That day, Tang Cuilan had just returned home from Guanshan Village when she breathlessly grabbed Xiao Jiu, who was eating cantaloupe.
"Jiu'er, guess who I just saw?"
Xiao Jiu subconsciously looked behind her, but Tao Changyi shook his head. "I don't know him."
"It's Zhang Yanhong. Do you know Zhang Yanhong? She's the one our father married later, oh no, the one Tang Youtian married later."
After exclaiming "Ah!", Xiao Jiu, Zhao Lingli, and Tao Changyi asked in unison, "What's she doing here?"
She remembered that she had fled with her son during the Great Famine. Could it be that they escaped to the Northeast?
"I saw her in a town near Guanshan Village. She was selling eggs in a furtive manner with an old man!"
Judging from their appearance, they should live in a nearby village.
She doesn't know us, so it won't matter if we bump into each other in the future.
Seeing her alive and well, while Tang Youtian... made me feel uneasy.
Xiao Jiu, however, felt no psychological burden whatsoever; her son was the offspring of Ma Laosan, a married man.
Thinking of this, she frowned. "What's wrong with that? Tang Youtian has never raised us for a single day!"
"Sister, we don't need to get involved in this. Anyway, she gave birth to it, so it has nothing to do with our family."
"It's not just a small amount of wine. You might not know, but that Ma Laosan did a lot of bad things with people from a certain committee during those ten years."
He died a few years ago after eating peanuts. I heard that his wife's family found a lot of good stuff there.
Do you think Zhang Yanhong might have something on her?
She did give him a son, after all. Would he really abandon them, mother and son?
During the famine, no one could care for anyone else, but what happened after the famine?
Although Xiao Jiu wasn't short of money, she knew that in those days, any henchman in a certain committee could make a fortune.
Moreover, this Ma Laosan is said to be a squad leader. Even if he gets punished later, no one can guarantee that he doesn't have any hidden cards up his sleeve.
"She can do without these things, but she absolutely cannot let them go to people who shouldn't get them."
Xiao Jiu kept this in mind, thinking that since she lived nearby, they would meet again sooner or later.
After taking a shower that night, I was lying in bed thinking when Zhou Yue's voice came from the living room. A moment later, he walked in wearing a shirt and military trousers.
"Why are you here so late?" Xiao Jiu straightened up and casually tossed the cushion behind her. Zhou Yue took a long stride and sat down on the low stool next to him.
"My wife isn't home, and it's not a pleasant feeling to be alone in an empty house. Luckily, my work for now is finished, and I'll have a day off tomorrow."
On the contrary, why do you look so preoccupied?
Xiao Jiu first told Zhang Yanhong about her situation, and then thought about her own.
"Look, she's a rural woman, and we still managed to run into her even though she's traveled this far."
"And what about me? Do you think anyone will recognize me? I wouldn't have cared before, but now I have a child, and my parents are here too,"
Seeing that Xiao Jiu was sensitive and highly stressed, Zhou Yue quickly grabbed her hand and gently comforted her.
“You are different. How could you be the same as her? You have the country behind you. You should trust your organization.”
Since the organization has already planned for your retreat, how could they possibly create countless troubles and loose ends for you?
Xiao Jiu shook her head, still feeling uneasy.
"Have you forgotten about Geng Yun? The documents he handed over did indeed include an investigation into my file."
"So what? It's not like it's targeting you alone. There were two other equally outstanding people in that file back then."
Therefore, it's possible they didn't discover your identity; it's more likely they noticed you because you're so outstanding.
Although during those years away from home, Xiao Jiu tried her best to avoid participating in large gatherings, publishing in newspapers, and accepting video or photo interviews.
However, this does not completely prevent her personal image from being exposed.
"Your tension right now is probably due to hormonal changes; it's easy to overthink things after you get pregnant."
You need to know that you are safe now. Even if something happens, you still have me, right?
Despite Zhou Yue's comforting words, he still sighed softly when he saw her furrowed brows after she fell asleep.
He went to the balcony, lit a cigarette, stood by the window, and stared intently ahead.
Xiao Jiu's thoughts, along with her worries, drifted back to five years ago...
——
Xiao Jiu, who is four months pregnant, is not yet showing a noticeable belly. It only takes ten minutes to walk from the family compound to the hospital.
Ever since Liu Hongbo and Wang Zhijun were both demoted and had their salaries reduced and were assigned night shifts, the two of them would automatically avoid her whenever they saw her.
Even if you look grumpy when you need to cooperate, you still have to put on a good show.
To be honest, it's quite pointless. Xiao Jiu thinks these people are too petty, but after all, they are colleagues, and you'll see them all the time.
She didn't bother with the fact that they hadn't apologized to her personally, and instead threw herself into her work.
Her sleep quality had been declining for several days in a row, which made her feel upset and irritable.
Unexpectedly, a child with meningitis came in during my clinic day. The couple and a young woman brought the child with them.
When the two of them started communicating, they actually started speaking Japanese, and the girl next to them translated.
This immediately put her nerves on edge.
Fortunately, the more this is the case, the less you can show anything; you have to deliberately pretend that nothing is wrong.
Throughout the process, under her guidance, her apprentice asked questions.
When they learned that the engineers were sent by a Japanese company, their child had contracted viral meningitis while working in China.
Although he has been cured, he has been left with limb movement disorders as a sequela. I heard that Xiaojiu is good at combining traditional Chinese and Western medicine.
So I made a special appointment with her to see her.
She wore a mask throughout her consultations, and after hearing the translator's words, she subconsciously glanced at the child.
After seeing it, I felt a wave of disgust. Damn it, it really looks like a Japanese manga.
Once she built up a defense in her mind, no matter how saintly she was, she wouldn't bother to see a doctor for this disease, so she just went with the medical records they handed her.
She began a series of professional explanations, speaking very quickly, almost overwhelming the translator, who even made two grammatical errors.
Ignoring Xiao Jiu, he continued babbling on and on, finally uttering a single sentence at the very end.
"I'm sorry, this sequela will require subsequent intervention and treatment, as well as maintaining a good mood and nutrition, avoiding mental stress, trying to prevent colds and infections, and also guarding against the development of epilepsy..."
After the translator solemnly conveyed her meaning, the couple no longer looked at her with the same caution as before.
It could even be said that his expression changed instantly, and he then complained to her face, warning the translator not to say a word.
"Did you hear that? I told you not to come, not to come, but you insisted on coming. Look at you, this guy calls himself an expert? Bah, he's nothing!"
"Hey, keep your voice down. This is a military hospital. Do you think you can get in without connections?"
I only got this number by asking the factory manager for help. Don't let her young age fool you, she's got some skills.
Since she's said that, it means Ichiro's illness is difficult to cure..."
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