Su Xiaolu did not care if Zhou Zhi looked at her or not. She closed her eyes to rest and circulated her Internal Breath over and over again.
Jin Wu drove the carriage to Wang Dongzi’s house.
Wang Dongzi was in the food delivery business, so the carriage stopped.
The few of them got out of the car and saw many rotten vegetables being thrown out of the courtyard. Accompanying them was a woman’s shrewish cursing.
“I’ll curse you to death. Your son will be born without any skin, you’ll break your legs. If you go up the mountain, you’ll be bitten by a poisonous snake. If you go into the river, you’ll be pulled by a water spirit. If you pour feces into my house, your mother will die. The feces comes from your mouth…”
“I’ll stand guard here today. I’m not sleeping anymore. Whoever dares to come, I’ll chop off their hands. If you don’t want me to live, then I don’t want to live anymore. All of you can die. Anyway, I have no one to rely on without a man. I’m barefoot and not afraid of wearing shoes… Boohoo…”
“Damn Ghost King Dong Zi, open your eyes and watch carefully from the sky. See which family bullies a widow like me and our unborn child. Go and look for them at night. You’re alone over there. You can drag these animals to accompany you.”
The woman scolded and cried. The surrounding neighbors were quiet, but it was broad daylight, and the people were not allowed to go out. Everyone was definitely at home, but they did not make a sound.
Huang Xingliang frowned when he heard that. This, this…
He looked at Zhou Zhi and Su Xiaolu. Zhou Zhi’s expression was calm as he nodded at Jin Wu. Jin Wu went forward and knocked on the door.
Su Xiaolu’s expression was calm.
After Jin Wu knocked on the door, the wailing and cursing in the courtyard suddenly stopped. Right on the heels of that, the woman asked in a hoarse voice, “Who is it?”
Huang Xingliang said, “The government is investigating a case. Please open the door and cooperate.”
After Huang Xingliang finished speaking, he whispered to Zhou Zhi and Su Xiaolu, “This is Wang Dongzi’s wife, Madam Yuan. His parents have already passed away. Now, there’s only Madam Yuan and her unborn child in this family.”
The government sealed the city and asked the people to close their doors. The families of the first few people who were infected were naturally attacked by their neighbors. Zhang Yimin and Wu Pingan’s families were fine, because at least there were some elders in their families who had some say.
Wang Dongzi’s family was different. There were no elders, only a pregnant Madam Yuan. The child in her stomach could not be considered a person, so her neighbors bullied her much more ruthlessly.
Rotten vegetables, rotten eggs, and feces would all be poured into Wang Dongzi’s courtyard.
Huang Xingliang explained why Wang Dongzi’s family was in such a situation. Bullying the weak and fearing the strong were unchanging. They existed everywhere. Wang Dongzi’s wife, Madam Yuan, was not the first, nor would she be the last.
Creak!
Madam Yuan opened the door halfway and looked around warily. She saw that Huang Xingliang was wearing an official’s uniform before opening the door completely. Her eyes were still a little red, and her stomach was already obvious. She was very vigilant, but she also straightened her back and said, “Greetings, Lord Huang. I can’t walk in the courtyard, so I won’t invite you in. If you have anything to say, say it here.”
“I’ve said it very clearly before. My man’s clothes have all been burned. Even if you want them, I can’t give you anything.”
Madam Yuan sniffed and said. She lowered her eyes and clenched her fists under her sleeves.
As she thought about it, her eyes couldn’t help but turn red. All his things, whether she was willing or not, had been forced to be burned by her neighbors. Only a shirt was left. That was his last thing. She had worn it before it was burned.
She was unwilling to take it off. She was unwilling to let him leave no trace.
If he had nothing left, she was afraid that she would not be able to endure it.
But who could understand all of this?
Madam Yuan gritted her teeth and insisted, “Sir, there’s really nothing left.”
Madam Yuan was extremely nervous.
Huang Xingliang nodded and said, “I know, I know.”
Huang Xingliang had already investigated Madam Yuan’s place many times in the past few days. Wang Dongzi’s things had been burned, and many things in the house had been burned. Madam Yuan said there was nothing left, and Huang Xingliang believed her.
He looked at Su Xiaolu and Zhou Zhi.
Su Xiaolu asked, “Ten days ago, did your husband eat anything given by others, like buns or steamed buns?”
When Madam Yuan heard this question, she heaved a sigh of relief and loosened her grip. She subconsciously said, “No.”
“Think about it. Think about it carefully.”
Huang Xingliang asked seriously.
Madam Yuan also recalled. She frowned and said, “I remember now. My man has always eaten at home, but one day, he delivered vegetables to Minister Li’s house and got two buns. He said that there was a lot of meat, but I felt disgusted by the smell of meat, so I didn’t eat them. I was afraid that they would spoil, so I let him eat them all.”
Madam Yuan’s eyes were red and filled with tears. Wang Dongzi treated her well and cherished her very much. She really wanted to live a good life with him.
Whatever good things Wang Dongzi had, whether it was food or fun, he brought them all back to please her. The meat buns were given by the minister’s family. He couldn’t bear to eat them and wanted to share them with her. However, she was pregnant and felt nauseous just by smelling the meat. She really couldn’t eat them, so she didn’t eat them.
“Another bun from Minister Li.”
Huang Xingliang frowned and muttered. These three people had actually eaten the buns given by Minister Li. The three of them were also the first batch of people to die from the plague. This Minister Li’s family was really too suspicious.
Su Xiaolu also thought of this. She had to go to Minister Li’s house.
When Madam Yuan heard Huang Xingliang muttering, she was stunned for a moment before asking anxiously, “Lord Huang, is there a problem with Minister Li’s bun? Did that bun kill my man?”
Without waiting for Huang Xingliang to answer, Madam Yuan said in a sobbing voice, “It must be. My man has never been sick. He has always been healthy. Why did he suddenly contract a disease? He doesn’t go to other people’s houses to eat either. There must be something wrong with Minister Li. Poor my man…”
Madam Yuan felt sorrowful at the thought of it, as if she had found an outlet to vent. She shouted loudly, “That Minister Li has lost his conscience. He made buns with plague and harmed people’s lives. He made me so miserable. Poor me, I’m now a single mother and a widow.”
Zhou Zhi said to Huang Xingliang calmly, “Lord Huang, deal with it. Seal the city and the gates, but you have to manage public security well. If such matters are not strictly controlled, someone will die.”
There were countless people like Madam Yuan in Furongzhou. No one knew when the plague would end, so such a thing had to be stopped.
Su Xiaolu said to Zhou Zhi, “Let’s go to Minister Li’s house.”
It was very likely that something had happened to Minister Li’s family. They had to go and take a look to know if there was a problem.
Huang Xingliang nodded. “Alright, I’ll stay behind and talk to the patrolling soldiers. I’ll come over immediately after everything is arranged.”
