Chapter 32 Chapter 32 Turns out, he's a hopeless romantic! ...

The food, reheated, was served again.

"Xiao Chen."

The chopsticks had barely been set down when Hu Gangtie slammed a cup down in front of Chen Yun, his face turning bright red before he even started drinking: "Brother Hu, I'd like to toast you... You're amazing!"

"I dare not drink baijiu, so I'll just have tea instead and clink glasses with Brother Hu."

She inadvertently gained the approval of a "straight man"...

"You rascal," Yang Juhua said with a laugh, patting Hu Gangtie's arm and then moving the enamel cup in front of Gao Ming. "You think Chen Yun is like you, only interested in a few drops of cat pee!"

“I’ll drink with Brother Hu.” Gao Ming picked up the wine bottle and filled Hu Gangtie’s glass, then poured half a glass for Li Huguo and himself as well: “Don’t think Li Huguo and I are weaklings, we both have poor alcohol tolerance.”

"If you can't drink, then drink less." Hu Gangtie chuckled twice, then lowered his head and took a couple of sips of the wine that was too full. "It's a waste to force yourself to drink if you can't handle it. This bottle of wine was specially brought from Beicheng by an old comrade-in-arms. It's good stuff!"

"Beicheng Laomen Wine, it's really good stuff." Gao Ming carefully examined the words on the bottle.

"Let them drink, we'll eat." Yang Juhua gestured for the others to serve her food. She put a piece of twice-cooked pork in her mouth and started talking before she even had a chance to chew it: "Graduating from a proper medical school is different from being a barefoot doctor. Last year, Xiangyang fell and went to the health center for a checkup. As a result, that Dr. Ye scolded us and said that we should go to the hospital for such a trivial matter."

“He still can’t distinguish between ordinary people and soldiers. He thinks we’re all warriors on the battlefield…’ ‘Minor injuries don’t keep us off the front lines,’” Chen Yun laughed.

"Bullshit, never been on the battlefield!" Hu Gangtie suddenly cursed. "Later, I asked around and found out that the old guy had never been on the battlefield. He just fed the wounded in the military hospital. How would he know how to treat patients!"

Chen Yun raised an eyebrow in surprise.

To be able to find out such detailed information about something from so long ago, it seems that Hu Gangtie has quite a few connections.

"Brother Hu, you even managed to find out about this?" Gao Ming refilled Hu Gangtie's empty cup.

Hu Gangtie smiled and gestured with his chin towards Gao Ming: "Don't underestimate me just because I'm a small workshop director. My old leaders and comrades from the army all work in Beicheng. Asking about someone is a piece of cake for me."

"You can't even control your stinky mouth while eating vegetables." Yang Juhua raised her hand and slapped Hu Gangtie's mouth: "No matter how high an official is, he's someone else. What does he have to do with you? Can he help you become the factory director?"

"What do you know, you old hag! Maintain good relationships... the benefits will come later!"

Being slapped on the mouth didn't dampen Hu Gangtie's spirits in the slightest. He smiled and picked up his wine glass again, took a sip, and then ate a piece of twice-cooked pork with his chopsticks.

He clicked his tongue twice... and looked completely satisfied!

"I don't understand. If you're so capable, why don't you use your connections to get Yue'e into medical school?" Yang Juhua rolled her eyes and pulled Hu Yue'e in front of her. "Yue'e has already graduated from vocational school. If she doesn't go to medical school, she'll have to work. At the very least, you can get her a job at a factory!"

Hu Yue'e silently pulled up her collar, her face expressionless, and waited for her mother to finish speaking before letting her go.

Hu Xiangyang, his mouth glistening with oil, fearlessly chimed in: "My older sister is even afraid of killing chickens. Today, when Uncle Gao killed a chicken, she was so scared that she threw up when she got home. What kind of doctor is she... Aunt Chen said..."

Snap—

A loud slap landed on Hu Xiangyang's back. Yang Juhua snorted irritably, "Just like your father, all you do is spout nonsense."

"I'm not making this up, you can ask Aunt Chen if you don't believe me!"

Hu Xiangyang is very curious and occasionally has a sudden idea to ask Chen Yun what kind of work a doctor usually does.

Chen Yun decided to tease him and deliberately described how the intestines were taken out and put back in.

He was so frightened that he ran far away whenever he saw meat for the next few days, although he eventually couldn't resist the aroma of meat and started eating and drinking to his heart's content again.

"Does Yue'e want to study medical school?" Chen Yun reached out and untied Hu Yue'e's collar, asking with a smile, "If you want to take the exam, I can write you a recommendation letter to get you a year-long internship at our hospital."

Nowadays, you can't get into medical school through the college entrance exam like you would in later years. You need to have one to three years of work experience before you can study at medical school.

The original owner's work experience back then was certified by an old friend of Uncle Luo; otherwise, he wouldn't even be qualified.

Now, as the director of the hospital's internal medicine department, Chen Yun also has the authority to write letters of recommendation or certificates for others.

The adults, including Chen Yun, all thought Hu Yue'e would agree, and Yang Juhua even thanked Chen Yun several times in advance.

Unexpectedly, Hu Yue'e gently shook her head.

"I don't want to be a doctor!"

“I told you my older sister didn’t like being a doctor, but you didn’t believe me.”

Snap—

Hu Xiangyang, who had been slapped, finally quieted down. The slap came from Hu Gangtie, who had hit harder.

"Why not take such a good opportunity!" Hu Gangtie asked coldly, his face ashen.

Yang Juhua glanced at her husband's face discreetly.

Just a few days ago, he was against his daughter studying at medical school. At home, what he talked about most was spending money to buy a workstation so she could start working and earn money as soon as possible.

How could their attitude change so suddenly?

Hu Yue'e trembled and dared not speak.

"Speak up!"

Chen Yun asked softly, "I remember you said last month that you wanted to be a doctor and help people heal!"

If Hu Yue'e hadn't made her stance clear beforehand, Chen Yun would never have brought up the recommendation letter today.

“I…I’m afraid of blood.” Hu Yue’e glanced at Hu Gangtie cautiously, and continued with a forced smile, “I get dizzy as soon as I see blood. The day before yesterday, when my mother was cleaning fish, I was so dizzy that I couldn’t walk.”

"..."

An unexpected answer.

Hu Yue'e faints at the sight of blood.

This is a major reason, but the main reason is that Hu Yue'e dared not say... After swallowing several mouthfuls of saliva, she closed her eyes and lowered her head.

Chen Yun sat next to Hu Yue'e, watching her expression closely.

His gaze flickered upon seeing this, then he looked at Yang Juhua, but did not ask her directly.

“It’s difficult to handle someone who is squeamish about blood.” Chen Yun put down her chopsticks with difficulty: “Someone who is severely squeamish about blood will have diarrhea and vomiting and can’t even stand up. How can we save them?”

Hu Gangtie solemnly put down his chopsticks, silently stood up, and went to the kitchen outside.

Before long, he brought out the chicken blood that he hadn't made that day: "Come and take a look. I want to see exactly how fainting at blood works."

Chen Yun opened her mouth to try to persuade him, but her arm was suddenly grabbed. Yang Juhua shook her head: "Old Hu is stubborn. He won't believe it unless he sees it with his own eyes."

Hu Yue'e took a deep breath, stood up and walked over... and fell down.

"Yue'e!"

Several adults rushed over, helped Hu Yue'e up and sat her back on the stool, and Chen Yun took out some medicated oil from the cabinet, applied it to her temples and massaged them.

"First I encountered someone whose ear was knocked off, then someone faints at the sight of blood... I've really had my eyes opened today!"

Hu Gangtie stared at the basin of blood and muttered to himself for a long time before reluctantly taking the basin back.

Chen Yun: "..."

The little girl under his command had trembling eyelids; she didn't look like she had fainted at all.

Suddenly, Yang Juhua's breathing became heavy. She reached out and twisted Hu Yue'e's arm, cursing in a low voice, "You brat."

Hu Yue'e's eyelids trembled even more violently.

Apart from Hu Gangtie, everyone else in the room should know that Hu Yue'e was faking fainting.

"You can wake up now." Chen Yun smiled helplessly and reminded him, "You won't be fainting from blood for too long."

Hu Yue'e slowly opened her eyes, shyly avoiding everyone's gaze, her face flushed as if she were drunk.

"Let's eat."

Hu Gangtie sat back down at the table and, as if nothing had happened, picked up his wine glass and took a sip.

"Brother Hu, let's drink." Gao Ming raised his glass and clinked glasses with his. "Children have their own paths. Even if they don't go to medical school, they can still live a good life by finding a job."

Hu Gangtie looked up, wiped the wine from the corner of his mouth, and clicked his tongue, saying, "Brother Gao is right. Our lives are better than those in the commune. At least I can still have a couple of drinks of this liquor every now and then."

"It's good that you think that way, brother."

The liquor, of unknown strength, flowed down his throat, leaving a burning sensation wherever it went. Gao Ming frowned slightly and put down the cup.

Chen Yun was very curious about what the liquor tasted like in this era, so she quietly moved over and took a small sip.

This isn't wine... what's the difference between it and alcohol?

"Anyway, we can't say for sure what will happen next year. It's probably better not to go to medical school... If we go, things might change halfway through and we'll have wasted our time..."

Chen Yun, who was drinking water to relieve the burning sensation in her mouth, stopped what she was doing.

Gao Ming, who was picking up food, also looked over.

Hu Gangtie wasn't the type to drink strong liquor; after just a few cups, his tongue was already starting to feel slurred.

"After drinking a few drops of cat urine, you start spouting nonsense, talking about whether the weather will change or not... No matter how heavy the rain is, it won't flood our factory." Yang Juhua clearly didn't understand what Hu Gangtie meant.

"What do you know, you old woman?" Hu Gangtie glared at Yang Juhua and let out a loud burp. "I told Brother Gao, you should just mind your own little plot of land."

Yang Juhua scoffed dismissively and asked Chen Yun and Ruan Qiu, "After you've eaten, come to my room and have a chat. Let the men drink slowly."

"I'm full." Ruanqiu pushed her bowl away and stood up.

Several women went next door, leaving the room to the men who clearly had something important to say.

"Sister-in-law Yang's house is so clean." Ruanqiu smiled as she looked around.

Although I cook at home, there's not a trace of cooking fumes in the house, and the furniture is so clean you can see the wood grain.

Yang Juhua is a capable person, and Hu Yue'e is also hardworking; they can share most of the housework.

Even though it's warm at the foot of the mountain, the mountain is still bitterly cold after dark, and you can see white vapor drifting away with every breath.

Yang Juhua entered the room, closed the door first, and then drew the curtains.

As soon as he sat down, his face darkened to a grim degree. He beckoned to Hu Yue'e, who was hiding behind the curtain, and said, "Come here and tell me the truth!"

He called out but she didn't move. Yang Juhua was about to explode with anger when Chen Yun quickly patted her soothingly and said, "Sister-in-law, let me ask her."

"Yue'e, Aunt Chen guesses that your fear of blood isn't the main reason you don't want to go to medical school, right?"

"..."

"We can all see that, do you really think your dad believes it?"

"He believes..." came a soft reply from behind the curtain, "Otherwise, I would have been hit by a bench by now."

Yang Juhua pursed her lips and said through gritted teeth, "I should have had your dad beat you to death just now!"

Now that the children are older, Hu Gangtie doesn't hit them much anymore. When they were little, he would use whatever he had in his hand to hit them when he got angry. Yang Juhua was afraid of her husband getting angry again because she had witnessed it.

Chen Yun continued, "Whether your dad believes it or not, you must have something you want to do to refuse to go to medical school, right?"

This introverted girl was surprisingly stubborn, even more so than Hu Xiangyang. She wouldn't come out from behind the curtain for a long time.

"I want to get married..."

Chen Yun never expected this answer, and even suspected that her parents had instilled in her the idea of ​​getting married early in private.

Ruanqiu frowned and looked directly at Yang Juhua.

Yang Juhua's face turned quite ugly.

“Don’t look at me like that, sister. I swear to God… neither her father nor I ever said we wanted Yue’e to get married early. If we wanted her to get married early, why would we spend money to send her to school?”

Hu Gangtie doesn't know how to be considerate, but he never favors sons over daughters. His eldest daughter's school and living expenses are a considerable expense, but he has never complained about it.

"You're dating someone at school?" Chen Yun immediately thought.

It's not surprising that a group of seventeen or eighteen-year-old boys and girls who spend every day together would fall in love with someone. Chen Yun had also experienced that age of budding romance.

"..."

"Are you trying to piss me off? Tell me the truth!" Yang Juhua slapped her thigh in anger.

The curtain was lifted, and Hu Yue'e, her face flushed, walked to the sofa and knelt down with a thud in front of the three shocked men.

Chen Yun's thoughts were far too naive...

"I'm pregnant." Tears welled up in her eyes, streaming down her cheeks to her mouth. Hu Yue'e cried and leaned on Chen Yun's knees: "My dad will beat me to death, Aunt Chen, you have to save me."

Yang Juhua clutched her chest, her eyes rolled back as if struck by lightning, and her body swayed.

"Sister-in-law Yang, don't be in such a hurry." Chen Yun swallowed and pushed her head off her knees. "Go and get your mother a glass of water."

What's the difference between this and a bolt of lightning suddenly falling from the sky while you're walking? If the Reform Commission finds out that Hu Yue'e is pregnant out of wedlock, both Hu Gangtie and his wife will lose their jobs.

Ruanqiu also tried to calm Chen Yun down, desperately trying to signal to her with her eyes what to do.

“Sister-in-law Yang, listen to me.” Chen Yun licked her dry, chapped lips. “Let me ask Yue’e about the situation first, and then we’ll figure out a solution.”

"They say only the quietest dogs bite... How come I have a dog that never barks!"

This blow was too great for Yang Juhua. She had no time to think about what would happen next; all she could think about was that her daughter's life was ruined.

Chen Yun took the water glass and handed it to Ruanqiu: "You persuade Sister Yang, I'll go ask Yue'e about the specifics."

As a doctor, Chen Yun did not immediately ask who had gotten Hu Yue'e pregnant.

Stepping behind the curtain, she asked softly, "How did you know you were pregnant?"

Hu Yue'e stammered nervously, her hands unconsciously rubbing against her pants. After several attempts, she finally said, "I haven't had my period for several months... I read in a book that if you haven't had your period, it means you're pregnant."

“Not necessarily.” Chen Yun gently stroked Hu Yue’e’s back and tried to explain in a gentle tone: “Menstruation is a very magical thing. Sometimes it won’t come when you’re in a bad mood.”

Hu Yue'e raised her head in shame, then lowered it again: "But I... I've already done that with him!"

Chen Yun: "..."

The hand that was stroking her paused, and Chen Yun quickly asked again, "Tell Aunt Chen, how far have things progressed between you two?"

Hu Yue'e lowered her head, reverting to the same expression she had just maintained, where she couldn't utter a single word even if you hit her with several sticks.

Chen Yun could only ask step by step, "Have you held hands?"

He nodded slowly.

"And what about kissing?"

He nodded again.

"Have you ever slept together? Not just simply sleeping together, but more like undressing..."

As soon as the word "undress" came up, Hu Yue'e looked up at Chen Yun in surprise: "Isn't it only after marriage that we can sleep together... We're not married yet, so we can't do those shameful things."

Chen Yun: "..."

"If you didn't even take your clothes off, how could you be pregnant?"

“We kissed…we kissed. Zhang Lili said that kissing would make you pregnant, and besides…we kissed several times.”

Chen Yun: "..."

The severe lack of sex education for teenagers led to Hu Yue'e's cognitive dissonance.

Before she could even begin to explain... the curtain was suddenly lifted, and another person knelt down in front of Chen Yun.

"Chen Yun, please save Yue'e! If word gets out that she's pregnant, the child's life will be ruined!"

"Any day...no need for any day, just at home...you prescribe some medicine for her to take, she must miscarry to save her life."

"Sister Yang, please listen to me."

"Please, sister!"

"Sister Yang." Chen Yun raised her voice helplessly, helped the woman up and sat her on the edge of the bed, and said the result directly: "Yue'e is not pregnant, and it is impossible for her to be pregnant."

"Ah...ah?"

"She just kissed that guy, nothing else happened, how could she be pregnant..."

"..."

"Her not having her period doesn't mean she's pregnant; it must mean she has some other health problem."

Just in case there was any falsehood involved, Chen Yun still checked Hu Yue'e's pulse.

It's not a slippery pulse; the pulse is rather wiry, indicating stagnation of liver qi.

It's probably related to the stress I've been under lately because I've been keeping something on my mind.

“It’s not pregnancy,” Chen Yun said definitively.

Yang Juhua: "..."

"You brat, you brat!"

The worst thing that happened didn't happen. Yang Juhua was so overwhelmed with emotion that she almost fainted. Once she recovered, she slapped Hu Yue'e a few times.

"I'm not pregnant?" Hu Yue'e asked.

After receiving Chen Yun's affirmative nod, I could see a hint of regret on her face, as if she was quite disappointed.

Chen Yun sighed inwardly.

Hu Yue'e seems to be a hopeless romantic...

"Tell me who your boyfriend is! We told you to study hard, but you haven't even finished your studies and you've already got a boyfriend."

Even at this point, Hu Yue'e still refused to reveal who the other party was, remaining silent no matter how much Yang Juhua patted her.

Chen Yun felt both regretful and helpless.

Yang Juhua and her husband are rare exceptions; they are not the kind of parents who favor sons over daughters. They are willing to support their daughter's education and earn her a better future. However, they happen to have a daughter who doesn't know how to cherish her.

"How can your parents agree to your relationship if you don't tell them?" Chen Yun said.

The words "finding a partner" are more effective than any magic pill. Hu Yue'e's eyes lit up instantly, and she looked at Yang Juhua hopefully.

"I need to see which brat it is first."

Ruanqiu's sigh drifted into Chen Yun's ears.

They all felt sorry for the girl who was so immersed in joy.

"It's Tang Junjie."

"Tang... Junjie?" Yang Juhua could hardly believe the name she was hearing: "You mean Tang Zhong's son, Tang Junjie?"

Hu Yue'e nodded shyly.

"Are you blind? Their family of seven depends on Tang Zhong's meager salary from working as a boiler operator. Why did you have to be with him of all people?"

"Mom! Junjie's dad has already saved up money to buy Junjie a workstation, and he will be able to work in our factory."

"You don't know anything! Do you really think jobs are so easy to buy?!"

Her anger, which had just subsided, flared up again instantly. Yang Juhua covered her forehead in annoyance, not wanting to hear her daughter say nice things about that brat anymore.

Chen Yun also realized that Hu Yue'e was determined to marry Tang Junjie.

The mother and daughter argued fiercely. Hu Yue'e, who had been frightened earlier, became more and more determined in her words that she would marry no one but Tang Junjie.

"If I had known you would object so much, I would have preferred to get pregnant so I could have married him immediately."

Chen Yun: "..."

"Sister-in-law, I'm going to the restroom. You two can talk now."

Chen Yun wouldn't bother trying to persuade someone obsessed with love to love themselves first; she probably wouldn't listen anyway.

After making an excuse to go to the toilet, he quickly left the Yang family's house.

Even through the door, you could still hear the mother and daughter arguing. If Hu Gangtie from next door hadn't been so drunk, he probably would have rushed back long ago.

Gao Ming smiled and shook his head.

Chen Yun immediately turned around and gave up on going inside, and actually went to the toilet with Ruan Qiu.

"Let's walk a few more steps to the public restroom up ahead."

This residential building shares a single toilet. With so many people and varying levels of behavior, it's easy to accidentally step on a toilet at night when visibility is poor.

So Chen Yun usually went to the public toilet across the street, where at least there was a dim light that made it hard to see the road.

"I'm so lucky, but I don't even know it." Ruanqiu looked up at the moon and exhaled softly.

"yes!"

The original owner was able to get into medical school thanks to Uncle Luo and several other uncles whose names she didn't even know, who risked their lives to help her. Otherwise, she would probably be pushing a manure cart behind Chen Shu now.

So many people have supported her to become who she is today, and Chen Yun would never allow herself to abandon everything for a man.

Ruanqiu, who had a similar experience, was the same. Even though she traveled thousands of miles to Hongri Machinery Factory for Li Huguo, it was only on the premise that she had a skill and the factory would give her priority in assigning her to a work shift.

They have no outstanding qualities and are currently waiting in line for job assignments.

Hu Yue'e was born to working parents. Although they were not wealthy, they were always able to eat and dress warmly.

Having never experienced the hardships of living hand to mouth, she may be happier than many girls in the city.

“People are different, and we can’t impose our ideas on others. As long as you make a choice and don’t regret it, that’s fine,” Chen Yun sighed.

"You should stay out of her dating life from now on." Ruanqiu snapped out of her daze and quickly reminded Chen Yun, "If things don't go well in the future, she might blame you."

"That's why I needed to pee!" Chen Yun laughed.

"Old Liu in our office said there's a secret meeting in Huangniba Commune..."

"Dr. Chen."

Suddenly, three figures appeared in the darkness. Old Ma stood by the roadside, waving at Chen Yun with a cheerful smile: "You're here to take a dump too!"

The most direct way of saying "I need to use the toilet" comes out of Grandma Ma's mouth without sounding out of place at all.

"Auntie, is Comrade Ma Cuifen feeling any better?"

"Cuifen is fine! She just ate two big bowls of porridge, and she needed to poop not long after she finished eating."

"Mom, we all say 'go to the toilet' here. Don't keep pooping and make Dr. Chen laugh at you."

Zhang Guixiang walked slowly, supported by Ma Cuifen.

Chen Yun noticed something odd about her belly and, based on his doctor's intuition, casually asked her about it.

"Sister Zhang's belly is so big, how many months pregnant are you?"

"Two more days until four months." Zhang Guixiang stroked her pregnant belly with a happy expression. "A few days ago, Zhigang and I were discussing going to the hospital for an ultrasound after six months. I heard that you can see what the baby looks like inside the belly."

Chen Yun frowned slightly, and the smile on her face disappeared.

"I suggest you go to the hospital for a check-up tomorrow."

Four months... this belly is abnormally big.