Chapter Fifty-Nine: Rumors Passed as Truth

After all, Yun Niang knew that if she took the bus home, there was no telling when she’d reach the wharf, and she still needed to get back to Shanshan Hall to care for her elder brother. So she got into the car with Li Zhao, giving him directions as they hurried toward the dock.

As soon as they arrived, Li Zhao stepped out and was immediately assaulted by the briny stench of the sea, mingled with the rotting odor of fish and seafood. The wharf was bustling with activity—one of the boats had just docked, and the owner was calling out to nearby stevedores, urging them to unload his cargo.

The workers surged forward, and the boss picked a few of the younger, stronger men to move the goods. This was how these laborers earned their living. Though they wore tattered clothes, their eyes still shone with hope and a love for life as they pushed ahead—every step forward meant an extra coin earned, and a better life for their wives and children.

Witnessing this, Li Zhao felt a sudden pang in his heart, but Yun Niang had no time for such thoughts. She approached the workers waiting at the dock, grabbed a familiar face, and anxiously warned them not to enter the water.

“Yun Niang, what are you doing?” At that moment, a man she called Tiger Brother frowned and strode over. He carried two burlap sacks on his back—while others could only manage one, he hefted two with ease, a testament to his great strength.

“Tiger Brother, Doctor Xie said that the parasite that infected my brother lives in the water. You mustn’t go in!” Yun Niang rushed to his side, gripping his hand as she implored him.

At her words, the surrounding workers glanced at one another. They needed to unload the boats to earn money, but their lives were precious too. They had all witnessed Yun Niang’s brother’s illness and suffering firsthand—they knew how cruel the disease could be.

“Yun Niang, is that true? Did Doctor Xie say that himself?” The others gathered around, asking urgently.

Yun Niang nodded emphatically, begging them not to go into the water. Yet to unload the cargo, going into the water was unavoidable; without it, they wouldn’t earn anything.

“For the sake of your safety, you really shouldn’t go in,” Li Zhao added gently.

Tiger Brother furrowed his brow, set down the sacks, and hesitated. “Yun Niang, if we don’t go into the water, how will these brothers of mine make a living?”

“That’s right. Our family has worked as dock laborers for generations. If we don’t get in the water to haul goods, how are we supposed to feed our families? We can’t just give up our livelihoods because of a little parasite,” some scoffed, ready to wade into the water despite the warning.

The boat owner, seeing the group clustered and chatting instead of working, grew impatient and stormed over. “I’m not paying you to stand around. Are you unloading or not? If not, I’ll find someone else.”

“We’ll get to it right away.” In the end, even knowing there were parasites in the water, Tiger Brother hoisted the two sacks and trudged heavily toward the shallows.

Li Zhao’s brows knitted in frustration as he shouted, “Is money really worth more than your lives?”

“You’re wrong. For people like us, sometimes life is a luxury we can’t afford,” Yun Niang murmured, understanding why Tiger Brother and the others chose to risk the water despite the danger. She covered her face and wept.

Helpless, Li Zhao could only lead Yun Niang back to Shanshan Hall—they had already done what they could to warn the workers about the parasites in the water.

“Those dockworkers must be wondering why the parasite only infected Yun Niang’s brother and not the others, since they all worked together during that period,” Xie Qingtang mused when he heard what had happened.

He was right. The workers were clinging to a sense of luck, convinced they wouldn’t be the ones to get infected, especially since nothing had happened to them before.

Yun Niang paused at his words, then nodded. “You’re right, Doctor Xie. Why did the parasite infect only my brother and no one else?”

“That’s what puzzles me. It seems your brother must have some habit the others don’t,” Xie Qingtang replied thoughtfully, suspecting the anomaly lay with Yun Niang’s brother.

Yun Niang sat in silence, her brow furrowed, pondering the question. Suddenly, her eyes lit up as she recalled something. “I remember now—my brother loved drinking unboiled water and often went swimming in a pond near our home.”

“That’s it. Those are the two differences. I always tried to cool boiled water for him, but he refused, saying it tasted different. He also liked to swim in a nearby pond—a secret spot no one else visited. He was a skilled swimmer, and that was his private place.”

At this, Xie Qingtang nodded and smiled with confidence. “I think I’ve found the source of the schistosomiasis infection.”

Meanwhile, at Gu’s Hospital, the other doctors, upon learning of a reported case of schistosomiasis in the city, were thrown into a panic.

“What? There’s a case of schistosomiasis in the city? Has a parasite gotten into our water supply?”

“Heavens, this is terrifying. I remember decades ago, there was a major outbreak of schistosomiasis—it’s highly contagious. Where’s the patient now? We must isolate him.”

“Yes, Doctor Hao, where is the patient? You keep telling us to be prepared, but we don’t even know who he is. What’s the point of preparing if we can’t find him?”

Rumors quickly swept through Gu’s Hospital, spreading the story far and wide.