A husband found in the village? I bought a regent for a penny!

The old doctor turned to Gu Xixi, "Xixi, you stay here with Madam Zhao."

After saying that, he didn't take the medicine box and went inside by himself.

Seeing that Zhao Niangzi seemed very worried, Gu Xixi comforted her, "We've come this far, let's just listen to him."

The coughing sounds coming from outside were heartbreaking. The family stood outside, supporting each other, their eyes filled with anxiety and unease.

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's expression so solemn, and her heart sank.

This time, I'm afraid I won't be as lucky as before.

The water was brought over quickly, but the old doctor didn't put his hand into the basin. Instead, he had Gu Xixi hold the basin and slowly pour the water out.

The old doctor rubbed his own medicated soap and rinsed his hands under running water.

When he washed his hands, no one in the yard spoke; only the sound of water and coughs coming from inside the house could be heard.

When the basin of water was used up, the old doctor straightened up, his withered, sunken eyes filled with sorrow.

"The pulse is indeed indicative of a plague, and combined with the symptoms, it is clear that the disease is caused by the filth of wild rats."

Before the family could understand, Zhao Niangzi exclaimed, "So it's diagnosed as the plague?"

The old doctor nodded.

When the elderly couple heard that their son had contracted the plague, their legs went weak and they could not stand up.

The eldest daughter-in-law supported her parents-in-law, crying as she said, "Father, Mother, you must hold on."

"Now that we have a doctor, the second son is young and strong, he'll be fine."

Although Gu Xixi was not a doctor, she knew some basic knowledge about the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases in later generations.

She whispered to the old doctor, "Now that it's confirmed to be an epidemic, not just in this courtyard, but throughout the whole village, we need to use the medicine you prescribed, either by fumigation or spraying."

"Family members of patients should also be separated from and isolated from patients for the time being."

The old doctor agreed, "You've considered things very thoroughly."

"The plague spreads very quickly. I'll stay and take care of the patients. As for the rest, you and Zhao Niangzi should go to the village chief and ask him to make arrangements as soon as possible."

"Especially when decocting and sprinkling medicine, you need to keep a close eye on it and not be careless."

When they arrived, the old doctor brought many herbs to ward off disease and purify the body, just in case.

Through burning and fumigation, or boiling and spraying, it became equivalent to disinfectants in later generations.

Such a big event, requiring the entire village to be sprayed with pesticide, could not be kept secret.

Village Chief Zhao simply called everyone in the village together and announced that someone in Stone Village had contracted the plague.

The crowd was in uproar, horrified, and incredulous.

According to local records, the most recent plague outbreak occurred 52 years ago.

Therefore, most people here have never experienced it; only a few have heard their family elders mention it.

It is said that the first symptom of the plague is a persistent cough, a burning fever, followed by coughing up blood, writhing in pain on the ground, and even blood beads appearing on the skin...

Someone clutched their head and screamed, "This is such a terrible disease! If you get it, you're doomed!"

"I don't want to get sick, I don't want to die!"

"Besides, this disease is an epidemic, it's definitely contagious. Won't it wipe out the whole family?"

Village Chief Zhao took a deep breath and roared, "Stop shouting!!!"

The whole place was quiet.

Village Chief Zhao looked around at everyone and said, "Who wants to get sick? Who wants to die? Nobody wants to!"

"So in times like these, if we want to save our lives, we must unite and no one can panic!"

When death approaches suddenly and without warning, a few words of encouragement obviously have little practical effect.

Village Chief Zhao then pointed to Gu Xixi and said, "This is Miss Gu from Huachidu Village."

"She came to help us despite the difficulties, but what about us? Are we just going to cry and wait to die?"

Gu Xixi felt a little embarrassed to be stared at by a group of people.

Fortunately, the villagers were finally somewhat moved. "Village chief, what else can we do in this situation?"

Village Chief Zhao said, "We have a lot to do, and I will make the arrangements later."

He paused, then encouraged everyone again, "Miss Gu's uncle is a renowned old doctor; he lives in our village now."

A boy 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 that old blind man who seems crazy and always insists on treating people?

Those who had initially seen hope were plunged into despair once again.

What kind of illnesses can a blind person diagnose?

I'd never heard of him being a miracle doctor before.

It seems the village chief is just trying to keep everyone calm; we can't believe everything he says! That's what many people were thinking.

That night, a strong smell of medicine filled the air in Stone Village.

Under the cover of night, besides a few moments of tranquility, there were also surging undercurrents.

Gu Xixi watched as the pesticide was sprayed once, and it was already midnight when she returned to the village chief's house.

Village Chief Zhao hasn't returned yet. He's going to lead people to vacate two large rooms in the village school to serve as isolation accommodations for sick villagers.

He sent word that he would probably be busy until dawn, and told Zhao Niangzi not to leave the door open, and to let Miss Gu get some rest.

Zhao Niangzi fetched hot water for Gu Xixi to wash up, and then stood in the courtyard listening intently for a while.

As he turned to go inside, a worried look appeared on his face. "I just heard the sound of people rummaging through drawers and cupboards next door."

"Are they planning to flee tonight?"

Gu Xixi wiped the water droplets off her feet and said, "The will to survive is human nature."

"It's perfectly normal for them to be afraid of death and want to escape to a safe place."

Zhao Niangzi sat down, her mind in turmoil. "Then... is there really no hope for our village?"

Although Gu Xixi really wanted to say a few kind words to comfort her, the truth was...

She said calmly, "I don't know either."

"I have a lot to do tomorrow, so I should go to bed early."

Gu Xixi only knew that if Stone Village was destroyed, she and the old doctor might never be able to go back.

The bed and bedding were all newly changed by Madam Zhao. Gu Xixi never had a problem sleeping in a particular bed; whether it was in the mountains or in a luxurious soft bed, she could fall asleep as soon as she lay down.

Gu Xixi was suddenly woken up by someone pushing her, not knowing how long she had been asleep.

Madam Zhao's voice trembled as she anxiously cried out, "Miss, Miss, wake up! Something terrible has happened!!"

Gu Xixi sat up straight, grabbed her outer garment, and put it on. "What's wrong?"

"The soldiers are here!" Zhao's voice was already trembling with tears. "I heard the village entrance has been sealed off!"

"Several families tried to leave the village just now, but they were all blocked from leaving. Now there are people outside their doors, and it's in an uproar!"

Gu Xixi's heart skipped a beat, and she quickly got out of bed and walked outside, saying, "Let's go take a look."

Since there were only two women at home, Gu Xixi cautiously opened the door only a crack.

Peering through the crack in the door, one could see the flickering torchlight, the cries of children, and the curses and pleas of adults struggling like trapped beasts.

"We can't get out! Now we're all stuck!!"

"Is the government going to lock us all up in the village to die?"

"I heard that in some places, when plagues broke out, the local government couldn't control it and set fire to the entire village!"

……

Gu Xixi closed the courtyard gate tightly, her back against the door panel, her chest heaving violently.

She hadn't considered this consequence before she came, but she didn't expect it to come so quickly!

Is it really a matter of sharing life and death now, with no turning back?