Chapter 80080 The Secret of the Pen
Zhao Wanqiu also followed Jin Yue's footsteps and ran out, "Isn't it epilepsy? How could it not be? The symptoms and family history are obviously the same as epilepsy..."
Shu Jinyue took her into the car without saying anything. She needed to calm down.
Zhao Wanqiu didn't disturb her and just sat there in a daze. She knew what Jin Yue meant. Taking her out was to see the world and also to let her get in touch with more difficult and complicated diseases. The more she saw, the better it would be for her to improve her skills.
Therefore, what she needs to do is to talk less, watch more, learn more, and not cause trouble for her daughter.
Although she didn't know how high-ranking this Leader Hu was, nor did she know what that Expert He did, she knew that if she had relied on herself, she would never have come into contact with such a high-ranking official until her retirement.
Sometimes I think about my daughter's success and the more and more outstanding people she can meet. Sometimes I think about saving up a dowry for her. Jin Yue and Xiao Xu have been dating for several years. I don't know whether the university allows marriage. If it allows, I should consider this matter... My daughter is not in a hurry, but Xiao Xu is getting old.
Director Xu and his wife came to her house several times, and their words and deeds always mentioned their marriage. Their attitude was sincere and their posture was humble enough, so she could only try her best to be perfunctory every time. How should I put it? She doesn't want her daughter to get married so early. She always says "listen to the child" and she has "no objection", but in fact she just doesn't want to put pressure on her daughter.
I was thinking so much that I almost forgot to get off the car when I arrived at the Hu family’s gate.
Jin Yue reminded her, "Mom, we're here."
Expert He was accompanying Xiao Shitou in the room. He had just had a seizure and now had regained consciousness. He looked listless and pale. When he saw Jin Yue, he called her "Auntie". His exposed little hand was receiving an IV drip.
Jin Yue looked at the syringe bottle, which contained a commonly used drug to reduce brain edema. He then looked at the medicine box on the bedside table, which contained common drugs for treating epilepsy, which meant that the doctor had been treating him for epilepsy these past few days.
Hu Guizhi handed over the EEG report, and Jin Yue read it carefully twice. A phenomenon called "epileptic discharge" will appear on the electroencephalogram of epilepsy, such as abnormal waveforms such as spike waves, sharp waves, and spike-slow complex waves. This is caused by abnormal discharges of brain neurons.
But Xiao Shitou's EEG was completely normal, without any abnormal waveform at all, which meant that during the attack, Xiao Shitou's brain neurons did not discharge abnormally.
But if there was no abnormal discharge, what caused his loss of consciousness, convulsions, incontinence and other symptoms?
The more he thought about it, he did not forget to take his pulse, thinking that since the attack had just happened, maybe he could get some results by taking his pulse.
It was indeed a little different. The last time she rushed to the hospital, the child had fully recovered for several days, so there was no abnormality in the pulse. But this time, she came earlier and did not have time to clean up the vomit on the ground. Jin Yue was very sure -
She felt a slippery pulse, a clearly slippery pulse.
But logically speaking, he had just lost consciousness, which was said to have lasted for more than three minutes, so his pulse should not be slippery.
Jin Yue felt something was wrong and thought quickly in his mind: slippery pulse indicates that the main diseases are phlegm, excess heat, food accumulation and pregnancy. For Xiao Shitou, pregnancy can definitely be ruled out.
So, is it phlegm and fluid? But he had no phlegm in his throat, and during the last consultation he said he had no feeling of chest tightness and did not usually have symptoms of coughing up phlegm.
If it is a case of excess heat, there will be no corresponding symptoms such as flushing face, bad breath, yellow urine, and constipation.
Could it be indigestion? Children are very prone to indigestion.
"Little Stone, be good and open your mouth so that auntie can see."
Little Stone opened his eyes obediently. Zhao Wanqiu turned on the incandescent light in the room and saw that his tongue was greasy and yellowish in color.
"Have you had a fever these past two days?"
"No fever. This is the temperature monitoring chart for recent times." Xiao Shitou's aunt stood quietly behind him and handed him a notebook.
Although her handwriting was not beautiful, she wrote clearly what time of day the temperature was measured, and whether it was before or after meals. She even connected the temperature at the same time of day into a curve for easy viewing. One can tell at a glance that there is not much fluctuation, and both the highest and lowest temperatures are within the normal range.
Even Zhao Wanqiu couldn't help but praise him, "Comrade, your record is really detailed. Were you a nurse before?"
My aunt smiled shyly, then quickly shook her head, "No, I used to cook in the cafeteria of the Health School. I happened to hear the teachers talking about it. Later, I joined the factory as a family worker, but unfortunately I didn't get a permanent job, so I had to go home."
She is so skilled even though she has no experience in nursing. Looking at her movements in taking care of Xiao Shitou, she is more serious than the average young nurse. Zhao Wanqiu shows admiration on her face.
My aunt then hurriedly took the dustpan and mop, and carefully, trying not to make any noise, went to the head of the bed to clean the place where Xiao Shitou had just vomited.
Jin Yue looked over and found that it was some undigested food. He could even see the original appearance of the food, including unchewed chicken and stuck egg yolks. There were quite a few of them, and they smelled sour.
I was busy seeing the doctor just now and didn't pay attention to it. Now that I see it, the smell is very pungent and I feel a little nauseous.
Zhao Wanqiu hurried over to help. She was used to doing this job before and knew how to clean up the fastest and cleanest. But when she saw such a large pool of vomit, she was still stunned. "How much did the child eat? Why did he vomit so much?"
My aunt sighed and whispered, "He eats normally like everyone else, but he has been in poor health since he was a child, his spleen and stomach are very weak, and he often suffers from indigestion."
Little Stone is a big-headed kid with yellow, tangled hair and a pale yellow complexion. He looks like a child with a bad spleen and stomach. "Have you had a checkup? It looks a bit like malnutrition to me."
My aunt nodded quickly. "Yes, yes, it's this disease. I took him to the commune hospital a few years ago. He prescribed Fei'er Pills. I took them for a few days. If I don't take them, it will be difficult to digest. Expert He said, said..."
She looked at Expert He's expression, as if she felt that what the nanny said about the master's family was not very nice.
Expert He didn't care. "It's okay. I was just thinking that it would be bad for the child to take too many medicines when he was young. I thought he wouldn't need to take them when he got better. I just let him move more every day to strengthen his physique."
Jin Yue nodded. This was the correct way of thinking. No medicine could last a lifetime. Only when the body’s positive energy was sufficient and the resistance was strong, the digestive ability would naturally be good.
Thinking about it this way, it is obvious that Xiao Shitou's slippery pulse is caused by food accumulation, and the tongue and pulse patterns match.
Following this line of thought, Jin Yue asked, "How many meals does the child usually eat a day?"
"Three or four meals, usually three meals, and he eats with us. Sometimes his appetite is a little better and he wants to eat more, so we will give him more, but not much." After saying this, my aunt looked at Hu Guizhi, hoping she could testify for her.
"It's like this, we eat together for every meal, and the child doesn't eat much." She has always been very tolerant to the people below her, so it was normal for her to speak a few words of truth on behalf of her aunt.
Shu Jinyue frowned. If he didn't eat too much, why would he vomit so much? This amount of vomiting even exceeds that of an adult.
Zhao Wanqiu, who is very straightforward, said directly: "No, I have been in clinical practice for so many years and have cleaned up vomit thousands of times, but such a large amount can only be found in those hungry teenagers, and rarely in adults... Could it be..."
She and her daughter looked at each other.
The more Jin Yue looked over, she saw that Xiao Shitou was avoiding her gaze, not daring to meet her gaze, and his hands were shaking a little, clearly looking guilty.
I see.
Jin Yue smiled, feeling a little helpless and a little distressed. She knew what was going on.
However, in front of so many people, the child also has self-esteem. Jin Yue didn't say anything and asked a few more small questions. After the child relaxed his vigilance, he suddenly started talking like chatting: "Hey, where's Yinyin? Why can't I see Yinyin? We have a big rooster at home. Last time she said she likes to eat chicken legs. It would be great if she was at home. I would take her to eat chicken legs. And eggs. Eat a lot of eggs."
Little Stone swallowed hard but still didn't say anything.
"Does Little Stone like to eat chicken legs and eggs?"
Little Stone nodded timidly without looking at her.
Shu Jinyue smiled and said, "Then you should have a good rest. Auntie will make you something delicious later."
After calling everyone out of the room, Hu Guizhi saw Jin Yue was confident and immediately relaxed. This meant that she had an idea. "Tell me, do you have any ideas?"
"Auntie, please ask someone to go to the kitchen and check if there are any leftovers from dinner today, especially chicken, chicken legs, and eggs."
The Hu family's nanny went downstairs and soon came back to say that some food was missing. They had chicken for dinner, and there were two chicken legs. The two children were very polite and neither of them wanted to eat any, so some were left in the pot.
"I was thinking of shredding some for them tomorrow morning, cooking them in porridge, and adding some vegetables to make chicken porridge, but who knew that both of them were gone." The nanny didn't know what happened above and was a little annoyed. "I boiled eggs after dinner and was thinking of making braised eggs for them tomorrow. There were a total of 20 eggs, but now there are only 15 left."
The Hu family's nanny was a little confused. "By the way, could there be mice in our house recently? Several times, I found that the leftovers from the night before would be less the next day. I didn't notice it at first, but then I felt something was wrong... But I clean every day. Last week, I asked someone to help us clean it thoroughly. We threw away what should be thrown away and emptied what should be emptied."
When Expert He heard this and looked at Jin Yue's smile, he couldn't help laughing, "I'm sorry, it's my 'little mouse' who caused you trouble."
How could everyone not understand? It was obviously eaten by Little Stone! The child had been in the cowshed for so many years, and he had rarely smelled meat, let alone chicken legs and eggs. Now he was in the Hu family, who took good care of him with delicious food every day. He tried his best to eat for every meal, but his stomach was weak, so he could only eat a limited amount, and he always felt unsatisfied.
So, when no one was paying attention, he got up in the middle of the night and ate secretly.
But no one had the heart to blame him. If there hadn't been this catastrophe, how could this child have grown up without even tasting meat? Why would one have to secretly steal eggs and meat in the middle of the night?
Hu Guizhi's eyes were red, and she patted Jin Yue's shoulder, "Good boy, if you and your mother hadn't been so careful, we wouldn't have noticed it."
Shu Jinyue continued to ask, "Did Xiao Shitou's four attacks all occur after he came to Book City? He never had an attack in the countryside before?"
"Yes, the first time was when Xiao Xu took us out of the labor camp and we lived in the guesthouse that night. That night, Xiao Xu's friends killed chickens to entertain us. Twenty or so people killed two chickens, but no one was willing to eat them. They gave them to Xiao Shitou, who ate four chicken legs by himself."
An eight-year-old child with a historically poor physical condition ate four large chicken legs in a short period of time and vomited because of the fullness!
Jin Yue thought of the two large chicken legs and five boiled eggs that disappeared tonight. To be honest, an adult would feel uncomfortable if he ate so much in one go, not to mention that he was only eight years old and was often sick. It was not long since he had finished dinner, and the dinner in his stomach had not been digested yet.
Expert He sighed, "Alas!"
Poor little mouse, how could he bear to be angry? "In the past few years, because he hadn't had an attack, I thought he had escaped the curse of epilepsy. I was secretly glad that he didn't inherit his grandmother and father's disease. Who knew that when he was about to return to Beijing, this curse would come back."
Jin Yue laughed immediately, "He really didn't inherit epilepsy, he is in good health."
Expert He was stunned. "You mean, he really doesn't have epilepsy this time?"
Jin Yue nodded confidently, "Not only this time, but also the previous three times. I wasn't sure at first, but after knowing why he vomited, I finally knew."
Again, evidence-based medicine requires that the diagnosis of disease must be based on evidence. Combining the EEG, pulse and symptoms, this is not epilepsy at all.
"What is that disease?"
"Food syncope."
Everyone was puzzled and couldn't even tell which two words they were.
"Shi Jue?" Expert He asked tentatively. He was an engineer and not very familiar with liberal arts.
Zhao Wanqiu helped her daughter explain: "In traditional Chinese medicine, sudden loss of consciousness and fainting are called syncope. Depending on the cause, they are divided into qi syncope, blood syncope, phlegm syncope, heat syncope and food syncope. [1] However, food syncope is not common and is not listed separately in internal medicine textbooks." It was only after Jin Yue told her that she realized that she would not be able to learn about this disease even if she followed the textbook.
"Xiao Shitou, this is a food-induced syncope. Isn't this different from food poisoning or allergies?"
"No, it's because he ate too much in a short period of time, and it was all high-protein food that was difficult to digest, which caused spleen and stomach blockage, imbalance of ascending and descending, and discontinuity of qi, blood, yin and yang, which led to sudden fainting and unconsciousness."
"It's like a machine that feeds too much material in a short period of time and can't discharge enough material, causing internal blockage and resulting in a crash, right?" Expert He responded.
Jin Yue smiled and said, "That's right. Food poisoning and allergies are not necessarily caused by feeding too much material, but feeding the wrong material, or the model does not match the machine. This is more serious and may directly damage the machine."
Several people laughed. It was easy to understand.
But there was a hint of bitterness in Expert He's smile. Originally, this group of veteran experts should have returned to Beijing long ago. Some experts in special fields had already returned to Beijing two years in advance. However, they were asked to stay because something happened on the farm.
Together with several agricultural experts, they helped the labor camp develop a batch of new crop seeds. However, for some unknown reason, the seeds suddenly became moldy, and everyone's hard work went to waste. The director of the labor reform farm was a very red and professional comrade who was bent on climbing up the career ladder. He insisted that there were traitors among them who deliberately destroyed the fruits of everyone's labor, so he interrogated and detained them for a long time.
Later, when everyone was reviewing the situation, they all thought that it might be because the wrong medicine was mixed when the crop seeds were stored, which caused them to become moldy, and it was not because someone had betrayed them.
Because all of them have been supported all the way through the most difficult circumstances, and there is no reason for them to do such things when they see the light.
Jin Yue didn't know that his analogy reminded Expert He of the past two years of misfortune, so he just continued, "Knowing it's food syncope, I don't need to prescribe any medicine. Do you have Baohe Pills at home? Just give him a few pills."
The Hu family's nanny quickly said yes and went to find it in the medicine box. This effective Chinese patent medicine that has been used for many years is a must-have for every family.
Jin Yue looked at the ingredient list and the expiration date, poured out 20 small pills, dissolved them in boiling water, and watched his aunt feed them to Xiao Shitou with his own eyes.
Little Shitou also knew that it was not good for him to eat secretly. He got such a serious illness because of his eating secretly, and caused so many people to worry. So he felt very sorry. He had no objection to taking medicine. He lowered his head and drank the medicine obediently. "Thank you Aunt Jinyue, I will get better."
"Don't worry. Starting tomorrow, every morning after the sun comes out, follow Grandpa and run in the yard until you break out a thin layer of sweat, okay?"
"good."
Expert He likes Jin Yue's way of treating patients. Unlike those doctors in the provincial hospital who are afraid of taking responsibility, they immediately ask patients to have injections, take anti-epileptic drugs, and even ask them to exercise as little as possible, saying that exercise is dangerous.
It turns out that Chinese and Western medicine have different approaches to treating illnesses. For the same symptom, the diagnosis is different, and the treatments and suggestions given are also different.
Things passed down by our ancestors are trustworthy.
After taking the medicine, there was nothing unusual, so Jin Yue planned to leave first. It was now late at night and he had classes tomorrow. Secretary Wang was responsible for sending them to the door of their home. The mother and daughter walked into the courtyard and sighed when they saw that the lights in the old house were still on.
Shu Linong was really pissed off by Shu Wenming. He stayed up late at night, probably practicing calligraphy and trying hard to calm himself down.
It was really too late. Jin Yue yawned continuously and didn't want to persuade him. He needed to digest this matter slowly. "I'm going to sleep first, Mom. You should sleep too. Don't bother my dad if he doesn't want to sleep."
Unexpectedly, Shu Linong heard the door open and came out quickly, "You're back, are you okay?"
It turned out that he was waiting for the mother and daughter. He was not angry and couldn't sleep. Jin Yue smiled.
"You're still laughing. You're so heartless. You keep asking you to go every now and then. I'm so worried that I can't sleep at home."
"You're so angry that you can't sleep?"
Shu Linong swung his sleeves and said, "Go, go, go to bed."
The old man's temper came and went quickly, and Jin Yue was completely relieved now.
Sure enough, when he came back from school the next day, he heard that he was taking the two thrushes for a walk. Before leaving, he helped Zhao Wanqiu clean the stove where he had boiled lard the night before, and said that he would buy some leeks and make dumplings later.
The more I think of the greasy taste of the buns stuffed with leek oil residue, the more I can't help but drool. It's so delicious!
"Mom, let me help you. You teach me how to knead the dough."
"You actually need to teach me? Have you seen your father and I kneading dough for so many years?" Zhao Wanqiu said with disdain, but she knew in her heart that her daughter knew a little bit about it since she was a child, and she just wanted to find something to do with her.
When she first came back from the countryside, she actually found that her daughter had changed. In addition to becoming more independent-minded, there seemed to be a gap between her and her. She gave her job to Wen Yun, so it was normal for her daughter to be angry with her.
In fact, when she saw her missing toe, she felt she was not worthy of being a mother.
Why didn't they stop her from going to the countryside? Why did they let her shout slogans and build a granary? There were many simple-minded and passionate young people like her in those two years, but it didn't take long for the hardships in the countryside to teach them how to be human.
If she had persuaded her more, perhaps she would not have gone down.
"What are you thinking about, mom? Pay attention."
Zhao Wanqiu wiped away her tears quietly and said, "You can get married whenever you want. I won't rush you."
"I didn't consider personal issues until I was 34, and I didn't give birth to you until I was 36. Some people would have become grandmothers at my age. Before I met your father, many people laughed at me and said that I was an old girl who couldn't get married."
Jin Yue was kneading the dough like her while listening to her mother who had never talked to her about marriage.
"I was young at that time and I cared too much about what others thought of me. I always felt that being pointed at made me really bad, as if I was really incompetent. So when someone introduced your father to me, although I didn't like it, I was still eager to get rid of the title of 'unmarriageable old maid'. We got married within half a month."
Zhao Wanqiu taught her how to use force, took out the oil residue and chopped it up slowly. "Your father is actually a good man, kind-hearted. Although he doesn't talk much, he is very considerate. I am the only one who makes all the decisions about the big and small things in the family... He was also very good to you. You don't remember that he liked to take you to the park for a walk at that time. It was the People's Park not far from us. He carried you there every day."
"He even bought you candied haws after we were done. You had bad teeth at the time, so I asked him why he always gave you those sweet, sticky things, and he just smiled foolishly."
This was the first time Jin Yue heard about her biological father. It turned out that her biological father loved her so much. Little Jin Yue was so happy at that time.
"He later became seriously ill and asked me to find you a stepfather with the same temperament as him. He said that you were too young and would suffer without anyone to protect you, and he was worried about you..."
"I later met Teacher Shu, and it was just like that. Let's be honest, I didn't have that kind of feeling towards him. I just thought he was a nice person with a good temper, and he treated me well. He had a house to live in, so we got married."
Jin Yue felt a little sorry for his mother. If a woman like Zhao Wanqiu, who had fought with the People's Liberation Army in many battles and seen the world, was like this, then wouldn't those who had rarely been out of the house be even more pitiful? There is no love in their marriages, only matchmaking, and at most they are a little "suitable".
"Shh, I'll tell you a secret. Actually, neither of them knows that I've dated someone before." There was a faint blush on Zhao Wanqiu's cheeks, and she seemed a few years younger.
"He was a little soldier who gave me wild flowers and even tore his clothes on purpose and asked me to mend them for him. What a fool."
Jin Yue’s eyes widened. In her entire life, this was the first time she knew that her mother actually had such a story!
"Then what happened next? Why didn't you two get together?"
Zhao Wanqiu lowered her head. "He was killed by a shell thrown by the Japanese army on the Jiaodong battlefield."
Jin Yue's nose felt sore.
"I was so sad at the time, but the situation was not a place for me to be sad. There were so many soldiers who still had hope of survival waiting for treatment. If I hesitated for a second, others would lose their sons, husbands and fathers."
Jin Yue hugged her mother tightly. She burst into tears just by listening to it. She couldn't imagine how she would cry if such a thing happened to her.
"Why are you crying? He sacrificed his life to fight off the Japanese invaders. He is a hero. I am proud of him. Every Qingming Festival, I will burn a few more incense sticks for him and pick a bunch of wild flowers for him... Hush, they don't know."
Jin Yue burst into laughter. My mother is really something. She is indeed not a female classmate without a story.
"I'm telling you this because I've experienced it and have a comparison, so I can tell you with certainty that I know what it feels like to be with someone you like. It's undeniable that Xu Duan is a good match for you and he likes you, and you two are in love with each other, but don't rush it. Stay together for a few more years and things will be different after you get married."
She couldn't say what was different, but she just didn't want her daughter to get married too early.
She had already regretted it once, and couldn't let herself regret it a second time.
Jin Yue hugged his mother tightly and said in a muffled voice, "I will."
Soon, Teacher Shu bought some leeks and sat in the yard to pick them. The other aunts looked at each other, and finally Aunt Liu said, "Old Shu, did your Wenming really sell his job?"
"Well, I don't want to mind his business."
Aunt Liu laughed awkwardly. "If you ask me, these kids are just too independent now. They made such a big decision without consulting their family. But it's sold now. At least Wenli is still working, right?"
Shu Wenming slept in the house all day today. Everyone knows this. People say behind his back that Shu Wenming is really planning to live off his wife. His wife works hard all day, but he sleeps all day. His head must be flattened by sleep, right?
But everyone only dared to talk behind his back, saying that the second son of the Shu family had a bad temper and spoke harshly.
Shu Linong's way of punishing the second brother was to not allow anyone to call him when the buns were out of the pot.
"Let him sleep. I think he'll sleep all his life if he wants. If he gets hungry, he'll just starve."
Even so, Xu Wenli still quietly hid the three big buns while he wasn't paying attention, and ran back to the room, "Come on, Wenming, eat them while they're hot. They're delicious."
Shu Wenming finished his meal in a few bites without washing his face or brushing his teeth. He patted his belly and sighed, "My wife still loves me."
"Hey, mom asked me to hide it. Mom loves you too."
Shu Wenming hummed, got up and washed up. Not only did he not wash his hair, he also deliberately made it look like a chicken coop. He then took out a set of old and dirty clothes from the cabinet at the entrance and put them on, and put on patched old cloth shoes. "Let's go. Open the door for me tonight."
He often went out at night, and Xu Wenli would tie the car from the inside when she slept, so every time he came back he had to ask her for help to open it.
Sure enough, as soon as he went out in this outfit, everyone stopped chatting, sewing, and homework, and just stared at him with dozens of eyes - the first person to lose his job in No. 16 Liuye Hutong!
As soon as he left, all kinds of discussions were floating around behind him, saying that he was stupid, had a bump on his head, would starve in the future, and wanted Wen Li to support him... He waved his sleeves nonchalantly and said, "I don't care!"
He acted like this for the next few days, hiding during the day and coming out at night. Everyone became more and more convinced that he was a gigolo and they were full of sympathy for Xu Wenli: How pitiful, a young wife working hard to support the family and her husband.
Xu Wenli, who works hard to support her man, said: "Mm, peach cakes are really delicious!"
“Sugar-roasted chestnuts are so delicious!”
"Autumn pear paste is really delicious when soaked in water!"
“What beautiful little shoes!”
In the past, Shu Wenming was worried that being caught would affect his work and that he would be fired. Now, he has taken the lead in being fired from his unit. As an unemployed vagrant, who is he afraid of? Not only did he buy this and that for his wife, he also "incidentally" bought two bottles of shampoo for Jin Yue and a watch for Zhao Wanqiu.
Aunt Li: "Look, he's addicted to living off his wife, and he's using his wife's hard-earned money to buy things for his stepmother and stepsister. He's really a 'good son'."
"Poor Wen Li, she not only has to support a man, but also her mother-in-law and sister-in-law. The key is that they are not her biological daughters. If this were my daughter, I would be so heartbroken and I wouldn't be able to sleep."
"Are you too greedy to sleep?" Someone asked.
Aunt Li blushed and said, "Bullshit!"
She wanted to continue to stir up trouble, but unfortunately the Shu family was popular in the compound, and no one listened to her provocation. It was really boring after she made a few more remarks, so she simply changed the topic to a hot topic: "Have you heard about the girl from Lao Niu's family?"
"What's the matter? Didn't you say you were getting married soon, with that workshop director?"
"Hey, you guys don't know yet, it's Huang La!"
Everyone immediately became interested and asked why it failed.
It turned out that Niu Xiaofang and the director were about to get their marriage certificate when suddenly a young widow appeared from his workshop and said she was pregnant, and the child was the director's. The workers had always felt that the director was having an affair with her, but they had no evidence, so everyone just talked about it. Who would have thought that such a shocking gossip would arise when they were about to get married!
"Is it really his?"
"More real than Pearl, their bellies were swollen. Several people saw them entering the grove at the same time during work hours."
"This... it's not that bad in the woods. I heard from my son that there are a lot of wild cats and dogs in that area. There's cat and dog feces everywhere. What can we do if we go in?"
Aunt Li snorted, "But I heard that she didn't go into the grove, but went to the director's office. She was there for most of the day, and the scorekeeper gave her full attendance. Don't ask, if you ask, it's just to go to the toilet."
Everyone exclaimed "Wow!" and thought that it was really daring to mess around in the office during working hours, but it was also a bit exciting when they thought about it.
Some people couldn't help but be curious, "Who is this young widow? Let's go and see her from a distance someday."
"That young widow is also from Liuye Hutong. She lives in Courtyard 26, the old Tian family."
“Wow——”
Everyone knows the young widow of Old Tian's family, because she is a famous beautiful daughter-in-law in Liuye Hutong. Shu Wenyun is a great beauty, and Niu Xiaofang is also good-looking, but these two are grown girls after all, unlike the young widow of Old Tian's family.
"No wonder. I was wondering, their family has to sell meat every now and then. Her son told people a few days ago that his family wanted to buy a bicycle. How could she, a widow, get the money?"
"Hey, what you said is not right. Who says that a widow with money must have come from an illegitimate source? Aunt Li in our courtyard has always been very rich. She said she is the second richest in our courtyard, and no one dares to say she is the first, right, Aunt Li?"
For a moment, Aunt Li couldn't tell whether this was a compliment or an insult to her.
Shu Jinyue was reading with the window open, so she naturally heard all of these words. She really had no impression of the person at the center of the topic, but she felt good to be able to make Niu Xiaofang lose face.
"Niu Xiaofang wanted to eat the ready-made food, but she didn't know that the meat had already been marked. She must be embarrassed now, right?"
"Come on, it's that man who has no shame. He can't control himself. If it had happened a few years ago, he would have been paraded through the streets with his old shoes hanging on his shoulders!"
Shu Jinyue listened for a while and began to concentrate on reading. The final exam was coming soon, so she had to study hard. With a school tyrant like Lin Zhen by her side, she couldn't slack off.
However, Jin Yue felt that Xu Duan's whereabouts were a bit strange recently. He went to their unit twice but couldn't find him. Once he was off work, and once he had taken a leave.
She even met Sister Bao once not far from Jinyu Hutong. Sister Bao looked at her and seemed to be hesitant to speak, not knowing what she was up to.
Jin Yue was too lazy to pay attention to her. She had already resigned anyway, and she was too lazy to bring up the past. She just hoped that they would be well in the future and that she could take good care of Bao Wengui.
On the other side, Xu Duan, who was meeting someone, felt his ears a little hot.
"Old Xu, what's wrong with you? Do you have a fever?" Jiang Weijun took out a cigarette and was about to light it, but then he looked around and put the matchbox back.
"It's okay. How's the person you're looking for?"
"It's difficult. The female comrade named Wang Hongping you mentioned didn't provide us with many clues. We only remember that there were four young educated youths who ran away from the Shijiagou production team. One of them fell off a cliff and another was bitten to death by a poisonous snake. The other two died without any evidence. The remaining one has not returned to the city yet and is still living in the Shi family's village. He married Captain Shi's niece. It may be difficult to ask him to come forward and identify the person."
"I know, the last missing one, I'm looking for him." Xu Duan rubbed his temples. He had been looking for him for a while.
The man grew up in Haicheng. He was only sixteen years old and had almost no experience in surviving in the wild. It would be difficult for such a person to survive in the deep mountains and forests without food, water, and enough warm clothes, unless he was rescued by someone. In order to avoid being found by the locals, he would definitely not show up, and even if he was alive, he would hide his identity.
It's difficult to find such a person.
Of course, this is based on the assumption that he is still alive. If he died in the mountains because of poisonous snakes and wild beasts, then his search for him would be in vain.
"But we have to make preparations for both scenarios."
Jiang Weijun raised his eyebrows, "You mean, if you can't find this person, you plan to use other methods to capture the surname Shi?"
"Well, I don't believe he won't leave other evidence. I will investigate this myself."
The two chatted for a few words. Jiang Weijun pinched the cigarette between his fingertips, squeezed it, and sniffed it. "Last time you said you wanted to resign, was that true?"
Xu Duan nodded, "I have thought about this for a long time."
"But didn't Aunt Hu say she wanted to promote you? How could you just give up such an opportunity that many people would love to have?" Jiang Weijun sighed, "I mentioned it to the old man, and he agreed. He said that a good man should have ambitions and should learn from you. There is a broad world out there."
He paused and whispered, "There are some rumors up there. Maybe there will be some movement in less than half a year."
Xu Duan was a little surprised. He had recently carefully read various newspapers and broadcasts, especially the minutes of meetings at all levels. The topics were all about development and reform. How to develop and how to reform was a hot topic across the country. He also attended various universities in Shilan Province as an auditor, and heard many analyses from knowledgeable old professors. He also met many young people who were active in thinking and full of ambition...
"I have been sitting in the system for many years, and it is time to step out and see the world."
Although Jiang Weijun felt sorry for him, he had been the section chief for several years. Now Hu Guizhi wanted to promote him and created opportunities for him, but he suddenly wanted to leave. He thought it was a pity.
He still remembered what the old man said meaningfully at that time: Xu Duan doesn't look like a member of the Xu family.
The Xu family has been a family of scholars since their ancestors. They follow the rules and follow the routine. If they are good at studying, they will become officials. If their official career is not going well, they will return to their hometown to do business. Although the Xu family is wealthy, it is also the result of generations of hard work and steady accumulation.
But Xu Duan, in order to demobilize and return home for his elder brother, worked as a section chief in the Material Bureau for several years and achieved quite a lot. But when he was about to rise steadily, he suddenly turned around and prepared to go into business?
This kind of bold and enterprising spirit is indeed inconsistent with the Xu family's lukewarm style.
***
After the final exams, Shu Jinyue's first semester in college officially ended. Shu Wenyun called home and said that she would not go home during the summer vacation and would do social practice in Beijing. The old couple didn't understand what social practice was, but they expressed their support and asked her if she needed living expenses.
Nowadays, there are subsidies for going to college, and if you spend frugally, your family basically doesn't have to spend any money. She wanted to pay back Jin Yue, but Jin Yue returned it to her, so she currently has one or two hundred yuan in her hand, but she said she didn't need it.
That day, Xu Duan came to pick up Jin Yue. The two of them took some things and went to visit Hu Guizhi together, and also to see off expert He.
"Thanks to Comrade Jin Yue's miraculous healing, Xiao Shitou's illness has been cured. He has been getting up early and exercising with me these days, and his physical fitness has improved a lot. His appetite for meals has also improved a lot, and he no longer needs to take Baohe Pills."
Expert He expressed his sincere gratitude to Jin Yue and presented him with a fountain pen. "This is a graduation gift from my mentor in Country M. Now I am presenting it to Comrade Jin Yue. I wish you academic success and the courage and determination to 'start over again despite the long and difficult road ahead.'"
This fountain pen is not simple. It is not only a gold pen, but also because Mr. He’s mentor is a very famous scientist in the world. If you take the things he used to major auctions, they would be sold for millions of dollars!
What's more, this is the object that accompanied and inspired Mr. He throughout his life. It followed him back from the other side of the ocean to the embrace of the motherland, where he dedicated himself silently in the Northwest for so many years and went through ten years of hardship... It can be said to be the soul mate of a great scientist of his generation.
Shu Jinyue didn't dare to accept it. "I appreciate your kindness, Expert He, but this gift is too expensive."
"What's precious? Objects are dead, but people are alive. You saved Xiao Shitou's life, so you deserve my most precious love."
Shu Jinyue saw Xu Duan and Hu Guizhi nodded slightly, then he took it with both hands tremblingly: "Thank you."
"I will definitely cherish it and use it to motivate me to fight for the cause of traditional Chinese medicine throughout my life."
She sincerely thought so and would do so. It was not just empty talk, so much so that her voice was a little trembling.
Little Shitou listened obediently beside him, staring at the golden pen, then at Jin Yue, and then at his grandfather, blinking his big eyes as if he had something to say.
Jin Yue touched his head and asked, "What's wrong, little stone?"
"Auntie, can you lend me a pen?"
This originally belonged to someone else's grandfather, so there was nothing wrong with it. Jin Yue handed it over.
The little stone took it, looked at it left and right, and then shook it up and down a few times, and even put his ear close to it, as if to listen to any sound.
Everyone was amused by him, "You can't hear any sound, it's just a pen."
"Anyone who can hear it, my aunt can hear it."
Everyone laughed and thought he was just talking nonsense, but Xu Duan's heart skipped a beat. "Have you ever seen your aunt listen to the sound of a fountain pen?"
"Yes, Little Stone has seen it. One night, my aunt was holding a pen and listening like this. I asked her what she was doing, and she said she heard someone singing in the pen." Little Stone pouted, "But why can't I hear it? Aunt is lying. There is no one singing in the pen."
Everyone was still joking, thinking that this was just what the aunt said to tease the child. Only Xu Duan looked solemn. He took the pen, examined it carefully, weighed it, and suddenly went back to the car to get a screwdriver, and pried the pen open with a few clicks.
I saw a rice-sized object hidden inside a pile of golden components...
Shu Jinyue saw that Hu Guizhi and Expert He's faces had changed, and knew that something serious had happened, so he quickly said to Xiao Shitou, "Shall I take you to play with Yinyin?"
After taking two steps, she suddenly had an idea. She squatted down and looked into Little Stone's eyes: "Tell Auntie that you got up in the middle of the night to eat chicken legs and eggs. Was it your aunt who helped you get them?"
She remembered that the Hu family's stove was quite high, and the nanny was used to putting the pot on the stove. Yinyin might be able to reach that height by standing on tiptoe, but Xiao Shitou was severely malnourished, and his height was much shorter than that of other children of the same age. It was almost impossible for her to take out so much food quietly without dripping any soup!
Jin Yue even suspected that he didn't really want to eat in the middle of the night, but was instigated by someone!
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