Ordinary happy life

Chapter 146 The disease disappears.

Village Chief Li felt uncomfortable when he saw the excitement of the villagers. He is also a person who strictly abides by the rules handed down in the village. It's just that the county magistrate has an order and will send people over to keep an eye on the cremation, lest they openly promise to do well but secretly fail to cooperate. What can he do?

"I know that everyone is feeling uncomfortable, and I also know the rules in the village, but what can I do if the county magistrate orders it. It is said that this disease is contagious. If it is not cremated, it can easily be transmitted to other children, and there will be something bad tomorrow. I came over to watch us cremate the children who died of the disease. If we don't comply, they will seal off our village and won't let us leave the village until this strange disease has passed." Village Chief Li said with a sigh.

After Village Chief Li finished speaking, the villagers who were filled with indignation just now fell silent. Now the drought is already difficult. If the village is closed again, they will not be able to find temporary workers or buy some daily necessities in the town. By that time How is the day going?

And most of them had more than one child. They were a little hesitant when they heard that the disease was contagious and that it might be transmitted to other children if they were not cremated. Although they felt sorry for the dead child, they were more concerned about the living ones now. To put it bluntly, it is impossible for them to abandon other living people for the sake of the dead one.

Seeing that no one was talking, Village Chief Li knew that everyone had acquiesced in the fact that the body would be cremated. He said in a deep voice, "Okay, everyone, go back and tell your family that everyone will help to bury it early tomorrow morning." Let the free women and husbands at home also help collect firewood. There will be a lot of firewood for cremation tomorrow."

Although the villagers have reluctantly accepted this fact, no matter what the matter is, digging up graves and burning corpses It was trying to dig into the hearts of the villagers, so the villagers who were chattering when they came back all remained silent when they returned.

None of the villagers whose children died had a good night's sleep. When other people in the family heard that the child's body was to be cremated, they all burst into fierce opposition. But when they heard that if they were not cremated, they might be infected with others, and that the official would personally come and watch, everyone fell silent. Finally, they all started crying to vent their sadness.

"I'll just go and help tomorrow. You take the children at home and don't go out." During dinner, Zhang Dayong also told Lin Qin the two things that Village Chief Li said today, and finally said.

Lin Qin nodded, "Okay." He couldn't help much now that his body was out, and it might be a hindrance, so he might as well stay at home and look after the child. Moreover, Zhang Qiongan has not fully recovered yet, so it is impossible to leave him and Zhang Jingcheng alone at home.

Although there was no set time, the villagers all picked up their hoes and came out of their homes before dawn the next day. They looked at each other one by one and then walked towards the tomb in silence with their heads lowered.

Before digging the graves, everyone burned some paper money for the children so that they would not hold grudges. They were helpless and then started digging the graves.

There were several people in one grave, and soon all the newly buried children were dug out.

Some villagers here were digging graves, and a few men on the other side also cut down a lot of trees and cut them into small pieces.

The women and husbands were divided into two teams. One team built the chopped firewood into a fire, and the other team went to the foot of the mountain to pick up a lot of dead branches and put them in the built fire to make it easier to burn. .

The official officer arrived almost when the sun was completely out, because all the firewood piles were piled in the big square in the center of the village, so the official officer basically saw it as soon as he entered the village.

He was quite satisfied with the villagers' cooperation. After all, it greatly reduced his workload, and he was even mentally prepared for the compulsion.

When the official arrived, Village Chief Li had no intention of exchanging pleasantries. After the official stood still, he motioned to the villagers to place the child's body on the pile of firewood.

Almost all the villagers held back their tears and placed the children's bodies on the pyre. Some of them had been dead for some time, so the bodies had begun to rot. The smell was honestly not very good.

After all the dead children were put on top, Li Teng took the lit torch and lit the firewood pile one by one.

When the pyre was lit, the long-suppressed sorrow and pain finally poured out. Both men and women fell to the ground and cried loudly.

The officers felt uncomfortable seeing this scene, but there was nothing they could do about the orders given by their superiors.

The children were still young so it burned quickly, and the firewood pile began to slowly extinguish after about an hour. No one left during this period, but quietly watched the fire slowly turn from a raging fire to gray. The soft-hearted family members followed the children and wiped away their tears. Even some men couldn't help but have red eyes.

"When the ashes are no longer so hot, you can pack them up. Bring the jars for the ashes." Seeing that all the fires were extinguished, Village Chief Li stepped forward and said.

The children's family members were unable to speak and just nodded silently.

The official left as soon as the fire went out. Because of this sudden disease, many children died, almost a dozen in every village. He still had many villages to go to today.

It is now during a severe drought, and it is difficult for the temperature of the ashes to drop after the sun has gone out. Everyone has no choice but to wrap their hands in cloth and endure the scalding temperature to quickly put the ashes into the jars they prepared little by little.

After being installed, some were taken home and kept for a few days to reflect on the objects and people, while others were taken to the cemetery and reburied on the spot.

"Fortunately, Xiaodouzi made it through." After Zhang Dayong returned home, he walked to Zhang Qiong'an's room and looked at Zhang Qiong'an, whose face had begun to turn rosy, for a long time before saying this to Lin Qin.

Lin Qin nodded silently. He had also lost a child. He knew how painful it was to lose a child. Watching your child being burned to ashes, it can be said that forcibly cutting the healed heart open again with a knife can be very painful.

If Zhang Qiong'an hadn't been lucky enough to survive, he and Zhang Dayong would have been in terrible pain today. Lin Qin sometimes really thanked God for not taking Zhang Qiong'an away.

Zhang Qiong'an recovered quickly after his fever subsided, and he was bouncing around again within a few days. Zhang Dayong and Lin Qin were finally able to let go of their worries.

However, after Zhang Qiong'an's fever, Zhang Dayong and Lin Qin controlled their two children more strictly. In the past, they could go to the yard to relax, but now they can only walk in the lobby at most. And they must wash their hands and faces every two or three hours. Even if Zhang Dayong and Lin Qin came back from outside, they would not touch the two children without washing their hands and faces.

It can be said that most of the water used every day is used to wash the face and body, and then use it to wash clothes. In order to save water for washing the children's hands and faces, Lin Qin now only makes soup for two children. He and Zhang Dayong only take a sip of water every day to moisten their mouths. If the body didn't have to absorb water every day to survive, the two of them would even want to save a mouthful of water to moisturize their mouths.

The villagers feel that there is no hope in their current life. Every day they not only have to think about how to save water so that the family can survive on the meager amount of water, but they also have to carefully take care of the children at home to prevent them from getting a fever.

But as the well water became deeper and deeper, less and less water was pumped out, and the number of dead children in the village increased one after another, but the villagers still collapsed. Every day, you can hear painful cries coming from other people's homes. Some people even beat their heads crazily. Many villagers even knelt down and begged God to give them a way to survive.

Maybe God finally opened his eyes and saw the pain of the villagers. Although there was still not a drop of rain, the villagers found that there were fewer and fewer children with fever, and even if they had a fever, they would be fine after taking a few medicines. This took away The diseases of many children in the village finally disappeared. This discovery gave the villagers a little hope of survival.

Zhang Dayong was lucky enough to catch a bison today, and he quickly took it to a wealthy family in the town to sell it. Although the money he got was less than two-thirds of what he had before, Zhang Dayong was still overjoyed, because his family already had nearly one There has been no income for the month. It can be said that I have been eating away at the previous savings recently. But savings will always bottom out, and their family is okay. The savings of Lin's family and Village Chief Li's family are not as generous as Zhang Dayong's. The family has a large population and they have only eaten two meals recently. If the severe drought does not pass, they will only I can rely on the leftover potatoes at home to satisfy my hunger.

After getting the money, Zhang Dayong went directly to the rice grain store and bought a lot of cornmeal. Although he was mentally prepared, Zhang Dayong was still surprised when he heard that the price of cornmeal was more expensive than the previous rice. But no matter how expensive it is, you still have to buy it. Nowadays, even if you have money, you may not be able to buy it.

In addition to cornmeal, Zhang Dayong also bought some basic seasonings, such as sugar and salt, and only a little bit of soy sauce and vinegar. After buying these things, Zhang Dayong basically spent seventy-seven or eighty-eight dollars of the money he earned today. Zhang Dayong took a look at the remaining copper coins and went to the grocery store, and replaced them all with dried fruits and preserved fruits.

After returning to Zhuangyuan Village with the purchased items, Zhang Dayong first went to the village chief's house and sent some cornmeal to Village Chief Li.

"Uncle, there isn't much here. You guys eat first. I'll go up the mountain a few more times and buy some for you after I hunt some prey and change it into money." I didn't buy much soy sauce and vinegar, so Zhang Dayong didn't give it to Li. The village chief gave them away, but he still took out a small portion of salt and sugar. Although it was not much, it was enough for Village Chief Li and his family to use for a few days.

Village Chief Li looked at the cornmeal, salt and sugar that Zhang Dayong brought and said with a serious look, "What are you doing? There is some prey on the mountain now. You were so lucky that you didn't keep any for Brother Qin and the two children." , what are you doing for me?"

"Uncle, it would be a question whether I could survive without you when I was a child. It would be fine if I didn't have the ability. If I have this ability, am I still a human being without helping me? Not to mention myself. I can't help it, there isn't much cornmeal here, so just keep it. The children are still young, and they can't eat potatoes and corn every day." Zhang Dayong said equally seriously.

Village Chief Li looked at Zhang Dayong with emotion, and then at his wife and grandchildren who were obviously much haggard and thinner. Finally, he nodded and accepted the cornmeal, salt and sugar on the table. He held Zhang Dayong's hand and said solemnly. Thank you. Life is difficult for everyone now, but Zhang Dayong still wants to help their family during such a difficult time. Their whole family will remember this love and kindness.