Apologize
The back of my hand was pressed against my palm.
A strange sensation came from her, and Wang Shuitao was startled, examining it closely.
The fingers are long and slender with distinct joints. The fingertips of the index and middle fingers have a thin layer of calluses, and the most striking feature is the palm.
Besides the minor scratches that had scabbed over, there was also a splinter embedded in the flesh.
Wang Shuitao touched it gently.
"hiss--"
The sound of her inhaling reached her ears, and she immediately put her hand to her ear, staring stiffly at Meng Songying.
But they met a pair of smiling eyes.
"It doesn't hurt."
Wang Shuitao felt a lot of pain; she hadn't expected her injury to be so serious.
She softened her voice and coaxed him, using the same approach she would use with her twins, "Let's go to the infirmary then, I'll go with you."
Meng Songying: "We need to go to the hospital."
At the county hospital, Wang Shuitao was even more nervous than the patients, keeping a close eye on the doctor's hand movements.
Even the exposed red flesh and fine hairs stood upright, refusing to be looked away.
Until the gauze was wrapped around his palm.
She finally let out a heavy sigh of relief.
As Meng Songying stepped out of the hospital, she saw herself being helped to walk like an eighty-year-old man.
I had to emphasize again, "It really doesn't hurt anymore."
If this continues, others will assume he has a terminal illness.
On the way back, the two of them still walked.
Upon seeing the Zhunu River in the distance, Wang Shuitao couldn't help but mutter, "Why did that person say I was a ghost?"
When she heard that, her heart skipped a beat.
My mind is filled with thoughts of being captured and used for human experiments.
Meng Songying comforted him, saying, "He's just pretending to be crazy."
Wang Shuitao was still upset. She unconsciously picked at her nails with her hands in front of her and muttered to herself, "He had no idea that faking madness could save him from going to jail. I told him later, and that's when he started faking it."
Meng Songying stopped and pointed in the direction of the Zhunu River.
“Look, many people say that there are mountains of gold and silver hidden under that river, and when the harvest is bad, people always line up to jump in.”
Wang Shuitao was shocked.
Why?
"They believe there is an afterlife, and the treasures buried with them are their burial goods. They take them to the underworld to bribe the officials, so that they can be reborn into a wealthy and noble family in the next life."
Meng Songying could feel the questioning gazes sweeping back and forth across his face.
He continued, "But that was a long time ago, before the country was established, and the government couldn't control it. A wandering Taoist priest came to this place and said that suicide was a great sin, and one would definitely be reborn as an animal, which stopped this trend."
Wang Shuitao lowered her eyes, not understanding what the story was meant to tell her, and muttered softly, "Fighting poison with poison."
Meng Songying nodded.
"Yes, but that's not good. People don't jump into the river anymore, but they still believe in ghosts and gods. When something big happens, they like to talk about ghosts and gods. Zhao Shitou is just afraid of you, that's why he says you're a ghost."
Wang Shuitao didn't expect to come back here, and the corners of her mouth curled up slightly.
"Wow, that's rare, Engineer Meng. You're talking so much today. And this isn't the story I heard from Auntie. Did you make it up?"
Meng Songying blushed, feeling somewhat embarrassed and annoyed, but when she met those bright, sparkling eyes, she deflated.
His words lacked any real force: "There are hundreds of stories about Zhunüjiang."
But each one has claimed countless lives.
These rivers, lakes, and seas seem to bear a mission: to nurture ten thousand people, yet to take away a thousand.
Seeing that Wang Shuitao was no longer listless, she straightened her back and said, "Let's go."
Every step he took was as if it had been measured, with even stride, steady rhythm, and even a straight line.
Wang Shuitao chuckled twice behind her back.
I don't know why, but it's as precise as a robot.
But what came to mind was the old yellow dog we used to have, its head rubbed for so long that it was dizzy and couldn't stand up.
When I got back to the factory, it was chaotic again.
Wang Shuitao took a bag of peach shortbread she had just bought on the way to Zhao Juan's house.
She still remembers that Sister Zhao Juan was the first to speak up for her.
"Knock knock"
"Sister Zhao Juan, it's me, Taozi. Please open the door."
The door opened, but no one was there. Wang Shuitao looked down and saw a little girl.
Her voice unconsciously tightened: "Oh, little sister, hello there."
The little girl was well-fed; her cheeks were chubby and trembled as she spoke.
"Mother, someone's here!"
Zhao Juan came out, shaking the water off her hands.
"Peach is here, come in quickly."
After some initial resistance, the peach shortbread was finally successfully placed on the table.
Wang Shuitao opened the package, took out a piece, and handed it to the eager little girl.
He asked, "What happened at the factory? What's wrong?"
Zhao Juan: "Oh, don't even mention it. Zhao Shitou's family came over, saying that our sugar factory is bullying old farmers and looking down on temporary workers. His mother is really fierce."
Wang Shuitao guessed for a moment: "Hitting someone?"
Zhao Juan glanced at her daughter, who was obediently eating peach shortbread beside her, and then whispered mysteriously in Wang Shuitao's ear.
"She pulled down the pants of several leaders, luckily Sister Li ran fast."
Wang Shuitao: "Wow—"
She repeated, "Luckily, Sister Li ran fast."
However, the old lady was quickly arrested by the security department.
The remaining men and women immediately fell silent, huddling together like quails and not moving.
He and Zhao Shitou clearly came from the same family.
In the evening, the canteen served braised cabbage and tofu, and the head chef specifically marked on the blackboard: This is the version with lard.
Another dish is stir-fried potato slices with radish slices.
It is said that Sister Li helped the factory get a batch of rapeseed oil.
Of course it's from last year; it's only May, the new rapeseed hasn't even sprouted yet.
There are only two people in the same spot.
Wang Shuitao searched for the person in various places.
She was a little worried because Meng Songying hadn't come, especially since her hand was still injured.
Li Yuanhong: "Don't bother looking anymore, Lao Sun won't come. He said he's too ashamed to go out."
"ah?"
Seeing Taozi's puzzled face, Li Yuanhong burst out laughing and stopped teasing her, saying, "Engineer Meng said he wasn't hungry and wasn't coming."
Wang Shuitao realized she had been teased, her face flushed red, but she refused to admit defeat.
"Sister Li—why are you like this—people don't want to be friends with you anymore."
Li Yuanhong couldn't stop laughing. Taozi always acted coquettishly, and she only knew one trick: to draw out the last syllable of her words.
She has developed immunity.
After finishing her meal, Wang Shuitao hesitated for a moment, but still got Meng Songying a meal as well.
She remembered that on the way back, Meng Songying didn't seem to have bought any food, and the chances of her having any food stored at home were very small.
Seeing his awkward expression as he clumsily moved the food into his lunchbox.
Wang Shuitao then said with a grin, "What's wrong? Are you afraid of losing face? You're not even going to eat."
People who care about their image are often the least willing to admit that they care about their image.
But Meng Songying just pursed her lips and looked at the smiling face in front of her, her pink lips pressed down until they turned white.
After a long while, Wang Shuitao seemed to hear someone softly say "hmm".
Immediately following was an apology: "I'm sorry."
Wang Shuitao blinked.
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