novelden Chapter 169 The epidemic begins
Chapter 169 The epidemic begins
Zhang Ping'an saw that Professor Han was aware of the matter and was very concerned. He said in a deep voice, "I have an idea. I hope the professor will forgive me if there are any shortcomings."
Professor Han nodded before continuing, "First, we need to count the number of people currently infected in the city, isolate those who are already infected according to the severity of their illness, and ask the doctor to diagnose and treat them uniformly. Secondly, people who are not sick can wear a face towel to reduce the risk of infection, do not drink raw water, and keep a distance of more than three feet when talking. If you are infected, report it in time. In addition, I remember that the government report said that Jinzhou was also infected with an epidemic in January this year, and the symptoms were very similar to those of the cold. So, do they have the right methods and prescriptions? We can also write to ask."
Professor Han listened carefully before stroking his beard and saying, "You're still young and inexperienced, so it's quite impressive that you can think of this. However, this requires a lot of manpower, and it's quite difficult to implement. According to the usual method of treating leprosy in the medical department, they usually gather the patients together and let them fend for themselves."
"Professor, if this can be done for one hundred or one thousand people, then what if it is tens of thousands of people? Should we isolate them all and let them fend for themselves?" Zhang Pingan asked.
"What you said is possible, but it has not yet reached the scale you mentioned, so it is difficult for the government to take it seriously. However, what you just said about sending a letter to Jinzhou to ask is possible and not difficult. My uncle is in the medical department, and I will talk to him," Professor Han pondered.
Zhang Ping'an knew that what Professor Han said were objective facts and made sense. Many things would only be taken seriously after a price was paid. After all, the teacher was not in that position and could not intervene in many things, so he stood up and said goodbye.
After a quick lunch in the cafeteria, Zhang Pingan returned to the classroom. He noticed that Yuan Ziang had quickly put on his face scarf. Another scholar nearby joked, "Brother Yuan, are you also imitating the older girls and starting to wear a face scarf?"
Those who are not on good terms with me say disdainfully, "A bald man is looking for flowers to wear, and an ugly man is always doing weird things."
When others were joking about him just now, Yuan Ziang was smiling the whole time. But it was okay to say that he was ugly, that was a fact, but he really couldn't stand being called bald: "Lu Xiao, what do you mean? How am I bald? I still have so much hair, okay?" Yuan Ziang said as he pinched his hair together to show it.
Du Zhong also said, "Brother Lu, you are going too far. We are classmates, so stop it."
After that, he comforted Yuan Ziang and said, "Ziang, he didn't mean it. Don't take it to heart."
Lu Xiao still gave Du Zhong some face. He sneered and said nothing more, but his eyes still showed disdain.
Zhang Pingan walked in and sat down, then asked in a low voice, "Do you have any grudges against each other?"
Upon hearing this, Yuan Ziang cried out in grievance and whispered, "My aunt is his stepmother, so if we really count our generations, we're still cousins!"
Zhang Pingan widened his eyes in surprise and said, "I've never heard you say that!"
"Our two families have a bad relationship. My aunt is a second wife and has only two daughters, no sons, so he is an only child. His father is the garrison commander of Ezhou Prefecture. He has always bullied me since he was a child because of his good family background," Yuan Ziang complained.
"I didn't realize there are so many children of officials in our outer residence," Zhang Pingan sighed.
Zhang Ping'an attended classes as usual in the afternoon. He was not sure whether Professor Han would really send a letter to ask about this matter. He could only say that he had done everything he could to have a clear conscience. Later, he took the time to send a letter to Dr. Chen in the provincial capital, wanting to ask about prevention and treatment methods. Every profession has its own expertise, and these matters should be asked to professionals. He has not received a reply yet.
A few days passed, and more and more people in the provincial school were infected with the cold. Even Lu Xiao and Du Zhong caught the cold and went home to recuperate. More and more people in the provincial school followed Zhang Pingan's example and wore face scarves. People tend to follow the crowd, and once someone takes the lead, the rest becomes easy. Now even the professors and teachers of the provincial school have started wearing them.
People hunched over and covering their mouths to cough could be seen everywhere outside. The Medical Bureau finally took action. Yamen runners went door to door to check if there were people with fever or cough. Once anyone with fever or cough symptoms was found, they were immediately tied up and taken to an empty house near the charity cemetery in the west of the city for isolation. This was the place where leprosy patients were previously isolated, and going there basically meant waiting to die.
Therefore, many people tried their best to conceal their symptoms and were unwilling to cooperate in isolation. Moreover, the government office had limited staff and progress was very slow.
Later, it was heard that some of the quarantined people had injured the guards and escaped from the west of the city, causing panic among the people.
Zhang Laoer and Xu sighed every day at home, and Xiaohu was just eating free rice, so he didn't dare to eat too much now.
"Mom, don't think too much. Isn't the medical department already trying to find a solution?" Zhang Pingan comforted.
Xu sighed and said, "You don't have to hide it from me. I'm not blind, so how can I not see what's going on outside? You're just sitting around eating up all your savings every day, and your father can't go back to work. I'm so worried!"
Zhang Laoer was relatively calm: "What's the point of worrying? It's not just our family that's in this situation. Right now, we're lucky to be safe. Why bother talking about making money?"
"That's right, Mom, don't worry," Zhang Pingan agreed. He thought so too.
Xu perked up a bit, then thought of something else: "Son, given the current situation, do you think you should ask for a few days off from the prefectural school and rest at home to avoid getting infected?"
Zhang Pingan pondered and said, "I've been planning this for the past couple of days. Recently, more and more people have been asking for leave in the class. I'll go to the prefectural school tomorrow to see what's going on."
The family had a simple dinner and went to bed.
The next day, Zhang Ping'an arrived at the classroom and saw that there were only three people left including him. Even Yuan Ziang didn't come. The three of them sat in different seats and looked at each other in confusion.
Zhang Pingan was usually just an acquaintance with these two, but he didn't expect them to suddenly sit over. One of them said, "Mr. Zhang, why do I feel so creepy?"
Another scholar named Lu nodded, still feeling a little scared. "It seems that the three of us are in good health. I heard that many people have caught a cold and are recuperating at home. Now they can't buy medicine. Luckily, I prepared some medicine at home."
Zhang Pingan was also quite helpless: "I never thought that an epidemic would happen in our Ezhou."
The scholar who spoke first was named Wang. His family ran a martial arts school. Hearing this, he said, "I heard from my father that it might have been transmitted from someone who had contracted the epidemic in Jinzhou before. The medical department is currently trying to catch them."
"People who survived the epidemic?" Zhang Pingan asked in surprise.