After the meal, Lin Yinan became restless and unable to sit still.
She simply went outside the city gate to see if Yun Dong had returned.
Just a few steps from his house, he ran into Yunye, Yundong, and Yunsan, who were returning from the military camp.
"Sister-in-law, why are you out here?"
Seeing the solemn expressions on their faces, Lin Yinan didn't answer. Instead, she asked, "What happened?"
Yunye looked towards Yunsan.
Yun San: "Madam, this afternoon the Deng family sent word that many of the refugees gathered in Cangwu County have died from the epidemic, and many people in the city have also developed the same symptoms as the refugees. I'm afraid the situation is not good. I rushed back as soon as I received the news."
Upon hearing that he had rushed back from Xihe, Lin Yinan did not rush to inquire about other details.
“None of you have eaten. I’ve left some food for you. We can talk in detail after you’ve eaten.”
Upon arriving at the Yun family's residence, Lin Yinan told them to go back first, while she went to the Lin family's residence next door.
Lin Yiheng didn't rest after eating; he was also waiting for Yun Dong to return.
His second uncle, Lin Shuo, sat with him in the living room by the stove.
Lin Yinan pushed open the door and entered. He immediately stood up from his chair. "Yun Dong is back?"
"Brother, the situation is not good. Call them all to the Yun family."
"Okay, I'll go right away." Lin Yiheng nodded.
At the Yun family home, Yun's mother hadn't rested yet. Fearing there wouldn't be enough food, she started a fire again and stir-fried some simple vegetarian dishes for the three of them.
Over the years, it has become a habit that the three of them always eat very quickly.
Yunmu sat beside them, feeling heartbroken, and kept putting food on their plates.
"Eat slowly, you should eat more vegetables."
"Mother, it's cold, go and rest. We'll clean up the dishes ourselves," Yunye advised.
"No rush, Mother is old and a light sleeper, she can't sleep for that long."
Hearing someone come in, Mica peeked out from the kitchen.
Lin Shuo greeted her with a smile, "Mother-in-law, I'm so sorry to bother you so late."
"Second Uncle, it's alright. Please go and sit in the reception room first. Yunye and the others will be here as soon as they finish eating."
Knowing that Lin Shuo had come so late, Yunmu knew he must have something to discuss, so she picked up the hot water that was warming on the stove and left the kitchen.
Lin Yinan turned on the lights in the living room, took the kettle from Yunmu's hand, and said softly, "Mother, you should rest now. I'll clean up the kitchen later."
"It's alright, there are only two bowls, and there's hot water warming in the pot."
Yunmu waved her hand at her; she wasn't the kind of twisted old woman who liked to torment her daughter-in-law.
Back in the kitchen, Yunye and Yundong had already finished eating and put down their bowls. Yunsan poured the last bit of rice into the soup and ate it all up.
In less than fifteen minutes, all of Longtan's senior management personnel had arrived.
Lin Yinan gestured to Yun San to relay the message from the Deng family to everyone.
Everyone gasped upon hearing this; they were all refugees, and if they were to contract the plague, not one in ten would survive.
After Yun San finished speaking, he went to Yun Dong.
"About thirty miles outside the city gate, on the official road, we found a group of about two or three hundred refugees. Because there were guards in the group, we didn't dare to get too close. However, it seemed that someone was leading the group. We just didn't know if they were from the same village or if they were a temporary group."
Lin Yinan frowned, her expression becoming even more serious and calm. "Have you discovered if they are sick?"
"Most people seem to have a cough."
Everyone's hearts skipped a beat.
"Are they from Cangwu County?" the clan chief asked hurriedly.
"We didn't stay long enough to find out more details."
Yun Dong lowered his head in shame. The key issue was that those people were too vigilant, and they almost got discovered.
After discussion, everyone agreed that the city gates would not be open starting tomorrow morning, and that an additional 500 soldiers would be dispatched from the mountain to guard the city gates.
Lin Yinan estimated in his mind that it was more than 30 li, and it would take about an hour and a half to walk normally. Even if the refugees did not travel fast, they would definitely arrive in Longtan County around noon.
Considering that only Doctor Lin was in the city, after the meeting, Yunye immediately sent a message by carrier pigeon to Yunwu in Longtan, asking him to set off overnight and return to Longtan as soon as possible.
The facts were just as Lin Yinan had guessed.
At the end of the Si hour, which is around 9 to 10 o'clock in modern time, the guards on duty at the city gate discovered the anomaly on the official road.
"Lord of the City, look over there!"
Lin Yinan raised her binoculars and looked in the direction the guard was pointing.
Then I saw a group of refugees, dragging their tired and thin bodies, with their families in tow, supporting each other as they walked forward with difficulty, their faces filled with despair and numbness.
"Look! We've arrived at Longtan!"
Someone in the group shouted something.
When everyone saw the towering city walls, their eyes shone with a longing for life.
Perhaps due to excessive excitement, their frail bodies could not withstand the overwhelming emotions, and most of them bent over and coughed violently.
Yunye and Yundong, who were on the city wall, frowned when they saw this scene.
These refugees are clearly sick!
At this moment, several men carrying sticks stepped out from the group of refugees and said fiercely to the others, "We're almost there, what are you dawdling for?"
"It's them?"
Lin Yinan then found the people she had met the day before in the group of refugees.
Yunye asked with a puzzled look, "Sister-in-law, have you seen them before?"
Lin Yinan stared straight ahead, a layer of frost unconsciously settling into her eyes.
"The other goat we hunted yesterday was snatched away by that man with the stick."
Yun San instantly recalled the delicious mutton from last night. It turned out that Madam had personally gone to get it. Did these ungrateful bastards have the guts of bears and leopards?
They even dared to steal the lady's things!
Yun San's eyes flashed with killing intent.
"Second Master, look, those refugees all seem to be sick." Yun Dong, with his keen observation, quickly noticed something amiss.
Yunye: "Could they be refugees from Cangwu County?"
"It's possible. Some time ago, bandits occupied Nanzhou Prefecture and drove many refugees to Cangwu County."
In the blink of an eye, the group arrived at the city gate.
Immediately, someone stepped forward and shouted, "Open the door! We've come to seek refuge with Lord Longtan City, let us in at once!"
Yunye and Yun San glanced at Lin Yinan without making a sound.
"The city gates are closed. Please leave immediately and do not linger here," the gatekeeper shouted.
They were closer, so Lin Yinan could see them more clearly.
The refugees were thinly dressed, and in the cold weather, the capillaries under their skin would constrict, causing their skin to turn pale.
Although the refugees were filthy from head to toe, the skin on their exposed heads and necks had an abnormal flush.
Some people in the group were coughing softly from time to time.
“They are very likely infected with the disease!” Lin Yinan told them what she had observed.
Yunye's face darkened. "Where did you come from?"
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