When she arrived at the village entrance, Jiang Xueying found that the village chief was also there.
"Doctor Li has prescribed medicine for them, but it doesn't work after they drink it. They still vomit. The situation is getting worse and worse. I think if it continues like this, they may even lose their lives."
The village chief couldn't help but sigh as he spoke. No one knew how this strange, incurable disease suddenly occurred.
We thought that the surviving villagers had at least saved their lives and would be able to rebuild their homes and live a good life in the future. However, we didn't expect that they would fall ill one after another just two or three days after returning to the village, and even the doctors could not diagnose the problem.
Jiang Xueying couldn't help but frown when she heard this. She had already thought about it in her mind and walked forward to ask those who were less seriously ill.
"What have you eaten these days since you returned to the village?"
"Well... I didn't eat anything, just some rice and a few stir-fried dishes, the same as I usually eat."
The man spoke with a guilty conscience, lowering his head and staring at his toes, as if he was trying to hide something.
The village chief noticed that something was wrong with the man and his face immediately darkened. He knew that there must be something wrong with Jiang Xueying's question.
"Hurry up and tell the truth. It's already this late. What's the point of hiding it?"
His voice was filled with anger. How could he not be anxious when he saw more and more people getting sick and unable to find the cause of the disease?
Now his family members are dying of illness, and he himself is not much better, yet he still wants to hide it. I don’t know what is going on in his mind.
When the man heard this, he had no choice but to tell the truth under the village chief's fiery gaze.
"I ate some food that had been soaked in water, but... but I dried it all. My wife thought it was a pity so she made porridge with it, and also... also ate some dead pork, but it was cooked many times, so there couldn't be any problem."
I see.
Jiang Xueying was somewhat helpless. She had made it very clear before going down the mountain that anything contaminated by flood water must not be eaten. Even if it had been processed very well, if it was infected from the inside, then no matter how it was processed, it would be useless.
It’s a pity that they didn’t listen, probably because they thought it wasn’t a big deal.
"I told you not to eat those things for a reason. Things that have been soaked in flood waters are generally contaminated. Dead pigs, beef and mutton are soaked in all kinds of toxins, which will definitely make people sick."
Jiang Xueying sighed and continued, "Most of you think I'm deceiving you. How could I harm you if you live in the same village as us?"
The village chief nodded and said, "Yes, it was thanks to her that we all lost our lives. Why don't these people learn from their mistakes?"
At this point, Jiang Xueying could only remind the village chief that the disease was contagious.
When the villagers who came to watch heard this, they couldn't help but step back a few steps, their faces changed, and they stayed away from those sick people.
If it was contagious, and they had come into contact with sick people, it meant that they would also get the disease. They were all frightened and turned pale. Everyone was in panic. They still remembered the scene of foaming at the mouth.
"Wife of the Ye family, what do you think we should do now? There are still so many people in the village, we have to find a way to solve the problem. If the news spreads, it will be terrible."
The village chief was worried and afraid of this unknown disease. He asked Jiang Xueying for her opinion and wanted her to help him make a decision.
The villagers were also looking at her, waiting for her to find a way to help the village survive another disaster!
"Yes, Sister Jiang, we all believe in you. You must have a way to save us."
Everyone placed their hopes on Jiang Xueying.
Jiang Xueying sighed softly, feeling a little confused. In fact, this was the first time she had encountered such a thing, and it would be a lie to say that she was not nervous.
"Actually, I don't have that much ability, but if you follow my method, maybe you can still be saved."
"Then tell me!"
The village chief also looked at Jiang Xueying, it was obvious that they all trusted her very much.
"Then I have to say it again. You must not eat anything that has been soaked in the flood. Those grains and the dead livestock are very easy to get infected if you eat them. There is no telling how much dirt is mixed in the flood water. You must not touch them."
Everyone nodded. This time they didn’t dare to eat it even if they were asked to. After all, they had already seen the harm.
"In addition to fumigating the house with mugwort, all crops and livestock that have been soaked in water must be burned. And...people who have died of this disease cannot be buried, but must be burned together."
As soon as these words came out, the air suddenly fell into silence.
Most of the villagers have lived here for so many years, and when someone in their family died, they were always buried in peace. I have never heard of cremating the body. Isn't this making the deceased suffer again?
"How can we burn this corpse? It is our ancestors' motto that fallen leaves return to their roots. Burning a corpse is disrespectful to the dead."
Some people opposed it and refused to agree to cremating the body.
Someone else echoed, "That's right, the body should be buried. Burning it would be too much."
Jiang Xueying understood what the villagers meant. The idea of burying the dead in peace was too deeply rooted. However, special events also need special treatment. She could only say in a deep voice, "Everyone, I am not joking. This is for everyone's sake. Corpses carry the most germs. If they are buried in the ground, they will pollute the land. If there is a large-scale infection, it will be terrible. Who can be spared by then?"
She was not exaggerating. With today's medical technology, many sudden illnesses cannot be completely cured, not to mention that we are in an era with severe shortages of materials and technology. If we want to effectively control the disease, every link must be strictly controlled. Any carelessness will result in complete failure and serious consequences.
The atmosphere suddenly became more tense. The families of those who died of the illness were very emotional and they absolutely refused to agree to burn the bodies.
The village chief frowned and found it difficult to accept Jiang Xueying's proposal, but he was the village chief and had to put the overall situation and the safety of all the villagers first.
"Okay, stop arguing. Don't you understand what's going on? Saving your life is the most important thing. What's the point of arguing?"
"Village chief, that's not the way to say it. You know that here we always bury the dead. We don't burn the bodies."
The deceased's family refused to agree and prepared to leave, but the villagers quickly stopped them.
"No, didn't you hear just now? The bodies have to be burned, otherwise they will be infected with diseases. You want us all to get sick, right?"
"We all live in the same village, don't say such harsh words, do you think our family wants someone to die? This is all caused by the flood, can you blame us?"
The family members were also very angry. They didn't want to eat the food that had been soaked in water, but there was nothing they could do.
If they don't eat, they will starve. They are already starving, how can they endure it?
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