Chapter 199: Crouching Tiger City Sealed

Crouching Tiger City… was sealed.

To keep Old Yan from focusing on him, Yan Lao’er decided to push his eldest nephew forward first.

Using the excuse of visiting Old Yan, he took his eldest nephew for a walk around the county school, talking about all the benefits of studying there. If the child himself wanted to improve and go to school, could Old Yan really stop him?

Of course not!

That way, the school quota would be secured. He had been thinking about this for days—each family could only send one person with the quota given by Master Tian. If he went, his eldest nephew couldn’t. If his eldest nephew went…

Yan Lao’er was quite pleased with his plan. But before he even reached the city gate, he was blocked by a crooked wooden barricade.

A bailiff, whose figure looked familiar, had his face covered with a cloth and shouted from a distance, “Go back! Go back!”

Yan Lao’er instinctively tightened the reins.

His voice tensed. “Sanbao, back up, put some distance between us.”

He fumbled for the mask on his body and put it on without hesitation.

Then he turned to his eldest nephew. “Heng’er, hurry, put on the mask Da Ya made for you. Quick!”

Thanks to the government’s widespread education, Yan Lao’er didn’t even think twice—he prioritized protecting himself.

Yan Xiangheng was still confused but seeing his second uncle immediately cover his face, he followed suit, then looked at the bailiffs in the distance with suspicion.

“Brothers, I’m Yan Hushu’s younger brother, Yan Lao’er! What’s going on?” Yan Lao’er called out.

“Brother Yan Lao’er, don’t come near! Crouching Tiger City has an outbreak! Yan Hushu and Liang Hushu are fine, we’re all wearing masks. You should go home, don’t come over!”

Yan Lao’er’s heart clenched. What? Wasn’t Crouching Tiger City supposed to be fine?

“What kind of illness is it? What did the doctors in the city say? Everything was fine a few days ago—how did this suddenly happen?”

“Ah—” The bailiff sighed heavily and angrily kicked the temporary wooden barricade. “Some bastard hid the truth! His family, not knowing any better, even helped hide the sick person.

How can you hide an epidemic? Once it spreads, it infects a whole group.

Fever, vomiting… two of our men from the arrest team got infected by accident. Now they’re quarantined at home.

This illness doesn’t show symptoms at first, so by the time it’s discovered, it’s already too late—who knows how many have been infected?

The magistrate ordered the city to be sealed—no one in, no one out. Every household has been notified. If anyone dares to hide the sick again, don’t blame us for being ruthless!”

By the end of his speech, the bailiff was practically seething with rage.

Yan Lao’er’s heart pounded with fear.

“Brother, where are the sick being placed? They need to be kept in a separate area, preferably a large and well-ventilated place, and even among the sick, they should be separated by curtains or something.”

“You say that like it’s easy! We’d love to take proper care of them, but we don’t have the resources!

See over there? The old shacks you guys used to stay in—they’re all there now. We not only have to cook porridge for them but also prepare medicine. Damn it, it’s like we owe them from a past life!”

Yan Lao’er looked at the grass shacks they had once lived in and gripped the reins tightly.

Sanbao took two steps back and mooed, the pitch rising slightly as if carrying some doubt.

“Where’s my brother? Is he at the government office?” Yan Lao’er asked anxiously.

“Don’t worry, the household registrars and the magistrate are together. These masks? Yan Hushu and Liang Hushu taught us to make them. We heard it was your idea! Brother Yan Lao’er, when this is over, we’ll treat you to a drink—these little things have been a great help.”

The masks were indeed useful.

Yan Lao’er’s mind was clear as he shouted, “You can’t keep wearing the same one! You need to change them frequently, and when you do, stay far from the sick!

And masks can’t be washed—who knows if they’ll still be clean after washing?

Wait for me, I’ll go home and make a batch for you!”

The bailiffs exchanged glances. There was a right way to use masks?

They had indeed been wearing the same one for days.

Hearing Yan Lao’er’s words, they suddenly felt uneasy.

They hurriedly called out, “Much obliged, Brother Yan Lao’er! We’ve already used up a lot of cloth—right now, even if we had silver, we wouldn’t be able to buy more.

Let’s put it on a tab for now—we’ll pay you later.

Do you have any message for Yan Hushu?”

Yan Lao’er had countless things to say!

How was his brother now? Could he hold up physically? What was the situation in Crouching Tiger City? Was being by the magistrate’s side really safe? Nonsense! Magistrate Tian was a good official, and the better the official, the more dangerous it was because they never thought of protecting themselves—they mingled too closely with the people!

But in the end, it all boiled down to one sentence:

“Tell my brother to take care of his health and not overwork himself. He won’t be able to handle it.”

Old Yan! You don’t have to be so dedicated—don’t rush into danger!

“Got it, we’ll deliver the message.”

Yan Lao’er cupped his hands and shouted, “Brothers, wait for me! If you need anything, just say the word—I’ll bring it!”

“Brother Yan Lao’er, with you saying that, our hearts feel warm.” The bailiffs were moved but didn’t mention the shortage of medicine in the city.

The Yan family had just settled in Crouching Tiger City—they didn’t have strong foundations. How much wealth could they possibly have?

Besides… The bailiff glanced at the refugees in the grass huts.

The medicine shortage was better left unsaid.

“Oh, right! Burn some vinegar to disinfect the air, and if you can, use mugwort—it’s better than doing nothing,” Yan Lao’er added.

The bailiffs nodded, watching him drive away.

He waited at the city gate for someone inside to bring supplies out.

Taking advantage of this, he passed on the message to Yan Hushu, letting him know that Yan Lao’er had come. If there was anything urgent, he should get word out quickly—if Yan Lao’er came again, at least he could have peace of mind with some news.

They, too, were pitiful—they had a duty to fulfill, yet they were stuck outside the city, just like the refugees.

Pulling at his mask, the bailiff worried. Was it bad to wear it for too long?

When the people inside came out, they placed down the grain and medicine before retreating.

The bailiff hurriedly stopped them, passed along Yan Lao’er’s message to Yan Hushu, and even took the opportunity to request some vinegar.

As for mugwort, there was plenty outside the city—they could gather it themselves. Like Yan Lao’er said, burning it was better than nothing.

“Second Uncle,” Yan Xiangheng’s face was pale. “Father… he…”

“Your father is fine!” Yan Lao’er said firmly, his expression solemn.

He kept urging Sanbao to go faster.

Sanbao maintained a steady pace—pushing a cow to its maximum speed.

Yan Xiangheng quickly lost the ability to speak—the cart was too bumpy. His face grew even paler.

When Yan Lao’er reached the village, he stopped at the big rock, not going home. He shouted in his loud voice, “Yan Xiao’er! Yan Xiao’er! Hurry up, burn some vinegar for your father—I need to fumigate myself!”