Poisoning the Well?

The young man saw the crowd’s amazement and secretly felt pleased. Seizing the moment, he said, “Such a miraculous pill, only Baoyuantang sells it.”

Just as he finished speaking, it seemed he suddenly realized he had let something slip. Quickly, he covered his mouth, his eyes darting around as he repeatedly spat out “Pui, pui, pui,” pretending he hadn’t said anything.

But the old man wasn’t going to let it go. He grabbed him eagerly, shaking his arm excitedly and said, “Doctor! Doctor! Where can I buy such a miraculous pill? Tell us, so everyone knows!”

The young man pretended to be very hesitant, sighing and showing a conflicted expression. But in the end, he couldn’t hold back and whispered, “Don’t tell anyone I told you, but it’s at Baoyuantang.” After that, he quickly slipped away before the crowd could react.

The surrounding crowd, having witnessed this miraculous scene, stood stunned for a moment, and then a wave of amazement and discussion erupted.

Some whispered to each other, discussing the miraculous effects of this precious pill. Others looked at the old man with envy, glad he had encountered such a skilled doctor. Some couldn’t wait and were already planning to rush to Baoyuantang to buy the legendary pill.

Wei Lan observed everything from the side, secretly amused. This was clearly a carefully planned performance by Baoyuantang, who had hired two actors to put on this “emergency drama” as a means to promote their precious pill.

She carefully observed that the young man’s performance was somewhat exaggerated, and the old man’s reaction was too compliant, as if they had rehearsed it many times. The whole process was smooth and lacked the frantic uncertainty or the life-and-death panic typical of real patients.

However, the crowd watching the scene didn’t notice anything wrong. They were deeply drawn into the performance and continued to discuss Baoyuantang’s precious pill.

Wei Lan stood in the crowd with a slight smile on her face, thinking to herself, “Baoyuantang’s methods are indeed clever. A single performance has convinced so many people of the efficacy of their pill. Their marketing strategy is truly impressive.”

Countdown: Three days.

Ming Yi, Wei Lan, and Shun Xing gathered at the academy with three maps hanging on the stone wall.

After two days of intense research, they discovered that the diarrhea patients weren’t scattered throughout Changsha, but were mainly concentrated in the southern part of the city, precisely where their clinic was located. Therefore, the three of them focused their research on the southern part of the city, carefully compiling the three maps they had into one detailed map.

Ming Yi slowly unfolded this key map, and the three of them focused intently on it, all surprised.

Ming Yi pointed to the central point of the case distribution on the map, which was exactly a well, and wondered aloud, “Could it be this well?”

The three of them exchanged looks, their eyes full of astonishment. This well was one of the key factors that Wei Lan had considered when choosing the clinic’s location, as the water was clear and many locals came here to collect drinking water.

During their research, they had also noticed that the cases were concentrated around this well. Now that it was shown on the map, the pattern was even more obvious. Even though Ming Yi and Shun Xing didn’t have statistical knowledge, they could immediately detect the clue.

Wei Lan was the first to react. Her face changed dramatically as she exclaimed, “Not good! Our clinic’s water source also comes from this well.” Without hesitation, she rushed downstairs, with Ming Yi and Shun Xing quickly following her.

In the kitchen, Hong Hua and Yong An were busy at work when the three rushed in, looking panicked. They were startled. Hong Hua stopped what she was doing and asked in confusion, “What’s wrong?”

Wei Lan hurried to the three water tanks that were arranged from high to low. These were her self-made filtering devices, specifically for filtering drinking water.

The first tank had a wide opening, and the stones inside were arranged in a staggered manner from large to small, layer by layer, resembling a natural filter. At the bottom, fine sand was tightly arranged like a delicate sieve, able to block mud and impurities in the water.

The second tank was slender and had charcoal spread all around the walls. These charcoals were carefully selected, with hard texture and abundant pores, capable of absorbing odors and harmful substances from the water, making the water purer.

The third tank was round, used to store the purified water from the first two tanks. The opening was covered with fine mesh, which not only prevented dust from falling in but also kept the water fresh and clean.

Wei Lan anxiously asked Hong Hua, “Xiao Hua, the food you’ve prepared for the patients these past two days, was it made with filtered water?”

Hong Hua, puzzled, nodded, “Xiao Lan, didn’t you specifically tell me to use the water from the third tank for food preparation?”

Wei Lan was somewhat reassured. It seemed she and the others hadn’t been affected, thanks to the filtered water, and Hong Hua had followed her instructions.

Ming Yi furrowed his brows. He scooped a spoonful of water from the first tank, carefully examining the water and even sniffing it. There was nothing unusual. He was surprised and thought to himself, “Could someone have poisoned the well? With so many people using this well, who would do something so crazy?”

Hong Hua, seeing their strange behavior, was even more puzzled and asked, “What happened?”

Yong An also stopped what he was doing, raising his head with a confused look in his big eyes.

Wei Lan, worried that Hong Hua might panic, calmly reassured her, “It’s nothing serious, Xiao Hua, just continue your work. Keep using only the filtered water as usual.”

After that, the three of them hurriedly returned to the academy, with Ming Yi putting away the key map.

Shun Xing, full of doubts, couldn’t help but ask, “Sister, if something’s wrong with the well, why didn’t you tell Hong Hua so she could be extra careful?”

Wei Lan thought for a moment, then slowly replied, “Right now, we don’t have solid evidence. We can’t alarm anyone just yet, or it might cause unnecessary panic.”

Wei Lan quickly reviewed the events of the past few days, frowning slightly, and asked, “Ming Yi, Da Shun, do you remember which pharmacy was most affected when our clinic opened? And now that we’ve closed, which pharmacy has seen the most noticeable increase in business?”

Ming Yi thought for a moment and slowly said, “Among the many pharmacies, Baoyuantang seems suspicious. I’ve heard they’ve recently been selling a so-called miraculous pill that can bring people back to life. They only sell five per day, each priced at twenty taels of silver, yet it’s always sold out. The timing seems too coincidental.”

Wei Lan smiled faintly and said, “Speaking of Baoyuantang, I happened to see an interesting performance yesterday.” She then detailed the encounter with the two actors from Baoyuantang.

After finishing her story, Wei Lan said, “At that time, I didn’t think much of it, assuming it was just a usual marketing stunt. But now that I think about it, there’s probably much more to it.”

Shun Xing’s eyes flashed with curiosity. His brows furrowed slightly, and he asked, “Is this miraculous pill really so extraordinary?” Clearly, he was skeptical about such so-called “life-saving” pills.

Wei Lan shook her head and said seriously, “It may have some effect, but it’s impossible for it to have such miraculous powers.” She trusted her own medical knowledge and wouldn’t be easily swayed by exaggerated claims.

She continued, “Ming Yi, try to get one of those pills and let’s see for ourselves.” She wanted to personally verify the truth of this miraculous pill.

Ming Yi nodded and said in a deep voice, “Let’s go check out the well first.” His intuition told him that the well might hold the key to unlocking all the mysteries.

The three of them exchanged glances, suspecting that if someone really had poisoned the well, Baoyuantang could be behind it. After all, the coincidence between the pill’s popularity and the diarrhea cases was too striking to ignore.

In the evening, the three arrived at the bustling well.

This well was a “star” of the southern part of the city. Its mouth had been smoothed by the years, and the rope had left deep marks on the stone rim, evidence of its many years of use. Around the well, several flat stones had been placed as steps to make it easier for people to climb. Women were drawing water while chatting.

Ming Yi, Wei Lan, and Shun Xing looked into the well. The water shimmered faintly in the sunset, clear and bottomless. They could clearly see the moss clinging to the well’s walls, gently swaying with the ripples of the water. The three of them observed carefully but found nothing unusual.

Wei Lan was unwilling to give up. She crouched down, carefully examining the edges of the well, looking for any possible clues. She noticed several fresh scratches on the rim, seemingly done deliberately.

Her heart skipped a beat. She asked, “Do you think these scratches are a bit strange?” Ming Yi and Shun Xing came closer and agreed that it looked suspicious.

Wei Lan stood by the well, gazing into its depths. Her mind was racing. She wondered what kind of poison the culprit had used in the well. Judging from the symptoms of the diarrhea patients, the poison didn’t seem to be lethal but more likely intended to cause trouble, rather than take lives. Moreover, this well was used daily by many people, yet not everyone had fallen ill.

Wei Lan suspected that someone had been poisoning the well periodically. Since the poison wasn’t very strong, it needed to be added regularly to continue causing diarrhea. She didn’t want to alert the person too early; she hoped to catch them in the act with irrefutable evidence.

She turned to Shun Xing and said, “Send two sharp-eyed brothers to watch the well day and night, especially at night, and pay attention to any suspicious activity. If they see anything, they should take the person straight to the authorities.”

Shun Xing, eager to help, said, “Sister, let me take care of this task personally. I’m not comfortable leaving it to someone else.”

Wei Lan nodded slightly and said gently, “You’re alone, so find a capable assistant.” She knew this was a difficult task, and having more people would help in case of any trouble.

The three of them didn’t want to cause any alarm. Quietly, they left and entrusted this heavy responsibility to Shun Xing.

Wei Lan knew very well that Shun Xing would be able to handle it, and she and Ming Yi would continue to investigate secretly, looking for more clues to uncover the truth hidden beneath the layers of fog.