Chapter 46 Chapter 46 Seeing a doctor

After returning to the office, Meng Yufei first reported to the director the application that Director Tian had just submitted to make a few cribs and child chairs.

Director Fu readily agreed to the application.

After Meng Yufei returned to the office, she spoke to Xiao Zhang and asked her to help look after Xia Qinqin while she went to the commune.

Xia Qinqin pulled Meng Yufei's clothes and said coquettishly, "Mom, I want to go with you."

Xiao Zhang said: "The commune is still quite far from here. It will be very tiring for the kids to walk there."

Xia Qinqin immediately said, "Mom, I'm not afraid of being tired, just take me with you."

Meng Yufei said helplessly: "Okay, then you come with me."

Xiao Zhang said with a smile: "Qinqin, why are you so clingy to mom today? Didn't you just say that you will soon be a big kid in the senior class?"

Xia Qinqin said: "I haven't started school yet, I'm not a big kid yet."

Xiao Zhang shrugged and said, "Haha, you do make sense." He turned to Meng Yufei and said, "Sister Meng, don't come back to the office after you go to the commune. It will be almost time to get off work if you come back."

Meng Yufei said, "Xiao Zhang, I just asked Director Fu for leave this afternoon. Please sort out the tickets for this month today. I will come to check them tomorrow."

Xiao Zhang nodded and said, "Okay, I understand."

Meng Yufei led Xia Qinqin out of the family compound and walked west along the coast. After about fifteen minutes, they saw the commune's yard.

There were only three large tiled houses in the commune yard, which was much simpler than the town government.

Hearing about Meng Yufei's purpose, the commune secretary said happily: "This is easy to do. We have a large bamboo forest on our island. Bamboo grows fast and is not easily corroded by the sea breeze. Compared with using wood to make furniture, people on our island prefer to use bamboo."

"Director Meng, you mean to make a few small beds and chairs, right? The best bamboo furniture maker on our island is Qi Laowu. I'll talk to him later."

Meng Yufei said, "I wonder if I can meet this Master Qi. I want to tell him my specific request in person."

The secretary said readily, "Of course you can. I'll ask Accountant Qi to take you there."

Qi Laowu's house was not far behind the commune. Accountant Qi brought Meng Yufei and her daughter to the door and shouted into the yard, "Uncle Wu, are you home?"

The person who opened the door was a girl of fifteen or sixteen. When she saw Accountant Qi, she smiled and said, "Third brother, why are you here?"

Most of the residents on the island have lived here for generations and are related to each other. Accountant Qi and Qi Laowu's family are relatives, and the two families were brothers for three generations.

Accountant Qi asked, "Zhuzhu, is your father home?" Pointing to Meng Yufei behind him, he said, "This is Director Meng from the Logistics Department of the Family Courtyard. He came to order some bamboo furniture from your father."

Zhuzhu nodded and said, "My dad is at home, come in quickly." Then she opened the door and led them into the yard, then turned around and shouted into the house, "Dad, someone wants you to make furniture."

Qi Laowu came out of the house and saw Accountant Qi. He said, "I was wondering who was looking for me. It turned out to be Xiao Sanzi. What kind of work did your secretary assign you?"

Accountant Qi introduced Meng Yufei to him again and explained the purpose of his visit.

After hearing this, Qi Laowu said confidently, "Director Meng, just tell me what you want."

Meng Yufei took out Xia Qinqin's drawing paper and pen from her bag and said, "I'll talk to you while I draw."

Qi Zhuzhu, who was standing nearby, said, "Director Meng, you can just bring the drawing over next time. My dad is an old teacher and can understand the drawings. You don't need to come over and explain it in person."

Meng Yufei smiled and said, "I'm not good at drawing, and I'm afraid it won't be clear. It's better to draw while talking."

Qi Zhuzhu pointed to the stone table in the yard and said, "Then sit down and paint."

Meng Yufei took Xia Qinqin over and sat down, spread the drawing paper on the stone table and started to draw. Qi Laowu and Accountant Qi walked over to watch, and Meng Yufei explained as she drew.

"I hope the baby chair can have reinforced fences around it. Well, there should be a small platform in the front where I can put some food..."

Qi Zhuzhu took out a big mango from the house and gave it to Xia Qinqin, "Little boy, try the mango. I just picked it from the tree yesterday."

This mango is very big, weighing about three or four pounds. Xia Qinqin needs both hands to hold this big mango.

Xia Qinqin looked down at the mango in her hand, leaned forward to smell it, and the fragrant smell filled her nose. She looked up and asked, "Sister, what is this?"

Qi Zhuzhu said: "It is a kind of fruit, very delicious."

Meng Yufei saw the mango in Xia Qinqinqin's hand and hurriedly said, "Miss, you are too polite. We are embarrassed to take such a big mango. Qinqin, return the mango to your sister."

Meng Yufei had eaten small mangoes before, and it was estimated that it would take four or five mangoes to be as big as this one. This was the first time she had seen a mango this big.

Qi Zhuzhu smiled and said, "You're welcome. Our commune has a patch of mango trees. Every year when the mangoes are ripe, the trees are full of them and we can't eat them all."

Qi Laowu also nodded and said, "It's not a rare thing, give it to the baby."

Meng Yufei then said to Xia Qinqin: "Then Qinqin, thank your sister quickly."

Xia Qinqin happily hugged the mango and thanked: "Thank you sister for treating me to mango~"

Qi Zhuzhu touched Xia Qinqin's cheek and said with a smile, "You're welcome."

Meng Yufei handed the finished paper to Qi Laowu, stood up and said, "Master Qi, thank you for your help."

Qi Laowu took the drawing paper and nodded, saying, "Director Meng, I understand what you mean. I think the things you want will be ready tomorrow afternoon. We will send them to you then."

In recent years, the commune has often cooperated with the family compound to make furniture and other things. The commune takes the lead in accepting orders and assigns them to the members below. In the end, the commune distributes the money earned to the members in proportion, and sometimes also gives the members a processing share.

Meng Yufei said, "Please deliver it directly to the small courtyard west of the Women's Committee and ask Director Tian Ruizhi to receive it, and then come to our Logistics Department's Finance Section to settle the account."

Accountant Qi nodded and said, "Okay, we understand."

Meng Yufei and Xia Qinqin left the commune and walked towards their family compound. On the way, a woman carrying a military backpack hurriedly passed them.

Watching the woman's face flash by, Meng Yufei remembered that this seemed to be the employee of the post office, and it seemed that her name was Qi Zhenzhen. They both had the surname Qi. She might be the sister of Qi Zhuzhu who had just delivered mangoes to Qinqin.

Thinking of the post office, Meng Yufei felt that she should go to the post office when she had time to ask if the things from Hai City had arrived. It had been two weeks, so they should be here soon.

Qi Zhenzhen trotted all the way home, opened the door and saw her father and sister in the yard. She said, "Dad, I heard that the textile factory in the city is recruiting workers and will start accepting applications tomorrow. Zhuzhu, get ready. I'll take you to register tomorrow."

Qi Zhuzhu said reluctantly: "I don't want to go."

Qi Zhenzhen raised her eyebrows and asked, "What do you want to do? It's not easy for a factory to recruit workers. You must seize this rare opportunity. If you become a worker, you will have a stable job!"

"I don't want to go anyway." Qi Zhuzhu turned and went into the house. Qi Zhenzhen was so angry that she yelled behind her, "What do you want to do? You didn't want to go back to high school when I asked you to repeat your studies. You didn't want to apply to be a worker when I asked you to. What are you thinking about every day?"

"Dad, please talk to her!" Qi Zhenzhen turned to Qi Laowu who was arranging bamboo in the yard and said.

Qi Laowu said, "What can I say? If you ask me, it's better to go back to school and repeat your studies. After you graduate from high school, it would be best to find an office job."

Qi Zhenzhen said, "Do you think Zhuzhu wants to go back to school? She has never liked studying since she was little. We managed to force her to finish middle school. It's unknown how many years it will take for her to enter high school."

Qi Laowu was marking the bamboo pole with a charcoal pencil. After hearing what his eldest daughter said, he replied, "Then let her take the exam for a few more years. She is still young, and your mother and I are worried about letting her go to the city. Besides, our family doesn't expect her to make money, and we don't need her to make a living."

Qi Laowu has two daughters. The eldest daughter, Qi Zhenzhen, has been a good student since childhood. After graduating from high school, she was successfully assigned to work at the town post office. The younger daughter, Qi Zhuzhu, is a bit worrying. Not only has she been a poor student since childhood, but she also loves to fight with boys. She is the leader of the children of the same generation and is always involved in mischief.

However, there is one thing that makes Qi Laowu most satisfied with his little daughter, that is, she has inherited the Qi family's diving skills.

The Qi family was a pearl divers several hundred years ago, and their family members had acquired good swimming skills. During the Ming Dynasty, they were recruited into the Qi Family Army because of their good swimming skills. They followed General Qi to fight against Japanese pirates, and it was at that time that they changed their surnames to Qi.

After the disbandment of the Qi Family Army, they became pearl divers again. After liberation, fewer and fewer people in the Qi Family engaged in pearl divers. After all, this was too dangerous, and every time they went into the water, their lives were in danger. In the past, they had no choice but to do this, but now they have a choice, and of course farming and fishing are the best.

Qi Laowu himself was the worst swimmer of his generation. When he was a child, his father was worried that he would have no food to eat in the future, so he sent him out to learn carpentry. It was a good time for him to learn carpentry. After liberation, he relied on his skills to make furniture for the commune and earn work points, which was much easier than going out to sea to fish.

There are two daughters in his family. The eldest daughter now has a decent job, and he continues to work in the commune. Life at home is very easy, so he does not force the younger daughter to work.

Moreover, this little girl has been good at swimming since she was young, and no boy or girl of the same generation can compare with her. Qi Laowu himself is not good at swimming, and he has always regretted it. After all, his family has relied on swimming for generations. Now that he has a little daughter to make up for the regret, he can't help but favor her a little.

After hearing what her father said and seeing that her sister really did not want to register, Qi Zhenzhen sighed and said, "Okay, just get used to her. I don't care." Then she went into the house angrily.

Meng Yufei was holding Xia Qinqin's arm as they passed by the supply and marketing cooperative. They saw some shrimps left on the vegetable stall, so Meng Yufei bought all of them. They weighed less than a pound and cost her fifty cents.

I bought a bunch of amaranth for only two cents, and planned to stir-fry it at home. I also bought a bunch of green vegetables for two cents, and planned to make a green vegetable and egg soup at home.

After returning home, Xia Qinqin put the mango on the dining table, trotted into the room, took out her drawing paper and paintbrush, and prepared to draw the mango.

She still remembered that she had promised to give Auntie Zhang a picture of mangoes last time. After she went to kindergarten, she would definitely be very busy and would not have time to draw.

Seeing her daughter drawing on the table, Meng Yufei took the shrimps to the yard to wash them. Not many shrimps were bought this time, so they were washed in a short while.

After returning to the kitchen, Meng Yufei cooked the shrimps in water, which is the most convenient and least likely method. After the shrimps are cooked, they are taken out and rinsed with cold water before being put into a plate. Then, the amaranth is washed and stir-fried in the pot.

When Xia Junshan got home, he smelled the aroma of cooking. He looked out and saw Meng Yufei cooking in the kitchen. He asked, "Fei Fei, what are you cooking? I can smell the aroma from far away."

Meng Yufei said, "Amaranth, I went to the commune this morning. When I came back, I saw that the vegetables in the supply and marketing cooperative were quite fresh, so I bought some."

Xia Junshan said, "It's a coincidence that I can taste the dishes you cooked yourself today."

Meng Yufei said, "By the way, Junshan, go to the cafeteria and get some rice. I'll put my bag on the sofa with the lunch box and the bills inside."

Xia Junshan nodded and said, "Okay."

Walking to the dining table, Xia Junshan saw Xia Qinqin drawing a mango seriously on the table. He asked, "Qinqin, Daddy is going to the cafeteria. Do you want to go with me? Daddy will hold you."

Xia Qinqin turned to look at Xia Junshan, then looked down at the painting in her hand, shook her head and said, "Dad, I'll go with you next time. I need to hurry up and finish this painting."

Xia Junshan touched his daughter's hair and said with a smile, "Okay, then you can paint slowly."

I took the lunch box from the bag on the sofa and went to the cafeteria to get rice. When I came back, Meng Yufei had already cooked the vegetable soup.

At the dinner table, Xia Junshan noticed that Meng Yufei was in a bad mood and seemed to be worried, so he asked, "Did you take Qinqin to register this morning?"

Meng Yufei paused while peeling shrimps and said, "It went smoothly. School starts tomorrow."

Xia Qinqin turned to Xia Junshan and said, "Dad, I'm going to be in the senior class."

Xia Junshan said: "Really? That's great. Qinqin is a big kid now."

Xia Qinqin puffed out her chest happily and said, "Yeah, I'm a big kid now."

Meng Yufei put the peeled shrimps to her daughter's mouth and said, "Big kid, you should eat well."

Xia Qinqin lowered her head and ate the shrimp, praising: "The shrimp made by mom is the most delicious, I want to eat a lot."

Xia Junshan smiled and said, "Then I'll peel it for you."

I looked at Meng Yufei and saw that she looked a little uneasy. I wondered what happened in the morning.

However, when he saw that Meng Yufei was unwilling to say it, he did not continue to ask, thinking that Feifei would tell him if necessary, and if it really didn't work, he would investigate it privately.

…

After Tong Caifeng returned home, she just threw her little daughter on the bed and opened the cupboard, took out a piece of peach cake and started eating it.

In her last life, she lived frugally and ended up giving all her money to other people. In this life, she wanted to make up for her regrets, eat well and keep healthy, so that she could give birth to a son to support her. She would have someone to rely on when she was old and she wouldn't have to go to other people's houses to look up to them.

Coincidentally, there was a kindergarten in the family compound where she lived. It must be God's thought for her that he could send the unlucky girl there and save himself a lot of trouble.

When Team Leader Fang got home from get off work at noon, he saw that they had gotten their meals from the cafeteria again. He couldn't help but ask, "Why are you getting your meals from the cafeteria again? Don't you have time to cook when you're at home all day?"

Tong Caifeng said unhappily, "I'm not well yet, I can't touch cold water. Besides, you and Captain Xia are both captains, why doesn't his wife have to cook and eat in the cafeteria every day? Why can't I not cook? Isn't she the same as me, she gave birth to a girl, and only one, she's not as good as me!"

Leader Fang sighed and said, "If they want to eat in the cafeteria, then they can eat in the cafeteria. Why are you mentioning Old Xia's family again? They eat in the cafeteria because they both work and have no time to cook. And you don't work."

Tong Caifeng said, "I don't care. If you still want me to have a son, then forget about asking me to cook. By the way, you also have to wash the clothes at home from now on. I can't touch cold water."

Head Fang took a few bites of rice with his chopsticks, and finally said, "Okay, I'll help you wash for a while."

Tong Caifeng curled her lips, thinking that work was nothing great, it was still because she couldn't give birth to a son. She remembered that in her previous life until they left the island, that cannon fodder had only a girl, she was unlucky.

Humph! When I give birth to a son, I will definitely suppress Captain Xia's family!

—————

The home of Captain Xue.

At noon, Mrs. Xue still ate the meal that Captain Xue brought back from the canteen, and there was no smell of meat at all.

Mrs. Xue said angrily, "It's been a few days. You are such a loser as an official. You don't have any dignity at all. Can't you go and borrow some meat tickets from others first?"

Captain Xue said with a straight face, "I'll go find someone to borrow it this afternoon. When we have guests at home in the evening, I'll go to the canteen in the family compound and get some meat dishes."

When Mrs. Xue heard that there was meat to eat, she was immediately happy. She picked up her lunch box and started eating. She asked with a smacking mouth, "Who is coming over? Your comrades or leaders? Don't worry, I will help you entertain them. I am in my hometown and can talk to the captain. You should praise these leaders well and don't be like a blockhead..."

Captain Xue ignored what Mrs. Xue said. He just said, "Remember to wash the lunch box after eating," and went back to his room and closed the door.

When Yin Guixiang got home, she immediately saw the lunch box and chopsticks on the table just as they were yesterday at noon. She didn't look at it again. Anyway, she and her daughter were not at home for dinner, so she didn't care what was on the table.

After returning to the room, Captain Xue said to Yin Guixiang, "Come back to have dinner tonight. Someone is coming to our house."

Yin Guixiang asked, "Who's coming?"

Captain Xue said, "Two days ago I sent a telegram to my hometown, asking them to send someone to pick up my mother. This morning I received a call from the dock on the other side, saying that people from my hometown have already arrived at the dock and will take a boat to the island this afternoon."

Yin Guixiang was silent for a while, then asked, "Who is coming to pick us up?"

Captain Xue said, "It's my eldest brother."

Yin Guixiang asked again: "Just him?"

Captain Xue replied, "Well, I said in my telegram that I would only reimburse the ticket for one person."

Yin Guixiang snorted coldly and said, "Okay, then I'll bring the kids back to eat in the evening."

…

After a nap, Xia Junshan went to the army. After washing Xia Qinqin's face, Meng Yufei did not go to work, but took her to the army hospital.

Seeing that the road they were walking on was not the familiar road to the logistics department, Xia Qinqin asked curiously, "Mom, aren't we going to work?"

Meng Yufei explained to her: "Let's go to the hospital."

Xia Qinqin frowned when she heard this and said, "Mom, I don't want any injections or bitter medicine! Qinqin is not sick, right?"

Meng Yufei said patiently, "You're not going to get an injection. Why don't you go and talk to the doctor?"

After hearing that she didn't want an injection, Xia Qinqin nodded and said, "Okay then."

In the military hospital, the doctor in a white coat said to Meng Yufei: "We have checked the child. He is not physically injured and mentally normal. We found no problems."

Meng Yufei asked anxiously: "Why is that?"

The doctor said, "Well, for the symptoms you just mentioned, we haven't found the cause yet. It may be that the child is too young and his memory is sometimes confused. It may also be that he had this kind of dream and confused the dream with reality after waking up."

Meng Yufei was silent for a moment, then continued to ask: "Then...will it affect the child's life?"

The doctor said: "For now, it seems to have no effect. You can observe it later. If this happens again, you can come back for a follow-up consultation. If..."

"If what?"

"If this happens frequently, you can...consider going to a mental hospital in the city for a checkup."

In this era, many hospitals do not have psychiatric departments. People's first impression of mentally ill patients is that they are crazy or stupid...

Meng Yufei was stunned, and it took her a long time to come back to her senses. The doctor's words made her heart sink into the abyss.

Holding Xia Qinqin out of the hospital, Meng Yufei felt a lump in her throat as she watched her daughter jumping for joy because she really didn't have to take medicine or get injections.

No matter what, she would take good care of Qinqin for the rest of her life, even if... she would rather take care of her for the rest of her life.