A Qiu said the man's name was Fan Wu, and he was a relative of Mr. Cao's wife, Fan Siyan. However, during the time when the wife was alive, the two families didn't have much contact due to the chaos of war.
Xu Keke guessed that Fan Wu's name was probably not the person's real name.
"He went to the hospital by himself before dawn. I accompanied my husband to the hospital early this morning. The doctor said it was an appendectomy. He had the surgery last night. I can't leave to take care of my husband, so I discussed it with him and asked if you could help look after him for a couple of days. You don't need to worry about the meals at home. When the kids come home in the evening, they can eat in our room. Don't worry about the wages either; my husband isn't stingy. It just depends on whether you have the time."
Xu Keke certainly didn't have time; her shoes were already wet, so what difference would a few more steps into the water make? She just didn't know whether others would believe what A Qiu said. She was sure the hospital had everything arranged by now, and whoever asked would have a ready-made explanation.
After tidying up her home, Xu Keke hurriedly went to Guangji Hospital with the chicken soup that A Qiu had stewed.
The hospital's first floor was being painted, and a ladder blocked the entrance. A worker wearing dark blue overalls, with his hat askew, pointed out and said, "There's a staircase over there. Go up there."
Xu Keke walked around the hospital for about half a circle before trying to open a half-open green-painted door. She took a few steps inside, turned the corner, and saw the stairs.
After that, things went much more smoothly. Going up the stairs to the third floor, Xu Keke didn't need to ask anyone anymore; she saw Fan Wu in the first inpatient ward.
He was half-sitting on the bed, covered with a blanket. His face had turned a sallow yellow, which, combined with his hospital gown, seemed quite fitting.
Xu Keke placed the lunchbox on the table next to her. "You're getting good treatment, even a private room."
Seemingly knowing what Xu Keke meant, Fan Wu looked around and said, "The hospital knows about my relationship with Mr. Cao, and they are only doing this out of respect for him."
"How did you know I recognized you?" Xu Keke noticed he was twisting his body, looking uncomfortable. So she went over and opened his lunchbox for him. The top lid of the aluminum lunchbox could be used as a bowl.
Xu Keke poured the chicken soup into the pot. A fried egg suddenly fell out, startling her. What a combination!
Fan Wu chuckled, "That's how it is at home. When we need to nourish our bodies, we fry an egg and put it in. They say that eating an oily egg gives you strength. There's no real basis for it; we're just poor and can't afford oil on ordinary days, so we find ways to give people a little bit of oil."
His smile stunned Xu Keke. The man's smile was actually quite handsome, even with all that makeup on his face.
Fan Wu seemed to sense something and suppressed his smile.
Once she came to her senses, Xu Keke didn't care and muttered to herself, "Can I drink chicken soup and eat fried eggs after an appendectomy?"
Xu Keke handed him the chicken soup with fried eggs, saying meaningfully, "When I get back, I'll tell A Qiu that I ate it. It's good food, I can't just throw it away."
Fan Wu looked at Xu Keke with some surprise; he had seen her file. But were all rural women cadres this capable? From last night until now, he felt that none of his subordinates could compare to Xu Keke. Even he himself might not have handled emergencies better than her.
Xu Keke didn't care what he thought of her. Back when she caused that scene in the army, she was already both similar to and different from the original Feng Lichun. When facing the enemy, Feng Lichun was actually bold, meticulous, and daring. She was just too soft-hearted and too understanding towards her family.
"Are you and A-Qiu from the same hometown?"
Unexpectedly, Xu Keke suddenly asked this question. Fan Wu was taken aback for a moment, then said, "Yes, I am a nephew from Madam Cao's maternal family. A Qiu was brought over by Madam Cao from her maternal family."
Xu Keke was still a little skeptical, but she didn't press for details. "By the way, you still haven't told me how you knew I recognized you."
Fan Wu shook his head. "How would I know? There are only three families in the compound. What you said at the commendation meeting that day was investigated by the leaders afterward. It was confirmed that what you said was true. I think you have combat experience. Between that Miss Feng and you, I would definitely choose you. I didn't expect you to recognize me."
Xu Keke tapped the lunchbox in his hand with her chin and said, "Drink up, it's still hot."
Xu Keke bent down and picked up the thermos from the ground. She checked the temperature and found it was full. After glancing around and seeing nothing else to do, she took a chair and sat down in front of him.
Fan Wu was hungry, so he drank all the chicken soup first, and then looked up and asked Xu Keke, "But how did you recognize me?"
As long as he deliberately hides himself, very few people can recognize his identity after just one meeting.
“I didn’t see your face that day, but I still remember your physical characteristics. Although you were wearing more clothes, your general outline and proportions were not changed. Also, you didn’t speak, just like that day. These are the similarities between the two times. The main thing is that Mr. Cao’s behavior was too abnormal. That made you stand out even more.”
What Xu Keke didn't say was that she figured it out in her dream. She had always felt that something was wrong, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Until the faceless man in her dream, it suddenly made sense to her. The two people she couldn't see clearly were actually one person.
"May I ask who injured you? Was it Mr. Kobayashi?"
Fan Wu was holding a spoon, about to put a fried egg in his mouth, when he heard her question and stopped. He looked at her in surprise, "Why him?"
"That's right, it definitely wasn't Mr. Kobayashi. The person who looked for you in the courtyard later must have been Mr. Chen. Because you just said that you chose me over Miss Feng and me. You didn't mention Mr. Chen. And we heard the sound of the gate closing in the courtyard. Your injury was done by someone outside. That person beat you up and ran away. You didn't want to disturb Mr. Chen inside, so you were monitoring him. Mr. Kobayashi should have been monitoring him too. So Mr. Kobayashi was your colleague who was on the mission with you."
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