213 Pregnant With Ghosts
Chuchu would not bother with these things.
By evening, she and Xie Heng would take Xie Jun with them and leave Lengshui Village.
It only took them one night to arrive at the Mingan Province.
However, Mingan Province was even larger than Guangqing Province.
So Xie Heng rented a carriage for the journey to Yuyun County,
Chuchu prepared all the needed medicine for the big belly disease in advance. After packing it in the box, she rushed to Yuyun County.
They didn’t stop on the way. Lunch was even finished in the carriage.
The coachman drove the carriage at top speed, and by evening, they finally arrived at the county town of Yuyun County.
Xie Jun was dispirited and pale from the bumpy journey. They had to stay in the county overnight and leave for Qiaoyi Town tomorrow.
When the bartender served the meal, Chuchu inquired about the big belly disease in Qiaoyi Town.
The second he heard of it, his expression changed abruptly. He hurried to look around at the door. After making sure no one heard of it, he came back to Chuchu and said at half volume, “Young lady, do not ask about such things. You could be arrested for it.”
“Why?” Chuchu asked, somewhat puzzled.
“Officials do not allow us to talk about it. They will arrest those who discuss it.”
“Bartender, I am a doctor. A friend wrote me to come over here. Can you tell me about Qiaoyi Town?”
“You are a doctor?”
The bartender had a look of disbelief.
Chuchu looked so young. How could she be a doctor?
He would believe her more if she said her husband was one.
“Young lady, it is not the time to joke now. I can only say, do not inquire about Qiaoyi Town, and do not go there either. Otherwise, you will surely die if you catch the disease.”
Hearing this, Chuchu knew that the situation in Qiaoyi Town was even more severe than Qiao Heting had told her.
The authorities had probably already sealed off Qiaoyi Town. The fate awaiting the folks of Qiaoyi Town was likely to be burned to death.
“Isn’t there a doctor who can cure it?”
“If there were, it wouldn’t end up like now. Alas, young lady, you should stop asking around and stay away from there.”
Finishing this, he hurriedly ran away, fearing she would relentlessly question him.
Xie Jun seemed about to understand. “Brother, sister-in-law, is there a plague in Qiaoyi Town?”
“Not really. Human-to-human transmission is called plague.”
Blood Bug Virus was a human-animal transmission disease. People would not infect each other in daily contact, which was not the same as the early flu in Yuanjiang County.
“Then why did the bartender make it so appalling?”
“Because it’s something unknown.”
“Then do you have a solution?”
“We must check the patient first to know if it can be cured.”
Xie Jun was suddenly full of worries.
He hadn’t even forgotten now that he had almost been burned to death by fire.
“Don’t look so sad. I will be there for you even if the sky is falling.” Xie Heng smiled and rubbed Xie Jun’s brow. “You have to trust your sister-in-law.”
Xie Jun looked at Chuchu eagerly. “You must have a way, right?”
“I’ll do my best.”
“I hope you can save them.”
Xie Jun secretly prayed for the people in Qiaoyi Town, hoping they would survive the disease.
Young as he was, he did not want to see such casualties.
“Let’s not spend the night in the town and go directly to Qiaoyi Town. One less night of delay may save one more life. Brother, sister-in-law, I can hold up.”
“Now it’s late. Even if we want to keep going, it’s unsafe. Your sister-in-law and I took turns carrying you on our backs last night, and we’re tired. We need to get a good rest before we leave for there tomorrow.”
Xie Jun was getting anxious when hearing this.
“Then we’ll go tomorrow and have a good rest tonight.”
“Well, finish your dinner now.”
Xie Jun hurriedly began eating the rice in bit bites, trying to finish it early so that his brother and sister-in-law could rest.
They asked for two rooms. Xie Jun was still young, so he shared the room with Xie Heng, and Chuchu had a separate room.
After a good night’s sleep, they paid the bill and left for Qiaoyi Town the following day,
The closer to Qiaoyi Town, the more tense the atmosphere.
Most of the people were coming from Qiaoyi Town to the direction of the county.
Only the group of Chuchu was heading in the opposite direction from them.
Chuchu asked several people on the way, but details were scant, and they were unwilling to mention Qiaoyi Town.
As they approached Qiaoyi Town, there was already a barrier set up by the government officials, forbidding all to enter or leave.
Chuchu made the excuse of visiting her parents and gave the official some silver, so they successfully went in.
The three of them had not gone far when they heard the officials behind them mocking and laughing.
“They’ll only get themselves killed. Others tried every means to escape from Qiaoyi Town, but they paid to get in.”
“Why do you care so much about them? It’s hard to hold back a man who’s meant to run into something terrible. They asked for it. The money is enough for us to eat a good meal.”
“Alas, do you think those ghost fetuses in Qiaoyi Town will escape and make trouble? I am always feeling anxious. It is said that more and more people are pregnant with ghosts.”
Chuchu looked at them, frowning.
She did not want to bother with these people.
After all, the lives of the people of Qiaoyi Town were more critical.
The magistrate of Yuyun County was quite interesting.
He did not find doctors to cure the disease. Instead, he allowed the spread of such nonsense.
Pregnant with ghost fetuses?
“I’m afraid the people at the county courthouse were those who were pregnant with evil intentions,” she thought.
Xie Jun said quietly, “Sister-in-law, is there a ghost?”
Chuchu answered, “Of course not. It’s all made up by the treacherous people. If gods and ghosts existed in the world, there wouldn’t be so many people suffering.”
Xie Heng said, “Junjun, even the real evil ghost is not as scary as the human. You must remember, in the future, even what you see with your own eyes is not necessarily true. You have to judge with your mind.”
Xie Jun nodded. “I see.”
As they entered Qiaoyi Town, they felt panic and despair everywhere.
No one had a smile on their face. Their expression was either numbness or fear; some were even bawling, cursing heaven’s injustice!
Why did they have to be punished like this in Qiaoyi Town?
For the arrival of three strangers, no one was willing to take a different look at them.
In such an atmosphere, even a healthy person would be driven crazy.
Xie Jun was also frightened and clutched Xie Heng’s hand tightly.
“Don’t be afraid.” Xie Heng gently reassured Xie Jun. “You should remember what you saw with both eyes today, and whatever decision you make in the future, think about the people of Qiaoyi Town.”
“Why?”
“Because when you are recovered, you will also have your ambitions.”
Although Jun Xie did not understand why Xie Heng said that, he had always listened to Xie Heng and believed that Xie Heng would not harm him, so he gathered the courage to see the present Qiaoyi Town.
Chuchu walked into the forefront with the medicine box on her back.
Finally, she saw a beggar with a bulging stomach lying in the corner of the house. People would believe he was dead if not for the still slightly heaving chest.
Not minding his filthy body at all, she walked up and took the beggar’s hand to check his pulse.
The beggar found someone touching himself, struggling to open his eyes.
Only to see a beauty like a fairy in the painting looking at him, he exhausted his last trace of strength to make a sound. “Are you a fairy?”