Ulcers/3【Repair】
Ye Xuanling was a little frightened. She quickly picked up the stick next to her and hit the "monster".
With a "bang", the "monster"'s head was smashed with blood and it fell straight to the ground.
Neither of them was a pushover. After the monster in front of them fell down, the two pushed the county magistrate towards the door.
The county magistrate collapsed to the ground, tears streaming down his fat, pale face. He was still in shock, and his goatee was trembling.
Screams were heard one after another on the street. The yamen runners saw the county magistrate enter the house and were frightened themselves, so they persuaded everyone to hide inside the house.
"County Master!" The bailiff bowed and pointed outside, frowning, "What should we do?!"
The magistrate stood up, his face pale, his mouth agape, unable to utter a word.
Ye Xuanling grabbed the county magistrate by the collar, gritting her teeth. "On ordinary days, you'd be so indifferent to the people that it's fine. But today, a sick person has arrived at your doorstep. Aren't you afraid?"
At this moment, she no longer cared about the law and rules, and grabbed the collar of the person in front of her and started greeting him.
She still couldn't understand why the epidemic had broken out today? Why had there been no warning signs? The disease was spreading so rapidly. Could it be that this person simply wanted everyone in the county to die instantly?
Ye Xuanling had heard from her master that the county magistrate was a sarcastic and bitter person. He had a special doctor to treat him, while ordinary people could only seek help from the Qingye Clinic. She howled, "Aren't you afraid of the higher-ups coming to investigate?!"
The county magistrate winked at the yamen runners and asked them to leave.
"Didn't I just save you? How come you can't even say a word of thanks?" Ji Yan sneered and leaned against the door frame: "Book, do you want to lend it to me or not?"
The county magistrate let go of Ye Xuanling's hand and said as he sorted out his clothes, "Hey, come with me."
The county magistrate's surname was Liu, and because his words were sharp and piercing when he spoke, he was nicknamed Liu Dakou by the people of the county. Liu Dakou was not a man who was dedicated to serving the people, but now that he was willing to hand over his book, it seemed that he was really afraid.
Liu Dakou pretended to be serious and asked with his hands behind his back, "You guys are quite capable, right? Can this disease really be cured?"
"If the county magistrate is really worried, why not send a few more people to calm everyone down and maintain order?" Ye Xuanling followed behind and spoke suddenly.
Liu Dakou smiled awkwardly: "Of course, that's what we honest officials should do."
"I forgot to tell the county magistrate that this disease can be transmitted through breathing." Ye Xuanling chuckled beneath her mask. "You should worry about yourself, right? If there's no antidote, won't you die with everyone else?"
The two followed Liu Dakou to a residence next to the county hall. The layout inside was not particularly grand, but at least it was much better than the medical clinic. Liu Dakou led the two to the study. Liu Dakou loved books, but there were only a few on this rosewood bookshelf.
The inkstone on the desk looked like it hadn't been used for a few days, and there were a few documents next to it.
Ye Xuanling looked around, and there were only a few books on the shelf: "Is that all?"
Hearing Ye Xuanling's words, Liu Dakou didn't beat around the bush. "Miss Ye, what book are you looking for? Tell me the title and I'll find it for you."
"Dong Heng's Notes."
"Oh!" Liu Dakou pretended to be surprised. "Then you two can rest here for a while. I'll go find it right away."
Why? They couldn't go with him. She didn't understand. What was so special about those books? They weren't book thieves. They wouldn't take all his books away, would they?
After he finished speaking, Liu Dakou gestured to the two of them, showing them a small wooden table and a few stools by the window.
The two sat down facing each other. Liu Dakou smiled at them and walked away, looking like he was hiding something.
Ye Xuanling watched him walk away before she warily said to Ji Yan, "I'll go take a look."
Ji Yan didn't nod: "Let's go together."
"Um."
The two followed Liu Dakou out of the study. Liu Dakou's house was large. When they entered the house, there were rooms on both sides and a living room directly opposite.
On both sides of the hall are the study and the kitchen. There is a huge maple tree in the yard. It is autumn now, the red maple leaves look like fire, and the northern geese fly south.
But just following him like this is not a solution. It would be better to look for books with Liu Dakou openly.
"County Master!" Ye Xuanling ran to his side. "Let's go together to find the book. It'll be faster this way."
Liu Dakou was obviously a little embarrassed, but finally nodded and agreed.
The three of them arrived at a couch room. Liu Dakou pressed the bricks next to the couch, and a door swung open. Ye Xuanling and Ji Yan exchanged looks, becoming even more alert.
It's not that she hadn't thought about where Liu Dakou would hide his favorite books, but she had never expected that this man could actually dig out a secret room and hide the books underground.
The layout of the secret room was strange, but she couldn't put her finger on what was strange about it.
They had no lamps in their hands, but the light in the secret room was dim. Although it was a damp autumn, the ground below was surprisingly dry. The ground was not soil, but black stone slabs.
Walking to the center of the secret room, her vision suddenly opened up. Ye Xuanling could see clearly that while the staircase where she had just entered was unlit, candles were lit in all the other corners.
From this point of view, someone must have specially lighted the candle to prevent it from going out.
But the room is dry and cracked. If you light a fire like this, aren’t you afraid that the books will be burned?
The pressure on the top wall is extremely low, and people as tall as Ji Yan need to bend over to move forward.
Ye Xuanling had been observing since she arrived, and now she had to admit that Liu Dakou had countless secrets. Perhaps Xishu was just a gimmick.
The bookshelves on the wall were partially recessed into the wall. She reached out and touched them; they were new and dust-free, suggesting someone had cleaned them regularly.
This is not small, it is a secret room about twenty feet long and ten feet wide.
"County Magistrate, there are so many books here. Do you remember where you put Dong Heng's Notes?" Ye Xuanling casually pulled out a book and flipped through it. It was a book with a title she had never heard of. "Dong Heng's Notes is a book on medical techniques. Are you interested in medicine, County Magistrate?"
Liu Dakou waved his hand: "I just think this book is valuable."
"Valuable?" Ye Xuanling and Ji Yan said this almost at the same time. After a moment of silence, Ye Xuanling continued, "How is it valuable?"
Liu Dakou was delighted and stroked his goatee: "This is the only book in the world!"
Since Dong Heng's notes are the only one in the world, there is no way it will fall into the hands of a county magistrate.
Ji Yan's eyes hadn't left Liu Dakou since the beginning. Seeing Liu Dakou's expression, he silently looked away: "In that case, please find the book and lend it to us, Mr. County Magistrate."
"Hahahaha!" Liu Dakou said, "If Miss Ye can save everyone in Anping County, I will give this book to her as a gift."
Ye Xuanling cupped her hands and flattered him, "Okay, then I'd like to thank the County Magistrate."
Liu Dakou looked embarrassed as if he had not expected Ye Xuanling to say that. He just smiled and said nothing more.
Ji Yan, who was standing behind Ye Xuanling, folded his arms and burst out laughing as if he couldn't hold it back.
Hearing this, Ye Xuanling turned her head and looked at him without changing her expression: "?"
Ji Yan turned his eyes away calmly, not meeting her gaze.
Soon, Liu Dakou pulled out Dong Heng's notes, but the cover had already turned yellow, and the book still had a strong sense of age. It was indeed like what Liu Dakou had said, an antique.
Ye Xuanling took the book, thanked Liu Dakou, and said to Ji Yan, "Let's go back to the clinic."
Before leaving the secret room, Ji Yan kept looking at the layout of the secret room.
Seeing him like this, Ye Xuanling didn't know what to say. She just smiled at Liu Dakou and said, "Master County Magistrate, I will return this book in a few days."
Liu Dakou waved his hand: "Don't worry, Miss Ye, take good care of yourself. It will take some time to cure this disease."
-
The first thing Ye Xuanling did when she returned to the clinic was to write a note and post it outside the door.
[Fellow villagers, please do not worry. At this time, please stay indoors as much as possible to prevent infection. The county magistrate has borrowed the book from the Qingye Medical Clinic. My master and I are currently researching an antidote and investigating the anomaly.]
A seemingly insignificant note had such a profound impact on everyone. The current county magistrate was known for his ruthlessness, his devotion to wealth and his inaction against those who bullied the weak and righteous. He was actually willing to lend his beloved book, suggesting the epidemic must be quite serious.
Currently, the doors and windows of Ye Qing Clinic and the County Hall are tightly closed, with no one entering or leaving.
Ye Xuanling took a pen and paper and copied down all the herbs and methods mentioned in the notes. As she copied, she asked Ji Yan, "Aren't you afraid?"
Ji Yan was sitting not far from the medicine cabinet, dressed in red, looking at her with his face tilted to his side in a nonchalant manner.
Even though she didn't call his name, Ji Yan knew she was calling him. He smiled softly and asked, "Are you worried about me?"
"Are you worried?" Ye Xuanling paused as she paused writing. She was more worried about Ye Qing in the house. "Did we know each other before?"
"I was a bit rude that morning, I'm sorry." Ji Yan continued, "Maybe they knew each other, or maybe I made a mistake, it's hard to say."
After that, no one spoke anymore. An eerie silence remained in the hall. It was so quiet that one could almost hear the sound of Ye Xuanling dipping her brush into the dark inkstone.
Ye Xuanling's outfit today was different from yesterday. Her hair was not tied up with a hairpin, but was braided into two braids with a tress on her forehead, making her face look smaller than yesterday.
When she lowered her head to write, she always felt that her hair was a bit of a hindrance, so she threw the braid in front of her shoulders behind her.
Just as she swung her braid over, she heard Ji Yan exclaim.
Ye Xuanling turned her head to look and saw Ji Yan covering his chest with his hands. He frowned slightly, his face looking like he was enduring pain.
She immediately put down her pen, rushed over, held his shoulders, helped him up, and asked worriedly, "What's wrong with you? Are you infected?"
Ji Yan still kept his eyes closed and said nothing.
Ye Xuanling tightened the cloth on her face and placed the back of her hand on his forehead.
Not hot.
She pulled his hand out to see that there was no boil on it. "What happened to you? Ji Yan?"
After a while, Ji Yan relaxed and returned to his previous lazy and careless state.
"You're just worried about me."
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