RPAGF Chapter 171 Prevention and Treatment
Chapter 171 Prevention and Treatment
Zhang Pingan frowned: "Dad, what are you doing? You can tell me what to do, but don't say such discouraging words."
Zhang Laoer smiled and said, "Okay, Dad won't say anything discouraging. First of all, it's about property. You know how much land our family has. The deed is the third one on the left after your mother and I enter our bedroom, under the second brick from the front. We currently have over 120 taels of silver in reserve. 20 taels are hidden in the cracks between the bricks on the wall opposite the bedpost in our old home, and the remaining 100 taels are in a box buried under a water tank. Your mother also has a few taels of loose change for household expenses, as well as other favors and payments. I've made a list for you to keep so you have an idea of what's going on." After saying this, he took out the list from his arms.
Zhang Ping'an's eyes turned red as he listened, and he choked up when he spoke again: "Okay, Dad, I know all this, but you are not allowed to say discouraging words. Our family must be well. In the future, you have to follow me to the provincial capital, and maybe even to the capital!"
Zhang Laoer's eyes were also a little red, and he forced a smile and said, "Okay, Dad will wait!" Then he went out.
That night, Zhang Pingan suffered from insomnia, which was rare. He tossed and turned all night, thinking about many things. He felt that he could not just wait like this.
The next morning, after getting up early and finishing his breakfast, Zhang Pingan said, "Dad, we have to go out again today."
Zhang Laoer asked curiously, "There's enough food at home, why are you going out?"
"It's like this, Dad. I thought about it all night last night and felt that we can't just sit there and wait. I have an idea. When I went to the clinic with you before, I saw that Doctor Qu and others would use a burning knife to wash the wound before treating the patient's external injuries to prevent the wound from swelling and festering. I was thinking, since white wine can treat external injuries, can we use white wine to wipe the house every day to disinfect it and remove external evil spirits?" Zhang Pingan said calmly.
Zhang Laoer certainly knew this. "Disinfection? Son, I know that white wine can treat external injuries, but white wine is not cheap!"
"I've thought of this as well, so we can buy cheaper rice wine, and then I'll purify it." Zhang Ping'an had done a distillation experiment in chemistry class in his previous life. He knew the basic steps, but he needed to experiment.
Zhang Laoer was a little hesitant, after all, it would cost money.
Zhang Pingan continued, "We can also add some more water to the medicinal herbs we prepared earlier and boil some to drink to prevent and treat the disease. We can't wait until symptoms appear before taking medicine. By then, the disease has entered the body and it may be too late to take medicine."
Xu agreed with this method. After all, the family had plenty of medicinal herbs. "I think it's feasible. It just takes a bit of effort and firewood. It won't hurt to take some medicine to prevent and treat it."
"Dad, Mom, I hope that no matter what happens, our family can stay together. And Xiaohu, he followed us from the countryside to the capital city safely, and he must be safe and sound when he goes back," Zhang Pingan said with a firm look.
Zhang Lao Er was deeply touched when he heard this. He cleared away the turbidity in his heart and felt that he couldn't just wait like this: "Okay, then let's go buy some wine now."
The current situation is mainly due to the sharp increase in the prices of medicinal materials and grains and vegetables, while the price of wine remains the same. Zhang Laoer ordered three large jars of rice wine. After Zhang Pingan went to the grocery store to buy some necessary tools for distillation, the father and son drove home.
After returning home, Xu had already boiled a large pot of medicine to prevent colds. After Zhang Ping'an drank it, he started to conduct experiments.
The main principle of distillation is to take advantage of the different boiling points of alcohol and water. Rice wine is poured into the bottom pot of the distillation equipment, and the mixed liquid is heated to make the alcohol boil and evaporate. The steam is then condensed into liquid. After the steam pipe is installed, the liquid is collected after condensation and cooling, which is the white wine.
As time went by, a strong smell of alcohol wafted from the yard. Hard work paid off, and by the evening Zhang Ping'an had collected a large bowl of purified white wine, which was clear in color and had a strong aroma.
Xu sniffed it carefully and exclaimed, "Oh my god, it really is white wine. Son, you are so capable!"
Zhang Laoer dipped his index finger in a little and tasted it, smacking his lips and saying, "Hmm, Shaokou, this is authentic white wine."
Zhang Ping'an had been busy all day and felt a little tired. He smiled and said, "We can distill it again and again to extract purer alcohol, but it's getting late today, so let's wait until tomorrow. Mom, tomorrow you should use alcohol to wipe the doors, windows, tables and chairs at home to disinfect them. From now on, no matter who comes back from going out, we must wipe their hands and clothes with alcohol first."
"Oh, I see," Mrs. Xu said excitedly, "Son, after this epidemic is over, can we use this method to make money?"
"Our family has no background, and the profit margin of liquor is high. If we do this business, we will only be targeted by others. The best thing to do is to sell our son. After the epidemic is over, I will see if there is a suitable candidate," Zhang Pingan pondered.
Upon hearing this, Madam Xu instructed her two daughters and Xiaohu, "You are not allowed to tell anyone about this, understand? If I find out that you have told others, be careful. Don't blame me for turning my back on you."
Wuya, Liuya and Xiaohu all covered their mouths and nodded.
The next day, Zhang Ping'an wrote a letter and asked the messenger to give it to Professor Han, adding his idea of using white wine for disinfection, hoping it would be helpful.
More than ten days passed in a flash. The atmosphere in the capital city became more and more tense. It was now difficult to buy fresh vegetables. Xu started to cook porridge. Fortunately, there were pickles at home, so it was not too bad.
The family has not left the house for more than ten days. Occasionally, yamen runners would come to check if there was anyone in the house with a cold, cough, or fever.
At noon that day, there was a sudden knock on the door. Xu thought it was another yamen runner coming to her house, so she wiped her hands, walked forward to open the door and said, "I'm coming, I'm coming!"
When she opened the door, she saw a young man she didn't recognize. He was wearing a large mask and had handsome features. Xu asked in confusion, "Who are you looking for?"
The person outside the door bowed and said, "Excuse me, is this the home of Mr. Zhang Ping'an? I'm from Yingzhou City. My name is Chen Jianqiu, and I'm a doctor. I once knew Mr. Zhang in the provincial capital, so I came here specifically to visit."
Hearing that the man was from the provincial capital and didn't look like a bad person, Xu became more enthusiastic and said with a smile, "Wait a minute, I'll go ask my son."
Zhang Pingan hurried out of the study after hearing this. He opened the door and saw that it was indeed Doctor Chen. He couldn't help but said in surprise, "Doctor Chen, why are you here? Come in and sit down!"
Chen Jianqiu took off his mask and said with a smile, "I came to the capital to help prevent and control the epidemic."
"But is there any way?" Zhang Ping'an asked, picking up a handkerchief soaked in alcohol and disinfecting Chen Jianqiu from head to toe.