(18)
However, for juniors who are not deeply involved in the world, such a torturous and long wait will undoubtedly produce a kind of boredom that cannot be ignored. The guests behind that screen, as time goes by, naturally cannot escape similar emotions.
What they saw and heard along the way, even if there were not surprising adventures every day, there were many such adventures. Those novel things stimulate people's most fundamental desire for knowledge. While spreading cunning and danger, they also do not forget to give people hope and beauty. Just looking at the scenery we passed through during the journey, the soothing mountains and green forests, already made the trip worthwhile.
Relatively speaking, the vicissitudes and loss that hit Xiahe Town are really uncomfortable. The discomfort is now getting worse while waiting mixed with morbid whines. This kind of negative emotion, if not shown to the outside world, will definitely suffocate people to death.
For this reason, people had no choice but to write their uneasiness on their faces, and the final result must be that the entire town was cast a shadow that was difficult to shake off. And the guests who arrived for the first time just inevitably became a part of it.
Judging from ordinary people's logic, the same should be true for Mr. Zhang. But what everyone didn't expect was that the dull atmosphere in the side hall was improved with his arrival.
It should have been approaching night at this time, and there was still some dim light in the dim sky, shining on the flags and flags swaying slightly in the wind at the door of the pharmacy. As the last patient left, the little medicine boy closed the wooden door and lit the incense candle. A thin figure appeared in front of the screen, and then he went around to the side hall and said hello to everyone: "I'm really sorry for keeping you waiting for so long."
I saw this man dressed in gray cloth, with disheveled beard and hair, without a crown, bowing his hands to several visitors and saying: "What? These few don't look like my uncle's retainers... The letter has been delivered?" He has a graceful temperament. He is elegant, but his eyebrows are droopy and his air is gone. His messy hair is like a pile of weeds and willows, which grew out of time on a tall tree. He has an average appearance, but has red eyes and a flat nose, and a well-proportioned body. He gives the impression that he is a good old man at first glance.
E Feiying was quite sentimental when she saw that the other party was showing his old age, so she reluctantly took out the "blood letter" from the bed and handed it into Zhang Yi's hands. The other party took the "blood letter" and was confused for a moment at first, and then seemed to be frightened. The hands holding the letter couldn't help but tremble violently, and the already disheveled beard and hair became even more messy. It's just that Zhang Yi didn't seem to care about his appearance at all, so he knelt in front of the low table, put the letter on the table, held his forehead with both hands, and stared at the letter, looking like he might collapse at any time. appearance.
"How...how could..." Zhang Yi looked at the "blood letter" in horror and said sadly: "The letter was not sent out!"
"Mr. Zhang, are you okay?" Murong Yan on the side asked anxiously, "You seem to be in poor mental condition. Why don't you go and take a rest first? We can still wait..."
"We can't wait any longer!" Zhang Yi suddenly roared loudly, startling the others, and then sobbed and said: "If we wait any longer, the whole town will die!" After that, Zhang Yi fell down on the " On top of the "blood book", he burst into tears.
Seeing his abnormal condition, others hurriedly said all kinds of kind words to comfort him. The little medicine boys on the side even urged each other to hurry up and cook some soothing medicine. Of course, the most nervous and puzzled among them is Miss E Wu.
"Cousin! Cousin, what's the matter with you!" E Feiying came over and hit the other person's shoulders and back as if coaxing a child, protecting him again and again: "Don't cry! You are a man, in front of so many It’s hard to cry in front of a human being!”
"Cousin?" Zhang replied inarticulately: "Who is your cousin?" As soon as he finished speaking, he glanced at Miss E Wu next to him and asked in confusion: "Are you... Xiao Yingzi? How did you become like this? What’s the appearance? Why did you come back here?”
When E Feiying saw that he had stopped crying, she replied without politeness: "What does it look like? I'm just going to ask you. Look at what you look like, how is it different from the blind man Liu Liu on the street next door?"
"Blind Lao Liu? Haha..." Zhang Yi turned his eyes to the setting sun outside the window and sighed: "He died of illness two months ago... I can't help but feel emotional when I think of the times when we used to play around him. "
"You'd better explain it to us quickly!" E Feiying snatched the "Blood Book" again, took out the destroyed letter inside, and asked: "You just said that the lives of the whole town depend on this." There is a letter, what does it mean?"
Zhang Yi raised his forehead to sort out his thoughts, and appealed to Shao Qing with everyone. It turned out that this letter was a request for help submitted to the imperial court. Since E Bing was also closely related to high-ranking officials in both the government and the public, he planned to use his hand to directly inform the latter of the news.
"It's just...why will the town be destroyed if the letter is not delivered?" Zhao Kuo on the side thought for a long time and finally couldn't help but talk, so he asked.
"Due to the rapid spread of the epidemic, and the current urgency of the war! Therefore, the emperor has already issued a military order, only for three months. If there is a delay of half a minute, and the epidemic spreads to the imperial city or anywhere else, the most effective measures will be taken at that time To stop the plague from spreading." Zhang Yi looked at the letter covered in ink and blood and said: "The letter contains the wishes of me and the doctors of the government and the people of Xiahe Town, requesting that the time limit be relaxed for another month... Now the month of March is approaching, and there are only three more days of rain! And we have not found a complete cure for this stubborn disease, so if this continues, we can only..."
"However, the emperor did this for the sake of the overall situation... If the enemy country knows that this disaster has happened in the rear, the consequences will be disastrous..." Zhao Kuo said to himself, and Zhao Xiaomei next to him pushed him angrily, almost He lost his dignity and fell down on the table in a state of embarrassment.
"Zhao Kuo, what are you talking about!" said the younger sister angrily: "Doctor Zhang is so devoted to treating diseases and saving patients, can you kill him with just one word?"
Ajuan also echoed: "I didn't expect that I would fall in love with such a heartless and unjust person..."
Although Zhao Kuo repeatedly explained that he did not intend to offend, he was still inevitably condemned by the morality that existed in the hearts of others.
As soon as he finished speaking, there was a rapid knock on the door of the medical clinic, and a panicked and helpless voice screamed desperately: "Doctor Zhang, please save my wife!"
The little medicine boy handed the cooked "calming soup" to the master. Seeing Zhang Yi raise his hand and nod, he ran to join other friends to move the door that was blocked by wooden boards step by step. When he opened the door, he saw a young man carrying an unconscious girl in search of medical attention.
Zhang Yi drank the medicinal soup, straightened his sad face, wiped the tears on his face, said "wait a moment" to everyone in the side hall, and went to welcome the new patient.
When Bai Feng and his entourage saw that Dr. Zhang's medical ethics and heart were extremely rare, their admiration arose spontaneously. No matter how depressed you are, you will not convey these emotions to the patient. Although he lost control of his mood for a moment, after he calmed down, he returned to his seemingly slovenly, but actually gentle and pleasant face.
When the man who came to seek medical treatment saw Zhang Yi, he immediately helped his wife to kneel on the ground and cried: "Doctor Zhang, my wife mistakenly believed in the evil talk of Taiping Road and drank the medicine in the hands of those Taoist priests." "Wangyoujiu'. After I got home, I lay on the bed and murmured half asleep. I didn't think so at the time, so I went out to do things as usual. Unexpectedly, when I got home, I found that the blood in her wrist had covered the bed! The other hand He was still holding a dagger. I quickly stopped the bleeding and found my way here!"
After hearing this, Zhang sighed and shook his head, and then brought the couple into the room for medical consultation. After Shaoqing's silence, the couple expressed their gratitude and left in a hurry.
Hearing that it was Taiping Dao who was causing trouble again, the young swordsman who had been silent for a long time was indignant. This was because both his master and himself had inexplicable grievances with Taiping Dao. Seeing Zhang Yizhong sitting back on the table, Bai Feng rushed to ask: "Doctor Zhang, who are those monsters of Taiping Road! Why can they be seen everywhere? There are no righteous people in such evil ways that harm the world. Are you willing to step forward?”
"Who is this?" Zhang Yi asked hesitantly towards his cousin.
E Feiying responded and introduced his new friends one by one to his cousin, and told him about the unknown messenger he would meet in the future.
After Zhang Yi learned about the events and consequences, he couldn't help but sigh that his cousin was so brave and fearless. He smiled and joked: "I think back then, Xiao Yingzi was not as fierce as she is now. At that time, she was sick all day long. Damn it, I don’t even want to say a few words..."
"Cousin... let's not talk about those things!" E Feiying glanced sideways at her friends and begged shyly: "We also want to know the answer to Bai Shaoxia's question! Cousin, let's get back to business. …”
"This group of Taoist priests can be so rampant because of their heavenly master - now the national master and the emperor's confidant, Sima Tu!" Zhang Yi lightly twisted his black beard and took the porcelain cup of tea presented by the little medicine boy. While serving tea to the guests, he preached: "I thought that the officials did not dare to do anything to them, and the people had no choice but to let them persecute... A few months before the plague raged, I exposed these demons to my face. Some people lost their way and found their way back. However, after the disaster, the methods of this group of demons to deceive people came in handy, so the number of believers increased."
"What exactly is this 'Wangyou Wine'?" Bai Feng asked.
"Alas! The so-called 'Wangyou Wine' is actually just 'Dukang' mixed with 'Wu Shi Powder'!" Zhang Yi replied, then he called a medicine boy and asked him to put the Wu Shi Powder in the medicine cabinet. take it out. He took the bowl filled with medicinal powder and continued: "Wushi Powder was originally used for medicinal purposes. It was a prescription prepared by Zhongjing's ancestor to treat typhoid fever. Therefore, taking this medicine will have a certain effect on this plague. But this is If you take too much medicine, you will lose your mind and have hallucinations, so it is just called 'forgetting your worries'."
"So, this plague is caused by 'typhoid fever'?" E Feiying said decisively: "I suspect that the mysterious death of the messenger is related to the Taiping Taoist congregation! There are two reasons. One, cousin, you have offended me. Secondly, if the deadline is approaching and the emperor sends people to deal with the epidemic, the Taiping Taoists can also take the opportunity to control the panic and helpless people. In the end, the people will have to go with them and become the real lambs to be slaughtered. "
When Zhang saw that his cousin was no longer the same as before, he showed an extremely pleased smile and said: "Although this disease is typhoid fever, it is different from the categories recorded in medical books. If only there is more time, I won't be afraid of it." Something bad happened that my cousin said..."
"Now the letter cannot be sent out, and it is being restrained by the Taiping Taoists. The only way is to let those Taoists retreat before the difficulties." Zhao Kuo looked at the young swordsman and said with a smile: "I know Brother Bai We can't wait to kill these thieves. But it's getting late now, and we have no better plan. How about we say goodbye first and find a place to rest?"
"Since you are interested in helping us in Xiahe Town, Zhang will definitely help you! The shopkeeper of Fulai Inn on West Street has received my favor, so you can stay there. I will go to every house tomorrow. Ask for help and try to find a prescription for the disease as soon as possible. The group of Taoists will recruit believers at the Taiping Temple in the north of the town on weekdays. If you want to go, remember to check with your parents first, otherwise they will be treated as refugees by the officials. Expulsion..."
After finishing speaking, everyone bowed and left one after another.
