It was Chang San.
Chang San walked over and glanced at the needles in his daughter's leg. "Manman, how are you feeling?"
"Pretty good. Dad, that auntie is amazing."
Chang San looked relieved and squeezed out a smile. "She really is."
He clumsily pulled out a few comic books and placed them by his daughter's bed. "Dr. Lin's nephew left these here. She was worried you'd be bored, so she asked me to bring them to you."
Shen Man took them.
"Just read here for a bit. Dad will come pick you up when I'm done with work."
"Okay."
Shen Man opened a book and sat obediently on the bed.
The first one was Little Hero Yu Lai.
Jiang Chengzhou had left his masterpieces on every single page.
The villains had been drawn with pig heads and scribbled-on mustaches, looking like clowns in an opera.
Flipping to the end, a little stick figure was drawn next to the protagonist Yu Lai, accompanied by six words: The Great Hero Jiang Chengzhou.
Shen Man couldn't help but curl her lips into a smile.
That auntie's little nephew must be just as cute as little Linlin.
From that day on, Shen Man went to the traditional Chinese medicine department every day for acupuncture treatment.
The first time she bumped into Jiang Chengzhou was on the second weekend.
As soon as Linlin saw her, she excitedly dragged her older brother to the hospital bed. "Brother, it's the pretty sister."
Jiang Chengzhou was the king of the kids and a bit overly familiar. He asked directly, "Which class are you in? How come I've never seen you?"
"I just moved here. I haven't started school yet."
Jiang Chengzhou let out an "oh," saw the comic books by the bed, and smiled. "You like reading these? They're boring. Have you ever read How the Steel Was Tempered? There are even foreign kids in it."
Shen Man nervously glanced outside, then looked earnestly at Jiang Chengzhou. "You actually dare to read foreign books?"
Her tone carried a hint of terror.
Shen Man had previously seen someone who secretly hid a foreign novel. When it was discovered, the person was labeled a capitalist roader and paraded through the streets every day with a placard around their neck.
"Why wouldn't I dare?" Jiang Chengzhou was taken aback by her expression.
Li Xuan walked in and explained, "That book is from the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union is on our side; it's not a capitalist country."
"Linlin, come here," Li Xuan waved at Linlin. "Let me take you to wash your hands. My grandmother made peanut candy today."
Linlin looked reluctantly at the pretty sister, but in the end, she was won over by the peanut candy and walked toward Li Xuan.
Jiang Chengzhou didn't mind either.
Li Xuan was just like an older brother to Linlin.
However, he was her biological brother, whereas Li Xuan was some distant cousin eight times removed, posing no threat to Jiang Chengzhou whatsoever.
He was about to leave as well but stopped in his tracks, turning around to casually ask Shen Man, "What kind of illness do you have?"
Li Xuan, who was just about to leave, frowned upon hearing this. "Jiang Chengzhou, don't ask about people's private matters."
"I know." Jiang Chengzhou smiled, flashing his bright white teeth, and said to Shen Man, "It doesn't matter what illness you have. My aunt will cure you anyway."
His tone carried a matter-of-fact certainty that left Shen Man a bit stunned.
"I'm leaving now. I'll have my aunt bring that book to you tomorrow." After saying that, Jiang Chengzhou left the ward.
Shen Man opened Little Hero Yu Lai again.
The sunlight outside the window was just right, and the traditional Chinese medicine department was filled with the herbal scent she had grown familiar with.
Shen Man found herself looking forward to going to school a bit more.
Days passed one by one, and the weather on the island grew hotter and hotter.
The fans in the traditional Chinese medicine department started whirring once again.
Liu Feng's and Shen Man's legs improved day by day.
Because Shen Man was young and had been well-cared for previously, her progress was even more noticeable than Liu Feng's.
Since she didn't have any textbooks, Jiang Chengzhou even gave her his old books so she could study on her own first.
Chang San also slowly integrated into this group.
While everything was sunny and peaceful in the traditional Chinese medicine department, Lin Zhilan ran into some trouble at the medical college.
This Saturday, after finishing her morning classes, Lin Zhilan had just walked out of the teaching building when a teacher called out to her, "Teacher Lin, Director Zhao would like you to go to his office."
Lin Zhilan paused her steps, thinking to herself: here it comes.
"Alright."
Lin Zhilan replied and walked toward the administration building.
Zhao Guangtian's office was the last room down the hall, with a sign outside that read Director of the School Revolutionary Committee.
Lin Zhilan knocked on the door.
Knock, knock!
"Come in," a middle-aged man's voice called out from inside.
Lin Zhilan walked in and pushed the door wide open.
The office wasn't large, but it was furnished quite ostentatiously.
A portrait of the Great Leader hung on the wall, along with an entire wall of bookshelves and a large solid wood desk.
Behind the desk sat a man in his fifties.
He had a square face, thick eyebrows, and wore a dark gray Sun Yat-sen suit.
"Teacher Lin is here." Zhao Guangtian stood up, walked around the desk to the door, and reached out to close it.
Lin Zhilan took a step back, standing in the doorway to block it, and slightly raised her voice. "Director Zhao, if you have something to say, let's keep things out in the open."
Zhao Guangtian's hand stopped on the doorknob. He froze for a moment, then let out a couple of laughs and withdrew his hand. "Teacher Lin is right. That was my oversight. We won't close the door then."
It was noon, and most of the faculty and staff had gone home for lunch.
Only a few people remained in the administration building, and they could faintly hear the sounds from outside.
Zhao Guangtian returned to his seat behind the desk and pointed to the chair opposite him. "Teacher Lin, have a seat."
Lin Zhilan placed her cloth bag on the armrest of the chair and sat down calmly.
Zhao Guangtian crossed his hands on the desk, a smile on his face. "I invited Teacher Lin here today to talk about my son."
"Your son?" Lin Zhilan tilted her head slightly, wearing a confused expression. "Who is your son?"
Zhao Guangtian's smile remained unchanged. "Zhao Weidong, from the traditional Chinese medicine class."
"Oh, him." Lin Zhilan nodded in sudden realization, then sighed. "Director Zhao, if one cannot even sweep a single room, how can they sweep the world? No matter how busy you are with work, you must keep up with your son's education. Otherwise, wouldn't raising a piece of scum just be adding a burden to society?"
Zhao Guangtian's smile faltered.
In his position, at least within the school, he didn't have to grovel to anyone.
The medical college had only resumed admissions and classes last year.
Nowadays, teachers were afraid of students, let alone the Revolutionary Committee.
The school was practically under Zhao Guangtian's absolute rule, and it had been a long time since he had encountered someone who gave him so little face.
However, he had looked into Lin Zhilan's background.
She was parachuted into her position, had strong backing, and it was said her husband was a leader in the military district.
Zhao Guangtian didn't want to offend her and had even warned his son not to mess with this woman.
But when things go too smoothly for someone, they tend to get carried away.
Although the Revolutionary Committee had no jurisdiction over the military district, it wasn't that easy for the military district to control the Revolutionary Committee either.
"Why would Teacher Lin say such a thing? I'm afraid Zhao Weidong hasn't done anything heinous, has he?"
Lin Zhilan touched the watch on her wrist and said flatly, "It hasn't even been a month since school started. I don't know about other teachers' classes, but he has skipped every single one of mine."
