Famine and Chaos: Weaving Cloth in Exile to Escape the War

"What? Bitten by a rat?" Kyoto Haru's joy instantly froze. "Where was it bitten? Wait, where's your father right now?"

Being bitten by a rat does not necessarily mean you will contract the plague, but only if the rat that bites you is disease-free.

If it was a diseased plague rat, it would be almost certain that Yang Dawang would contract the plague.

The most important thing right now is to isolate the person immediately and then observe their condition.

"Right...right on that sandy slope where we were digging for Cistanche deserticola," Gao Xiuqin wiped away her tears, "my father dug up a nest of rats, and without warning, he was bitten on the hand. After he was bitten, he sat alone on the sandy slope smoking his pipe, far away from us. We just thought he was tired, and he sat there all afternoon...In the afternoon, we called him home, but he refused to come back no matter what. That's when we found out...that's when we found out he had been bitten by rats!"

Yang Erniu's eyes were also red, and he choked up as he said, "Father was afraid... afraid that he would get sick like your family's previous groom, and that we would die mysteriously after coming into contact with him, just like those people who carried the groom's body. So he didn't want to implicate the family, and said... said to just let him die in Shapo, and not to worry about him..."

At this point, Yang Erniu and Gao Xiuqin were already sobbing uncontrollably.

"Madam Shen," Yang Erniu wiped his face hard with his sleeve and asked urgently, "We just want to ask, right now... what should we do to save my father? Is he... is he really going to die? And, will he... will he be able to wait for the medicine your sister from the capital to send?"

Jing Zhichun took a deep breath; truly, the hearts of parents are full of love and concern for their children.

However, it is still inconclusive whether Yang Dawang has contracted the plague.

She needs to calm the Yang family down for the time being.

"Second Brother Yang, Sister-in-law Gao, don't panic. Being bitten by a rat can cause illness, but it's not necessarily fatal! The key is whether the rat itself is sick. If the rat isn't sick, your father will be fine. By the way, don't worry, I've already asked someone to gather all the medicinal herbs needed to treat this illness these past few days! Even if your father does develop symptoms, we have medicine to treat him. I will never let him lose his life, so you don't need to be so anxious."

She had to see this matter concerning Yang Dawang through to the end.

Moreover, Yang Dawang must not be allowed to get into trouble, since she was caught digging for Cistanche deserticola and she was the biggest beneficiary of this cooperation with the Yang family.

Therefore, no matter what, we must not let anything happen to Yang Dawang.

"Really...really?!" Yang Erniu and Gao Xiuqin looked up almost simultaneously, their dim eyes instantly brightening with hope.

They originally thought that Jing Zhichun's promise to have the palace maid deliver medicine would take at least half a year, since the capital was 3,000 miles from the northwest, and travel was inconvenient in the dead of winter.

Unexpectedly, Jingzhichun had already prepared all the medicinal herbs in just three days.

Moreover, Kyoto Haru is right. Although their father was bitten by a rat, it's not certain whether the rat was sick.

"Absolutely true." Jing Zhichun nodded vigorously, her expression solemn. "I've prepared the medicine. Now, what you need to do is immediately persuade the old man to go home, then prepare a separate room for him to stay in, isolating him. Also, the next three to five days are a critical observation period. You must closely monitor whether the old man suddenly develops a high fever, blisters, or black spots. If any of these symptoms appear, tell me immediately, and we will administer the medication. If everything returns to normal after these few days, then he is basically safe."

"And most importantly, no one is allowed to get close to the old man until we've confirmed he's alright! When delivering food or water, just leave it at the door and leave. You must always cover your mouth and nose with a cloth, especially children—they are absolutely forbidden from getting near him!"

With Jing Zhichun's words, Yang Xiaoniu and Gao Xiuqin breathed a sigh of relief. Regardless of whether their father would get sick or not, he should be safe.

Gao Xiuqin said, "Alright, alright! Madam Shen, we'll listen to you! As long as it saves Father, we'll do whatever you say!"

Jing Zhichun instructed, "Then you should hurry up and call your father home, and then do as I say. I'll come to your house with the medicine later."

"Okay, okay..." Yang Xiaoniu nodded repeatedly.

But thinking of his father's stubborn temper, he continued with a troubled expression, "Madam Shen, my father won't listen to anything now. He's convinced he's dying and will be a burden to us, so he's squatting on the sand dune, refusing to go home no matter what. If we get close, he... he threatens to kill himself if we come any closer... Madam Shen, you know a lot and your words make sense, could you... could you try to persuade my father?"

Jing Zhichun nodded without hesitation: "Okay, I'll go with you, but wait for me a moment while I settle the children first. Oh, and now you should find some cloth to cover your mouths and noses tightly."

"Okay! Okay! We'll wait for you outside!"

Yang Erniu and Gao Xiuqin quickly covered their mouths and noses tightly with the scarves around their necks and retreated into the house.

After the two stepped outside, Jing Zhichun quickly put on her homemade mask and carefully instructed Xiaoman to close the door and not to open it no matter who called her. Only then did she follow Yang Erniu and Gao Xiuqin into the swirling snow.

An hour later, the three of them finally arrived at the desolate sand dune.

From afar, one could see a hunched figure wrapped in a wolfskin coat, squatting alone in a sheltered sandy hollow, motionless like a frozen sculpture, forming a desolate contrast with the vast snowfield around him.

This man was none other than Yang Dawang.

When the group was about ten meters away from Yang Dawang, Jing Zhichun told them to stop.

"Dad!" Gao Xiuqin called out to Yang Dawang.

Upon hearing the voice, Yang Dawang merely shifted his body without turning around, then angrily shouted, "Don't come any closer! Get yourselves home right now! If you don't leave, I'll kill myself right now! So you don't go back and ruin your whole family!"

"father!!!"

Yang Erniu shouted urgently, "Dad! Don't be like this! Madam Shen is here! She says she has a way, she has the medicine, you won't die! Come home with us quickly!"

Yang Dawang didn't turn around, still hunched over. "Erniu, don't try to fool your father. How far is the capital from here? Even if Madam Shen has a way, how can those life-saving herbs fly over?"

Sigh, I've lived to be fifty, that's enough. You're still young, you must live well.

By the way, now that you're back, take good care of your mother for your father. She's been with me for very long and hasn't enjoyed much happiness.

However, there is only one thing I can't let go of in my life, and that is not being able to see you have a son.

"If your family still can't produce a son in the future, you'll have to adopt one from your eldest or third brother. When you get old, you'll need someone by your side to bring you water and see you off in your final days."

At this point, Yang Dawang's voice choked, and he wiped his face with his hand. "And then there's your eldest brother, Xiao Niu... He's gone to join the army, where swords and spears have no eyes, and who knows when he'll be back. By the time he returns, this old man of yours will probably have already turned to ashes and been buried in the sand..."