Chapter 20 Choice
The old woman was lying on her side on the ground, her disheveled hair obscuring her face. She was dirty and dressed in cloth. Gu Jiao's first thought was that she was a villager from this village, who had probably just returned from the fields but somehow fainted at her doorstep.
The loud bang just now was from her head hitting the door; her forehead was cut and bleeding a little.
Gu Jiao had encountered people trying to scam her in her previous life, but she had never been one who risked her life to do so.
The other person really did faint.
Gu Jiao squatted down, wanting to see which family the woman belonged to so she could send her back. But as soon as she turned the woman's body over so she could lie flat, Gu Jiao noticed something was wrong.
Her face had symmetrical light-colored skin lesions and pale red spots with blurred borders, and there were also some on the backs of her hands.
Gu Jiao frowned slightly; this was clearly...
"Sis! We're back!"
Just then, Gu Xiaoshun, carrying an old book bag, rushed towards Gu Jiao like lightning.
Gu Jiao turned to look at him, her eyes flashing sharply: "Don't come any closer!"
Gu Jiao had never spoken to Gu Xiaoshun in such a stern tone before, and Gu Xiaoshun was stunned.
"Sister..." He rushed forward two more steps.
"I told you, don't come any closer!" Gu Jiao's tone became even colder.
Now, Gu Xiaoshun was completely too scared to move, and just stood there blankly about ten steps away from Gu Jiao.
He saw Gu Jiao, and naturally he also saw the old lady who had collapsed at Gu Jiao's door.
His intuition told him that this matter was related to the old woman.
He asked, "Sister, who is she?"
Gu Jia gazed intently and said, "I don't know, you should go back to Gu Jia first."
She had originally planned to invite Gu Xiaoshun over for dinner, but now that this had happened, the safety of the house could not be fully guaranteed, and she couldn't let Gu Xiaoshun get hurt.
Gu Xiaoshun was very unhappy, but since his sister said so, he would just go back first.
"Well, brother-in-law, I'm leaving now," he said, turning around to Xiao Liulang behind him.
Gu Jiao was slightly taken aback. Xiao Liulang was back too?
Not only Xiao Liulang, but Feng Lin also came along.
Feng Lin helped his deskmate with his studies, and the deskmate gave him a basket of pomelos as a thank you. Feng Lin immediately gave half of the pomelos to Xiao Liulang. Worried that Xiao Liulang couldn't carry them, he then took them back to the village.
As for Gu Xiaoshun, he always bullies Xiao Liulang, and Feng Lin is also a little worried about Xiao Liulang going home with him, so he keeps an eye on the two of them.
Xiao Liulang and Feng Lin both noticed the old woman on the ground at this moment.
"You two had better not come over either," Gu Jiao said to the two of them.
Feng Lin frowned strangely: "She's dead? You didn't kill her, did you?"
"Hey! What nonsense are you talking about!" Gu Xiaoshun couldn't stand this pretty boy who always slandered his sister.
Feng Lin snorted, "Did I say something wrong? Something must have happened to that old man, otherwise why wouldn't he let us pass?"
Xiao Liulang walked over with a cold expression.
"You...don't come any closer," Gu Jiao said.
Xiao Liulang still came over.
He had actually sensed something was wrong from afar, and only after getting closer and taking a closer look did he confirm his suspicions.
Seeing him walk over, Feng Lin hurriedly followed.
"Hey! Why did you all go over there? Sis, I...I..." Gu Xiaoshun scratched his head anxiously.
Feng Lin approached Xiao Liulang's side, looking at the old woman with red spots all over her face, a sense of foreboding welled up in his heart: "Brother Xiao, what is this...?"
“Leprosy,” Xiao Liulang said, frowning.
Feng Lin swayed and almost fell!
"This...this...this...this old lady is a leper..." Feng Lin stammered in shock.
You should know that leprosy is one of the most terrible infectious diseases. It is said that if one person in a village gets it, the whole village will get it. Moreover, there is no cure for this disease, and once you get it, you can only wait to die.
In the previous dynasty, there was a tragedy where tens of thousands of people died because of insufficient attention to leprosy.
The first major event of the founding emperor of this dynasty was the establishment of Leprosy Mountain, where all leprosy patients were sent to the mountain for centralized management.
"You touched her?" Xiao Liulang looked at Gu Jiao calmly.
Gu Jiao nodded.
However, she only touched it briefly, and her skin was not broken, so the chances of her getting infected are slim.
But others may not think that way.
If people find out that Gu Jiao had been in contact with a leprosy patient, they will definitely send her and the patient to the leprosy mountain.
Once you go up to a place like Leprosy Mountain, you'll never be able to come down.
Feng Lin pulled Xiao Liulang a dozen steps away, still shaken, and said, "You heard what she said, she touched that leper. We have to get rid of her immediately! Otherwise, your whole village will be infected!"
Xiao Liulang frowned slightly.
Feng Lin stamped his foot and said, "Oh, Brother Xiao, what are you still hesitating about? Haven't you always wanted to get rid of that wicked woman? She herself came into contact with a leper, and she's most likely infected as well. According to the imperial law, she should be sent to the leper colony. This is a legitimate opportunity to get rid of her!"
Feng Lin had thought it through. Xiao Liulang was a scholar, and if he really did something like abandoning his wife and children, it would ruin his reputation. What he was doing now was like a timely rain, which could both preserve his reputation and get rid of that wicked woman!
“No one will be sent to the leper colony,” Xiao Liulang said calmly.
Feng Lin was taken aback.
Xiao Liulang, leaning on his cane, walked towards Gu Jiao: "Bring me a dry cloth."
Gu Jiao didn't ask any more questions and went to the house to get a clean piece of cloth as instructed.
Xiao Liulang took the piece of cloth from her hand and squatted down in front of the old lady.
Realizing what he was about to do, Gu Jiao said, "I'll do it."
"No need." Xiao Liulang wrapped the cloth around the old lady's face, covering her mouth and nose. "Carry her inside."
"Okay," Gu Jiao nodded.
"Hey! Brother Xiao!" Feng Lin interrupted.
Gu Xiaoshun had heard most of what was going on by now. Apparently, the old lady was a leper from who-knows-where, and his sister was afraid he would get infected, which was why she wouldn't let him go over.
But is Gu Xiaoshun such an unfaithful person?
Gu Xiaoshun ran over to help his sister and brother-in-law carry the person into the backyard.
Feng Lin stamped his feet in frustration.
This is insane!
You're all crazy!
Then, he gritted his teeth and risked getting infected to go inside!
Have you guessed who the old lady is?
Directions brief.
(End of this chapter)
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