Besides this village, there are several other villages in the county with similar situations. The county magistrate had issued an order requiring all villages to disinfect with quicklime before returning home, but very few actually followed through. When the village head received the order, he was leading the entire village in cleaning up the silt. After finishing, he forgot about it. When he remembered, seeing the village in good order, he didn't pay much attention. However, about ten days later, some villagers started to have fevers and diarrhea.
At first, the village head didn't pay much attention, thinking it was just because of an upset stomach due to the arrival of autumn. However, as more and more people in the village developed the symptoms, the village head became frightened. After calming the villagers down, he went to the county to report the news.
Upon receiving the news, the county was about to send a doctor to examine the patients when Chen Zhaoci arrived. After examining the symptoms, Chen Zhaoci first ordered the village to be isolated, then began to ensure the medical staff took proper precautions and started treating the villagers.
Hearing that people in the village were only allowed to enter but not leave, everyone became anxious. Those with severe symptoms had already begun to dehydrate and looked like they could die at any moment. People without symptoms were scared, fearing that they might get infected. Hearing that the village was to be closed off and quarantined, allowing entry but not exit, some people became anxious.
No one in the village head's family had shown symptoms yet, but Chen Zhaoci had already prescribed preventative medicine. He started brewing it in a large pot in front of the village ancestral hall and let those without symptoms go and drink it. As for those who had symptoms, after obtaining the village head's consent, they were placed in the ancestral hall.
This place called Zhoujia Village was already guarded by county officials. The village head, Zhou Furen, looked pale and sickly as he came out of his own courtyard and led his children to the ancestral hall to collect medicine.
Negotiations with the village head were handled by Ma Guang, the head constable from the county. As soon as Chen Zhaoci discovered the situation, he sent someone to the county to report to the magistrate. When the county heard that it was a doctor from Miaozhou, accompanied by several constables from Miaozhou, they assigned Ma Guang, the head constable from the county, to take charge.
Following Chen Zhaoci's instructions, Ma Guang took personal protective measures and went to the village head's house to talk with him and Zhou Furen. He not only discussed the quarantine of the village, but also, as instructed by Chen Zhaoci, asked the village head to arrange a place that could accommodate many people to house those who had developed symptoms.
Village head Zhou Furen had known Ma Guang for many years and knew that Ma Guang's appearance represented the county magistrate's will. He could only follow Ma Guang's instructions, discuss with the village elders, and prepare the ancestral hall.
Chen Zhaoci arranged for Bai Wei to disinfect the ancestral hall inside and out before moving some of the sick villagers inside according to their severity and placing them in several rooms. Then, he began to assign people to take care of them.
Chen Zhaoci places great emphasis on nursing care. Over the past few years, she has not only trained Bai Wei and Bai Mi, but also trained a group of people who know basic nursing care based on these individuals. However, Chen Zhaoci did not bring many people with her this time, and now she is somewhat short-handed in terms of manpower.
Chen Zhaoci looked at Bai Wei and the other two, thought it over carefully, and said, "I'm going to the intensive care unit. You three take good care of the people in the mild ward. Follow the methods I taught you to give them salt and sugar water as needed to prevent further dehydration. Also, keep their fever down. As long as they don't relapse, they're considered cured."
Bai Wei quickly said, "Madam, I'll go to the intensive care unit. You're a doctor and also our mentor. More patients might be brought over from the village at any time. With you in charge of everything outside, the three of us will feel at ease."
Bai Mi and Bai Zhu shared the same idea. Chen Zhaoci nodded and said, "Alright, the three of you can discuss it yourselves. There are five severe cases and twenty-three mild cases. Some of the five severe cases still need me to administer acupuncture. I'll go treat the severe cases first. As for the others who come later, I'll come over to see them anytime."
Chen Zhaoci and his men got to work. After taking the medicine, the village head felt much better. Ma Guang, wearing the protective suit Chen Zhaoci had given him—all white from head to toe, with a mask made of fine gauze over his mouth and nose—waved to the village head for him to come over.
When the village head saw Ma Guang dressed in all white, he sighed and said, "Brother Ma, why am I so unlucky? There's an epidemic in the village."
Ma Guang thought of Chen Zhaoci and the others who had already started treating patients in the ancestral hall and comforted them, saying, "Brother, you are very lucky to have met this lady who was making rounds with people. If it weren't for this lady, there might have been more people in your village who were infected. If that had happened, our county might have been in danger too."
Upon hearing this, the village head thought about it carefully and asked, "Brother Ma, whose wife is this bodhisattva-like person? She's so kind as to treat us for free."
When Ma Guang came from the county, Chen Zhaoci introduced herself first. When Ma Guang heard that Chen Zhaoci was the mother-in-law of Zheng Fucheng, who had visited several times, he knew that she was a distinguished person from the capital. He never expected that she was also a divine doctor.
Ma Guang had worked in the county government for many years, rising from a lowly constable to the head constable. Naturally, he was quite clever. When he met Chen Zhaoci, his heart stirred. He knew this was his chance. If he could do things well and satisfy Chen Zhaoci, a nobleman he had never met before, he would certainly reap the rewards.
Ma Guang immediately knew what he had to do. Instead of sending someone back to the county office to explain Chen Zhaoci's identity to the magistrate, he stayed behind with his men and began to work diligently according to Chen Zhaoci's instructions. His men strongly resisted wearing the white clothes he was wearing, refusing to put them on no matter what. Ma Guang, however, followed Bai Wei's instructions and put them on from head to toe.
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