Outbreak of Plague?

After the incident at the pharmacy, Shunxing slowly closed the door. The heavy wooden door creaked as it closed, signaling the temporary suspension of business at the pharmacy.

Inside, the light dimmed slightly, leaving only Shunxing, Wei Lan, Liu Mingyi, and Sanqi in the room. Their gazes all fell on the jar of medicine provided by Old Zhang on the table.

Liu Mingyi picked up the prescription from Old Zhang, gently rubbing the yellowed paper with his fingers, carefully inspecting it, looking for any clues. His brow furrowed slightly as he slowly said, “The Du Huo Ji Sheng Decoction is undoubtedly correct, the combination of ingredients is appropriate, there are no components that would induce diarrhea, nor any tendencies toward purging.”

Next, Liu Mingyi leaned closer to the jar, squinting his eyes, and under the soft light entering from the room, he carefully observed the color of the medicine. The decoction appeared deep brown, rich and pure, just like any medicine brewed before, without any cloudiness or unusual colors.

He then brought the jar closer to his nose and gently sniffed. The familiar scent of herbs immediately filled the air—a mixture of various medicinal aromas, with no sour or foul odor, and no sharp or strange smells, just a light, refreshing fragrance.

Liu Mingyi picked up a chopstick from the table and twirled it in his hands, as if gathering strength. Then, he gently dipped the chopstick into the jar, scooping up a drop of the decoction, about to bring it to his mouth.

Wei Lan, seeing this, quickly stepped forward to stop him. “Don’t taste it! Mingyi, if the medicine is really problematic, wouldn’t you be harming yourself? You mustn’t take such risks.”

Liu Mingyi, halted by her, placed the chopstick back on the table with a soft “thud,” his face showing a trace of helplessness. “Then what should we do? We must find the cause.”

He thought back to the awkward situation earlier when they had been surrounded by people. Worrying, he turned to Wei Lan and said, “Xiao Lan, earlier when there were so many people, you went right to the front. It was dangerous. If someone truly meant harm to you, even if I wanted to protect you, I might not have been able to in time.”

“You tell me not to take risks, what about you?” He tilted his head slightly, his gaze fixed on Wei Lan. “You must change this habit in the future.”

Sanqi and Shunxing, who were listening on the side, nodded repeatedly, clearly agreeing with Liu Mingyi.

Wei Lan pouted. “At that time, I wasn’t thinking that much, and with so many people around, I didn’t believe anyone would dare do anything to me.” She crossed her arms behind her back, slightly lifting her chin and pretending to be nonchalant.

Liu Mingyi’s expression became serious, his tone leaving no room for doubt. “You need to remember what I just said. In the future, follow my advice, understand?”

Wei Lan, feeling a bit uncomfortable under his gaze, rolled her eyes and smiled, saying, “Mingyi, don’t worry, from now on I’ll just stay behind you. After all, you’re better able to take a few hits than I am!” Her smile blossomed like a flower, instantly lightening the mood in the room.

Liu Mingyi was slightly taken aback at first, then a faint smile crept onto his face as he tried to keep his expression serious. “If you ever get into trouble, I’ll protect you, but don’t expect me to take the hits for you.”

Meanwhile, Shunxing, whose deep eyes had been silently fixed on Wei Lan and Liu Mingyi, harbored a passionate possessiveness toward Wei Lan. But her repeated disregard for him was like a sharp blade, gradually cutting away his affection. This made him even more determined to grow stronger, believing that only through strength could he get closer to her.

Watching Liu Mingyi’s firm protection of Wei Lan, Shunxing felt his prejudices against Liu Mingyi start to loosen. Liu Mingyi was beginning to seem not so unpleasant after all.

Suddenly, Shunxing interrupted, saying, “Sister! I’ll take the hits for you, just hit me if you must.” His words came with a fierce, burning gaze, as if claiming ownership.

Wei Lan was momentarily stunned by Shunxing’s sudden declaration, a flicker of confusion in her eyes. She found his attitude somewhat obsessive but didn’t want to directly reject him.

She frowned slightly, scolding, “It sounds as if I’m constantly getting hit.”

Then, she quickly wiped away her smile, refocusing on the jar of medicine in front of her. After thinking for a moment, she turned to Sanqi, who appeared confused by the sudden shift in the conversation.

Wei Lan asked, “Sanqi, were you the only one handling the medicine from collecting to brewing? Has anyone else touched it?”

Sanqi straightened up immediately and responded firmly, “Sister Wei, I brewed the medicine under my watch the entire time, no one else touched it. But I swear, I’m innocent! I didn’t add anything to the medicine!”

Wei Lan nodded. “Sanqi, I know it wasn’t you.” She paused and then said, “Repeat the process from that day and prepare a new batch of medicine.”

Sanqi quickly got to work, and within moments, a fresh batch of medicine was prepared, neatly spread out on the table with all the ingredients in order.

Liu Mingyi leaned in to examine it closely, furrowing his brow slightly, then slowly shaking his head. The ingredients appeared identical to what they usually were. The colors, textures, and smells were all normal, and he couldn’t find anything wrong.

Wei Lan thought for a moment, still feeling that something was amiss. It didn’t seem like the medicine itself was the problem.

At this point, Shunxing brought out all ten of the clay jars used for brewing the medicine and laid them out on the floor. He crouched down, inspecting one of the jars closely, even tapping it gently, which produced a clear sound. “I always clean these jars thoroughly after each use. It shouldn’t be the jars causing the issue.”

Just then, a sudden knock at the door interrupted their thoughts. “Dr. Wei! Dr. Liu! Are you inside?”

The unexpected sound was like a thunderclap, sending a chill through Wei Lan and Liu Mingyi. They exchanged a serious glance, an ominous premonition quickly spreading through their minds.

Wei Lan signaled to Shunxing, who immediately understood, swiftly storing the jar of medicine safely to preserve the crucial evidence.

Sanqi rushed to the door, opening it to reveal Chen Fuqi, looking flustered with sweat beading on his forehead. He didn’t bother with pleasantries but quickly approached Liu Mingyi and whispered urgently in his ear, “Dr. Liu, I think we might have an outbreak of plague!”

The words “plague” dropped like a bomb in the room, causing Liu Mingyi’s heart to race. His head became suddenly heavy, and he furrowed his brow as he trembled slightly. “What did you say?”

Chen Fuqi quickly explained, “The group that caused a scene at the pharmacy earlier thought the medicine was at fault. But just now, I treated several diarrhea patients, and their symptoms were identical to theirs. However, those patients didn’t even get their medicine from my shop.”

“I’m afraid it’s the plague! I haven’t dared to announce it yet, but I’ve isolated those patients in a room and came here to consult with you two on what we should do.”

His face was filled with worry, and his eyes reflected deep anxiety. He was clearly scared by the sudden turn of events, concerned that he might have caught the illness himself and even more fearful of the potential spread of the plague among the innocent citizens.

Wei Lan, though also feeling tense, quickly regained her composure, drawing on her years of experience as a doctor. She pondered for a moment, considering that it was spring, with no natural disasters or unusual weather patterns, so how could there suddenly be a widespread outbreak of diarrhea?

Based on her experience, she first considered foodborne diarrhea, not the terrifying plague that Chen Fuqi mentioned. “Dr. Chen, don’t rush. Please explain clearly.”

Chen Fuqi nodded hurriedly and began recounting the cases of several patients who had come in nearly simultaneously with diarrhea. According to him, the patients’ stools were yellow and watery, and they had bowel movements three to four times a day. Afterward, their abdominal pain was relieved, but they were still able to eat and sleep normally. Overall, their condition seemed manageable.

Having practiced medicine for many years, Chen Fuqi reasoned that this illness was more likely linked to unclean food or a weak spleen and stomach, far from resembling plague symptoms. But the fact that so many people were experiencing the same problem made him increasingly anxious. He hoped that Wei Lan and Liu Mingyi could provide a solution to this urgent situation.

Liu Mingyi spoke solemnly, “We can’t jump to conclusions yet. Dr. Chen, please go to the medical office and report this to Magistrate Zhang. I will check on the patients.”

Chen Fuqi immediately agreed, and before he had finished speaking, he dashed out the door like an arrow, quickly disappearing from view.

“I’ll go check on the patients,” Wei Lan said, but before she could take a step, Liu Mingyi blocked her path.

She wasn’t expecting him to suddenly stop her and bumped into his back. Rubbing her forehead, she complained, “Why did you stop so suddenly? You scared me.”

Liu Mingyi replied, “Shunxing, you come with me to see the patients. Xiao Lan, you stay here. What if it is plague?”

Wei Lan retorted, “Even if we assume the worst, that it’s plague, it’s likely still transmitted via fecal-oral route, which isn’t so easy to catch. As long as we handle the patients’ feces properly and maintain good food hygiene, there shouldn’t be any major issues.”

Upon hearing Wei Lan’s explanation, Liu Mingyi was stunned. He knew that Wu Youxing mentioned “strange air” or “plague air” in his work On Plague, but hearing such a clear and direct breakdown from Wei Lan left him taken aback.

Unable to contain his curiosity, he asked, “How do you explain this?”

Wei Lan, with no time to explain in detail, responded succinctly, “What you call the plague is a type of contagious disease, and there are many kinds. My initial guess is that this is a gastrointestinal infectious disease. It starts with food, and ends with bowel movements. If feces aren’t handled properly and mix with water that is later consumed, that creates a transmission chain.”

She smiled lightly, “I’m willing to go because I’m confident.”

Seeing her so calm, Liu Mingyi no longer stopped her. Though still worried, he knew that Wei Lan must have her reasons.