Rebooting 60, let's go on a rampage with the orange cat!

Xiuzhi heard everyone talking at once and a faint smile appeared on her face.

She turned to look at Huai'an beside her, and the two nodded to each other in understanding. Then, carrying the basket full of vegetables, they slowly walked towards home.

Along the way, they would occasionally exchange a few words in hushed tones, but most of the time they simply walked silently, enjoying the tranquility and peace.

As we passed the entrance to a dark and narrow alley, a pungent odor wafted towards us.

There lay a haggard man, his hair disheveled like tangled weeds and his face covered in stubble. He wore dirty, thin clothes, which clearly bore marks of whipping and dried blood.

Curled up, it lay quietly on the cold ground, motionless like a lifeless sculpture.

Several curious passersby were gathered around him, whispering amongst themselves.

"Whose poor soul is this? Does anyone recognize him?" one of them asked, frowning.

People around shook their heads, indicating that they did not know the person's identity or background.

Shi Huai'an, who was passing by, saw the man lying on the ground and his heart tightened.

Out of a doctor's instinct, she did not hesitate at all. She quickly stepped forward, squatted down, and gently placed her right hand on the man's wrist to carefully take his pulse and diagnose him.

A sharp-eyed passerby who happened to recognize Xiuzhi said, "Oh, isn't this your daughter? I heard she's studying medicine."

Xiuzhi smiled and nodded, replying, "Yes, she's Master Liu's apprentice. Let her take a look first and see if it's alright."

As soon as she finished speaking, the previously noisy scene instantly fell silent, and everyone's eyes were focused on Shi Huai'an, closely watching her every move and expression.

Shi Huai'an looked focused and serious, and she was using the Three-Part Pulse Diagnosis Method created by the master of traditional Chinese medicine, Zhang Zhongjing.

This unique pulse diagnosis method requires examining the pulse changes at three key acupoints in sequence: the Renying point on the neck, the Cunkou point on the hand, and the Dieyang point on the foot, in order to accurately determine the severity and urgency of the illness.

Moreover, these three acupoints have amazing effects—if a sudden situation causes respiratory arrest, you can press the Renzhong acupoint for emergency rescue; if the heartbeat suddenly stops, you should press the Neiguan acupoint to try to save a chance of life.

These are all invaluable medical experiences summarized by our ancestors through thousands of years of practice, and can be described as priceless treasures.

With a calm and collected expression, Huai'an lightly flipped her palm, and in the blink of an eye, a slender silver needle slipped from her pocket into her hand as if by magic.

Immediately afterwards, she skillfully and accurately inserted silver needles into the man's hands and feet, piercing several key acupoints in succession.

After the needles were removed, Huai stood quietly to the side, like a steady mountain, silently waiting for the possible changes to come.

Meanwhile, the people surrounding the area, seeing that the situation was not improving significantly, began to feel anxious and uneasy.

They whispered among themselves, discussing the matter, and some even couldn't help but voice their suggestions and ideas.

However, amidst the noise and chaos of the crowd, Huai'an simply raised his hand slightly, making a soothing gesture, indicating that everyone should remain calm and not be too hasty.

Time ticked by, and just as everyone was growing increasingly anxious, the man who had been completely still suddenly convulsed violently!

Seeing this, Huai'an did not hesitate and quickly stepped forward, using his hands to perform exquisite massage techniques again, focusing on the acupoints below the man's knees.

As she massaged and pressed, a miracle seemed to be slowly unfolding—the man's tightly closed eyes gradually opened, and his consciousness finally began to slowly return.

But to everyone's surprise, the man who had just woken up seemed to have suffered a great shock, suddenly bursting into loud wails and repeatedly muttering, "I didn't, I've been framed..."

Seeing this, the people around rushed forward to ask what had happened, but the middle-aged man seemed lost and dejected, ignoring their questions and muttering to himself, "It wasn't me, it really wasn't me..."

Just then, an old man with a hunched back suddenly squeezed into the crowd.

He squinted and carefully examined the man on the ground, then said as if suddenly realizing something, "Hey, isn't this Old Chen, the accountant from the cardboard factory? I heard you were taken away for a struggle session yesterday, how come you're back now? Hurry up and go home, it's freezing cold, don't freeze to death!"

"Oh dear, they've been dragged away for a public denunciation meeting? Do you know why?" someone asked curiously in a low voice.

“His father used to be a capitalist, his class background was bad, someone in the factory reported him, but I don’t know exactly why.” The old man bent down and shouted to the man, “Old Chen, go home quickly, don’t keep your family worried…”

Old Chen sat on the ground, still staring blankly at the ground, muttering, "I can't drag them down... I can't..."

Before he could finish speaking, another little boy squeezed through the crowd, his face streaked with tears, and rushed towards the man, crying out, "Dad, what's wrong with you? Come home with me!"

Old Chen stared blankly as the little boy walked towards him. A glimmer of light suddenly flashed in his originally dull eyes, but it was quickly covered by deep helplessness.

He suddenly waved his hand, his voice hoarse but firm, and said, "Xiaogang, I'm not going back! I can't drag you and your daughter into this anymore. Your grandfather wants you to sever all ties with me, and he's not without reason. I don't blame him at all..."

The little boy clung tightly to the man's clothes, pulling him along as he cried out, "Daddy, let's go home, okay? If you stay out here like this, you'll get sick. What if something happens to you? I don't want to cut ties with you! Mommy said she'd wait for you. Come home with me now."

The man's eyes widened in shock, as if he were waking from a dream. He stared at his son, his lips trembling, tears streaming down his face. He murmured repeatedly, as if confirming, "Really? Is this true? Your mother wants me to go back?"

The boy nodded vigorously, "It's true, Dad, it's true! Mom is cooking and waiting for us."

"Old Chen, if this female doctor hadn't happened to be passing by, you would have been in trouble today. You should thank her quickly." Some of the onlookers said kindly, "You looked quite scary when you fainted on the ground just now."

Old Chen then turned to look at Shi Huai'an and Wang Xiuzhi, and said gratefully, "Thank you, doctor."

The little boy bowed and said, "Thank you, big sister, for saving my dad, thank you..."

"It was nothing, it's alright. You should go home now." Shi Huai'an quickly helped the little boy up. "Go home and have your mom make some ginger soup for your dad to warm him up and give him a good rest."

Passersby, seeing this, kindly advised, "Yes, go home and change into dry clothes. You'll freeze. It's much better for your family to be together than to be homeless outside."

Xiuzhi looked at the pitiful father and son, her eyes filled with pity.

Then, she bent down and handed a lively, fresh fish to the little boy, saying softly, "Little friend, take this fish and go home with your father to nourish yourself."

The little boy looked at the fish that Xiuzhi handed him, and was moved to tears, bowing repeatedly to express his gratitude.

The father's eyes were red, tears and snot were falling from his eyes, and his lips were trembling slightly, but he couldn't say a word.

Finally, under the concerned gazes of everyone, the father and son slowly turned around and left.

Everyone shook their heads and sighed, then silently dispersed.

Huai'an breathed a sigh of relief and quickly pulled Xiuzhi away, but a wave of sadness welled up in her heart.

As a doctor, she was able to cure many physical illnesses, but she felt powerless in the face of this complex society and the various deep-seated problems in people's hearts.

Shi Renmei had already returned home and was chatting with his younger brother and his family of three. There were peanuts, melon seeds, and tea on the table.

Huai'an and his mother Xiuzhi returned home, greeted everyone, and went into the kitchen. Wu Yue'e, contrary to her usual behavior, followed them into the kitchen.

"Sister-in-law, thank you so much! Not only did my brother help Yaozu find a job, but he also helped him rent a public housing unit, the old house you used to live in. He hasn't told you yet, has he?" Wu Yue'e said proudly, her face beaming.

"Oh, that's a good thing. It's good that it's been resolved. From now on, Yaozu will also have a city household registration with a guaranteed food supply," Wang Xiuzhi said sincerely.

Seeing that her aunt had a change of heart and her attitude had improved, Huai'an stopped joining in the fun in the kitchen and said to her mother and aunt, "Then congratulations to Brother Yaozu. I'm going back to my room to read." With that, she walked out.

"Oh my, working so hard! Why are you still reading books during your vacation?" Wu Yue'e said, pouting.

"Never mind her, let's talk about our own things..." Wang Xiuzhi quickly said with a smile to defuse the situation.

“Sister-in-law, we’ll go back tomorrow to get the certificate to transfer Yaozu’s household registration. Then Yaozu can go back to work. My brother said he’ll look after him at his workplace before he leaves, so we’re relieved.”

While helping wash the vegetables, Wu Yue'e grumbled, "I was the one who spoke harshly before. When you went out to buy groceries just now, Renli and Yaozu both criticized me. Yaozu even said that if I talk nonsense again, he won't come to work in the city anymore and that I should apologize to you. Sigh~ Although I was doing it for his own good, he didn't appreciate it at all. It's embarrassing for me to be scolded by my son, but I don't blame him. Isn't that strange?"

“Yaozu is a good boy…” Wang Xiuzhi was stunned for a moment. She did not expect Yaozu to be so sensible, but she was also unsure whether Wu Yue’e had any ulterior motives, so she said nothing.

Seeing that her sister-in-law was not easy to talk to, Wu Yue'e snatched the fish from Wang Xiuzhi's hand and said, "I'll kill this fish. You've worked hard, sister-in-law. Let me do anything else."

She skillfully used the back of the knife to slap the fish to death, then scraped off the scales, gutted it, and Wang Xiuzhi had to scoop water to help her rinse the fish clean.

Wu Yue'e continued, "I know you're a reasonable person, sister-in-law. I was wrong before, and I apologize to you. You won't blame me, will you?"

"Let's not talk about the past. Even the tongue and teeth sometimes clash," Wang Xiuzhi said with a wry smile. "As long as the family is doing well, that's enough."

“Yes, sister-in-law is right.” Wu Yue’e chopped the fish with a loud thud and said, “Do you think we can still find a way to help Xiao Yan with her job? Otherwise, when we go back, Xiao Yan will definitely argue with me and blame me for being biased and not caring about her. She’s already made a lot of boasts to her in-laws, and now her job is gone just like that. I don’t know how we’re going to handle this.”

“How can we go around spreading rumors about something that’s not even close to being settled? There’s nothing I can do about this. Once Yaozu starts working and gets familiar with the area, we can see if he can find someone to help Xiaoyan find a temporary job. Or maybe she can study more and see if she can take any job exams if they come up.” Wang Xiuzhi said while cutting meat.

"Oh dear, she gets headaches and falls asleep when she reads, and she probably wouldn't even dare to go into the exam hall if she heard about exams. How can she compare to Huai'an?" Wu Yue'e said with a smile. "Besides, Yaozu is new here and doesn't know any useful people. So, we still need to ask our elder brother and sister-in-law for help."

Wang Xiuzhi shook her head, mixed the meat with rice flour and seasoned it, then steamed the meat with rice flour: "Your older brother and I are just ordinary people, we don't have any connections, and we haven't heard of any jobs for her. If you want to help her find a job, you'll need an opportunity."

Wu Yue'e, unable to contain herself any longer, complained, "Don't blame me for being blunt, but where am I supposed to get the money? In the end, it's because you don't treat Xiaoyan like your own child and refuse to help. Sigh, it's really worrying me to death..."

"Xiaoyan is already siding with her husband's family before she's even married. She takes all the dowry money to her husband's family and doesn't leave a single penny for her own family. What sins did I commit to give birth to such a troublesome child..." As she spoke, she wiped her hands, patted her clothes, and said angrily, "I'm going to get a drink of water and then I'll come back." Then she left the kitchen with a stern face.

Wang Xiuzhi shook her head, not angry at all, as if she had long been used to it.

Even after Huai'an and Yaozu helped set the table with the dishes, Wu Yue'e didn't go back into the kitchen, her face full of worry as she kept peeling peanuts and melon seeds.

Shi Renmei then took out her homemade rice wine and said with a smile, "Come on, have some of Xiuzhi's homemade rice wine."

Yaozu quickly got up to get cups and distributed them to everyone, then poured cups for each of them.

He raised his glass of rice wine and said, “Thank you, Uncle and Aunt, for the job. When you return from the capital, I will definitely take good care of you. If you need anything in the future, just write back and I will do it for you.”

Shi Renmei raised her glass and smiled, "We're family, so there's no need to be so polite. I'll help if I can. Just work hard, be careful and diligent. Our line of work is a service industry, and the most important thing is patience. There are all kinds of customers, so don't be impatient."

Wang Xiuzhi also laughed and said, "You should memorize more of the quotes from the great man; the working group will conduct spot checks."

Shi Renli also said, "Listen to your uncle and aunt. When you first start working, you need to be able to endure hardship and get along well with your colleagues."

Wu Yue'e scoffed, "Our Yaozu is sensible, there's definitely no problem. It's just selling something, how difficult can it be?"