Chapter 137

Chapter 137

After meeting with Han Yabo, Zhao Yuliang called Qiao Youqing to secretly discuss restarting Han Yabo's research project.

Qiao Youqing wasn't surprised by Zhao Yuliang's decision. This guy had always been someone who dared to think and act. Now that they needed to utilize Han Yabo's findings, Zhao Yuliang would push forward no matter the obstacles.

Moreover, Zhao Yuliang hadn't been idle all these years in the military. Becoming a colonel and taking up the position of head of a medium-sized farm meant that the network he had built was not to be underestimated. With some connections, Zhao Yuliang could easily make arrangements to revamp Han Yabo's old research topic, giving it a new name and restarting it without drawing much attention. No one would suspect that Han Yabo had been secretly placed back into the lab.

Qiao Youqing helped Zhao Yuliang handle all the necessary paperwork for the research project application. After submitting it for approval, the rest was up to Zhao Yuliang to manage.

Ye Qing was unaware of the two men scheming behind her back, but she had her own amusing and frustrating problems to deal with.

Ever since Ye Qing used artificial insemination technology to make a large number of female pigs at the nearby military farm pregnant, the news spread quietly among the military family compound. Soon after, the Red Flag Commune rapidly promoted Ye Qing's technique. Under the leadership of her four apprentices, the same success was achieved in the production teams.

This led to a continuation of the rumors about Ye Qing being a "reincarnated goddess." The new rumor was that she was a disciple of Guanyin, the fertility goddess responsible for helping couples conceive. Therefore, sows touched by the goddess could conceive and cure infertility.

This rumor gained even more credibility when the wife of Guan Changzheng from the forest farm announced her pregnancy.

After all, it was widely known that Guan Changzheng's wife had been unable to conceive for over a decade. But after visiting Ye Qing's health station just a couple of times and taking the prescribed medications, she actually became pregnant!

This was confirmed by Guan Changzheng's wife's cousin, Sister Xu, who worked at the town post office. With such confirmation, many families believed in the rumor of the "fertility goddess." Although no one dared to openly discuss it after the county's recent propaganda and education efforts, the underground spread of unofficial news continued. Families who had trouble conceiving were secretly advised to seek help from Ye Qing, believing she possessed special powers to bless them with a child, much like the legendary fertility goddess.

Soon, Ye Qing realized something was wrong when her Kaoshan Village health station was overwhelmed by patients seeking her help to conceive. Out of ten patients, at least eight were hoping she could help them have a baby.

Ye Qing found it both amusing and exasperating and had to repeatedly explain to her patients:

"Comrades, pregnancy requires both partners to be healthy and work together. I can help regulate your body to increase your chances of conception, but I cannot simply give you a child."

Especially when middle-aged women in their forties who had already reached menopause wanted to have another child, Ye Qing was even more frustrated:

"Auntie, this is a health station, not a miracle shop. I can treat you, but I'm also not a divine being who can magically create eggs for you."

"If you truly want a child, you should consider adopting one from the county orphanage. There are many children there who need loving families."

No matter how clearly Ye Qing explained, some patients were still dissatisfied and insisted stubbornly, believing that she had a special fertility technique and that she was withholding it because they hadn't paid enough.

These patients, after leaving the clinic, would secretly return at night to offer Ye Qing money, gifts, and various odd items, some even bringing out their family heirlooms, all in an effort to persuade her to help them conceive. Exhausted by these antics, Ye Qing resorted to locking her doors at night, letting her two guard dogs patrol the yard. She would only open the door for emergency patients and refused any other visits.

A few days later, just as Ye Qing finished dinner and was copying books with her apprentices under the incandescent light, a familiar military truck pulled up to her yard.

Seeing the vehicle, Ye Qing's heart sank.

At this hour, a sudden visit from the neighboring farm made Ye Qing immediately fear something had gone wrong with the pregnant sows, so she rushed out to the yard.

As she opened the gate, Zhao Yuliang jumped down from the driver's seat, and a middle-aged woman along with a thirty-something female companion stepped out from the backseat.

Puzzled, Ye Qing looked toward Zhao Yuliang. With the visitors already there, she couldn't exactly block them at the gate, so she led them inside.

As soon as they entered, before Ye Qing could even ask, the older woman eagerly explained why they were there:

"Dr. Ye, my family has only one remaining male heir. But my daughter-in-law, who married into our family over a decade ago, has not been able to give us a grandchild. Over the years, I've prayed countless times to the Bodhisattvas and ancestors, tried every folk remedy I could find, but her belly just wouldn't cooperate."

"I know you're very capable, Dr. Ye. When you acted, so many sows at our farm became pregnant all at once. Everyone says you're a reincarnated fertility goddess. So, could you please try your special formula on my daughter-in-law?"

"My requirements aren't high. As long as my son Jianguo can have a child, I'll be content. Otherwise, when I'm gone and lying underground, how will I face our ancestors..."

The old lady went on and on, continually emphasizing the importance of their family line, insisting that it can't end with her son. If it did, she feared she wouldn't be able to rest in peace.

Ye Qing couldn't help but grimace.

"Auntie, the reason the sows at the farm got pregnant is that the boars mated with them. Although I used some technological methods, it ultimately comes down to the fact that the sows had good physical foundations and the boars were effective at mating. This whole 'Goddess of Fertility' thing is just superstition. You absolutely cannot believe in that."

"If you want your daughter-in-law to get pregnant, don't give her those folk remedies. Either take her to a big hospital for a check-up or let me see if I can regulate her body with traditional Chinese medicine. But there's no such thing as a 'miracle fertility prescription.'"

Unfortunately, the old lady was extremely stubborn. She didn't believe in hospital check-ups or Chinese medicine regulation and only demanded the so-called fertility prescription from Ye Qing. To convince Ye Qing, she cried and recounted her family's tragic history, saying that out of her three children, two had died in battle. The only surviving son had no descendants, which caused her immense grief. She even attempted to kneel before Ye Qing, which startled her, causing her to step back quickly. Ye Qing helped the old lady to a chair and checked her pulse to make sure she was okay emotionally before finally calming down a bit.

Faced with this stubborn old lady, Ye Qing felt helpless. She couldn't help but glare at Zhao Yuliang, who was pretending to be innocent, feeling like cursing.

"You're a Colonel overseeing the military farm and its thousands of personnel. With your deep-rooted principles of materialism and party spirit, how could you believe in such nonsense and even bring her here yourself? This is so unreliable!"

Zhao Yuliang coughed lightly and pulled Ye Qing aside to explain in a low voice.

"This old Madam Zhang is in her sixties, almost seventy. Like your Murong Grandma here, her family has a legacy of service. Her husband passed away early, and she single-handedly raised three sons. All three sons, despite her objections, joined the military."

"Her eldest son died during the Red Army's Long March. Her second son sacrificed his life on the North Korean battlefield. The youngest son was only seventeen when he went to war, got severely injured while saving his comrades, and spent half a year in the hospital before being discharged. Even now, one of his legs isn't fully functional."

"Because of their tragic situation, the military gave special consideration to the youngest son and didn't force him to retire. Instead, he was transferred to the kitchen staff at the military farm."

As Zhao Yuliang recounted their story, his expression turned somber. Soldiers couldn't bear to hear about the sacrifices of their comrades, and he empathized deeply with the old lady. That's why, when she came to him for help, his compassion got the better of him, and he brought her to Ye Qing without discussing it first.

"Don't worry about what Madam Zhang said. If you can help her, do so. Otherwise, I'll explain to her son."

Ye Qing fell silent.

She looked at the old lady, who was crying her eyes out, then at the corner of the room where the daughter-in-law stood, head lowered like a quail. With a heavy sigh, she said,

"Auntie Zhang, please find a chair and sit. Let me see your wrist."

Upon hearing Ye Qing's words, Fang Xiaotao looked up, first glancing at her mother-in-law. After the old lady nodded in agreement, Fang Xiaotao moved forward and, following Ye Qing's gesture, sat on a stool in front of the dining table.

The lighting in the room that night wasn't particularly bright, which was usually not ideal for diagnosing patients. In Chinese medicine, observing a patient's facial features was crucial, and any slight oversight could lead to missing important symptoms.

However, with her special skills, Ye Qing didn't have to worry about that. She carefully examined Fang Xiaotao's complexion and used a flashlight to check her eyes and throat before placing her fingers on Fang Xiaotao's pulse.

After feeling the pulse for a moment, Ye Qing's brows furrowed. She switched hands a few times and felt the pulse for about a minute or two before stepping aside and calling over the four apprentices who had been copying books.

"All of you, come and try. See if you can feel anything."