Chapter 71: Chapter 71
Chapter 71
The village leader worked quickly. He used the excuse that the villagers would take care of themselves to reduce the burden on the physicians but still asked the physicians to prepare medicine for them. After they finished, someone would fetch the medicine, all to keep Yueqian’s secret.
Some villagers passing by were called by the village leader to help carry the sick to the empty land beside the old man’s house. However, due to the smell of excrement and vomit, they didn’t have the courage to stay long. Some were also afraid it was a contagious disease, so they left, leaving the village leader alone.
Once the people had left, Yueqian quickly brought out the medicine she had ground into powder for each person, starting with anti-diarrhea and anti-nausea medications. The villagers’ conditions were severe, and if left vomiting or defecating, they might die from dehydration.
After that, she gave them antibiotics and oral rehydration salts. Unfortunately, the department store didn’t have needles and IV bags; otherwise, she would have brought them out and used those too.
Once they had taken the anti-diarrhea and anti-nausea medications, the villagers began to calm down. Even the little children, exhausted, fell asleep. Yueqian handed rubber gloves to the younger siblings and her husband so they could help administer the antibiotics. Simply stopping the diarrhea wasn’t a real treatment, the way to help them was to let them have antibiotics on time.
She used oral rehydration salts instead of plain water to help their bodies recover, compensating for the loss of the water in their bodies. It took over an hour to complete everything.
The children had never encountered such a situation, and neither had Mu Heng. Fortunately, they wore masks covered with cloth to hide their unusual masks, so the smell entering their nose wasn’t too bad. Unlike the village leader who was looking from a distance, couldn’t bear it for long and had to retreat inside to breathe fresh air.
"Alright, we’re done. Let’s go wash our hands. Once they recover, they can take the medicine on their own. You all did very well today," Yueqian said, praising them for being skillful.
"Sister-in-law, are you a physician?" Huan’er asked, her eyes sparkling.
"Me? Not quite a physician. I just know some basic treatments," Yueqian said. In her previous world, such medical knowledge was widely shared. Moreover, there were many bookstores in the department store, and with ample free time, she often randomly picked up books to read. She had come across basic medical treatments often enough.
"Basic? Then... could Sister-in-law teach Huan’er?" the little girl asked hesitantly, fearing it might be too much to ask.
Normally, treatment method was a secret. To be taught by someone, one would have to formally become their disciple. Huan’er felt a bit shy asking her sister-in-law to teach her just because she was the little sister of her brother.
"Hmm? Does little Huan’er want to be a physician?" The beautiful woman raised her eyebrows, questioning the girl.
From the first moment she saw Huan’er eagerly helping the sick, she thought the child was remarkable. Despite her small size, she showed no disgust to the sick, handling them with care. She was a promising seedling for training.
Yueqian didn’t expect Huan’er to truly have a desire to learn medicine. Seeing the clear, bright eyes filled with determination, Yueqian felt an urge to bring out all her medical books right then and there!
"H... Huan’er, yes. Huan’er wants to be a healer like Mother. When Huan’er was little, Mother took great care of Huan’er. Even though our house didn’t have medicine, Mother knew many herbs and plants. When Huan’er had a fever, she entered the forest for just a short while and was able to gather herbsand ground them for me to eat. At the time, Huan’er told Mother then that Huan’er wanted to be a physician too. Sadly, Mother is no longer here to teach me," the little girl said, feeling sad.
Yueqian felt sorry for her. She gently stroked her hair with her small hand.
She acknowledged that she had some knowledge of poisons and healing, but these were subjects she needed permission from her teacher. Because such knowledge was confidential.
However, if her teacher didn’t allow her to teach Huan’er the skills she had learned, Yueqian still had many other options. She could look in the bookstore in the department store. They had numerous books on anatomy and basic medical treatments. No... They probably even had advanced levels. She hadn’t paid much attention before, so she hadn’t checked thoroughly.
When she had time, she would sift through the books and find some for the girl to learn from. That would be good.
"Alright, I will help little Huan’er. In the future, if I’m unwell and can’t take care of myself, I can rely on Huan’er to take care of this sister-in-law. Does that sound good?" Yueqian agreed readily.
Mu Heng, who had been discreetly listening to the conversation of those two, felt a bit guilty for not being able to help with this.
He had knowledge of healing and acupuncture, but it was a secret shared only between him and his mother. His mother even told him not to teach this to his younger siblings, as such knowledge could easily lead to death. Thus, Mu Heng could not share it with anyone.
Unless it was a desperate situation or a loved one was injured, Mu Heng would never use those secret skills.
His mother’s death..., along with his father’s, was tied to this secret, wasn’t it?
Looking at Huan’er, who resembled his mother in her eagerness to learn. If she learned healing, she would definitely use it to help others. Just like today—if not for Yueqian offering to help the villagers in order to use them in the future,
Mu Heng, despite knowing how to treat them, wouldn’t have stepped in to help.
Perhaps his mother had seen his own selfishness, which was why she had taught him the skills for survival but not his siblings, understanding that the two children would likely use them to help others!
"It’s almost noon. Let’s wash up and head home," Mu Heng said to the three of them.
Xiao Long nodded in agreement. Although he was interested in Yueqian’s healing techniques, he had no desire to learn to be a healer. He wanted to become a general, fighting villains and helping people. A job of caring for others, just letting others handle it.
The four of them walked back, passing by many soldiers whose conditions had worsened. Huan’er felt sorry for them, but she knew they weren’t trustworthy, so she pretended to look away to avoid seeing the thing that would make her sad.
There were no more important figures around. Even the women from the capital avoided staying there, repulsed by the foul smell and fearing it would cling to them. Liu Sun, who tried to create a reputation for herself, couldn’t stay either. The Young General, their master, pretended to inspect the surroundings, so naturally, no one else would stay either.
Fortunately, the food from the previous day was divided into three large pots. One pot, shared by soldiers and villagers, caused severe symptoms, but the other two were safe. Therefore, some people still followed the Young General to check on the bandits.
The women from the capital returned to their tents. They didn’t have to cook today because of the incident from the day before. They knew they were the cause, and with Yueqian’s blunt remarks, even reluctant soldiers had to consider it. Who would dare eat their food again?
"Soon, this area will become a breeding ground for disease," Yueqian whispered to Mu Heng, warning him to avoid the area.
The pathogens from the excrement and vomit would multiply, and it seemed there was no proper management. Flies swarmed around the soldiers, who didn’t even have the strength to shoo them away. Poor hygiene would turn non-contagious diseases into contagious ones.
"In that case..."
"I’m afraid they might take the easy route and dump the waste into the water. Burying it would take more time, but if they throw it in the water, it’s easier to manage. However, downstream..., people who consume the water will be at serious risk," Yueqian speculated.
She believed that soon this place would become a breeding ground for disease, growing more dangerous over time. Eventually, people wouldn’t know what else to do but dispose of waste in the water, thinking the current would carry it away.
But they might forget that many people downstream also use that water.
"So, what should we do?" Since their home was also downstream, Yueqian thought for a moment. She knew they needed to draw water from upstream instead, but would that raise too much suspicion?
If something happened later and people found out that Yueqian and Mu Heng had predicted it but didn’t warn them, those who lost loved ones would surely direct their anger at them!
"We need to ensure they don’t dump waste into the water and instead bury it," Yueqian suggested. But this method was time-consuming and required significant preparation, something people would be reluctant to do.
"Who would believe us? Even the village leader, he wouldn’t want to interfere with the soldiers’ decisions. Besides, many people would likely die by then. Who would listen to the words of villagers at that time?" Mu Heng responded.
"Then... let someone else speak," The young woman pondered for a moment.
This problem needed someone else to help manage it. Besides, since the Qin family wanted to visit here anyway, it would be better to involve them. After all, they could serve as witnesses to the relation between the heroine and the hero of the story.
Yueqian had guessed if, after the hero had the heroine, would he accept her as in the novel? This vile man might tell Liu Sun to pretend nothing happened.
And what could attract important figures to witness such an event?
Probably only something that could bring them benefits!
"Do you have a way?" Mu Heng raised his thick eyebrows.
He had no idea that Yueqian was thinking of attracting people from the dragon lineage to come here themselves. If they arrived, no matter how thick-skinned the Young General was, or how much the Qin family despised the Liu family, they would have to accept Liu Sun as a concubine.
Moreover, many villagers would not suffer due to their negligence.
"Leave this matter to me," Yueqian smiled slightly.
