The midday sun shone brightly, driving away the lingering chill in the air.
Hao Yong limped forward, pulling a handcart loaded with rice, flour, and soybean oil, while Fang Yuan and Fangfang followed behind, helping steady the cart.
These past two days were when residents could collect the next quarter’s grain, cooking oil, and other rationed food with their ration booklets. Fang Yuan had joined a group of neighbors in lining up outside the grain station early that morning. They had waited until nearly eleven o’clock before it was finally their turn. As usual, Brother Hao Yong helped them, pulling the supplies for all three households back together.
“Brother Hao, do you want to take a break?” Fang Yuan asked, seeing the sweat pouring down his face, worried that he might exhaust himself.
“No need. Just one more push and we’ll be home,” Hao Yong replied. His old clothes were covered in dust, several black smudges stained his face, and the veins on both hands bulged as he pulled the heavy cart forward.
“Brother Hao Yong, here, have a drink of water first.” Fangfang picked up the water bottle from the cart, unscrewed the cap, walked over, and held it out to him.
Hao Yong smiled and shook his head.
As soon as they entered the alley, a man wearing a green military uniform came jogging toward them.
“Brother Hao, let me do it, let me do it.” The soldier stopped Hao Yong and reached to take the handcart from him.
“Brother Liu,” Fang Yuan called happily. “When did you get back?”
“Brother!” Fangfang was even more excited. She ran over, grabbed his arm, and shouted.
The soldier was Xiao Shengli’s father, Liu Qizhi.
“I just got home. I heard you all went to collect the grain, so I was just about to come look for you.” Liu Qizhi’s dark, lean face was full of smiles.
“Ah Zhi, it’s fine. It’s only a few more steps. I can pull it myself,” Hao Yong said, delighted to see Liu Qizhi back.
“Move aside already. Why are you being so polite with me? While I was away, you’ve been helping out the whole time. My mother and my wife have mentioned you countless times. Now that I’m back, how can I let you keep working so hard?” Liu Qizhi snatched the cart handles away and gently pushed Hao Yong aside.
“Brother Hao Yong, just let my brother do it. Let him show off a little,” Fangfang said with a giggle.
Hao Yong smiled sheepishly and stepped aside, allowing Liu Qizhi to take over.
“We’ll have a proper drink together later,” Liu Qizhi said to Hao Yong.
“Alright. We brothers haven’t had a drink together in years. Tonight, we won’t stop until we’re completely drunk.” Usually a man of few words, Hao Yong became unexpectedly hearty at that moment.
Fang Yuan chuckled as she watched them.
She was working the evening shift today, so collecting the grain had fallen to her. Knowing Hao Yong was helping, Fang Xiaoqin had been able to go to work without worry. Otherwise, Fang Yuan would never have managed to haul home three months’ worth of grain for the whole family by herself.
When they reached home, Hao Yong and Liu Qizhi refused to let Fang Yuan and Fangfang help. Together they carried the grain for all three families into their respective homes. After several trips back and forth, everything had been moved inside.
That evening, Liu Qizhi carried Xiao Shengli on his shoulders as he first picked up his eldest daughter from elementary school, then went to the textile factory to pick up Shengli’s mother after work. The family of four returned home together, warm and affectionate.
Since Xiao Shengli’s father had returned, the three families each prepared dishes and gathered at Aunt Liu’s home for dinner that evening.
At the dinner table, the children wolfed down their meals in just a few bites before running off to play. Master Hao and Hao Yong accompanied Liu Qizhi in drinking, while Liu Qizhi talked about life in the army. Everyone listened with great interest.
Shengli’s mother, Jin Chan, stared at her husband without blinking, her heart overflowing with sweetness. She could not wait until everyone had gone home and the night had grown quiet so she could pull her husband aside and share some private words with him. The two of them had not seen each other for nearly two years.
At some point, Da Mao drifted over beside Liu Qizhi again and said enviously, “Brother Liu, you look so impressive in that military uniform.” These days, wearing a green military uniform was the most fashionable look among young people.
“I’ll see if the army has any old uniforms they’re retiring. I’ll mail you a set when the time comes,” Liu Qizhi said, patting Da Mao on the head.
“Really?” Da Mao asked in delight.
“As long as you study hard and stop being so mischievous, I’ll definitely send you one.”
The moment he heard “study hard,” Da Mao immediately wilted.
Seeing the envy on Hao Yong’s face as well, Liu Qizhi said, “Brother Dayong, I’ll get you a set too.”
Hao Yong grinned from ear to ear, nodded vigorously with an incoherent “Mm, mm,” clinked glasses with Liu Qizhi, and drained his cup in one gulp.
The liquor was so strong that he squinted his eyes and stuck out his tongue.
“Drink more slowly. This liquor is pretty strong,” Yanzi reminded him, tugging lightly at his sleeve.
“It’s fine. I’m happy,” Hao Yong replied indifferently.
Since it was time for her shift, Fang Yuan said goodbye to everyone and left first.
Watching Fang Yuan leave, Auntie Hao quietly asked Fang Xiaoqin whether she had mentioned the blind date to Fang Yuan.
Fang Xiaoqin smiled helplessly and said she had brought it up, but Fang Yuan had said she was not interested in finding a partner right now, and there was nothing she could do about it.
Auntie Hao repeatedly sighed that it was such a pity.
After hearing this, Aunt Liu asked curiously, “What kind of match did you introduce to Fang Yuan? How come she didn’t like him? Why don’t you introduce him to Fangfang instead?”
Hearing this from the side, Fangfang’s face immediately fell. She said loudly, “If Fang Yuan doesn’t want him, then I don’t want him either.”
Aunt Liu gave her daughter a light smack before turning back to continue asking questions.
Auntie Hao explained that the man worked as an officer in the Personnel Section of the Scissors Factory. Although he was not a local, he was a university graduate, handsome, and had a pleasant personality.
Aunt Liu’s eyes lit up, and she eagerly begged Auntie Hao to help arrange the introduction.
Auntie Hao looked at Master Hao awkwardly and said that since the man worked at the Scissors Factory and she did not know him personally, she would need Master Hao to speak on their behalf.
Looking at the eager expression Aunt Liu was giving him, Master Hao thought for a moment before saying that he would make some inquiries first and get back to them.
He had originally mentioned the matter to his wife because he wanted to introduce the young man to Fang Yuan. Now that his old neighbor wanted him to inquire on Fangfang’s behalf instead, it would not be appropriate for him to refuse outright. Fangfang was usually loud and impulsive, and he worried that being the matchmaker for her would not be an easy job.
Liu Qizhi clinked glasses with Master Hao again and said that whether it worked out or not, he wanted to thank him in advance.
The moment he returned home, he had heard his mother talking endlessly about Fangfang’s marriage. They had introduced countless men to her, but none met her standards. There had previously been a young man who slaughtered pigs at the Food Supply Station, and he had actually been quite a good match. In the future, his family would be able to eat meat without needing meat ration coupons, yet Fangfang had rejected him because she thought he was ugly.
Some time ago, the textile factory had recruited temporary workers. Because Fangfang had graduated from junior high school and was the child of a factory worker, she had secured a position. She had finally escaped unemployment and would begin working in the textile factory workshop at the beginning of next month.
Fangfang was more than ten years younger than him and had grown up under the loving care of the whole family. When their father passed away, one of his children had been allowed to inherit his job. At the time, both Fangfang and his wife, Jin Chan, had wanted the position. The sisters-in-law had argued over it for a long time.
While serving in the army, he had received several letters. Fangfang asked whether he still cared about the bond between brother and sister, while his wife said that if he sided with his younger sister, she would divorce him. He had been caught in an impossible position.
In the end, it was his mother who made the decision and gave the job to Jin Chan. Although she loved Fangfang dearly, she believed that a daughter would eventually marry and leave the family, while a daughter-in-law was truly part of the household. Besides, Fangfang was still young and would have other opportunities to be recruited later.
Because of this, he had always felt guilty toward his younger sister. Fangfang had also remained angry with the family for more than half a year. Now that her employment had finally been settled, as long as her marriage could also be arranged, he would finally be able to set his mind at ease.
Fangfang had initially been extremely unwilling, but after secretly listening to their conversation and learning that the man was a university graduate as well as a factory cadre, she became somewhat interested. At the same time, she felt a little uneasy, afraid that he might not think highly of her, so she merely puffed out her cheeks and remained silent beside them.
Watching Aunt Liu casually take over the match that had originally been intended for Fang Yuan, Fang Xiaoqin felt an indescribable emotion in her heart. She worried that if the young man really was as good as they said, and Fangfang ended up liking him, it would be a terrible pity for Fang Yuan to have missed the opportunity.
…
Fang Yuan’s evening shift was very quiet. Nothing unusual happened. After making her rounds through the ward, chatting with the nurse on duty for a while, and helping roll some cotton balls, she returned to the consultation room. Under the dim yellow desk lamp, she picked up a copy of Collected Works of Mao Dun and began reading.
In the early hours of the morning, while dozing with her head resting on the desk, the consultation room door was suddenly pushed open by a nurse.
“Doctor Fang, there’s an emergency patient. Please come take a look.”
Fang Yuan jolted awake. She rubbed her face to clear her mind, grabbed her stethoscope, and immediately ran outside.
The patient was a welder in his forties. He had always been in good health and had never suffered from any serious illness. That morning, as he got out of bed, he had suddenly felt tightness in his chest, his vision had gone dark, and he had instantly lost consciousness. His family had rushed him to the hospital.
On the way to the hospital, the patient had already regained consciousness.
Based on the patient’s symptoms, Fang Yuan first arranged for an electrocardiogram. The examination showed only myocardial ischemia, while the electrocardiogram itself appeared normal.
After further observation, the patient had already returned to normal. He himself said he might simply have fainted from hunger.
Out of caution, Fang Yuan still arranged for routine examinations.
The laboratory results were not available until shift handover. After reviewing them, Fang Yuan discovered that there were abnormalities in the patient’s liver function, kidney function, and cardiac indicators.
She brought the report to Doctor Jiang. He was equally shocked. What kind of illness could cause damage to so many organs? Together, he and Fang Yuan went to the ward to examine the patient.
After thinking back carefully, the patient said that he might have slipped while working at the factory a few days earlier and had struck his chest against a steel frame. He wondered whether that was the cause.
Doctor Jiang asked about the injury and how it had been treated at the time. An ordinary external injury should not have caused such severe damage to multiple organs.
At that moment, the patient’s wife suddenly remembered something and said, “Doctor, after he injured himself, someone told us about a folk remedy for treating external injuries, so we tried it. We had him eat seven or eight live toads raw.”
The patient laughed and said, “I even had someone catch them for me. It cost two yuan. Seven or eight little toads, swallowed whole while they were still alive. I didn’t even dare chew them. It was really terrifying.”
Doctor Jiang’s expression became grave. Toad venom alone was highly toxic, and there were also so many parasites inside them. Judging from the situation now, the prognosis did not look optimistic. He rejected the patient’s request to be discharged and ordered further examinations.
When Fang Yuan returned to the consultation room, she saw that all the doctors and medical assistants from Ward One had already arrived. Everyone was gathered together with tense expressions, quietly discussing something.
After seeing Fang Yuan, Yao Hongying stepped out of the crowd, walked over to her, and said solemnly, “The hospital leadership held a meeting this morning. After it’s over, they’ll announce the list for the medical team.”
Fang Yuan’s body tensed slightly as she murmured, “So we’ll know the result today.”
“Do you want to stay here and wait for the news?” Yao Hongying asked.
After thinking for a moment, Fang Yuan shook her head. “No. I’ll go home and get some rest first. Once the decision has been made, there’s no point staying here.”
Inside the hospital conference room, the Party Secretary, the hospital director, the secretary of the Youth League branch, and the directors of each department had already been discussing the list for the medical team for quite some time. The room was filled with cigarette smoke. The Party Secretary smoked as well. Everyone frowned while flipping through the documents in their hands and putting forward their own opinions.