Chapter 73: The Gu Siblings Get into Trouble

Chapter 73: The Gu Siblings Get into Trouble

He Lianshan returned from placing an order for food at the state-run restaurant and saw his family’s stubborn old man lying in bed, wearing nothing but his underpants, with acupuncture needles densely covering his body.

Yet, the old man was as docile as a quail, not daring to express his anger. At home, he was usually quite domineering and difficult, but now he had been completely subdued.

Unsure of what had happened, He Lianshan hurriedly pulled his wife to a corner and anxiously asked what was going on.

His sister-in-law, excited, immediately began describing the incident with Ye Qing’s flying needles, her hands waving about. She was utterly in awe of this young female doctor who had managed to tame her stubborn and difficult father-in-law so effectively. From the bottom of her heart, she felt admiration and gratitude.

"Haha, well done!" He Lianshan felt a sense of satisfaction.

For over a year, the entire family had been tormented by Old Man He’s illness. He would vent his frustrations on them whenever he was dissatisfied. But now, seeing him so subdued, they felt a sense of vindication. If they hadn’t found out the cause of the problem soon, the whole family might have gone mad.

"I never expected that this young Ye would be the one to tame our father! If I had known her flying needles could treat our father’s illness, I would have brought her over the very first day I met her to take a look at the old man!"

When Ye Qing first met He Lianshan at the Qingshan Town Police Station, she had made him balance a carrot on his head with her flying needles in front of many police officers. Every time He Lianshan thought of that incident, he felt both annoyed and amused.

However, he had never connected this bold and highly skilled educated youth with the girl who could help his father, who had been suffering from illness for so long.

Even though Ye Qing had been featured in newspapers and had made quite a name for herself in Kaoshan Village, He Lianshan, due to his preconceived notions, still believed that a girl of her age, no matter how capable, couldn’t compare to the experienced experts and professors from major hospitals. Even doctors from Jicheng and Shen City had been unable to diagnose his father’s illness. How could a relatively unknown young girl succeed?

But the facts proved him wrong. There were people with extraordinary talents that couldn’t be judged by common standards. What others found challenging seemed effortless for Ye Qing.

Following her earlier refutation of Gu Changqing’s views, Ye Qing proceeded to insert needles into dozens of acupuncture points on Old Man He’s body. She quickly discovered that any points related to the intestines exhibited varying degrees of trembling after the insertion of the flying needles.

However, the other acupuncture points remained completely still, as steady as an old dog.

Ye Qing removed the needles from the unaffected points, leaving a dozen or so needles distributed from head to toe. As the old man breathed, these needles danced on his body like writhing dragons, as if they were alive.

Everyone was stunned into silence, their eyes wide with shock. Even Ye Qing herself was taken aback.

Back when her old professor taught her this skill, he had mentioned a term: "flying needles moving through acupuncture points."

It referred to the idea that when one’s skill with flying needles reached a certain level, the needles would seem to come alive, moving with the pulse’s rhythm. When a problem existed in a part of the body, the associated acupuncture points would exhibit abnormal fluctuations and trembling.

However, this was just a theoretical concept that Ye Qing had heard of. She had never successfully practiced it on a patient before.

She hadn’t expected to achieve the legendary "flying needles moving through acupuncture points" in such an unprepared situation.

If she had any recording equipment at the moment, she would definitely capture this highlight moment to show her students in the future. This incredible treatment experience would be something she could boast about for the rest of her life!

Unfortunately, in this era, not to mention smartphones, ordinary people couldn’t even afford to buy a camera.

Ye Qing could only suppress her excitement and focus on diagnosing the patient’s condition.

The trembling of this row of needles was already very clear and straightforward. Even someone unfamiliar with acupuncture could see the pattern.

"With so many acupuncture points trembling, does it mean the organs associated with these points all have issues?"

"No, the needles in the abdominal area are the most densely arranged and tremble the most strongly. The needles in other areas are more spaced out, and their trembling is noticeably weaker."

The elderly men, all trained in Western medicine, couldn’t help but discuss and hypothesize.

However, both Ye Qing and Gu Changqing wore solemn expressions. They seemed unwilling to believe the conclusion. After exchanging a glance, they both moved forward and gently placed their hands on Old Man He’s wrists, one on the left and one on the right.

Pulse-taking is the most crucial part of diagnosis in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Seeing the two of them perform this move simultaneously, the elderly men, who had been debating, fell silent, their eyes fixed on them.

Ye Qing's five senses are more acute than those of ordinary people, so she is much faster at pulse diagnosis compared to most TCM practitioners.

At the beginning, when she first felt the pulse, she did not use her psychic abilities for assistance, approaching it as an ordinary practitioner would.

She then discovered that if she only relied on the basic theories of traditional Chinese medicine and her experience for pulse diagnosis, the results were indeed consistent with the large stack of pulse records Dean Gu provided her. The pulse indicated that the elderly man appeared to be in good health, with no apparent abnormalities.

However, the situation with the flying needles could not be wrong. Determined to get to the bottom of it, Ye Qing switched to the other hand and this time used her abilities for examination. Sure enough, her abilities encountered resistance the moment they reached the abdomen. This stagnation felt exactly the same as the flying needles had indicated, confirming her diagnosis.

Ye Qing withdrew her hand and didn’t rush to speak, instead waiting for Dean Gu to finish his pulse diagnosis.

Gu Changqing switched hands several times, taking four to five minutes to feel the pulse. He frowned and showed confusion from time to time, carefully listening and distinguishing for a while before finally exhaling deeply, looking up, and offering Ye Qing a wry smile:

"I must admit my skills are lacking. I really couldn't detect any issues. Did you find anything, Miss Ye?"

Ye Qing didn’t deliberately keep them in suspense and directly pointed to the location of the flying needles:

"What the senior doctors mentioned is correct. These needles are primarily concentrated around the Tianshu point. Points like Yingxiang, Hand Sanli, and Foot Sanli, which are farther from the abdominal cavity, showed less obvious trembling."

"Dean Gu, since you were trained in traditional Chinese medicine, you should be familiar with these points. Although each point affects different parts of the body, they all have one thing in common: they are crucial for the meridians of the large and small intestines."

"Especially the area around the Tianshu point. The location of these needles corresponds to key points on the meridians of the large and small intestines. The state of the intestines is reflected in the behavior of these needles."

The elderly men nodded thoughtfully, while the He family seemed to grasp only part of it, but Ye Qing’s explanation was simple and direct, and they understood the surface meaning.

"So, are you saying that my father's illness is related to his digestive system?"

He Lianshan couldn’t help but interject.

Gu Changqing nodded and then shook his head:

"Based on the behavior of the needles Miss Ye inserted, this seems to be the only possibility. However, I didn’t detect any abnormalities in his intestines during the pulse diagnosis. Miss Ye, do you have a more plausible explanation?"

Ye Qing did have a conclusion, but she lacked sufficient theoretical evidence to support it. The real challenge was convincing these elderly practitioners and the He family.

In her past life, Ye Qing had only read about a similar case in medical books and had never encountered it in practice. So, when she first saw the large stack of test reports and pulse records of Master He, she hadn’t immediately thought of this illness.

But after the flying needle and pulse diagnosis just now, she was certain that Master He’s condition was undoubtedly this rare disease.

Facing the expectant gazes of everyone in the room, Ye Qing hesitated for a moment before finally speaking:

"My conclusion is that we should consider the possibility of abdominal epilepsy. The only way to confirm this diagnosis is through an abdominal exploratory surgery."

Everyone was stunned by her words.

The term "abdominal epilepsy" was completely unfamiliar to these experienced doctors. None of them had ever encountered such a condition.

Epilepsy, commonly known as 'goat horn wind' or 'sheep madness,' is a chronic brain disorder caused by abnormal electrical discharges in the brain, leading to temporary and recurrent disruptions in the central nervous system.

Therefore, in most cases, epilepsy occurs in the brain. This was the first time they had heard of epilepsy occurring in the abdomen, which was unheard of.

The elderly men exchanged glances, their eyes filled with doubt and confusion.

As for the He family, once they understood what was being suggested, all that remained was tension.

Master He was already elderly and had suffered from his illness for a long time. If they were to perform surgery, what if something went wrong? This was not a decision to be made lightly!

It's no wonder the He family is so worried. After all, current medical technology and techniques are far less advanced than those in the future. In the future, abdominal exploratory surgery is quite common, with a success rate as high as 99%. But in the 1970s, there's a significant risk that the patient might die on the operating table.

The matriarch of the He family was the first to react. She immediately voiced her opposition to the abdominal exploratory proposal:

"Surgery? That won't do. The old man can't endure such an ordeal at his age. How could he possibly withstand it? Absolutely not!"

Before Mr. He could even speak, the rest of the He family were all shaking their heads, none of them agreed to the elderly man undergoing surgery.

Ye Qing wasn't surprised by their reaction. After all, surgery is a significant burden for a man over fifty.

Moreover, the purpose of abdominal exploration is merely to confirm the cause of the illness. In fact, she had already used her special abilities to examine Mr. He, and his condition was exactly this. So, this step wasn't really necessary from a diagnostic standpoint.

However, without the abdominal exploration, her treatment plan might not gain the trust of the patient and his family. The other elderly doctors present would certainly not accept her diagnosis without it.

So, what to do next would depend entirely on the thoughts and opinions of the patient and his family. Ye Qing wouldn't make any more rash suggestions.

Just as Ye Qing thought the situation was going to reach an impasse, Mr. He, who had been lying on the bed allowing Ye Qing to insert needles, suddenly spoke up:

"Doctor Ye, is surgery the only way to treat this abdominal epilepsy you mentioned? Can it be treated conservatively?"

Ye Qing hurriedly explained:

"The abdominal exploration is just to accurately identify the source of the problem, but it's not a treatment. In fact, your condition cannot be resolved by surgery."

The He family finally understood: "So, the surgery is just to take a look and see if the old man really has epilepsy in his abdomen? That would be making him suffer for nothing. We're not doing this surgery!"

This is how doctor-patient conflicts often arise. It's not usually because of the doctor's attitude, but because patients and their families, as laypeople, cannot understand the reasons behind certain medical procedures. They instinctively assume that doctors are trying to extort money and deliberately make things difficult for the patient, leading to misunderstandings and conflicts.

In Mr. He's case, if Ye Qing didn't have her unique abilities, even though her flying needles had narrowed down the source of the problem to the patient's intestines, she still wouldn't have been able to accurately diagnose abdominal epilepsy. This means that the abdominal exploratory surgery would be an essential step, not something that could be omitted just because the patient strongly opposed it.

Fortunately, although the He family didn't understand medical techniques, they still trusted and had high expectations of Ye Qing. After all, she was the only doctor in over a year who had swiftly identified the source of the old man's illness using just a box of silver needles, without resorting to various other complicated tests.

"Doctor Ye, we're not asking how confident you are about the epilepsy diagnosis. We're only asking, if the old man doesn't want to suffer too much, do you have a way to effectively treat his illness?"

He Lianshan's question hit the nail on the head. As family members, they didn't care about the differences between regular epilepsy and abdominal epilepsy, nor did they want to know the cause of the illness. The only thing they were concerned about was how to treat it and whether it could be cured.

He Lianshan's question immediately received the agreement of the patient and the rest of the He family. Their eyes were filled with tension and anticipation, afraid that Ye Qing might say "no."

Ye Qing certainly had some methods, but using her abilities was out of the question. If she tried any unconventional methods, the veteran doctors present might jump up and object.

So, Ye Qing could only look at Dean Gu, seeking his opinion first.

For over a year, Dean Gu had been at his wit's end with this old friend's strange illness. He was desperate to find someone who could cure the old man immediately. In front of the patient's health, principles and procedures were secondary. A white cat or a black cat, as long as it catches mice, it's a good cat!

"Ye Qing, don't have any reservations. I brought you here, and I'll take responsibility if something goes wrong. No one will dare to trouble you!"

Seeing Ye Qing's hesitation, Dean Gu immediately vouched for her.

He Lianshan quickly chimed in: "Comrade Ye, feel free to proceed as needed. My father's illness is so troublesome that just looking at his pile of test reports shows how severe it is. We're not an unreasonable family. Even if the treatment doesn't work or there are side effects, we are willing to accept that."

The elderly doctors hesitated but ultimately said nothing.

But when it came to Mr. He's illness, these Western doctors were indeed stumped. Even if they wanted to offer some constructive advice, they lacked the authority to do so at this point.

So, after several attempts to speak, the elderly doctors eventually gave up.

After some thought, Ye Qing said:

"Abdominal epilepsy is quite rare and complex. Although the source of the illness is located in the abdomen, the underlying cause may still be related to abnormal electrical discharges in the diencephalon or the temporal lobe cortex."

"That means the patient's intestines are experiencing tremors and seizures, which is actually a manifestation of brain abnormalities. For treatment, the focus should still be on the brain."

"That's why I suggested performing an exploratory laparotomy to confirm whether it's this condition or not. But if the patient refuses this surgery, we'll have to use other methods to confirm."

"I'll prescribe a daily regimen prescription for the patient to take for three months to suppress the abnormal electrical discharges. After three months, I'll conduct a follow-up examination. If there's an improvement in the flying needle tremors of the large and small intestine meridians, then it would confirm that my diagnosis was correct."

"At that point, we can discuss the specific treatment plan."

Initially, Ye Qing was planning to take a more unconventional approach and simply give this old man a brutal half-year course of flying needle therapy on the top of his head.

But after noticing the other elderly men trying to interject a few times, she dismissed this unconventional approach and came up with a more prudent solution.

This solution is certainly slower than doing an abdominal exploratory surgery and milder than her initial idea, but both the He family and the other elderly men present found it more acceptable.

"Let's try the regimen first!"

The He family made a decision on the spot. As long as the old man's condition could be diagnosed, taking medicine for three months was much better than going to other hospitals for a bunch of meaningless check-ups!

Ye Qing hurriedly removed the flying needles from Old Master He and swiftly wrote a regimen prescription.

The elderly men watched closely, but as Western medicine practitioners, they were completely clueless about Ye Qing's prescription. Even Dean Gu, who was a TCM practitioner, only had a vague understanding.

After giving the prescription to He Lianshan, Ye Qing explained in detail how to decoct the medicine, when to take it, and what foods to avoid. She didn't elaborate further.

At this point, the banquet arranged by He Lianshan was personally delivered. Seeing this, the elderly men couldn't keep bombarding Ye Qing with questions. The group then enjoyed a sumptuous lunch under the host's hospitality and left politely after eating their fill.

The old man's condition in the He family finally had some clarity. The elderly men were quite pleased when they left.

However, Ye Qing remained silent throughout the journey. After parting ways with the elderly men, on the way to the bus station with Gu Weidong, she kept her brow furrowed and didn't seem very cheerful.

This puzzled Gu Weidong. After finally boarding the bus back to Qingshan Town, he couldn't help but ask:

"You've solved such a tricky and complicated case, so why do you seem unhappy?"

Ye Qing sighed deeply and after a long while, said:

"Because Old Master He's condition is related to brain abnormalities, and at this stage, the medical standards in our country, whether it's equipment or doctors' treatment methods, are not advanced enough to detect brain abnormalities. That's why, despite so many examinations in various hospitals, the problem couldn't be identified."

"What I'm worried about now is that even if, after three months, his condition is finally confirmed to be abdominal epilepsy, it will still be very troublesome."

"The cause of abdominal epilepsy is basically due to white matter lesions. If it's primary, it's manageable. By directly targeting this area of white matter, my flying needle therapy can improve or even cure it."

"The fear is that it might be secondary, which means other brain issues are spreading to white matter lesions, especially early-onset lesions caused by Alzheimer's disease. In this case, it's almost incurable."

"Because even if I temporarily suppress the white matter lesions with my flying needle therapy and cure his abdominal epilepsy, as time passes, the lesions will spread to other areas. It's like fixing one problem only to create another. The situation becomes worse as time goes on."

Gu Weidong couldn't understand the medical jargon, but the fact that Ye Qing found it troubling indicated that Old Master He's condition was far more complicated than it appeared to outsiders.

"What is Alzheimer's disease?" Gu Weidong asked softly.

Ye Qing then remembered that, in the early 1990s, the name Alzheimer's was still quite unfamiliar to most people in China. This disease was known by a more commonly understood name in the country.

"It's Alzheimer's disease," she said.

Gu Weidong was clearly confused and looked astonished:

"Is Alzheimer's disease a disease? I thought it was just normal memory decline due to aging?"

Yes, before the 21st century, the understanding of Alzheimer's disease in China was limited. Brain atrophy and memory impairment were seen as normal signs of aging and weren't considered a serious disease.

Ye Qing shook her head. "No, this is a neurological disease of the human brain, a chronic degenerative disease that gradually develops in the nervous system."

"When the nerve cells die to a certain extent, the patient will become unable to take care of themselves, lose control of their bowels and bladder, and eventually develop complications from infections, leading to death."

Gu Weidong finally understood why Ye Qing had been so gloomy on the way. If Old Man He's illness was indeed caused by Alzheimer’s disease, even Ye Qing might not be able to solve this tricky problem.

"Doctors are not gods. Even if you work in this field, you can't expect to cure every disease. If you could, you wouldn’t be a village doctor in Kaoshan Village; the state would treat you as a national treasure."

Gu Weidong couldn't help but advise,

"Just like us soldiers, when a natural disaster strikes, it's our duty to protect the safety of the people, but we can't expect to keep everyone safe. It’s unreasonable to demand such perfection; it’s asking too much."

Ye Qing thought about it and realized he was right. It was pointless to dwell on the frustration. The backward state of medical care was a problem of this era, not something she could change on her own. Only with the rapid development of the economy, technology, and industry could medical technology steadily improve.

"You're right. I'm not a celestial doctor; I can't cure every disease. We caught Old Man He’s condition relatively early. With a combination of medication, acupuncture, and dietary supplements, we might be able to control the condition, but if that doesn’t work, there’s nothing more I can do."

Once she realized this, the heavy expression on Ye Qing's face lightened considerably. She then remembered the bicycle Gu Weidong had bought for her and sat up straight to ask him,

"How much did you spend on the bicycle? I don’t have a bicycle ticket, but I should reimburse you."

Especially since this bicycle was specially transported from the south, the cost must have been significant, and Ye Qing felt guilty about the expense.

Gu Weidong raised an eyebrow.

"In that case, when you saved my life at She Mountain and treated my hidden ailments with herbal baths and acupuncture a few days ago, how should we calculate the medical fees? Should I also reimburse you?"

Ye Qing was immediately at a loss for words and sat back awkwardly.

By the time they reached Qingshan Town, it was already evening. Ye Qing was anxious about her lady’s bicycle, so without delay, she urged Gu Weidong to quickly retrieve the stored bicycle. They then headed straight for Kaoshan Village.

As soon as they returned to the village entrance, they saw that quite a few people had gathered on the riverbank of Duck River. Sensing that something was wrong, Ye Qing immediately jumped off the vehicle and ran toward the pigsty and cow pen.

"What’s happening?"

Several commune members from the village, seeing Ye Qing return, hurriedly explained,

"A bear came charging down the mountain. A few children were playing on the riverbank and panicked when they saw it. One of them accidentally fell into the river. Fortunately, the two siblings from the Gu family were cutting grass for the pigs by the riverbank and immediately jumped in to save the child. Otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable."

Hearing this, Ye Qing’s heart sank. She instinctively touched her nose and uncomfortably glanced at Gu Weidong.

"In broad daylight, why would a bear suddenly come down the mountain and even make its way to the riverbank? Could it be what she feared?"

Gu Weidong’s expression also faltered, and after a glance, they both had a bad feeling.

Could the bear the villagers mentioned be one of the four unlucky ones they encountered in the forest before?

Could they have come down the mountain, tempted by the sugar-glazed fruit preserves she made last time, looking for more food? If that were the case, it really would be trouble she had brought upon herself, and the children, including the one who fell into the river, would be innocent victims.

Ye Qing and Gu Weidong hurriedly searched for Gu Weinan and the others on the riverbank but couldn’t find them.

She had no choice but to ask the auntie again, "Do you know how many bears came down? Where are the bears now?"

The auntie pointed to the nearby patch of low woods.

"There seem to be several. They ran into the low woods over there, but we didn’t see them clearly. The old party secretary has gone to fetch hunting guns. If those bears dare come down again, they’ll be slaughtered on the spot to provide meat for everyone."

Ye Qing felt a sense of relief.

Whether it was a black bear or a brown bear, these creatures probably didn’t have any malicious intent. Frightening the children was certainly not their aim. It would be too tragic if they were killed by the villagers on the spot.

Luckily, those guys ran fast; otherwise, they might have really been trapped by the villagers on the mudflat and unable to escape.

Ye Qing wanted to ask a few more questions, but just then, several people came running back from the thicket. Each of them was carrying a hunting rifle over their shoulder—it was the hunting team led by the old party secretary.

However, it was quite obvious that this group hadn't had any success. They all looked dejected and disheartened:

"What a pity that the bears got away. Otherwise, we could have all tasted bear paw today. At the very least, each family could have had some meat to break the monotony of our meals."

The wild boars Ye Qing had killed last time had not only allowed the entire village to enjoy a feast but had also put meat on every family's table for several days.

It had been almost half a month since the wild boars had come down the mountain again, and everyone was starting to crave meat.

But unfortunately, this time the female warrior Ye Qing was away taking an exam and wasn't in the village, so she missed the perfect opportunity to hunt the bears.

The villagers couldn't help but sigh in regret, feeling deeply dissatisfied about not being able to hunt the bears.

At that moment, Ye Qing immediately extracted crucial information from the villagers' words.

There were four bears!

Ye Qing could almost certainly confirm that these four bears were the same family of four that had eaten the syrup and jam she had cooked last time.

It was probably because Ye Qing had asked the bear couple to pull a sled down the mountain a few days ago, which let them know her location. As a result, this unfortunate family had come down the mountain to find her.

These four bears were so clumsy and foolish; she couldn't understand how they had ended up on the mudflat and scared the children playing there. Fortunately, they ran fast; otherwise, if they had fallen into the hands of the villagers, they would have been skinned and eaten completely.

But then Ye Qing suddenly thought of something else, and her heart tightened.

Since those four bears had come to her for food, they would definitely follow her scent. Since they had already come to the pigpen and cowshed near the mudflat, they might have also visited Murong Ah Po's courtyard!

Realizing that Gu Weinan, Meng Jia, and the baby were not at Duck River, Ye Qing immediately urged Gu Weidong:

"Hurry back! Something might have happened at home!"

Gu Weidong had also just realized this, and both of them understood that those bears might have scared the old lady. They panicked and hurriedly mounted their bicycles to rush forward.

Gu Weidong pushed his physical limits from his military training to the extreme, riding his bicycle at lightning speed. Ye Qing, forgetting about propriety between men and women, tightly held onto Gu Weidong's waist, and the two of them rushed into the village.

Because they wanted to be the first to watch the movie, the Kaoshan Village Production Team was in a hurry to finish the harvest. By the time it was getting dark, aside from a few aunts who had come back early to cook, most people were still in the fields picking corn cobs, so there were few people in the village.

Wu Yueying had also been slacking off in the cornfield, but after working for a short while, she felt dizzy and nauseous. Qin Xingzhi thought she had gotten heatstroke and quickly sent her home.

She walked slowly towards her home, and just as she was about to reach the door, she suddenly heard the clear sound of a bicycle bell. She turned her head to see a bicycle whizzing past her.

A tall and straight figure was dashing forward with the wind, and closely clinging to him was a delicate and agile young girl.

Wu Yueying immediately recognized the two people.

Her eyes narrowed slightly.

When had Gu Weidong and the female educated youth from Shanghai become so close?

Gu Weidong and Ye Qing didn't notice Wu Yueying standing by the road at all. At that moment, all their attention was on Murong Ah Po, Wang Chunhua, and the abandoned baby who were staying behind at the old house at the end of the village. Those three were elderly, weak, and women, and if they saw four black bears rushing into the house, they would probably faint from fear.

To Ye Qing's surprise, when she hurriedly returned to the end of the village, all she could hear were sounds of laughter and playful activity coming from the yard.

The fence, which they had expected to be trampled and ravaged by the black bears, was still standing intact at the front of the house, and the Zou family’s ancestral home remained as calm and peaceful as ever.

As they moved further ahead, they saw Gu Weinan and her brother, Meng Jia, both in the yard. Zou Ah Po and Wang Chunhua were also there, holding the cleft-lip infant. They were all examining the brand-new ladies’ bicycle together.

Despite his large build, Gu Weinan, who could usually ride any bicycle with ease, couldn’t help but show her eagerness and excitement upon seeing this small and delicate ladies’ bicycle.

Even Meng Jia and Wang Chunhua, who had never seen this style of bicycle before, couldn’t take their eyes off it.

However, they all showed proper respect, merely circling the bike to observe, without anyone attempting to ride it rudely.

In those days, bicycles were a significant investment. Ordinary families often had to save for several years just to afford one, so those who owned bikes cherished them deeply, rarely lending them out, even if they were old.

And this was a new bike, with the owner not yet back. It would be quite improper to ride it before the owner arrived.

Just as everyone was growing anxious from waiting, they heard the sound of a bicycle bell. They all quickly turned their heads.

Sure enough, they saw Ye Qing and Gu Weidong returning.

“Master, you’re back? Look, the bicycle you bought has been delivered! A comrade named Li Yong brought it over!” Gu Weinan rushed over, excitedly explaining.

But Ye Qing was more concerned about the black bears at the tidal flats.

“We just saw the old party secretary leading a patrol in the shrubland near the village entrance. They said black bears had come down the mountain?” Ye Qing asked anxiously.

At the mention of this, Gu Weinan and his sister immediately fell silent, their necks shrinking like quails.

Seeing the expressions on their faces, Ye Qing knew something was amiss and immediately grew stern, demanding,

"What exactly happened? Did those black bears scare the old ladies? How did they end up on the mudflats?"

Hearing this, Gu Weinan quickly waved his hands,

"No, no, definitely not. The bears didn't stay at the village entrance; they went straight to the mudflats."

As he spoke, Gu Weinan pointed to his brother and confessed,

"Last time, you taught me how to make jam. I had planned to take that jar to school, but it was so delicious that Gu Weibei and I couldn't resist and finished it all in just a couple of days."

"So we decided to make more. We started a fire on the mudflats and used a pot to boil the jam, but the scent of the jam was too strong and attracted those black bears."

Ye Qing was speechless.

Gu Weidong, standing nearby, also found it strange:

"Why were you making jam on the mudflats? Why not do it in your own kitchen?"

The siblings exchanged glances and, after a moment, hesitantly replied,

"The wild berries in the mountains are hard to pick, and the two of us can't gather much on our own."

"So we came up with an idea to get the village kids to help us."

"Since they wander around the village all day with nothing to do, and they're already tired of eating the wild berries from the mountains, they agreed right away when we offered to trade malt sugar for the berries."

"They gathered several large baskets of berries for us and even volunteered to help us gather firewood, so we ended up making the jam right there on the mudflat."

"Who would have thought the jam would attract the bears?"

As Gu Weinan continued, his voice grew softer, but his expression was one of innocence and resentment.

Ye Qing was so shocked that she almost couldn’t breathe when she understood what had happened.

Gu Weidong hurriedly asked, "What about the child who fell into the river? Is he all right?"

Gu Weibei quickly shook her head. "He’s fine. He only fell into the shallow water by the riverbank, and I grabbed his arm before the current could carry him away."

No wonder the siblings were calmly observing the bicycle in the yard as though nothing had happened—it had just been a false alarm.

Both Gu Weidong and Ye Qing sighed with relief.

But Ye Qing still glared fiercely at the troublemakers, her eyes narrowing. "Next time you want to make fruit jam, do it properly in your own kitchen with the doors and windows tightly shut. Don’t attract those bears again, got it?"

After being warned by Ye Qing, the siblings nodded vigorously, as though they were pounding garlic.

After causing this trouble, the siblings clearly understood the seriousness of the situation and wouldn’t dare to act impulsively or cause trouble outside anymore.