Chapter 99 Today's hot topic at the steel rolling mill...
Today, the hot topic at the steel rolling mill is Dongping Hospital.
Who would have thought that a doctor could steal nine babies, replace one with another, and no one would have noticed!
Twenty-two years later, it was Yu Jiajia who accidentally witnessed someone swapping children that made Grandma He suspect that He Xiaoyun was not her biological granddaughter, which later aroused the suspicion of others.
Everyone wants to curse Hu Chunmei as a heartless beast, and no one knows if those children will ever be found.
And what about the other doctors and nurses at Dongping Hospital? Hasn't anyone noticed this all these years?
Some people had doubts. Shen Meng, the midwife at the time, had her doubts, but before she could find any evidence, the health center caught fire. She almost burned to death. Then she was fired for giving the wrong injection. After that, she hurriedly got married and left Zhou City.
Years later, she finally understood that the needle prick back then was not a mistake; it was Hu Chunmei who wanted her to make a mistake and get her fired.
Besides Hu Chunmei, He Xiaoyun is another popular figure.
He Xiaoyun is an office worker at the steel rolling mill. She is beautiful and loves to dress up. She is the factory's most beautiful girl. Who would have thought that she is not actually the daughter of the He family? Her father is a murderer who was executed, and her mother is a criminal who switched someone else's child.
Some people feel sorry for He Xiaoyun; she is innocent and knows nothing, and everything changed overnight.
But most people don't pity her; she is the beneficiary. Her mother switched her to the He family so that she could have a better life, but then abused the child who was switched.
The leaders of the steel rolling mill held a special meeting to discuss how He Xiaoyun's social status should be calculated.
Section Chief Gu Yongyi, who was most qualified to speak, said, "There's no need to emphasize whether He Xiaoyun is innocent or not. As long as she has enjoyed undeserved benefits, she has already lost the right to talk about innocence. If a spy entrusts his children to others for upbringing, can the children claim that they know nothing about their father's crimes? Are the descendants of invaders naturally innocent just because they never held a gun themselves? The fact is, once they enjoy the benefits brought by sin, they have already formed an inseparable link with that sin."
He Xiaoyun's biological parents are Zhou Mao and Cao Meiling; she is no longer suitable to stay in the office.
Ultimately, the factory decided to transfer He Xiaoyun to a workshop position, hoping that she could deeply study advanced ideas and strive to grow into a pillar of society.
When Gu Yongyi returned to his office, he found that He Xiaoyun had not come to work.
He Xiaoyun did come, but when she arrived at the factory gate, she felt countless gazes like needles pricking her. Everyone looked at her with contempt, and even when she wore a dress, they pointed and whispered that she had bourgeois ideas and was as greedy for pleasure as her murderer father.
He Xiaoyun broke down. She couldn't stand the way she was being stared at, so she turned and ran away. But she had no idea where she could go. If she ran home now, her mother-in-law would probably beat her out. But if she didn't go home, where else could she go?
She truly hated Yu Jiajia. If it weren't for Yu Jiajia, she would still be the He family's darling, doted on by her parents and brother. She didn't want to be the daughter of a murderer.
In the propaganda department, Yu Jiajia was reading the newspaper and discovered that Haicheng had already started sending educated youth to the countryside. She estimated that Zhoushi would soon follow suit.
Fortunately, she has a job, so this has nothing to do with her.
She couldn't stand the hardships of farming and really couldn't be an educated youth.
Everything was fine all morning, but near the end of the workday, a young man rushed into the publicity department and splashed a basin of water on Yu Jiajia. Luckily, Yu Jiajia was quick and dodged it in time, but the tables and chairs were also soaked.
The young man was still not satisfied, so he kicked over Yu Jiajia's seat and stared at her: "Xiaoyun is innocent, she is also a victim, why are you chasing after Xiaoyun like a mad dog?"
Yu Jiajia couldn't help but roll her eyes: ? ? ?
Liu Weidong: "Where did this idiot come from? He's not from the steel mill, is he?"
Zhou Wenbin also stood up from his seat.
The young man sneered, "Yu Jiajia, I'm warning you one last time. If you dare to bully Xiaoyun again, I won't let you get away with it!"
Liu Weidong punched the young man in the face. "Who do you think you are? How dare you yell at Jiajia?"
The young man started fighting with Liu Weidong, and Zhou Wenbin went to help. The two of them fought and pinned the young man to the ground, and then called the security department.
This young man wasn't a worker at the steel rolling mill; he was a sales clerk at a department store and a junior high school classmate of He Xiaoyun. He had come in with his aunt, who said she wanted to see the steel rolling mill. His aunt, Liang, the deputy director of logistics, had brought him in. Once inside the factory, while Deputy Director Liang was busy with work, he found the publicity department and got a basin of water, intending to drench Yu Jiajia thoroughly.
The security department summoned Deputy Director Liang, who felt as if the sky had fallen when he heard about it.
She raised her hand and slapped the young man twice across the face. "Are you out of your mind? Didn't you even bother to find out about He Xiaoyun's situation? What does this have to do with Jiajia? Jiajia went to the hospital to visit a patient and discovered the child swap. Did she think she was wrong? And He Xiaoyun, her mother swapped the child. What does this have to do with Jiajia?" She got angrier and angrier as she spoke, and slapped the young man several more times. "I think your brain was kicked by a donkey."
The young man covered his face, his neck stiff: "Auntie, if it weren't for Yu Jiajia, Xiaoyun..."
Deputy Director Liang slapped the young man again: "Can't you speak properly?"
Young man: "Auntie."
Deputy Director Liang slapped the young man again, breaking the corner of his mouth.
"You saw He Xiaoyun? Did He Xiaoyun send you?"
The young man was stunned by the beating, and his stubbornness vanished. He honestly replied, "No, Xiaoyun is simple-minded and didn't ask me to come. I felt sorry for her."
"You were provoked to come and cause trouble? And here you are? It's clear that He Xiaoyun is crooked at heart." Deputy Director Liang slapped the young man twice more, pressed his head down to apologize to Yu Jiajia, and helped Yu Jiajia clean up the table. The newspapers and notebooks were wet. Deputy Director Liang compensated Yu Jiajia with ten yuan and five feet of cloth coupons on the spot.
Yu Jiajia didn't ask for money or cloth coupons. Her clothes were only a little wet, so it wasn't worth having to pay for a new outfit.
When Cheng Xiuying arrived, she saw that the young man's face was swollen like a pig's head, so she didn't do anything. She just said to Deputy Director Liang, "Pingping, he's not young anymore. This time, for your sake, I won't mention sending him to the police station."
Deputy Director Liang apologized again, "Yes, I will definitely discipline them when I get home."
She was furious. Did she think it was easy for her to become the deputy director of logistics? Her nephew came to visit and she offended the deputy factory director and her daughter.
What kind of person is Jiajia? Why would she go against He Xiaoyun?
If her nephew doesn't understand, how could she not understand?
If He Xiaoyun hadn't instigated it, would her nephew have caused trouble?
They immediately grabbed the young man by the ear and dragged him away.
Yu Jiajia sighed, "This Deputy Director Liang is really ruthless; he's very willing to hit me."
Cheng Xiuying: "If she can't bear to hit him, then send him to the police station."
Someone of this caliber certainly won't go to jail, but they'll have to receive education at the police station. Once they're in the police station, their reputation will be different.
Around noon, Lu Chenzhou came to find Yu Jiajia and asked her to go see Yang Chen and Yang Xi together. "I went there this morning, and they were both afraid of me and didn't want to talk to me."
Lu Chenzhou called her mother, Shen Wangshu, in the morning to inquire about Yang Xi's situation, whether any family had lost a child, a girl around ten years old, and planned to send the photos to Beijing.
Someone really did lose their child.
The baby was just a month old when the grandmother took him to the park. While chatting with someone, she turned around and the baby was stolen. The grandmother was filled with remorse and has been mentally unstable ever since.
The family used all their connections to find their child, but they couldn't find him. However, they never gave up the search.
It's just that it's very difficult to find abducted children again.
Shen Wangshu told her friend, who couldn't wait to see the photos and had already taken the train to Zhou City. The friend would arrive in Qingshan County the next afternoon and instructed Lu Chenzhou to take good care of Yang Xi and make sure nothing happened to the child.
Lu Chenzhou went to the Yang family's house and happened to find that some people were vandalizing it. They were all families whose children had been stolen by Hu Chunmei. They hadn't found their children yet and were venting their anger, so they came to the Yang family's house.
They were originally going to beat up Yang Chen and Yang Xi as well, but fortunately the neighbors stopped them in time and explained that the two were not Hu Chunmei's children and that they had also been abducted.
The two women were also victims and had nothing to do with Hu Chunmei.
Although Yang Chen and Yang Xi were frightened, they were not injured.
After Lu Chenzhou arrived, he emphasized, "This property is not the private property of Hu Chunmei and Yang Heping, but collectively owned. Anyone who comes to vandalize it again is deliberately damaging collective property and harming the interests of all members. He must bear all the losses!"
His words carried weight, and no one dared to refute them. They then cleaned up the vandalized house before leaving.
However, Yang Chen and Yang Xi were both wary of Lu Chenzhou because he had come to visit them yesterday, turning their parents into adoptive parents and making them out to be bad people.
They didn't hate Lu Chenzhou, they were just afraid of him and didn't want to talk to him.
Lu Chenzhou asked his neighbors for help, asking them to protect the two children if anyone else came.
Lu Chenzhou could have sent his secretary to deliver lunch to the two children, but he wanted to invite Yu Jiajia to come along.
He thought it that way, and he did it that way.
Yu Jiajia readily agreed, so Cheng Xiuying decided not to go. She needed to fix the safety hazards in the factory. Even if outsiders came in, they couldn't just wander around the factory; there were certain places they couldn't go.
Yu Jiajia: "If they don't want to talk to you, why would they want to talk to me? I went with them yesterday too."
Lu Chenzhou: "Probably not, very few people would dislike you."
Yu Jiajia was happy to hear this. "I'm not a united front, of course some people don't like me. Today someone even stood up for He Xiaoyun and threw water on me, but luckily I was quick-witted and dodged it."
Lu Chenzhou frowned. "Workers from the steel rolling mill?"
Yu Jiajia shook her head and recounted the story in detail, "His aunt gave him a severe beating, and I think he'll get another beating when he gets home."
Lu Chenzhou secretly memorized the other person's name.
The two went to a state-run restaurant first and packed three dishes and ten meat buns. Yu Jiajia also bought four bottles of soda and six cream popsicles. She and Lu Chenzhou each ate a popsicle first.
Lu Chenzhou looked down at the popsicle in his hand. He rarely ate this, and even less often on the street.
Yu Jiajia understood and thoughtfully led Lu Chenzhou to the corner to eat, where no one would be around! No one would see Director Lu eating a popsicle.
On such a hot day, eating a popsicle to cool down is so refreshing!
Yu Jiajia felt that one popsicle wasn't enough! But she would have to wait until she got the other four to eat at the Yang family's house.
When passing by the bookstore, Yu Jiajia bought a few more comic books before heading towards the Yang family's house.
The two children, having experienced such a blow, had no idea what to do. It was too cruel; the whole world had changed. They looked at each other speechlessly and sat in the living room in silence.
Hearing a knock on the door, Yang Xi flinched, but Yang Chen rallied and reassured his sister, "It's okay, no one will hurt us."
He even began to feel fortunate that the two were not their parents' biological children.
This morning, if no one had stopped them, they would have been beaten, and they will continue to be beaten in the future.
It doesn't matter what he does, but Xiaoxi is still so young. How can she grow up amidst other people's beatings and scoldings?
Lu Chenzhou called out, "Xiao Chen, Xiao Xi."
Yang Chen recognized the voice and opened the door, but didn't speak to Lu Chenzhou and silently went inside.
Lu Chenzhou and Yu Jiajia walked in together. Yu Jiajia took out a few comic books and two cream popsicles and handed them to the two children.
Yang Chen refused to eat.
Yang Xi also refused to eat.
Yu Jiajia didn't insist. She sat down in front of Yang Xi, put the cream popsicle in her own mouth, and handed the other one to Lu Chenzhou.
Yang Chen looked up at the popsicle in her hand.
Yu Jiajia handed several comic books to Yang Xi, "Xiao Xi, do you like reading them?"
No child dislikes reading picture books, and Yang Xi really couldn't help but get close to Yu Jiajia, holding the picture book and looking at the titles on it.
Three Bullets, Tunnel Warfare, Mine Warfare, Flowers Bloom in Dazhai, Three Visits to the Mountain City.
Yang Xi had read "Tunnel Warfare" and "Mine Warfare," but not the others, so he couldn't resist picking up "Three Bullets."
Yu Jiajia finished a cream popsicle and took out the last two: "Are you really not going to eat them? If not, I'll eat them."
This time, both Yang Chen and Yang Xi reached out and took the cream popsicles.
Yu Jiajia sighed, "Fine, I thought I could have another one."
[10 ice creams, 1 blueprint for an intercontinental ballistic missile (13/20)];
[5 meat coupons per pound, 1 blueprint for an intercontinental ballistic missile (14/20)];
Yu Jiajia has no regrets at all~
After the two children finished their popsicles, Lu Chenzhou laid out the food on the table: braised pork ribs, stir-fried pork, tomato and egg, and rice as the staple food.
The ten meat buns were for the two children's dinner.
Lu Chenzhou handed the chopsticks to Yu Jiajia, then served her half a bowl of rice, and placed the other two chopsticks and rice directly in front of the two children.
As for the chilled soda, after prying open the cap, it's one bottle per person.
Yu Jiajia said, "I have a big appetite. If you eat slowly, I will really finish all the food."
She didn't know how to comfort the two children. Anyone would be overwhelmed by such a sudden turn of events, especially since the children's misfortune was somewhat related to her. Of course, she was definitely not wrong!
Hu Chunmei was the one who was wrong.
But it's not wrong for the two children to resent her.
She picked up a piece of braised pork rib and put it in her bowl. The rib had been deep-fried and then stewed until very tender; it was incredibly satisfying and delicious. After finishing one piece, she picked up another and put it in Lu Chenzhou's bowl: "Delicious! Eat more!"
Lu Chenzhou chuckled and began to eat as well.
After Yu Jiajia ate three pieces in a row, she noticed that Yang Chen had started eating and picked up a piece of braised pork rib for herself and Yang Xi.
Yang Xi glanced at Lu Chenzhou cautiously before taking a small bite of a rib.
Yu Jiajia picked up another piece of stir-fried pork, which was quite spicy and very flavorful. It was perfect with rice, and paired with an ice-cold soda, it was really satisfying.
Yang Xi didn't dare to pick up any food, only ate what was in her own bowl. Her pitiful appearance softened Yu Jiajia's heart immediately. She took a spoon and helped Yang Xi scoop four or five pieces of ribs, and then scooped two spoonfuls of tomato and egg. "Xiao Xi, can you eat spicy food?"
Yang Xi nodded gently.
Yu Jiajia served her another spoonful of stir-fried pork, "Eat it with soda."
If Yang Chen dares to pick up food, then there's no need to help him pick up food.
Yu Jiajia then added more food for Yang Xi. This girl has quite a large appetite; she probably hadn't eaten much from last night until noon today and was starving.
After finishing the meal, Yu Jiajia was very satisfied.
Lu Chenzhou called Yang Chen to clear the dishes, while Yu Jiajia and Yang Xi read comic books together.
During the meal, Yang Xi had become familiar with Yu Jiajia. Nestled next to Yu Jiajia, she was no longer so frightened.
When Yu Jiajia left, Yang Xi was very reluctant to see her go.
Yu Jiajia: "I'm going to work, do you want to come with me?"
Yang Xi bit her lip and shook her head.
She was very pretty and looked pitiful, so Yu Jiajia really couldn't resist her. She pinched the child's little face and said, "I'll bring you food after I get off work."
Yang Xi: Really?
Yu Jiajia: "Really."
Yang Chen left Yang Xi at home, then chased after her, asking, "Have you found Xiao Xi's parents yet?"
He looked anxious, filled with both hope and fear.
He hopes that Xiaoxi can have a biological father who loves her, but he is also afraid of being separated from Xiaoxi.
Lu Chenzhou: "I'm not sure if they are Xiaoxi's parents, but they will be here tomorrow afternoon."
After a while, Yang Chen said, "That's great, thank you." Then he ran back into the house.
Lu Chenzhou and Yu Jiajia left the Yang family to return the soda bottle before heading to the steel rolling mill.
When Yu Jiajia arrived at the office, she found several snacks on her desk. She asked curiously, "Is my mom here?"
Liu Weidong said, "It was brought over by Deputy Director Liang."
Yu Jiajia opened the package and saw that it contained steamed rice cakes, small fried dough twists, lard candy, and dried sweet potatoes. She thought it was acceptable and invited everyone to come and eat.
Yu Jiajia made a small twisted dough stick and ate it. It was sweet, crispy, and quite delicious.
The afternoon was a bit busy. The factory was recruiting, with each workshop having its own work quota and each department also hiring. In total, they needed to recruit 40 people.
The requirements are all different.
More than half of the positions require applicants to be children of factory workers, and other positions also give preference to children of factory workers.
All department staff must have a high school diploma or above, while workshop staff must have a junior high school diploma or above.
If you have won an award at the county level or above, it doesn't matter whether you are a factory worker's child or not.
Cheng Yongping and Cheng Yongyi both have junior high school education. Although they are not children of factory workers, they are both outstanding members of the county-level commune and are eligible to apply for the program.
Cheng Yongkang and Cheng Yonghao both only have primary school education, so their educational backgrounds do not match.
Cheng Xiuying helped Cheng Yongping and Cheng Yongyi register. Both of them only had junior high school education and could not enter the department, but they could choose the workshop or logistics. Cheng Xiuying chose the workshop.
Once you're in the workshop, you'll first work as an apprentice under a master craftsman for two years, learning the skills diligently. Your goal is to graduate as soon as possible and pass the exam to become a Level 2 fitter.
Continue taking the exams at a higher level.
Cheng Yongyi is smart, capable, and strong; he might even become a level six fitter.
Yu Jiajia spent the whole afternoon helping everyone fill out registration forms and also ran into many of her high school classmates. Su Man invited Yu Jiajia to dinner together that evening.
Yu Jiajia didn't have time to eat with Su Man; the two weren't really close. "You have exams tomorrow, and I have to proctor them, so it's not convenient for us to meet privately."
Su Man quietly asked Yu Jiajia what the key points of the exam were.
Yu Jiajia had no idea either, since she wasn't setting any questions. "They should all be questions that are required for high school exams."
Suman: ...
After getting off work in the afternoon, Cheng Xiuying and Yu Hong decided to go back to Hongcheng Brigade to bring their nephew and niece to take tomorrow's exam. "Jiajia, your older brother will pick you up from get off work later."
Yu Jiajia: "Mom, be careful on the road. I don't need my older brother to pick me up. I'll go see Xiaoxi with Brother Chenzhou later."
Cheng Xiuying said, "Okay."
Yu Jiajia first went to tell Yu Songqing, who was working overtime. Upon hearing that she was with Lu Chenzhou, Yu Songqing felt reassured and continued working overtime.
Yu Jiajia stuffed two steamed rice cakes and a handful of lard candy into Yu Songqing's hands, saying, "Brother, remember to eat! Health is the foundation of everything!"
Yu Songqing looked at her with a smile: "You keep it for yourself, I'm not hungry."
Yu Jiajia suspected that Yu Songqing wouldn't go to eat; this guy had completely switched from being love-struck to being work-minded. She said, "You eat first, then you can get back to work. I'll watch you eat!"
Yu Songqing felt a warm glow in his heart. His sister was so kind. He started eating the steamed rice cakes first, one in two bites, and quickly finished both.
Yu Jiajia nodded in satisfaction after watching him finish eating: "If you're hungry, eat some lard candy. After you finish, your second brother and I will make you some more."
Yu Songqing escorted Yu Jiajia to the gate, and only after seeing Lu Chenzhou did he feel relieved enough to return to the workshop.
The area outside the factory was bustling with activity, as people were inquiring about registration.
They were afraid of being too late to register.
The security guard patiently told everyone, "We've already closed for the day, but you can still register tomorrow morning. Registration closes at 2 PM tomorrow."
Lu Chenzhou also mentioned the barefoot doctor training program at the county hospital, saying, "If your cousin is interested in medicine, she can sign up and give it a try."
Yu Jiajia didn't know if Cheng Yongyi liked medicine, but having more options meant having more paths, so she immediately asked, "How do I register? Are there any requirements?"
Lu Chenzhou: "She is an outstanding member at the county level. She just needs to take the letter of recommendation to the county hospital to participate in barefoot doctor training."
Yu Jiajia: "Okay, okay!"
The two first went to the Yang family to see Yang Chen and Yang Xi. The siblings had just eaten, heating up the meat buns from lunch and also cooking porridge and mixing cucumber shreds.
Yang Chen took good care of his younger sister.
Yang Xi was delighted to see Yu Jiajia coming over. "Sister Jiajia!" She turned to Yang Chen and said, "Brother, I told you Sister Jiajia would come, and she promised me."
Yang Chen didn't expect them to come over that night, and thought Yu Jiajia was just making excuses for Xiao Xi.
His mother would always give Xiaoxi this kind of perfunctory answer, but Xiaoxi would still believe her every time.
Yang Xi pulled Yu Jiajia into the house and shared her paintings with her.
Yu Jiajia took it and looked at it closely. "Is that me? You drew me so beautifully! Xiaoxi's drawings are so beautiful!"
The background of the painting is a meadow, where a taller little girl is flying a kite, and a little boy and a little girl are looking up at the kite.
Hahaha, Lu Chenzhou isn't here!
Lu Chenzhou looked at Yu Jiajia's smiling face and smiled along with her.
Yu Jiajia asked, "Do you want to fly a kite?"
Yang Xi shook her head: "I suddenly thought of this while I was painting; I wasn't thinking about flying a kite."
Yu Jiajia pinched Yang Xi's cheek and turned to look at Lu Chenzhou: "Brother Chenzhou, you can definitely make a kite, right?"
Lu Chenzhou: ...
Fortunately, he knows a little bit.
The Yang family has bamboo strips that can be used to make the frame of a kite.
Lu Chenzhou was very skillful; he thinned and sharpened the bamboo strips to make a frame. Yu Jiajia praised, "Brother Chenzhou, you're so amazing!!!"
Lu Chenzhou chuckled, "Luckily, kite making isn't difficult." He then pasted a layer of plastic sheeting onto the frame with glue, and Yu Jiajia and Yang Xi used brushes to draw a cute little kitten on the plastic sheeting.
I found some cotton thread and tied it to the kite, and the simple kite was finished.
Yang Xi hugged the kite, absolutely delighted with it. Her eyes crinkled when she smiled, making her look incredibly cute.
Yu Jiajia felt that the girl's life in the Yang family might not be so good.
Otherwise, a kite wouldn't be so satisfying and treasured.
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