Chapter 63 Great changes, unprecedented
The old doctor turned to Gu Xixi and said, "Xixi, you stay here with Madam Zhao."
After saying that, he walked in without taking the medicine box.
Seeing that Lady Zhao seemed very worried, Gu Xixi consoled her, "We have come this far, just listen to him."
The coughing sound outside the house was distressing. The family supported each other and stood outside, their eyes filled with confusion.
The old doctor came out quickly and asked for a basin of clean water to wash his hands.
Gu Xixi had never seen the old doctor look so solemn, and her heart sank suddenly.
I’m afraid I won’t be as lucky this time.
The water was brought quickly, but the old doctor did not put his hand into the basin. Instead, he asked Gu Xixi to hold the basin and pour the water slowly.
The old doctor rubbed the medicated soap he carried with him and rinsed his hands under the running water.
While he was washing his hands, no one spoke in the yard, only the sound of water and coughing coming from the house.
When the basin of water was used up, the old doctor straightened up, his withered and sunken eye sockets filled with sorrow.
"The pulse is definitely plague, and combined with the symptoms, it is contaminated by wild rats."
Before the family understood, Mrs. Zhao asked, "So the diagnosis is plague?"
The old doctor nodded.
When the old couple heard that their son had contracted the plague, their legs and feet became weak and they could not stand.
The eldest daughter-in-law supported her father-in-law and mother-in-law, crying, "Dad, Mom, you have to hold on."
"Now we have a doctor. The second son is young and strong, so he will be fine."
Although Gu Xixi is not a doctor, he knows some basic knowledge about the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases in later generations.
She whispered to the old doctor, "Since it is confirmed to be an epidemic, not only this courtyard, but the entire village must use the medicine you prescribed, either by fumigation or spraying."
"And the patient's family members should be isolated separately from the patient for the time being."
The old doctor agreed, "You have considered it very carefully."
"The plague develops very quickly. I will stay here to take care of the patients. You and Madam Zhao can go find the village chief and ask him to make arrangements as soon as possible for other matters."
"Especially when boiling and sprinkling the medicine, you should keep an eye on it and don't be careless."
When he came, the old doctor brought a lot of herbs that could cure epidemics and avoid filth just in case.
After burning and fumigating, or boiling and spraying, it becomes the equivalent of disinfectant in later generations.
Such a big thing, and the whole village had to spray pesticides, naturally it couldn't be kept secret.
Village chief Zhao simply called all the villagers together and announced that someone in Shitou Village had been infected with the plague.
The crowd was shocked, horrified and incredulous.
According to local records, the last plague occurred fifty-two years ago.
So most people here have not experienced it, and only a few have heard their family elders mention it.
It is said that the first thing a person who got the plague would do was to cough non-stop, feel hot all over, then cough up blood, roll on the ground in pain, and some people even had blood beads on their skin...
Someone held his head and screamed, "If you get this terrible disease, you're doomed, right?"
"I don't want to get sick, I don't want to die!"
"Besides, this disease is an epidemic, it is definitely contagious. Won't the whole family be wiped out by then?"
Village Chief Zhao took a deep breath and shouted, "Stop shouting!!!"
The whole place was silent.
Village Chief Zhao looked around at everyone, "Who wants to get sick? Who wants to die? No one wants to die!"
"So at a time like this, if we want to save our lives, we must unite and no one can panic!"
Death was approaching suddenly without any warning, and a few words of encouragement obviously didn't have much practical effect.
Village Chief Zhao pointed at Gu Xixi and said, "This is Miss Gu from Huachidu Village."
"She braved all the difficulties to help us, but what about us? Are we going to cry and scream and wait for death?"
Gu Xixi was suddenly stared at by a group of people and felt a little embarrassed.
Fortunately, the villagers finally showed some emotion. "Village chief, it's already like this, what else can we do?"
Village Chief Zhao said, "We have a lot to do. I'll arrange it later."
He paused, and encouraged everyone again, "Miss Gu's uncle is an old miracle doctor, and he is now in our village."
A young man said, "Are you talking about the old blind man who lives under the elm tree on the hillside in our village? I saw him walking with this girl."
Who in the village doesn’t know the old blind man who seems like a madman and always has to treat people?
The people who had once seen hope fell into despair again.
What kind of illness can a blind person diagnose?
I've never heard that he was a miracle doctor in the past.
It seems that the village chief just wants to calm everyone down. His words cannot be trusted completely! Many people think so in their hearts.
That night, a strong smell of medicine wafted through Shitou Village.
Under the cover of night, apart from a few moments of tranquility, there are also surging undercurrents.
Gu Xixi watched the medicine being sprayed once, and it was already midnight when she returned to the village chief's house.
Village chief Zhao has not returned yet. He wants to take people to vacate the two large rooms in the ancestral hall to use as isolation residences for sick villagers.
He sent someone to tell her that he would be busy until dawn, so he told Madam Zhao not to leave the door open and to invite Miss Gu to rest early.
Madam Zhao gave Gu Xixi some hot water for washing, and she stood in the yard and listened for a while.
As he turned back into the house, he looked worried and said, "I just heard someone rummaging through boxes next door."
"Are they going to escape overnight?"
Gu Xixi wiped the water off her feet and said, "It is human nature to survive."
"It's normal for them to be afraid of death and want to escape to a safe place."
Madam Zhao sat down in a state of confusion, "Then...is there really no hope for our village?"
Although Gu Xixi wanted to say a few nice words to comfort her, the fact was...
She said calmly, "I don't know either."
"There's still a lot to do tomorrow, so let's go to bed early."
Gu Xixi only knew that if Shitou Village was finished, she and the old doctor might not be able to go back.
The bed and bedding were newly replaced by Madam Zhao. Gu Xixi never recognized a bed. No matter if it was in the mountains or on a luxurious soft bed, she could fall asleep as soon as she lay down.
After sleeping for an unknown amount of time, Gu Xixi was suddenly pushed awake.
Madam Zhao's voice trembled as she said anxiously, "Young lady, young lady, wake up! Something terrible has happened!!"
Gu Xixi sat up straight, took her coat and put it on, "What's wrong?"
"The soldiers are coming!" Madam Zhao started to cry. "I heard the entrance to the village has been sealed off!"
"Just now, several families wanted to leave the village, but they were blocked and forced back. Now there are people everywhere outside the houses. It's a real mess!"
Gu Xixi's heart skipped a beat, and she got off the ground and walked out quickly, "Let's go take a look."
Because there were only two women at home, Gu Xixi cautiously opened the door only a crack.
Looking through the crack in the door, I could see the flickering light of torches, the crying of children, and the cursing and pleas of adults as they struggled like trapped animals.
"I can't get out! I can't get out now!!"
"Are the government going to lock us all up in the village and kill us?"
"I heard that in some places, there was an epidemic in the past, and the government couldn't control it, so they set fire to the whole village!"
…
Gu Xixi closed the gate tightly and leaned against it with her chest heaving violently.
She had thought about this consequence before she came, but she didn't expect it to come so soon!
Are we really going to live and die together now, with no way back?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com