After a very heart-to-heart night talk, the boys were in a much more normal state. This doesn't mean that they don't want to find that ethereal path to immortality.
On the contrary, their hearts are the same as Xin Mao's, more eager and eager.
However, he is no longer fanatical and delusional.
They already know how narrow that road is, and they are more aware of the gap between reality and dreams. Because it is too far away, it is eager rather than manic. It's like, if the young guy here has a crush on the pretty girl next door, but before he even has time to propose marriage, the girl next door is already engaged, he will definitely feel very uncomfortable and the gap will be huge. But if you know a beautiful woman who is beautiful and fragrant, and who is said to be the most beautiful woman in the country, you will think about it in your heart on weekdays. When you know that the beautiful woman is married, you will not feel uncomfortable, just a little sigh.
This is how the little guys feel now.
At the beginning, they were always worried that the road to immortality was their only chance, and this anxiety and uneasiness almost overwhelmed them. But after Shopkeeper Chen analyzed it, they found that the Immortal Order was so far away from them, and they felt calmer inside.
The entire restaurant was in an unprecedented positive state.
Everyone can work diligently and seriously. Even if they have a little free time, they should get together to exchange information and see if they can find any clues about the Ascension Order.
Although they had no clue, they still communicated happily.
Xiangmaozi was also dragged into this serious discussion team, but she still didn't speak much and just listened.
Over time, everyone has become accustomed to it.
While they were discussing the road to immortality, Xiangmaozi was in a daze with her eyes open. She was thinking about how to go back to Yexi Village.
After all this time, she still hasn't heard any rumors about Yexi Village.
Not only her, there are also some people who are looking for Yexi Village and Xiguo Village. They also have relatives in these two villages. But after waiting for so long, there is no news.
Most people are no longer optimistic about the people in these two villages. Half a month has passed. If they could come down, they would have come down long ago. If you can't come down, you are either trapped or have been hunted by ferocious beasts. Xiangmaozi didn't give up, she was really looking forward to going back to confirm. With so many immortals coming these days, the ferocious beasts should stay away.
If there is still no news in two days, I will find a way to go home and take a look, Xiangmaozi secretly thought about it.
Before Lemongrass could go back to work, there were new changes in the past few days.
Sister-in-law Song, who rarely had conflicts with the shopkeeper that day, had an argument with the shopkeeper, "It can't be done! It's you who made the four fresh soup, and then it was you who didn't provide all the ingredients. You let the horse run away again. , How can I do it if I don't let them eat grass? I'm not a fairy, I can conjure it out of thin air!"
Shopkeeper Chen also had a look of helplessness on his face, "This soup was requested by Mr. Liu, a well-known wealthy man in the town, or it was specially ordered in advance to congratulate his wife on giving birth to twins. How can I refuse it?"
Mrs. Song sneered and said, "Master Liu's affairs can't be delayed, but you have prepared all the ingredients for me?! It takes 12 hours and 12 medicinal ingredients to make the Four Fresh Soup. Look at what we are doing next Chef, I'm missing three of them, what do you want me to do?"
"There is nothing we can do about it. Who can imagine that the whole town can't get these medicinal materials!" Shopkeeper Chen also looked embarrassed and impatient, "Why don't you trouble Sister-in-law Song to think of a way and see if you can find some substitutes?" Medicinal materials?"
Sister-in-law Song let out a long sigh. If she could do anything about it, she wouldn't yell. How can it be so simple to change the recipe? ! And there are not just one or two medicinal herbs that are rare. Instead, there are three kinds of medicinal materials, one of which is one of the main ingredients of the Si Xian Decoction. What can Sister-in-law Song do? !
Xiang Maozi thought for a while and asked, "Then, can I go to a town outside to buy it?"
Shopkeeper Chen said, "I've asked Zhang to go to the next town to buy it early in the morning, but I'm afraid it's too late."
Xiang Maozi thought for a while, "How about Shopkeeper Chen tell me the names and characteristics of the missing three herbs, and I'll go look outside the town. Maybe I can find them."
In the countryside like Xiangmaozi, it is rare to buy various herbs from pharmacies. They are all picked outside. For example, dandelion reduces swelling and wild thistle clears fire. Even the medicinal materials purchased by shopkeeper Chen at the pharmacy were sold in the pharmacy after villagers went out to find them and dried them.
So when she said she was going to help collect herbs, it wasn't nonsense.
Unexpectedly, shopkeeper Chen still shook his head, "We can't collect it now. I don't know what happened recently. There are so many people sick in the town. Among them, these three herbs are still necessary. The medicinal materials in the surrounding area have been harvested for a long time. !"
Lemongrass nodded, "Oh!"
Why are so many people sick now? ! I hope A Zhang can buy the medicinal materials Sister Song needs as soon as possible! Lemongrass prayed secretly.
The next day, A Zhang came back, but he did not bring back any good news. "People in the next town are also sick, and all the medicine has been used up! You can't buy it."
Before Mrs. Song had time to attack, A Zhang said something even more terrifying, "Yunlai Town got sick earlier than we did here, and they had already started to collect herbs from the state capital. When I went there, they sold the most expensive, The best thing is not the herb. Guess what?"
What is it? ! Let's all ask together.
A Zhang said with a pale face, "It's a coffin! There are coffins everywhere in Yunlai Town, rows on rows, and some of them haven't even finished the openings, they're just a few boards put together! It's too late to do that, and it's temporary. Kicked out."
Shopkeeper Chen's expression changed, "How come so many people died?"
A Zhang shook his head, "I don't know either. But so many people really died in Yunlai Town. As soon as I saw that the situation was not good, I didn't dare to stay longer, so I came back directly."
Shopkeeper Chen is a well-informed and capable person. When he heard the news, he suddenly thought of another thing, "Azhang, did you ask about their illness status when you came to Yun Town again, and the time from onset to death?" time?"
A Zhang was actually the smartest little boy next to Chun Yu, otherwise he wouldn't have been entrusted with such an important task as going to a neighboring town to purchase scarce medicinal materials.
Hearing Shopkeeper Chen's question, A Zhang quickly replied, "I asked. Even if you don't ask, I have to say it. This epidemic came really strangely. At first, no one paid attention, but some people had diarrhea and vomiting. , everyone will think that they did not eat well that day, and that is why they occasionally have diarrhea. But this kind of diarrhea will last for two or three days, and then the person will have a fever. It is intermittent and becomes more and more serious. After seven or eight days, he will start to have blood in the stool and vomit blood. , and then the high fever persists."
"Most people will desperately call a doctor at this time, and the doctor will prescribe medicine according to their symptoms, including the three medicinal materials we need to buy. But by this time it is already too late, and they will have continuous high fever. If it doesn't go away and blood continues in the stool, the person will die within two or three days," A Zhang said.
Shopkeeper Chen's expression was very serious, as if he had heard something extremely terrible.
Everyone was also sad for the people in Yunlai Town, but after all, the tragedy belonged to someone else. Although they were sad, they were not sad.
But at this time, shopkeeper Chen suddenly slammed the table and shouted, "Let everyone come out and obey the order. From today on, Sixianlou will be closed to welcome guests."
To thank customers behind closed doors is a very serious matter for a restaurant. It is the first major event after the closure of the restaurant. Everyone was stunned for a while.
Chunyu asked cautiously, "Shopkeeper Chen, why do we have to close the door?"
Shopkeeper Chen looked very ugly, "This is not an ordinary disease, this is an epidemic, and it is also the most terrifying ghost-contact epidemic!"
The younger generation all looked at each other, not knowing what Shopkeeper Chen was talking about. However, when Mrs. Song and other older people heard the name of Gui Chuo Bing, their expressions changed and their eyes revealed a look of fear.
"What exactly is the ghost epidemic?" Chunyu asked.
Shopkeeper Chen said, "I don't know what the ghost epidemic is. But whenever there is a ghost epidemic, every family raises a white matter and there are thousands of coffins. Every time a ghost epidemic occurs, tens of thousands or even dozens of people will die." Thousands of people. Wherever I go, there is an empty city, and no one can escape. After the ghost epidemic broke out, the most common thing placed on the streets were coffins! At first, I didn't think about the ghost epidemic at all, but when I heard It was only when A-Zhang mentioned the coffin that I remembered it!"
What shopkeeper Chen said was not clear. On the other hand, Sister-in-law Song, who looked pale at the side, suddenly took over the conversation.
Sister-in-law Song said, "The ghost-contaminated disease kills people without seeing blood. Death after contracting the ghost-contaminated disease is just like being touched by a ghost. Life and death are left to fate. That's why we got this name. No one knows where it came from. The family , eating and living together, it is possible that all of them will get the disease, or only a few people will get it. If you get the disease, you will not notice it at all in the first few days, thinking it is just an ordinary cold. But once you start to vomit blood in the stool, the disease will disappear. There's no cure!"
"The ghost epidemic never breaks out in just one place, and its involvement is always very wide." Shopkeeper Chen said seriously, "Since Yunlai Town has been infected by the ghost epidemic, think of the recent events in Huangshi Town. The demand for medication has increased in the past few days, so you must have been infected. It's just that you can't see the ghost infection before it starts. In the past few days, everyone should not go out. First, observe yourself and the guests around you. Once If you find diarrhea or fever, report it immediately!"
Everyone was frightened by the seriousness of shopkeeper Chen and Mrs. Song. They had never experienced the horrific death harvest caused by the ghost epidemic, so they were not particularly afraid. However, they saw that several people in charge looked serious. The shopkeeper even picked four fresh vegetables. In the guise of the building, the plaque of Sixian Building was covered with green cloth, which was obviously a sign of a big event.
The boys did not dare to neglect any more and hurriedly carried out the investigation according to the requirements of shopkeeper Chen.
This question really revealed the problem.
Guests in the third and fourth rooms of Tianzihao had diarrhea and vomiting yesterday. However, the guests thought they were acclimatized, so they didn't pay attention after having diarrhea. They had ordered vegetarian noodles for the past few meals, and there was no change. Good situation.
There are a total of six guests in the seventh room in Tianzihao, the first room in Dizihao, and Tongpu who are suffering from fever. The guests thought they were just infected with cold. The wealthy ones had already invited doctors from Huangshi Town for medical treatment, while the poor ones asked the kitchen to boil ginger syrup and prepare to keep them for a few days.
Just as Shopkeeper Chen expected, there were so many guests, many of whom showed early symptoms of the ghost epidemic!
The boys did some research and reported the situation to Shopkeeper Chen.
After listening to the reports of the boys, shopkeeper Chen looked confused but said nothing.
Chun Yu was bold and asked tentatively, "Shopkeeper Chen, how about we invite the sick guests out?"
It's said to be an invitation, but actually it's an invitation.
Shopkeeper Chen shook his head, "It's too late, and if we kick people out at this time, isn't that just forcing them to die? We can't take the name of Sixian Building anymore."
Since he can't expel people, why is Shopkeeper Cheng still so entangled? ! Chunyu doesn't understand.
At this moment, Sister-in-law Song suddenly came over and saluted Shopkeeper Chen in front of Chun Yu, "Shopkeeper, I'm here to bid you farewell."
Chun Yu looked at her with wide eyes, wondering what was wrong with Sister-in-law Song.
But Shopkeeper Chen was not surprised at all. He frowned and looked at Mrs. Song, "Have you thought about it? It's probably not going to be easy outside."
Sister-in-law Song gritted her teeth, "I know it would be unkind to say goodbye at this time. If it were me, I would stay and wait with everyone. But no, my family also has a nephew who is rich, and that is the only root of the old Song family. I We have to find a way to send the fortune away, we can't let him wait for death here."
Shopkeeper Chen did not blame Mrs. Song. He nodded, "When disaster strikes, we all fly. It's good if one of us can escape. In this way, Chunyu, you secretly call everyone here. I have something to say."
Because more people were sick in the past two days, everyone was lying in the room to rest. Instead, there was not as much work to do as before. Soon the manpower was gathered and everyone gathered around shopkeeper Chen.
At this time, shopkeeper Chen was also preparing to bring out a dozen pockets, each containing hundreds of copper coins.
When shopkeeper Chen saw that everyone was gathered, he told everyone, "As of today, more and more people are sick. I'm afraid I can't hide this matter anymore. I'm afraid the state government already knows about the ghost contact epidemic." ."
Everyone looked at each other and wondered what was going on. Isn't it a good thing that the state government knew that it might send doctors and medicinal materials to rescue.
Shopkeeper Chen pointed to a dozen money bags on the table, "The ghost epidemic is different from other epidemics. It cannot be controlled, and we don't know why it started, and it spreads very quickly. Therefore, the state government has nothing to do. Whenever there is When the ghost epidemic occurs, the state capital will station troops to fence the place, leaving no access. The fence will not be dug again until the epidemic passes."
When everyone heard this, they bombed the temple, "Well, how can that be done? Where are the people inside?"
"The people inside, just let nature take its course. Wait until the incident is over, dig open the wall, and if the people inside are still alive, stay. If they are all dead, use a fire to burn everything down!" Shopkeeper Chen said explain.
Everyone was so frightened, "Then, what about our Huangshi Town?!" The clever people had already thought of it.
Shopkeeper Chen said, "The epidemic in Huangshi Town can no longer be concealed. It is estimated that the soldiers from the state capital will arrive in this half day. By then, even if they want to leave, they will not be able to leave. So now, if anyone wants to leave , I, Chen Sheng, won't stop you, this is a small amount of travel expenses, and it can be regarded as a little thought from me to everyone."
After everyone heard this, they felt great.
One after another, people came forward to take the money bags, and at the same time, they kowtowed deeply to the shopkeeper.
There were still a few people who didn't go up to get the money bag, among them Chunyu and Lemongrass.
Chunyu asked loudly, "Shopkeeper, you sent us all away, what about you?"
Shopkeeper Chen gave a wry smile, "Our Chen Family Sixian Restaurant has been open since we moved to Huangshi Town two hundred years ago. From a small stall to today's scale, eight generations have passed. Now Chen I am the only one in the family, and I won't leave. I stay here, life or death, it's up to you! If people are here, the building will be there; if people die, there will be no Sixian Building in the future."
The young boy Chun Yu's eyes turned red at the words of shopkeeper Chen. He said loudly, "I'm not leaving either! I was picked up by you as an orphan. I have nowhere to go and I don't want to go. Shopkeeper, I'm going with you Guard the Sixian Tower."
Several other waiters and a chef also said that they would not leave, as Sixian Building was already their home.
Lemongrass is not leaving either.
She had nowhere to go and no idea where she was going. Where else could there be such a kind and kind-hearted person as Shopkeeper Chen?
Shopkeeper Chen didn't force himself, he sent Yicheng off when he left. For those who stayed, he waved his hand, "Since you are staying, then work hard. One person will have to do the work of several people, which will probably be hard. In addition, Chunyu and Xiangmaozi, go find a way to buy more food. Save what you drink, and you'll have plenty of days left to endure!"
Xiangmaozi followed Chunyu, and the whole town began to think of ways to collect food.
There was a lot of grain in the warehouse of Si Xianlou, but Chunyu still bought two carts full of it. The rest are mostly various dried vegetables, pickles, sea vegetables, dried beans, and various beans. These things are durable and can be stored well, so you can eat them for a long time if you eat them slowly. In addition, Xiangmaozi also reminded Chunyu to order two jars of yellow sauce and rice wine. Chunyu thought it made sense and quickly took Xiangmaozi to the famous Wangjia Sauce Shop outside the town to make yellow sauce.
After all this trouble, when it was time to raise the fire in the evening, the two of them rushed back after a long journey.
As soon as they entered the town, hundreds of state soldiers arrived.
The place was surrounded like an iron barrel, and horse and wind barriers were set up at the front and back gates of the town, so no one could enter or leave.
Huangshi Town is blocked!