The plague seemed like something very distant.
At least none of the people in their village had ever encountered this.
However, they had heard that if someone contracted the plague, no one in the village could escape it; it would spread from one person to another until the entire village was wiped out!
Then the entire prefecture city, and almost everyone in several prefecture cities in between, was wiped out.
The imperial court would initially send people to prepare medicine, but later they would simply block the roads, preventing people from entering or leaving, leaving those inside to fend for themselves.
For the dead, sprinkle lime on them and bury them on the spot.
The old village chief nodded solemnly.
“I’ve heard from the elders that plagues are common after major disasters, not just floods, but also droughts.”
However, their area is always prone to floods, but never droughts.
Uncle Ding came out and explained: "I heard the doctor say that whether it is a flood or a drought, most of the damage is caused by the decomposition of human or animal corpses after the disaster. Therefore, after a flood, human or animal corpses should be buried as soon as possible."
Also, after a flood, when washing clothes or vegetables, avoid ponds and lakes; it's best to use well water that hasn't been filled with sewage.
The water you drink must be boiled!
Everything we eat must be cooked thoroughly.
The same applies to the food given to livestock.
It's best to sprinkle lime along both sides of the road and in the corners of the village; this is the most effective method. However…
Uncle Ding stopped talking at this point.
He didn't say anything more, but everyone understood.
Lime costs money, and even if they were willing to pay for it, they couldn't get out because the floodwaters hadn't receded.
Apart from Zhang the Bald's family, most other families in the village still had some savings.
It's not much, but lime isn't too expensive, so if everyone pools their money and saves, they can still afford it.
"I'm afraid the price of lime will skyrocket once the floodwaters recede," Uncle Ding predicted with great foresight.
The old village chief and several elderly villagers speculated last winter that lime might have been mentioned during this year's floods.
At this moment, the old village chief stepped forward and said to everyone, "I have some, but not much. I only brought back two baskets."
This stuff is said to be used when making tofu, but few people in the village know how to make it. His family bought it only in case of potential flooding.
But since it's only a possibility, they didn't buy much.
Silver was hard to earn, so most of what they prepared for the flood were things that didn't cost money, such as firewood, food, and sacks. However, lime required money to buy, so they only bought two baskets and carried them back.
Two or three elderly people came out of the village and said, "My family also prepared some, but it only fills one basket in total."
"Me too."
The young men opened their mouths, but suddenly realized that, in terms of life experience, the older men were far more knowledgeable!
However, they also learned that they would be better prepared if they encountered a similar situation again in the future.
Uncle Ding was in charge of statistics.
Shanshui Village has 34 households and more than 400 people. Each household's house occupies a considerable area. Lime needs to be spread in front of and behind the houses as well as along the roads. A few baskets of lime for just four or five households are simply not enough.
He hesitated before speaking, "How about the families who have lime only take care of the area around their own house?"
It's fair that they paid for it and bought it back.
Fan Qian immediately quit!
He shouted, "I'm willing to pay money to buy it!"
In the past, money was important, but now it's a matter of life and death. If not now, when?!
Uncle Ding patiently advised: "The doctor said that lime is used to eliminate miasma, and another explanation is that it is used to ward off evil spirits and suppress malevolent forces."
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