if no one takes care of it, the entire Ningling will be lost."
Then, she turned without hesitation and stepped into the place where straw mats were intertwined and groans were heard. Her eyes swept over the patients curled up on the ground, wrapped in thin blankets, the village women crying as they supported their sleeping relatives, and the children with pale faces.
Her heart tightened, yet she became more determined.
The moment Jiang Ci stepped into the epidemic area, the originally listless eyes around her all focused on her.
She was dressed in plain clothes, with a peppa around her waist, and had a calm expression, but this unique calmness seemed out of place in this camp soaked in illness and despair.
Not far away, someone muttered, "Another well-dressed man has arrived... Is he trying to trick us again?"
An old woman with a dusty face said coldly, "Several doctors came before, saying they were there to diagnose and prescribe medicine, but they all ran away as soon as they saw someone fall down. You people just know how to deceive us!"
Jiang Ci paused slightly, and before she could speak, she heard a few coughs from the front. A young man, looking sick, stumbled forward and deliberately coughed heartbreakingly in front of her. His voice was shrill and piercing, and he approached her as he coughed: "Then why don't you come over and take a look, don't just act like a fool here."
Yin Shuang was very anxious in the back, but was blocked outside by the guards.
Jiang Ci moved sideways to avoid the man's spray, still covering his mouth and nose with a handkerchief, but said in a deep voice: "I'm not here to lie to you. I can diagnose symptoms by taking a pulse. I'm here to tell who is truly sick and who is healthy, so that I can isolate you and provide treatment."
As she spoke, she looked at the temporary resettlement area, "Although this place is small, it can still be divided into three parts. The east side will be used for those with serious illnesses, the west side will be used for those who are not sick, and the middle part will be reserved for those with mild illnesses."
But before she finished her words, she heard some sneers from a distance.
"You're just a woman, and you understand all this?"
"Stop that! You're dressed like a gentleman, but who are you trying to fool? There's no doctor like you anywhere."
The crowd suddenly became restless. Some pushed her back, and some began to shout, "Stop using sweet words here! After all, the county governor sent you here to coax us into silence, didn't he?"
"We are not sheep! You drove us here and left us alone, and you think you can get away with it by relying on a woman?"
Amid the clamor, a thin young man with a fierce look in his eyes suddenly stood out from the crowd. He said in a cold voice, "She's dressed neatly and neatly, and the material is good. She's clearly not an ordinary person. Instead of listening to her nonsense, why not tie her up and use it to threaten the county governor to let us out!"
A single stone can cause a thousand ripples. As soon as these words were spoken, there was an uproar all around.
"Yes! Let us out! We are not patients, why should we wait to die with the dead?"
"I've personally seen seven or eight people being carried out these past few days! If they don't let us out, are we just going to sit there and wait for our turn?"
"Please!" A woman suddenly rushed out from the crowd and knelt in front of Jiang Ci, her voice hoarse and sobbing. "Miss, my child is only three years old and can hardly breathe. I'm not afraid of death, but he's still so young... Please find a way to let me and my child out, okay? We'll go find a doctor ourselves and won't burden the people in the city."
Jiang Ci looked at the group of people in front of him who were in fear and despair, and his heart felt like it was being weighed down by a huge rock.
She reached out her hand to help the woman up, but was pulled away. The woman's husband, eyes red, yelled, "Why are you pretending to be a good person? If you really wanted to save her, you should have come earlier!"
Voices from all directions surged in like waves, drowning her. Shouting, questioning, crying, and coughing intertwined into the most chaotic and realistic scene in the epidemic area.
Behind the guarded iron gate, Yin Shuang's eyes were red. She stood on tiptoe to look at the figures inside, and finally turned around and ran towards the west camp. She had to find Ji Yang. If she was a step later, the young lady would be overwhelmed by this group of people.
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