Chapter 16: Yan Bugui's Little Schemes

A gentle breeze blew, rustling the leaves and scattering patches of light across the ground.

Ding Qiunan pursed her lips and smiled. "I saw you in the courtyard a while ago when I was treating Mrs. He."

Glancing at Li Aiguo, her tone turned slightly hesitant. "It's just that you seemed a bit different back then compared to now."

The Li Aiguo in Ding Qiunan's memory was despondent, with hollow eyes and no spark of life in him.

But the man before her wore a snow-white shirt, straight-cut work trousers, and polished black leather shoes; even his hair was combed neat and smooth...

He was simply standing casually in the sunlight with his hands in his pockets, yet he stood like a tall, straight bamboo, his vibrant energy rushing toward her.

He was quite simply the most handsome man in the Four Districts.

Li Aiguo was momentarily bewildered by Ding Qiunan's words.

He didn't remember anyone named Mrs. He living in the courtyard.

"Mrs. He?"

"Huh?! There is no Mrs. He. It's the deaf old lady. She's a person under state care, she's elderly, and her health isn't good. Our hospital sends someone to check on her every month."

Ding Qiunan froze for a moment, her expression shifting slightly as she hurriedly explained.

Her guilty manner was caught red-handed by Li Aiguo.

Mrs. He...

The deaf old lady's surname was actually Hu.

And her husband's surname was He...

Could the deaf old lady be Shazhu's biological grandmother?

None of that mattered.

What mattered was why this name was so significant.

Looking at Ding Qiunan's apprehensive expression, it was as if she had leaked a major state secret.

Perhaps fearing Li Aiguo would press her, Ding Qiunan quickly changed the subject. "I also heard your courtyard's Third Uncle mention you."

Li Aiguo silently noted the incident in his mind.

"You know Yan Bugui too?"

"A while ago, our hospital was distributing free ascaris candy. According to the regulations, it could only be given to children under ten, and the Yan family only had three children who qualified. Yet, he insisted on having five pieces of ascaris candy."

Mentioning Yan Bugui, Ding Qiunan's small face was filled with helplessness.

"I explained the policy to him, but Yan Bugui claimed that he and his wife also had roundworms in their bellies, and that if the hospital didn't give him the candy, they were ignoring the health of the masses."

"He even told me that if I gave him more medicine, he would introduce a partner to me."

"I had no choice but to give him two extra pills, and I even got criticized by the director for it."

"Old Stingy Yan is exactly the type to do something like that," Li Aiguo remarked, clicking his tongue.

Ascaris candy was actually the prototype for what would later be known as "Pagoda Candy."

Sanitary conditions were poor in this era, and many people had roundworms in their bellies.

To solve this problem, in 1952, a plant called *ascaris* was introduced from the Soviet Union.

The plant was crushed into powder, mixed with some Cuban sugar, and made into black pills—ascaris candy.

After taking it, one would experience intense abdominal pain before rushing to the latrine, where the roundworms would crawl out through the anus. It was quite terrifying.

Large-scale cultivation was not yet possible domestically.

The supply of *ascaris* was limited and reserved primarily for children.

Many adults suffering from ascariasis had to go to the hospital and pay for the candy.

It cost one yuan per pill.

Yan Bugui had made two yuan straight off the top.

He had hit the jackpot.

By now, it was midday, and the rich aroma of cooking wafted from every household.

Li Aiguo was wondering if he should invite this young doctor back to his home to make her a bowl of mixed-grain noodles.

It wasn't that Li Aiguo was stingy; the key was that he truly didn't have any high-quality flour at home.

He wouldn't get the grain and vegetable coupons back from Da Kui's house until evening.

Even a skilled cook cannot make a meal without rice.

Just then, a voice drifted from the distance.

"Yo, Aiguo is borrowing books! Learning, eh? That's a good thing! How are you considering that matchmaking matter I mentioned last time?"

Yan Bugui approached from a distance, carrying a metal bucket and a hand net.

Judging by the brisk way he walked, he had certainly made a good haul.

The Third Uncle also spotted Ding Qiunan following behind him.

His expression changed, and he nearly dropped his metal bucket.

He pointed at Li Aiguo, then at Ding Qiunan: "Why are you two together... Oh, so you know each other?"

"That's right, Third Uncle. Are you surprised? Or perhaps pleasantly surprised?" Li Aiguo smiled.

He could tell now that the person Yan Bugui intended to introduce him to wasn't Ran Qiuye, but this young doctor before him.

"Third Uncle, Comrade Li Aiguo and I only met yesterday. It's not the kind of relationship you're thinking of."

Ding Qiunan looked shy.

She seemed to feel something was amiss and wanted to explain further.

Seeing her bashful expression, Yan Bugui slapped his thigh hard.

"Oh my, how could you two meet!"

Then, he grabbed his metal bucket and bolted away.

"What's wrong with him?"

Watching Yan Bugui's retreating figure, which was faster than a rabbit, Ding Qiunan was bewildered.

Li Aiguo crossed his arms and chuckled. "Nothing much. Third Uncle just feels like he's been cheated."

Cheated? What on earth was he talking about? Ding Qiunan was even more lost.

"Cheated! I've been cheated big time!"

Carrying his metal bucket, Yan Bugui rushed home in a panic.

"Oho, three big ones and two small ones. Old Yan, not bad! You've made a killing this time."

Seeing Yan Bugui return, the Third Aunt dropped her work and walked over to clean the small fish.

"Made a killing? I've been played!"

"Who could play you? Did you make something else on the side?"

Looking at Yan Bugui, who had a long face the moment he entered, the Third Aunt spoke irritably.

"I really was played this time."

Yan Bugui picked up his enamel mug and took two large gulps. "Guess who I just saw on the street?"

"I'm not guessing," the Third Aunt said, rolling her eyes.

Yan Bugui took a deep breath, deciding not to argue with her. "I saw Li Aiguo and Doctor Ding! The intimacy between them, oh man, I can't even describe it."

"Doctor Ding? Little Doctor Ding from the community hospital?"

The Third Aunt's expression turned serious. "How could she know Li Aiguo so early?"

"Exactly! I was counting on playing matchmaker to earn half a jin of pork fat, and now it's all ruined."

Feeling a pang in his heart, Yan Bugui clutched his chest. "And another thing—if we had introduced a partner to Little Doctor Ding, wouldn't she give us more medicine when we go to the community hospital for treatment?"

"That kid Li Aiguo is so unscrupulous, bypassing me, the matchmaker, to start seeing the girl directly."

"My grand plan for a win-win has gone down the drain."

Acting as if he had lost a fortune, Yan Bugui shuffled into the room, pulled up the quilt, and began to weep under it.

"My pork fat! My deworming medicine!"

Yan Bugui didn't stay depressed for long before he started grinning again.

The Third Aunt excitedly pushed open the door and shouted at the quilt-wrapped Yan Bugui, "Old man, business is calling! Li Aiguo is here to borrow a bicycle."

The weeping stopped instantly. Yan Bugui threw off the quilt, jumped down, and sprinted to Li Aiguo.

Seeing the tears still clinging to the corners of Yan Bugui's eyes, Li Aiguo chuckled. "Third Uncle, did the Third Aunt domesticate you?"

"You brat, stop trying to drive a wedge between us!"

Yan Bugui put his hands behind his back and tilted his head up. "Aiguo, you're a long-time resident, you should know..."

"I know your rules. I won't borrow it for free." Li Aiguo pulled twenty cents from his pocket.

Yan Bugui narrowed his eyes, swallowed the words he was about to say, and handed over the key to the steel lock. "Since our families are on good terms, I won't ask for a deposit. But if anything gets scratched or dented, you'll pay me the full price."

"You got it, Third Uncle. Don't worry. If it really falls, I'll go to Liu Haizhu and get you a brand new one." Li Aiguo took the key. "I remember you assembled this bike there, didn't you?"

"Ahem, what nonsense are you talking about? This is genuine store-bought quality."

Before Yan Bugui could stomp his foot, Li Aiguo had already pushed the bicycle out of the courtyard.

The summer sun set late.

At seven in the evening, the sunset clouds on the horizon were a beautiful, fiery red.

After getting the coupons from Wang Da Kui, Li Aiguo detoured to the Chaoyang Market.

He circled the market and wandered toward the meat stall. The strips of meat hanging on the rack were few and far between, and they were all lean meat.

The butcher was a middle-aged man sitting on a small stool, puffing on a cigarette.

"Brother, do you have any pork fat left?" Li Aiguo stepped forward to ask.

"Gone since early morning. Only lean meat left, fifty cents a jin," the man said without looking up.

"Do I need a meat coupon?"

"No need. Nobody buys this stuff, why would they need a coupon?"

"Alright then, give me two jin."

Li Aiguo handed over one yuan. The middle-aged man stubbed out his cigarette on the sole of his shoe and grabbed a cleaver hanging on the wall.

Without looking closely, he swung the blade.

A flash of white light passed, and Li Aiguo caught it casually.

The man then used the cleaver to make a small hole in the pork, threaded it with straw rope, and hung it on the scale hook.

"Two jin, nice and high."

(End of Chapter)