“So they’ll have to make a cut down there?” Yinghua’s mother asked hesitantly. Supporting herself against the bedpost, she slowly sat down on the bed.
“Yes.”
“Doctor Fang, will you be the one performing Yinghua’s surgery?” Yinghua’s mother asked.
“The hospital will assign the surgeon.” Fang Yuan had only recently started working at the hospital. She had not yet begun seeing patients independently. Although Yinghua’s operation was only a very minor procedure and she was fully capable of performing it, everything still had to follow the hospital’s arrangements. She could not casually make such a promise.
“Doctor Fang, you’re the successor of the old miracle doctor. I trust you. I’d rather have you perform Yinghua’s operation. If that’s really not possible, then… could you at least arrange for a female doctor?”
That was exactly why Fang Yuan had not mentioned the surgery in front of everyone earlier and had instead chosen to tell Yinghua’s mother in private.
“I’ll help you arrange for a female doctor,” Fang Yuan said. It was such a minor operation that any doctor in the hospital could perform it, so it would not be a problem.
“That’s good, that’s good. But after the operation, once that membrane has been cut open, will Yinghua’s future husband misunderstand?”
“Don’t worry. Our hospital can issue a medical certificate. If necessary, you can show it to the groom.” Fang Yuan understood Yinghua’s mother’s concerns. “However, Auntie, you must bring Yinghua to the hospital tomorrow. The mass in her abdomen is quite large, and there’s a significant amount of retained blood. She needs surgery as soon as possible. It can’t be delayed any longer.”
“All right, all right. I’ll bring Yinghua to the hospital tomorrow.”
After seeing Yinghua’s mother off, Fang Yuan ate the sumptuous dinner her grandmother had prepared and rode home in the glow of the setting sun.
On the way back, a watermelon and a small burlap sack of vegetables were tied to the back of her bicycle.
Grandma Xu had originally even tried to give her one of the family’s old hens, but Fang Yuan refused to accept it. She knew it was a laying hen, and slaughtering it for meat would be such a waste. Although rural families were now allowed to grow some vegetables and fruit on their private plots, there were strict limits on the number of livestock and poultry they could raise. Their household only had two old hens. Killing one would immediately mean losing one of their main egg producers.
After another two-hour ride, it was already dark by the time she arrived home. Da Mao was playing hoop rolling with a group of older children in the alley. When he saw Fang Yuan return, he let out a snort, turned his head away, and ignored her.
Fang Yuan shook her head with a smile. She had noticed that among the four siblings, Xiao Mao was more like her. His personality was quieter and more reserved, and he liked sitting quietly and reading books. Aili, on the other hand, was more like Da Mao, lively and mischievous. She only hoped that when it came to studying, Aili would never become like Da Mao, who acted as though a writing brush weighed a thousand pounds whenever he picked one up.
“Comrade Xu Xinguo, come help carry the watermelon,” Fang Yuan called toward the back of Da Mao’s retreating head.
Da Mao spun around abruptly, threw down his hoop, and ran over. In one leap he reached the back of the bicycle. Seeing that there really was a large watermelon tied there, his grin stretched from ear to ear. He immediately reached for the rope.
“Don’t pull it. Be careful the watermelon doesn’t roll off,” Fang Yuan reminded him.
“This watermelon was given to me by Grandpa and Grandma. Don’t even think about keeping it for yourself. You must’ve already eaten plenty in the countryside.” Da Mao glanced sideways at Fang Yuan. That was also why he had wanted to go to the countryside. Every visit meant delicious food.
“You sure think highly of yourself. Are you their only grandchild?” Fang Yuan bantered back. Whenever she was with Da Mao, she also became much more childish.
“You just wanted to eat all the good food yourself, that’s why you didn’t take me. You don’t get any of this watermelon.” Da Mao finally untied the rope securing the watermelon, picked it up, and walked away.
In the end, the watermelon never made it into his stomach alone. Fang Xiaoqin saved half of it, while the other half was cut into slices and shared with the neighbors.
Xiao Shengli sat at the doorway happily gnawing on a slice of watermelon. His chest was covered with bright red juice. As he grinned happily at Da Mao beside him, he was completely oblivious to the vicious glare Da Mao was giving him.
Xiao Mao ate much more neatly. He spat the watermelon seeds into a dustpan while carefully making sure the juice did not drip onto his clothes. “Big Sister, did Grandma’s family grow a lot of watermelons?” he asked.
“Not that many.” Fang Yuan shook her head. “If they grew too many, they’d be accused of growing a capitalist tail.”
“I think capitalist tails are all good things.” Da Mao wiped his mouth with one hand.
Fang Yuan immediately slapped him lightly on the thigh. “Don’t say things like that!”
The slice of watermelon sent to the Hao family eventually ended up being eaten by Yanzi.
Aunt Liu quietly said to Fang Xiaoqin, “Yanzi really has good fortune. Although Hao Yong limps a little, she’s a country girl who married into a worker’s family, and she’s doted on by both her husband and her parents-in-law. She’s living quite comfortably.”
Fang Xiaoqin smiled and nodded. “Master Hao and his wife are very caring people.”
Master Hao had originally been a worker at the textile factory. Because his skills were exceptional, when the scissors factory was first established, he was temporarily transferred there. Later, he remained at the scissors factory permanently. The family had originally had three children, but after living through the war years, only Hao Yong survived, and he had been left with an injured leg. A few years earlier, the couple had gone to great lengths trying to find a marriage partner for their disabled son. In the end, they chose Yanzi, who had a rural household registration.
Master Hao earned a monthly salary of one hundred and six yuan. Hao Yong worked as a foundry worker and earned a little over twenty yuan a month. Together, the family’s monthly income exceeded one hundred yuan, allowing them to live quite comfortably. During Yanzi’s pregnancy and confinement period, the family even bought expensive grain at premium prices to help nourish her.
Although Hao Yong was a man of few words, he had a warm and helpful heart. Since neither Fang Yuan’s family nor Aunt Liu’s family had an adult man in the household, he always helped them with heavy lifting and other physically demanding tasks.
“I wonder when our Fangfang will be able to find such a good family too.” Aunt Liu was currently asking around about marriage prospects for her daughter.
Originally, she had planned to wait until Fangfang became a factory worker before arranging a marriage, but the factories no longer had any recruitment quotas, and her daughter was getting older by the day. She hoped her daughter’s job and marriage could be settled at the same time, so she had quietly let people know that she wanted a prospective husband who could also help solve Fangfang’s employment problem.
“Your Ah Yuan also needs to get moving. Has anyone come to propose a marriage for her yet?”
“She only just came back. How could someone already be coming to propose?” Fang Xiaoqin replied with a smile. “I want her to work for another two years before arranging a marriage for her.”
“That’s true. She only just started earning money. If she got married right away, she wouldn’t be able to help support her natal family. Helping you out for another two years is only right. Da Mao and Xiao Mao are still young.” Aunt Liu nodded in agreement.
Secretly, she thought that although Fangfang could not compare with Fang Yuan in any respect, there was one thing in which she had the advantage. Fang Yuan still had younger siblings she needed to help support, whereas Fangfang had an older brother serving in the military who could look after the family. Fangfang only needed to take care of herself and did not have to worry about her natal family at all.
Fang Xiaoqin only smiled without explaining further. The reason she wanted to keep her daughter with her for another two years was because she could not bear to see her marry so early. In her heart, no matter how capable her daughter became outside the home, she was still a child who needed her care. Letting her marry so young, serve her parents-in-law, and take care of her husband’s entire family was something Fang Xiaoqin simply could not feel at ease about.
“Gangzi, I haven’t seen your mother all afternoon. Is she not home today?” Fang Xiaoqin asked as she looked at Hao Yong and Yanzi, who were amusing their son.
“My mother’s old headaches have flared up again. She’s lying in her room resting,” Yanzi answered.
“Ah Yuan, why don’t you take a look for her? See if her headaches can be cured. Otherwise, suffering from them every few days is really miserable,” Aunt Liu said as she looked at Fang Yuan.
Both Hao Yong and Yanzi looked at her expectantly.
Fang Yuan stood up. “All right, I’ll go examine Auntie.”
She first returned to her room to fetch her silver acupuncture needles, then followed Hao Yong into Auntie Hao’s room. The room was still somewhat stuffy on the summer night. The mosquito net was half lowered, and Auntie Hao was lying on the bed with a cloth strip tied around her head, softly groaning.
“Ah Yuan, have a drink first.” Uncle Hao brought in a bowl of sweetened water. “This has been an old problem for her. Whether it can be cured or not, have a look first.”
Fang Yuan agreed.
When Auntie Hao opened her eyes and saw Fang Yuan enter, she immediately sat up. The movement triggered a sharp stabbing pain in her head, and she clutched it while gasping.
“Auntie, lean back first. Let me check your pulse.”
After taking her pulse, Fang Yuan examined the coating on Auntie Hao’s tongue and asked about her headache symptoms. Based on Auntie Hao’s symptoms, distending headache, dizziness, flushed face, bitter taste in the mouth, a red tongue with a yellow coating, and a wiry, rapid pulse, Fang Yuan concluded that the migraine had been caused by hyperactivity of liver yang.
“Auntie, let me give you a few acupuncture needles and see if they can relieve your headache. If it improves, I’ll give you acupuncture regularly, and before long your headaches should be cured.” Fang Yuan picked up the silver needles she had brought and sterilized them.
“It can really be cured? I won’t be afraid no matter how many needles you use.” Auntie Hao’s face lit up with joy.
“Uncle Hao, the lighting in here is a little dim. Could you light another two candles?”
There was only a single dim light bulb in the room, casting a faint yellow glow.
“Of course, of course. I’ll get them right away.”
After the room became much brighter, Fang Yuan had Auntie Hao sit up. After locating the appropriate acupoints, she held the needle handles between her thumb, index finger, and middle finger. Using the horizontal insertion technique, she first inserted three needles into Baihui, Touwei, and Fengchi. She then inserted silver needles into Taichong, Sanyinjiao, and Xiaxi as well.
While the needles were being retained, Uncle Hao looked at the needles in his wife’s head and feet in surprise. “So when treating a headache, you also need to insert needles into the feet?”
“The principle of acupuncture treatment is to unblock the meridians and promote blood circulation. Many illnesses are caused by blocked meridians and obstructed circulation of qi and blood. Since the meridians extend throughout the entire body, treating a headache doesn’t mean treating only the head,” Fang Yuan explained with a smile.
“I don’t understand, I don’t understand. As long as I know that you’re a great doctor now, Ah Yuan, that’s enough for us to trust you,” Uncle Hao said with a smile.
After a while, Fang Yuan removed the silver needles. Auntie Hao happily announced that her head no longer hurt.
Fang Yuan explained that if she wanted to cure it completely, she would need several more acupuncture sessions. She would come every other day to continue the treatments.
Uncle Hao and his wife repeatedly agreed, saying only that Fang Yuan would have to trouble herself for them. They escorted her all the way outside.
Seeing Auntie Hao come out, Fang Xiaoqin, Aunt Liu, Yanzi, and the others happily came over to greet them, and another lively discussion followed.
That night, after washing up, Fang Yuan went into Fang Xiaoqin’s room.
“Mom, why didn’t you ask about Aili?” Fang Yuan complained. She had deliberately not brought up her younger sister, yet her mother truly had not asked about her.
“Has she grown taller?” Fang Xiaoqin smiled as she pulled Fang Yuan over to sit beside her on the bed. Gently stroking her hair, she asked with a smile.
“She’s a little taller than children her age. Everyone in our family is tall.”
“You’re too tall yourself. Luckily you haven’t grown any more. Otherwise you’d look like a telephone pole, and no one would want you in the future.” Fang Xiaoqin teased.
“I’m not even one meter seventy yet.” Fang Yuan pouted. Why was it considered a good thing when men were tall, but women were criticized for being tall? She was only one hundred sixty-nine centimeters. “There were classmates from the north at our school who were even taller than I am.”
“And you know they were northerners. Down here in the south, men aren’t that tall to begin with. If a girl is taller than they are, it doesn’t look good.”
The image of that somewhat strange soldier suddenly appeared in Fang Yuan’s mind. He had been a full head taller than she was. Not all men were short. But he seemed to be from the north too. Could it be that she would only be able to marry a northerner in the future?
Not wanting to continue talking about height, Fang Yuan changed the subject. “Grandma and the others spoil Aili too much. I think she’s become just as mischievous as Da Mao. We should bring her back sooner. Otherwise she’ll become more and more distant from us.”
Thinking about how Aili had spoken of her own mother as though she were a stranger made Fang Yuan feel rather upset.
“All right, I understand,” Fang Xiaoqin replied absentmindedly.
Only after seeing her mother nod did Fang Yuan leave, feeling satisfied.
Fang Xiaoqin, however, found her thoughts churning, making it impossible for her to fall asleep again.