Chapter 59 Cholera

Chapter 59 Cholera

Jiang Yutang's heart tightened, and she instantly came to her senses.

With so many people simultaneously exhibiting symptoms of groaning and vomiting, could it be that they've all contracted some kind of illness?

She didn't dare to think too much and immediately got up, gently shaking Yun Shi beside her awake: "Mother, wake up, something seems wrong."

Yun was shaken awake from her sleep, and groggily asked, "What's wrong?"

The surrounding refugees were also awakened by the noise. Cheng Lanzhou frowned and said in a low voice, "You all stay here and don't move. I'll go check the situation."

“I’ll go with you.” Jiang Songzhi got up and went with Cheng Lanzhou.

"Hey!" Jiang Yutang tried to stop the two, but they were walking too fast.

She quickly stood up and said to Madam Yun and her two sisters-in-law beside her, "You stay here and don't go over there. It's too dangerous if it really is an infectious disease. I'll go over and check the situation first."

When Jiang Yutang quickly caught up with Jiang Songzhi and Cheng Lanzhou, the two were bending down next to a weak refugee and asking him about the situation.

The refugee's eyes were sunken, his cheeks an unhealthy sallow, and he spoke weakly and haltingly, saying, "Before I went to sleep... I felt unwell in my stomach, and I thought... I'd be fine after a good night's sleep, but unexpectedly... I suddenly started vomiting uncontrollably in the middle of the night, and I also had diarrhea..."

Before he could finish speaking, he suddenly bent over and vomited violently, the turbid vomit emitting a foul odor.

Jiang Yutang instinctively reached out, trying to pull the two of them back to avoid being splashed with vomit. But before her hand could even touch them, a sharp pain suddenly shot through her instep.

Cheng Lanzhou accidentally stepped on her foot!

She winced in pain, gasped for breath, and looked up to see Cheng Lanzhou merely glancing back at her indifferently, offering neither apology nor explanation, before turning back to check on the refugees' condition.

"you!"

Jiang Yutang was both angry and in pain. Taking advantage of his inattention, she quietly lifted her foot and stepped back on the tip of his shoe.

This time, Cheng Lanzhou was stunned. He turned to look at her in surprise, his eyes full of astonishment. He clearly hadn't expected her to retaliate on the spot.

Jiang Yutang didn't back down, glaring at him with an air of self-righteous indignation, as if to say, "Who told you to step on me first?"

The brief interlude between the two didn't last long before Jiang Songzhi suddenly asked, "Little sister, is there any record of this symptom in medical books?"

Jiang Yutang composed himself and carefully observed the refugees' condition. His lips were chapped but covered in cold sweat, and he was trembling as he clutched his stomach with both hands.

She glanced around and found that not all the refugees had symptoms; most were people who had rushed to drink well water during the day.

A thought flashed through her mind, and she blurted out, "Maybe...it's related to that well today?"

"Well water?" Jiang Songzhi raised his eyebrows slightly, his expression turning serious.

Cheng Lanzhou frowned and added seriously, "I found it strange before. This place is barren and there is a drought. The well looks ancient, but it seems like no one has used it for a long time. It's too abnormal."

His words made Jiang Yutang's heart skip a beat. A terrifying name instantly popped into her mind, and the hairs on her body stood on end, a layer of cold sweat breaking out on her back.

Seeing that her face was pale, Jiang Songzhi quickly asked, "Little sister, do you have any clue?"

Jiang Yutang's hands trembled as she gestured for the two to retreat to an empty space. Then, her lips quivered and her voice filled with fear, she said, "It's very likely cholera."

"cholera?"

The two were stunned at the same time, clearly not expecting it to be this disease.

The three stood in the open space for a long time without speaking. After a while, Cheng Lanzhou spoke up: "Let's go back and explain the situation to the others first."

Those who were waiting there immediately surrounded them when they saw them return.

Yun was the first to speak, her voice filled with anxiety: "How is it? What happened to those people?"

Looking at the worried looks in his family's eyes, Jiang Songzhi took a deep breath and slowly said, "It's highly likely they've contracted cholera."

These two words were like a stone thrown into calm water, and everyone fell silent instantly.

Zhu clutched the hem of her clothes anxiously and asked in a low voice, "What is cholera?"

Jiang Yutang took a deep breath, trying to calm herself: "This is a disease that can be transmitted through water and food. The symptoms are vomiting and diarrhea. It comes on suddenly and violently. If it's not treated in time, a person will quickly lose strength, and eventually..."

She didn't dare to continue, but everyone understood what she meant. On this road of exile where medical care and medicine were scarce, contracting this disease was almost tantamount to a death sentence.

"It should be the water from that well."

Upon hearing this, Mu Shi felt a chill run down her spine and tightened her embrace around Xiao Xiao, hurriedly asking, "Then, what should we do?"

Jiang Yutang's face darkened completely. She looked at the refugees who were still groaning and vomiting, her eyes filled with seriousness.

"Cholera is a huge problem. We must isolate the patients as soon as possible, otherwise it will infect more people."

"Contagious?" Madam Lin was also anxious. "This disease can kill people, and we don't have any medicine. If we really get infected, won't we just have to wait to die?"

Upon hearing that someone might die, everyone's unease reached its peak. Zhu Shi trembled with fear and clung tightly to Jiang Jiuzhe's side, gripping his clothes tightly.

Seeing her family's tense expressions, Jiang Huaiyu tried to comfort them: "Fortunately, we didn't drink that well water. As long as we don't come into contact with sick refugees in the future, keep our distance, and take precautions, we won't get infected."

"It's not that easy."

Jiang Shengan frowned and sighed, "The refugee caravans are already packed with people, and they are even closer together when traveling. If they are not completely separated, it is only a matter of time before they are infected."

His words struck a nerve with everyone, and for a moment no one spoke.

Seeing this, Cheng Lanzhou slowly said, "I'll go talk to the yamen runners and make them understand the seriousness of the matter so they'll be willing to cooperate with the quarantine."

“I’ll go with you.” Jiang Yutang turned to her family and instructed them, “Everyone, quickly pack your things and move to a safer distance, as far away from the refugee group as possible. Make sure they don’t get close to that area.”

Jiang Songzhi nodded emphatically: "Yes, please be careful."

The two hurried toward the place where the constables were resting, but before they got close, they heard a sound of vomiting.

Jiang Yutang tugged at Cheng Lanzhou's sleeve, then immediately let go, lowering her voice to remind him, "Cover your mouth and nose with your sleeve or a handkerchief. This disease can be transmitted through droplets, so be careful."

Cheng Lanzhou paused for a moment, then took out a pale yellow handkerchief from her bosom.

Jiang Yutang saw the familiar handkerchief, raised an eyebrow in surprise, pretended not to see it, and covered half of her face with her own handkerchief.

Upon closer inspection, they discovered that all four constables had collapsed. The thin constable, seeing the two women, grasped at a straw and hurriedly waved to them.

"Quick...come help us, we can't stop throwing up..."

Jiang Yutang carefully took a few steps forward, her tone serious: "I already know the situation. You most likely drank the water from that well during the day and contracted cholera."

"cholera?!"

The thin constable was instantly terrified; his already pale face turned completely bloodless. "Then... what do we do? Are we going to die?"

“Now is not the time to panic,” Jiang Yutang said calmly. “The most urgent task is to completely separate the sick and the sick into two groups. In addition, we must find a village or town to stay in as soon as possible and find a doctor to treat us. The longer this disease is delayed, the more dangerous it becomes, and the more people will be infected.”

The constables, no longer as arrogant as before, nodded hastily: "As long as you can cure our illnesses and save our lives, we'll listen to you! I'll go and call the refugees to gather again!"

Seeing the thin constable stagger to his feet, Jiang Yutang secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, the constables were also infected with the disease and knew fear; otherwise, given their previous attitude, they might not have been willing to cooperate.

She turned to look at Cheng Lanzhou, a hint of relief in her eyes: "Luckily, they were also infected, otherwise this would have been really difficult to handle."

Cheng Lanzhou looked at her, then looked away at the suffering refugees around them: "We need to be even more careful from now on. Isolation is only the first step; finding a doctor is the key."

Jiang Yutang frowned: "In this desolate wilderness, how easy is it to find a doctor? Even if we do find one, there's no guarantee he'll have the medicine."

The two remained silent. Suddenly, Cheng Lanzhou chuckled, his tone ambiguous, perhaps tinged with mockery. He lowered his eyelids slightly as he looked at her: "If you don't have it, why not just buy it from that mysterious merchant?"