Chapter 39: Knocking on An Aluminum Basin to Deliver a Banner

No one has more right to speak than the victim. Seeing Ye Zhiqiu crying like that, Village Head Zhou felt uncomfortable too.

Jiang Nian asked again, “Uncle Zhou, I heard you went to the joint society for a meeting today. Did Director Yan say anything?”

She already knew that the man she rescued from the mountain that day was Yan Jin, the director of the joint society. He looked like a decent man with a righteous face. He was said to have come back from the army. If he was also so unreasonable, then she had saved the wrong person.

Fortunately, Village Head Zhou said, “No, Director Yan didn’t say anything. He just informed the Women’s Federation that they highly agreed with the views Li Rui raised in his article. They are also preparing publicity and education speeches and gratitude to parents activities. They will be held in each village, and each village will be responsible for arranging them.”

That must mean he was targeted by others.

The joint society currently consisted of four village collectives, and Zhoujia Village was the smallest one. Since it wasn’t Director Yan who criticized him, it must have been the village heads of the other three villages.

It was inevitable to encounter setbacks when trying to accomplish something. Fortunately, the direction in which things were developing was still worth looking forward to.

After the meeting, everyone went back to their own homes.

Zhao Heiping kept a sullen face.

Niu Aixiang was laughing carelessly, chattering non-stop all the way, but she didn’t notice the disgust in his eyes.

“Heiping, why are you unhappy? Don’t tell me you’re like other men and think that Li Rui is trying to incite women against men?”

Zhao Heiping wouldn’t say that, and he didn’t actually think that way.

He didn’t care who was against whom. He only cared about whether he could achieve his goals.

“You’re overthinking. I just feel like Li Rui is a little wary of us.” He sighed, “I know I was wrong about the last incident, but you know my situation. I was just too anxious. I apologized to him and wanted to get his forgiveness.”

Niu Aixiang was also quite disappointed, “After all, we wronged him. It’s only natural that he’s wary of us.”

Imagine if it were her. If she had come up with a good idea and someone else took credit for it, she wouldn’t be able to accept it either.

Even if the other person had a good reason, it wasn’t a reason to steal someone else’s work.

Fortunately, capable people are never buried. He had other opportunities, which made Niu Aixiang feel a little better.

Zhao Heiping snorted coldly, completely losing the desire to talk.

After arriving here, he had inquired. There were only two places in the entire Bali Tun that could recommend people to university. And Bali Tun had many cooperative societies, and each cooperative society had several village collectives. He wanted to get one of these places, and his competitors weren’t just the intellectuals. They included all the members of Bali Tun who had made contributions and excelled.

He was already feeling a lot of pressure, and then, right next to him, there was Li Rui, who always stood out.

He had thought he was a silly boy on the train and hadn’t taken him seriously. But who would have thought that this seemingly silly boy would become his biggest competitor!

There was also Jiang Nian, who was a skilled doctor. Everyone called her the little miracle doctor behind her back. She was also adored by the villagers because of her outstanding medical skills and low medical fees.

Zhao Heiping felt anxious and upset just thinking about it.

It seemed like he needed to speed up his progress.

Jiang Nian and Li Rui were now more famous than him. He had to get his school up and running quickly, or he wouldn’t even be qualified to compete.

At the same time, Zhao Heiping couldn’t help but feel annoyed. They were all the same kind of people. He wasn’t bad at writing either. Why did Li Rui have so many ideas, and he didn’t think of any?

What a great opportunity, and he missed it.

However, his annoyance didn’t end there.

Because Li Rui’s article had brought attention to the rights of rural women, the Women’s Federation specially sent someone to invite him to give a speech at a publicity event. He was asked to use the investigated cases as a focus, talking about the hardships of rural women and the various difficulties they faced.

Li Rui walked with a spring in his step. Although he occasionally encountered a few unreasonable chauvinists who spat at him in secret, they wouldn’t dare to do it openly. After all, the Women’s Federation had asked him to speak. They didn’t want to be caught as negative examples and publicly criticized.

The publicity event spread from Bali Tun to the surrounding areas. It wouldn’t reach Zhoujia Village so soon.

Li Rui was busy running around all day, even neglecting his ducks. Even though he was tired every day, he was also very happy because he could see the effects of his speeches every time he gave one. Even if he didn’t get any actual benefits, just because someone was speaking out for his position, those older sisters and aunts were already moved to tears.

Later, he communicated with the people from the Women’s Federation and added an anti-domestic violence theme to his speech.

Because it was located in a mountainous rural area, the thinking had been solidified for many years. Not only was there a trend of women’s low status, but men also had an inherent advantage, which forced women to be at the bottom of society. Even if they were oppressed, they could only endure it.

He changed his speech style. He not only spoke out for women but also raised the topic of men’s responsibility, making many men realize that their wives and mothers contributed as much to the family as men did.

The cold wind blew down the yellow leaves from the trees, and the weather suddenly turned cold.

The woman whose lower body was itchy had been suffering for two months and finally came to Jiang Nian again.

Compared to two months ago, her complexion was clearly more sallow, and her lips had several cracks. Of course, this was due to the weather and her own physical condition.

She was still embarrassed when she entered. After all, she had been so rude last time. She had said that Jiang Nian’s medical skills were not good, and now she was asking for help again.

So, after Jiang Nian knew why she had come and sent the others out, she immediately lowered her posture and cried about her difficulties during this period.

Because of that incident, there had been many conflicts between her and her husband.

Jiang Nian examined her and found that her condition had indeed worsened. She prescribed a new prescription for her current condition and asked Ye Zhiqiu to get the medicine. She also instructed her on the precautions and asked her to come back for a checkup in a week.

She didn’t mention the past, which made the woman even more ashamed.

She paid 1.2 yuan without hesitation. She didn’t feel it was a lot.

She didn’t even dare to hope that she wouldn’t get sick again. She just wanted to cure this illness, and she would be grateful to heaven and earth.

As she was leaving, someone was knocking on an aluminum basin, attracting a crowd.

It was cold and there was no work to do. It was rare to have some excitement.

It was the man with the bumps on his body. He had specially made a banner and was smiling brightly. As soon as he entered, he shouted, “Doctor Jiang, I’m here to deliver a banner to you. Thank you for curing my illness. It’s finally solved my big problem. I have to thank you properly!”

After taking the medicine prescribed by Jiang Nian, the bumps on his chin and body gradually disappeared. The reason why he came now was that he wasn’t sure if they would grow back.

After all, he had had surgery at the hospital before, but they would grow back after surgery. So, he waited for a while to be sure.

He was so excited that he wanted to cry when he was sure that his illness was really cured. He spent a few more days making a banner. He didn’t have a drum at home, so he simply knocked on his aluminum basin all the way here.