Chapter 65
As soon as he finished speaking, everyone seemed to realize something and looked at each other in unison. Seeing this, Song Junwu didn't waste any words and quickly called over the patrolmen to inquire about the scope and level of the hygiene education.
"You want them to take a proper bath? That's a death sentence. Besides, where would we find that much water to wash with? They'd even put lice in their mouths, chew them up, and swallow them," the man replied respectfully.
The description was so vivid that everyone could picture it. Forcing himself to stay calm, Qingyun asked, "Don't they all have wells?"
The visitor smiled, bowed, and said, "Sir, having lived most of my life, it's not something I can adapt to so quickly if I'm suddenly told I can take a bath. Besides, that water is more than enough for my own family to drink. Moreover, as the old saying goes, taking a bath all of a sudden can easily make you sick."
I think it's an imbalance of gut flora in my body...
Many people who have a habit of washing, whether it's twice a year or once, will gradually accept it. There are plenty of people who don't wash for two or three years. As the saying goes, in Muyun City, even wealthy families can't afford to spend a fortune on water.
Qingyun understood that not many people would accept it in the short term, but the publicity and reminders were completely inadequate.
According to that person, even old clothes worn by the dead are still worn by many people. Not to mention the fleas living in their hair. Even wealthy people who use hair oil to maintain their hair still have one or two fleas. Qingyun almost subconsciously looked at the two people standing to the side.
Song Chaoyun/Song Junwu: "?"
Seeing this, Song Chaoyun quickly interrupted the person from continuing the conversation and told them to leave. Just now, under Qingyun's gaze, she unconsciously touched her head and cursed inwardly, "I don't have that kind of thing."
Qingyun coughed a few times and then said, "In short, they have many ways to spread this stuff. The important thing now is to prevent the spread of the virus and then develop a drug."
Suddenly, Song Chaoyun interrupted her, "Aren't you still going to stay on the sand dunes? You don't need to worry about things here."
Upon hearing this, Qingyun was about to refuse when Song Junwu echoed his opinion, "If we have to divide our attention between two things, we won't be able to do either thing well. You and Liu Ruo can handle the rat infestation together, while His Highness and I will handle the plague."
Hearing the two say this, the thought of refusing arose, but then she felt that what they said made sense. Indeed, one cannot do two things at once; both are quite important.
Moreover, the fact that the two acted so quickly this time, isolating everyone in a short period of time, is also due to previous experience.
Seeing this, Qingyun stopped insisting and focused on dealing with her rat infestation. However, she was still worried for no reason, so she asked someone to bring her paper and pen and began to write down everything she could think of, adding to the list for the others.
At this moment, everyone in the family is filled with fear. The old woman who was selling wontons just a few days ago is now lying in the old house, her body congested, black and hot, and she can't help but groan. On her flat forearm, there is a small hill-like bump that grows out of nowhere. The skin in that area is skin-colored, and the bottom of the bump is a mixture of purple and yellow.
The woman standing nearby was the mother-in-law's daughter-in-law. Even though her mother-in-law often beat and scolded her, constantly blaming her for not bearing a son, witnessing this scene brought her not relief from her suffering, but rather a deep sense of fear and dread.
The old woman kept reaching out her swollen, black hand, trying to call her over. She lay on the bed like a wriggling maggot, looking quite terrifying. She was whimpering something, but her voice was hoarse and indistinct. The daughter-in-law was so frightened by the scene that she dropped the soup bowl in her hand and it fell to the ground with a loud "thud".
Seeing this, the husband, standing outside the door, held a wooden stick and kept poking the woman's lower back, covering his nose and shouting sternly, "Your mother is calling you! Why don't you go over there right now!"
"My lord, come with me!" Her voice trembled as she stared at her mother-in-law, who was still climbing down the slope. She was terrified.
The man, furious at his son's lack of self-control, spat and cursed again, "Why are you talking so much nonsense? Don't you want to take care of my mother? This is unfilial! Aren't you afraid I'll divorce you? What will happen to this family if I get infected?"
"But mother-in-law..." The woman's voice was choked with sobs, unable to utter a complete sentence. She kept backing away, but the man behind her kept pushing her forward with a wooden stick.
Before the two could argue further, the old woman began to cough violently. Blood and foam slowly seeped from the corner of her mouth. After a final, earth-shattering cough, she vomited a stream of black blood, filling the room with a strong, fishy smell.
The pungent smell made her want to vomit, and she ignored the wooden stick behind her. The impact was too great, and the woman covered her mouth, screamed, and ran away.
The neighbor next door, who had been secretly watching the commotion, was startled upon seeing this. She quickly extended a stick through a crack in the window and stopped the woman who was trying to run away. Although her face was covered, her concern was genuine.
"Fen'er! You two should forget about your mother! She's definitely going to die this time, and you'll have to take care of her. Don't get infected yourself while you're at it."
Upon hearing this, the woman covered her nose and wept uncontrollably. She wished for this outcome, but if she survived, her husband's family would surely kill her; if she didn't survive, she couldn't guarantee a good reputation in the future. Either way, it would be her fault.
The neighbor woman continued, "Good girl, listen to me, just boil water and fumigate the house with mugwort. Don't worry about her. What kind of filial piety does your husband want you to fulfill? Let him go by himself. Do you think he'll dare to do it?"
The night was deep, with only the cold autumn wind blowing the banners of the street vendors that had not yet been taken down. The chill seeped into the streets and alleys, and the wind carried the scent of mugwort and incense. Cries and coughs mingled together, and at this moment, death permeated the entire Muyun City.
Meanwhile, in the shed, Qingyun had not yet left. She had been there almost all day. She needed to know the exact number of infected people and the number of deaths. At this moment, they were discussing how to deal with the pathogens first. Song Junwu suggested that they exterminate the rats first, but Qingyun objected.
Qingyun wrapped his outer robe tighter around himself, brushed a strand of hair from his forehead, and looked at the two of them seriously, saying, "We must first eliminate the lice." This is the main source of the plague.
Song Junwu and the other looked at each other, puzzled. How to get rid of lice? Just washing their hair once or twice at the beginning wouldn't be enough.
"I need a new tent."
Seemingly afraid the other person wouldn't know what she was about to do, she explained, "Prepare medicine."
Upon hearing this, Song Chaoyun walked up to her, raising a delicate eyebrow, "Isn't it enough that you're here?"
"Damn it, if I were to use this in person, would I even survive?" Shocked, a beautiful young woman who could conjure objects out of thin air appeared in Muyun City. Qingyun, however, remained strong and calm. "This is my exclusive secret recipe! Do you think I could easily let you know it?"
Song Chaoyun pouted, "Do you think we don't know how much of the medicine you sent in?"
"That's despicable!"
Despite his words, Song Chaoyun still ordered a completely enclosed cloth tent to be built.
Using pyridamole shampoo to kill lice is relatively safe. I remember when I was little, a neighbor's daughter had these things, and her grandmother poured pesticide directly on her head. The pesticide was absorbed by her scalp, and she showed signs of mild poisoning that night. It was really dangerous.
The system doesn't count this item as free medicine; she has to buy it all with points. What a shrewd businessman!
Qingyun unscrewed the cap of the reagent in her hand and carefully poured the liquid into a small porcelain bottle. The bottle looked small, but it could hold 250g of liquid, enough to last for several days. By the time she finished dispensing, it was late at night, and she was exhausted. Song Chaoyun and Song Junwu came by during this time, but were turned away at the door.
Qingyun placed the last porcelain bottle on the wooden shelf and directed people to come in and move it. He also reminded everyone, "Everyone must make sure that this stuff doesn't touch your mouth or nose. The medicine should be poured onto your scalp and left for at least ten minutes. Wash it off every day. Don't use one bottle per household; use one bottle per person's hair, understand?"
Most importantly, she couldn't eat or drink it, because she was genuinely afraid that some people would mistake it for traditional Chinese medicine, thinking that drinking it would kill lice.
After explaining everything, Qingyun noticed the man leaning against the flagpole. The man had his arms crossed, and his sharp eyes were fixed on her. However, it was too dark, and the flickering candlelight from the shed made it impossible to see clearly, let alone the unfathomable depths in the man's eyes. Sensing her gaze, Qingyun walked over. Before she even got close, the end of a bamboo ruler gently tapped her shoulder.
"Don't come any closer," the other person said wearily. Song Junwu straightened up, covered his face with his hand to hide his exhaustion, and said, "I just came from the city."
Seeing this, Qingyun also stepped back and nodded in agreement. "Remember to wash your hands with alcohol," she said, then paused and continued, "If you use very strong alcohol, the effect will be even better."
The man looked at the other person with his eyes half-closed, unable to contain his worry, but all he could say was, "Take care of yourself."
"I know, I'll go to sleep soon."
"I am here in the city."
It was just a short sentence, but it gave the listener a strange sense of peace.
Song Chaoyun and a few others were responsible for the epidemic prevention work, so Qingyun didn't need to go back to deal with the tree roots. She hadn't even slept for an hour before getting up early and heading to the sand dunes. Facing the cold wind and munching on her dry rations, she knew in her heart that this was a long and tough battle. To calm her inner fears and the restlessness of various emotions, she had to stay calm.
"Has this company sent their products yet?" Song Chaohua frowned. Although his face was covered, he still exuded a natural aloofness and arrogance.
Upon hearing the other party speak, Song Chaoli nodded.
Why isn't there a sign?
"I forgot."
"..." Song Chaohua remained silent, but his eyes were sharp as he looked at her. Seeing this, Song Chaoli quickly picked up a hammer, hammered in the wooden nails, and then hung up a sign that would show whether the store was dispensing medicine and when.
Song Chaohua crossed his arms and watched as the person finished the task.
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