Chapter 56: Gossip

When Jiang Ning left the house in the morning, she saw a black briefcase lying outside the courtyard gate.

Sister Li and Jiang Ning opened their doors at the same time. Jiang Ning greeted her and was about to step out when Sister Li called her back.

“Young Jiang, wait, there’s something under your feet.”

Jiang Ning looked down, then bent over to pick it up. Sister Li came over, and they opened the briefcase together to see what was inside. They took out a file bag and saw the name Feng Chuan on it.

At that moment, Feng Chuan appeared out of nowhere.

“Comrade Jiang, that’s mine. Sorry, I left my briefcase here when I went to school today.”

Jiang Ning instinctively frowned.

Her woman’s intuition told her this wasn’t a coincidence. She clearly felt this man’s harassment, which made her very uncomfortable.

Feng Chuan took the briefcase from Jiang Ning and even reached out to touch her hand, but Jiang Ning dodged it. He didn’t seem embarrassed by her avoidance and left with a smile.

Jiang Ning felt puzzled and told Sister Li before hopping on Shen Mo’s 28-inch bicycle to head to the clinic.

The wind from the bicycle swept through the family compound.

In those days, bicycles were quite precious, and not many households owned one. Most of the military families in the courtyard didn’t know how to ride a bicycle.

One day, Shen Mo suddenly brought a bicycle home, attracting a lot of attention along the way.

Later, when people saw Shen Mo riding the bicycle to pick up and drop off Jiang Ning every day, many of them had complicated expressions, and some even felt a bit envious.

Most of the men in military families were extremely busy and, when they came home, they were so exhausted that they would fall asleep without even washing their feet. Their wives had to bring hot water to the bedside for them to wash up.

However, even though Shen Mo was very busy, he insisted on picking up and dropping off Jiang Ning every day.

This made many people feel a bit sour and even somewhat unbalanced.

After this period of Shen Mo’s consistent pick-up and drop-off service, Jiang Ning became quite famous in the compound.

As Jiang Ning rode her bicycle with her head held high, many of the military wives felt a bit unbalanced.

“Her husband just left, and she’s already showing off by riding a bicycle.”

“I don’t know where Shen Mo takes her every day. It can’t be for work. I asked our textile factory and the nearby machinery factory, and they haven’t hired any new people.”

“Who knows? She’s beautiful and charming. A simple coquettish smile, and men will do anything for her.”

“Just now, I saw Teacher Feng from the government primary school at Jiang Ning’s doorstep. Jiang Ning handed him a briefcase and was chatting and laughing with him. Is she trying to seduce him or something?”

“That’s nothing. I saw Teacher Feng go to her house when Shen Mo wasn’t around. Could it be that she called him over?”

“Teacher Feng is a good teacher. He shouldn’t fall for such a woman…”

The ambiguous talk among the military families gradually spread to the government primary school.

In the afternoon, when the military families went to pick up their children from school, one of them pulled Teacher Feng aside and whispered, “Teacher Feng, you shouldn’t talk to Jiang Ning recently.”

Feng Chuan pretended to be puzzled, “Why?”

“Jiang Ning’s reputation in the compound has been quite bad lately. Be careful not to get involved with her and end up in trouble.” The military family said, fanning their nose as if they smelled something unpleasant.

“Is that so?” Feng Chuan said with a helpless expression, “I’m afraid I can’t avoid it. Last time, Jiang Ning called me to her house to discuss a study plan for Zhiqi. I was in a hurry and didn’t have time to prepare properly, so I need to go again.”

Feng Chuan was still holding a grudge. There were plenty of women who flattered him, but Jiang Ning had dared to embarrass him in public. During the parent-teacher meeting incident, this woman, with her high and mighty attitude, had embarrassed him, and he had graciously let it slide.

Later, when he visited her home and even offered to teach her to read, she had the audacity to give him attitude. She thought she was something special just because she had some assets.

She was really taking advantage of his kindness.

He wanted to see if Jiang Ning could withstand the gossip and rumors.

Hearing Feng Chuan say that Jiang Ning had invited him to her home, the parent sighed in disbelief.

*

Jiang Ning didn’t expect that riding a bicycle to the clinic would lead to malicious rumors about her seducing men.

In the evening, as Jiang Ning was about to ride home, someone rushed into the clinic, out of breath.

The person was panting and barely able to speak, “Old Master Huang! My wife is about to give birth.”

Old Master Huang frowned, “For childbirth, you should find a midwife.”

The man’s face was pale, “I did, I did, but my wife had an accident today, and her water broke suddenly. The midwife said the baby’s position is wrong because of the impact, and she can’t give birth! My wife is already bleeding, and she’s in critical condition!”

“Master Huang, please save my wife!” The man was completely panicked and was about to kneel before Master Huang, seeing him as his last hope.

Master Huang pulled him up, preventing him from kneeling.

Then, he took out some silver needles and medical tools and handed them to Jiang Ning, “Ning, you go.”

Jiang Ning was surprised. She knew Master Huang was giving her an opportunity. Since Jiang Ning had just started working at the clinic, many people still trusted Master Huang more and would always seek him out first for treatment.

Some even turned away when they saw Jiang Ning.

“Alright,” Jiang Ning accepted the silver needles and medical tools from him.

Jiang Ning looked at the man who had run in, “Please lead the way.”

The man, with traditional thoughts, realized that since Master Huang was a man, it might be more convenient for a woman to handle the situation.

Although he subconsciously doubted whether this young girl could handle it, there was no time to question her medical skills now.

When Jiang Ning arrived at the house in the village, there were already many people standing outside. Most of them were villagers, neighbors who knew every little thing that happened in the area. Some were there out of curiosity, while others genuinely cared about the family.

As soon as Jiang Ning arrived, she heard the particularly heart wrenching cries coming from inside the house, which sent shivers down her spine.

“Oh, the way Wu’s wife is screaming, it scares me,” one person said.

“She’s been in labor for so long, do you think she’ll be okay?” another asked.

“What’s the big deal? When I gave birth to my son, it took a day and a night. Giving birth is painful, but it passes,” someone else chimed in.

“I heard there’s been bleeding, and it seems serious. The midwife said the baby’s position is wrong, and if it can’t be delivered, it might be fatal for both mother and child. Wu Gui has gone to get a doctor. I hope he comes back quickly,” another villager said.

“A doctor? You mean the barefoot doctor, Master Huang, from our village? He’s a man, how can he deliver a baby? And if he goes in, won’t Wu’s wife be exposed?”

“If I were exposed to a strange man, I’d rather hit my head against the wall,” someone else added.

Jiang Ning frowned at these comments. When a life was at stake, what mattered was saving it, not preserving modesty.

At that moment, a woman spoke up in disagreement, “Doctors deal with life and death; they don’t care about gender. You people are really ignorant.”

Jiang Ning looked up and saw the woman she had treated for dysmenorrhea before.

Wu Gui, seeing the crowd gathered, immediately shouted, “The doctor is here, make way.”

Some people quickly moved aside.

Ignoring the curious glances around her, Jiang Ning followed the man’s guidance and pushed open the door to enter the house.