Chapter 138 -140 is from flying lines cuz i got sick and can't continue na. Lol
Plague
Xu Ran's orchard took him three years' effort to finally bear fruits. Now after another three years, the fruits in the orchards had been picked up one batch after another, and the strawberry seedlings in the strawberry fields had been altered several times.
Xu Ran was also in his thirties. Tangtang and Guoguo were 13 years old, and even Baozi was seven years old. He could only exclaim that time was a file that wore and made no noise.
Actually, what Xu Ran was most happy about these years was not how much money he earned in his orchards, but Tangtang and Guoguo already achieved the title of Scholar last year. 12 year old Scholar, they really did not fail his studious education all these years, and so he thought.
Over the years, Zhuo Yun's family lived in Xu Ran's house most of the time, and during the rest time, the family stayed in their own home. One much happier thing was when Qing Shu was three years old, Qin Shuwen gave birth to another baby, who was a son.
However, his name was so contrasted with that of Qing Shu. He was called Zhuo Han, nicknamed Doggy. From the name, it fully reflected Qing Shu's position in their family. Moreover, this name was the one that Zhuo Yun's persisted in picking. No one could stop him and Xu Ran was so stunned at the time. However Zhuo Yun blocked everyone's mouth by saying that a kid with a humble name was easy to raise.
After all, Qing shu had been constantly sick since the age of one, and everyone was a little worried. Zhuo Yun was probably worried too, so there came so a name, but it was really heartless.
Compared to Qing Shu, Baozi was vivacious. Xu Ran felt that all of his family's sports genes were on Baozi, and he would cry from time to time, in a heart-wrenching way.
Uhm, when Baozi howled like this, he was hungry. It was not until this time did Xu Ran realize that a foodie was born to his family.
However, Baozi was a real foodie because he could not only eat, he was also very thin. He had a body shape that made people jealous and hateful. Every time the old couple of Qin Family and Lin Hua came over, they would scold Xu Ran and Liu Tong that a brother needed to be spoiled, so he should be allowed to eat more. As to the shape, he could maintain it when he grew up.
Xu Ran and Liu Tong were really bitter. He ate the most at home, but did not gain weight, while they were the ones to be scolded. So every time when he ate, Xu Ran stared at Baozi so fiercely and was eager to know where the food had been.
Three bowls of rice for each meal, every day without variation. From the current situation, Xu Ran felt that Baozi would have to find a wealthy family to marry, or he would suffer there.
Xu Ran had to say this to Liu Tong every time after dinner. At first, Liu Tong didn't care at all. But as Baozi grew bigger and bigger, his appetite didn't decrease at all. Instead, he seemed to eat more. Thus, Liu Tong started to worry.
The whole family were really worried about Little Baozi's appetite.
This day, while the rain was getting lighter. Xu Ran with Baozi went to the orchard to pick some fruits. Of course, he did not forget to instruct Baozi not to eat too much at noon and eat more fruits, otherwise he would not look pretty when he grew up.
Baozi completely ignored Xu Ran's words. He picked up a peach to eat and threw some into Xu Ran's back-basket. It was not a problem for him to do anything else. But to control his appetite was out of the question.
Between the son and father, the former was eating happily, while the latter was exhorting earnestly. At the same time both were busy picking fruits, quite a pretty picture.
"Yee-haw! Yee-haw!"
However, not long after they picked the fruits, they heard the sound of someone riding a horse. The sound of hoofbeat was very hurried. Xu Ran hurriedly got down from the tree, put the basket on his back, carried Baozi in his arms, and then walked out of the orchard. He remembered that Tangtang and Guoguo had got out riding horses this morning.
The two kids had been sensible since childhood. If it weren't for anything wrong, they would never have been riding in the village.
Xu Ran subconsciously felt that something was up.
As soon as they left the orchard, they saw Guoguo running over on his horse. Xu Ran hurriedly called out from behind, "Guoguo, Guoguo, why are you running in such a hurry? Did something happen?"
Because Guoguo had learned kung fu, and had acute hearing, he heard when Xu Ran uttered his first call, but didn't stop only owing to the fast speed of the horse.
Xu Ran thought he didn't hear him, so he ran home with Baozi. However, he saw Guoguo on his horse running back after a few steps. Guoguo jumped down from the horse and said to Xu Ran, "Dad, things are not good. I just heard the news from the town that someone has been infected with the plague."
After Guoguo said this, Xu Ran was stunned. After the disasters like flood or drought, there must be accompanied by the plague. He patted his head in annoyance.
After summer, the torrential rain had not stopped, and recently there was constant rainstorm-related news about the breaching of the dyke, or about the flooded villages. He should have been on guard.
Maybe it was because he didn't expect it, or because their life had been too peaceful, he had been completely off guard.
Xu Ran looked up and saw that Guoguo was alone. He asked, "Guoguo, where's your brother? Didn't the two of you go together?"
Guoguo said, "Dad don't worry. Brother said he wanted to buy something first, and then he was going to pick up Uncle Zhuo Yun and the others."
Xu Ran put down Baozi and said to him, "Baozi, go back and tell Daddy that a plague occurred. I'll talk with your second brother about what happened first."
Xu Ran was very serious when he said this. In Baozi's eyes, Dad would only be so serious when he taught him a lesson. Although he was only seven years old, he was not stupid. He knew that things were not simple, so he immediately ran towards home.
After Baozi left, Xu Ran asked Guoguo, "Guoguo, what's happening in the town now? Where did you hear the news?"
Guoguo said, "Dad, this is what Doctor He told us. Didn't you say that the frequently-used ointments at home was used up and when my brother and I went shopping, we could buy some back? Today, we happened to go to Doctor He's shop. When we arrived, it happened that a person was carried in, and it seemed that he was very sick. After Doctor He checked his pulse, he shook his head and said that he could not help it. We waited for a long time. After the person was carried away, Doctor He had the shop closed, and called us into the room, saying that the previous person might have caught the plague. Because he had met the similar case, he was able to tell.
Xu Ran asked Guoguo, "Can't Doctor He deal with it?"
Guoguo shook his head. "Brother and I also asked Doctor He about it. He said that the downpour was continuing and there was a shortage of medicinal materials. What's more, he didn't know how to treat it. Besides, he couldn't declare that this person was infected by a plague or it would cause panic. He estimated that more and more people would come to his door, so he closed the shop."
The plague was a big issue, and it absolutely could not be declared casually. Since now it was not sure whether the source of the disease was in the town, how many people had infected it, it was really a troublesome and serious issue. Xu Ran couldn't help but worry. Who could come to rescue these people from the plague?
Guoguo continued, "After brother and I heard what Doctor He said, we asked him to prepare a lot of medicinal ingredients just in case. Brother asked me to go home first and tell Dad that he went to inform Uncle Uncle Zhuo and the others. Dad, should we go to town to find brother now?"
Of course they should. Xu Ran didn't think that he had the ability to rescue others. The most important thing for him right now was to find a way to make good arrangements for his family. Baozi was a kid and Liu Tong and Shao Yu were brothers. All of them were vulnerable, and should be under close protection.
The father and son were discussing what to do by the roadside while Liu Tong was running over with Baozi. He was still gasping when they got near. He asked Xu Ran, "Ran, is what Baozi said true?"
Xu Ran nodded. "It is Guoguo who came back from the town and told us, Tongtong, Guoguo and I are going to the town soon. You with Baozi quickly go to the field, gather as many vegetables as possible and store them at home. Also prepare a lot of hay for the livestock. Guoguo and I will take care of the grains. Besides, in these few days, Baozi cannot go outside. Got it?"
Xu Ran looked at Baozi with a serious expression. Baozi knew the severity of the situation and nodded in a hurry, "Dad, I got it."
After that, Xu Ran asked Liu Tong to bring Baozi back first, and he went to harness the horse to the carriage. Guoguo had already rode on the horse and headed towards town.
After Xu Ran set up the carriage, he went to chase after Guoguo. In the meanwhile, he thought about his experiences-firstly it was the time&space travel, this time it was the plague, which was life-threatening! Furthermore, he had to take care of the whole large family. Thus he was really worried.
After arriving at the town, Xu Ran asked Guoguo to inform the familiar people. No matter it was true or not, they had to be on guard anyway. He went to buy grains. Because of the need to carry things, Xu Ran harnessed the horse to the wooden cart, which could be loaded with more grains.
Xu Ran thought that when the worst time came, Xu Ran and Qin Shuwu's families could all live in his place, so he had to store a lot of food. As the plague would take at least a few months, it would definitely not be enough without a thousand jin of grains. Fortunately, they were not short in silver now.
Zhuo Yun also went to buy grains. After Tangtang told him that someone in the town was infected with plague, he immediately asked Tangtang to take Qin Shuwen and the others to go to Xu Village, while he went to the grain store to buy rice.
The two even bumped into each other while doing the shopping, but they just exchanged a look and didn't say anything.
After they bought food, they went to purchase other things, including oil, salt, various spices, and cloth. Anyway, as long as the stuff could be used in daily life, they bought it.
Xu Ran also counted in the portion of Wu Mei's family. They had food in their own home, but they must need things like oil and salt.
Xu Ran didn't dare to buy the medicinal herbs, since he couldn't get them without a prescription. Thus he let Gao Quan go to the mountain to gather some after returning home. Xu Ran was somewhat glad that Tangtang and Guoguo had grown up when the plague came. They could help the family a lot. If it was several years earlier, he would be more anxious.
_____
They came empty and went back with a full cart. Xu Ran and Zhuo Yun got together, and they were discussing while driving.
Xu Ran asked Zhuo Yun, "Zhuo Yun, have you informed Brother Qin yet? They have to shut down the shop first whether it is true or not. There are so many people in the summer and after such a long time of rain, there will definitely be many people coming out to buy fruits and cooked food. It will be easy to get into trouble if there are too many people."
Zhuo Yun nodded. "I've already told them. Brother Qin is a wise man and he knows what to do. He is probably preparing now. By the way, Xu Ran, can we take his family in?" After all, it was discovered in the town. Xu's Village must be safer than the town."
Xu Ran looked back at the food in his carriage and said to Zhuo Yun, "That's what I was going to do, otherwise I wouldn't have bought so much food."
"The food is enough, but I'm still a little worried. None of us had experienced the plague, so we didn't know much about it. We really don't know what to do."
Hearing this, Xu Ran comforted him, "We're not sure if it's true. We're just on guard. Children are not allowed to go out. We just need to have less contact with the outside. We don't have much to do with ourselves. We're in good health, but we need to pay more attention to the children, especially Qing Shu. We must keep an eye on him."
Zhuoyun didn't feel any relieved, but even more worried. To Zhuo Yun, Qing Shu was like his life, which Gou Dan couldn't completely compare with.
Xu Ran also felt that he had said something wrong when he finished, but he couldn't say anything else. He simply let Zhuo Yun think about it himself. He began to try his best to remember how to deal with the plague on TV.
He cleaned everything inside and outside of the house, and then maintained ventilation. He paid attention to be clean when eating. It seems that as long as he keep it under control and not to touch the source of infection, it should be fine.
It seemed quite simple. Xu Ran felt a little relieved when he thought about it. He only remembered one sentence firmly, that is, not to touch the source of infection.
After they got home, Xu Ran and Zhuo Yun unloaded everything in the yard, and then rushed to the town immediately. This time, they went to pick up people, and buying too much things could easily arouse suspicion.
When they went to Qin Shuwu's store, they found that the shop was closed, so they rushed to his house.
When they arrived, they saw Qin Shuwu asking his family to work and move things outside.
Xu Ran and Zhuo Yun walked over and asked him, "Brother Qin, what are you doing? Where are you moving to?"
Qin Shuwu was so busy and he scolded them, "It's not like you don't know about it. Why are you still running to the town? Do you know how dangerous the town is now?Zhuo Yun, you must take Shu Wen to live with Xu Ran immediately, and don't come to town for a while.
"Brother Qin, where are you going?" Xu Ran interrupted Qin Shuwu and asked.
Qin Shuwu explained to him, "We are planning to go back to Qin's Village. We had a house there, but no one had lived in it for a long time. Look at my family, both the old and the young. I'm worried about living in this town, so I might as well go to the village for a while."
Xu Ran reached out to stop him and said, "Brother Qin, if you move back to the village like this, you will definitely be suspected. You'd better not go back. Come to my house! Zhuo Yun and I had bought a lot of food. It's not a problem. You just have to bring the quilt and clothes to my house. You know that I have enough room for you, and I still have a bamboo house! It is also in the village, but much better than going back to Qin's Village.
Zhuo Yun also saidd, "Big Brother, Xu Ran is right. You can't be at ease anywhere with so many children.You should move to Xu Ran's. All of us can come up with a solution no matter what, can't we?
They took turns to persuade Qin Shuwu,which made him a little hesitating, but it was definitely inconvenient to if they had to live in such a big family.
However, before he could speak, His father walked over and said, "Shu Wu! I will make the decision and go to Xu Ran's house. We have to think for the children. Qin family has not gone back for so many years, so people will definitely overthink about it if we suddenly go back. If something bad comes out then, it will be troublesome. "
Xu Ran quickly continued, "Brother Qin, that's what the godfather said. You have to listen to him. Things are settled. Zhuo Yun and I came here by carriage. Since you're all going to carry things anyway, you can just put them in our carriage. Don't take too much stuff. Just bring the important things, like clothes and the quilt. We have everything else."
Qin Shuwu had to agree since his father said so, and Xu Ran and Zhuo Yun had been persuading him. But he still felt a little sorry because there were too many people.
However, the two of them didn't care whether he agreed or not, they moved things directly into the carriage, and the rest of the family seemed to agree with them.In fact when he thought about it carefully, Qin Shuwu knew that what they said was reasonable, but he never liked to trouble others, even it's Xu Ran and Zhuo Yun.
But now that this is the case, his objection is invalid, then let's just move!
Qin Shuwu's family also had carriages. Two carriages must be enough for the things, but they would have to come here once more to pick up these people.
Xu Ran and Zhuo Yun were planning to go back first when they saw Guoguo coming with a broken wooden car from the alley inside.
Xu Ran was about to say something when he heard Guoguo say something went wrong.
"Dad, Uncle Zhuo, something bad happened. Now the people in the town know about the plague and several people have died. I went to the Yamen and found that Zhubu has already gathered Yamen runners. Dad, let's go back quickly. Otherwise, it would be too late."
After hearing Guoguo's words, both Xu Ran and Zhuo Yun were shocked. They didn't expect things to spread so quickly. It had only been two hours! How did happen that the whole town knew about it, but it was not the time to think about that now.
Xu Ran shouted "brother Qin" and Qin Shuwu came out of the house in a hurry, "Xu Ran, what's the matter?"
Xu Ran said, "Brother Qin, something bad happened. Pack up your important things and get into the carriage right now, or it would be too late."
Although Xu Ran did not say much, he knew that there must be a big problem after seeing Xu Ran's anxious expression and the sweaty face of Guoguo beside him, so he rushed in and brought the children out one by one.
Xu Ran and Zhuo Yun moved everything onto the carriage. Guoguo also began to move things to the broken wooden car he had found somewhere. The three people moved very quickly. When the Qin family got into the carriage, Xu Ran and the rest had already moved their things to the carriage. Qin Shuwu was the last one to come out, and then he locked the door and jumped on the back of the carriage, driving the carriage to go in the front.
Although there might be a lot of things in there that haven't been cleaned up, but now they can't care about these things. Xu Ran and the others followed behind Qin Shuwu and started running outside the town. Once they're out of town, they didn't have to worry again.
They met Tangtang on the way, who was coming to pick them up. Xu Ran yelled at Tangtang, "Turn around and don't go to town. It's not safe in town now."
Hearing Xu Ran's words, Tangtang stopped the carriage and let Qin Shuwu and other people sit in his carriage to lighten the weight of the carriage and run faster.
Now everyone only had one wish, that is to get to the Xu's village as soon as possible, they would be safe as long as they reached there.
After reaching Xu's Village, Xu Ran didn't even enter the house and jumped out of the carriage.
Xu Ran didn't know if Wu Mei and the rest had already knew about this, but he still ran over and told Wu Mei that she should inform the other two families. Then he ran to find the village chief.
He didn't care what happened to the rest of the village, but if people from ouitside the village came to the town for shelter, they would take them in, and it would be a big problem if something happened.
"Village chief, is the village chief home? Something bad happened." Before Xu Ran could reach the village head's house, he started shouting.
The village chief was enjoying the cool in the yard. Even though the rain had just stopped, it was still very hot this day. When the village chief heard Xu Ran's voice, he immediately got up and opened the door of the yard.
Seeing that he was running in such a hurry, the village chief quickly asked, "Xu Ran, what happened? Why are you in such a hurry?"
Xu Ran said as he panted, "Something bad happened. There are people in the town who were infected with the plague. Now everyone in the town knows that. We just came back from the town. Call the villagers together and explain the matter quickly before the news spreads. Tell them not to take in anyone from other villages anymore. Children should not be allowed to go out recently."
"The plague?" The village chief asked in shock.
He was also someone who had been through the plague. It was already ten years ago, so he absolutely knew how terrible it was. He quickly asked Xu Ran, "Xu Ran, is this true? Is there really a plague in town? "
Xu Ran said, "Village Chief, how can I possibly make a joke with you about such a big thing? wasn't it said that a while ago, there was a storm and the reservoir broke the dam to cause a flood? You should know that floods are usually followed by the plague.I don't think the plague started in town, but it has already arrived in the town. It will soon reach the village nearby. Our village is not far from the town. When the time comes, there will definitely be people fleeing into the village. Village chief, we have to be prepared first! "
When the village chief thought about it, he agreed. Xu Ran would not make a joke about such a big matter. He said, " How about You go back first and I will immediately inform the villagers. The people in the village probably still hate you now. Even if you told them, they might not believe it. It's better for me to tell them about it! I can't do anything else, but it can certainly be done to keep outsiders out of the village."
Xu Ran nodded. "Alright, village chief, I'll go back first. The rest is up to you! And I'm not going out recently."
Xu Ran left after he said that, thinking that the village chief would make the decision himself.