Chapter 118
The old lady had seven living children and a whole bunch of grandsons, granddaughters, and maternal grandchildren, but this was the first time Yan Xiang had met her.
This child was different from the other children in the family; not only did he look exactly like her second son when he was young, but his eyes were also exceptionally clean and clear.
That call of “Grandma” was incredibly natural, coming from the heart, bursting with joy due to the first encounter of blood relations.
Yan Lei’s Mother felt her heart soften instantly.
“Hey—” she replied, “Xianger, Xianger, right? Come… let Grandma take a look at you.”
She bent down and reached out her arms.
Without Qiao Wei needing to say anything, Yan Xiang happily rushed over, naturally feeling no strangeness or wariness toward his biological grandmother.
Yan Lei’s Mother quickly squatted down to hug him, filled with unspeakable joy: “Good child, good child.”
Yan Xiang happily called out “Grandma” twice, then suddenly paused, sniffed, and his expression changed slightly.
Qiao Wei had told Yan Xiang long ago that when he noticed something unusual about others, he shouldn’t shout it out in public; he could whisper it, or say nothing at all.
To be more specific, this meant telling Yan Xiang not to shout directly that Jun Jun smelled bad.
This also applied to anyone else, not just Jun Jun.
Yan Xiang therefore said nothing. But Yan Lei’s Mother immediately noticed something was off; she hurriedly let go of this clean, white-shirted child and stood up awkwardly: “Xiangers mother, come, let’s go inside.”
“Mother, my name is Qiao Wei.” Qiao Wei went over, held her by one arm, and greeted the Village Party Secretary, “Second Uncle, let’s go inside and sit!”
The group entered the door, and many others followed to watch the excitement.
These people did not exist in the memories Qiao Wei inherited, and she didn’t know who they were, but they all swarmed in after them.
In the countryside, there was no such thing as privacy; it simply didn’t exist.
As soon as they entered the courtyard, an old man was being helped out by his sons.
The old man looked like he hadn’t seen much of the world and seemed a bit uneasy: “You’re here?”
Qiao Wei recognized this one.
She continued to support her mother-in-law and called out: “Father, I am Qiao Wei, do you remember me?”
This old man was Yan Lei’s Father, Qiao Wei’s father-in-law.
Perhaps because of his illness, his complexion was poor, his spirit was listless, and his brow was furrowed with worry; he only nodded: “Aye, aye.”
“Xianger,” Yan Lei’s Mother said, “this is your grandfather. Father, this is Xianger, Leis son.”
It was the first time in his life the old man had seen this grandson, and there were actually tears in his eyes: “Good, good, it’s good that you could come back. I can still live to see the child…”
Yan Zhu quickly said: “Father, don’t talk nonsense!”
He directed his younger brothers to help their father inside.
Qiao Wei observed that Yan Lei’s Father had not lost the ability to take care of himself, but the pain caused by his body made him miserable. With this pain constantly present, a person could almost be considered to have lost their ability to labor.
The furnishings in the main room were typical of a rural home, but it was kept very clean.
In this rural society where the division of labor between men and women was clear, this situation indicated that the woman of the house was diligent and loved cleanliness. Qiao Wei knew very clearly that this was the result of Yan Lei’s Mothers hard work.
Everyone swarmed into the main room, and after a chaotic scramble, various stools, benches, and folding chairs were brought out and arranged in a circle.
Finally, Yan Lei’s Father sat in the seat of honor at the square table, and everyone urged the Village Party Secretary to sit on the other side. Whether in this era or the future, a Village Party Secretary was equivalent to the sky of the village. The Village Party Secretary didn’t decline and sat down directly, but he greeted Qiao Wei: “Qiao Wei, come, you sit here.”
He directed Qiao Wei to sit in the first position to the left of Yan Lei’s Father, and then the others took their seats in order.
“Leis father, don’t worry, Lei told me everything on the phone,” said the Village Party Secretary, “Qiao Wei’s return trip this time is specifically to take you to see a doctor.”
Qiao Wei spoke up to ask: “Father, how is your condition now?”
Yan Lei’s Father didn’t speak, first sighing long and hard with a bitter expression on his face, clearly suffering greatly from the illness: “I’ve taken several doses of medicine, but it hasn’t gotten any better, and the acupuncture didn’t help either. I’m afraid… I’m afraid… my time is…”
“Pah, pah, pah. Don’t say such depressing things.” The Village Party Secretary interrupted him.
The women who had disappeared reappeared, bringing out water.
When Yan Lei’s Mother appeared, Qiao Wei was about to get up to give her the seat. Yan Zhu and the Village Party Secretary reached out at the same time: “You sit, you sit!”
The Village Party Secretary said: “Zhuzi, find a stool for your mother.”
So someone got up and offered a stool. Yan Lei’s Mother had a place to sit and sat down uneasily; she even quietly pulled the stool a little further away from the crowd.
Qiao Wei said: “Father, I read the situation described in the letter. Let me ask you, do your waist, back, and ribs all hurt? Do you sometimes have sudden, cramping stomach pains? From your lower abdomen down to the inner thigh, does that hurt too?”
Yan Lei’s Father nodded quickly: “Yes, it all hurts.”
“Sometimes you break out in a cold sweat?”
“Yes, yes!”
Qiao Wei asked: “Is there blood in your urine, or pus?”
With his daughter-in-law asking this, the old father-in-law felt a bit embarrassed.
The Village Party Secretary said: “This is for medical treatment, answer truthfully whether you have it or not. You can’t hide anything when seeing a doctor.”
Yan Zhu answered for his father: “At first it was blood in the urine, later there was pus too. It got serious, so we wrote to my second brother.”
Qiao Wei nodded and said: “Before I came, I consulted with comrades at the Health Bureau. The comrades at the Health Bureau said that if there is blood and pus in the urine, it cannot be delayed any longer; you must have surgery.”
Yan Lei’s Father fell silent, and Yan Lei’s Mother was even more frightened. In an occasion with so many men, she usually wouldn’t speak out of turn, but this concerned her husbands life, so she had to ask: “Leis wife… does this mean we have to go to the county?”
“Mother, you can just call me Qiao Wei.” Qiao Wei said, looking Yan Lei’s Father up and down, “Father, can you walk by yourself now? Is normal walking still okay?”
Yan Lei’s Father said: “It’s possible, it’s just uncomfortable.”
The pain in his body wouldn’t kill him immediately, but being in constant pain was truly miserable.
Qiao Wei asked the Village Party Secretary again: “Second Uncle, how far are we from the provincial capital? What transportation should we use to get to the provincial capital? How long will it take?”
The Village Party Secretary was slightly startled: “You still want to go to the provincial capital? Isn’t the county hospital okay? If not, can’t you go to the city?”
Qiao Wei said: “The medical resources of a provincial hospital are simply incomparable to those of the county, and the city won’t do either. If something goes wrong and we have to endure more trouble, it’s better to go straight to the provincial level.”
“Furthermore, I don’t know to what extent the construction of the Revolutionary Committee has progressed here. But generally speaking, it starts from the provincial capital and then radiates to the surrounding areas. Just now, after getting off the train in the county, I noticed the streets were a bit chaotic, which suggests the Revolutionary Committee hasn’t stabilized the situation yet. In this situation, I worry about whether the county hospital can guarantee effective medical conditions?”
“As for the provincial capital, if the Revolutionary Committee has already stabilized, all systems should have resumed normal operation. Even if there are any issues, there are more medical resources, and the safety rate is much higher than in the county. Rather than going to the county or city, it’s better to do it right once and go directly to the provincial capital to use provincial-level medical resources.”
As soon as she said this, the room fell silent, because there were few people who could keep up with the conversation.
Yan Lei’s Mother had originally wanted to ask a question, but was bewildered by this string of words. She seemed to understand everything, yet it was outside her scope of cognition. To her, going to the county seat was already a long journey.
Going to the provincial capital? She didn’t even dare to think about it.
Someone spoke up: “Lei…”
The Village Party Secretary interrupted this person: “Qiao Wei.”
“Oh, oh, Qiao Wei.” The person asked, “Qiao Wei is quite clear about these things, huh?”
Without waiting for Qiao Wei to answer, the Village Party Secretary said: “Qiao Wei works in the County Party Committee Office there; she’s a pen-pusher. The articles she writes are published in newspapers and win awards; even the Peoples Daily has reprinted them! Right, Qiao Wei?”
There was a collective gasp in the room, and everyone looked at this woman in the white shirt. You have to say, looking at her this way, she really did look like a cadre.
Actually, Qiao Wei couldn’t really be considered a cadre; her rank was only that of a clerk. But at this time, in the hearts of the common people, anyone working in the government was a cadre.
Qiao Wei looked at that person, then at the Village Party Secretary: “This person…, what should I call him?”
The Village Party Secretary said: “This is our village committee director, Director Li.”
Director Li asked: “Qiao Wei, do you really work in the County Party Committee Office?”
“Director,” Qiao Wei said, “the County Party Committee Office where I was no longer exists. The new Revolutionary Committee has already been established. My old leader… as a person in power, has already been overthrown. The leadership structure in the county has completed its ‘unification’ reform, separating from the Party and government. The new head, the director of the Revolutionary Committee, was previously a standing committee member. But the new first deputy director was a colleague in my office, a very familiar colleague.”
“The structural reform has been completed, and the cadre representatives, mass representatives, and military representatives have all taken their positions. Because I am in Bocheng County, Yan Lei directly sought out the military representative of Bo City, so everyone can look out for each other.”
“Also because a new military representative has taken office, the county is still constantly rooting out class enemies hidden among the masses, and the struggle is very intense. So Yan Lei really cannot get away right now. We discussed it for a long time after receiving the letter, but fortunately, I am familiar with the first deputy director of the Revolutionary Committee, and he granted me leave, which is why I came back to check on Fathers condition.”
The men in the room were no longer in a casual posture; unknowingly, they began to straighten their backs, perk up their ears, and the expressions on their faces became serious.
The Village Party Secretary said: “Our county is also very chaotic. We can’t make sense of it, and we don’t know who to listen to right now.”
Qiao Wei said: “The production brigade listens to the commune, and the commune listens to the level above it. Whoever is in charge above will fight it out themselves. Whoever wins the revolutionary victory will give instructions to the lower levels. Before that, in any situation, we must not listen to commands that bypass levels. That way, we will never go wrong.”
The Village Party Secretary agreed very much: “Correct.”
He thought for a moment and asked tentatively: “Qiao Wei, about this matter, we are all confused right now, and the political wind is in a total mess. There isn’t anyone above who can explain it clearly. Can you tell us about it?”
Qiao Wei nodded: “Fine, but Village Party Secretary, my fathers matter is important. You first tell me, how do we get to the provincial capital? How long does it take?”
The Village Party Secretary felt slightly embarrassed. She came back to treat her father-in-law, how could he have forgotten that.
He said: “If you want to go to the provincial capital, our donkey carts and horse-drawn carriages won’t do. You must go to the county seat to take a long-distance bus.”
Qiao Wei looked at the sky, recalled the time it took to come back from the county seat just now, and asked: “Can we leave today?”
The Village Party Secretary was shocked: “Leave today?”
Qiao Wei asked: “Is there enough time?”
The Village Party Secretary calculated the time: “There is enough time, it’s just that, shouldn’t you stay at home for two days before…”
Qiao Wei said: “Whether I stay or not, what does that matter? Seeing a doctor is what’s most important. My fathers condition is very serious now. If there is already pus in the urine, it means the internal infection is severe, and there could be a life-threatening danger at any time.”
Yan Lei’s Fathers condition had deteriorated this year, and he could no longer go out to earn work points. Rural people were ignorant, and since the village barefoot doctor couldn’t cure him, he felt his days were numbered and he was about to die; he was already pessimistic.
When Qiao Wei said this, the old man’s lips trembled.
No matter how pessimistic one is, no one wants to die; the strongest human instinct is the instinct to survive.
Yan Lei’s Mother heard that he might die, and tears flowed out: “Second Uncle, Second Uncle!”
Such a big matter as going to the provincial capital felt like it was beyond the family’s ability to decide, so they could only ask the Village Party Secretary for help and ask him to make the decision.
The Village Party Secretary calculated the time and said: “No matter what, you can’t leave without even eating a bite. After eating, we’ll harness the cart and take you to the county seat to catch the long-distance bus. The bus is fast; you can reach the provincial capital by dark.”
“It’s just that everything after arriving in the provincial capital will depend on you.”
Qiao Wei said: “Then please have the introduction letter prepared for us; it’s needed for buying tickets and staying at the guesthouse. It’s best if you write out two extra copies for me to keep, in case they get lost. If the introduction letter is lost, it’s too difficult.”
At this time, the first generation of ID cards had not yet come out, so the introduction letter was equivalent to proof of identity. It was needed for tickets and accommodation; without an introduction letter, it was almost impossible to move an inch.
The Village Party Secretary said: “I’ll stamp two extra blank ones for you to keep on hand.”
Qiao Wei said: “Good.”
She looked around and said: “Then I will take my father, my mother, and my eldest brother, Xiangxiang, and we will set off after eating lunch.”
Yan Lei’s Father was the patient.
Yan Zhu was the labor force. If they went to the provincial capital, there had to be a strong laborer to do any heavy lifting or running around. It also ensured safety on the road.
Yan Lei’s Mother was the communicator. Qiao Wei and Yan Lei’s Father were daughter-in-law and father-in-law, and she and Yan Zhu were sister-in-law and brother-in-law; it would certainly be inconvenient to communicate some things. Having a woman in the middle as a bridge would be much better.
Yan Lei’s city wife had arrived less than an hour ago, and she had already arranged the itinerary and personnel, and they were leaving in the afternoon.
Swift and decisive, cutting through the Gordian knot.
Whether it was the people qualified to sit in the room or the people blocking the door and clinging to the doorframe in the courtyard watching the excitement, everyone was dumbfounded.
They had never seen a daughter-in-law return home and leave directly without staying even one night.
Such a disrespectful thing, logically, one could jump up and point at her nose and curse her out. But no one could refute what she said; her father-in-law’s life was important, and no one could say she was doing the wrong thing.
Qiao Wei smiled slightly.
Since this place never opened its doors to welcome me, there was no need to stay.
I came, I left.
I did what I had to do.
