Chapter 241 Preventing Trouble
Before this, Gu Xixi, He Jinglan and Shitou had reached a consensus.
In order not to scare Aunt Zhang and the old doctor, and in order not to cause unrest in the village.
The incident of a thief breaking into our house with a knife today must be kept confidential and no details must be disclosed to anyone.
(In He Jinglan's explanation to Xiao Shitou, the organized and premeditated killers turned into robbers who were only interested in money)
Shitou promised to keep the secret and guaranteed that he would not mention a word even to Gou Wa, who had the best relationship with him.
Gu Xixi thought that the matter was over.
But in front of him, the old doctor flared his nostrils and frowned, as if he had noticed something.
Gu Xixi and He Jinglan looked at each other in silence.
Everyone is united in their thoughts: It’s over!
The old doctor turned to the two girls and said, "This place just now..."
He Jinglan took a breath of cold air.
Gu Xixi forced a smile and continued, "I just swept the floor, and since it was hot, I sprinkled some water on it."
"Mugwort water?" said the old doctor.
He raised his hand to stroke his unkempt gray beard and nodded, "I knew that nothing could be hidden from my nose!"
Gu Xixi was shocked.
What did the master smell? Her mind raced as she thought of all the possibilities.
Smell of medicine?
Smell of blood?
Smell of death?
But for safety reasons, she had already swept up the scattered poison and loose soil mixed with blood before asking He Jinglan and Shitou to come back.
Afterwards, in order to completely remove the odor, water was splashed and swept twice, and finally mugwort water was sprinkled on to remove odor and avoid filth.
Is it possible to discover this?
So many thoughts flashed through Gu Xixi's mind, but in reality it only took a breath or two.
The old doctor's brows relaxed and he actually smiled with relief.
"I wanted to come back and talk about this today."
"But you already have this awareness, which is good."
Huh? Gu Xixi and He Jinglan looked at each other in confusion.
He Jinglan asked silently, "What's going on?"
Gu Xixi shook her head and said she didn’t know.
The old doctor continued, "Malaria, our master discovered a long time ago that mosquitoes can transmit malaria between people."
"It may be caused by the mosquito sucking blood, but the specific reason... remains to be explored."
"Xixi, you sprinkled mugwort water to repel mosquitoes. Although the effect was a little slight, your awareness coincides with that of your teacher."
Gu Xixi was stunned. Malaria? Mosquito repellent?
She suddenly realized, "Oh... yes, we should prevent mosquitoes in summer."
He Jinglan also breathed a sigh of relief and asked curiously, "Why did Mr. Jiang suddenly think of malaria? But what's wrong with today's patient?"
The old doctor said, "Today's patient is not serious. He just has summer stomach problems. He will be fine after two doses of medicine."
"But when I was having dinner at his house, I heard his mother talking about a relative from her mother's village, which should have aroused my vigilance."
"It was a hot summer day, and everyone else was complaining about the heat, but he kept shivering. He searched through boxes and cupboards for a thick quilt to wrap himself up in. Everyone else was sweating and exhausted, but he was still shivering. Gradually, he couldn't get out of bed, and he died a few days later."
He Jinglan lost her voice and said, "Isn't this just the malady?"
She had also heard of this disease, and knew that people with malaria only appeared in the summer.
Some people regard this disease as being possessed by evil spirits, and perform shaman dances and drink talisman water.
But in the end, most of the time, there is no cure.
The old doctor nodded. "From what I hear, it sounds like malaria."
"But it is said that no one in that village has the same disease anymore."
"Maybe it wasn't malaria, or maybe we were lucky and didn't infect other people from him."
At this point, the old doctor said with great energy, "I have to prepare a mosquito repellent. Simply boiling water with mugwort alone is far from enough."
He Jinglan agreed, "It's not just about preventing malaria, but mosquito bites are also annoying!"
Gu Xixi felt a little uneasy.
She knew that there was no specific medicine for malaria in ancient times, and historical books also recorded the tragic situation of malaria epidemics.
It can be transmitted through blood and from mother to child, and has a high mortality rate.
He Jinglan keenly noticed the change in Gu Xixi's mood and comforted her, "Don't worry, Xixi, it may not be a real epidemic."
"Didn't you hear what Elder Jiang said? No one else in that village has been infected."
Gu Xixi smiled at her and said, "I'm fine."
Malaria is not transmitted from person to person except from mother to child.
Compared to other infectious diseases that spread rapidly among humans, malaria is much more controllable.
Just like the old doctor said, this disease may not spread widely locally.
However, Gu Xixi still has to take precautions to feel at ease, so she starts killing and preventing mosquitoes at home.
As she thought about it, she said, "The window screens at home should be reinforced. The mosquito nets are all new, so there's no problem."
"The only thing left is the loophole at the door. The door curtain alone is not tight enough. We must make a few screen doors."
It's hot in the house in summer. If people stay in the house with the door closed during the day, they will definitely feel unbearable due to the stuffiness.
Screen doors can solve this problem, preventing mosquitoes and rats without hindering ventilation.
There is still some leftover material from pasting window screens in the spring at home.
Measure the size, cut the wood strips, nail the frames, install the hinges...
He Jinglan was helping Gu Xixi by her side, helping her hold things and pass things around.
When the first screen door was about to be completed, Aunt Zhang returned home in the afterglow of the setting sun.
She still smelled slightly of alcohol and shook a withered, bent seedling in her hand.
"Xixi, can you help me take a look at what's going on?"
Gu Xixi looked up and said, "Buckwheat seedlings?"
Compared with the work she is doing now, this professional work makes her more comfortable.
"This is damping-off disease of buckwheat, which usually occurs after the seedlings emerge."
Aunt Zhang said, "He is really sick."
"A field of buckwheat seedlings planted by Zhao the matchmaker suddenly turned like this. She saw that the other seedlings were also gradually turning yellow. She kept saying that they could not be saved. She was afraid that she would not be able to eat buckwheat noodles this year. She was very worried."
"As we drank more and more, I ended up drinking alone with her."
Gu Xixi understood and said with a smile, "It can be cured."
Aunt Zhang said happily, "Really?"
Gu Xixi nodded, "Except for the one in your hand, which is beyond saving, there is still time for the others."
Aunt Zhang said proudly, "I'll tell that woman to show it to my Xixi, maybe the harvest won't be a total failure."
Gu Xixi lowered her head and continued hammering the nails. "I still have the medicine I prescribed earlier. Bring a pack later and you can give it to her."
"Just add water and use. The directions and dosage are written on it."
"Matchmaker Zhao can write a roster, so she should be able to read, right?"
Aunt Zhang smiled and said, "She is just like me, she doesn't know many words."
"She asked educated people in the village to help write the book."
"But it's okay. She can just let the man read it to her again."
Aunt Zhang was still a little drunk and wanted to talk to someone.
So she sat down beside him, and then sighed,
"Matchmaker Zhao values the half acre of buckwheat the most for a reason."
"I always see her smiling and matchmaking for people everywhere, but I never knew she was actually brewing a pool of bitter wine in her heart."
He Jinglan was very supportive, "Oh? There is a story behind growing buckwheat?"
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