Chapter 164

Plague seems like a distant thing.

At least, no one in their village had encountered it.

But they had heard stories. They said when a village gets hit by plague, everyone runs away. It spreads from one person to another, and the whole village perishes!

Then it spreads to the entire prefectural city. People from several prefectural cities are almost completely wiped out.

When the court intervenes, they send people to boil medicine. Later, they only block the roads, not letting anyone in or out, letting those inside fend for themselves.

Those who die are buried right where they fall, sprinkled with lime.

The old village chief’s face turned serious as he nodded.

“I’ve heard the old folks say before, after a great disaster comes plague, not just floods, but also droughts.”

However, they usually have many floods here, but there’s never been a drought.

Uncle Ding stepped forward to explain: “I heard from a doctor, whether it’s floods or droughts, most are caused by bodies of humans or animals decaying after disasters. So after floods, whether it’s human or animal bodies, they must be buried quickly.

Also, after floods, don’t wash clothes or vegetables in ponds or lakes. It’s best to use well water that hasn’t been contaminated with sewage.

Boil the drinking water!

Cook all food thoroughly.

Feed the livestock the same way.

It’s best to sprinkle lime along the roadsides and corners of the village. This is most effective, but…”

Uncle Ding paused here.

He didn’t need to say more; everyone understood.

Lime costs money, and even if they were willing to buy it now, they couldn’t go out because the flood hadn’t receded.

Except for Zhang Tuzi’s family, most households in the village still have some silver.

Not much, but lime isn’t too expensive. If everyone pitches in and saves a bit, they can still afford it.

“I’m afraid when the flood recedes, the price of lime will skyrocket,” Uncle Ding foresaw.

The old village chief and several elderly people in the village speculated last winter that there might be floods this year.

Now the old village chief stood up and addressed the crowd: “I have some at home, not much, just brought back two baskets.”

They say it’s used when making tofu, but few people in the village know how to make it. They bought it just in case of floods.

But after all, it’s just a possibility, so they didn’t buy much.

It’s hard to earn silver; most of what they prepared for floods was things that didn’t require money, like firewood, food, and burlap sacks. Lime needs money to buy, so they only bought two baskets to bring back.

In addition to the old village chief, three or four other elderly people came out: “I also have some prepared, but together we only have one basket.”

“I have some here too.”

The young men opened their mouths, suddenly realizing that the elderly were indeed experienced in life!

But they also learned that in the future, if they encounter such things, they should prepare more themselves.

Uncle Ding was in charge of the count.

There are thirty-four households in Shanshui Village, with over four hundred people. Each household’s house is not small, and lime needs to be sprinkled in front of and behind the houses and along the roadsides. Just a few baskets of lime from four or five households are far from enough.

He hesitated before speaking: “Or, those who have lime can take care of their own fronts, backs, and sides.”

They spent money to buy it, which is fair.

Fan Qian immediately objected!

He shouted, “I’m willing to pay for it!”

In the past, money was important, but now it’s a matter of life and death. When else should they use their silver?!

Uncle Ding patiently advised, “The doctor said lime can eliminate miasma, and another theory is that it can ward off evil spirits; however, I think it’s not absolute. Don’t worry, maybe nothing will happen even if we don’t sprinkle it.”

Fan Qian only heard the first few sentences; he didn’t listen to the rest and insisted, “Old Village Chief, I have money, sell it to me! We’re all from the same village, and you’re the village chief. You can’t just look after your own family and not care about the life and death of the rest of us in the village.”

The old village chief frowned and stared at the anxious Fan Qian, saying in a deep voice, “Things haven’t gotten serious yet. Don’t speak so heavily!”

“Are you saying you don’t want to sell?” Fan Qian asked with a sidelong glance.

Fan Dazhu echoed from behind, “Don’t say things that sound good! If it’s not serious, why did you secretly buy it? You have lime at home, so of course you’re not worried. How could you understand our feelings?”

The old village chief’s chest heaved with anger.

Fan Dazhu, this child he had watched grow up, now seemed hopeless!

Others couldn’t bear it and stepped forward, saying, “The old village chief mentioned it before, we all know. It’s just that our family didn’t take it seriously and didn’t buy any. I’m ashamed to ask the old village chief to sell me some now.”

“You didn’t even believe in floods at first, didn’t prepare firewood, and even came to borrow firewood from my house. Even if you were told to prepare lime, would you have prepared it?”

Fan Qian’s family was criticized, but they remained indifferent.

They stiffened their necks and demanded that the old village chief sell them lime.

In the face of plague, what does face matter?

It’s all trivial.

Let them regret it when they finally buy it.

Uncle Ding’s brow furrowed deeper than the old village chief’s.

He had strongly disagreed with the child’s mother before, always feeling that responding with kindness might have a better effect, moving this family with goodwill.

Make them realize their mistakes, so that the two families in the village could hold their heads up high and be happy every time they met.

The child’s mother didn’t listen to his advice and acted according to her own wishes.

Now, in this moment, he suddenly felt that the child’s mother was absolutely right!

What she did was absolutely right.

Some people are rotten to the core from the start. If you respond with kindness, they will only take advantage of you, bully you, and morally blackmail you to get more from you.

The old village chief had caused this predicament himself. He was about to speak when a refined and steady voice came from not far away, “Big brother, how much lime do you need? Bring your silver to me; I can supply as much as you want.”

The chaotic crowd turned around to look at where the voice came from.

Fan Jin, dressed in a washed white long gown, stood at a distance on the slope.

Gentle and refined, steady and reserved, as always.

Compared to him, Fan Qian appeared more impatient and coarse.

Fan Qian had initially heard Uncle Ding say that lime prices would rise after the flood receded, so he wanted to buy some from the old village chief.

The old village chief and him had no personal relationship; he could only spend money to buy it.

Fan Jin was different; this was his own younger brother. Did he really need his big brother to spend money on a little lime?

But now, with all the villagers around, they had seen his earlier clamor to pay money. Changing his mind and letting Fan Jin pay would be too embarrassing, and Fan Jin wouldn’t want to!

Fan Jin quietly watched his older brother.

Originally, this lime was supposed to be given to the villagers, which was also his intention along with Shuiqing’s.

As soon as the rain stopped, he planned to discuss this with the old village chief.

Unexpectedly, he saw this scene.

However, it was just right that the lime didn’t need to be given away for free. If it were free, his good big brother and his family would probably take all his lime.

Big brother had to pay for it; not a single coin could be spared.