Chapter 11: Blood Test

It was the start of a new week. Ling Haixia was on the day shift, and Zeng Yanne went to return the scissors and, at the same time, brought up the idea of getting her blood type tested. The doctor who treated her, a Dr. Wang, was too rigid to likely give her a lab order, but Ling Haixia was well-connected at the hospital, so asking for her help might work.

The small nurse with a round face and eyes looked a little confused. “Why do you want to get your blood type tested, it’s not a holiday?” she asked.

Zeng Yanne laughed. “So we should only celebrate holidays by getting our blood type tested?”

There was no reason to hide the truth. “My dad hits me all the time, my mom is constantly plotting, she’d sell me and then make me count the money for her. You’ve already met my grandma and my aunt—you know what they’re like. Before, I was too busy with work to think about it, but this injury has given me some perspective…”

“You think you’re not their biological child?” Nurse Ling, with her quick wit, finished her sentence.

Ling Haixia, with a heart full of righteous indignation, clenched her fists and glared. “I’ve been suspicious for a while. They left you alone in the hospital without a second thought, didn’t even bring you a change of clothes, or soap, or a basin. They’re horrible, and they still have the nerve to come here and take advantage of you. No one treats their own child this way. You must be adopted!”

The nurse, impatient and fuming, grabbed Zeng Yanne and hurried to the second-floor lab, chattering as they went. “You came to the right person for this. My aunt works in the lab, and a blood test is simple—we’ll have the results in a minute. The hospital is a bit chaotic right now and the rules are relaxed. After we’re done, I’ll have her stamp it for you. Keep it safe, you can use it as evidence later on. If you can, get some blood from your parents—pah!—from your adoptive parents, and we can compare the blood types. May the heavens be on your side—don’t be O type, it’s hard to analyze.” As a legitimate graduate of a nursing school, Ling Haixia knew a lot about blood types.

Zeng Yanne loved making friends with straightforward people like her. Although she didn’t have money, she wouldn’t let her friend help her for nothing.

The brown sugar in her personal space was traditionally made, with unevenly sized pieces that were reminiscent of the stuff sold at the supply store. She borrowed some kraft paper from the plump auntie in the cafeteria and wrapped three small packets, each weighing about two liang. The county was in the north, far from any sugar-producing regions, so brown sugar was harder to find there than even powdered milk and made for an excellent gift. She decided to use one packet to trade for potatoes with the cafeteria auntie and gave the remaining two to Ling Haixia. “The brigade gave this to me as a reward. Our team leader brought it over this morning. There’s not a lot. One packet for you and one for your aunt.”

Ling Haixia repeatedly refused. “Brown sugar is good for you. You’re so weak; you should keep it and use it to recover.”

Zeng Yanne shoved the packets into her arms. “It’s not good to be seen with this. I still have some left, it’s enough for me.”

It was awkward to argue on the stairs, so Ling Haixia took the packets and promised with a pat on her chest, “From now on, your problems are my problems. Just tell me what you need.”

Zeng Yanne also said cheerfully, “As long as you don’t get tired of me.”

Both Ling Haixia and her aunt had the same personality—they loved helping people in need. After her niece explained the situation, the aunt readily performed the test. She tested not only Zeng Yanne’s blood but also Zeng Fugui’s. When Zeng Yanne had pricked Zeng Fugui’s hand with the scissors, she had quickly collected a bit of blood and put it into her personal space.

The test results were quick to arrive. Zeng Yanne was blood type AB, and Zeng Fugui was blood type A. As a supposed second-grade graduate, Zeng Yanne listened awkwardly as the nurse, Ling Haixia, gave her a lecture on blood types.

“Blood types A and B are like the aces in a deck of cards; O is like the two of clubs. The two of clubs doesn’t have a say… In short, your biological mother’s blood can only be one of two possibilities: B or AB. Otherwise, she’s a fake mother. Ouch!”

Before she could finish, she was hit on the head.

Ling Huizhen gave her niece a sideways glance. “Where did you get that ‘fake mother’ idea? You know words can get you into trouble, right? From now on, you need to watch what you say outside.” She was not as naive as her niece. Her face was full of worry as she said to Zeng Yanne, “Child, have you thought about this? What if you prove that they aren’t your biological parents? They can just say that the kindness of raising you is greater than that of giving birth to you, and you’ll still have to bear the responsibilities of a child. Sometimes, gossip can be more powerful than seawater; it can drown people, too.”

Aunt Ling Huizhen was a responsible elder, and what she said was the honest truth, but she didn’t know all the details. Zeng Yanne gave her a grateful smile and simply explained, “I don’t think I’m adopted. There’s more to it than that.” She wouldn’t say more than she had to. She was also confident that she could break free from their familial bonds and, in turn, let the gossip drown the Zeng family.

A smart person only needed a small hint. Ling Huizhen handed her the lab sheet. “The test was free. Haixia and I will keep your secret.”

There were still good people in the world, and the people of the ’60s were truly lovely.

Zeng Yanne’s actions received full support from her online community.

[Even a tiger won’t eat its cub. I had a bad feeling from the start. I bet a carnival that the streamer isn’t their biological child.]

[Why a blood test? I do genetic testing. It’s killing me! I want to jump through the screen and help the streamer.]

[You’re awesome, this plot is anything but ordinary.]

Zeng Yanne: No, it’s a ridiculous daily life.

Time was not to be wasted. After leaving the lab, Zeng Yanne borrowed a bunch of expired newspapers from Dr. Wang under the pretense of wanting to learn how to read. She spent her last two days in the hospital catching up on information about this world.

Two days later, Zeng Fugui arrived to pick up Yanne as promised, riding his prized “Golden Deer” bicycle, which he usually hated to use, because he was worried the horse-drawn cart would be too bumpy.

Having been stuck in the hospital since she transmigrated, she was finally free. There was nothing to pack up. She put the used sulfur soap in her pocket and left the hospital gates feeling light.

The sky outside was blue, the grass was green, and the sun was hot…

On the way, the team leader, Zeng Fugui, brought up the team’s reward, feeling a bit embarrassed. “Yanne, you did a great job protecting the cow. The team decided to reward you with 500 work points. It’s a bit small, I know. This year has been a disaster, and the team’s savings have almost been used up. We really couldn’t offer a better reward. Child, our team has let you down.”

Zeng Yanne didn’t refuse and accepted it generously. “I didn’t save the cow for the money. This reward is already more than enough.”

The Xiangyang Brigade’s work points were valuable. One work point was worth six cents, so 500 work points were worth 30 yuan, which was a small fortune for her, who had no assets. The only problem was that she couldn’t cash in on this wealth yet; she had to wait until the end of the year.

Hearing that the young girl wasn’t the least bit upset, Zeng Fugui was delighted. “You injured your head, but your personality seems to have gotten more straightforward. A young girl like you shouldn’t bottle things up. It’s better to be open and cheerful.”

Thinking of the people in the Zeng family, Zeng Fugui gnashed his teeth in anger. “I made your grandma, your aunt, and your nephew make a public apology in front of everyone in the brigade and punished them to clear land on Mao’er Mountain. I also included your family and your uncle’s family. When one person makes a mistake, the whole family is held accountable. No one can escape punishment.”

Collective punishment was good. Let it exhaust those grandsons.

In addition to the work point reward, the team leader considered that her injury hadn’t fully healed, so he wouldn’t assign her any heavy work. From now on, she would be responsible for cutting grass for the team’s herbivores. This easy job usually only earned four work points, but the team took care of her and gave her five.

It was an easy opportunity, and Zeng Yanne agreed immediately. Heavy work was out of the question. She needed to go to the beach and do live streams to earn money.