...
Zhuo San gazed blankly at the countless bacilli floating under the microscope. The warm air escaping from the top of his mask gradually blurred his view.
Long ago, newspapers in Hedong Road had exhaustively detailed various aspects of the plague, including the morphology of the plague bacillus.
The presence of plague bacilli in the blood meant the patient was infected.
Government Official Sun Er silently patted the young man's shoulder. Doctor Mo stood by the table, arms crossed, observing the scene with a complex expression.
Had this been when he first arrived in Taiyuan Prefecture, he would have empathized, feeling their sorrow. But during this time, he had witnessed too many partings by death, too much joy and sorrow, to be easily moved.
After a long silence, Doctor Mo said softly, "The isolation ward is full. I'll write a prescription shortly. Go to the pharmacy, get some painkillers, and take your mother... home to rest."
