After being separated from my family, I became a darling of the military region thanks to my medical

Ye Zhen squinted and got up to walk to the huge wooden filing cabinet.

"Dahe Commune...Lanniwan..."

Like a tireless machine, she began to search for all the death records in the village.

Half an hour later.

The table was covered with more than thirty medical records.

shocking.

In this small village with only a few hundred people, the number of people who have died from "big belly disease" and "vomiting blood" over the years has reached as high as 36!

Moreover, it covers men, women, young and old.

What causes cirrhosis of the liver?

"It's not hepatitis B." Ye Zhen tapped her fingers lightly on the table, making a soft tapping sound. "Alcoholic liver disease? The whole village, men, women, and children, are all alcoholics? That seems unlikely."

Her gaze fell on the three words "Muddy Bay".

Muddy Bay.

As its name suggests, the area is low-lying and has a dense network of waterways.

Ye Zhen closed her eyes, and the geographical environment of this era appeared in her mind. Qingyun County is located by water. Although farmland water conservancy construction has been carried out in recent years, many remote villages still retain primitive irrigation methods.

water.

Snail.

Cercariae.

A ghost, sealed away by history but never truly gone, gradually became clear in Ye Zhen's mind.

Could it be...?

Schistosomiasis japonicum?

This disease was vigorously controlled in the 1950s, and even inspired the poem, "Where is the Plague God going? Paper boats and bright candles burn in the sky." But in some remote and neglected areas, due to lax prevention and control measures, it is making a silent comeback.

Ye Zhen opened her eyes again, and a fire was burning in those clear, cold eyes.

This is not a medical record.

These are the wrong accounts of the King of Hell.

She picked up her pen and spread out a sheet of paper. Without the slightest hesitation, the pen tip flew across the paper.

Epidemiological Analysis Report on the High Incidence of Unexplained Hepatitis in Lanniwan Brigade, Dahe Commune, Qingyun County

The handwriting is elegant and powerful.

……

The next morning.

The first ray of sunlight pierced through the dusty glass windows of the archives room and shone on the desk.

"Squeak!"

The door was pushed open.

Zhao Haifeng carried two meat buns wrapped in oil paper and a porcelain mug of soy milk, and tiptoed in.

He felt it was inappropriate to leave such a treasure in the archives, so he got up early to curry favor with it.

He froze as soon as he entered the door.

Ye Zhen was asleep, slumped over the table. She was wearing a thin white lab coat, and a thick stack of papers covered in writing was next to her.

The hands that were as steady as a rock during surgery were now slightly curled up, and the knuckles were red from holding a pen for a long time.

Zhao Haifeng felt a pang of sadness for no apparent reason.

This girl looks cold and aloof, but when she gets to work, she works harder than anyone else.

He gently placed the breakfast beside her and was about to find a piece of clothing to cover her when his gaze was drawn to the report.

What is this?

Zhao Haifeng leaned closer, initially just glancing at it casually, but as he looked, his expression changed.

From doubt to shock, and then to terror.

"...Based on the analysis of the existing 36 death cases, the villagers in this village show obvious familial clustering and water source correlation...The clinical manifestations are highly consistent with the characteristics of late-stage schistosomiasis...It is recommended to immediately conduct a snail survey in the Lanniwan water area..."

Every word was like a heavy hammer blow to Zhao Haifeng's heart.

"You also think it's blood flukes, right?"

A slightly hoarse voice suddenly rang out.

Zhao Haifeng was startled. He looked up and saw that Ye Zhen had woken up sometime earlier. She sat up straight, rubbed her sleepy eyes, but her expression was frighteningly clear.

"Dr. Ye... Dr. Ye," Zhao Haifeng said, his fingers trembling as he pointed at the report, "You can't just say things like that! Our county announced the eradication of schistosomiasis ten years ago! If this is reported, it'll be a slap in the face to the county leaders!"

"Is saving face more important, or human life?"

Ye Zhen stood up, picked up the slightly cool soy milk, and took a sip.

"Thirty-six lives, lost silently in these five years." She pointed to the pile of medical records on the table. "Dean Zhao, you are a doctor too. You should know how terrible this disease is."

Zhao Haifeng fell silent.

As an old doctor who had worked in this county for most of his life, how could he not know about Lanniwan?

That village was poor, dirty, and despised by people.

Girls outside are unwilling to marry into the village, and young men inside can't find wives. Everyone says the place has bad feng shui, is cursed, and that getting this kind of belly ailment is just fate.

Over time, even the doctors became numb to it.

"There's something else," Zhao Haifeng sighed, as if he had made up his mind. "Now that you've found out about Lanni Bay, you must have heard of that village's other nickname, right?"

Ye Zhen raised an eyebrow: "What?"

"Dwarf Village"

Zhao Haifeng gave a wry smile and gestured to indicate the height, which was roughly at his chest level.

"In that village, there are many adults who are only 1.2 or 1.3 meters tall. They look like children, but they are actually in their twenties or thirties. The villagers all say that it is a curse from the local earth god that prevents them from growing tall."

Ye Zhen's hand gripping the enamel mug tightened suddenly.

What was originally an 80% chance has now become a 90% chance.

"That's right. It's not a curse, nor is it a genetic defect."

"That's pituitary dwarfism."

Seeing Zhao Haifeng's blank expression, Ye Zhen explained quickly, "Repeated severe schistosomiasis infections during childhood can severely affect pituitary function due to the toxins from the parasite eggs, leading to insufficient growth hormone secretion and premature bone closure. This type of dwarfism caused by parasitic infection is a classic example of epidemiological evidence!"

Zhao Haifeng's mouth dropped open.

He had read about dwarfism and parasites in books, but he had never connected the two things together!

How did this girl come up with the idea of ​​explaining the "curse of the Earth God" so thoroughly using medical principles?

"Dean Zhao."

"I'll sign this report. Do you dare submit it?"

"Xiao Ye, I know you mean well. You're an expert from a big city, with excellent skills and a broad perspective. But things here... they're complicated." Zhao Haifeng took a deep drag on his cigarette, letting the pungent taste fill his lungs, trying to suppress his panic. "If this is reported and verified, that's fine. But what if... I mean, what if the provincial expert team comes down and doesn't find any snails or test for eggs? Then that's spreading rumors and causing trouble. Disturbing public order and undermining stability and unity... You can't bear that charge, and neither can I."

Ye Zhen put down her cup, said nothing, but stared intently at him.

Zhao Haifeng looked at the young woman in front of him, who was only in her early twenties. She was so thin, yet she resembled a tall and straight pine tree.

He remembered the earth-shattering craniotomy performed on the operating table that day, and he remembered her saying, "The doctor is holding a scalpel."

This cut can not only open the brain, but also cut through the veil of ignorance covering the muddy bay.

"Pass it over!"

Zhao Haifeng slammed his hand on the table, his eyes reddening. "Damn it, I've been a coward for half my life, but today I'll go crazy with you! If the higher-ups blame me, I'll just quit being the hospital director and go home to farm!"