A moment later, the team leader and Zhao Shunsheng came out, with Zhao Minglang following behind. They carried the load of grain out and placed it on the corridor. The Wang family members were all stunned.

The production team leader, with a stern face, said, "Old Wang, what does this mean? Explain it to us."

Wang Changfu's lips trembled: "No, no, this is my own millet. I was going to mill it yesterday and it got wet by accident."

The production team leader laughed: "Really? It only rained after dark. You went to mill rice after dark? This rice doesn't look like last year's old rice at all. Last year's rice seeds were round-grained, but this year's variety is long and thin-grained. This is clearly this year's new rice." The production team leader grabbed a handful of rice and examined it.

Wang Changfu had no more words to refute. The production team leader's smile vanished: "Old Wang, how could you steal the collective's grain? This harms the collective's interests! How are the other members supposed to live off the collective like this? If everyone did what you did, carrying one load and then another, wouldn't those law-abiding and honest people starve to death?"

Wang Changfu's lips trembled as he squatted down, covering his face with his hands: "Captain, I was wrong. I have many children at home, and they are hungry."

The production team leader said, "You think you'll go hungry just because you have a lot of children? You have a lot of children but few able-bodied men, yet you still get the same amount of grain as other families with more able-bodied men, and your children eat less than other able-bodied men. If you go hungry, won't others go even hungrier? You stole a load of grain from someone else, and that family will go hungry. How can you do something so unconscionable?"

Their grain distribution was based on a 60/90 split between headcount and labor capacity. Generally, families with more members received more grain, while families with more labor capacity tended to be less likely to receive grain, as they consumed more food due to their greater workload.

Wang Changfu said, "I was wrong. I will return the grain and never dare to do it again. I was just blinded by greed for a moment."

The production team leader muttered, "We lost several loads of grain last year, and we've lost them again this year. They always go missing when it rains; it's really unbelievable."

Startled, Wang Changfu jumped to his feet and cried out, "I definitely didn't steal it last year! Whoever did, may they be struck by lightning!" No sooner had he finished speaking than a deafening thunderclap boomed from the sky. Terrified, Wang Changfu cried out and ran towards his house.

Zhao Mingyue couldn't help but chuckle to herself. She was a repeat offender, yet she dared to make such a vicious oath. She noticed that Wang Qiulan and her siblings were gone; they must have hidden inside.

The production team leader glanced back at the Wang family. Wang Changfu poked his head out shakily, his face contorted with grief: "Team leader, it really wasn't me."

The production team leader said, "I don't know if you did it or not. Anyway, there's no way to prove it now that you're dead, so there's no point in saying anything."

The production team leader said, "Minglang, go and call the director and the Party Secretary over here."

Zhao Minglang nodded: "Okay."

Zhao Shunsheng said to Zhao Mingyue, "Mingyue, there's nothing more for you to do here. You should go back now."

Knowing that her father might be afraid of her going against Zhao Jinyun, Zhao Mingyue nodded and said, "Okay."

News of Wang Changfu's arrest for stealing rice spread quickly; as the saying goes, if you walk the dark path too often, you're bound to run into a ghost eventually. At noon, Zhao Mingyue returned from work and found Aunt Luo chatting with her mother at home. She nodded and greeted her, "Aunt Luo."

Aunt Luo looked at Zhao Mingyue and laughed, "Mingyue, you're getting smarter and smarter. It's all thanks to you for coming up with this idea, you've gotten revenge for us. Those greedy, heartless people deserve it!" Aunt Luo had probably heard her mother talk about how she found the grain thief by looking at the scattered grains. Last year, when her family was guarding their rice, several loads of grain went missing. When the grain was distributed, they were fined one load of grain, which left them with not enough food. Just thinking about it made her furious.

Zhao Mingyue smiled and said, "It just came to my mind."

Aunt Luo said, "How could I not have thought of that? That bastard got off easy, and our whole family has been eating porridge and dried sweet potatoes for half a year. Mingyue, don't worry, I will definitely find you a good family to marry into, and I will definitely not let you suffer any injustice."

Zhao Mingyue smiled and said, "Let's talk about this later, Aunt Luo. At least let's wait until this is over, right?" Zhao Mingyue was determined to go to university. If Aunt Luo proposed marriage to her in the meantime, she would be in a difficult position.

Aunt Luo nodded: "That's for sure, Aunt Luo will help you with the visits slowly."

For the next few days, Zhao Mingyue didn't see Wang Qiulan go to work in the fields. The news of Wang Changfu stealing grain had spread like wildfire, and the Wang family had suffered a huge loss of face. They probably wouldn't be able to hold their heads high for a long time to come.

That evening, Zhao Mingyue ate dinner and sat under the lamp to read. It was too hot and there were many mosquitoes. There were no mosquito coils, and burning mugwort was not very effective. Zhao Mingyue carried a bucket of water, rolled up her trousers, and soaked her legs in the water. This would not only cool her down but also keep her away from mosquito bites. Finally, she could calm down and concentrate on her studies.

Zhao Mingyue had just read a few English words when she suddenly felt a sharp pain in her heart, as if she had been stabbed by something. The sensation was intense, but it quickly subsided. Zhao Mingyue frowned and pressed her hand to her chest. In her previous life, she had undergone countless examinations, and her heart was perfectly fine. Why was she suddenly experiencing angina? Had something changed after her rebirth, causing her to develop angina?

About ten minutes later, Zhao Mingyue's heart suddenly started to ache again. This time, the pain lasted longer, and Zhao Mingyue felt as if something was gripping her heart. She couldn't help but cry out. Hu Nianchun, who was enjoying the cool air outside, heard her voice and quickly ran out: "What's wrong, Mingyue?"

As the pain subsided, Zhao Mingyue breathed heavily, her forehead damp with sweat. Hu Nianchun looked at his daughter's face with concern: "Where do you feel unwell, Mingyue?"

Zhao Mingyue stuck out her tongue and licked her lips: "Mom, I suddenly feel a pain in my heart, and I feel uncomfortable. It feels like I've been pricked by a needle."

"Huh? How long has it been? When did this problem start?" Hu Nianchun's face turned pale with fright.

Zhao Mingyue took a deep breath: "Just now, I suddenly felt two sharp pains. The first time it felt like being pricked with a needle, and the second time it felt like someone was twisting my heart. It was awful."

Hu Nianchun said, "Then stop reading and go to bed to rest. I'll go find the barefoot doctor to get you some medicine."

Zhao Mingyue nodded, then got into bed and lay there, thinking that it might be because she was too tired and overworked that she developed myocarditis.

After a while, Hu Nianchun returned with some anti-inflammatory medicine and woke Zhao Mingyue up to take it. She fell asleep after taking the medicine, and when she woke up the next day, she was perfectly fine. Zhao Mingyue went out to work again.

Hu Nianchun said worriedly, "Mingyue, you're not feeling well, so you should rest and not go to work."

Zhao Mingyue said, "Mom, I feel better now, the pain is gone. If I still feel uncomfortable, I'll come back to rest."

Hu Nianchun sighed and shook his head: "Then you must not be reckless."

Zhao Minglang had just gotten up as well: "Mingyue, are you feeling unwell?"

Hu Nianchun said, "She said her heart was a little uncomfortable."

Zhao Minglang frowned: "You need to go to the hospital right away. Heart disease is no small matter."

Zhao Mingyue waved her hand: "Really, I'm fine. I feel completely okay now. If I feel uncomfortable again, I'll go see a doctor, okay?" Zhao Mingyue believed that her heart had always been healthy, and what happened yesterday must have just been caused by being too tired. Going to the hospital meant spending money, and earning money was really not easy.

During the day, nothing happened. Zhao Mingyue breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that everything was alright after all. But when night fell, the chest pain returned. Zhao Mingyue screamed in pain, startling her parents and brothers.

Everyone was startled. Zhao Shunsheng asked with concern, "What's wrong, Mingyue?"

Zhao Mingyue's face turned pale, and she was covered in sweat: "It hurts."

Hu Nianchun asked worriedly, "Didn't you say you weren't in pain today?"

Zhao Mingyue said, "Yes, I'm perfectly fine during the day. It only hurts at night."

Zhao Minglang said, "This is too dangerous. I'll take you to the hospital."

Zhao Mingyue couldn't object at this point; they had to go to the hospital. "I'll go tomorrow. I'll take some of the medicine Mom gave me yesterday," she said, panting. The pain had been unbearable.

After taking her medicine, Zhao Mingyue went to bed. Hu Nianchun didn't dare leave her alone and slept with her. Zhao Mingyue slept very restlessly all night. The next morning, Hu Nianchun asked his son to take his daughter to the hospital for a check-up.

After a night's sleep, Zhao Mingyue felt much better: "It's really strange. I was fine during the day, so why did I act like that at night?"

“We can’t be careless. Come on, I’ll go with you to take a look.” Zhao Minglang said, pushing his bicycle out of the house. “Get on, I’ll take you to the hospital.”

Zhao Mingyue had no choice but to get into her third brother's car. She thought to herself that there weren't many doctors in the hospital who were really good at treating patients; they were all Red Guard medical workers. Besides, even in the county hospital, they couldn't do electrocardiograms, so what problems could they find out?

Hu Nianchun said, "Minglang, accompany your sister to the county hospital for a check-up. There's an old TCM doctor there named Xie. He's very skilled at treating illnesses; he'll definitely be able to diagnose any problems."

Zhao Minglang nodded: "Okay, Mom. Go ask the team for leave for us."

When Zhao Mingyue heard that he was an old traditional Chinese medicine doctor, she breathed a sigh of relief. She sat behind her third brother and said, "Third brother, am I too tired? I should be fine after resting for a couple of days?"

Zhao Minglang said, "No matter what, health is the foundation of everything, so we must pay attention to it. If it were anything else, I wouldn't care, but if there's a problem with the heart, then we must take it seriously. You've forgotten, the year before last, Zhao Siliang from our village was working in the fields when he suddenly collapsed and couldn't get up. He had heart disease."

Zhao Mingyue tried hard to recall the incident. It seemed like there was such a person. She said, "I don't think I have heart disease. I'm usually very healthy. Zhao Siliang, on the other hand, always looked sickly. I'm completely different from him."

“It looks the same, but the illness is inside the body, and only a doctor can tell,” Zhao Minglang said.

Zhao Mingyue had no choice but to shut up and follow her third brother to the hospital.