The next morning, while Shen Meng’s attending physician was examining her, he happened to meet Dr. Cheng Yufen, who was making rounds. He casually mentioned the recent incident when the Cheng Family had caused a commotion at the hospital. They had all seen Shen Meng before and vaguely remembered her face, after all Dr. Cheng’s maternal family was both troublesome and not to be provoked, so while everyone felt sympathy for Dr. Cheng, they were also quite afraid.
Upon hearing that Shen Meng was hospitalized, Dr. Cheng Yufen was surprised for a moment. They were all acquaintances, and it would be inappropriate not to visit. So, she followed and came to see her, entering the ward to find Shen Meng not looking very well.
"Mr. Shen, what happened to you?"
Shen Meng, seeing it was her, hurriedly tried to get up, but Lu Zhenping pressed her shoulder down, "You’re about to be examined, don’t move." After he spoke, he looked at Dr. Cheng Yufen and continued: "There was an incident at home, she was injured on her head."
The attending physician flipped Shen Meng’s eyelids, pressed the injury site, asked some questions, and then nodded, handing a form to the accompanying nurse.
"Get two more IV drips this morning, and you can be discharged in the afternoon. There’s also some medication you need to take; here’s the prescription. Follow the dosage on it for five days. If there’s anything uncomfortable with your head, come back for a follow-up."
"Okay, thank you, doctor."
After the doctor left, the nurse brought the IV fluids and injections to hang up the IV for Shen Meng, and instructed Lu Zhenping to remember to call somebody when it was time to remove the needle, as they can’t do it themselves, otherwise the head nurse would scold them.
Lu Zhenping quickly nodded his head. Although he knew some first aid, he shouldn’t trouble the nurses.
Seeing how close this person was to Shen Meng, Dr. Cheng Yufen breathed a sigh of relief. When speaking with Shen Meng’s attending physician just now, she had learned that Shen Meng was admitted to the hospital because her father-in-law had hit her with a broom knot, all over the brick factory’s allocation. Fortunately, her husband managed to come back in time to bring her to the hospital. Had he returned any later, who knows what might have happened!
Shen Meng had helped her before, and to a certain extent, her family was involved in Shen Meng’s situation this time. She also wanted to help Shen Meng; such a good person like her should have a husband who isn’t bad either.
"This must be Mr. Lu, Mr. Shen’s husband, right? Hehe, good that you’re back. Mr. Shen is indeed a rare good person, kind to children and sisters-in-law alike. Mr. Lu, you must treat her well!"
Lu Zhenping was surprised for a moment, as he didn’t expect Shen Meng to know people from the hospital, let alone be so well-regarded by them.
"Thank you, she’s a really good person."
"By the way, Mr. Shen, I heard that your family is building a house. Do you have enough bricks and tiles? If you need more, I can speak to my husband about it."
Previously, Dr. Cheng Yufen would have never said such things, but lately, she had been extremely happy. Not only did her daughter and son often come home, but her daughter-in-law also brought her grandson for visits. Her husband, Kong Wenxiang, now spoke to her gently, something he used to do back when the family was living well together.
She was indulging in this happiness, and her husband always praised her as being very principled. Sometimes principles don’t need to be broken; they just need to be applied differently.
For instance, when her husband Kong Wenxiang gave Shen Meng the allocation for the bricks from the factory, she felt it was inappropriate. But Kong Wenxiang pointed out that many batches were also obtained through connections, and those people were actually not in a hurry, it wouldn’t matter if it was delayed for a few months or even a year. She had not been this happy in a very long time, and she really didn’t want to contradict him anymore.
Just yesterday, she asked him, and Kong Wenxiang said that there were no issues; even a leader who needed a batch of bricks and tiles called him to say they didn’t need it for now, and she felt relieved.
Shen Meng knew in her heart that Kong Wenxiang was Dr. Cheng Yufen’s husband, but she couldn’t show that she knew this. She looked at Dr. Cheng Yufen with a puzzled expression.
"Dr. Cheng, how do you know about my family building a house? Do I know your husband?"
Thinking about Kong Wenxiang’s cautious manner last time, Shen Meng couldn’t help but laugh; it seemed she really hadn’t misjudged this person.
"Hey, my husband is Kong Wenxiang, the director of the brick factory. Last time, when my sister-in-law from my maiden home caused trouble, you helped me and even snapped me out of it. Things at home have been very harmonious since then. When you went to ask about bricks, he recognized you and helped you secure a voucher. I thought you knew it was my husband, never expected you still didn’t know!"
"Oh, that explains it! When I went to inquire, the young lad at the entrance said they were out of stock, but shortly after, he came to find me at home and even issued me a voucher. I’ve already sent it to my maiden family; in a couple of days, they’ll go to haul the bricks. I really can’t thank you enough, Dr. Cheng. I had no idea and owe you such a big favor; I really don’t know how to express my gratitude."
Cheng Yufen shook her head and exchanged a few more words with Shen Meng, glancing at Lu Zhenping before leaving. She had made it obvious: if this Mr. Lu were smart, he would realize that the brick factory’s voucher wasn’t a favor using the Lu Family’s influence, but was actually something arranged for Shen Meng.
"Just now, Dr. Cheng obviously came to support you. When did you become acquainted with a doctor from the county hospital?"
"A naive child, a heartless mother, a husband in the army, and a shattered household—if I didn’t make more acquaintances, who knows how bitter life could get. Forget it, it’s pointless to talk about it; just go buy me breakfast, I am starving."
Lu Zhenping: "..."
What was said sounded better than a song. When it came to sending letters each month to rush for the allowance, the urgency was quite evident!
Shen Meng looked at Lu Zhenping’s departing figure with a sense of melancholy. Now with a shrewd adult in the family, she would have to be extra careful when taking things out of the storage space; it made her uncomfortable just thinking about how to live like that.
After being discharged in the afternoon, Lu Zhenping took her to the State-Owned Restaurant. It was a bit overcast, and he ordered a bowl of beef noodles for Shen Meng. After the meal, they went to the Cooperative Society and the bookstore, buying quite a few things.
Shen Meng felt that he was trying to make amends.
In the afternoon, Uncle Guai was delivering people to the county when he happened to give the couple a ride back home. Watching them sitting quietly on the ox cart, he hesitated several times, wanting to speak.
When Uncle Guai looked over for the fifth time, Lu Zhenping fixed his gaze on him,
"Uncle, just say whatever it is you want to say."
They were about to reach the village entrance; they might as well be told since they’d find out soon anyway. It seemed Mingyang and the other kids wouldn’t be able to avoid a beating.
"Well, Zhenping, Xiao Meng, listen to me. The matter isn’t that serious; it’s just kids playing around. It’s not really their fault. Just talk to the children nicely; no need to be too harsh."
???
This speech made both Lu Zhenping and Shen Meng twitch their eyelids. They exchanged a glance and turned to look at Uncle Guai in unison.
The latter swallowed and said: "So, yesterday evening, those two rascals Mingyang and Ming Liang ran out when Aunt Juying wasn’t paying attention. I don’t know how they did it, but they climbed over the wall into the old courtyard. They tangled up Jiaxuan’s wife’s hair and even smashed a hole in a kitchen pot. Your father’s red underwear ended up hanging on a tree branch by the front door, bright and eye-catching. This morning, the whole village was in an uproar."
Shen Meng: "....."
Lu Zhenping: "...."