Sky Curtain: My Happy Daily Life Exposed by Xiao Sizi

Chapter 77 Lu Chen and the Ancestor Join Forces!

Lu Chen's fingers tightened slightly as he gripped the new mask. He watched the young medical officer approaching quickly. Under the moonlight, the officer's blue medical robe was stained with mud, and the wooden "Lu" sign on his medicine box swayed gently in the night breeze.

"Indeed. Young sir, are you from Lu Family Village, Luodong County, Luocheng, Luonan Prefecture?" the young physician shouted.

"Yes! But Luonan Prefecture is now called Luonan Province!" Lu Chen also shouted from afar.

The young physician stopped three steps away from him, panting heavily as he wiped the sweat from his brow, his eyes surprisingly bright: "May I ask, what was the name of your ancestor who served in the palace?"

"My father told me that our ancestor was named Lu Heng." Lu Chen was grateful that his family had some surviving family genealogy records.

"This is it." The junior physician wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"I observe the heavens every day and know you must be a descendant of the Lu family. Just now, while on duty at the Imperial Hospital, I heard the Imperial Physician say that the future young master's surname is Lu, and he's even wearing a mask to ward off plague." — My grandfather said before he passed away that a great talent would emerge from the Lu family, and it has indeed come true.

"Huh? Really? I don't think I count." Lu Chen scratched his head shyly.

"Here you go, Ancestor. Please put this on quickly, like this." Lu Chen handed over the mask.

"You're so kind, great-grandson." Lu Heng quickly put on his mask.

Upon closer inspection, Lu Chen discovered that he and this young ancestor looked somewhat alike.

Lu Heng pulled a yellowed parchment scroll from his medicine chest. "This is the 'Miscellaneous Records of Epidemics,' passed down through three generations of the Lu family. It records the symptoms of epidemics in Chang'an over the years. Can the 'masks' and 'alcohol' you mentioned be used together with the 'epidemic prevention formulas' in this ancient book?"

Lu Chen took the parchment scroll, his fingertips touching the rough, worn edges. He suddenly remembered that his grandfather had given him an identical handwritten copy in an old wooden box before his death, except that his grandfather had marked it with "Supplement to Modern Epidemic Prevention" in pen.

His throat tightened. "Ancestor, I have this book in my family too."

Lu Heng's voice, muffled through the mask, said, "Really? This book has been passed down for a thousand years... I am you—"

—An ancestor separated by sixteen generations.

"Sixteen generations—" Lu Chen murmured repeatedly, then suddenly laughed. It turned out that bloodlines spanning thousands of years could truly intertwine in such an absurd yet heartwarming way at this moment.

He opened his backpack and took out several packs of disinfectant wipes and a small bottle of antiviral oral liquid: "This oral liquid can relieve fever and cough. You can take it for the seriously ill children first. The wipes are for wiping hands and objects, and the alcohol spray can disinfect the air." (From *Notes on the Epidemic*)

The "cangzhu fumigation method" also works; combined with these modern methods, it can control the spread more quickly.

Lu Heng took the oral liquid, his fingertips trembling as he caressed the bottle: "This—this bottle is also made of plastic? It's like glass, but not brittle."

"Yes, this requires advanced equipment. The Tang Dynasty cannot manufacture it yet." Lu Chen pointed to the plague victims kneeling outside the city gate. "I'll teach you how to teach them to wear masks, Ancestor. I brought very few supplies, and I need to go back to the modern world to get more overnight. Please help me keep everyone calm."

Under the moonlight, two men surnamed Lu walked side by side toward the crowd.

Lu Heng carried a medicine box on his back, Lu Chen held a mask, and behind them stood the solemn figures of Cheng Yaojin's Xuanjia Army.

Beyond the sky, the exclamations of Ying Zheng, Zhu Yuanzhang, and others could be heard.

"Sixteen generations of ancestors—" Lu Chen secretly glanced at Lu Heng, who was telling the people about his family history, and suddenly felt that the so-called "future" never comes out of thin air. It is hidden in the "hope" in the hearts of every generation, and in the bloodline and inheritance that spans thousands of years.

"Wow! I see!"

"The young master's ancestors really are in the palace!"

"So it's a physician!"

"This whole family are incredibly kind!"

The atmosphere outside the canopy was even more electric.

"The young master and the ancestor have truly met!"

"Great news!"

"Congratulations!"

Here, Cheng Yaojin put on a show of restraint, and Lu Chen gave a few instructions before quickly retreating to the back.

"I don't know if it will work. God help me. This is a life-saving moment. Back to the modern world..." Lu Chen closed his eyes and silently repeated the words three times. Suddenly, he felt a cool breeze blow over him.

He opened his eyes with a start. Wow! Amazing! I'm really back! Seamless connection! Free plane ticket!

"Hey, hurry up and go out to buy medicine. Buy more, as much as you can." Lu Chen closed the door and walked onto the street.

After visiting several pharmacies, he ordered a batch of masks, disinfectant, and various medicines. Fortunately, he managed to grab a large quantity before the pharmacies closed. Luckily, the staff didn't question him too much; they were happy to do business anyway, and even proactively helped him contact various branches to coordinate supplies. Lu Chen's tense heart was greatly relieved.

Soon, several large boxes of supplies were piled up in Lu Chen's house. Lu Chen piled the boxes up, then carried over a large bag of delicious food he had bought on the way, and started the time travel mode again.

Whoosh!

Suddenly, everything flashed before his eyes, and whoosh! He appeared below the city gate of Chang'an.

No one left.

Lu Chen placed the delicious treats he had given to Xiao Sizi at a distance and had the soldiers take them back to the palace first, as he still needed to continue fighting the epidemic.

When Lu Chen reappeared beneath the city gates of Chang'an, the moon had already climbed above the eaves of the gate tower.

Cheng Yaojin was pacing back and forth with his hands behind his back when he saw that familiar figure appear out of nowhere. He almost ripped two of his beards off: "Hey! Young master, you're finally back!"

"I'm back!"

"Young master has brought back the medicine!"

"We're saved!"

Men, women, young and old all broke into smiles, and their illnesses improved significantly in no time.

People from all dynasties outside the canopy stared wide-eyed.

"So many boxes!"

"The Tang Dynasty is saved!"

"When will our young master come to our court?"

"You're back, you're back," Lu Chen patted the backpack behind him, then pointed to the several large boxes of supplies piled up at his feet, "Medicine,..."

Masks, disinfectant, and food.

Lu Heng strode forward, his gaze sweeping over the boxes. He crouched down, gently pressing the edge of one of the boxes with his palm, then looked up, his eyes filled with undisguised shock and urgency: "Great-grandson, are these—enough for five hundred people for three days?"

"More than three days," Lu Chen squatted down, used his key to cut open the sealing tape of the box, pulled out a box of masks, and stuffed a bag of biscuits into Lu Heng's hand. "Grandpa, put this away first. Let's take stock of the supplies first, and I'll teach you how to sort them."

Lu Heng took the cookie; the paper packaging rustled slightly between his fingers. He didn't speak, but looked down at it for a long time, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down.

The sound of hooves came from afar. A fast horse galloped from the direction of Zhuque Avenue, and a eunuch jumped off the horse, his head covered in sweat. Cheng Yaojin, with his sharp eyes, recognized him as a familiar face from the Court of Imperial Sacrifices.

The eunuch clasped his hands in a salute, still catching his breath: "General Cheng! A decree has just been issued from the palace—His Majesty has heard that physicians from the Imperial Medical Academy are already administering medicine outside the city, and has ordered me to come and inquire: if manpower or herbs are needed, the Imperial Household Department can allocate them immediately without delay!"

Cheng Yaojin snorted, but his gaze swept towards Lu Heng: "Physician Lu, did you hear that? The Emperor has spoken. Just tell me what you want."

Lu Heng stood up, re-rolled the parchment scroll of "Miscellaneous Records of Epidemics," and stuffed it into the innermost layer of the medicine box. He looked at Lu Chen, his voice not loud, but steady and clear: "Great-grandson, this 'Miscellaneous Records of Epidemics' contains two prescriptions: 'Atractylodes macrocephala for fumigating houses' and 'Agastache rugosa and Eupatorium fortunei decoction.' If they can be combined with the disinfectant alcohol you brought, the epidemic in the refugee camps in the city should be able to be suppressed."

Lu Chen nodded, took out all the antiviral oral liquid and several packs of disinfectant wipes from his backpack, and neatly stacked them on the blue brick floor: "Ancestor, let's divide the work first. You lead the people to brew the medicine according to the ancient recipe and fumigate the house; I'll lead the people to teach everyone how to wear masks..."

Use wet wipes: For severe cases, administer oral liquid first.

Lu Heng looked at him and suddenly smiled: "You have a bit of the air about you, like your great-grandfather when he helped the people drive away the plague."

Lu Chen was taken aback: "My great-grandfather?"

"Hmm," Lu Heng smoothed the edge of the last piece of mask, "That was an old story from three hundred years ago, recorded in the family genealogy. It is said that during the great plague that year, an ancestor of the Lu family carried a medicine basket and traveled to three counties and seven towns. In the end, he collapsed on the mountain road, but fortunately, he was carried home by the villagers. Later, the preface of the genealogy wrote: The virtue of the Lu family is not in the temple, but in the countryside."

Lu Chen lowered his head and looked at the ordinary masks and medicine bottles in the box. Just an hour ago, they were lying on the shelves of this city, but now they were being solemnly received by a pair of hands that had been carrying bloodlines for a thousand years.

He suddenly felt as if he had actually done the right thing.

"Ancestor," he raised his head, his eyes reflecting the lights on the city wall, "then let's begin."

Lu Heng nodded, slung the medicine box over his shoulder, and strode towards the thatched hut at the refugee settlement. Cheng Yaojin shouted, and several Xuanjia soldiers stepped forward to help carry the boxes. Curious whispers gradually rose from the crowd.

Beyond the sky, lights twinkled like stars.

Ying Zheng leaned against the table, his fingertips slowly tracing the rim of the bronze wine vessel, his gaze fixed on the two figures walking side by side in the sky.

After a long pause, he said in a low voice, "If my people also have this mindset a hundred generations from now, what worries will the Great Qin have about its survival?"

Standing between the battlements of the palace, Zhu Yuanzhang gazed at the numerous small glass bottles against the sky, then suddenly turned to the commander of the Imperial Guard beside him and said something seemingly out of the blue: "Go back to the Imperial Hospital and ask—can we steam the leftover cotton from dyeing cloth and wrap it inside fabric to make a simple mask?"

The commander was taken aback for a moment, then quickly clasped his hands in a fist salute: "Your subject—Your subject will go and ask right away."

Zhu Yuanzhang glanced at the sky again, swallowed the words "This is the ability passed down through blood" back into his throat, snorted, tightened his cloak, and turned to walk down the battlements.

Beneath the city walls of Chang'an, a night breeze began to rise, stirring the thatch on the newly erected shed roof.

Lu Chen unpacked a box of masks and handed them one by one to the people queuing up. Next to him, Lu Heng was squatting in front of a large pot, pouring Atractylodes lancea and Agastache rugosa into boiling water. White steam rose, and the smell of medicine, along with the lantern light from the city tower, spread heavily throughout the entire street.

In the distance, the children who had been coughing the most had quieted down in their mothers' arms, sipping hot water from bamboo tubes.

Lu Chen straightened up, glanced at the white steam rising from the pot of medicinal soup, and thought: So, a thousand years ago and now, the principle of healing and saving lives is ultimately the same. Tomorrow, I need to buy a batch of tents. That way, these people can be settled nearby.