Chapter 22 Chen Lao
I thought it was early, but there were already more than a dozen people lined up at the door to look at the posted rankings.
The purpose of this exam was not to have much of a selection effect, so the passing score was set very low, only to screen out those with a weak cultural foundation or those who knew nothing about medicine. In the end, only a dozen people did not make the list.
This list is different from the previous one. The first place got 196 points, while the second place only got 134 points, which is a cliff-like drop. The third place just got 120 points, and the remaining more than 100 people did not pass at all. The gap between them is getting smaller and smaller. Among them, the number of people in the total score range of 80-90 points is the largest.
Qin Ju analyzed that this shows that the vast majority of those who made the list have a basic knowledge of medicine, or at least a good foundation in traditional Chinese medicine. Otherwise, it would be impossible for them to get such a high total score under such radical exam questions in Western medicine.
Many candidates were whispering, "I don't know who Qin Ju is?"
"To get such a high score, maybe he has connections above him." A middle-aged man said maliciously.
"Not necessarily. I guess he studied medicine, so he has the basics."
"But I haven't heard of any doctor named Qin in our county..."
Qin Jue was eating her own melon and listening with great interest. She paid special attention to the greasy middle-aged man and took note of it in her heart.
After a while, more and more people came, and the door was almost full. A young cadre came out and led them into the conference room. From the voice, it was the person who called last time. Everyone called him Officer Liu.
"Mr. Liu, you've worked hard. Have a cigarette." The greasy man immediately took out a cigarette box and handed it over with both hands.
Liu took one, and the greasy man turned the cigarette box to several male classmates who were dressed well. As for those who were dressed poorly, he pretended not to see them. After all, cigarettes were not cheap in those days. You had to have money and tickets to buy them, and the type of cigarettes you were given also depended on your job level.
Just expel him from the smoking pod. Qin Ju felt like laughing.
She was already beautiful, and her smile was like the melting of ice and snow and the blooming of peach blossoms in spring, instantly making people unable to take their eyes off her. Both male and female classmates were secretly looking at her.
Officer Liu looked around and was still curious about the name. "Has Comrade Qin Ju arrived?"
"arrive."
Everyone's eyes, which had originally turned away, once again fell on Qin Ju, and they were shocked.
"You you you are Qin Ju?" the greasy man exclaimed.
"Yes."
Everyone looked at me and I looked at you, and we didn't know what to say for a moment. It was so unfair of God to create humans. It is said that when a door closes a window opens. I guess when she was created, all the doors and windows were open, right?
Secretary Liu thought the clear and crisp voice was the same as the one on the phone, so it couldn't be wrong, so he started to call the roll with the roster.
Qin Jue found a seat at the back and sat down. He memorized many of his classmates' names. This training class selected people from the grassroots, so there was a big age gap. There were those in their forties who had been working as barefoot doctors for many years, and there were also those who were only sixteen or seventeen years old and had just graduated from junior high school.
Soon, after the roll call, most of the people were there, and Officer Liu began to arrange the next learning. "Because everyone has a certain theoretical foundation, this training will be divided into two parts. The first six months are theoretical learning, and the second six months are clinical practice. The teaching building and dormitory will temporarily requisition the old building of the former Municipal Health School. Everyone should prepare their personal daily necessities this morning, and formal classes will begin in the afternoon."
Almost everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
Having a dormitory can save a lot of money!
*
Needless to say, there was everything that happened in the training class three months later.
After finally making it to the next Saturday, Qin Ju immediately put on her backpack and rushed home after school in the afternoon. It was early, so she didn't take the tractor. She held a notebook in her hand and recited as she walked. The acupoints and meridians of the human body were the knowledge that Mr. He had not had time to teach her.
It took more than an hour to finally reach the entrance of the village. When a child saw her, he immediately shouted, "Sister Lai Di is back!"
"Hey, Lai Di is back. How come she looks pale after not seeing you for a few days?"
"I think she's much prettier."
Because she didn't have to bask in the sun all day, she was indeed a little whiter. Qin Ju smiled and called everyone "Grandma" and "Auntie" all the way to her door.
"Grandma, where is my elder sister?"
Qin Guihua was cooking in the kitchen and rolled her eyes at her. "You're either looking for your sister or your elder sister. Why don't you look for me?"
"Hey, grandma, I was thinking about it too." Qin Ju took out a newspaper packet from her schoolbag, took out a rectangular white object and stuffed it into her mouth, "Is it sweet?"
"Those that cost money must be sweet." Qin Guihua swallowed her saliva carefully. She was reluctant to chew it, so she used the tip of her tongue to push it, and her mouth was filled with the sweet aroma of milk.
"Nugary candy. I bought it at the grocery store."
Qin Guihua immediately felt that the candy was not sweet anymore. It was such a big piece. If it was divided into small pieces, it would be enough for her sisters to eat.
"It's okay, grandma. I exchanged candy tickets with my classmates, and I can buy them for you later." There are several treasure girls in the class, and they can get you any tickets.
As they were talking, Qin Ailan came in carrying a basket of rabbit grass. Qin Ju was about to speak when he suddenly found Liao Zhixian coming in carrying a bucket of water. "Brother Liao?"
Liao Zhixian's face was red, maybe because he was tired or because of the sun, "Hey, Lai Di is back?"
Without his glasses, Liao Zhixian looked much more handsome and refined. He didn't look like someone who had been farming in the countryside for seven years, but more like a college student.
The two exchanged a few words of greeting. Qin Ailan was busy feeding the rabbits with grass, while Qin Guihua came out of the kitchen carrying a basin of soup. Liao Zhixian ignored her attempts to keep her and ran away.
"Hey, this kid, he came to help us that day and saw that our water tank was empty. He has been coming to fetch water for us every few days. I can't stop him. Look, he also chopped that pile of firewood."
Qin Ju looked at the pile of firewood by the courtyard wall and thought that Liao Zhixian was really hardworking. Since his eyesight recovered, she had him run for half an hour every morning to enhance his immunity. His originally thin body also gained muscles and looked much stronger.
"It's okay, just think of it as exercise for him."
Qin Guihua was about to say something but stopped herself. Little Liao, the educated youth, had no relatives or friends here, and although he was free labor, it was not easy to use him for free.
"Why do I feel like there are a few less rabbits in our house?"
"Your Aunt Lifen said she wanted to keep one, so I sold it to her for 50 cents each."
These rabbits basically didn't consume a grain of food, they just ate grass, and 50 cents a piece was pure profit. Qin Jue had never thought that the rabbits he had bought by accident would increase his family's income. "Then let's ask if anyone nearby has a male rabbit. We can borrow one and have a few more litters."
"I think so too. I have nothing to do at home anyway. The captain has his own children. I don't think he has the nerve to control me."
Qin Guihua has been in poor health in recent years and has not been able to earn work points. However, Qin Ailan took over the job of the breeder and learned from Qin Jue for a few days. She can do basic work. In addition, she also helps to find pig grass, and the work points she earns are the same as Qin Jue did before, so it is not difficult for her to fill her stomach.
"By the way, grandma, have you dug up the herbs from the mountain?"
Qin Pan pointed to the sieve in the corner, which contained some sun-dried roots, stems and leaves, some of which were bent like chicken feet, and some were straight like chopsticks. Qin Ji picked them up one by one and smelled them to make sure they were not wrong. Then she took her elder sister to clean the large iron pot for cooking, and prepared the medicine according to the method and proportion agreed upon by the old pharmacist.
She estimated that she would not have time to do these tasks in the future. If she could teach the skills to her older sister, and she could teach her grandmother when she had time, then their family would have a stable income in the future.
*
Like their family, the Liu family next door was also busy. Before the sun went down, they were frying, boiling, and frying. It was more lively than the New Year. But after the food was cooked, they didn't eat it. It was dark, and Widow Liu's eyes were still staring at the door. She didn't know how many times she had swept the floor at home. "How is it? Have you arrived yet?"
Liu Erhu yawned, "I don't know when we'll arrive. We're almost starving to death..."
"It's just a meal, and you still have to wait. Baozhu has only been married for a few months and she already thinks she is a government official's wife."
"That's right, they let the whole family wait for them with empty stomachs. What a big deal."
Widow Liu hadn't eaten properly for two days in preparation for today's meal. She was already starving. "Bullshit! Baozhu said that we have distinguished guests today, so we have to show our best side. It's not right for the host to eat before the guests."
"Tsk, I've never seen you so 'reasonable' normally." Liu Dahu's wife rolled her eyes and pinched her son, who immediately burst into tears in pain.
"Look, grandma, the little one is crying because he is hungry. How pitiful..."
Widow Liu loved her precious grandson the most, and immediately ignored Liu Baozhu's instructions, "Don't cry, dear. Let's eat now."
The dinner was very sumptuous. As soon as it was served on the table, the whole family scrambled to wolf it down. Some of the grandchildren even quarreled over food, arguing over who got to eat more, who got the bigger piece of meat, who got the fatter meat... They started fighting over a disagreement.
Even though the youngest was only one or two years old, he was very capable. The food spilled all over the floor. The eldest was frightened and ate in a hurry, so he vomited with a "wow".
So, Liu Baozhu and Zhao Qingsong escorted a white-haired old man into the house, and what they saw was such a mess, with more than a dozen people eating, making noise, and crying. Zhao Qingsong, who was already irritable because of the bad luck on the road, felt his temples throbbing.
"uh-huh."
The people in the yard didn't see or hear the fight. Widow Liu was busy picking up the last two pieces of meat, with the last two drops of oil hanging from the corners of her mouth. "Stop fighting. It will be embarrassing if your sister comes back with guests and sees it. Don't forget that you brothers' jobs depend on him."
Seeing Zhao Qingsong's face turn as dark as the bottom of a pot, Liu Baozhu hurriedly shouted: "Grandma, what are you doing!"
The Liu family members then discovered them, "Hey, grandson-in-law, you're back. We waited at the entrance of the village for a whole day but didn't see you. We thought you were delayed on the way, but the child was really hungry, so we didn't wait for you..."
"Don't worry, brother-in-law. There's still food. I'll go heat it up for you."
Zhao Qingsong looked at the food spilled everywhere and had no desire to eat. If he had known that the Liu family was like this, he should not have listened to Liu Baozhu and went back to his own home directly to avoid such a embarrassment.
Liu Baozhu was also very excited. She had put a lot of effort into inviting this distinguished guest here, and she had persuaded her husband for a long time before he agreed to bring the guest to the Liu family. She thought that if she entertained the guest well, she would only need to ask to change the fate of her brothers. However, her family members were all useless!
But she still asked, "Mr. Chen, how about we just eat something first?"
Only then did everyone realize that the old man with white hair was thin, with a hunched back, and a weather-beaten face covered with walnut skin, but his eyes were very shrewd.
Seeing that he was unwilling to talk, Liu Baozhu got used to it and immediately ran to the kitchen diligently, instructing Widow Liu and several sisters-in-law to clean the kitchen. She even used detergent to wash the pots and pans several times, and she cooked by herself. She took a washed cucumber, gently cut out a slice as thin as a cicada's wing, and gently twisted it to make a rose shape.
"Hey, why did Baozhu make cucumbers into flowers?"
"Life in this army is really different. It's a great training ground. My cooking skills have improved so much!"
Several sisters-in-law praised her in various ways, and Liu Baozhu had a mocking smile on her face.
Widow Liu squeezed over and asked, "Baozhu, who is that person outside?"
The sisters-in-law all kept silent and looked at her curiously, thinking that she was just old, weak, sick and disabled, and her clothes were shabby. But the young couple's attitude towards them seemed very respectful.
"This is Qingsong's confidential work. Grandma, please don't ask. It's not good for you to know too much." In fact, she herself was not very clear. Zhao Qingsong obeyed her in everything else, but work matters were kept confidential. Even if he was drunk, he would never reveal a word.
But as the only one in the family who ate rationed food, she couldn't help but want to share some "inside information": "Mr. Chen is very powerful. He used to do scientific research in a confidential unit. It was just that he was labeled... and sent to a labor camp a few years ago."
Widow Liu didn't know anything about confidential units. "Then isn't she a member of the Black Five? Hey, don't harm our family by getting in touch with such a wicked person. Our family has been poor farmers for three generations!"
Liu Baozhu laughed, "Grandma, you don't understand. These are real technologies that have made significant contributions. They are protected by people above them."
"Forget it. You won't understand even if I tell you. Anyway, he's not in good health... Just spend more time talking to him and follow his lead."
"No wonder, I said he looked sick, just like what happened to Cui Laowu's family last time." Liu Dahu's wife responded, and thinking that her sister-in-law didn't know about Cui Laowu's family yet, she added fuel to the fire and told the story again.
Liu Baozhu originally just listened to the gossip, but when she heard that it was Qin Lai Di from next door who cured the dying Aunt Cui Wu, she suddenly felt a little uncomfortable.
Not only was her grandmother compared to Qin Guihua, but she, Liu Baozhu, had also been compared to Qin Laidie since she was a child. They were both born in the same year and month, and both were among the prettiest girls in the village. Even the men they found... well, although she didn't want to admit it, Zhao Qingsong was indeed the one left over by Qin Laidie.
"Grandma, what's wrong with you? Didn't I tell you to keep an eye on her and tell me if anything happens?"
Widow Liu's eyes flickered. At first, she kept an eye on her, but gradually she felt that the girl was just so-so. She only knew some three-legged cat medical skills, and it was not like she had found a great marriage. How could she compare with her precious granddaughter... Besides, writing letters and stamps are free, right? Making a phone call would cost even more. She was reluctant to do that!
Liu Baozhu was secretly resentful, but she also knew what her grandmother was planning. She just wanted to ask her for money. Everyone in the family thought that she had married a military officer and would definitely live a life of luxury. But the fact was that most of Zhao Qingsong's monthly salary was sent to his parents, and it was difficult for them to even support their two children. She had to go out to work to supplement the family income.
But the military district also has to arrange jobs for family members based on seniority and contribution. She is young and Zhao Qingsong is not a big leader, so she can't get a good job. She can only go to the cafeteria to get food and can't say a word all day long, which almost drives her crazy.
After a few days, she couldn't do it anymore and her source of income was cut off.
Her grandmother only wanted her to support her parents' home, but she didn't think about her. She had just been married to Zhao Qingsong for half a year, and it was impossible for him to give her any money. She had to secretly work hard on the kang at night to get money just to buy some vanishing cream.
It’s not that Zhao Qingsong is stingy, but he really has no money and was driven away by Old Lady Zhao.
Thinking of this, Liu Baozhu felt as uncomfortable as if she had eaten a fly. No wonder Qin Laidie looked down on this marriage at the beginning. It turned out that the Zhao family had buried a lot of traps.
Soon, the meal was ready, and Liu Baozhu came out with two bowls of clear soup noodles, "Mr. Chen, Qingsong, come and eat."
The noodles were made with chicken soup as the base, boiled with some green vegetables and rose-like cucumber slices that were very rare in the countryside at this season, and two eggs. Zhao Qingsong's appetite was aroused at the sight of it. He passed one bowl to the person next to him first, and then he picked up the other bowl and ate it pantingly.
Liu Baozhu couldn't hide her disappointment. Although there were still noodles in the pot, Zhao Qingsong didn't even give her a break? He didn't even ask her if she had any left, and just ate them all by himself?
However, Mr. Chen had no appetite at all. His health had been damaged in the past few years, and he suffered misfortunes one after another. Now he was hanging on by his last breath.
*
Qin Lai Di, who was sitting on the other side of the wall, had no time to pay attention to the Liu family's family reunion. She was busy teaching her eldest sister how to prepare medicinal materials. This was a delicate job and each step was time-consuming. In order to prevent the baking from affecting the efficacy of the medicine too much, the hands had to flip the spatula constantly. After a while, the sisters' arms were so sore that they could not lift them.
Qin Guihua couldn't bear to see them suffer so much, "Let me do it."
The two sisters were even more reluctant to let their elderly grandmother suffer, so they grinned and said "not tired", and even deliberately told their grandmother the latest news in the training class to cheer her up.
"It will take a while for me to find a house, but luckily I don't have to rent one, so I can save some money. Don't be too hard on yourselves at home, eat what you need, and if there's anything you can't buy, just tell me and I'll find a way."
She deliberately puffed out her chest and said, "I know a lot of classmates now!"
Qin Guihua and Ailan didn't understand that either, but hearing her confident voice, they thought she was capable and could make good friends. "Sure, sure, sure."
As they were talking, they suddenly heard a "clang" and then a "pop" sound, like the sound of a bench falling to the ground or a bowl breaking. The grandparents looked at each other and looked towards the wall next door, wondering what the Liu family had done.
Then they heard a male voice asking, "How are you, Mr. Chen?"
Qin Jue's eyelashes moved slightly. This is Zhao Qingsong.
"I... I'm fine." An old voice took several breaths before finishing the words. Suddenly, he sniffed and said, "Is there a barefoot doctor here?"
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