Rebirth 1977 Great Era

Chapter 1337 Three Days of Quarantine, The Chicken in the Biographies of Bian Que and Cang Gong (Combined Chapter)
Fang Yan immediately returned to his residence. He still had the medicinal herbs he hadn't finished using yesterday. The herbs provided by Lao Hu were all top-quality products from authentic producing areas. After finding the herbs, Fang Yan casually wrapped them in paper and then turned around and went back to Yue Lao's courtyard.

At this moment, the people next door also heard the commotion at Yue Meizhong's place, and with the smell of Chinese medicine in the air, they immediately knew that something had happened.

Wang Yuchuan and Fang Yaozhong both shouted at the other side, asking what was going on.

"What's going on inside? Why does it smell like medicine?"

"Is Old Master Yue feeling unwell? Or is there some other problem?"

The courtyard wall wasn't high, and you could vaguely see the figures of two people from the next house clinging to the top of the wall.

Yue Meizhong leaned against the eaves and raised her hand when she heard the sound. Through her mask, she called out, "It's nothing! I just caught a cold. Fang Yan prepared some medicine for me, and it's being decocted right now!"

"What? You're infected?! When did this happen? You were perfectly fine last night!" Wang Yuchuan asked from the other end of the line.

Yue Meizhong is getting old, and this kind of infection is actually quite dangerous for her.

"How severe are the symptoms? What's the fever level? Have you developed a rash?" Fang Yaozhong asked at this moment.

They were shouting at the top of their lungs, and the others heard them and came out of the yard one by one.

Some people even planned to go directly to Yue Meizhong's place for a visit.

"What's the rush? I only found out this morning. It's 38.5 degrees Celsius, and there are a few small red spots on my arm. It's not serious. Fang Yan just adjusted the prescription for me. It's more reliable than the one I prescribed myself. Don't worry about it," Yue Meizhong replied to them.

Fang Yan responded at this moment:
“I’m keeping an eye on Elder Yue’s condition. I just took his pulse and found that he is suffering from an excess of pathogenic factors and a deficiency of vital energy. I’ve added Astragalus membranaceus to protect his spleen and Ophiopogon japonicus to promote the production of body fluids. Once the medicine is decocted and he drinks it, he’ll be fine after we stabilize his vital energy.”

"You'd better keep an eye on things! Professor Yue is getting old, and his resistance is different from ours. Call us immediately if there are any changes!" Fang Yaozhong said to Fang Yan.

"I know!" Fang Yan replied.

Yue Meizhong said to them:

"You two shouldn't be clinging to the wall. This disease is highly contagious. Even though we're separated by a yard, we still need to be careful. I'll explain everything to you in detail after I take my medicine and my fever goes down a bit this afternoon."

Only after this was finished did the two courtyards quiet down.

After Fang Yan finished preparing the medicine for Yue Meizhong, she saw him drink it and felt relieved.

Then he went to see his classmates. There weren't many infected people today. The first three days were the outbreak period, and he didn't know how many more people would appear. Fang Yan was the person he had the most close contact with, but he was in good health and practiced martial arts every day, so his resistance was much stronger than that of the average person.

So, he, who should have been the most sick, was perfectly fine.

After reviewing the situation here, Fang Yan made a few more phone calls to inquire about the family's situation and Huang Huijie's condition. He Puren had already checked on her at Xiehe Hospital that morning, and Huang Huijie's condition had now stabilized, which put Lao Hu at ease.

Fang Yan asked Lao Tao to give Director Liao a check-up. Director Liao has been quite busy these past few days, as the overseas Chinese businessmen are returning. He also stayed up late last night. After Lao Tao finished the check-up this morning, he wrote it down and quickly told Fang Yan about it after receiving his call.

After all, he's getting on in years, and staying up late is really bad for his health.

However, there was nothing Fang Yan could do. It was the nature of his job, and he couldn't very well ask people to stop working. So he could only call Director Liao and ask him to try not to stay up so late.

When Director Liao heard Fang Yan's words, he readily agreed and then began to tell Fang Yan that many of the people who came back this time were there for medical treatment. One of them had idiopathic interstitial pulmonary fibrosis, but it was still in the early stage. After being diagnosed, he had been trying to contact people in China to return for treatment.

Fang Yan asked what was going on, and Director Liao said:
"I haven't asked about the specific symptoms yet, but I know he's been undergoing treatment abroad for over half a year. They said there are signs of alveolar fibrosis, and the Western medicine treatment plan is hormone therapy, but he's afraid of the side effects and hasn't dared to use it. He heard that traditional Chinese medicine has a solution, so he specially asked for connections to bring it back. Once he arrives in the capital, he'll report the details to you as soon as possible."

After saying that, he added:
"Several of these overseas Chinese businessmen have unusual backgrounds. Many of them have returned with investment intentions. If they can get their illnesses treated, the benefits will be greater than before."

He said in dialect:

"I know, I know, but please don't stay up so late all the time."

Director Liao chuckled on the phone and then changed the subject:
"Hey, by the way, how's the pandemic control going over there?"

The dialect responded:
"Yesterday afternoon, I went to a nearby village to deal with six infected patients. This morning, we saw several new infections here, mostly young people, but an elderly professor was also infected."

"Who is it?" Director Liao asked.

He said in dialect:

"Our graduate program director, Professor Yue Meizhong."

Director Liao asked:
"How did he get infected too? I remember he's not young, is he? His body can't withstand this disease!"

The dialect responded:
"I just found out this morning. He had a fever of 38.5 degrees Celsius and a few small red spots on his arm, but it's not too serious yet. I've already adjusted his prescription, reducing the amount of heat-clearing medicine and adding astragalus and ophiopogon to strengthen his body and promote the production of body fluids. I just gave him the medicine, and he's resting now."

After hearing this, Director Liao said to Fang Yan:

"You've all worked hard. By the way, are you feeling alright now?"

Dialect response:

"I'm fine, Director Liao, please don't worry. I have a fairly solid constitution, and I disinfect myself carefully after each contact with patients, so I haven't shown any signs of discomfort yet."

Director Liao said:
"It's good that you're alright. You were the key to the overseas Chinese businessmen's medical treatment this time. If you had also collapsed, I would have been completely at a loss."

Fang Yan comforted him:

"Don't worry, this disease mainly targets children. Others are not its primary target. The incidence rate is much lower. It's just that the risk of complications after infection is higher."

Director Liao let out a long sigh of relief on the other end of the receiver, most of the anxiety in his voice dissipating:
"You have to make sure you take proper precautions over there. Don't be careless just because you're healthy. After all, you'll be dealing with patients every day, so you can't be careless."

After chatting with Director Liao for a few more minutes, Director Liao had to go take care of some business, so Fang Yan hung up the phone and returned to his room.

He picked up the newspapers and product introductions that Lao Hu had prepared and started reading them.

When it was lunchtime, Fang Yan planned to go and check on Yue Lao's situation.

Xiao Wu and the other members of the epidemic prevention team have been guarding this place the whole time, so Fang Yan isn't too worried.

Just as Fang Yan reached the corner of the courtyard, he saw Xiao Wu carrying an enamel bowl out of Old Yue's yard. Upon seeing Fang Yan, he quickly came up to her: "Director Fang, you've come at the right time! Old Yue just had his temperature checked, it's 37.2 degrees Celsius, his fever has gone down quite a bit, and he even drank half a bowl of rice soup just now!"

Fang Yan quickened her pace and hurried into the yard: "How's the rash? Has it spread?"

"It hasn't spread; in fact, it's a bit milder than this morning," Xiao Wu replied from behind. "Old Yue said his throat isn't as dry and sore anymore, but he's still a bit weak and just lay down to rest."

Upon entering the courtyard, the dregs of medicine on the stove had been cleaned up, and a faint smell of Chinese medicine lingered in the air.

Fang Yan walked quietly into the room. Yue Meizhong was leaning back in a recliner covered with a mattress, resting with her eyes closed. The flush on her face had mostly subsided.

Hearing the noise, the old man slowly opened his eyes. Seeing that it was Fang Yan, a smile appeared on his lips: "Hey, Fang Yan's here!"

"How are you feeling?" Fang Yan asked.

Yue Meizhong said:
"Your prescription works. I felt much better less than two hours after drinking it."

Fang Yan stepped forward and asked:

"Can you try sitting up? Let me take your pulse again."

Xiao Wu quickly stepped forward to lend a hand, and Yue Meizhong slowly sat up straight while supporting himself on the armrest. Fang Yan then placed his fingers on Yue Meizhong's wrist.

After feeling for a while, I felt that the pulse was much more stable than in the morning. The floating and rapid pulse gradually disappeared, and the feeling of weakness also faded. However, it was still somewhat weak. Obviously, the idea of ​​"strengthening the body's resistance and expelling pathogens" was effective.

"The pulse has stabilized, the pathogenic factors have been expelled, and the body's vital energy is gradually returning to normal." Fang Yan released his hand, his tone relaxed. "Drink another dose of the original prescription this afternoon, and tomorrow we'll see how it goes and reduce the amount of heat-clearing medicine. With a couple more days of rest, you should be fully recovered."

Yue Meizhong nodded, then asked as if she remembered something, "How are your classmates doing? Have they gotten any worse?"

He said in dialect:

"I haven't gone to see it yet."

Xiao Wu, who was standing to the side, said:

"Their symptoms were very mild, and they are feeling much better after taking the medicine."

Yue Meizhong nodded, then asked:
Are there any new infections?

"Not at the moment," Xiao Wu said.

Yue Meizhong nodded. As the director of the graduate program, he was responsible for each and every student.

Then it was lunchtime. Yue Meizhong's meal was a special patient meal prepared by the kitchen. After the old man ate, Fang Yan also returned to his courtyard and ate the lunch that was delivered to him.

The food here at Lao Hu's place is quite good, with both meat and vegetables.

Despite being surrounded by rural areas, this place is just as good as the research institute's canteen.

Fang Yan sighed inwardly, took a bite of his steamed bun, and was eating an egg with his chopsticks when he saw Wang Yuchuan waving at him from across the courtyard wall: "Fang Yan! How is Old Yue? Has his fever gone down?"

Fang Yan swallowed the food in his mouth and said, "It's gone! My temperature was just 37.2 degrees Celsius, and the rash has faded. He's eating his patient meal right now."

"That's good." Wang Yuchuan breathed a sigh of relief when he heard that nothing was wrong, and then went back to eat.

The afternoon returned to calm, and according to feedback from Lao Zhang and his colleagues, the epidemic in the surrounding rural areas was under control.

...The next three days of quarantine passed in the blink of an eye, and many more people became infected one after another. In a class of sixty people, more than a dozen people were infected during the three-day outbreak period.

The epidemic in the surrounding area has been brought under control, and Fang Yan can return to the city after today.

However, the others will have to wait two more days before they can return to the city.

"Director Fang, this is the last temperature record. Everyone who fell ill on the first day is now normal." Xiao Wu walked in holding the notebook and said to Fang Yan, "Old Yue's temperature was 36.5 degrees Celsius just now. His rash has basically disappeared, and he was able to take a walk in the yard just now."

Fang Yan took the notebook and flipped through it. The temperature curves of the infected classmates at the beginning all went down, and the last few pages were all marked with red checkmarks for "normal". Fang Yan said:

"Thank you for your hard work. We are very grateful for your efforts in supervising the disinfection and monitoring over the past three days."

"You're the one who should be thanking me!" Xiao Wu quickly waved his hand. "If it weren't for your timely prescription, how could Old Yue and those classmates have recovered so quickly? The village secretary even asked someone to pass on a message yesterday, saying that he wanted to send you some red dates he grew himself before you returned to the city, but we persuaded him to go back at your request."

Fang Yan smiled, and Xiao Wu said to him:
"Your quarantine period ends today, and you can return to the city tomorrow morning."

"Yes, everything's arranged." Fang Yan closed the temperature record book, lightly tapped the red checkmark for "normal," and her tone was cheerful.

"For those students who developed symptoms later, I'll adjust the prescription to be more effective before I leave tomorrow. Just make sure they take their medicine on time."

"Don't worry, Director Fang!" Xiao Wu quickly replied.

Despite being a member of the epidemic prevention team, after spending the past few days together, I found that his dialect skills far exceeded my expectations.

Some Western medicine treatments are not as effective as his treatment methods.

Now, when he speaks to Fang Yan, he always acts as if he's asking for advice.

After all, many things here are handled in the local dialect, so they just stand by and offer encouragement, playing a supporting role.

After seeing Xiao Wu off, Fang Yan went to check on Lao Hu. This guy had said this morning that his throat wasn't feeling well, but after observing him, no symptoms of scarlet fever were found.

He had originally planned to return to the city with Fang Yan, but given the current situation, he didn't dare to take the risk. After all, Huang Huijie was at a critical stage, and it would be terrible if she were to contract the virus from him.

When we arrived at Lao Hu's courtyard, he was in his room looking at the factory's production plan. Although he wasn't feeling well, he was still keeping an eye on work.

Upon seeing Fang Yan arrive, he quickly put on a mask.

Of course, Fang Yan herself was also wearing a mask.

"How are you feeling now?" Fang Yan asked him.

Old Hu put down the production plan in his hand, pointed to his throat, and said in a slightly hoarse voice, "It just feels dry, like there's sandpaper rubbing against it. Occasionally it's so itchy I want to cough, but otherwise I'm fine. I don't have a fever or a rash. It shouldn't be that disease, right?" As he spoke, he was about to open his mouth to show Fang Yan, but then he remembered that he was wearing a mask and paused.

Fang Yan stepped forward and gestured for him to extend his wrist.

I first touched the left hand. The pulse was normal, without the rapid and weak pulse commonly seen in scarlet fever, but it was slightly dry.

He then asked Lao Hu to take off his mask and open his mouth, and turned on a flashlight to look at his throat. The mucous membrane was a little red, but there was no pus or pinpoint bleeding, which was indeed not a typical symptom of scarlet fever.

"It's not scarlet fever, don't worry." Fang Yan withdrew her hand, her tone certain. "It's been windy here lately, and with you keeping an eye on things at the factory every day, it's probably because you're experiencing internal heat and dryness affecting your lungs, causing your body fluids to be depleted, which is why your throat is dry and itchy."

Old Hu visibly breathed a sigh of relief, and his hands moved more lightly as he removed his mask.

"That's good! I thought about it for half the night, afraid of causing trouble for my family. She has just settled down at Peking Union Medical College Hospital. If I go back with my illness, it will be adding insult to injury."

"Your condition isn't serious, you just need to rest and stop staying up late looking at plans." Fang Yan rummaged through her medicine bag and pulled out a small handful of Ophiopogon japonicus and Malva nut, handing them to him.
"Both of these are throat-soothing and thirst-quenching. Take them home, steep them in boiling water, and drink them twice a day. They should be fine in two or three days. If the itching is severe, suck on a licorice tablet to relieve the cough."

Old Hu quickly took it, put it in his pocket, then seemed to remember something, hesitated for a moment, and then asked:
"Can I still go back to the city with you tomorrow? I want to go to Peking Union Medical College Hospital as soon as possible."

“I suggest you don’t go back for now.” Fang Yan shook her head. “Although it’s not scarlet fever, your sore throat is a kind of cold. It just so happens that you’re finishing your quarantine, so it’s safe to observe you for a couple more days. Once your throat is no longer hoarse and you’re completely recovered, it’s not too late to go back to the city. Sister Huang has someone keeping an eye on things, so things will be fine.”

"Actually, I don't plan to get close to her. It's better to be safe than sorry."

After hearing the dialect, Lao Hu thought about it and realized that it was indeed a safer approach.

So he nodded and replied, "Whatever you say! I'll stay here for a couple more days and keep an eye on the finishing touches at the factory. If Huijie asks, just tell her I'm fine and put her mind at ease."

"No problem," Fang Yan agreed, then added, "If you're not feeling well, don't think about work anymore. Your health is what matters; what if it collapses? I'll check your pulse again before I leave tomorrow."

Old Hu nodded repeatedly. When he saw Fang Yan to the gate of the courtyard, he remembered something else and said:

"I stewed chicken for dinner, specially asked the cafeteria to make it for you! Consider it my farewell gift."

"So particular?" Fang Yan said.

Lao Hu said:

"Of course! You've been running around here for the past three days, taking care of Grandpa Yue's illness, managing the students and the village's epidemic situation, without even having a proper meal. This chicken is raised in our factory, fed on the dregs of precious Chinese medicinal herbs. It was just killed this morning and stewed until tender to help you recover from the stress of these past few days."

Upon hearing this, Fang Yan realized that the chicken had been raised on Chinese medicine, something he had never experienced in his two lives.

"A chicken raised on Chinese medicine dregs? That's a rare find." Fang Yan raised an eyebrow, his tone filled with curiosity. "This treatment is even more precious than the wild chickens in city restaurants." He had dealt with medicinal herbs extensively in both his lives, but he had never heard of feeding chickens with Chinese medicine dregs. He figured the chicken meat must have a medicinal aroma and be more nourishing than ordinary chicken.

“It’s rare indeed! Even the Beijing Restaurant doesn’t have this. It’s been raised for a few months and it’s grown up just in time to be eaten,” Old Hu said with a hint of pride. “I had the factory canteen specially fence off a plot of land to raise chickens. They’re fed with Chinese medicine residue mixed in with their feed—all kinds of medicine residue that nourish qi and blood, with no side effects whatsoever. The chickens raised from this diet are not only tender, but they also have a medicinal flavor. Only you would make me let the canteen kill one. I wouldn’t be willing to do it for anyone else.”

Old Hu said to the dialect:

"If you feel good about it, take a few back for your master and Director Liao as well."

Fang Yan didn't stand on ceremony and nodded, saying:
"Alright then, can this be considered a specialty product of our factory?"

Lao Hu said:

"That must be a local specialty; you can't find it anywhere else."

We chatted for a while, and soon it got dark. When it was time for dinner, the canteen brought over the chicken that had been raised on Chinese medicinal herbs. The stewed free-range chicken was served in a large, rough earthenware pot. It was fresh from the canteen and was still steaming. The steam carried an intensely rich and savory aroma, not the thin, oily smell of city chickens, but a mellow and refreshing fragrance with a hint of herbs and plants. You could tell it was the authentic taste of the countryside just by smelling it.

The chicken is a common local free-range chicken with mottled feathers. It is not very big. After the feathers are removed, the whole chicken lies in the basin, and its skin and meat have a natural light amber color.

The chicken skin wasn't too tight; it had a soft, glossy sheen from stewing. It could be easily lifted with chopsticks, revealing clear chicken meat underneath with fine, dense fibers that weren't dry or tough. It had a light pink hue, indicating that the cooking time was just right—it was stewed until flavorful without becoming mushy.

A few slices of ginger and a few sections of scallion sat at the bottom of the bowl. There were no extra seasonings, which preserved the flavor of the chicken to the greatest extent.

Scoop a spoonful of the broth; it's clear and not cloudy. Take a sip and swallow. The first taste is so fresh it makes your tongue tremble. After swallowing, a faint medicinal aroma lingers in your throat. It's the unique flavor of those qi-tonifying and blood-nourishing Chinese herbal dregs. It's neither bitter nor astringent, but rather adds a warm and gentle base to the umami flavor.

Pick up a piece of chicken thigh and put it in your mouth. The meat is so tender that it almost doesn't need to be chewed. The freshness of the broth, the aroma of the chicken, and the subtle medicinal flavor intertwine in your mouth, creating a unique taste. You can taste a different feeling from ordinary chicken in just one bite.

Even the crevices of the chicken carcass are soaked in flavor, making it exceptionally chewy. Every bit of meat is infused with broth, resulting in a richer and more lingering flavor than ordinary free-range chicken.

For someone like Fang Yan who practices martial arts, one chicken is not much.

After finishing his meal, Fang Yan ate all the other dishes before he was finally satisfied.

To be fair, although the chef's skills were limited, the chicken itself was indeed quite good.

In the "Biography of Bian Que and Cang Gong" in the Records of the Grand Historian, Bian Que used a prescription of Chinese herbal medicine to feed pheasants and cultivate chickens with medicinal properties to serve as a medicinal guide for diseases such as weakness. This should be the earliest method of feeding chickens with herbs.

Later on, Chinese herbs were often added when cooking chicken.

This is the most efficient way.

However, Lao Hu's chicken has a lot of hype. It would be a great gift. The chicken is raised from a young age using authentic Chinese medicinal herbs. Although it's made from medicinal residue, it's still Chinese medicine, which is why it's different from ordinary chickens.

After finishing this chicken, the three-day quarantine period was over.

On the fourth day, Fang Yan got up early in the morning and went to see Lao Hu.

"Good morning!" Old Hu had already gotten up and was practicing standing meditation in the yard. This was a habit he had developed over time with Fang Yan, and you could tell that his voice was still a little hoarse.

"Good morning!" Fang Yan stepped forward and gestured for him to take his pulse. After the two sat down in the room, Fang Yan felt his pulse and found it to be much calmer than yesterday. The previous agitation had subsided considerably. When he asked Lao Hu to open his mouth to look at his throat, the redness of the mucous membrane had also faded a lot.

"Much better, is the medicine working?" Fang Yan withdrew her hand, her tone relaxed.

"It works! I drank it twice last night, and my throat wasn't as rough this morning." Old Hu nodded with a smile, then patted his chest. "I'm still a little weak, but it's nothing serious."

"It's good that it's not scarlet fever. Rest well for a couple of days and go back to the city when you're completely free of speech."

Then Fang Yan went to see Professor Yue and other professors.

Then I spoke with Anton, gave a few instructions to Xiao Wu from the epidemic prevention team, and finally had breakfast there before heading to the factory parking lot.

Old Hu had already given instructions, and put several chickens in Fang Yan's trunk to take back to the city.

After saying goodbye to everyone, Fang Yan got into the car and headed towards the city, facing the rising sun.

After three days of quarantine, I can finally return to the city today.

PS: The basic chapter of 6000 words has been updated. There will be an extra chapter later.

(End of this chapter)