activa-t Chapter 1456 Infection
Chapter 1456 Infection
Before she could finish speaking, a violent wave of dizziness hit her, her vision went black, and she fell straight down.
"Miao'er!"
Not far away, Princess Youyi, who had just returned from gathering herbs, happened to see this scene. Her expression changed drastically, and she quickly stepped forward to support her.
The scalding heat was palpable even through her clothes, and Princess Youyi's heart sank to the bottom when she saw her flushed cheeks and chapped lips.
Zhan Xiaobai circled around the two of them anxiously, whimpering softly. Its snow-white wolf fur was soaked by the wind and snow, but it still stayed close by.
Hearing the commotion, Lin Yiwan rushed over from the medicine stove, placed her hand on Zhan Miao's wrist, and gently probed it with her fingertips. Her face instantly turned deathly pale.
She then lifted Zhan Miao's eyelids and looked at the abnormal redness and moisture in her eyes. She then touched the skin on the back of her neck and found that it was covered with fine red rashes, which were typical symptoms of infection.
“Miao’er…” Lin Yiwan’s voice trembled uncontrollably, and the fingers holding Zhan Miao’s wrist trembled slightly, “She has contracted the plague.”
One sentence, like a thunderclap, turned everyone present pale.
Upon hearing the commotion, Zhan Yan rushed over from the direction of the village entrance. He saw Zhan Miao leaning against Princess Youyi's chest, his face flushed and unconscious. Hearing his wife's words, this iron-blooded marquis, who had never changed color on the battlefield, suddenly swayed.
His eyes churned with shock, anger, and panic, and his voice trembled almost imperceptibly: "What did you say?"
"The virus entered her body, causing high fever and rashes—symptoms exactly the same as the patient's." Lin Yiwan closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, her eyes were filled with regret and self-blame. "It's all my fault. I shouldn't have let her be near the patient every day. I failed to protect her!"
"Grandmother, it's not your fault." Mo Ziyu held the unconscious Zhan Miao tightly, feeling her increasingly hot body temperature. His heart felt like it was being squeezed tightly by an invisible hand, and he could hardly breathe from the pain.
"It's a situation we're forced to do; nobody wanted this. The most important thing right now is to get Aunt Miao medical treatment and isolate her for care."
Zhan Xiaobai squatted down next to Zhan Miao, gently nudging her arm with his head, and letting out a low, whimpering growl.
Its usually cold, piercing eyes were now filled with tears, revealing a human-like quality that touched the heart. It seemed to understand that the person it was protecting was in grave danger.
The wind and snow swept through the courtyard, and the candlelight flickered wildly in the cold wind, threatening to go out at any moment.
Lin Yiwan looked at the unconscious Zhan Miao and the gradually becoming more obvious red rash on the back of her neck. She took a deep breath, suppressed the panic and heartache in her heart, and her eyes became firm again.
"Immediately move Miao'er to a clean, empty room on the west side and isolate her alone. She must not have contact with anyone. Xiaobai should also stand guard outside and not be allowed to enter the room," she quickly ordered.
The voice carried the calmness of a doctor: "Take the antipyretic silver needles from my medicine box, then brew the strongest dose of heat-clearing and detoxifying decoction, and wipe her limbs, armpits, and forehead with strong liquor to physically lower her temperature."
"Yes!"
Everyone immediately sprang into action. Zhan Yan carefully picked up Zhan Miao and carried her quickly toward the clean, empty room.
Zhan Xiaobai followed closely behind, his snow-white figure standing out in the wind and snow. He stood guard at the door without leaving the house, like a most loyal guardian, never moving an inch no matter how the wind and snow blew.
Inside the room, the candlelight was dim. Lin Yiwan picked up a slender silver needle, her fingertips trembling slightly, yet she still precisely pierced Zhan Miao's acupoint.
Looking at her daughter's pale, flushed face and the unconscious furrowing of her brows, she silently prayed: You must hold on, your mother will definitely save you.
Outside, the wind and snow howled, the officials' siege remained tight, the epidemic in the village was not yet under control, and now Zhan Miao had unfortunately contracted the disease. The heavy gloom made this small village feel even more suffocating.
Zhan Miao was extremely ill; even with timely acupuncture and medication, she remained drowsy and delirious.
Lin Yiwan stayed by her side without leaving for a moment, not daring to slack off in the slightest.
"Miao'er, hold on..."
She murmured softly, her voice hoarse and barely audible. She reached out and gently brushed away the damp strands of hair from her daughter's forehead. When her fingertips touched the burning skin, her heart felt as if it had been pierced by an ice pick, and she felt a suffocating pain.
Zhan Miao's face was pale with a sickly flush, her lips were dry and cracked, her breathing was rapid and shallow, and each breath was accompanied by a faint phlegm sound. Her brows were tightly furrowed, as if she was in excruciating pain all over her body. She unconsciously groaned softly, her long eyelashes trembling, but she could not open her eyes.
"Mother...it's cold...so cold..."
Zhan Miao suddenly murmured, her voice barely audible. She instinctively shrank further into the blankets, her teeth chattering slightly, her already burning body trembling uncontrollably.
Lin Yiwan quickly pulled the thick quilt up even higher, wrapping it tightly around her daughter's body. With her other hand, she held Zhan Miao's icy hand, warming it little by little with her own body heat, her eyes instantly reddening.
Throughout her life, she had experienced the power struggles within the noble family, witnessed the wickedness of human nature, and suffered from gossip and slander, but she had never felt so helpless as she did at this moment.
With officials sealing off the village from the outside and an epidemic raging inside, medicines were scarce and food supplies were running out. Even her daughter was in mortal danger, while she could only rely on a few silver needles to survive.
At this moment, she didn't even dare to utter a promise that everything would be alright.
She looked down at her daughter's haggard face, and memories of the past flooded back.
That bright-eyed little girl who used to hop and skip around in the Marquis's mansion would tug at her clothes and act coquettishly, ride her little horse around the mansion, hug Zhan Xiaobai and smile radiantly, and blush when she saw the young general returning from afar.
Such vibrant and bright people should not be trapped in this snow-covered, epidemic-stricken village, and should not suffer such pain.
It's all her fault.
If she hadn't failed to keep an eye on her daughter and prevent her from risking her life to care for the patient, and if she hadn't been so incompetent in her medical skills that she was powerless to save her, things would have been different.
Lin Yiwan felt a surge of self-reproach that almost overwhelmed her, but she couldn't collapse. If she did, Zhan Miao would truly be beyond saving.
She forced back the tears welling up in her eyes, raised her hand to wipe away the moisture from the corners of her eyes, and turned to walk to the table.
Several rough porcelain bowls were placed on the table, filled with murky medicinal soup. The herbs were the few remaining in the village that could relieve fever, clear heat and detoxify. They were fine for common colds, but against this rampant epidemic, they were just a drop in the ocean.
But now, we can only try anything as a last resort.
Lin Yiwan picked up the medicine bowl and stirred it gently with a spoon. The bitter and pungent smell of the medicine filled the small room.
She blew on the medicine to cool it down, then carefully helped Zhan Miao up, letting her lean against her chest. Holding the bowl of medicine in one hand and gently patting her daughter's back with the other, she coaxed softly, "Miao'er, drink your medicine. You won't feel uncomfortable after drinking it, be good!"
Zhan Miao was drowsy and his jaw was clenched, making it impossible to feed him the medicine. The medicine spilled from the corner of his mouth and dripped onto his clothes, spreading out dark water stains.
Lin Yiwan's eyes welled up with tears of anxiety. She had no choice but to put down the medicine bowl, gently pry open her daughter's teeth with her fingertips, and feed her the medicine little by little, her movements so gentle that she was afraid of hurting her.