The Marquise: I Earn My Own Worship

"how come?"

Cheng Xi was a little speechless. He hadn't heard this word for many years. Waterworm disease was a pain that was difficult to talk about in the whole Nanyang.

Cheng Xi's grandfather, grandmother and parents all died of this disease. Nanyang is a water-rich city. Fourteen years ago, the people of Nanyang suddenly suffered from large-scale abdominal pain and died within a few days.

At that time, it was suspected that someone had poisoned the area, but this symptom appeared in all the towns and counties in the three counties of Nanyang. How many people died in Nanyang at that time?

At that time, Cheng Xi's family was in great shape. He started to have abdominal pain and died within a few days.

It was a miracle doctor who came specially and found out that people were suffering from water bug disease. When he cut open a beggar's stomach, he saw that the person was vomiting and had jaundice.

I saw that the beggar's stomach was full of worms. The worms had drilled through his intestines and many were still pouring out. The shape of his intestines could no longer be seen. It was full of twisting nematodes.

People at that time felt their scalps tingle, and many of them fainted after seeing it.

The miracle doctor said that these insects can only be burned with fire and cannot be completely eliminated by other methods.

If buried in the soil, these insects will eat the person completely and then drill into the water along with the soil.

At that time, cartloads of corpses were forcibly taken to one place for cremation. The people at that time protested fiercely. Everyone believed in being buried in peace, and they could not accept the fate of their loved ones having no remains left.

But as the number of deaths increased, the police brought people to dig open the stomachs of the corpses in the homes of those who protested. After those people saw the situation clearly, they stopped and accepted the reality helplessly.

In this way, anyone who died would be forcibly taken away for cremation, and even those who were originally buried would be dug out.

Cheng Xi was playing at his uncle's house at the time, and Cheng Fu was drinking water from his own well, so he escaped the disaster.

Someone in Cheng Xi's family had just died, and officials came to take the person away. Little Cheng Xi grabbed his mother's still warm hand and trotted after the officials pushing the cart to the crematorium.

The officer felt sorry for Cheng Xi when he saw that he was the only one left in the family, so he didn't chase him away.

After arriving at the crematorium, Cheng Xi was pulled aside by her uncle Cheng Fu. Cheng Xi cried and refused to let go of her mother's hand.

"Uncle, uncle, mother's hands are still warm. Uncle, mother, mother, please open your eyes and look at your child."

"Father, grandmother"

"Grandfather, don't go."

The little Cheng Xi tried to lean over there, but his hands were still pried apart little by little.

Just like that, Cheng Xi, who was only five years old, watched as his mother and others were doused in oil and burned to ashes.

Cheng Xi touched a jade gourd on his chest. It was the jade gourd his uncle had taken back with him when he grabbed a handful of ashes as a souvenir.

After they left, another group of people were pulled in. The streets were full of numb people. Cheng Xi still remembers some people holding bags or jars filled with thoughts.

"Didn't it all burn clean back then? Nothing happened for years, how could it happen suddenly?"

Cheng Xi's voice was hoarse and choked, perhaps because he was thinking of his parents, or because he was still in fear of the catastrophe that year.

Cheng Fu was surprised to see Cheng Xi's bloodshot eyes. He stepped forward and looked at Cheng Xi:

"Brother Xi, your eyes!"

Cheng Xi picked up the hot tea on the table and drank it down in one gulp. After swallowing a cup of hot tea, the coldness in his limbs was dispelled.

"Who knows? We only found out when people from Guiling came to the shop to buy materials."

"Hasn't this been spread?"

Cheng Xi calmed down and remembered the most important thing: why didn’t the capital receive the news?

"We didn't hear any news in Anping, or, or..."

Cheng Fu leaned close to Cheng Xi's ear and said:

"The man said he had a stomachache and asked where there was a pharmacy. I pointed it out to him. You know, stomachache is an unlucky word, and we locals don't usually say it. I noticed the man's eyes at the time."

When Cheng Fu said this, he felt his scalp tingling, and he felt a surge of fear in his heart when he thought of that person.

"Sure enough, the man's eyes were bloodshot, exactly like the symptoms of the disease back then. I even thought I saw nematodes."

Wang couldn't hold it in any longer. She was there at the time and she started retching when she recalled the scene.

Cheng Xi froze. After fourteen years, he appeared again!

"I was terrified at the time and quickly fled with your aunt and the others. The water in Nanyang was no longer drinkable. We didn't even dare drink water on the way here. Fortunately, it rained frequently, so we collected rainwater and boiled it before drinking it."

Seeing Cheng Xi still in a daze, Cheng Fu thought that his words had scared Cheng Xi.

"Brother Xi, what's wrong with you?"

"Uncle, does anyone else know about this?"

Cheng Fu patted Cheng Xi's shoulder and said comfortingly:

"Don't worry. I felt something was wrong, so I sent the waiters back. I also told the neighbors. It's up to them whether they believe it or not."

"I even sent people to the county government office, but the gatekeeper saw me and kicked me out. I didn't dare to shout in the street, so I had to go back."

Cheng Fu looked at Cheng Xi's face, and Cheng Xi's expression remained unchanged after hearing it.

"It's my duty, but since they've driven you away, forget it. Life and death are determined by fate."

Seeing that Cheng Xi didn't show any strange expression, Cheng Fu changed the subject and talked about other things.

"But a prince went to Nanyang later, and he seemed to know about it. The city was sealed shortly after we left."

Cheng Xi finally breathed a sigh of relief. It was good to know.

"Uncle, you guys just stay here for now. I'll ask someone to find a place to stay."

Cheng Fu heard it and nodded. Then he looked at the young man in front of him. His face was more and more like his mother. Cheng Fu felt a little nostalgic. He smiled with satisfaction and said:

"Brother Xi has really grown up. If your mother were still alive, she would definitely be overjoyed."

Cheng Xi always smiles heartily when he thinks of his mother in his memory.

"Mother loves to laugh the most."

Cheng Xi stopped thinking about it. He looked at his two cousins ​​who had grown a lot taller and asked about their studies.

After Cheng Xi left, the house, which had been bustling just a moment ago, became deserted.

Wang Shi looked at the few people who were silent. Thinking that Cheng Xi had returned to Duan Bo's house, but they were still staying in the inn, she felt a little uncomfortable and spoke:

"Xi'er is the same. Why would he take us to stay in an inn? Didn't he say he had a separate courtyard in the Bo's Mansion? He didn't even mention taking us to stay at the Bo's Mansion. Staying in an inn costs more. The Bo's Mansion is so big, it should be enough for our family to stay there."

"Shut up, you!"

Cheng Fu glared at Wang and pointed at her in disbelief.

"You are such a prominent figure, yet you still want to live in the Earl's Mansion. Living in someone else's cowshed is a compliment to you."

Mr. Cheng on the side spoke:

"Wang, if you don't know how to speak, then don't speak. Brother Xi is the teacher of the Bo Mansion. Who are you? It's a good thing you didn't say it in front of Brother Xi, otherwise you could have just gone back to Anping."

Wang was startled and asked herself why they were so angry.

She would never go back to Anping, not even if she was beaten to death.

"My daughter-in-law just said it casually. She would never say this in front of Brother Xi."

Wang looked a little sullen, she was really pissed. In the past, whenever she said anything bad about Xi Ge'er, she would be scolded.

It made her feel like an outsider, even though they were a family.