Chapter 65: Full of Twists and Turns
Finally receiving a signal from Chen Yun, Gao Ming turned to look at his side.
"Brother, just take a couple of sips and see what it's like!"
The cheerful conversation at the dinner table suddenly paused as everyone's attention turned to Gao Ming's hands.
He reached out and grabbed the bottle neck; the lower half was in Gao Fei's right hand.
"Just a few sips of wine." Gao Fei smiled, his hand urging him on. "I'm happy it's Nianping's birthday today, a few more drinks won't hurt."
"You've already had three drinks."
The usually refined Gao Fei was no match for Gao Ming; the bottle was snatched away in a single exchange, and his expression instantly turned rather unpleasant.
Seeing this, Li Huguo quickly chimed in, "Once your hand is healed, let's have a few more drinks together, brothers." As he spoke, he placed the wine bottle beside him where Gao Fei couldn't reach it.
Gao Fei was acting very strangely today. He entered his house without saying a word and didn't even greet the guests in the yard.
Even if he disliked socializing in the past, he would have always been meticulous in observing etiquette.
At dinner, he didn't eat a single dish but drank two glasses of wine in a row.
Gao Ming and Xiao Mu were chatting enthusiastically about their past life in the army, completely unaware that Gao Fei had downed several drinks in a row.
It was only when Chen Yun glanced up at the table that she noticed the problem.
Not only was the eldest brother acting strangely, but his sister-in-law, Qiu Zhifang, was also behaving unusually.
Dinner was served at tables in the main room and the kitchen. The elders left the large table in the main room for the younger people and took the children to the kitchen to eat.
Chen Yun assumed that Qiu Zhifang was not used to sitting at the same table with guests, so she followed her into the kitchen without turning her head.
Now it seems... that's not the case.
"Then I won't drink." Gao Fei smiled apologetically at everyone at the table, picked up his chopsticks, took a piece of fish, and put it in his mouth: "Everyone, eat your food."
Xiao Mu quickly joined in, picking up food and trying to smooth things over: "Let's all drink less. We're not teenagers anymore. Drinking too much will give us a terrible headache the next day."
"How's Gao Ming's skill?" Li Huguo smiled.
The entire meal, from washing to cooking, was prepared by Gao Ming, a skill that amazed even the men who witnessed it.
The conversation quickly turned to how Gao Ming had developed his culinary skills.
Everyone knew Gao Fei had something on his mind, but it wasn't the right time to ask him directly.
Chen Yun also picked up a piece of pork rib and ate it while watching Gao Fei's wax-white "mukbang" (eating broadcast).
As if chewing mechanically without any emotion, the dried chili peppers from the shredded meat were simply stuffed into the mouth, chewed a few times, and swallowed.
Chen Yun remembered that Gao Fei couldn't eat spicy food, so his family would only put a little bit of dried chili peppers on the braised fish to enhance the flavor.
With a blank expression, he picked up another piece of food, seemingly not feeling any spiciness at all...
"Big brother..."
"Chen Yun".
Just as Chen Yun was about to remind Gao Fei that the chili pepper he was picking up with his chopsticks was particularly spicy, someone suddenly burst into the main room.
"Mom, what's wrong!" Gao Ming asked, standing up first.
Dong Qiaoying grabbed Chen Yun's arm: "Go to Aunt Jia's house and help her out. Her daughter-in-law says she has a stomachache."
Chen Yun immediately thought of the woman who had rolled her eyes through the window that afternoon. After muttering a few curses, she walked over and quickly pulled the curtains shut.
How does your stomach hurt?
"You'll have to ask Aunt Jia for details." Dong Qiaoying was still holding chopsticks in one hand, clearly having forgotten to put them down in her haste: "I only heard Yan Jun say that he started complaining of stomach pain not long after eating the ribs!"
Chen Yun's heart skipped a beat.
"Are these spare ribs from our store?"
Dong Qiaoying nodded hurriedly.
No wonder she looked even more anxious than Yan Jun. If something were to happen to the baby in her belly, the two families would likely become enemies.
"Didn't Mom explain things clearly to Granny Jia?" Gao Ming thought it was Dong Qiaoying who hadn't explained things clearly to Granny Jia.
"I said it!"
Whenever someone has guests and they cook a good meal, they always think of sharing some with the other families in the courtyard.
Today, because Xiao Mu and his wife both like spicy food, Gao Ming added some spice to all the meat dishes he cooked, and he specifically told them to do so before delivering the dishes.
Dong Qiaoying not only told Grandma Jia that the dish was very spicy, but also specifically reminded her not to give it to pregnant women.
Who knew...
"Let's see." Chen Yun put down her chopsticks, swallowed the meat in her mouth hastily, and stood up. "I don't think it's a problem with the ribs."
"Nian'an, go and get Mom's stethoscope."
Before retiring, Liu Baoguo gave away the old-fashioned wooden stethoscope from the hospital as a memento. Chen Yun also brought it from Beicheng, just in case it might come in handy.
Gao Nian'an took off running towards the room.
"What's the matter!"
"How could it be a problem with the ribs? I ate them and didn't have any problems!"
"They're just trying to scam people!"
Zeng Suyun, who came out after hearing the noise, had oil still sticking out of her mouth, and there was a piece of brown pork rib on the rice bowl she was holding.
I heard that the person had a stomachache because he ate pork ribs, and he immediately accused him of extortion in front of Yan Jun without any mercy.
Yan Junsheng had an unapproachable appearance, with long, narrow eyes that slanted downwards. He held two gleaming blades, which he coldly pointed at Zeng Suyun.
What truly reveals one's true nature is undoubtedly his mouth. When Chen Yun first met Yan Jun yesterday, she was deeply impressed by his naturally downturned lips.
With two deep nasolabial folds extending to the corners of his mouth, his whole face exuded a harsh look.
There was no trace of anxiety on his face at this moment. He simply limped into the house with his cane as Chen Yun approached the door.
The house originally belonged to Yan Jun. The only source of light was mostly blocked by a few old newspapers, and the house was never opened for ventilation, which resulted in a faint musty smell permeating the room.
As soon as Chen Yun stepped into the room, she smelled a pungent odor wafting from the dresser against the wall.
As soon as Chen Yun turned his gaze in that direction, Granny Jia immediately moved a step to block his view, her face showing extreme anxiety.
"Xiao Chen, please help me take a look, what's wrong with Zhao Di?"
Chen Yun's eyes darkened, and he raised an eyebrow.
"When did Sister-in-law Zhaodi start having stomach aches?"
“It’s just… it’s just after dinner.” Yan Jun continued, stammering a bit, “My mom couldn’t bear to eat the ribs, so she left them all for Zhao Di. After she ate them, she lay down for a while and then complained of a stomachache.”
The woman lay in a cotton quilt whose original color was no longer discernible, clutching her forehead and groaning, "Ouch, ouch."
The room was dimly lit, and with her hand covering half her face, Chen Yun couldn't see the woman's expression clearly.
"Turn on the lights," Chen Yun said.
The light cord was on the wall to Grandma Jia's right. She walked over and turned on the light, while Chen Yun stepped forward and pulled open the drawer of the dresser.
"Braised pig ears, specifically Sichuan-style braised pig ears."
"..."
Most of the braised pig's ear in the paper package had already been eaten, and one of the bright red pickled peppers on top was only half left.
"Mom." Chen Yun handed the paper package to Dong Qiaoying, her palm still carrying the strong smell of sour and spicy food. "It seems that it's not that you ate the ribs that caused your stomachache, but that you ate too many pickled peppers."
Dong Qiaoying's expression changed.
Grandma Jia visibly stiffened, and the light instantly illuminated the various expressions on the faces of everyone in the room.
"See! I told you it was a scam!"
Zeng Suyun happily shoveled a mouthful of rice into her mouth, the sound echoing from the doorway and reverberating throughout the entire house.
“Auntie, that’s not very kind of you!” Dong Qiaoying held up the oil paper and brought it close to Granny Jia’s face: “Didn’t you say you only ate the ribs that my family sent?”
"I don't know either," Grandma Jia's explanation sounded rather weak.
If it weren't for that step just now, Chen Yun might have believed it. Even if he didn't know at first, he probably already knew after entering the house... but he just didn't expose it.
"I...I didn't eat."
Wu Zhaodi, lying on the bed, made a weak sound, as if trying to prove something, and even used her arms to support herself on the bed board to sit up.
It would have been better if she hadn't sat up. But now that she was sitting up, Chen Yun was even more certain that Yan Jun and Wu Zhaodi were clearly trying to extort money from her.
"I only ate a few pieces of pork ribs... Yan Jun ate the pig's ears with his drinks, I didn't eat them."
“Zhao Di really didn’t eat.” Yan Jun quickly confirmed, then took out a bottle of wine from the drawer: “I had a couple of drinks this afternoon when I was bored. These are my snacks.”
"You still have pickled pepper skin on your teeth."
Chen Yun pointed to a large piece of chili skin on Wu Zhaodi's front teeth, and the smell of pickled peppers wafting from her mouth suggested she had probably eaten more than one or two.
As Wu Zhaodi moved, the quilt slowly slid down, and Chen Yun's gaze involuntarily shifted downwards to her stomach.
Then he suddenly froze.
"Are you crazy for money?!" Gao Tiejun roared, glaring at Yan Jun. "You're even trying to extort your neighbor of over ten years! You've really wasted my good intentions!"
After saying that, he grabbed the oil paper package from Dong Qiaoying's hand and threw it on the ground: "Let's go!"
"Mom, stethoscope."
Just then, Gao Nian'an squeezed in through the crack in the door, holding a stethoscope, and hurriedly urged, "Mom, hurry up and treat Auntie's illness."
Chen Yun seemed to genuinely listen to the child, hanging the stethoscope around her neck and heading towards the bedside.
"Are you a doctor?"
"Little Chen!"
Chen Yun's arms were grabbed by two people at the same time.
Yan Jun's tone was one of shock, his eyes practically popping out of their sockets.
Grandma Jia continued, her face full of shame, clearly unaware of her son Yan Jun's expression: "Grandma was wrong in this matter. Zhao Di was probably afraid of my scolding, so she deliberately concealed the fact that she later stole the pickled peppers."
Chen Yun smiled enigmatically, "Since you already know, Mother-in-law, you were just agreeing with your daughter-in-law." As she spoke, she turned and winked at Gao Ming and the others.
“Since it’s cleared up, we’re all neighbors.” Gao Ming walked over with a smile, speaking to Grandma Jia, but taking Yan Jun’s hand in return: “Since Sister Zhaodi has a stomachache, let Chen Yun take a look.”
“That’s right.” Ruanqiu immediately walked up to Grandma Jia and stopped Yan Jun from reaching out: “The baby in your belly is the most important thing; everything else is trivial.”
"Hmph!" Gao Tiejun snorted coldly, but ultimately did not stop Chen Yun from examining Wu Zhaodi.
Grandma Jia thought about it and it seemed to make sense, so she didn't say anything more.
Yan Jun, on the other hand, clearly wanted to ask something more.
Unfortunately, he had barely opened his mouth when Gao Ming and Li Huguo grabbed him from both sides and dragged him outside.
“It’s inconvenient for us men to conduct the inspection inside, so please wait outside!” Gao Ming said.
"Don't worry, Brother Yan Jun. Sister-in-law Chen Yun is a doctor who specializes in treating children, including the baby in your belly," Li Huguo said.
Several men left the room one after another.
"I'm sorry, Little Chen, I..." Wu Zhaodi said apologetically.
Chen Yun waved his hand.
"We'll talk about apologizing later." Grandma Jia was afraid that she would anger Chen Yun and cause her to leave. "Quickly tell little Chen where it hurts."
Wu Zhaodi really had a stomachache.
Chen Yun saw that her forehead was covered with beads of sweat. She probably wasn't in so much pain before, but now that the pain was coming, she immediately curled up and groaned a few times.
"Lie down first, let me take a look."
Grandma Jia helped Wu Zhaodi lie down with difficulty.
"Does it hurt here?" He pressed between the ribs, applying a little pressure. "Nod if it hurts."
Wu Zhaodi shook her head.
Chen Yun pressed several more places, and when he finally pressed on the lower right side of her abdomen, Wu Zhaodi clenched her teeth and nodded.
"Little Chen, the baby in your belly..."
"The examination isn't finished yet," Chen Yun replied coldly, then put on a stethoscope to examine the heart and lungs.
During the visit, they asked Wu Zhaodi in detail about her toilet habits and other gynecological issues.
Only then did they take Wu Zhaodi's pulse.
A few minutes later, Chen Yun removed the stethoscope.
“I suspect the pain is caused by enteritis. Also… Wu Zhaodi is not pregnant at all.”
"impossible!"
Wu Zhaodi suddenly sat up, clutching her stomach with both hands in agitation: "You're talking nonsense! I'm four months pregnant, how could I not be pregnant!"
Dong Qiaoying and Aunt Luo looked at each other in bewilderment.
I was shocked to learn this morning that Yan Jun had a child with a girl he had just met.
The afternoon brought another shocking revelation: it turned out that the child in Wu Zhaodi's belly was not Yan Jun's at all.
After being shocked, the group quickly looked at Granny Jia.
After Wu Zhaodi finished speaking, Granny Jia showed no surprise, her mind solely focused on Chen Yun's words.
"Little Chen, you should talk to your mother-in-law properly and ask her if Zhao Di is actually pregnant?"
Chen Yun replied firmly, "No!"
"impossible!"
Seeing Chen Yun's certainty, Granny Jia became displeased, her expression gradually stiffening before she shouted in denial.
"Impossible...impossible...she must be pregnant."
“Not only is she not pregnant, I suggest you take her to the hospital for a checkup as soon as possible.” Chen Yun paused before continuing to express her suspicions: “How severe is enteritis? Blood tests are needed. I suspect she may have a mild intestinal obstruction… and the cause of the intestinal obstruction is the pressure from the uterine fibroid.”
"..."
"I can't understand a word you're saying!" Granny Jia shouted.
Wu Zhaodi was still reeling from Chen Yun's shock that she wasn't pregnant. After thinking for a long time, she finally came up with a reason to prove herself: "I haven't had my period for several months. What else could it be but pregnancy?"
Chen Yun sighed.
"The reason your belly is getting bigger may be related to the rapid growth of the uterine fibroids. As for not having your period for several months, I think... it should be related to the excessive curettage you had before."
A collective gasp filled the room, including from the men eavesdropping at the door.
Xiao Mu was shocked: "You can even tell from your sister-in-law's abortion?"
They all heard the questions Chen Yun asked, and none of them were related to abortion, which meant that it was definitely diagnosed through pulse diagnosis or examination.
“No wonder my sister-in-law became a director at such a young age.” Xie Liping couldn’t help but sigh, and then quickly used psychology to judge: “Wu Zhaodi’s expression shows that what my sister-in-law said is true... and Wu Zhaodi does think she is pregnant.”
The whole thing is getting more and more complicated.
"It's best to get her to the hospital as soon as possible." Chen Yun pursed her lips. "As for whether she's pregnant or not, a hospital checkup will tell."
Still agonizing over whether she's pregnant or not... let's focus on saving her life first.
Wu Zhaodi's uterine fibroids have been compressing her intestines, causing a mild intestinal obstruction. If this is delayed any longer, it could lead to intestinal perforation, which could be fatal!
Chen Yun said that she had taken in half of what Granny Jia had said earlier, but she took in the last sentence.
"Yan Jun!" Grandma Jia hurriedly called out to the door, "Come and carry your daughter-in-law, we're going to the hospital."
"Jiang Heping!" Unexpectedly, Aunt Luo suddenly shouted as well: "Borrow Erming's car, let's drive Yan Jun and his wife to the hospital."
He seemed to be kind-hearted, but in reality, he just wanted to see Granny Jia make a fool of herself.
Gao Ming immediately replied, "The car is parked at the alley entrance, Heping, drive carefully." As soon as he finished speaking, a bunch of keys was tossed over.
Dong Qiaoying grabbed Chen Yun's arm with one hand and pulled Gao Nian'an, who was still curiously trying to get closer, towards the door with the other.
We've already done more than enough by lending you the car; don't even think about asking the Gao family for help.
"How could Aunt Jia become such a person!"
Grandma Jia left in such a hurry that she didn't even close her own door. Old Jiang slammed the door shut in anger.
"If Uncle Yan were still alive, Yan Jun would never have grown up like this." Gao Tiejun sighed deeply.
Yan Jun caused Aunt Luo to fall out with her relatives. If it were anyone else, they would have made a huge scene and never spoke to each other again.
Aunt Luo would still call Jia Auntie even though she made a few sarcastic remarks, all because of Yan Jun's father who passed away a few years ago.
Old Man Yan was a kind-hearted man. He was always the first to step forward and help anyone in the courtyard who needed it, which earned him a lot of goodwill.
A few years ago, when Old Jiang was accidentally injured by a crowd during a denunciation session, it was Old Man Yan who braved the heavy snow to take him to the hospital.
Aunt Luo always remembered that great kindness, which is why she kindly introduced her relative to Yan Jun.
Unfortunately, after this incident... kindness turned into resentment.
The high-speed rail crew was equally impressed.
Yan Jun wanted to blame the ribs sent by the Gao family, hoping that Gao Tiejun would pay for Wu Zhaodi's hospital treatment. Whether Grandma Jia knew about it beforehand is unknown.
But the mother and son undoubtedly squandered all the goodwill that Old Man Yan had left them with.
"Just keep your distance from now on." Gao Tiejun waved his hand, glanced at Aunt Liu who was gloating at the door of Liu's house, and said, "Go home and have dinner."
"If it's not their own seed, why are they so eager to raise it? Yan Jun must be the one with the problem!"
Aunt Liu clearly had ill intentions. She spoke loudly, in a voice loud enough to be heard from dozens of meters away, saying what everyone understood but didn't say aloud. After saying it, she repeated it triumphantly.
"Go home for dinner."
Grandma Jia's actions were disgusting, and Aunt Liu's character was even more repulsive.
No one paid any attention to her; those who hadn't gone to the hospital went home.
"..."
It's definitely not going to be fun blowing out candles today.
As soon as I entered the main room, the sound of my elder brother and sister-in-law arguing hit me, and I didn't know when all the dishes had been swept onto the floor.
The floor was a mess, with broken plates and oil scattered everywhere.
Upon seeing the crowd in front of the door, the two seemed to realize what they had just done, and immediately stopped arguing, tacitly avoiding each other's gaze.
Gao Ming patted Xiao Mu's arm: "Let's take the cake out to eat."
Xiao Mu wanted to refuse, but Chen Yun quickly smiled and persuaded him, "I know a restaurant at the entrance of the alley that has pretty good food. Let's grab a couple more bottles of good wine and drink some slowly."
Gao Ming led everyone except Gao Tiejun and his wife out to a restaurant.
After happily seeing Xiao Mu's family off, Gao Ming's expression suddenly darkened, and the smile on his face vanished completely.
With keen insight, Li Huguo quickly pulled Ruanqiu, who still wanted to watch the excitement, home.
Gao Ming usually seems amiable, but when he really gets angry, even the veterans in the company find him creepy. It's best not to get involved in some of the drama.
"Mom, I want to sleep."
Those who could sense the approaching storm were not the children. Gao Nianping, who had been up until after 10 p.m. and went to bed at 8:30 p.m. sharp, was already yawning and could no longer keep his eyes open.
"I still need to wash my face first."
Gao Ming suppressed his anger, picked up Gao Nianping, placed her on his shoulder, and patted her gently.
The family of four entered the courtyard. The lights were still on in the main room of the Gao family's house, and the mess on the ground had been cleaned up.
Gao Ming withdrew his gaze, picked up the child, and walked straight past.
After putting the children to sleep, the couple returned to the main room.
Gao Tiejun and Gao Fei sat on the sofa on the left side of the room, Dong Qiaoying sat facing the door, and Qiu Zhifang sat alone on a small stool against the right wall.
Hearing the noise, Gao Lan from the next room quietly opened her door.
But Gao Ming glanced at him casually and immediately took a step back and closed the door.
"You're back!"
Chen Yun had never seen Gao Tiejun smoke, but at this moment he was holding a smoking cigarette in his hand, seemingly trying to calm himself down with the smell of smoke.
"Did you get the person home safely?" Dong Qiaoying asked.
“Xiao Mu has had a bit too much to drink.” Chen Yun smiled and tugged at Gao Ming’s arm. “Where’s Liangliang? I called him for dinner earlier but didn’t see him.”
“Xiao Liang was exhausted after a long day and just went to sleep.” Dong Qiaoying’s lips curled down, and she looked at Qiu Zhifang with anger: “Your sister-in-law made Liangliang go to the construction site to pick up sand and ash… The child’s back is covered in cuts.”
Qiu Zhifang lowered her head, seemingly trying hard to hold back her tears.
"I didn't even blame you, so why are you acting so aggrieved!" Dong Qiaoying was a little angry, and her tone became a bit harsher: "Even Xiao Liang's father, Gao Fei, couldn't handle carrying sand and ash! How could you bear to let your child do such heavy work!"
"I just don't want Xiao Liang to starve to death in the future." Qiu Zhifang suddenly looked up, her face full of tears and her expression cold.
"With us here, how could we let the children starve to death?" Gao Tiejun's eyes reddened with anger. "Put your hands on your conscience and think carefully. Have your mother and I ever mistreated Xiaoliang and Xiaoyi?"
Qiu Zhifang closed her eyes tightly, tears streaming down her face, and finally shook her head.
The grandparents doted on their two grandsons, taking care of everything from their food and clothing to their housing and transportation, and they never stopped giving them pocket money.
Since arriving in Beicheng, Gao Liang and Gao Yi probably haven't even washed a pair of socks.
But then Qiu Zhifang added, "Just because we were good to them in the past doesn't mean we'll be the same in the future."
"What do you mean by that?" Dong Qiaoying snorted angrily, "So that's why you've been talking about money all this time, you think we're favoring the two younger ones!"
Qiu Zhifang did not deny it, her whole body shrouded in grievance.
“Sister-in-law, tell me why Mom and Dad are so biased towards Nian'an and Nianping,” Chen Yun asked.
Qiu Zhifang remained silent.
Chen Yun continued to ask, "Did Dad take Nian'an to school, or did Mom make new clothes for Nianping...?" As she spoke, the smile on her lips completely disappeared: "Then shouldn't I calculate for you how much Mom and Dad sacrificed for you before we came? Could your eldest brother's salary alone support the three of you? Wasn't it Dad who helped Liangliang get into the junior high school he's attending?"
A series of rhetorical questions made Gao Fei's face turn bright red.
He didn't send a single penny to Gao Ming's wedding, and he didn't even offer any thanks when his nephews and nieces came to Beicheng.
On the contrary, Gao Ming had already been extremely kind and righteous to his elder brother.
Now even Gao Yi, who should be disciplined by his parents, is being disciplined by Gao Ming. How can his wife have the audacity to blame the elders for being biased?
Gao Fei felt ashamed, but Qiu Zhifang felt even more wronged.
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