Chapter 51: Will the manuscript win an award at the provincial level?
The commune leader yelled, "Who bought the sex-changing drug from the 'old miracle doctor'? Come and get your money!"
"I!"
"And me!"
"My third uncle and I each bought two pairs! Give me back my money!"
People gathered around and surrounded the commune leader so tightly that no one could get in or out.
"Hey, Hu Laosan, why are you squeezing me?"
"Aunt Hong, didn't you buy the medicine? Why are you here?"
There were so many people that the commune leaders didn't know who was telling the truth and who was lying.
What if someone comes to claim the money without buying the sex-changing medicine?
Jiang Xueyi: "Old doctor, have you ever used a notebook to keep accounts?"
The old doctor said listlessly, "Yes."
The commune leader was delighted and waved his hand: "Why are you still standing there? Go search his house quickly."
Hearing that the old doctor had the habit of keeping accounts, many people who came to take advantage of the situation slipped away secretly.
The commune leaders returned the money to everyone who had bought the sex-changing medicine according to the bills written in the notebook.
Some were cheated out of hundreds of dollars, while others were defrauded out of fifty cents or a dollar.
No wonder many people want to be scammers. This job really makes money quickly.
Liu Lu was very excited when she got the 500 yuan. She finally got the money back.
Just as everyone was about to take the old doctor to the police station, they were stopped by a few people with red eyes.
The leader was a woman wearing a washed-out red cloth jacket, with a large face, high cheekbones, and a bulging belly. She looked like she was about to give birth.
The commune leader recognized her. This was Blind Liu's family. Among the nearby brigades, she was the most desperate to have a child. "Why are you stopping us?"
"He can't leave!" Blind Liu's voice was shrill and hoarse. "He can't leave. I've already taken several doses of that harmful reincarnation drug. My eldest and second daughters both have that thing. I thought they were just unlucky, but it turns out they were harmed by the drug. I'm not sure if the baby they're carrying is a good one. He has to pay me five times the price."
"I spent eight dollars on a prescription from him, and he has to pay me another forty!"
The old doctor said, "Hey!" "Blind Liu, that's not what you said when you came to me for medicine."
He spread his hands and said, "Anyway, I've already paid you all my money. They're going to take me to the police soon. I don't know how many years I'll be in jail. I'm already old, I might die in there."
When Blind Liu's family heard this, they were like a cat whose tail had been stepped on: "You were the one who lied to me and told me that I would definitely have a son if I took the sex-changing medicine. How can you not take responsibility?"
The old doctor looked like a dead pig that was not afraid of boiling water: "Anyway, I don't have any money, but I have my life!"
Blind Liu's wife's eyes turned red and she started to cry: "My eldest and second daughters both have a man's thing. How will they get married in the future? And what about the child in my belly..."
She pointed at Captain Zhao and said, "Just like he said, if it's a girl, just like my eldest and second daughters, they'll grow a man's thing. If it's a boy, it will be even more miserable. Not to mention continuing the family line, she won't even be able to be a normal man."
She grabbed the old doctor's collar tightly, her eyes red. "No, you have to be responsible for us, for our entire family. From now on, my daughter and my son's weddings and funerals will all be taken care of by you. You have to compensate me!"
"Yes, pay the money!"
"Forty dollars isn't enough, pay me four hundred!"
The old doctor has been practicing medicine for many years, and there are many people like Liu Xiazi's family who have been deceived into taking sex-changing medicine for many years.
When something goes wrong with a child, they all think it is because the child is unlucky.
Farmers are busy having children, and it is hard to say how many of them will have problems throughout the year.
Everyone thought it was probability, a coincidence.
I never expected that it was caused by the reincarnation drug.
Someone even blamed Jiang Xueyi for the incident. He pointed at Jiang Xueyi and her group and angrily shouted, "Since you knew this medicine was fake, why didn't you tell us earlier? Did you do this on purpose? Do you want us to be childless?"
"That's right. You cadres from the city are well-informed. If you had spoken up earlier, would so many people in our commune have been deceived?"
"If it weren't for you, my son wouldn't be this old, and his penis would still be as small as a child's!"
Liu Lu was so angry that she laughed. How could these people confuse right and wrong?
If they hadn't come, these people would still be kept in the dark and would have to drink the harmful sex-changing drugs for several years or even more than ten years.
Mu Tou angrily said, "Why do you always blame us for everything? If you fall while walking, do you also blame God for not paving the road smoothly?"
The members were outraged.
"I don't care, it's you who caused this."
Some even said, "Yes, you are in cahoots with the old miracle doctor."
"The old doctor can't afford to pay, so you guys have to pay."
"You are cadres from the city, you must have money."
"Pay money, pay money, pay money!!"
The old doctor had his hands tied behind his back, but he didn't forget to laugh at the joke.
He gloated to Jiang Xueyi, "Now you know why I sold them the sex-changing drug. They're so easy to fool. With just a little incitement, it's impossible to tell who's helping them and who's harming them."
The crowd gradually gathered around and surrounded Jiang Xueyi and her group.
The commune leader was anxious and raised his hand and said, "Comrades, calm down, calm down, we are here to help you."
"Enough!" Jiang Xueyi's voice was not loud, but it scared all the members.
Clearly, she has established herself among the group.
Jiang Xueyi looked towards Blind Liu's family and asked calmly, "You just said that it was the old doctor who harmed you, right?"
Blind Liu's wife flinched, but mustered up the courage to speak: "That's right, it was the old doctor who did it. He was the one selling the incarceration drug. And you, the city officials, are also responsible. If you had exposed the old doctor for selling fake drugs earlier, would I have drunk so many doses? My eldest daughter, my second daughter, and the baby in her belly were all harmed by you."
Jiang Xueyi's voice was calm: "Then let me ask, did you buy this medicine yourself, and did you pay for it yourself? Could it be that I forced you to buy the medicine to change your sex life?"
Blind Liu's wife pursed her lips and said nothing.
Jiang Xueyi: "It's wrong for the old doctor to sell fake medicine, but if you didn't have those brainless people like you who favor boys over girls and want to have sons, and you didn't keep coming to him to buy medicine, how could he continue his business?"
Everyone looked at each other.
Someone shouted unconvincedly, "What about you? You clearly knew he was selling fake medicine, so why didn't you tell us earlier? Aren't you right?"
Jiang Xueyi: "We were wrong, of course we were wrong. Our mistake was coming here to inform you. We should have kept it a secret from you and quietly asked the old doctor to refund the money and have you drink a few more doses of the fetal transformation medicine to wake your brains up."
Liu Lu chimed in, "Also, even if we told you earlier, would you have believed us? My wife told me right after we got here that she'd checked the prescription for the fetal reversal drug with a doctor in the hospital's Traditional Chinese Medicine Department, and they found it was full of harmful ingredients. Who among you would have believed it?"
Captain Zhao sneered, "Those who trusted us would have thrown away their medicine long ago and joined us in asking the old doctor for a refund. As for you, you're eager to protect the old doctor and drive us out."
The members remained silent, and a few of them who were shy even lowered their heads silently.
Someone grumbled, "City officials are just superior, they talk in their own way. We can't argue with you, okay?"
"Now that something's wrong, you're blaming us for being from the city?" Jiang Xueyi scolded angrily. "You believed the liar's lies, that his fake medicine could change a female fetus into a male, but you refused to believe the truth right in front of you. What does this have to do with whether we're from the city or not?"
Blind Liu's family squeezed out of the crowd, their stomachs puffing out. "It's because you're from the city that you should have told us earlier. You city people know more, so you should have taught us like you were teaching babies!"
"Haven't the people from the city been taught this?" Jiang Xueyi's voice suddenly rose. "Every day, people go down there and tell us, 'It doesn't matter if you have a son or a daughter,' 'Women hold up half the sky.' Who among you listens? It's just one or two people who all want to have a son."
The members' faces turned pale and blue after being scolded. Even the commune leaders were shocked. This woman was too imposing when she scolded people.
Jiang Xueyi said in a deep voice, "Yes, we are from the city. But those from the city are not gods. We can't stop you from jumping into the fire pit, and we can't save those who have confused thoughts."
"Before you blame others, blame yourselves first. I don't feel sorry for you. You deserve to be deceived and cheated out of your money. I just feel sorry for these children. Having unreliable and brainless parents like you has ruined their lives."
She said loudly, "Finally, I'd like to advise you all not to believe in these crooked ways in the future! It doesn't matter whether you have a boy or a girl. A healthy body is more important than anything else!"
The crowd gradually made way for a passage.
Jiang Xueyi waved her hand: "Let's go!"
On the way back, Mu Tou repeatedly gave Jiang Xueyi a thumbs-up: “Sister-in-law, you are really this!”
Jiang Xueyi curled the corners of her mouth.
Liu Lu was soft-hearted, and since she was pregnant, she empathized with the other person. "Should we notify more people? There's definitely more than just the old doctor selling this harmful medicine. We need to spread the word so other members don't fall into the trap."
Captain Zhao sneered, "No need. If you go and persuade them, they still think we are blocking their way to having a son."
"That's right." Driver Wang said as he turned the steering wheel, "They surrounded us just now. I almost thought I couldn't get back. Fortunately, Sister Jiang was here."
Jiang Xueyi said, "Once the old doctor is arrested by the police, the news that the reincarnation drug he sells is harmful will surely spread far and wide. We won't have to bother convincing those who believe it, but for those who don't, even if we talk our mouths off, we won't be able to persuade them."
Captain Zhao agreed with Jiang Xueyi's point of view: "We can't wake up someone who is pretending to be asleep."
When I got home, it was already ten o'clock in the evening.
Jiang Xueyi walked in quietly.
He Chengze smiled and said, "Are you back?"
Jiang Xueyi made a "hush" gesture: "Be quiet, the little bun is sleeping."
"He's not asleep yet. He's probably waiting for you to come back."
When Jiang Xueyi entered the room, she saw the little boy lying in the crib with his big eyes open. When he saw her come in, he danced with joy and wanted her to hold him.
What a sweet little baby.
Jiang Xueyi felt warm in her heart and picked up the little bun: "My dear, mom is back. Don't wait for mom next time. Go to bed early."
Seeing the little bun yawn, she happily tapped his little nose: "You must be sleepy, go to sleep quickly."
He Chengze leaned against the door frame and watched the interaction between mother and son: "Are you hungry? I'll go make you something to eat."
Jiang Xueyi nodded. She hadn't eaten since noon. "Make something simple that can be eaten quickly."
"I'll make you some braised noodles with a poached egg."
"become."
Jiang Xueyi picked up the little boy, rocked him, and coaxed him to sleep.
He Chengze went into the kitchen, heated up the pan, put two eggs in, fried them until both sides were golden brown, and set them aside.
Continue to add green onion, ginger and chili peppers into the pot and stir-fry until fragrant.
I went to the balcony and picked two tomatoes, peeled and diced them, stir-fried them to extract the juice, added half a bowl of water, two spoons of light soy sauce, half a spoon of dark soy sauce, one spoon of oyster sauce, half a spoon of sugar, and an appropriate amount of salt.
When the water boils, add noodles and eggs, cover the pot and simmer for a while. Sprinkle a handful of green chopped green onions when serving. A pot of fragrant fried egg noodles is ready.
Jiang Xueyi coaxed the little bun to sleep and walked into the living room. He Chengze just brought out the fried egg and braised noodles and handed her the chopsticks: "Eat it while it's hot."
Jiang Xueyi was really hungry and finished the fried egg and braised noodles in just a few bites.
He didn't even miss the soup and drank it all up in the bowl.
He Chengze was stunned: "Are you so hungry? There's still food in the pot."
Jiang Xueyi handed him the bowl: "Another bowl."
I ate three bowls in total.
She patted her stomach and burped: "Finally, I'm full."
After washing up and lying on the bed, Jiang Xueyi felt the fatigue coming over her body.
She buried her face in He Chengze's shoulder and sniffed the scent of soapberries on his clothes.
"I'm really upset after hearing what they said today," she said in a muffled voice. "Just because we're from the city, we should know everything and be in charge of everything?"
She felt uncomfortable being questioned and accused by those members, but she did not show it in front of everyone.
She stared at the white mosquito net, her eyes blank. "They were right about one thing. I was indeed late. If I had come earlier, fewer people would have taken the abortion-changing medicine. I heard there's a pregnant woman who took the medicine I just bought yesterday."
She said, "When I think of so many boys and girls who have been harmed and have suffered physical deformities, my heart aches."
He Chengze touched her smooth and silky hair: "You are not God, how can you predict everything? This is not your fault."
Jiang Xueyi hugged his waist and said, "I just don't understand, is it so important to have a son?"
He Chengze grasped Jiang Xueyi's hand, the calluses on his palm rubbing against her fingertips. "Sometimes, we have to look at things from another perspective." He added, "The people in the commune down below live a tighter and more tiring life than we do. Think about it, the work in the fields—ploughing, carrying manure, harvesting wheat—which one doesn't rely on physical strength? Men are strong, and the more work they do, the more food they have at home."
"In their eyes, having a son is not just about face, but about survival."
Jiang Xueyi nodded, not quite understanding.
She spent the first twenty years of her life in an era of prosperity and rapid development.
In the next ten years, living in the end times, human life is cheaper than grass, and it is impossible for me to understand the idea of favoring boys over girls.
Jiang Xueyi: "But, no matter how much you like a boy, you can't trade the life of a woman and a child for it." She added, "Drinking the abortion-changing drug will not only harm the child, but also the mother. All medicines are poisonous."
"It's not like they don't know how harmful it is to their health." He Chengze sighed. "Before, when I went to Lan County to help with flood relief, there was a family with two daughters and a son. During the flood, they relied entirely on that boy to carry sandbags on the dike, otherwise the house would have been flooded long ago. Tell me, who wouldn't want to have two more boys to strengthen their team in this situation?"
"It has to be said that sometimes the differences in the physiological structures of men and women mean that men are destined to be able to do more physical work than women."
He Chengze: "Speaking of the issue of elderly care, isn't the purpose of raising children to provide for old age? The countryside doesn't have as much security as the city. When people get old and can't work, they rely on their children to help. They think that once a daughter is married, she belongs to someone else's family and it's up to her sons to serve her tea and water. This idea is a bit foolish, but if you put yourself in their perspective, wouldn't you be able to understand it a little? After all, most weddings and funerals since ancient times have been like this."
Jiang Xueyi shrank into his arms and said unconvincedly, "Not every son is filial. There are many daughters who are more filial than sons."
He Chengze kissed Jiang Xueyi's forehead and said, "Indeed." He added, "But just like the crops in the field, some grow crooked, some grow plump, there are all kinds. They long for a son, not for the title of 'carrying on the family line', but for another pillar to support the family and make it more stable in these difficult times."
"What you said to those members today actually made sense, but principles are principles and life is life. It's not that they don't understand, but they are forced into a helpless situation by the hard times."
Jiang Xueyi understood and sighed slowly.
She asked, "So, all the things I said today were just talking nonsense."
"That's not the case." He Chengze said, "A single spark can start a prairie fire. Plant a seed, and sooner or later it will take root and sprout in their hearts."
Jiang Xueyi smiled and said, "As society develops and people's living standards improve, women will have more jobs and earn as much as men. With technological advancements, women will also have the same power as men. The 'preference for sons over daughters' will definitely be resolved one day." She added, "When that happens, 'having a son or a daughter will truly be the same.'"
"That's right." He Chengze said with relief.
On the other side is the Zhao family.
Captain Zhao saw Liu Lu turn on the light in the study and asked, "Why aren't you sleeping yet?"
"I can't sleep." Liu Lu was feeling very excited. She picked up her pen and said, "I want to write down everything that happened today."
After working in the Propaganda Department of the Women's Federation for so long, this was the first time she felt that her writing skills had been put to good use.
She said, "Go play somewhere else and don't disturb me."
Captain Zhao was so sleepy that he yawned repeatedly: "Okay, okay, you take your time writing, I'm going to sleep first."
Liu Lu waved her hand and chased Captain Zhao away like a fly.
She was so absorbed in her writing that she didn't stop until the sky outside the window was filled with stars.
The next morning, Liu Lu found Jiang Xueyi with bloodshot eyes and said, "Xueyi, please help me take a look at this manuscript."
Jiang Xueyi was stunned for a moment, then took the manuscript and asked, "What is this?"
Liu Lu said excitedly, "I've polished up what happened yesterday and written a promotional article about the phenomenon of 'preferring sons over daughters,' focusing on your story. Since you're the person involved, could you please review it for me?"
Jiang Xueyi was amused: "What have I done? I just accompanied you to get the money back."
Liu Lu shook her head. "You can't say that." She added, "Every word you said yesterday was truly deafening and thought-provoking. We at the Women's Federation have been doing publicity work for so long, but nothing has been as thought-provoking as your few words."
She stayed up all night writing the manuscript, and four-character idioms popped out one after another.
Jiang Xueyi read through the entire promotional draft and said, "Your writing skills are better than mine. I can't help you with the polishing, but I have some ideas you can refer to."
Liu Lu: "You say."
Jiang Xueyi told Liu Lu some of the things she talked about with He Chengze last night.
Liu Lu was so excited when she heard this that she couldn't wait to go back and revise the manuscript.
She said, "I'm going back to continue writing. Please ask our section chief for leave for me today. I won't be going to work."
"I understand." Jiang Xueyi said, "Take it easy, you're still pregnant."
"Don't worry, I know my own body." Liu Lu said, "After I finish writing the manuscript, I will sign it as the second author."
As soon as she finished speaking, she disappeared.
Jiang Xueyi shook her head with a smile: "This Liu Lu."
Liu Lu quickly revised the manuscript and handed it in.
After taking a look at it, Section Chief Jin of the Propaganda Department slapped his thigh and said "good" three times in a row.
This manuscript was circulated among the entire Women's Federation. Coincidentally, the Municipal Propaganda Committee was conducting a selection process, so Director Xie made the final decision and sent the manuscript up directly.
By the time Jiang Xueyi found out, the Municipal Propaganda Committee had already submitted it to the Provincial Propaganda Committee.
Liu Lu was so excited that she kept spinning around and tightly held Jiang Xueyi's hand: "Will we win a prize in the province?"
"Who knows what will happen next?" Jiang Xueyi said without much hope. "It's still okay in the city, but the province is full of talented people. To be honest, it's a bit risky."
Liu Lu also calmed down: "That's right. No matter what, my original intention was not to win an award, but to hope that this article can be seen by more people."
"That's right." Jiang Xueyi said with a smile.
It is customary to have a meeting on Monday morning. Jiang Xueyi has been working at the Women's Federation for some time and has long been accustomed to it.
She filled a kettle with warm water, found a good seat in the conference room, sat down, spread out her notebook, put her pen beside her, and prepared to start killing time.
Everyone was present, and Director Xie was the last one to arrive.
She first held a meeting to convey the instructions from above, and then the section chiefs and office heads of each department began to report on the work of their departments, which tasks had been completed and which tasks were still unfinished.
Director Xie looked at everyone while listening.
The focus was on Jiang Xueyi.
She was wearing a white shirt today, with her hair neatly tied up behind her head. A few strands of hair fell from her forehead to her chin, making her face look smaller.
She doesn't look like a woman who has given birth at all, and people would believe she is seventeen or eighteen.
She listened carefully to everyone's reports, and occasionally took notes on the key points in her notebook.
Director Xie nodded continuously when he saw the correct attitude.
After everyone finished their reports, Director Xie stepped forward to summarize: "Everyone has done a good job this week. Keep up the good work." He then said, "We've received instructions from above to give a lecture on menstruation. Those from the publicity department will stay, and everyone else can disband."
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