Daily life of farming and supporting a family on the ancient Loess Plateau

Chapter 609 Campylobacter jejuni

Ji Yongling smiled and looked at Ji Yongfei, saying, "Yongfei, tomorrow you dig out the fruit buried in the chicken manure pile, wipe it clean, and let it air dry. It must be completely odorless. I need to use it in a few days!"

Ji Yongfei nodded and said, "I guarantee it will be spotless, without a trace of dirt or odor."

Guowa asked, puzzled, "Sister Yongling, what do you need this fruit for? Is it for the bandits?"

Ji Yongling nodded; she planned to use Campylobacter jejuni to create a mass infection.

Campylobacter jejuni is a common bacterium in the intestines of poultry, and it can be found in piles of decaying chicken manure. Therefore, apples buried in such manure can become contaminated with Campylobacter jejuni, and even washing them is not enough to completely remove it.

This Campylobacter jejuni can cause a disease called Guillain-Barré syndrome. After onset, patients experience weakness in the limbs and sensory abnormalities, eventually progressing to respiratory muscle paralysis and death.

She once encountered a young man in her clinic who ate undercooked chicken breast. He was diagnosed with the disease after racing against death in the ICU for several days. He was on the verge of death several times and almost didn't make it in the end.

So this time, she wanted to use the Campylobacter jejuni bacteria in chicken manure to weaken the bandits' fighting ability.

Whether by force or in direct combat, Huo Zhenglian's disorganized force was no match for the bandits. She didn't want the local militia, who had gone to fight like her father, to perish at the hands of the bandits, so she had to resort to strategy.

She believed that, given the combination of smoke poisoning and Campylobacter jejuni infection, even the most ruthless bandits would not escape death.

……

Five days later, Ji Yongling set off for Bacunyuan again. She had agreed to remove Ma Chenfang's stitches that day.

Ma Chenfang was very satisfied with the healing of his back wound. Although he couldn't see it, he could feel that since the lump was removed, apart from the pain in the wound itself, his lower back and thighs had stopped hurting.

He really wanted to kidnap that girl and make her the village doctor, so that his brothers wouldn't have to pretend to be doctors when they wanted to see a doctor.

However, he wasn't in a hurry. He had plenty of time to waste on this Eight Inch Plain with the county officials and soldiers. He wanted to see who could outlast whom! He could capture the girl later!

The sun is still shining brightly today, and the sky is still very blue.

As Ji Yongling watched Ma Chenfang lead the bandits out of the fortress again, stepping over the fire once more, he shouted loudly, "Chief Ma, a true man keeps his word! Your wound has healed, and I'll remove the stitches today, and you'll be completely healed. Please bring the captured child with you!"

Ma Chenfang raised his hand, and the gate to the fortress slowly opened again. A dozen or so dolls with their hands bound behind their backs emerged from behind him. Seeing this, Ji Yongling nodded in satisfaction, signaling Ma Chenfang to come over and remove the bindings.

Ma Chenfang strolled over leisurely, as if taking a walk to clear her mind, and sat down on a small stool.

Ji Yongling looked at Ma Chenfang's back and saw that the wound was healing well. She quickly removed the stitches and said, "The stitches are out. This place is completely healed. You can ask your brother if you don't believe me."

Ma Chenfang remained silent. He nodded, stood up, and waved to his back. Ma Anliang immediately ordered his men to untie the ropes binding the children's hands.

The children, who had been locked up for several days, were fed some steamed buns every day, but they were all like frightened birds during those days of constant anxiety. Now that they knew they could finally be released, many of the children cried tears of joy.

As soon as the ropes were untied, the children rushed over, afraid that if they were too slow, they would be caught again.

"Come, come, let's step over the fire first, wash away the dust, and then eat a peace apple for good luck!"

Ji Manchuan and Ji Manqing lit a pile of dried cacti that looked similar to euphorbias, then dipped willow branches in water and swished them over the dolls while chanting. Finally, they distributed the green apples from the low table to the dolls one by one.

Ji Manqing said earnestly, "These fruits are a rare treat this season, so you must eat them clean. Our Doctor Ji calls these fruits the 'Peace Fruit,' saying that after you eat them, you'll be free from illness and disaster for the whole year!"

These children are from the village; how could they not know how precious apples are at this time of year? The apples on the trees aren't ripe yet, and even if they have apple trees at home, the adults wouldn't let them pick them to eat. But Uncle Ji gave them so many apples—how could they not be moved?

One of the older boys took a bite of the green apple in his hand. The crisp sound and the juicy, slightly fragrant juice made the other children swallow hard.

Ji Manqing said with a smile, "Eat up, eat up, eat everything! After you finish eating, you'll be safe and sound!"

Seeing this, the other dolls also picked up apples and carefully took a bite.

As Ma Chenfang was about to turn away, perhaps moved by the way the children were eating apples, or perhaps reminded of something from many years ago, he looked back at the children munching on apples, a hint of envy appearing in his eyes.

Seeing this, Ma Anliang bent down and picked up a slightly larger apple from the cage under the table. He wiped it on his sleeve a couple of times, took a bite, and nodded in praise: "Ningping apples live up to their reputation, they are indeed delicious! Juicy, crisp, and sweet!"

Even the bandits in the distance couldn't help but swallow hard. The weather was still scorching hot, and everyone wanted some fruit to quench their thirst and satisfy their cravings!

The bandit who had his tooth pulled earlier couldn't help but run towards Ma Chefang, saying, "Boss, I haven't dared to eat anything these past few days since I had my tooth pulled. Now, looking at these green, sweet fruits, they're making my mouth water!"

Ma Chenfang understood what he meant and nodded.

The bandit who had his tooth pulled immediately grinned and said to Ji Yongling, "Look, you've released the children, so share some of this fruit with us too!"

"No way!" Ji Manqing immediately refused. "These fruits were picked by the elderly in our village after much effort, searching from house to house, just so these children and those of us who did the work could eat them for good luck! What are you going to eat!"

The bandit who had his teeth pulled wasn't annoyed. He raised an eyebrow, pointed at the wall, and said, "You've probably forgotten, but there's still one member of your Ji family here!"

Ji Bawa, bound to the wall, had been exposed to the sun every day for the past few days, and he was about to vomit from the heat. All the villagers from other villages captured by the bandits had been released, leaving him alone, bound and suffering from the sun and hunger every day!

However, Ji Yongling, who was far away, seemed to have forgotten the existence of his cousin and made no mention of having the bandits release him.

He began to regret not having cultivated a good relationship with Brother Manchuan's family in the village, and he also regretted being so foolish as to steal the blueprints that night and deliver them there. If he hadn't run off to Zhao Family Village that night, perhaps he wouldn't be in such a miserable state now.

Now he's being tortured by the bandits, and he doesn't know when he'll be able to return to Niujiazhuang. He also doesn't know if his wife is alive or dead. Alas! For a woman to fall into the clutches of these bandits is likely to face dire consequences.