Chapter 046 The prey comes to your door
On the same night that Ye Qing tested Gu Weidong, Wu Yongbing dragged Wu Yueying to Gu's house.
At that time, Ye Qing had just finished counting and sorting the gifts sent by the leaders of the county. In total, he received various rice, flour, oil, sugar, and snacks, as well as towels, toothpaste, enamel pots, hot water kettles, cloth and other southern sundries. These were all common items in the county at that time, but not so easy to buy in Qingshan Town.
With the appearance of these comfort items, Ye Qing found a reasonable excuse to take out her cotton in broad daylight.
If anyone had any problems at that time, she could push the blame onto those leaders. After all, no one knew how many relief supplies the county had sent her, and whether there was cotton in them.
After dinner, Grandma Zou was going to visit the Gu family, and Ye Qing just happened to carry the two sacks of cotton and cotton cloth.
She wanted to ask Auntie Gu for help to see if she could make a mattress and a quilt for her. She also wanted to talk to Mr. and Mrs. Gu Zhenxing about letting Gu Weinan study medicine to see what they thought.
The Gu family had already finished dinner. When they saw Ye Qing and Grandma Zou coming, Aunt Gu quickly instructed her youngest son and daughter to move stools and make tea. Not only did she take out the few melon seeds and snacks in the house, she also asked Ye Qing with a smile if he wanted to drink maltose.
Ye Qing shook her head like a rattle, indicating that she had just eaten too much for dinner and couldn't drink anything at the moment.
But how could Auntie Gu listen? Looking at Ye Qing's small arms and legs, she immediately said:
"Hey, how can a child eat a lot? Won't it be digested if you just move around? I tell you, you are growing up now, you need to eat good food to supplement your body. We can't even buy maltose here!"
After Aunt Gu said this, she immediately winked at her eldest son.
Gu Weidong just didn't want to drink the sweet stuff, so he went into the house without saying a word, took out the can of maltose that he had just opened and drunk once, which he had brought back from Shencheng, and stuffed the whole can into Ye Qing's arms.
"You're so skinny, there's no one shorter than you in the whole village. Take this back and drink it. If you think it tastes good, I'll ask someone to bring you a few more buckets."
Gu Weidong's words made everyone in the room quiet down.
Several people exchanged glances quietly, as if asking what was going on.
The main reason was that Gu Weidong was always strict, harsh and uncomplaining even to his three younger brothers and sisters, and he was even more distant and indifferent to outsiders. This was the first time that Gu's family saw him being so gentle and considerate to others, and he even took the initiative to help Ye Qing bring things. It was really a bit like the sun rising from the west.
Auntie Gu's sensitive nerves were suddenly touched, and her eyes moved back and forth between Ye Qing and her eldest son, as if she wanted to find out something special from the interaction between the two.
Not to mention the three siblings of the Gu family. The fire of gossip was instantly ignited. They wanted to find out right away whether these two people had any relationship. Otherwise, how could their eldest brother, who usually did not smile, suddenly turn into a lackey?
Ye Qing had no idea that just a bucket of maltose would cause such a dramatic reaction from the Gu family.
She looked at the malted milk in her arms with a frustrated and depressed expression.
She knew she was short, but could she not always emphasize this? She had only been here for half a month, and this body was only sixteen years old. The reason she didn't grow before was because she didn't get enough nutrition, but her bones hadn't healed yet, so there was really a lot of potential to be tapped.
Although most southern girls are short, the original body's parents are not short. According to the formula, Ye Qing thinks it will not be a problem for her to grow another five or six centimeters.
Ye Qing was about to return the bottle of malt extract, but at this moment, Wu Yongbing's familiar voice came from outside the yard:
"Brother Gu, are you home?"
Everyone in the room was stunned. Before Gu Zhenxing could react, Miao Cuilan's face darkened first.
As the gate opened, the person standing outside was none other than Captain Wu Yongbing.
At his side, Wu Yongbing's arms were still tightly gripping Wu Yueying, who was trying to break free from the restraints with red eyes.
"Brother Gu, sister Cuilan, I heard that Weidong is back, so I brought this ignorant girl with me to apologize!"
"I'm so sorry. The children at home are immature. They have been spoiled by my husband and me over the years. Yueying is impulsive and has an idea in her mind. You and your husband and Weidong have been implicated."
"But our two families have been friends for so many years, we know each other well, the child has grown up under our noses, and the whole village knows about this engagement. I am risking my reputation to come to you to discuss this. I will not withdraw from this marriage. Do you think so?"
"If you two are worried, just let Weidong and Yueying go to get the marriage certificate tomorrow, and we can hold the wedding banquet after the autumn harvest!"
Wu Yongbing's words confused the Gu family.
Wu Yueying was so angry that she burst into tears on the spot: "I won't go. You are being tyrannical and arranging marriages for me. If you force me to marry this cripple, I will hang myself on the beam of their house!"
Wu Yongbing was almost irritated to death by Wu Yueying.
He had not agreed to Wu Yueying's breaking off the engagement before. Gu Weidong was the child he had watched grow up. After joining the army, the child worked hard and was promoted one after another. At the age of 23, he had already become a deputy battalion commander. He had a bright future. It could be said that there was no better son-in-law in the entire Kaoshantun or even the entire Qingshan Town.
Now that Gu Weidong has injured his leg and will soon be retired from the army, Wu Yongbing cannot let his daughter break off the engagement at this critical juncture.
Otherwise, if the news got out, people would say Wu Yueying was heartless and disloyal, and turned hostile to the disabled and in trouble. Then would Wu Yueying still have a good reputation? Would the Wu family still be able to live as human beings in Kaoshan Village?
Of course Wu Yongbing also knew that if Gu Weidong became disabled and retired from the army, his life would basically be over. Compared with his original position as deputy battalion commander, there would definitely be a big gap. But compared with the other young guys in the village, Wu Yongbing still found this kid more pleasing to the eye.
What's more, my little daughter owes the Gu family her life. How can this marriage be cancelled just like that?
So he hoped to reunite the young son and daughter. On the way here, he explained the interests involved to Wu Yueying in detail, trying to persuade his daughter to change her mind.
Along the way, Wu Yueying kept her head down and remained silent. Wu Yongbing thought that the young lady had heard what he said, and he was very happy. He was ready to let the young couple get the marriage certificate as soon as the Gu family had a good talk. As long as the marriage certificate was issued, the matter would be set in stone, and the young lady would not be allowed to make trouble anymore.
But his idea was beautiful, but Wu Yueying refused to cooperate and even made a desperate move from the beginning, making it clear that she wanted to offend the Gu family and ruin the engagement.
It would be strange if Gu Zhenxing and his wife looked happy when he said he was going to hang himself in front of the Gu family.
Gu Weidong didn't want to talk to Wu Yongbing anymore:
"Uncle Wu, I have already withdrawn my marriage application to the army. My marriage to Wu Yueying was originally agreed to by the elders when I was in the army. I didn't approve it. Since Comrade Wu Yueying doesn't think highly of my family, there is no need to force this marriage."
Miao Cuilan really looked down on Wu Yueying at this moment, and immediately helped her son:
"A forced melon is not sweet. Yueying, if you don't want to get married, then don't get married. Don't say that my family is threatening you. We are a respectable family and we don't force marriage like the feudal landlords do!"
Gu Zhenxing, who usually doesn't talk much, stood on the side of his wife and son without hesitation, and earnestly advised Wu Yongbing to let go of his obsession:
"Yes, Old Wu, marriage is a matter that still depends on the child's own wishes. It doesn't matter if the marriage fails, but if someone dies, it will be a disaster."
"Don't make it too hard on the child. Since the two of them are not suitable, the marriage is over. It's really not a big deal."
"You just take the past too seriously. My father saved the child without any intention of asking your family for anything in return. It's been so many years, and this matter has long been over. If my father knew about this, he would definitely be relieved to see that the children of both families have grown up healthily. It doesn't necessarily require our two families to become in-laws for him to rest in peace."
After hearing this, how could Wu Yongbing not understand what the Gu family meant?
The family's daughter made a big fuss about the broken engagement, and the whole village knew about it. Moreover, Wu Yueying was so disgusted and resistant to marrying into the Gu family that if the Gu family had any shame, they would not accept this daughter-in-law.
He felt bitter and embarrassed for a moment and tried to say something, but when he looked at the young lady who was stubbornly sticking her neck out beside him, he was speechless.
In fact, before the founding of the People's Republic of China, he and Gu Zhenxing had such a close relationship that they were like brothers in arms. They grew up together in the village, served as anti-Japanese boy scouts, and later organized a militia team in the village together. It is no exaggeration to say that they were friends who would die for each other.
But after Mr. Gu got into trouble, the two families gradually became estranged. It was not because the Gu family resented the Wu family and deliberately avoided associating with them, but because the woman in his family felt that she owed them a life and was always uncomfortable when interacting with them.
The two women interacted less frequently, and naturally, his relationship with Gu Zhenxing could no longer return to what it was before.
Originally, Wu Yongbing thought that as long as his daughter married into the Gu family, he and Gu Zhenxing would be able to regain the tacit understanding they had as children when they could talk about anything. But now it seems that he was obviously overthinking.
Knowing that there was no room for maneuver in this matter, Wu Yongbing couldn't help but let out a long sigh:
"Xingxing, I'm so sorry for raising such an evil creature and delaying the development of your Weidong."
"Tomorrow at noon, I will call the old branch secretary and several old uncles in the village to come out as witnesses to cancel the marriage of the two children. I will make up for the betrothal gifts previously agreed upon and the things Weidong gave Yueying as subsidies. You can also check the list to see if there is anything missing."
Since the marriage could not be negotiated, the two families had to make the matter public in order to avoid any misunderstandings or rifts. In the future, they might not even be old friends or neighbors anymore.
The Gu family had no objection to this. Since Wu Yueying insisted on canceling the engagement, they would take the initiative to return the betrothal gifts without them having to mention it. Otherwise, they would be criticized and scolded by the villagers of Kaoshantun.
After discussing the cancellation of the engagement with the Gu family, Wu Yongbing turned around and walked back. His back was hunched and he looked like he had aged ten years in an instant.
Wu Yueying, on the other hand, was very happy. She caught up with her father with a smile on her face. She even took Wu Yongbing's arm and asked about the recommendation of the workers, peasants and soldiers to the university this year in the commune.
Wu Yongbing was angry and had no mood to chat with Wu Yueying. He let go of the little girl's coquettish arm and said with a stern face:
"You go back first. I'm going to Zhao Laozhu's house to talk about something!"
He did not forget what Ye Qing had said before, that he wanted to question Mrs. Zhao. Mrs. Zhao had already fled back to her parents' home for two days. It would be too outrageous if Zhao Laozhui did not go and bring her back!
Wu Yueying saw her father walking away without looking back, and stamped her feet unhappily, knowing that she would not be able to get any inside information about this year's commune examination from her father in a short while. She rolled her eyes and immediately turned around to go to Zhou's house to find Jian Ming.
The atmosphere in the Gu family was not good. Even though they had known for a long time that Wu Yueying wanted to break off the engagement with Gu Weidong, the girl from the Wu family couldn't wait to jump out and cancel the engagement just because their son had just broken a leg. How could the Gu family feel at ease?
You know, in order to save Wu Yueying, Grandpa Gu risked his life. Not only was the girl ungrateful, but she also came out to add insult to injury at this critical moment. Anyone would be angry and confused.
If it was a few days ago, Gu Zhenxing and his wife would not care whether the Wu family canceled the engagement or not. Their son was a handsome man, an officer in the army, and not too old. Why would they worry about not finding a suitable partner?
But now it's different. The boy was injured during the mission, and there is a high possibility that his leg will be disabled in the future. His position in the army is also gone. If he returns to Kaoshantun to farm, how can any girl be interested in him?
Especially his previous partner Wu Yueying. Regardless of whether she has a good personality or not, at least her appearance is impeccable. If the partner he finds later is too different from Wu Yueying in all aspects, Gu Zhenxing and his wife are worried that Gu Weidong may not be able to accept such a gap. What if his mentality is unbalanced?
When she thought of this, Miao Cuilan couldn't help feeling anxious.
She immediately thought of Ye Qing, rushed into the house and grabbed the girl's hand, as if she had grabbed the last straw:
"Ye Zhiqing, you must take a look at my Weidong's leg and see if your flying needle can heal his injury. I beg you, his leg must not be lame. If it is lame, he will not even be able to find a wife. How will he live his life?"
"You can't expect his sister's children to take care of him in his old age, right? What if his nephew grows up to be unfilial and drives him out of the house? Will he have to beg from village to village with a cane and a sack on his back when he's old?"
The more Miao Cuilan talked, the sadder she felt. She almost cried when she thought of the miserable life of her son in the future, dressed in rags and dragging his disabled legs to become a beggar.
Gu Weidong gritted his teeth, his face was so dark that ink seemed to drip out.
His mother was really bold. No matter how poor and miserable Gu Weidong was, he would not be reduced to begging for food, right? If he really reached that point, he might as well just find a wall to scratch himself. Living would be a waste of food!
Seeing Gu Weidong's face twitching and his frustrated look of being unable to tell the truth and having to rely on his luck secretly, Ye Qing had a hard time holding back his laughter.
You deserve it! Who told you to deceive your own family just for fishing? Now the tide has turned and you finally get your revenge, right?
Could Gu Weidong not see that Ye Qing was laughing at him? He couldn't help but wink at Ye Qing, asking her to help him out.
Seeing that Auntie Gu was really worried about her son's difficult life in the second half of his life, Ye Qing restrained his nonchalant expression:
"Auntie, don't worry. I'll ask Brother Gu to take a look. If it can be cured, then the situations you mentioned won't happen, and we won't have to worry about it. Don't you agree?"
Having said that, Ye Qing motioned to Gu Weidong to lift up his left trouser leg.
Originally, Ye Qing was just pretending to take a look, simply to appease Aunt Gu's emotions.
But after she reached out and groped around Gu Weidong's knees, her expression suddenly became serious.
Gu Weidong originally thought that Ye Qing was acting, and thought to himself that this kid's acting skills were really amazing. He was able to get into the role in a second. It would be a pity if he didn't become an actor.
But slowly, he felt something was wrong, because Ye Qing had been pressing on his left leg for four or five minutes before he raised his head to look at him.
"How is it, Miss Ye? Can it be cured?" Seeing that Ye Qing didn't speak for a long time, Aunt Gu lost her patience and asked anxiously.
Ye Qing nodded calmly: "It can be cured. Although the gunshot wound on his knee is serious, it can be cured with flying needles. The more troublesome part is that there may be several hidden injuries on his body. If we don't take it seriously, it may not be a big problem for him now. When he is a little older, he will be in unbearable pain on rainy days, and may even be unable to get out of bed."
As soon as these words were spoken, not only the other members of the Gu family, but even Gu Weidong himself looked towards Ye Qing in surprise.
Gu Weidong really didn't expect that Ye Qing could detect all his old illnesses just by casually touching him a few times. Her eyesight was more accurate than the testing equipment in big hospitals. How did she do it?
Compared to Gu Weidong's calmness, Auntie Gu's reaction after hearing this was more intense:
"What? He still has old injuries? Where are they? This kid didn't even tell us how serious it is! So, Ye Zhiqing, do you have any way to cure his condition?"
Ye Qing finally understood how Gu Weidong, who was only in his early twenties, became the deputy battalion commander. He was covered with wounds at such a young age. This guy was willing to sacrifice his life to achieve merit. No wonder he went deep into the She Mountains alone to pursue the enemy spies, and ran all the way from Shencheng back to Kaoshantun to capture her in order to find clues and the truth.
After feeling the old wounds on Gu Weidong's body, Ye Qing had a better understanding of why Gu Weidong had pursued her relentlessly. After all, he was indeed a dedicated and genuinely good officer, but for this reason, Ye Qing couldn't bear to see him fail in his military career.
"It can be cured, but in his case, it cannot be cured without six months to a year of recuperation. He doesn't have the time to cooperate with the treatment." Ye Qing told the truth.
Gu Weidong looked up in surprise.
In his previous life, he was just as Ye Qing said. He would roll around in pain every time it was rainy. Every time he got sick, he would hide in the steel factory dormitory and endure it by himself. He never told his parents, wife and children about his illness.
But Gu Weidong never expected that those old injuries on his body that the hospital had given a death sentence for could actually be cured by Ye Qing!
However, a one-year treatment period is indeed a huge problem for Gu Weidong at the moment. In another month, he will go for further studies, and may be in a closed learning state for two years. After graduating from the advanced training class, he has also promised Political Commissar Hao to jump three levels in five years. It is impossible for him to spare a year to recuperate.
Aunt Gu also thought about her son's situation in the army. If the gunshot wound on his leg could be cured, her son would definitely return to the army immediately. It would be impossible for him to recuperate in his hometown for half a year to a year. Therefore, the treatment method mentioned by Ye Qing was completely unrealistic.
"Is there no other solution that would be suitable for him?" asked Aunt Gu.
Ye Qing thought about it, looked at Gu Weidong, and felt a little embarrassed and hesitant.
"It's not impossible, but the first two courses of treatment may be a little troublesome, and the treatment time will be longer. It may take three to five years of oral Chinese medicine to see significant results."
When Auntie Gu heard that there were other solutions, she immediately made a decision:
"It doesn't matter if it takes a long time. As long as the disease can be cured, we are not afraid of trouble! You tell me how to treat it, and my son will cooperate with you. If you tell him to go east, he will definitely not go west!"
Gu Weidong did not refute his mother's words this time. He had suffered enough from the pain of his old illnesses in his previous life. If those hidden illnesses could be cured, he would definitely be more than happy.
Ye Qing coughed twice, touched his nose and said:
"The first two courses of treatment each last about seven days, requiring morning and evening medicinal baths combined with flying needles..."
Gu Weidong: …
Auntie Gu hadn't reacted yet, so she laughed happily and said:
"What's the problem? I thought I was going to have surgery. It's just a medicinal bath. Just treat it as taking two extra baths a day. I'll help you heat it up then—"
Before she finished saying the word "water", Aunt Gu suddenly realized something was wrong.
She suddenly raised her head and looked at Ye Qing, and asked dryly:
"Uh, you still want flying needles? Acupuncture while soaking?"
Ye Qing nodded and explained reluctantly:
"Strong drugs are not suitable for oral administration and can cause serious damage to the liver and kidneys, so the only option is a medicinal bath."
"Because acupuncture can open up the meridians and acupoints, taking a medicinal bath while doing acupuncture can allow the medicine in the water to penetrate into the limbs and bones."
"This method is most effective in the early stages. In half a month, the old injury can be almost healed. The rest can be treated with mild oral medication."
Aunt Gu suddenly laughed and immediately looked at her son.
The other three little ones in the Gu family in the room also looked at Gu Weidong with strange expressions, wanting to see how their eldest brother would react.
There was no expression on Gu Weidong's face, only his pair of dark and deep eyes stared straight at Ye Qing.
Ye Qing felt a little uncomfortable and quickly changed the subject:
"There's no rush for this matter. Comrade Gu, you can think about it first. Well, I came to you today to ask you to make me a quilt and a mattress. I've brought the cotton and cloth. Please see if the cotton is enough. I've almost heated the kang in the room these days. We can move in and live there. Now we just need the quilt and the mattress."
Auntie Gu noticed that Ye Qing's expression was unnatural and found it funny. She did not expose him and continued with Ye Qing's topic:
"Hey, I went to your room the other day and saw that the kang in your room was bare, so I wanted to ask if you didn't prepare a quilt. I was also planning to give you the old military quilt that my son Weidong sent back from the army two years ago to use as a patchwork."
"Is this the new cotton of this year? Wow, this cotton is so soft and white, and the quality is so good. The quilt made from it will definitely be comfortable!"
"It's such a waste to use this as a mattress. If you don't mind, you can use my Weidong's old military blanket as a mattress. Their troops are never short of these supplies, and they get new ones every one or two years. He sent back all the old ones, and he just happened to have an extra set. You can use it as a mattress on the kang."
"Use the extra cotton, Auntie will make you some cotton jackets and trousers. You have never been to the Great Northern Wilderness, so you don't know how cold our winter is. If you don't wear more clothes in the cold winter, you will be so cold that your bones will ache."
Ye Qing had no shortage of cotton, and the military blanket was used by Gu Weidong. It would be inappropriate for her to use it as a mattress, so she quickly refused.
"No need, auntie. Just use this new cotton to make a mattress. I have a little deficiency of Qi and blood. When I sleep in the winter, my hands and feet are always cold. I must make the mattress soft so that I can sleep warmly under the quilt."
"I still have cotton for cotton shirts and trousers. It will definitely be enough."
After hearing this, Auntie Gu stopped trying to persuade him and said with a smile:
"I almost forgot that you are now a celebrity who has been on the newspapers. The county leaders have come to the countryside to send you gifts. They brought you this cotton the day before yesterday, right? You know what, these leaders are quite thoughtful. They know what we need the most when you come here as a southerner, and they even thought of welfare supplies like cotton."
Everyone knows their own business. Following the principle of the more explanations, the more mistakes there are, Ye Qing did not dwell on the cotton issue, but instead asked about Gu Weinan's situation in high school.
"I heard from Sister Wei Nan that she is now a sophomore in high school in the county? Have you and Uncle Zhenxing thought about what she will do after graduation? Does she have a specific job direction?"
Ye Qing changed the subject so quickly that Aunt Gu was stunned.
The main reason was that Gu Weinan's academic performance was only average. With her grades, her chances of passing the exams to get a job in the county's units or factories were slim.
The Gu family had no means to find connections for their child, which meant that once Gu Weinan graduated from high school, she would probably have to come back to farm like them, or like other girls in the village, quickly find a partner to marry when she got old enough.
But the child is so young, isn’t it a bit too early to consider marriage?
Aunt Gu was a little confused and couldn't help but look at Gu Weidong.
Gu Weidong glanced at his naughty second sister:
"Isn't she very capable? She fights happily with her male classmates. I think she is full of energy and is not afraid of hardship. She might as well join the army directly after graduation!"
This made Gu Weinan furious:
"I don't want to be a soldier. Once I join the army, I won't be able to go home for three to five years. I won't be able to see my parents and elder sister, and I won't be able to eat the food my mother cooks. It's hard for me to even survive a month in school, let alone three to five years. I don't want to be a soldier even if I die!"
Seeing this, Gu Weidong couldn't help but look at his younger brother.
Gu Weibei immediately lowered his head and hid behind Gu Weixi, fearing that his elder brother would set his sights on him.
Being a soldier is very hard. In their family, only the eldest brother has had infinite admiration and enthusiasm for being a soldier since childhood. The other three siblings are not interested in this hard and painful profession.
Gu Weidong almost laughed out loud at the reactions of these two bear cubs.
Ye Qing asked tentatively:
"Uncle Gu, Auntie, have you ever considered letting Sister Wei Nan study medicine?"
"I gave her a simple test today at Yazi River Beach and found that she has a talent for flying needles. If she is interested in studying medicine and you have no objection, you can let her study with me after the health station is built."
"I also met with President Gu of the County People's Hospital today and agreed with him on the future direction of cooperation. In the future, I may open a training class in our village to teach courses related to surgery and flying needles. Interested medical staff from the County Hospital will come to our village to study and do voluntary work."
"If you agree and support it, Sister Wei Nan can attend my training class with the first batch of students."
Ye Qing's words surprised Gu Zhenxing and his wife:
"Oh, it would be great if I could learn your skills from Ye Zhiqing. I'm just afraid that Wei Nan is clumsy and won't be able to learn anything and will only cause trouble for you!"
Thinking of how Gu Weinan could play with the flying needles just by imitating, Ye Qing was speechless. If your daughter is still clumsy, then people like me are probably just here in the world to make up the numbers.
Because Ye Qing's suggestion solved a big problem for Gu Zhenxing and his wife, Miao Cuilan was so happy, so the couple decided to make Ye Qing's quilt even if they had to stay up all night to sew the quilt cover!
Ye Qing didn't know that the couple would work overnight for her. After discussing Gu Weinan's matter with the Gu family, she made a list of books for Gu Weinan and asked her to take time to go to the county bookstore or scrap yard to see if she could find any books on basic medicine. She could then take a look through them and see if she could understand them.
After returning home and finishing acupuncture for Grandma Zou, Ye Qing took a shower and was about to lie down when he suddenly heard a knock on the window frame outside.
The old lady had just finished acupuncture and was sleeping soundly. She was not awakened by the subtle sound, but Ye Qing heard it clearly and she sat up suddenly from the kang.
"Who?" Ye Qing asked cautiously in a low voice.
No one answered her, but after a moment the knocking began again.
In the 1970s in the Great Northern Wilderness, glass was a luxury. The windows of every house were covered with newspaper or rough paper. The thick paper made it impossible to see what was happening outside, so Ye Qing could only muster up the courage to get up from the kang, carefully pushed open the bolt of the main room's door and looked outside.
Seeing this, Ye Qing was stunned.
In the yard under the night sky, five pairs of dark green eyes appeared. Weasels of all sizes stood side by side at the door of the house. Some of them held forest frogs in their mouths, some held mountain mice, and some held rabbits.
Seeing Ye Qing coming out, the five weasels immediately jumped up and obediently pushed the prey in their mouths in front of Ye Qing. Then, they stared at her without saying a word.
Ye Qing: ...
Among these five weasels, there was definitely no one like the one that asked her for sweet potatoes the first two times.
But it was obvious that these guys had the same purpose for coming to her.
Looking at the dead little animals at his feet, Ye Qing burst into laughter:
"Do you think this is a supply and marketing cooperative or a grain store? What did the guy in front tell you to come to me to buy sweet potatoes?"
Ye Qing pointed at the mountain rat and the wood frog, pushed them aside with disdain, and only took the rabbit:
"Take the rest of these away. I won't accept these two things. Since this rabbit is relatively fat, I will reluctantly give you a few sweet potatoes. But this is just one time. If you come uninvited again next time, I won't be so generous."
Ye Qing carried the rabbit into the kitchen, then went down to the cellar and got six sweet potatoes with a little seasoning for the five weasels, and gave the one that had given the rabbit an extra one.
The five weasels achieved their goal and ran away with the sweet potatoes in their mouths without wasting a moment, not even giving Ye Qing a single extra glance.
Ye Qing: I always feel like I'm being treated as a tool by these weasels.
Anyway, Ye Qing was quite happy when a fat wild rabbit was delivered to her late at night. Although she exchanged six sweet potatoes for it, the rabbit was estimated to be about three or four kilograms, enough for her and Grandma Zou to have a good meal, so it was still quite a good deal.
Ye Qing almost drooled at the thought of eating spicy rabbit head and cold rabbit meat tomorrow.
No, I can’t think about it anymore. Go to bed quickly!
Not daring to think too much, Ye Qing went back to the house and lay down. When she got up the next morning, she couldn't wait to kill the rabbit.
When a weasel catches a wild rabbit, it bites the neck directly. After biting the neck off, it sucks the blood out of the rabbit's body and does not eat much of the meat.
So the rabbit that Ye Qing got had no external injuries on its body, only a bite wound on the neck.
Since the rabbit fur is intact, Ye Qing will definitely peel off the rabbit skin. After the fur is tanned, it is very suitable for making scarves, gloves and earmuffs. Ye Qing doesn't want to waste it.
This is when her anatomical skills come into play. Every medical student who graduates from clinical practice is familiar with dissecting rabbits, frogs and mice, and Ye Qing is no exception. She can even peel off an entire piece of rabbit skin from a rabbit in just three minutes.
She chopped the rabbit meat into cubes, marinated it with soybean paste, salt and starch, and then she covered it with a hood and locked it in the window to prevent mice from crawling over and chewing it.
Then she cooked some sweet potato and millet porridge, and made some cold vegetables and pickles, and her breakfast was solved.
The old lady also got up early, and Ye Qing didn't have to rush to work early recently, so she simply had breakfast and then went to the pigsty to gather grass and feed the pigs and cows. Anyway, she had the cheating power and was very fast, so she didn't have to worry about the pigs and cows rebelling if she went too late.
After eating and drinking, Ye Qing went to work in high spirits. As usual, he finished most of the day's work in less than two hours.
Just when she was considering whether to run away and go home to make cold rabbit, Captain Wu brought an old woman to Yazi River Beach.
As soon as Ye Qing saw the old woman's appearance, he knew who she was.
Her facial features are very similar to those of Zhao Mazi. She is undoubtedly the fourth wife Zhao who was in charge of raising pigs and cattle.
Ye Qing was waiting for this old lady. As soon as he saw her coming, he got straight to the point:
"Aunt Zhao, there is something I hope you can answer me honestly."
"You were responsible for feeding the pigs and cows in the village before. But when I delivered a cow the day before yesterday, I found that the cow's difficult birth was caused by the wild boar breaking her amniotic fluid. The fundamental problem was that the calf in her belly had grown too big."
"So I want to ask you, do you usually feed your cows just grass, bran, and beans?"
When Mrs. Zhao was brought here by Captain Wu, she was very unhappy.
After all, if it weren't for Ye Qing, she would still be managing the pigsty and cowshed in the village and earning four or five work points every day.
Who knew that she had just complained to Captain Wu about her few work points, but was actually fired by Captain Wu and a young girl took her place. How could Mrs. Zhao be happy about this?
When Ye Qing asked her this, she immediately retorted:
"Your question is interesting. If I don't feed them these, can I still feed them corn and sorghum? And isn't it good for the calves to grow strong? If they are fed well, the calves will grow up healthily. When the mother cow is pregnant, I can't feel whether the calf is big or not through her belly. I can't tell whether it will have a difficult birth. You can't blame me for this, right?"
Ye Qing thought there was nothing wrong with what he said. These days, which production team doesn't hope that their livestock will grow strong and the calves will grow bigger so that they won't get sick after they are born? If they are skinny, it would be a cause for concern.
But the problem is that there is no such feed as clenbuterol these days. Cows, sheep, pigs and horses only eat grass, bran and bean cakes, so it is impossible for them to raise their offspring into giant babies during pregnancy.
Moreover, Ye Qing had discovered before that the cow was actually a little thin and seemed a little malnourished.
The mother is malnourished but the fetus is huge, which means that the fetus absorbs the nutrients and blood of the cow while in the cow's body, causing a great burden on the cow's body, which is very abnormal.
"You don't have to emphasize this to me. Just tell me, besides grass, have you added anything else to the cow's food? Have you given it any special medicine?" Ye Qing stared at Mrs. Zhao.
Sure enough, when she heard Ye Qing mention the word "medicine", Mrs. Zhao's eyes flickered and she felt so guilty that she didn't dare to look Ye Qing in the eye.
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