After examining the two children at Li Dazhuang's home, Ye Tiancheng's ominous premonition grew stronger. Despite his heavy heart, Ye Tiancheng had to inform Li Dazhuang about the extreme urgency of the situation, as remaining silent would be detrimental.
Having finished his examination of the children, Ye Tiancheng wished to discuss their condition with Li Dazhuang. Seeing Ye Tiancheng stop his actions and cease his inquiries, Li Dazhuang anxiously asked, "Doctor Ye, how are things? Are my two little ones not in serious condition?"
Ye Tiancheng frowned, contemplating how to explain the children's situation to Li Dazhuang. He began, "The children's ailments are not severe at the moment, but..."
Before Ye Tiancheng could finish his sentence, Li Dazhuang's expression remained relatively relaxed, as Ye Tiancheng had not yet elaborated on the severity. However, before Ye Tiancheng could complete his transition, a knocking sound echoed from Li Dazhuang's door. The knocking was somewhat urgent, suggesting the visitor had something pressing. This interrupted the conversation between Ye Tiancheng and Li Dazhuang.
Li Dazhuang said to Ye Tiancheng, "My apologies, Doctor Ye, I need to go see what's happening. We can discuss this later."
Ye Tiancheng replied, "So be it. We can discuss this later." Li Dazhuang then hurried out.
Upon reaching the main entrance, Li Dazhuang opened his door and discovered that the person knocking was several villagers from his own village. As neighbors, Li Dazhuang and the villagers had no conflicts. Therefore, these villagers were clearly not there to cause trouble. However, they did have an urgent matter and had endured it for a day before feeling compelled to visit.
Li Dazhuang looked at the villagers gathered at his door with confusion and asked, "Why are you all gathered at my doorstep? Is there something going on?"
After Li Dazhuang opened the door, the villagers kept peering into his house. In response to Li Dazhuang's question, a leading figure, Aunt Wang, Li Dazhuang's next-door neighbor, spoke. Aunt Wang said to Li Dazhuang, "Dazhuang, we heard you have a very skilled doctor at your home."
"Your wife wasn't feeling well a few days ago and wasn't getting better, right? Then, a couple of days ago, after the doctor arrived, you said your wife's condition started showing signs of improvement?"
Li Dazhuang was taken aback, not expecting the villagers to have come because of the doctor he had recently taken in. He did not conceal anything. After all, Li Dazhuang had never hidden the fact that Ye Tiancheng, a doctor, had come to his home to treat his wife. Therefore, there was no point in lying at this moment, nor was it necessary.
Li Dazhuang replied to Aunt Wang, "Yes, that's right. What's the matter?"
Aunt Wang said, "It's like this, Dazhuang. You know that besides your wife, several other families in our village have people with symptoms similar to your wife's. The doctors from outside haven't been able to cure them, some with milder symptoms, others more severe."
"Now that you have such a skilled doctor at your home, could you ask him to help examine and treat the other villagers?"
After hearing Aunt Wang's words, Li Dazhuang understood the villagers' intention. Li Dazhuang thought for a moment and then said to Aunt Wang, "I can't make this decision alone; I need to ask Doctor Ye's opinion. However, Doctor Ye is kind-hearted and likely won't refuse."
"But I'm also embarrassed to take advantage of Doctor Ye's kindness for free. So, if the villagers want to invite Doctor Ye to treat them, they should at least offer some consultation fees."
Aunt Wang's heart eased, and she immediately smiled. She replied to Li Dazhuang, "Of course, that's only right."
Li Dazhuang nodded and said, "Then I'll go ask Doctor Ye. Aunt Wang, you all can come in and wait. Coincidentally, Doctor Ye is waiting for my response."
Aunt Wang and the others immediately agreed. "Alright! We'll come in and wait."
Li Dazhuang led several villagers into his yard. Ye Tiancheng was waiting not far away. Li Dazhuang's house was not very large, and with so many people suddenly entering, they were quite noticeable. Ye Tiancheng immediately saw the villagers streaming in. The villagers also immediately saw Ye Tiancheng in Li Dazhuang's house. As an outsider with an unfamiliar face in a village where everyone knew each other, Ye Tiancheng's presence was naturally conspicuous. Moreover, Ye Tiancheng's appearance and demeanor were particularly striking, clearly not comparable to ordinary rural farmers.
Seeing Ye Tiancheng like this, several villagers felt a bit uneasy and adjusted their clothes and hair, feeling that it would be impolite to speak to someone like him without tidying themselves up properly.
Ye Tiancheng, however, was fine. While waiting earlier, although he didn't understand why, Ye Tiancheng felt that his senses were much sharper than usual. He could see things from afar very clearly, and even hear people whispering in distant places. This ability seemed somewhat beyond his control. Therefore, Ye Tiancheng had already heard the conversation between Li Dazhuang and the villagers. However, upon hearing their conversation, Ye Tiancheng's heart sank further, and he felt an even greater sense of unease.
He waited patiently for a while before Li Dazhuang finally came inside and led the villagers into the yard. Ye Tiancheng moved to a more visible spot. Seeing Ye Tiancheng, Li Dazhuang walked over and quickly explained the recent events, what the villagers had said, and their request. After Li Dazhuang finished, the villagers gathered around and explained to Ye Tiancheng what compensation they could offer if he agreed to treat them.
Ye Tiancheng was not particularly concerned about the compensation. Instead, he began to inquire about the symptoms of the other villagers with similar ailments, how long this situation had been occurring, and other questions. After asking several questions, Ye Tiancheng's heart sank. Because of these inquiries, Ye Tiancheng realized that the situation he least wanted to happen, the outcome he least wanted to see, had already occurred. Moreover, after confirming his suspicions, Ye Tiancheng was unsure how to convey the situation to the villagers.
As Ye Tiancheng had suspected, the sudden outbreak of illness in the village was an epidemic, and it was contagious. Given this situation and his discovery, if he wanted to protect himself, the best course of action would be to conceal the situation, prescribe some palliative medication to these villagers, and then quickly leave the area. However, Ye Tiancheng knew very well that he could not do such a thing. Although people are generally selfish, and besides Li Dazhuang's help, the villagers had only provided temporary shelter and a little food and water, which were not enough to warrant Ye Tiancheng taking such a great risk. In places with epidemics, even doctors would be in great danger. Anyone could speak of righteousness, but not everyone could act upon it. However, many people simply had no choice and would choose to stay out of it in such circumstances. Ye Tiancheng was one of them. He knew he couldn't abandon these villagers. However, given the presence of an epidemic and what seemed to be a considerable number of cases, he could not immediately reveal all the details to the villagers.
Most of the villagers in these small places were ordinary people with limited knowledge. They only knew that epidemics were very dangerous and had extremely high mortality rates. Therefore, when some villagers learned that an epidemic had broken out in the village, it would only cause panic, and it was even possible that some infected individuals would be ostracized or abandoned, or they themselves would be frightened and choose to flee. This would only lead to even worse outcomes.
However, there were other troubles involved. Ye Tiancheng also knew that to effectively control the situation in the village, his role as a doctor alone was insufficient. The involvement of government forces was necessary for containment to more effectively control the spread of the epidemic. However, this was precisely the most troublesome aspect for Ye Tiancheng.
Ye Tiancheng sighed inwardly. He was truly unsure of what to do. However, for the time being, Ye Tiancheng had to control the situation, and he could not rashly reveal the details. Therefore, after thinking for a while, Ye Tiancheng informed the villagers that he could visit them first to make a judgment. Different people had different levels of severity in their conditions, and the medication would also vary. He had to see them in person to make a conclusion. Moreover, if Ye Tiancheng wanted to contribute to this matter, he needed to understand the symptoms of patients with similar illnesses in the village. Simply avoiding the issue would be meaningless.
The villagers had no objections to Ye Tiancheng's offer to visit. They could also sense that these villagers greatly respected Ye Tiancheng and were afraid of tiring him. Therefore, the villagers told Ye Tiancheng that he did not need to rush to see them; he could rest and visit them in turns over the next couple of days. In response, Ye Tiancheng stated that it was not a particularly tiring task, and when it came to seeing patients, it was always better to do it sooner rather than later. It would be better to see them as soon as possible.