1932: Playing with the Japanese Communist Party with a doll

"Student Li Huanying, these two are Minister He from the Ministry of Health and Minister Deng from the Ministry of Urban and Rural Construction. They are closely related to your future aspirations. You can talk to them to learn more about the real situation in rural areas."

"Hello, Ministers."

Li Huanying bowed and greeted the two ministers, still looking calm and composed.

He Cheng looked at her and asked with a smile: "Little girl, I heard that you want to be a rural doctor?" "Yes!"

"Good, ambitious!"

He Cheng gave a thumbs-up, then took out a book from his bag and handed it to Li Huanying:

"This is the 'Barefoot Doctor's Handbook' we compiled a while ago. It's currently considered comparable to the 'Compendium of Materia Medica' in the rural medical community. Take a look at it first; it might be helpful to you."

By the way, this magical book had long been sent back to Jiangxi, Shaanxi and other places. The spies at that time were determined to escort it at the risk of their lives. As a result, they had green lights all the way and nothing happened. Instead, they were severely blackmailed in the Kuomintang’s territory.

"thanks!"

Although he had no interest in the Compendium of Materia Medica or traditional Chinese medicine, Li Huanying knew what level it was in the traditional Chinese medicine system.

—Hearing that it was such a powerful thing, she took the manual and couldn't wait to read it. She didn't even notice that she was being pulled into the carriage and was staggering into the mountains.

However, as he looked deeper and deeper, Li Huanying's brows gradually furrowed.

The contents of the manual did not contain the profound medical skills and magical secret recipes that she had imagined, such as "healing the world with a pot of water" or "saving lives with flesh and bones", but some basic hygiene knowledge.

For example, how to disinfect, how to treat minor wounds, what to do if you get chickenpox, what medicine to use for mouth ulcers, and why you shouldn't drink raw water. She even thought some of the content was wrong!

After hastily flipping through half the book, Xiao Li couldn't hold it in any longer and looked up at He Cheng on the other side of the carriage in confusion:

"These... these are common sense!"

"Yes, it's common sense, but you know what? In rural areas of our country, many people don't even know this common sense!"

"Scream?"

Seeing Li Huanying's stunned expression, Lu Xun smiled, and He Cheng also smiled:

"What rural areas need most nowadays is not advanced medical skills or skilled doctors, but rather the most basic hygiene knowledge that many people disdain."

"Without this foundation, no matter how many doctors you have, it's useless! Can you guess why? You cured his dysentery today, and tomorrow he went back to drink raw water and got dysentery all over again! He'll have diarrhea until he dies!"

"Because most people don't even realize that many of the diseases they consider incurable and potentially life-threatening can actually be completely avoided with just a few simple preventative measures!"

Li Huanying was completely stunned.

She never imagined that rural medical problems would be so "simple", so "basic", or even so "trivial" that they were not worth mentioning.

She always thought that when she became a rural doctor in the future, she would be like the famous doctors in the books, saving lives and helping the world. Now, looking at the "simple" "Barefoot Doctor Manual" in her hand, she felt mixed emotions.

How could it be so easy to go to the countryside?

In those days in history, how many people left with great enthusiasm, but returned as die-hard "anti-China" people.

The five words "serving the people" are not so easy to do. Deng Zihui saw this and added:

"Little girl, rural issues go beyond healthcare. Our mission is to ensure rural residents have food to eat, housing to live in, and roads to walk on. But there are still many farmers who can't even afford basic food and clothing. In comparison, healthcare issues are secondary."

"Can't you afford food and clothing? No way?"

Li Huanying was stunned:

"When I was in Peking, I heard that the farmers here live better than most people in Peking!"

.

Lu Xun and the other two looked at each other, and Deng Zihui shook his head:

"That's not entirely true. Farmers in the Republic do live better than people in most other parts of China, but there are still some people struggling on the brink of death, even living like delinquents. That's the case with the place we're going to today."

Where to go?

"Leprosy Village_"

525 Studying medicine can save the Chinese people

Not long after, Li Huanying and his companions entered an inconspicuous valley deep in the mountains and saw a village that they were not sure if it could be called a "village".

At least, compared with the "new countryside of the Republic" that Li Huanying had seen along the way when he came to study in Northeast China, they are completely two extremes.

Most of the houses in this village are low-rise adobe houses, without even the walls. They are filled with rough mud and straw. Some houses have even collapsed, leaving only broken walls, but there are still traces of human activities inside.

It was clearly past spring and into summer, and even in the Northeast it didn't feel cold. The sun shone through the sparse clouds onto the ground, but here there was an inexplicable chill, as if even the sun's heat was blocked out.

Everything seemed so dilapidated, as if this was a forbidden place abandoned by the world.

There was only a brand new wooden sign at the entrance of the village, with the words "Leprosy Village, non-government personnel are strictly prohibited from entering" written on it in blood-red paint. The handwriting was glaring and eye-catching, as if it was a silent warning to outsiders.

This is... the leper village?

"Do you know why we didn't discover this village until recently?" He Cheng whispered:

"During our previous investigation, the villagers nearby didn't even dare to mention it, fearing they would be infected if they spoke up. So we didn't know there were still people here until the anti-bandit planes came around and discovered it."

Dare not mention..

Li Huanying suddenly remembered the time when he read about leprosy in a book and went to ask his grandfather and father about it. They had a fearful expression on their faces and spoke vaguely.

Obviously, they had seen lepers.

"Okay, everyone, put on your masks and gloves! Let's go in! Watch your step!"

Li Huanying followed everyone and walked over the isolation fence set up by the government. He felt sticky and itchy on the soles of his feet. He looked down and found that the ground was full of mud and broken debris. It was obvious that no one had repaired this place for a long time.

However, she soon stopped caring about these little things.

Because, what caught his eye was a middle-aged male "person" curled up against the wall... No, Li Huanying didn't even know if he could be described as a "person".

His face was swollen like a pig's head, with no nose or mouth. Every inch of exposed skin was covered with brown spots and oozing disgusting pus. Only his slightly trembling lips showed that he seemed to still have a trace of life.

"He...he's still alive?"

"He's alive, just alive, but he's completely beyond help because he won't even eat the relief food we give him."

He Cheng walked in with a hardened heart and a cold face, deliberately ignoring this poor man who had completely given up on saving himself and was destined to die in the next two days or even tonight. Deng Zihui pointed to the other side:

"But those who are willing to eat relief food may not be much better off."

In the corner on the other side, there was a "girl" whose face had also been eroded beyond recognition by the disease and whose eyes could not be opened at all. In her hands, she held a worn bowl filled with a little thin porridge.

Because her fingers were bent like dry branches and she lacked eyesight, her movements were extremely slow and she could barely hold the bowl. However, she still tried her best to slowly put the food into her mouth, but every swallow seemed like a torture.

"Jing Juu Rao...just let her eat these?"

"She has no teeth, so this is all she can eat. We've tried giving patients better food before, but they all died because their bodies couldn't digest it."

"

Looking at this man who was probably about the same age as himself, Li Huanying felt so choked up that he forced himself to look away, only to see an even more tragic scene:

Several children who were probably younger than her were huddled together in a mess. Not only were their bodies so thin that they were just skin and bones, but like everyone else, they were also missing arms and legs, their skin was ulcerated and oozing pus, and their noses, eyes, and mouths were all just black holes.

Just as she was staring, an old man staggered over. As soon as he raised his arm, his right wrist fell to the ground with a snap.

The reason why it was a "paji" sound instead of a "crack" was because the old man fell down, and his paste-like body tissue fell to the ground, splashing blood, mud and dust.

This horrifying appearance is almost no different from the zombies of later generations.

Everyone's expression was numb and their eyes were empty. Even if someone gave them porridge, they would just stuff the food into their mouths woodenly. Some even defecated and urinated on the spot while eating.

The air was filled with an indescribable stench mixed with mold, decay and some kind of disinfectant, which made people feel suffocated. Even if they wore a mask, the smell still penetrated into their nasal cavity through every pore, as if they would be infected just by smelling it.

To live is to wait for death.

He Cheng looked at Li Huanying, who was so shocked that he couldn't speak, and said softly:

"Leprosy isn't common in Northeast China, but it does exist. It's highly contagious and incurable, so everyone avoids it. Almost every patient is driven out of their home, and either dies of the disease or starves to death."

"These patients would often go to a certain place to live together, or rather, wait to die together, and eventually, a leprosy village would form."

"In our experience, the final fate of such villages is that after most of the people have died, they are burned to ashes by officials or local people, leaving no trace."

"Oh, the Japanese army once teamed up with bandits and local villagers to destroy a village like this because someone in the village went crazy and ran away with others, so..."

I heard that although it was a "village massacre", it was the only time that Fujiwara Kanezane did not hold anyone responsible.

Deng Zihui then said:

"We originally planned to build a road here to facilitate rescue efforts, but the nearby villagers, fearing infection, strongly opposed it and even planned to send people to Shenyang and Harbin to complain. In the end, we had to temporarily abandon the plan."

Li Huanying clenched his fists, his nails almost digging into his palms, and anger flashed in his eyes:

"But they are human beings too! They need help too!"

"Yes, but are those healthy villagers human beings? They are afraid of being infected and afraid of becoming horrible. Do you think they are wrong?"

"But...but, can't we save both of them?"

"Save? Tell me how? There's no effective treatment for leprosy right now. Those stricken can only flee to the wilderness and wait to die! That's the truth!"

"Well, we can spend a lot of money on research and find a way to save leprosy patients, but funds are limited. What about the ordinary villagers who get sick? What about their health?"

"The Five-Star Eastern Republic is already relatively wealthy. His Majesty Fujiwara-dono has provided us with support far exceeding that of ordinary departments. However, even so, we cannot save everyone. We can only choose to rescue one party. As for the other..."

Deng Zihui didn't finish his words, but his meaning was clear:

The other side can only be isolated like this, given some food, and left to fend for themselves in a state of neither life nor death.

This is the best the country can do with limited resources.

.

Li Huanying was speechless when he saw the staff from the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Urban and Rural Construction who were providing simple assistance and distributing food to leprosy patients.

She didn't know much about leprosy. She only knew that at the moment, there was no other way except isolation, basic wound cleaning, surgical removal of the diseased area, and Chinese herbal medicine, which she didn't know whether it was reliable or not.

The government and these staff have much more important work to do, and they have indeed done their best.

Although she is a genius girl, many adults would not be able to make the choice of sacrificing one to save the other, not to mention that it involves considerations of human nature and economic interests.

After thinking for a long time, Li Huanying gritted his teeth and said:

"I don't believe it! I don't believe there are any incurable diseases in this world! I will go to a higher education institution to learn more! I will become an excellent doctor and save them!"

"Okay, sure. But what about the ordinary, healthy villagers?" "Save them together!"

"Great! Great! Very ambitious! I also believe that you will have this medical skill in the future!"

Deng Zihui folded his arms, his eyes stern:

"But guess what? After learning that you've helped lepers, will the other villagers reject you and despise you? Don't forget how afraid they are of infection. They'll even drive away anyone who's had contact with a leper!"

Lu Xun patted Li Huanying's shoulder, who had nothing to say, and said earnestly:

"Student Li, this is why I brought you here. If you want to become a rural doctor, you must first understand their real needs and know what their lives are like. Without investigation, you have no right to speak!"

Under the repeated bullying of the three older men, Li Huanying fell completely silent. A 12-year-old girl's shoulders were clearly not equipped to bear such a heavy responsibility, but her talent and maturity made Lu Xun and others wish she could grow up faster.

Today's China is not a peaceful China. It cannot tolerate so much nagging and weakness. Some people must sacrifice for things like "a good childhood" and "mental health".

But unlike what others thought, even though it was the first time for this young girl to see such a terrible leprosy, she was not actually afraid. Instead, she felt a strong sense of guilt and responsibility in her heart.

The sense of guilt naturally stems from my previous "arrogance" and "ignorance", while the sense of responsibility comes from...

"Minister He, Minister Deng, Mr. Lu Xun."

Student Li raised his head, his eyes determined as if he wanted to join the party:

"Even so, I still want to ask you to take a leave of absence, but not to go to a higher education institution!"

"Oh? What are you going to do?"

"I really don't understand the current situation in the countryside, so I plan to stay in the countryside first, learn from the doctors here, get familiar with the countryside and the farmers, teach them basic hygiene and pathology knowledge, and become a good barefoot doctor."

"When the time is right and my personal needs are met, I will apply to study at a higher education institution to research how to treat leprosy, and then come back to save these... no, save more people!"

At this moment, Li Huanying's decision moved Lu Xun and the other two, as well as the surrounding staff who heard these words. They were shocked and admired from the bottom of their hearts.

A little girl of only twelve years old, not only was she not frightened by the horrific scene before her, but she also displayed a maturity and tenacity far beyond her peers;

Not only is she articulate and ambitious, but she also has coherent logic and thorough plans. She has such a clear vision for her future!

this...

What was my annoying kid doing when he was 12?

Can he express his ideas in front of a group of adults with such confidence?

No, I'm already fourteen or fifteen years old, so it's not enough, right?