Chapter 222: The Plague Is Approaching

Nannuma Lake, the water has receded a lot, the lake is full of lotus and water chestnut, the reed pond on the shore is stacked and scattered, the wind blows, and the green waves ripple...... A lush greenery.

Chickens, ducks and geese, all grown to half size, black, white, flowery, flocks of patches, or swimming in the water, or looking for food on the shore, or in groups of threes and twos, pacing under the shade of the willows. On the other side, in the reeds, a large flock of goats gnibbled on the reeds and grass...... It's full of life.

The people of Nanmarsh Lake obviously don't know the news outside the road, this side is like a paradise to live in the world, although a bluestone road has been built, some sections of the road are covered by the vigorous growth of reeds, not familiar people, only see a large area of reeds and swamp wetlands outside, fearful, generally do not go inside.

When Qiu Chen came, Yang Shuyong and Lao He, with Lao He's son and a few helpers, were holding up a boat to check the fish in the lake. Sister-in-law Zhou, Lao He's mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, and the daughters-in-law of several helpers are digging wild vegetables and preparing to feed the chickens and ducks.

Nowadays, there is a lot of life on the shore of the lake, there are many young grasses and tender vegetables and small insects, and the chickens and ducks do not need to be fed seriously, but only feed the wild vegetables with bran once a night, which is regarded as an additional meal to promote the growth of chickens and ducks.

Seeing Qiu Chen coming, Zhou and Yang Shuyong were very happy, and after Zhou said a few words, he hurried into the kitchen and said that he would make Qiu Chen some freshly picked pu vegetables to taste.

Pu cabbage is the tender stem of pu grass, and there is a habit of eating pu cabbage in the southern water towns, but few people in the north eat it. Zhou still learned from the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law of the old He family, and felt that the taste was light and delicious, and he naturally wanted her to try it when he saw the girl.

Qiu Chen didn't stop him, and when he saw Zhou's departure, he introduced the two dart masters he brought to Yang Shuyong and Lao He, and sent two helpers to take the two dart masters to the lake. There were only Qiu Chen, Yang Shuyong, Lao He, Qin Yong and Shen Hu left in the house, and Qiu Chen was not secretive, and bluntly told Yang Shuyong and Lao He about the plague in Yishui County.

Yang Shuyong was fine, but Lao He's face changed.

Lao He is a native of Weizhou, his hometown is only more than 100 miles away from Yishui County, if Anyang, which is 300 miles away, is worried about the spread of the plague, Weizhou, which is connected by waterways and ditches, is close to each other, and is undoubtedly more vulnerable to the invasion of the plague.

Qiu Chen has been here for more than a year, although he still doesn't understand the detailed geographical division of the Ming Dynasty, but the surrounding state capitals are basically clear, especially Weizhou is Lao He's hometown, Yun Jichen and Liao Wenqing went south several times, she paid special attention to it, and naturally knew that Yishui County and Weizhou had begun to take on the characteristics of water towns, and the waterways were connected vertically and horizontally.

The most worrying thing is that the main waterway of Yishui County, the Yishui River, flows downstream to Weizhou......

However, at this time, all Qiu Chen could do was to be relieved: "Master He, the situation over there is unclear now, and it may have been controlled." So, we don't have to worry too much...... At this time, I will rush back, I can't do anything but put myself in danger, you can rest assured, I will let people pay attention to the situation over there, and I will send you a letter as soon as there is news. ”

After all, Lao He is old and has experienced a lot of things, and his immediate family members have brought him over this time, although he is worried about it, he also understands that what Qiu Chen said is reasonable, so he endured the worries in his heart and listened attentively to Qiu Chen's next arrangements.

Before, after the heavy rain, Qiu Chen had already come over to make some arrangements, this time it was just a measure to prevent and control the homeless, and he brought two dart masters over, just to inspect the prevention and control of the homeless, it is not difficult to implement.

The only difference of opinion, Yang Shuyong wants to find Qingzhuang from Yang's shop, the heavy rain a few days ago, so that many depressions of Yang's shop can not be cultivated, and many people's autumn grain is gone, Yang Shuyong wants to have this opportunity to work for the villagers, and it is also a chance for the villagers to be employed.

Qiu Chen did not refuse Yang Shuyong's idea, but she discussed with Yang Shuyong and asked him to go back to the village to find Qingzhuang, and bring two dart masters, Yang Shuyong circled the candidates, and the specific hiring was decided by the two dart masters. First, this time the recruitment is a security personnel, who are too thin and timid, and naturally not too cunning. In addition, the selection by the dart master can also prevent Yang Shuyong's kindness from being slandered and unnecessary contradictions.

After discussing the matter of Nanmarsh Lake, Qiu Chen instructed several people present not to tell the women and children at home about the plague for the time being, so as not to cause unnecessary panic. Everyone agreed to go out of the city and went to their own affairs, leaving only Yang Shuyong and Qiu Chen as brothers and sisters.

Qiu Chen discussed with Yang Shuyong again to take the Yang family's parents and second sister-in-law Junli to Liu Jiaao, Yang Shuyong did not object this time, and nodded after a little thought.

Take the Yang family to Liujiaao, the only thing left is Yang Shuyong and the Zhou couple to stay on the side of Nanmar Lake, Qiu Chen repeatedly instructed that everything must be people-oriented, don't care about property, if there is really a plague in Anyang, there are too many homeless people to deal with, don't covet chickens, ducks and lotus roots, first, try not to conflict with the homeless, second, if you can't deal with it, you can withdraw in time. Yang Shuyong knew his sister's good intentions and listened carefully and carefully, after Qiu Chen finished speaking, he agreed again and again, and made a guarantee, which made Qiu Chen feel a little relieved.

Yang Shuyong and Zhou are kind-hearted, simple-hearted, and industrious and simple, and she is not worried that they will have any careful thoughts, nor is she worried that they will not take care of all kinds of Nanmarg Lake. However, it was precisely because of her brother and sister-in-law's diligence and thrift that she was afraid that her brother and sister-in-law would not give up their belongings, so that she could not retreat in time and put herself in danger.

After the brothers and sisters finished speaking, the situation was urgent, and they couldn't afford to delay more, Qiu Chen didn't wait to taste the pu vegetables made by the Zhou family, but just brought a bundle of tender pu vegetables, left Nanmarsh Lake with Yang Shuyong and the two dart masters, and went straight to Yang's shop.

When they arrived at Yang's shop, Yang Shuyong and Qiu Chen told Old Man Yang about the plague alone, and also told the old man that they wanted to take them to Liujiaao to avoid trouble. Old man Yang has been driving since he was a teenager, and he understands the world much more than ordinary people, and he is more open than ordinary peasant old people, as soon as Qiu Chen's brothers and sisters told the matter, the old man agreed without thinking about it for too long.

After doing the old man's job, there is almost no obstacle on the side of the Liu family and the second sister-in-law Zhao family, and it will be over as soon as it is said.

Immediately, Yang Shuyong discussed a recruitment list with Mr. Yang, and found people to be selected by two dart masters. Qiu Chen helped Liu and Zhao pack their luggage. The Yang family brothers and Junwen brothers went to Liujiaao, and they only brought two clothes to set off, and this time the two old men of the Yang family and the second sister-in-law went over together, and there were many things that needed to be arranged. Not to mention anything else, the two pigs raised at home and more than 20 chickens have to make Liu and Zhao feel at ease.

Qiu Chen waved his hand and gave all these to the neighbors who got along well to raise them, and the eggs collected went to the neighbors, and they were given 500 yuan a month. At this time, there are wild vegetables in the field, and you don't need to invest too much to feed the pigs and chickens, and the neighbors have this job, which is really a delicacy that I didn't expect in my heart.

After sending away the neighbors who were floating when they walked, Liu smiled at Qiu Chen and said, "Look at your big hands...... Those chickens and pigs have no eggs, and they can save a cart of chicken manure a month. Two pigs can step on two laps of fat in a month...... With this, when they plant wheat in autumn, their family will not lack manure to apply to the ground. ”

Qiu Chen was stunned for a moment, wanting to laugh but fearing that he would annoy the Liu family even more, so he could only endure it. Although she has been here for more than a year, she seems to get along harmoniously with the surrounding neighbors, but in some details, she can often reveal the essence of the impostor. It's like poultry and livestock collecting manure, which will be very important when it is left in the farmhouse, but Qiu Chen can't think of it at all! She has a habit of thinking only about using that manure as garbage!

After tidying up in the afternoon, Daxing also brought his own two cars and three hired cars, the old couple of the Yang family, the second sister-in-law Zhao, and the little nephew Junli, boarded the carriage together and set off for Liujiaao. Qiu Chen arranged for Daxing and Shen Hu to escort him, but Qiu Chen himself did not go home with him.

Seeing off the Yang family, Qiu Chen went to Nanmarsh Lake again, and saw the more than ten guards who were already in place, and saw that the two dart masters were very disciplined in guiding the training, and the prevention and control measures were also in place, so she didn't stay long, and turned back to Anyang City.

Qiu Chen was almost mid-hour when she arrived home, and to her surprise, Lin Xu did not go to Guo's mansion to attend classes.

Without waiting for her to ask, Lin Xu followed her out of the car and reported in a low voice: "Mr. wants to meet my sister-in-law!" ”

Qiu Chen raised his eyebrows slightly, and said with some surprise: "Did Uncle say where did you see me?" ”

"Mr. asked my younger brother to wait at home, and as soon as my sister-in-law came back, I sent someone over to spread the word, and Mr. came over immediately." Lin Xu replied truthfully, "I just received the news that my sister-in-law has returned, and my younger brother has already sent someone over to deliver the letter, and it is estimated that Mr. will come over." ”

Qiu Chen glared, this honest child, the letter was sent and directly said that Master Guo was going to come over, and it was ......

Forget it, Qiu Chen shook his head slightly, smiled and patted Lin Xu's arm: "Well, you go out to greet you, I just came back covered in dust, just like this, the elders are a little disrespectful, you pick up Mr. and sit with you in the living room, I will go in and change my clothes, and I will come out immediately." ”

Hearing Qiu Chen say this, Lin Xu agreed again and again, and hurriedly went out with Yuliang to greet Master Guo.

Qiu Chen shook his head secretly, hurriedly returned to the back three courtyards, and didn't have time to bathe, so he only hurriedly washed up and changed into clean clothes.

Master Guo didn't come alone, he came with him, and Qiu Chen had heard his name for a long time and had not seen his fourth son.

As soon as Qiu Chen arrived and entered the courtyard, Master Guo's father and son had already been accompanied by Lin Xu, Han Jingyu, and Yao Yunxiu in the large living room. Qiu Chen entered the door to greet him, and Lin Xu retreated with Han Jingyu and Yao Yunxiu under the signal of Master Guo.

Lin Xu knew where Master Guo came from, but Han Jingyu didn't know what he said.

Han Jingyu has always been quite proud of his talents, and he can be accepted as a protégé by Master Guo, and he has always thought that his talent has been appreciated by Master Guo, and he is faintly a little unfair to Lin Xu, who is not very talented, and only thinks that Lin Xu can be with him by virtue of his family strength or something else. At this time, Master Guo brought Guo Sigongzi to visit the house, but he sent the two of them back, leaving only Qiu Chen and a young woman in the house, not even a little girl...... He was inevitably even more disapproving, and when he walked out of the living room door, he arched his hand towards Lin Xu with a calm face, and said, "Since Mr. doesn't need me to wait, then Brother will go back to the house to study for the time being." ”

After speaking, without waiting for Lin Xu's reaction, he went straight back to the room where he lived.

Lin Xu was stunned for a moment, shook his head, and said to Yao Yunxiu with a smile: "It is said that Brother Han is amazingly talented, but in fact, Brother Han is diligent, we can't wait too much!" ”

Yao Yunxiu just smiled, didn't say anything about this sentence, only changed the topic, and talked about the homeless people he saw when he went out of the city yesterday: "...... Hunger is everywhere, and it is miserable. ”

The smile on Lin Xu's face also disappeared, and he hesitated: "Didn't the yamen send someone to settle it?" ”

Yao Yunxiu shook her head and said: "Why not, porridge sheds have been set up in the south and east of the city, and the porridge is given once a day." It's just that the porridge that time, the clear soup is low in water, at most starvation will not die, what can it do...... Yesterday, the foolish brother saw with his own eyes that many old people and children were too hungry to walk, and if they went on like this, they were afraid of ......"

Yao Yunxiu just lamented the situation of the displaced people, but Lin Xu remembered the reason why the epidemic occurred that his sister-in-law told him, the most important thing is that people and animals were not dealt with in time after they died, which polluted the water source and food, which led to the outbreak of the epidemic. If the displaced people outside the city are really as Yao Yunxiu said, they will soon starve to death, and as the number of deaths increases, then the ...... Could it be an outbreak of the plague?

The more he thought about it, the more he felt a chill rise from his heart to the outside, his face turned pale, and the cold sweat came down instantly......

"Brother Xian, Brother Xian, what's wrong with you? Come on, come and sit here first......" Yao Yunxiu was startled when she turned around and saw Lin Xu's pale face, and hurriedly stepped forward to ask, and helped Lin Xu to sit on the stool under the eaves, watching Lin Xu's face gradually ease, and then sighed and said, "How does the virtuous brother feel?" Do you want to ask Lang Zhong to come over for a consultation? ”

Lin Xu also felt that the feeling of the leader Sen Sen just now gradually receded, exhaled, shook his head, and said with a forced smile: "The younger brother just heard the elder brother talk about the homeless people, and he was shocked for a while, his body is not hindered, and the elder brother doesn't have to worry!" ”

Hearing him speak clearly, his expression eased a lot, Yao Yunxiu also breathed a sigh of relief, sat down next to Lin Xu, and sighed: "No wonder you are scared when you hear it, even my brother and I have never seen such a tragic thing...... It's just that we are just a scholar and have no long things, but we can only watch, and there is no way to give them even a meal! ”

Lin Xu also hung his head, but what he was thinking about was not to send food to those people, what he was thinking about was that his sister-in-law had been busy outside the city for the past few days, and she must have seen the situation of the displaced people outside the city. Could it be that there is already a way to deal with it?

Yao Yunxiu didn't wait for him to answer, and then said: "Brother Lin Xian will also tell my sister-in-law later, if the matter here is properly arranged, it is better to go home and avoid it." Although those homeless people outside the city only have one meal of gruel, it is better than nothing, and yesterday I saw many homeless people coming here...... I also saw some homeless people begging for food and money, and they all caught up with Ming to rob ......"

The homeless people are prone to chaos and even rebellion, which is not often recorded in the history books, and Lin Xu knows the truth. It's just that he has never experienced it himself, he has never seen it with his own eyes, and he has a pure heart, so he can't think of going here for a while. As soon as Yao Yunxiu reminded him, he was not surprised, and immediately nodded.

"Mr. has already known about the Dao, this time the gentleman came to visit, according to the younger brother's guess, it should also be to discuss with the sister-in-law about the rescue of the homeless......" Lin Xu actually knew the intention of the elder Guo, but before the plague matter was ventilated with the sister-in-law, it was still too sensitive, and he was not good at revealing it to Yao Yunxiu at this time, so he had to talk about the relief.

"Oh? If Master Guo can come forward to arrange for help, those women and children outside the city will really be saved......" Yao Yunxiu sighed very happily.

------Off topic------

I got these in the morning......