Chapter 64 We Must Save Ourselves
Gu Xixi stood behind the door with her eyes closed. Suddenly, she raised her hands and clapped her cheeks...
Bang!
A crisp sound startled Madam Zhao.
"Girl, what are you doing..."
When Gu Xixi opened her eyes again, the fear she had just felt had disappeared, leaving only determination.
She took a deep breath and walked quickly towards the bedroom. "It's not time to panic and despair. We still have a chance."
Mrs. Zhao was inspired with great courage by Gu Xixi.
She calmed down and asked, "What can I do?"
Gu Xixi braided her long hair into a pigtail in front of the mirror and tied it tightly with a cloth band.
This hairstyle is simple and not cumbersome, and your hair will not easily fall apart even if you run or jump.
Gu Xixi glanced at Lady Zhao in the mirror and thought, "I'm not familiar with the terrain and customs of the people in the village. It's best for us to split up into two groups."
"You go find Village Chief Zhao. First, take out all the herbs from wherever you find them. Second, make sure everyone is calm. Do not force your way through the gates or get into conflict with the officials. Also,"
She thought for a moment and said, "It would be best to find out who came to seal off the village. Are they from the Qingtian County government or the nearby garrison troops?"
Madam Zhao said seriously, "Okay, I'll remember that."
Gu Xi continued, "I'll go find my uncle. Only by curbing the plague as soon as possible can we have the only chance to save ourselves."
The noisy people outside the door have dispersed, and no one knows where they went.
The two women went out together.
Madam Zhao gave the only tile-handled oil lamp in the house to Gu Xixi and used a torch to light the way herself.
The two looked at each other and nodded firmly.
Madam Zhao said, "No matter what, we will meet at my house tomorrow morning."
It's already midnight.
The old doctor was wearing a veil on his face and walking back and forth in the yard holding a large ladle that smelled of medicine.
There was no moon tonight and the yard was pitch black, but the old doctor didn't need to light a lamp.
Hearing the sound of the door being pushed open, he turned around and asked, "Is that Xixi?"
Gu Xixi stepped over the threshold and said with a smile, "How do you know it's me when you haven't spoken yet?"
The old doctor sighed, "Others would have run away long ago when they heard about the plague."
"Only you, a girl, insisted on going in, and I couldn't stop you."
Gu Xixi wanted to laugh, but couldn't.
No wonder as she walked along, she could hear faint noises from other directions of the village, but only this area was very quiet.
Gu Xixi walked to the old doctor with a lamp in hand, looked around, and asked, "I didn't hear any coughing. Is the patient feeling better?"
The old doctor shook his head, "Although the needle was inserted, the medicine was also taken."
"At the moment, all I can do is help him reduce his cough and let him have a good rest."
"As for the efficacy of the medicine, we have to wait until tomorrow to take two doses of the medicine to see the effect."
Gu Xixi looked at the other rooms again, "Where are the others? Have you seen them too?"
The old doctor whispered, "Nothing wrong has been found yet."
"I made some preventive herbal tea and I drank it with them."
"I know you're coming. There's some left in the kitchen. Go drink it quickly."
Not only that, several other people in the family were notified by Village Chief Zhao to go home and be quarantined.
The old doctor then directed the entire family to clean the house.
Find out all the tableware, water containers, and things in the kitchen and granary that may have come into contact with rats in the house, and either burn them or boil them in water to disinfect them.
Just before Gu Xixi came, the whole family had finished their work and went to bed.
After the old doctor finished fumigating the medicine, he poured the remaining medicine soup under the wall outside the house.
The master and the disciple squatted in the most ventilated place in the middle of the yard and talked.
Gu Xixi held a full bowl of medicinal tea and frowned every time she took a sip.
"I didn't expect the entrance to the village to be sealed off so quickly. The few herbs we brought won't even last until tomorrow."
"I have asked Village Chief Zhao to search for as many medicinal herbs as possible in the village, hoping to find some useful ones."
The old doctor has lived in Shitou Village for many years and of course he is aware of the difficulties involved.
Although Shitou Village is built on a hill, it is not like Huachidu Village, which is backed by mountains, so it is difficult to obtain local materials.
The old doctor said, "Medicinal materials are bound to be in short supply. We must make preparations early."
Gu Xixi asked, "So what have you decided to do?"
The old doctor looked up at the sky, as if trying to feel the distance that he could not see.
"I will go find the officials at the entrance of the village tomorrow morning. The plague has not yet broken out in Stone Village. If they want to stop the plague here, they should at least give them some medicinal herbs."
"But it will take time for them to go through various approvals and arrangements, so this matter should be dealt with as soon as possible."
Gu Xixi hesitated and said, "But you don't like dealing with government officials, so I'll go for you."
The old doctor said sternly, "Human life is more important, we can't care about these things."
On the other side, the people in Shitou Village found that they could not get out, so they had to calm down and listen to the arrangements of Village Chief Zhao.
In addition to catching and killing rats, we have also added guarding, spraying pesticides, and boiling medicine...
All the able-bodied people in the village were divided into groups and took turns working day and night.
Two strong men were arranged to guard outside the door of the house where Gu Xixi was staying.
According to the order of Village Chief Zhao, no one else is allowed to enter or leave except Gu Xixi and the old doctor, or with the personal permission of the two.
The old doctor and Gu Xixi were of course also extremely cautious.
The whole body is fumigated with medicine, and the mask must be taken off immediately and hands and face must be washed after stepping out of the door.
In order to minimize contact with other people, they decided to return to the old doctor's residence on the mountainside.
Gu Xixi said to the guard, "Please help me tell the village chief's wife that I will not be going to her house for the time being. If there is any emergency, please shout near the big elm tree."
"If it's not urgent, let's talk outside when we meet during the day."
The two guards covered their noses in fear and dared not speak, but nodded vigorously.
The old doctor’s house was so remote that we had to wait until the lamp oil was almost burned out before we got there.
Looking again, the eastern sky was already faintly bright.
There was no time to waste, so the old doctor asked Xixi to go into the inner room to rest, and he himself lay down on the table in the outer room.
The situation in the village may change suddenly at any time, so let’s take a good sleep while it’s still calm.
Otherwise, even the strongest man will not be able to endure it.
Because she was worried, Gu Xixi woke up after only about an hour.
But this one hour was very effective. She felt and had recovered her strength, but she was a little hungry.
The old doctor was still snoring, so Gu Xixi tiptoed out to see if there was anything to eat.
A calico cat jumped down from the tree and rubbed against Gu Xixi's skirt, meowing.
Gu Xixi also recognized it and bent down to touch it, "Xiaohua? Long time no see, you are still as round as ever."
The last time the old doctor left, Xiao Huang and Xiao Hui lost their reproductive ability after trying some medicine, and the rabbit Xiao Bai's injury had healed, so they were all released by the old doctor, leaving only Xiao Hua.
Xiaohua nudged Gu Xixi's hand with the top of her head, then turned around and meowed twice.
Gu Xixi followed Xiaohua to a wooden shed where there was a pot on an earthen stove. This should be the old doctor's simple kitchen.
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