Priceless: A widow with a baby asks the prince to marry again

After returning to the base, Liu Rusi immediately urged everyone to take a bath and cook clothes. As long as there are still people infected with rats, the epidemic prevention measures cannot be relaxed for a day!

The two finished their dinner in silence.

Liu Rusi first went to see the guards weighing and soaking the wood ash they had collected today in water.

Yes, we need to continue making soap. Fifty kilograms of lard can make more than 200 soap bars, calculated at two taels of soap. It is enough for medical staff, but in order to prevent the plague from becoming serious in the future, it is better to make more. Soap is always useful anyway.

Seeing that the guards had memorized the proportions, Liu Rusi said, "Don't worry about this batch. You can soak the wood ash for two days before you start making it."

After feeling relieved after seeing this, Liu Rusi turned to look at the semi-finished products.

Putting it on the ground this morning was a temporary measure. A shed was built in the evening, and a six-layer bamboo rack was made. The bamboo tubes filled with soap were placed in rows on the rack.

Liu Rusi lifted some cotton cloth and saw that the soap was almost solidified. She breathed a sigh of relief. She was most afraid that the soap would dissolve too slowly and not be used in time. The alcohol consumption is very high now. Four bottles have been used up today...

After finishing all the work, Liu Rusi looked at Chu Shiyu and asked, "Any news about Xue Fei?"

"Not sure. The information my subordinates got was that a teenage girl wearing a mask entered a scholar's house and was not seen coming out." Chu Shiyu said coldly.

Although almost every household in the town has been issued masks, not many people are willing to wear them.

Liu Rusi was speechless for a while. A little girl who was not even twelve years old did not return home at night and lived in a scholar's house... If it was really Caiyun, she would probably intervene, but Yang Xuefei's calling her sister did not really fit the relationship.

"Well, then there's no need to look for her tonight." Liu Rusi said good night to Chu Shiyu and turned back to the big tent to rest.

Chu Shiyu felt a little uncomfortable watching the curtain fall. After spending a few months together, he already knew that Liu Rusi was a person who was difficult to get close to. She intended to accept Yang Xuefei as her sister, but now Yang Xuefei disappointed her.

The sky suddenly brightened, and the second morning arrived in Hemiao Town.

Liu Rusi woke up naturally as usual and did morning exercises alone in the spacious tent. A maid came in to help her wash up. Liu Rusi did everything herself except pouring the water, just like she did with Meihong and the others at the beginning.

After hurriedly having breakfast with Chu Shiyu, Liu Rusi rushed to the epidemic area.

Fully armed as always, when the group arrived, Doctor Ma, Li Chunfu and Doctor He, whose gown was grabbed by the patient yesterday, were all in the medical tent.

They wore masks and robes but no veils. It seemed that they really didn't like these things, so Liu Rusi could see that they were all frowning.

"Good morning, teachers. What's the matter? Why are you so frowning?" Liu Rusi said as she counted the alcohol bottles left here. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that all the bottles were complete.

Doctor Ma sighed first and said, "We all check each other's pulses in the morning. We just found out that Doctor Wu is ill, so we have asked him to go back to his room in the inn to take medicine and rest."

Liu Rusi's heart, which had just relaxed, began to tighten again. She asked softly, "But those who are sick but have not developed an illness? That should be fine. Half of the previous sick people were cured without developing an illness."

"But two people have fallen ill, and eleven sick people were diagnosed yesterday, and there were even three who fell ill without being diagnosed." Doctor He shook his head and sighed.

Liu Rusi looked solemn. The plague has only just begun to break out! The incubation period of the plague is generally 1 to 6 days. People infected before the town is closed will continue to be sick! But more importantly, we must ensure that the plague does not spread further!

"Will anyone in the neighborhoods outside of this epidemic area become sick or carry the disease?" Liu Rusi asked a more worrying question.

Generally, towns are divided according to roads, usually into four areas. Hemiao Town is not big, with only four blocks, and the current epidemic area is the East District.

"Although the town is not big, there are a thousand households here. We can't take the pulse of everyone one by one, right? We haven't checked all the people in the epidemic area yet!" Li Chunfu scratched his head in annoyance.

"That's definitely not the case. But if there are people who are sick, can we find a way to get them to report it voluntarily?" Liu Rusi asked.

"Then I'll have someone add another rule: if someone fails to report an illness, the entire household will be executed."

There had been plague during Chu Shiyu's previous disaster relief efforts, but the situation was already serious when it was discovered. So the iron-blooded policy was directly used at that time, and the effect was very significant.

Several doctors looked solemn, but did not object. This method was not uncommon in this era.

There were even more cruel ones, which was to seal off the entire village or town and not send anyone to treat it, leaving it to fend for itself. In fact, Prince Duan discovered the plague in time and summoned people to treat it. Several doctors who responded to the call thought that Prince Duan was kind-hearted.

But Liu Rusi, whose soul came from the modern world, could not accept this approach. She thought quickly and said, "It's not that serious yet. Execution should be used as a last resort... Why not let the residents know the dangers of the plague first, and report it voluntarily so that good doctors can treat it. I guess most people value their lives, right?"

Li Chunfu rolled his eyes at her and said, "There are many people who are confused. It's not like others will believe whatever you say. Maybe they think others are deceiving them, and that being locked up means waiting to die."

"How about having people report it? If someone finds someone is sick, the reporter will get a reward?" Doctor He suggested.

"No, since ancient times, killing innocent people for credit is not uncommon. There is no guarantee that there won't be people who deliberately make others sick in order to get rewards." Chu Shiyu firmly objected.

Liu Rusi nodded silently. Never underestimate the evil of human nature. She changed direction and suggested: "Why not reward the patients who report themselves? For example, give two taels of silver to each patient who comes."

“You can reward those who report themselves, but you can’t reward so much.”

Liu Rusi showed a strange look under her veil. Two taels is too much for you, Lord Duan? She knew that the 100,000 taels of relief silver had not been used much.

As if sensing her gaze, Chu Shiyu took the initiative to explain: "It is inevitable that there are elderly people from poor families who voluntarily or are forced to come to get money."

"There was a case in the Dali Temple. An old woman had her legs broken by a nobleman's carriage. Later, it was found that she had deliberately rolled over. There were witnesses and evidence, and the old woman could not deny it. When asked why, she said that she was too old and weak to work, and her life was useless. It would be better to exchange some money for her grandson to marry a wife. At the beginning, she was going for her own neck."

The three doctors had never heard of such a thing. Liu Rusi was also extremely surprised. Most of the elderly people who commit fraud nowadays have this kind of mentality, but they are not aiming to die... But on second thought, it may also be due to the times. If there are no casualties but they want to extort money from the rich, they will probably be beaten to death directly.

As they were discussing, Liu Rusi suddenly caught a glimpse of two townspeople on the street furtively trading a basket of vegetables.

Liu Rusi first asked, "These past two days, we have had people transport rice to sell at a low price. Do you have any vegetables or meat available?"

"Everyone in the town has a yard, and many of them grow vegetables. It is enough for self-sufficiency in a short period of time..." Chu Shiyu did not even consider dealing with this problem. Whether it was disaster relief or marching to war, as long as there was food to keep from starving, it was enough.

But it is not difficult to satisfy her wish: "I can arrange another vegetable cart tomorrow, and those who need it can buy it."

"Yeah, that's great!" Liu Rusi praised first, then suggested: "How about we reward those who report it with meat? People eat less meat, but they shouldn't get sick for a bite of meat. In addition, how about providing eggs to those families who are sick and carrying diseases every day according to the number of people?"

"No! Eggs conflict with diseases!" Li Chunfu objected angrily, with his eyes full of wonder, how come you don't even understand this?

Liu Rusi was neither anxious nor annoyed, and asked humbly: "How about duck eggs? Or pork?"

Hearing her kind attitude, Li Chunfu calmed down unconsciously: "Duck eggs are fine, fatty meat is not allowed, and a little lean meat is edible... Why do you have to feed them fishy food?"

"Being sick is the most torturous thing. Eating some meat and eggs to build up your strength may help you get better faster." Liu Rusi tried her best to avoid using Chinese medicine terms, otherwise she would definitely be criticized.

Li Chunfu did not scold. In fact, most doctors know that eating well when you are sick can replenish your body, but they often ignore this point.

Do ordinary people rarely eat meat because they don’t like it? If they are asked to eat and drink well for a minor illness, they will definitely not eat meat, but if they are seriously ill…

"Distribute duck eggs and lean meat to the patients alternately every day... It's of no use, but if they die of the illness, at least they can still eat something good before they die." Li Chunfu sighed.

After several people discussed for half an hour, the people in Hemiao Town received bad news: First, anyone going out in the town must wear a mask, and they can only take it off when sitting at the table in restaurants, teahouses, etc. Violators will be punished with twenty strokes of the cane.

Second, those who are sick must report it. Those who conceal it will be executed without treatment, and those who are not sick in the same household will be imprisoned in a wooden prison and perform forced labor after the epidemic. As for those who report it behind their backs, they can eat meat, but no one pays much attention to it...

After the discussion, the doctors went back to their respective posts, while Liu Rusi gave careful instructions to the maids who came with them.

Yesterday, she followed the doctors and nurses to disinfect, and these little girls were also there, and they all took turns to follow her to learn how to do it. Now that several nurses can cooperate, Liu Rusi plans to hand over this work to the maids.

She went to make another batch of alcohol. Even if the soap could be produced before the alcohol was used up, alcohol was still indispensable. It should be said that the two things would be more effective when used together.

Liu Rusi still didn't want the alcohol to spread, so she didn't want to go back to the base and do it in front of the guards and servants. For this reason, Chu Shiyu directly booked a wine shop.

The guards were guarding the lobby of the tavern, while Liu Rusi and Chu Shiyu were busy in the kitchen at the back.

Liu Rusi was an expert at using local materials, and there were all kinds of bottles and jars in the wine shop. She quickly put together two sets of equipment that could be used, and used one stove and two pots to make wine at the same time. Jars of wine from the wine shop were moved out of the kitchen...

The two of them had experience from last time, so they cooperated better. They worked from 1:15 pm to 3:15 pm and produced twice as much alcohol as last time.

"Take a break and have lunch."

Chu Shiyu extinguished the fire in the stove and helped Liu Rusi put the stopper on the wine jug. Since they were sure it would be used soon, there was no need to seal it with wax.

A short break is for higher efficiency. Liu Rusi nodded and covered the two pots of water used for water bath heating, so that it would take less time to reheat them later.

Walking out of the kitchen, Liu Rusi couldn't help but take a deep breath of fresh air. She really hated the smell of alcohol...

Chu Shiyu wiped the sweat from his forehead. Since they were just two people in private, he took off all his costumes. However, the fire in the kitchen was boiling and the water was steaming, which was really torture in this summer. If he didn't want to stay with Liu Rusi, he would have left long ago!

However, because he could be alone with Liu Rusi, he was still looking forward to the afternoon production.

Lunch had been prepared in the lobby. It was simpler than usual, but there were still five dishes and a soup. However, both of them had no appetite and could feel full after smelling the alcohol... They both put down their chopsticks after eating a little and drank the herbal tea that had been prepared in advance.

After sitting for a while, Liu Rusi was about to go in and continue her struggle, when she caught a glimpse of a little girl dodging at the door of the tavern. The guards did not stop her, but she did not dare to come in. It was Yang Xuefei, who had not returned home all night.

"Xue Fei, come in and have some cold tea. It's very hot outside." Liu Rusi said gently.

Yang Xuefei walked in with small steps and said in a barely audible voice: "Sister Si, I forgot the time yesterday... Please punish me..."

Liu Rusi narrowed her eyes slightly, then opened them again, smiled faintly and said: "If you want to talk, just tell me first, how did you forget the time, and what happened?"

"I went to find my sister's fiancé... Brother Ruan Qing said... many people have sued the Zhang family recently, and he wanted to seek justice for my sister... But robbing a woman is a personal crime, and only family members can sue. Now I am the only one left in the Yang family, but I am a slave now..."

Yang Xuefei took out a piece of paper from her sleeve, unfolded it and held it in front of Liu Rusi. It was a complaint.

"I beg the prince and madam to show mercy and release sister Xue Fei. I have nothing but ten taels of silver. I hope madam will accept it!"

A scholar was kneeling outside the tavern, his head bowed to the ground, and his face could not be seen because of the mask he was wearing, but his figure revealed a sense of desolation.

Liu Rusi has always been a sensitive person, but for the first time, she felt uncomfortable but didn't know why she was uncomfortable...

"You can release her, but you don't need to pay ten taels. According to the price she sold herself for, two taels will be enough."

Liu Rusi looked indifferent at first, then smiled and said, "The epidemic is serious recently, and people are not allowed to go out of Hemiao Town. I haven't brought my indenture to the town yet. I will take my indenture and leave the town after the lockdown is lifted."

"Thank you, ma'am!" The scholar immediately looked up in surprise. The only part of his face that was revealed was his delicate eyebrows, but his skin was pale and dark under his eyes. This was definitely not the result of just one or two days of depression.

"Well, I still have things to do. You guys go back first. Don't go out unless you have to, so as to avoid contracting the plague." After Liu Rusi gave the instructions, she turned around and went to the kitchen.

Yang Xuefei followed for a few steps, then looked back at Ruan Qing, and then followed Liu Rusi.

Liu Rusi noticed it and turned to look at the little girl with a gloomy gaze. She looked at her like that for a few breaths. The little girl shrank her shoulders in panic, and the scholar outside the door had already stood up and left.

"Do you like that scholar?" Liu Rusi asked quietly.

Yang Xuefei's face flushed immediately, and she hastily denied, "No... Brother Ruan Qing is my sister's fiancé... They are childhood sweethearts, but my sister..."

"Did you stay at his house last night?"

"Yes…"

"Why don't you come back? The town is not big, and it only takes a quarter of an hour to get back to the base."

Yang Xuefei looked up and met Liu Rusi's eyes that seemed to see through her. She hurriedly lowered her head and stammered, "Brother Ruan Qing is drunk... I stayed to take care of him... When I came to my senses, it was past curfew..."

Chu Shiyu, who was listening silently, couldn't help but glance at the side. The curfew was correct, but he had already told her that if Yang Xuefei wanted to come back, no one would stop her, and they would even escort her back to the base. Even if she tried to walk a few steps outside, she would know that the curfew would not work on her!

Liu Rusi looked at Yang Xuefei with a look of pity, and sighed slightly, saying, "Xuefei, you are not even twelve years old yet... You have been stripped of your citizenship and sought justice for your sister. Then what? Do you have any plans for the future?"

Yang Xuefei lowered her head and said in a barely audible voice: "If I can avenge my great vengeance... I hope Brother Ruan Qing will stop drinking to drown his sorrows... and be less depressed..."

The last few words were spoken too softly, and Liu Rusi could only vaguely hear the three words "I want to replace my sister", but she also understood what she wanted to say.

Liu Rusi looked at Yang Xuefei with a complicated expression. It was not uncommon for sisters to marry the same man in Daxia, and it seemed reasonable for the elder sister to die and the younger sister to marry... But this was not the main reason that made her uncomfortable.

Her sense of smell was sharp, and she could smell the alcohol on every inch of the scholar's clothes, but Liu Rusi could not feel disgusted, because it seemed that every inch of it was filled with an indelible sadness...

Why did Yang Xuefei think she could replace Yang Liuyi? How could she soothe the madness in those pretty eyes...

But Liu Rusi thought again, maybe it is possible?

Yang Liuyi and Ruan Qing are childhood sweethearts, isn't Yang Xuefei the same? Perhaps in order to take good care of her beloved blood sister, Ruan Qing can also cheer up, and one day, family affection will breed love...

"You can continue to follow me these days, but I have things to do now and can't take you with me."

Liu Rusi quickly came to her senses and put her mind back into her busy work. As she walked towards the kitchen, she said, "You can change your clothes and go to the epidemic area to help, or you can go back to the base first..."