Chapter 198: The Old Man Steps In

Zhu Qiyu was also anxious. She had heard that her son went to dig up someone’s grave. Weren’t there still some children present at the time? If those children were fine, how could her son and his companions do such a thing? She couldn’t shake off these concerns.

In the past, there were others in the village who could cure mysterious illnesses, but at this time, those people had all retired. She couldn’t find anyone suitable to inquire about how to resolve this situation.

“Fenqing, don’t worry for now. Let me think carefully.”

Could Ma Fenqing not be worried? The person lying on the kang was her husband, the father of her unborn child. He hadn’t eaten or drunk anything all day. If this continued, he would starve to death, let alone anything else.

Zhu Qiyu was trying to figure out who to approach for help when Second Laizi’s mother came over. Both of their sons had gotten involved in such a situation. They had to sit down and discuss how to save their children.

Zhu Qiyu had previously worked with Laizi’s mother in the production brigade, but they didn’t have much interaction. Today, for the sake of their sons, they finally sat down together.

Laizi’s mother was a bit younger than Zhu Qiyu, but she appeared much older. “Sister, how’s the situation with Zhenguo? Our son hasn’t eaten or drunk anything until now. I feel so distressed watching him. Do you have any good ideas to help these children?”

Talking about their sons’ illness, Laizi’s mother couldn’t help but wipe her tears. Zhu Qiyu felt the same way. She was also trying to find a solution but didn’t know what illness they were facing.

“Sister, what do you think about burning some paper? Maybe  the children did something foolish that might  have stirred up the spirits…” Unable to come up with a reason, Laizi’s mother could only consider this possibility.

However, before she could finish her sentence, Zhu Qiyu’s eyes stopped her. Such discussions could only take place between the two of them in secret. If others heard, bringing up this topic at this time would only invite trouble.

Zhu Qiyu took Laizi’s mother to her room to talk and instructed, “My daughter-in-law, keep an eye on Zhenguo. Old Doctor Ye will come later to give him an injection. When he’s not feeling too bad, make sure he drinks some water, even if he can’t eat.”

Ma Fenqing nodded from the kang, acknowledging her understanding, as the two elderly ladies went inside to have a private conversation.

When Ye Zhiqiu arrived, Ma Fenqing was in the process of giving her husband some water. “Dr. Ye, please have a look. Zhenguo doesn’t seem to be improving. Look at his face; it’s still so pale, showing no signs of improvement.”

Setting down his medical bag, Ye Zhiqiu carefully examined Zhenguo. “Zhenguo’s wife, I suspect that they might have contracted something in the grave. Think about it—those bodies have been there for so many years without any ventilation. There’s bound to be a high level of bacteria inside. The problem is, we don’t know what exactly they might have contracted. I’ve been treating them for inflammation these past few days. If you have the means, it would be best to take them to a hospital in the city for further examination.”

Ye Zhiqiu had also heard about the Wang family’s visit to the clinic, but since nothing was diagnosed, he felt the need to suggest this. He was concerned about potentially delaying proper treatment for the patients.

Ma Fenqing couldn’t help but smile bitterly. “Dr. Ye, one of the people with them is from another brigade. Their family took them to the city, but it was no use. They were brought back, and no illness was detected. So, why should we go there? Dr. Ye, we’re relying on you for Zhenguo’s illness.”

After administering the injection, Ye Zhiqiu sighed. “Zhenguo’s wife, I can’t seem to figure out his illness. If you can think of any other method, it’s best to try. I need to go administer injections to others. Please ensure Zhenguo keeps drinking water. I’ll take my leave now.”

Meanwhile, Zhu Qiyu and Laizi’s mother also devised a plan in that room. They each went to find people from other families who were facing similar situations, realizing that they needed to come up with a solution together.

Wang Zhenhe encountered his father, Wang Deshan, in the field. Seeing the old man’s worried expression, he couldn’t help but feel sorry. “Dad, don’t worry. Zhenguo will be fine. But this troublemaker deserves a lesson. He’s always meddling in everything. It would be strange if he didn’t fall ill.”

Wang Deshan sighed with a troubled expression, “Logically, that’s true. But when someone is truly ill, can a father like me not worry? A perfectly healthy person falling ill like this, and we can’t figure out what’s wrong… your mother and I are at our wits’ end.”

Wang Zhenhe wanted to help, but not being a doctor, he didn’t know what illness that rascal had. All he could do was fret.

The least concerned was Wang Qian. The people around Zhenguo had no relation to her, and even if he were to die from illness, she believed it would be well-deserved.

Sitting in the shade, munching on a cucumber, she overheard Zhao Xia and the others in the front yard gossiping about Zhenguo’s situation.

At that moment, Mingyuan and the others rushed in excitedly. “Sister, come with me to see. Our team has brought back a pulverizer and a tractor. Many people are there watching.”

Mingyuan’s news was quite explosive. Those chatting under the shade immediately sprang to their feet. “Mingyuan, is what you said true? We have to go and see. This is big news.”

Without another word, Zhao Xia, Zhang Shuqin, and the other women from the street hurriedly led their children toward the production brigade.

When Wang Qian and the others arrived, the courtyard was already crowded with onlookers. Everyone was full of curiosity about the new machines. Workers from the commune’s agricultural machinery station were busy installing them. Wang Qian and the others squeezed in to take a look. She wanted to see what new machines had arrived in the brigade. Looking at the labels on the packaging, there were pulverizers for corn and wheat, but no oil press. This left her feeling a bit disappointed. She and Zhang Lan would have to go elsewhere to press oil.

Nevertheless, having these machines was already a good thing. It would save the villagers a lot of trouble in the future.

The men gathered around the newly purchased hand-operated tractor, while Wang Qian and a few children went over to take a look. The people from above were teaching the local residents how to operate the tractor. To Wang Qian, the tractor looked quite old-fashioned, with a long, mower-like front and a relatively small rear compartment. Nevertheless, it was considered progress, as it ran on fuel and was faster than ox-drawn carts.

Both adults and children went over to touch it. This was the first vehicle the production brigade had acquired in the past few years. A young man from their village, Liu Xuebing, was learning to drive it. In terms of seniority, Wang Qian and the others called him “Fourth Uncle.”

After the installation was completed and a demonstration on how to operate it was given, the visitors left. Some eager individuals immediately went home to fetch a bag of corn to try out. The brigade leader, Liu Changlin, was also present. As it was the first trial of the pulverizer, the price had not yet been set, and the trial was given free of charge to everyone.

However, halfway through grinding the grain, the machine stopped working. No one knew what had gone wrong. Jin Manxiang, who was learning to grind, was sweating profusely. It was her first day on the job, and she was now faced with this issue. The instructors had already left, and those in the crowd who hadn’t been assigned this task were enjoying the spectacle.

Meanwhile, the hand-operated tractor, which had been running smoothly, suddenly stalled after a short while. In the lively courtyard, everyone looked at each other, unsure of what had gone wrong.

The children, unaware of the situation, kept on cheering, “Oh, oh, put out the fire, put out the fire.”

Some people went to help, but they were all lifelong farmers. They could give expert advice on farming, but when it came to operating machinery, they were all novices.

Both inside and outside the house, an awkward atmosphere prevailed. Jin Manxiang was on the verge of tears, feeling distressed. The machine had been working perfectly when it was demonstrated to her. How did it break down in her hands?

As her neighbor, Wang Qian hurried over to assist, but she too was unfamiliar with machinery and could only watch, unable to offer any help.

“Brigade Leader, what should we do? The machine has stopped. You saw it too. I didn’t do anything, and it just stopped on its own.”

Liu Changlin looked around at the people and asked, “You all were there listening during the demonstration. Does anyone know how to operate it? Please, give us some ideas.”

For a moment, everyone in the room fell silent. Wang Qian pulled Zuo He and the others to visit Old Cui. Everyone was studying, and when they saw Wang Qian and the others rushing over, they thought something had happened.

“Qianqian, what’s wrong?”

“Grandpa Cui, the production brigade has brought back a pulverizer and a tractor.”

The elders nodded; they had just gone to take a look. “Grandpa, the machines aren’t working, and the tractor won’t move. Come and take a look,” they said.

Wang Qian knew that Old Cui would not be stumped by these machines; he was an expert in handling them. After glancing at Zhang Qiang and the others, and seeing them nod, Old Cui said, “Alright, Grandpa will take a look. Let’s all go and see. With our newly purchased machines, making cakes will be much easier in the future.”

Zhang Qiang, Luo Xing, and the others also went out. Everyone in the courtyard looked worried. They had finally bought the machines, but no one knew how to operate them. What were they to do?

“Make way, everyone. Grandpa Cui is coming to take a look,” Zuo He and the others cleared the way for the elderly man. The rest of the people walked proudly as if they were being reviewed, and they entered the crowd surrounding the tractor.

Wang Qian and Wang Xuan hurried to the mill room. “Auntie, don’t worry. Grandpa Cui is coming to help you with the machines. Everything will be fine,” Wang Qian said.

Jin Manxiang, wiping her tears, looked up at them with a surprised expression. “Qianqian, are you serious? That’s great. Wang Juan, someone is going to help me. I regret not learning properly earlier.”

Wang Qian felt that the older woman, in her joy, seemed almost like a little girl. Despite the envy she sensed from the other women, she genuinely wanted to help. Moreover, her family had a good relationship with the older woman. She wanted to help out of both personal and communal considerations.

Thank You for reading!!