Chapter 170: Interception

Doctor Li asked, and Uncle Li’s family lowered their heads.

Even without a verbal response, the understanding was clear.

Li Rui said in a deep voice, “He has not improved. He is still very hot, but uncle is feeling a bit better and is not as weak as yesterday.”

In the end, it was clear that the fever had not subsided.

“Let me see how the patient is doing first,” Dr. Li said.

“Yes, yes, yes,” the family responded eagerly.

Uncle Li, who had been very sick yesterday and had no strength at all, still had a high fever today; however, he was sweating much less than before.

Doctor Li examined him carefully, then lowered his hand with a sigh.

“Oh, the fever hasn’t gone away.”

“What can we do?” Aunt Li cried, wiping her tears.

Her sons also had red eyes, clearly distressed.

“No red bumps have been found on his body yet.”

This was the only piece of good news.

Once red bumps appeared, it would most likely indicate the plague.

“Drink the medicine first,” Doctor Li instructed.

He added a few more medicinal properties to the original prescription, utilizing the medicinal materials they had available.

This was largely thanks to Su Yin’s previous purchases and the box of medicinal materials collected during the earlier suppression of bandits.

Otherwise, it would have been challenging to prepare the necessary remedies.

Because of Uncle Li’s situation, the atmosphere within the entire team grew increasingly gloomy, especially among the people from Lijia Village.

They were all the closest people. Now that one family was in trouble, the other families couldn’t bring themselves to drive them away.

Not to mention that Doctor Li had not yet reached a conclusion about the situation; they couldn’t just assume it was the plague.

Without needing Su Yin’s instructions, Li Rui told his uncle and his family to stay away from his own family.

Uncle Li’s family understood the gravity of the situation and did not dare to say anything more.

The team’s itinerary was not delayed because of Uncle Li’s condition, and they set off at the usual time.

Uncle Li’s family stayed at the back of the queue, hurrying to keep up.

The half-grown child already understood some things. He tugged on his mother’s sleeve and whispered, “Mom, are we abandoned by them?”

They used to be at the front, but now their family was at the back.

The child’s mother held her son’s hand and comforted him in a low voice, “No.”

Although she was telling her son, she was actually reassuring herself more.

“Mom, does grandpa really have the plague?” the child asked again.

“Shh, don’t talk nonsense. Your grandpa just contracted the evil wind; it’s not the plague. He will be fine in two days.”

The child nodded, not daring to ask again.

It was half-past time, and the team had already spotted the Linzhi Pagoda. If they walked five more miles, they would reach Linzhi County.

“You can count on seeing the tower,” Su Baozhu said, sitting at the front of the carriage, holding the reins.

“Yinyin, there’s something going on ahead,” she called out.

Su Yin had just gotten back into the cart to grab something when she heard her sister-in-law’s shout and quickly came out.

Looking from a distance, the official road was crowded with people. The team in front was motionless, and everyone was packed tightly, blocking the road.

Su Baozhu slowly pulled the reins, and the carriage moved forward cautiously. If it rushed ahead, it would crash into the crowd.

Those walking behind also noticed the situation as they rounded the bend, looking at the mass of refugees ahead.

“Why are people crowded there?” someone asked.

“It seems that the road ahead is blocked by officers and soldiers,” another replied.

“Are they not letting us pass?”

Nan Jingzhi rode up from behind.

He looked at Su Yin and said, “Let’s go over and take a look.”

Su Yin turned to Su Baozhu and the others. “You guys wait here. Don’t get too close to the crowd, and pay more attention to the people around you.”

Why? It was obvious they needed to be cautious of those around them.

Nan Jingzhi, Su Yin, Li Rui, and Zhang Bingliang moved closer together.

As soon as they approached, a noisy commotion reached their ears from the front.

“Why won’t you let us pass?”

“Why are you stopping us here?”

Faced with the refugees’ questions, the officers and soldiers guarding the official road showed no fear.

The whips in their hands cracked down on those who shouted the loudest.

“If you don’t complete the necessary procedures, how do we know if you are rebels?” one officer shouted.

“Those without household registration certificates should turn back the way they came and not block this road!” the soldiers barked at the surging crowd.

Some people in the crowd pushed forward desperately, shouting loudly, “I have a household registration certificate! Please let me pass!”

Su Yin and the others did not press forward, but stood at the edge of the forest on one side of the official road.

Though this position was some distance from the checkpoint, they could still see clearly what was happening beyond it.

The man holding the household registration certificate shouted from the crowd, pushing his way to the front.

He flattered the man intercepting them and respectfully handed the document into his hand.

“Master, this is our family’s household registration certificate. Could you please take a look?”

The man scratched his arm from time to time as he spoke.

The officer and soldier took the certificate, glanced at it, threw it back, and scolded him coldly: “You are bold and cunning, you dare to forge your household registration certificate.”

The man was dumbfounded, never imagining that his household registration certificate was fake.

He immediately cried out, “Master, this certificate was issued by my village. It can’t be fake.”

The officer and soldier narrowed his eyes slightly and looked at him with a malicious look. “What do you mean?

I made a mistake?’ You can’t even tell whether a household registration certificate is real or fake?”

“No, no, that’s not what I meant.” The man hesitated, unsure how to respond.

The officer and soldier continued: “Since you said your village issued this certificate, you should ask the village chief to come over and certify it for you.”

The man was even more troubled. “Well, um, I… the man in the village died on the way to escape.”

“Well, you are a cunning man. I asked you to find witnesses and you tried to make excuses.

I didn’t want to hold you accountable for applying for a false household registration certificate, but you are still messing around here.

Why don’t you just admit it’s your fault for being ungrateful?”

Seeing the situation was not good, the man hurriedly backed away, begging for mercy. “Master, Master, I can’t go, I won’t go.”

As he said that, the man left in a hurry, fearing he would be captured. If he took one step forward, he would be seized.

Seeing this, the people around were terrified. Even those who had household registration certificates in their arms did not dare to take them out for a while.

Any intelligent person could see that the other party was deliberately making things difficult.

“Give in, give in.”

Several men dressed as servants escorted an old man with white hair at his temples.

When the officers and soldiers saw this group of people, their eyes lit up.

The old man with white hair at his temples stepped forward, took out his household registration certificate and handed it to the officers and soldiers. There was also a banknote tucked underneath the certificate.

The officers and soldiers received the household registration certificate, and when they felt the extra paper beneath it, their expressions softened considerably.

After pretending to check it carefully, he said to the old man: “Your household registration certificate is authentic and you may enter.”

The old man held his hands up in a gesture of gratitude to the officer and soldier.