Drunk

After hearing what the two children said, Ye Min and Liang Juan's faces changed. They quickly put down their baskets and walked over to ask about their symptoms: "Are you dizzy? Or do you feel like vomiting?"

The two children thought about it and shook their heads: "No."

Ye Min breathed a sigh of relief: "Then why do you say it's poisoned?"

Meng Zheng said uncertainly: "I seemed to have wiped my mouth with my hand when I was picking mushrooms."

Dongdong nodded and said, "I really want to wipe my mouth too."

Ye Min frowned and asked, "When I asked you before, didn't you say you didn't wipe your mouth?"

"Before, I thought I didn't wipe my mouth, but just now, I thought I should wipe my mouth." Meng Zheng said pitifully, "Mom, am I going to die?"

Ye Min went to look at Dongdong again. What he said was similar to Meng Zheng's. After asking carefully, it turned out that the two of them became uncertain while chatting.

Meng Cheng thought that this was a herd mentality. The two people should not have wiped their mouths with their hands when picking mushrooms. However, during the conversation, one of them had a pause in his heart and became doubtful, which made the other person uncertain, and then led to both of them being unable to tell whether they had done that thing or not.

His analysis was well-founded, and Ye Min and others thought so, but the two children did not think so. They tried to recall for a long time, but were still not sure whether they wiped their mouths with their hands after picking the poisonous mushrooms.

Although Ye Min believed Meng Cheng, she didn't dare to be careless when it came to Meng Zheng's health, so she said, "I'll wash my hands first, and I'll show you a good look later."

Meng Zheng breathed a sigh of relief and urged, "Mom, hurry up."

Although the mushrooms collected later were not poisonous except for the green antlers, the toxins of the green antlers could send people to the hospital. Ye Min did not dare to be careless and rubbed her hands thoroughly with soap before going to see Meng Zheng and Dong Dong.

At that time, the technology of medical equipment was not so advanced. For common diseases, Chinese medicine mainly relied on observation, auscultation, questioning and palpation. The auxiliary tools used by Western medicine were generally stethoscopes and thermometers. Further examinations would only be carried out if the diagnosis could not be confirmed.

The same is true for mushroom poisoning. Gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and diarrhea, and neuropsychiatric symptoms such as severe hallucinations, are all treated directly based on the symptoms. [1]

For more serious cases such as hemolytic anemia, tests will be conducted while promoting the excretion of toxins, and further treatment will be given based on the situation.

When Ye Min examined the two children, she mainly used inspection and questioning, with pulse taking as an aid. After a simple examination, she thought there was nothing wrong with the two children.

But you can’t be sure. Some mushrooms don’t react that quickly after being poisoned, so Ye Min looked at it and said, “It’s no big deal. Don’t go out and play today. Call me immediately if anything happens.”

The two children were relieved when they heard the first half of the sentence, but when they heard the second half, Meng Zheng's heart was lifted again: "Mom, are we poisoned or not?"

Afraid of being too sure, the two of them had gone crazy in the afternoon and couldn't find anyone, and they didn't feel any symptoms, Ye Min said conservatively: "Probably not."

Dongdong was a simple-minded person, so he was relieved when Ye Min said that there was no problem. However, Meng Zheng could not ignore the word "should" and was very worried. So much so that when the mushroom hot pot was served at noon, he did not dare to eat a single bite.

At noon, the Meng and Ding families had lunch together. Ye Min originally wanted to invite Liang Juan's family, but the latter felt that there were too many people at home and one table would not be enough for them, so she gave up.

However, the dishes served at the two restaurants were similar. The main dish was mushroom hotpot, which contained not only mushrooms but also non-toxic mushrooms such as chicken mushroom and bamboo fungus.

In addition to mushrooms, there are also vegetables and tofu in it, and the soup base is cooked with old hens. It has a very mellow taste, and the flavor of mushrooms adds a bit of freshness, making people unable to stop once they start.

Among the people who were sweating while eating, Meng Zheng, who was only eating vegetables, stood out.

After Ye Min ate the fresh mushrooms that were so delicious that they made her teeth drop, she scooped out half a ladle of chicken with mushrooms from the pot, brought it to Meng Zheng, and asked, "It's delicious. Don't you really want to try it?"

Although they opened the front and back doors while eating in order to cool down faster, the circulating air made the fragrance spread even further, and Meng Zheng had already been tempted.

Looking at the mushrooms and chicken in the soup ladle, he couldn't help licking his lips. He couldn't hide the swallowing sound in his throat, but he kept his mouth firm and insisted, "I won't..."

Ye Min ignored him and poured the food in the soup ladle onto his table: "Alright, eat it quickly. If you are really poisoned, you won't mind eating this mushroom meal. If you are not poisoned, you will regret it tomorrow when you think about this meal."

Meng Cheng also said, "Your mother is right."

An An nestled in his father's arms, blowing on the mushrooms in the bowl in front of him, and then looked up and said, "Delicious!"

As early as when Ye Min poured the food into Meng Zheng's bowl, his self-control began to fail. After hearing what the three said, he completely gave up resistance and said shyly: "...Okay."

As soon as he finished speaking, he started moving like a whirlwind, and his movements didn't seem forced at all.

The mushroom hotpot is delicious, but it is also tiring to eat. After finishing the meal, the four adults were fine, but the brother and sister both slumped on the sofa, their stomachs looking bigger than the other.

The two of them looked very happy, and their movements were very coordinated. They touched their round bellies and sighed comfortably: "Ah~"

…

Meng Zheng forgot about the mushroom poisoning during the meal, but remembered it after taking a nap. He felt his stomach dropping when he touched it. Thinking of what Ye Min said in the morning, he ran out with his hands on his stomach and found Ye Min sitting in the yard chatting with someone: "Mom! My stomach hurts!"

Ye Min's face changed, and she quickly stood up and walked to Meng Zheng and asked, "Where does it hurt?"

"Stomachache!"

Meng Zheng gave a nonsense answer, so Ye Min had to ask more clearly: "Where does your stomach hurt?"

"It hurts here." Meng Zheng pointed to the area below his belly button and asked, "Mom, am I poisoned?"

Ye Min was also worried about this possibility, so she quickly carried Meng Zheng back to the room, pulled up his clothes, and at the same time pulled his pants down two inches, and pressed a little above his stomach, asking, "Does it hurt here?"

But Meng Zheng's answer was very vague. He felt pain at one moment, then said it didn't seem to hurt at another moment. He cried as he spoke: "Mom, am I going to die?"

Ye Min didn't like what he said and said sullenly, "Nonsense!"

Meng Zheng didn't believe it and asked with tears in his eyes: "Then why does my stomach hurt? I must be dying!"

The more he talked, the more convinced he was that he had been poisoned. He lay on his bed, tears streaming down his face, and explained his final plans. He pointed to the cabinet and said, "There are seventeen yuan and twenty-eight cents in my treasure box. It's my pocket money. Mom and Dad, you can take the money."

He then reached up and touched the toy car hidden under the pillow, handed it to An An who was lying on the bed, and said, "This is my favorite toy. There are also toys I like on the table. They are all yours."

Although An An was young and didn't understand what Meng Zheng meant by "death", she couldn't help but burst into tears when she saw him explaining these things with tears in his eyes: "Brother! Brother——"

The scene was extremely sad for a moment, and the barrage was full of question marks:

[No way? Didn't Meng Zheng survive to the end of the original novel? It's impossible for him to die now, right? ]

[I originally wanted to say it was impossible, but then I thought about how the original storyline had changed so much that it seemed like nothing was impossible]

[It can't be because of this oolong that he died! Isn't this too ridiculous? What kind of fungus is so poisonous? ]

[Stop talking, I have to pee my tears]

…

At this moment, the only person who could remain calm on the barrage screen and in the room was Meng Cheng.

When Ye Min was examining Meng Zheng, he didn't say anything but was observing Meng Zheng the whole time. He saw that although Meng Zheng said he had a stomachache, his facial expression was not tense and he didn't sweat much. He felt something was wrong.

Just as I was about to ask Ye Min, I saw her eyes were slightly red. I knew she was worried and confused, so I said, "Let me take a look."

As he spoke, he bent down, stretched out his hand and pressed directly on Meng Zheng's lower abdomen, and asked: "Does it hurt here?"

"Yes, yes, that's it!" Meng Zheng shouted hurriedly, "It hurts, it hurts!"

Meng Cheng's face showed no sign of distress, and he diagnosed calmly: "It feels hard when pressed, so it should be because the big one is not pulled."

"ah?"

"Um?"

Ye Min and Meng Zheng looked up at each other with wide eyes, but Meng Cheng said calmly, "Let's go to the toilet."

Meng Zheng felt that he was being suspected, and unhappily explained: "I really have a stomachache!"

"Yeah, I know you have a stomachache," Meng Cheng agreed perfunctorily, "Go to the toilet first, and then your mother and I will decide whether to send you to the hospital."

Seeing that Meng Zheng didn't move, he simply picked him up and carried him to the toilet. After putting him down, he said, "Just squat slowly." He closed the door and walked out, and said to Ye Min who had followed him and was standing at the back door, "Don't worry, it's okay."

Ye Min asked, "Do you think he really had a stomachache because he had to go to the toilet?"

"It's most likely," Meng Cheng replied, "Let's wait and see when he comes out."

The two of them walked out while talking. Liang Juan and the others were still in the yard. When they saw them coming out, they asked, "Is Xiao Fengzheng okay?"

"Nothing." Meng Cheng shook his head and asked, "Where are your things?"

"I don't know where he went to play." Liang Juan said with some worry. Meng Zheng and her son picked poisonous mushrooms together. After washing their hands, they both said that they might have wiped their mouths with their hands. Meng Zheng had a stomachache, so would her son also have symptoms?

Thinking of this, Liang Juan could no longer sit still, so she stood up and said, "I'll go out and look for him."

After Liang Juan left, several other military wives also left. Ye Min and Meng Cheng sat in the yard, teasing An An while waiting for Meng Zheng to come out of the toilet.

The wait lasted for more than ten minutes. When Meng Zheng came in from the back door, he was holding on to the wall. He was exhausted and his legs were a little weak.

Ye Min quickly stepped forward and asked, "What's wrong?"

"My legs are numb." Meng Zheng looked up and said pitifully.

Ye Min thought that he had been squatting in the toilet for more than ten minutes, so it would be strange if his legs were not numb. He continued to ask, "How's your stomach? Does it still hurt?"

Meng Zheng said nothing. He walked to the sofa with the help of the wall and sat down. He took a long breath and then he began to take care of his stomach. He opened his clothes and touched his belly. He looked up in surprise: "Huh? It doesn't hurt anymore."

"It seems that you really wanted to go to the toilet just now." Ye Min felt relieved, realizing that she was too worried and only thought about the possibility that Meng Zheng was poisoned by mushrooms, and forgot the most normal point.

Although Meng Zheng was relieved, he felt a little embarrassed when he thought that the reason for his stomachache was that he wanted to poop, so he explained, "I really had a stomachache just now."

Ye Min was his biological mother, so how could she not know what he was thinking? She said jokingly, "Okay, okay, you just had a stomachache, but you're fine now, right?"

Compared to Ye Min, the ridicule on the screen was much more direct:

[This is incredible! If the IP address wasn’t in Yun Province, I would have almost been tricked by Meng Zheng just now]

[I've been fooled! I shed so many tears for my brother, but it turned out to be an oolong! With my brother's acting skills, don't start a business in the future, just go into the entertainment industry]

[How can this be acting? It's all true feelings, okay? Don't talk nonsense! Our little kite is just so naive and stupid! ]

[Hahaha, a naive and stupid comedian, right?]

[Am I the only one who focuses on Meng Zheng’s savings? In the 1970s, 17.28 yuan was enough for an ordinary worker’s half-month salary, right? My savings now are not even enough for half a month’s salary, not even as much as a four-year-old child.]

[What's even scarier is that he's only four years old, but he already has the awareness of saving money, right? When I was a kid, I spent whatever I had. In comparison, it's no wonder he's so rich.]

[I only care that Meng Zheng is okay. Can our An An still get his brother's toys? ]

…

The bullet screen reminded Ye Min, and she looked at Meng Zheng: "You have 17.28 yuan in your savings?"

Meng Zheng played dumb, looking confused: "Ah?"

Ye Min did not follow his intention of playing dumb, and said bluntly: "You just said that you would give the money to me and your father..."

Although Meng Zheng was young, he already showed signs of being obsessed with money. As soon as Ye Min opened her mouth, he called out, "Mom, I feel dizzy, my stomach hurts, and my legs are sore..."

"Are you going to die?" Ye Min said the last sentence for Meng Zheng before he finished speaking, and then said, "It's just right. If something happens to you, I will split your savings with your father, and give all the toys to your sister."

Hearing the word "toy", An An, who was sitting on a small stool beside the coffee table and concentrating on playing with the iron car, raised the toy in his hand and said, "Car! Mine!"

After two consecutive attacks from his mother and sister, Meng Zheng immediately stopped feeling dizzy, his legs were no longer sore, and his stomach no longer hurt. He looked at Ye Min pitifully and said, "Mom! I have saved the money in the treasure box for a long time."

Ye Min knew, of course, that he had been saving this for a long time, and he thought he had been very careful, but how could what happened in this family escape her eyes?

But she hadn't planned to take the money. After all, she gave the money to Meng Zheng for him to spend. He knew saving money was a good thing. Seeing his pitiful expression, he said, "Your father and I can not split the money this time, but next time if you insist on dividing your property with us, your father and I will not be soft-hearted, understand?"

"Got it!" Meng Zheng was immediately beaming with joy as his savings were saved. He didn't care about the future anymore. What he was more concerned about now was, "Then the toy I promised to give to my sister..."

Although she didn't ask Meng Zheng for the deposit, Ye Min still wanted to teach Meng Zheng a lesson. She asked with a half-smile, "Why? As a brother, you gave the toy to your sister, and now you regret it and want to take it back?"

Meng Zheng wanted to save face, so he nodded shyly and only muttered softly: "Then you can leave two toys for me, right?"

"Okay, except for the toy car in An An's hand, you can pick two of the other toys to keep," Ye Min nodded happily, and then reminded, "Remember to send the rest to our room."

It's nice to ask for permission, but... toy cars are his favorite!

But seeing his sister having so much fun playing with the toy car, Meng Zheng really couldn't bring himself to snatch the toy from her. So he could only return to his room with a sigh, pick out two toys he liked more from the pile, and then send the other toys to the master bedroom.

Although he had given up these toys, he was still reluctant to part with them. After putting them down, he touched each one and said with deep emotion, "Goodbye. I will come to see you often in the future."

Ye Min, who stood at the door and watched the whole thing, said: “…” The world of children is so rich, yet it’s hard to understand.

…

In late July, Meng Cheng received good news at work: he was promoted.

Meng Cheng had mentioned this to Ye Min before, but for a position like this that everyone is watching, things could change at any time before it is finalized, so he wasn't so sure at the time.

Ye Min thought it was most likely true, because it was mentioned in the barrage that in the original novel he was a battalion-level officer, which meant he was promoted before the accident.

If it's early this year, or late next year before something happens, you will get promoted.

But Ye Min didn't want Meng Cheng to know about the barrage. It wasn't because she was worried that he would expose her and let her be caught for research, but because she felt that the thought of her dying was unbearable.

Unless by the end of the year she still doesn't know how he died, and he refuses to change his career or transfer to another job when she tries to persuade him, and she needs to come up with a reason to persuade him, otherwise she should just keep this matter to herself.

So before Meng Cheng told Ye Min the good news, Ye Min didn't reveal a word. After knowing the news, she cooperated and acted happy, and even opened a bamboo tube of wine during the meal.

This wine was brought back by Meng Cheng when he was on a mission before. The wine was packed in a bamboo tube. It was golden in color, had a rich and fragrant taste, and had the fragrance of bamboo. It tasted very good.

The couple opened the wine, and the brother and sister saw it and wanted to drink too.

Although the alcohol content of the bamboo tube wine that Meng Cheng bought was not that high, it was still about 30 degrees. How could the two dare to give it to the children? So they took the bamboo tube into the house, dissolved two cups of sweet water with honey, and then brought them out to the brother and sister.

The honey water was made by boiling water with lemongrass and was drinkable right away. An An took a sip and immediately smiled: "It tastes good!"

Meng Zheng was not so easy to fool. Although he had just started the seedling cultivation class, he knew a lot of words. After taking a sip of the honey water, he said, "This is not wine."

Ye Min asked without blinking, "How do you know this isn't wine?"

"Wine has flavor. This one is sweet."

Meng Zheng's words made sense, but Ye Min narrowed her eyes: "How do you know that the wine is not sweet? Have you ever drunk it?"

Although Ye Min's voice was calm, Meng Zheng was not stupid. He knew there was something fishy going on. After thinking for a moment, he said, "I haven't drunk any alcohol, but isn't this honey water?"

"How do you know that wine and honey water don't taste the same?"

Looking at Ye Min's calm expression, Meng Zheng became increasingly confused: "Does wine... taste the same as honey water?"

Ye Min did not answer the question, but only said: "No matter whether wine and honey water taste the same, you and your sister can only drink from the cup tonight. Don't think about anything else. Do you understand?"

In the eyes of most people in the family compound, the Meng family is a typical example of a strict father and a kind mother. Meng Cheng looks fierce at first glance, while Ye Min has a gentle personality.

But in reality, Meng Cheng may not be able to control Meng Zheng. On the contrary, looking at the gentle Ye Min, she has the final say at home and no one dares to disobey her.

Hearing her say this, although Meng Zheng was curious about the taste of the bamboo wine in his parents' cups, he really only dared to think about it in his heart. He picked up the enamel cup, raised his head and drank a sip of the sweet honey water, and said honestly: "I know."

After coaxing the two children, dinner started smoothly.

Ye Min didn't eat much, but she was in a good mood for drinking. She would take a sip of wine after every two bites of food. When she drank, Meng Cheng followed her and even drank more.

But the two men's drinking capacity is incomparable. There are many occasions for drinking in the army. When Meng Cheng's comrades get married and have children, or when their wives and children come to the army with the army, they will basically treat them to a meal.

Even if there is no happy event, a group of old men can always find a reason to go out to eat, and every time they get together, cigarettes and alcohol are always indispensable.

Meng Cheng's drinking capacity was developed in these occasions, and the same goes for cigarettes, but it was only after Ye Min ruined An An not long after joining the army that he gradually smoked less.

Ye Min didn't have many opportunities to practice his drinking capacity in his life. At that time, he needed a ticket to buy wine, and good liquor was not cheap, costing two or three yuan or even four or five yuan a bottle.

In this regard, women are always more reluctant to spend money than men.

Before joining the army, Ye Min lived alone with his son, so he was very careful to keep a distance from his male colleagues when outside, and most of his social circle consisted of women.

Although she had fewer concerns after joining the army, she was only familiar with Mr. Dong, and the others were just nodding acquaintances. Even when she invited Mr. Dong to dinner, Meng Cheng usually drank with him, as she drank less.

So Ye Min and Meng Cheng drank, although she sipped it one sip at a time and he drank it in big gulps, most of the bamboo tube of wine went into Meng Cheng's stomach, but it was Ye Min who got drunk faster.

However, Ye Min was a good drinker and did not make any noise or trouble when drunk. She just held Meng Cheng's hand and refused to let go after he carried her back to the room and put her on the bed.

Meng Cheng didn't think much about it. She wanted to sleep holding his hand, so he just sat in the room for a while.

So they sat there for about ten minutes, until An An's voice was heard outside: "Dad!"

Immediately afterwards, Meng Zheng's laughter was heard again, which was a bit inexplicable and made people feel uneasy.

Meng Cheng looked down at Ye Min. She smacked her lips and changed her posture, as if she had fallen asleep. He placed his free hand on her right hand, gently removed it, and then carefully pulled his hand out.

After getting up, Meng Cheng bent down and pulled the thin quilt stacked at the end of the bed, opened it and covered Ye Min's chest with it, then turned and walked out.

As soon as he reached the gate, Meng Cheng saw Meng Zheng staggering around in the yard, making strange noises: "I'm not drunk! I can still drink!"

Meng Cheng's face darkened and he walked to the dining table with a sullen look.

Seeing his father coming over, An An, who was sitting on a fixed wooden chair, brightened up and shouted, "Dad!"

Meng Cheng reached out and touched the lady's hair, picked up the bamboo tube and looked inside, it was empty. But he and Ye Min had almost finished drinking the wine just now, so he was not sure if there was any wine left in the room when he entered, so he put it down and took Meng Zheng's enamel cup.

The honey water in the enamel cup had been finished. He took it to his nose and sniffed it. Sure enough, there was a faint smell of alcohol. He guessed that there was some alcohol left in the bamboo tube. Meng Zheng mixed the honey water and the remaining alcohol together and drank it all.

Looking at his drunken son jumping around in front of him, Meng Cheng's lips twitched slightly, and he didn't know what to say for a moment.

Meng Zheng yelled like the drunk uncles he had seen before, then he tilted his feet and sat on the ground. Fortunately, the ground in the yard was relatively flat, so he didn't get scratched. Because he was drunk, the pain was dull and he didn't feel any pain in his butt. Instead, he slowly raised his head and looked at Meng Cheng with a dazed look.

As he watched, he tilted his head, stretched out his hands and said little by little: "Huh? How come there are two, no, three dads?" He stretched out his hands again, "Dad! I want a hug!"

Meng Cheng didn't want to hug him, he just wanted to give him a meal of fried meat with bamboo shoots.

He really did so, but before beating him up, he picked Meng Zheng up first. Feeling the warmth of his father's embrace, Meng Zheng rubbed his shoulders and said, "Mom is right, wine is really sweet, hiccup~"

That's because you missed the honey water when you drank it!

Meng Cheng thought in his heart, but did not move his mouth. After returning to the dining table and sitting down, he turned Meng Zheng around and let him lie on his legs. Because he was outside and his pants were taken off, he slapped him directly.

After getting drunk, Meng Zheng’s sense of pain was dulled. He didn’t feel anything when he fell, but he was very sensitive to being beaten. As soon as the slap landed on him, he howled: “Mom! Mom! Help!”