Chapter 90: Infectious Disease Outbreak
In a remote corner of the imperial city, inside a dilapidated house.
A thin girl was curled up there. She looked no more than six or seven years old. Her clothes no longer fit her and were hanging on her body in tatters.
The girl's cheeks were now red, and she obviously had a high fever. She was mumbling nonsense, but no one knew what she was saying.
"Sister, are you feeling better?" Next to the girl was a boy about ten years old. He had just soaked a piece of tattered cloth in cold water and carefully placed it on the girl's forehead.
The brother and sister have been lonely and helpless since childhood. Their parents died early, and the only house they left behind has become dilapidated due to years of disrepair.
They usually make a living by begging, and now it is almost noon and I am taking care of my sick sister, so neither of them has eaten a single grain of rice.
The boy touched the girl's forehead and found the abnormal temperature was still there. He took a deep breath and prepared to go out.
After all, I can survive for a few days without food or water, but my sister can’t, and her illness is even more serious.
There was a cold wind outside, mixed with drizzle. The boy unconsciously wrapped his thin clothes tightly. He had just gone out, and was afraid that his sister would be cold again, so he put his only cotton jacket on her.
Today is the Little New Year. Although it is raining, it cannot stop the increasingly strong New Year atmosphere. Many pedestrians are coming and going on the street, buying food and clothing for the New Year.
"Doctor, please, save my sister." The boy didn't know how many pharmacies he had run to. When the people there saw the boy's tattered clothes, they wanted to chase him away with a broom.
"Go, go, go, beggar, where did you come from? If you don't have money, don't block the door." With the sound of a heavy door closing, the boy's hands fell down weakly.
The cold wind mixed with drizzle shattered the boy's hopes bit by bit.
"Son, what happened to your sister?" An old voice came from the door next to the pharmacy. The boy looked over and saw an old man with patches all over his body.
"Grandpa, my sister has a fever. Do you have any way to save her? But I have no money." The boy's voice became smaller and smaller, and finally died away.
"Take me to see it." After hearing this, the old man looked at the child's red eyes and sighed.
"You old fool, you are the kindest doctor in the whole city. Others like you have no worries about food and clothing, but you only treat poor people who can't afford medical treatment! Do you really think you are the reincarnation of a bodhisattva?"
The boy watched the old man turn around and come out with a medicine box, followed by the sound of a woman cursing.
"Grandpa?" The boy looked at the old grandfather, then looked inside the door, his big eyes full of worry.
"It's okay. She has a sharp tongue but a soft heart. Let's go." The old man touched the boy's head and followed him towards the dilapidated house.
However, by the time they arrived, it was too late.
Under the worn cotton-padded jacket, the girl's previously rosy cheeks had lost all color.
The old man touched the girl's body, which was still warm, and shook his head in disappointment at the boy.
"Sister!" The boy opened his bloodshot eyes and cried miserably. How could this happen? How could this happen?
He knelt in front of the old man and kowtowed desperately, wanting him to try again. The old man couldn't bear it, so he helped his sister up and carefully checked her breathing and pulse.
After a long time, he shook his head regretfully.
The light in the boy's eyes completely disappeared. After thanking the old man, he kept hugging the girl, not knowing what he was thinking.
The old man sighed and looked back with regret. This common cold and fever could be fatal to poor people because they had no money to see a doctor.
Those who are lucky will recover on their own, while those who are unlucky will pass away like this little girl.
But if you have money, who would allow themselves to suffer from illness?
So, this is why he has been treating the poor. At least, within his ability, he will cure as many patients as he can.
In the afternoon, a boy appeared on the busy street, carrying a girl on his back.
"Sister, you said that your favorite day is the New Year, because during the New Year, we can get delicious food. Today is the Little New Year. Open your eyes and look, there are so many people here."
Tears fell like pearls. The boy, with a stubborn look, carried his sister on his back and walked down the street, seeing all the scenery along the street.
Five days later.
Su Yue, who was drinking tea, received a letter from Manager Zhang, which stated that the number of people suffering from typhoid fever and colds had increased dramatically recently, and that if the cold became serious, people could even die.
The price of Isatis root, which is used to treat colds, has also risen sharply, and the excitement was unstoppable in his words.
Many pharmacies that had previously sold to them at low prices now wanted to buy it back at high prices. He specifically asked Su Yue whether he would sell the Isatis root back.
Su Yue chuckled. It seemed that this highly contagious cold had already begun.
“Tell Shopkeeper Zhang to keep the Isatis Root and not sell it. From today on, the pharmacy will be closed, but the workers will still be paid.
Also, Xiaohe, please write a letter for me and give it to Miss Wanwan. ”
Because Chen Wanwan helped her deal with Li Yan and helped her to win back her cousin's relationship, she often wrote to her for advice.
Su Yue also tried her best to reply and help. The two of them often exchanged letters and became close friends. She would certainly not refuse anything he asked her to do.
After another three days, the whole city had reached the point where everyone was in danger, and even in the imperial palace, this kind of cold disease had occurred.
The emperor looked at the pile of memorials and rubbed his forehead in annoyance.
Recently, due to the emergence of this highly contagious cold, even the morning court sessions have been postponed. No one knows whether the people around them are already sick, so the best way is to avoid contact with others.
Nowadays, Isatis root has reached the point where it is priced but not sold. Many wealthy people, knowing that Isatis root has miraculous effects, are willing to spend a large amount of money to buy it.
This has led many people to become even more crazy about Isatis root. Even some poor people would not keep the Isatis root even if they got it, but would sell it at a high price.
After all, for the poor, dying from poverty is more terrifying than dying from illness.
And at this tense moment, all the pharmacies were staring at the drugstore that had bought all their Isatis root.
Because he didn't want to attract attention, Su Yue deliberately did not change the name of the pharmacy, and it still called Jichuntang.
However, Jichuntang is now closed and has no intention of doing business.
Just when everyone was feeling threatened, news spread quickly that Jichuntang had a large amount of Isatis root, making everyone jealous.
A few smart people even reported the news to the emperor.
The emperor fell into deep thought looking at the three big characters "Jichuntang".
It has come to this. If it is true as the memorial says that Jichuntang has a large amount of Isatis root, why not take the opportunity to make a fortune?
Instead of just closing down and not doing business anymore?
There must be something fishy going on here.
"Order Chu Ziyi to investigate Jichuntang for me." The emperor's eyes flashed with brilliance.
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