Xu Laosan and Mu Jingshu are of similar age and can be described as a pair of lively characters who love and hate each other. Sometimes Yang Chunqin feels that Xu Laosan and Mu Jingshu are more like siblings.
They're just as mischievous as ever, yet equally sensible and warm-hearted. They may seem unreliable, but they're actually quite sensible and know exactly what they're doing.
The time for the domestic and international medical exchange conference is fast approaching. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is responsible for picking up people and arranging accommodations, while the exchange team will arrange all the itineraries.
As the date of the exchange meeting drew closer, Mu Jingheng became increasingly concerned about Xu Xinning's safety.
Since the arrest of Wu's adopted son and Yu Mei, which led to the arrest of a series of people, enemy agents have been quiet for a while. However, Mu Jingheng does not dare to underestimate the operational capabilities of these enemy agents, otherwise they would not have been able to infiltrate the country for so long.
The Yu family split up after that day, and Yu Lao Er moved out of the compound with Yu Mei's mother.
Many people in the compound were speculating that the Yu family might try to distance themselves from Yu Lao Er by having him divorce Yu Mei's mother. Besides, the two didn't have any children together, so divorce would be the best option for Yu Lao Er.
Unexpectedly, Yu Lao Er not only did not divorce Yu Mei's mother, but even moved away from the home he had lived in for more than 20 years for her sake.
There are all sorts of rumors circulating in the compound.
Some people think that Yu Lao Er is a loyal and devoted man who never abandoned his wife.
Some people think that Yu Lao Er is so infatuated with Yu Mei's mother that he doesn't even consider whether Yu Mei's mother will affect his future.
Some people also felt that Old Master Yu was too indecisive and too indulgent towards his second son.
Xu Xinning is quite interested in gossip, so she pays close attention to these kinds of things.
Mu Jingheng knew she loved listening to gossip, so he often told her some insider information, which gave her access to firsthand gossip.
However, the Wu family's atmosphere was quite different from the Yu family's.
Since the Wu family's adopted son was arrested, the Wu family seems to have been unaffected and continues with their lives as usual.
Wu Lao Er stayed in the army every day, and his wife lived in the huge courtyard.
Actually, the courtyard is only a few steps away from the small building area, but Wu Lao Er's wife has not been seen outside since her adopted son was arrested.
Perhaps it was to avoid suspicion, or perhaps it was to avoid being pointed at and gossiped about.
Xu Xinning had been considering whether or not to visit her, since she was very concerned about Xu Xinning on the surface. Ever since Xu Xinning became pregnant, she had been sending things over, including food, clothes, shoes, blankets, and even diapers for the baby.
The items were delivered separately, and I didn't always see them, so I accepted them all. But after a while, I realized how much care she had put in. She had made almost everything the child needed, even more so than Yang Chunqin, the mother herself.
So after her adopted son was arrested, Xu Xinning wanted to visit him, but Mu Jingheng refused to agree unless he accompanied her.
But Mu Jingheng was always busy, even when he was rushing to send Xu Xinning off.
Now that the medical exchange conference is about to begin, Xu Xinning is finally allowed to rest at home, and Mu Jingheng can finally go to work with peace of mind.
When Xu Xinning woke up, she saw that Mu Jingheng was still at home, so she told him about her wish to visit the second daughter-in-law of the Wu family.
Mu Jingheng: "Okay, I'll go with you later."
Xu Xinning prepared some food for them, and also a jar of appetizers that her aunt had pickled herself.
People in this era are very practical; the things they bring when visiting someone's home are always very tangible.
Although Wu's adopted son was arrested, the people monitoring him were not removed.
Those who were assigned to the tenement are still living there.
When Xu Xinning and Mu Jingheng arrived at the courtyard, they found the housewives busy at work.
Two families were doing laundry.
Every household installed a water tap in front of their door, and some even built water troughs.
Upon seeing Xu Xinning and Mu Jingheng enter, the two greeted them with smiles: "Oh! Isn't this Doctor Xu?"
Since Xu Xinning started seeing patients at the hospital, many people call her Dr. Xu, while others, knowing she teaches at a medical university, call her Teacher Xu.
People who call Xu Xinning "Dr." are generally older, while those who call her "Teacher Xu Xinning" are mostly young people.
Xu Xinning greeted her with a smile, "Are you all doing laundry?"
"You've come looking for Wu Lao Er's family."
Xu Xinning: "Yes! I had wanted to come and see you for a while, but Jingheng was worried about me coming alone with such a big belly, so I was delayed."
"There's no time like the present. Wu's second son's wife won't hold it against you."
Xu Xinning: "I know, then you guys go ahead with your work, we're going in."
“Go on, go on. Wu Lao Er’s family has basically not left the house since that enemy agent was arrested. Poor thing! If I had been deceived for so long, I would be even more upset. I sincerely adopted a son, but I never expected that person to have planned to use my sincerity to steal our country’s secrets. I probably won’t be able to figure it out for a while.”
"You bet! I definitely couldn't have taken that blow."
"I haven't seen her leave the house much. They've built a water trough in the side yard of their house and planted some vegetables. I guess she's been eating whatever's convenient lately."
Xu Xinning smiled and said again, "Then let's go in."
Mu Jingheng was carrying something in one hand and supporting Xu Xinning with the other.
Watching Xu Xinning and Mu Jingheng's retreating figures, an older woman sighed, "The Mu family really married a good granddaughter-in-law! I heard that the second son of the Mu family is doing very well in Chief Jiang's department now. He used to be a notorious spoiled brat in Beijing. Everyone gave him face. If someone didn't like him, he would turn on them in a heartbeat. But now, you can't see that he was that kind of ruthless and unreasonable person at all."
"Is that really true? Or is it just a rumor?"
"It's probably an exaggeration, but some of it is definitely true."
"They used to have a stepmother. Could it be that she deliberately ruined his reputation?"
"Who knows? I've never heard anyone say he's actually done anything bad!"
"Then it's pretty much true. That woman doesn't look like a good person at all. By the way, I ran into her the other day and almost didn't recognize her."
"That person is just so dramatic. She used to live so comfortably in the Mu family, and now she's all humiliated."
"That's right, her hair is cut very short and messy, and her clothes are dirty. She's completely different from how she used to be."
"Really? Tsk tsk tsk, it's just a pity for the daughter she gave birth to."
The two middle-aged women chatted while washing clothes, and once they got to this topic, they couldn't stop talking about it, completely forgetting that the two people who had just entered the compound were also involved in the conversation.
The door to the main room of Wu Lao Er's house was closed, and Mu Jingheng knocked a few times but no one answered.
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