Chapter 1129: Ma Kui

Wang Yan's home was next to the locust tree in the compound, three bungalow rooms.

The houses in this compound weren't regular, with different heights; they were all old houses of several decades, allocated to the railway system.

There was nothing too special in the house, just the ordinary layout of the Northeast.

Entering the door was what Northeasterners called the "outer room area." On the east side of the entrance was the stove, with a furnace built next to it, and there was also a furnace on the opposite west side. Looking further, there was a large water vat, and a row of cabinets of different heights surrounding three sides of the wall, inside which were pots, bowls, ladles, and some sundries. On the ground were stacked a few washbasins, and two thermos bottles printed with the character for "happiness," but the paint had already fallen off and the color had faded.

In the west room, leaning against the south window, there was a set of mahogany tables and chairs, with a glass plate covering the table, under which many old photos were pressed. Behind it were bookshelves on three walls, densely packed with books horizontally and vertically. In addition, there was an old, broken sofa in the empty space in the center.

In the east room, leaning against the south window, a heated brick bed (kang) was built, and on the north side was another row of cabinets, but in the middle was a low cabinet, and two windows were opened on the wall, thinking of the summer breeze passing through to cool off.

Under that window, two black-and-white headshots were placed, exactly the way his father and mother looked when they were young. There were also two incense burners, piled full of incense ash...

Being a filial son again...

Wang Yan shook his head and laughed at himself, but still took the incense, struck a match to light it, and inserted it into the incense burner.

It wasn't anything else; mainly, this incense was incense aromatherapy, purely handmade by ancient methods, blended by a master, with the effect of calming the mind and spirit, and it smelled comfortable. With six sticks of incense together, in a short while, it drove away the damp smell from not being at home and not lighting a fire for several days.

He hadn't done this less...

Looking at his young father and mother, Wang Yan smiled, then went to light the furnace to warm up and dehumidify. In the early spring in the Northeast, it was still very cold, and if the kang wasn't hot, sleeping wasn't comfortable.

Fortunately, he only slept at home for ten or eight days a month, and the coal coupons were very abundant, even enough for him to be very extravagant and light fires in both the east and west rooms when he was at home.

However, according to the information from the "living father," he had never done so. In winter, coal coupons were always insufficient, and he also supported people in the compound, only burning the east room where he slept.

After being busy for a while, the furnace was lit, and a kettle was placed on the furnace to boil water. Wang Yan went to the west room, rummaged through it, and found the textbooks from when he was studying before. Opening them, he saw that they were full of elegant handwriting. There were also special notes recording some knowledge points.

He found another notebook, not afraid of the cold air freezing his hands and affecting his writing, sat at the table, took a fountain pen, and began to write furiously, writing down special knowledge points.

As everyone knows, the college entrance exam was restored in 1977, and starting from this, the three sessions were the simplest. It was also taking care of the "old three sessions," of course, it wouldn't work without taking care of them; they were all young people who had gone to the countryside and hadn't touched books for many years. Even if it was considered the simplest, not everyone could pass.

Seeing that the college entrance exam was still a few months away, Ma Yan had opened her mouth, and Wang Yan wouldn't be stingy in helping.

Thus he was busy until the afternoon, finally producing a review outline, refining various knowledge points, and it was almost time for dinner. Outside, it had long been raining with a patter, not big, a moderate rain.

Finding a rope to bundle the books into a stack, Wang Yan pressed coal into the furnace, letting it burn longer, maintaining the temperature that had already been lit, so he wouldn't have to light a fire when he came back...

Ma Yan's home wasn't far from the railway compound, just separated by a few alleys, only a few hundred meters away, and it was also within the residential range of railway family members. Although Ma Kui was wrongly imprisoned for ten years, the house hadn't been confiscated. The "Railway Big Brother" wasn't called that for nothing; relatively speaking, the resources occupied were much better.

A simplest example: if Wang Xin's father Wang Yongge was unhappy, who knows how many factory directors of state-run factories in Ningyang City wouldn't be able to sleep. As a leader of the Ningyang train operations section, he controlled the power of railway dispatching. If he stumbled a bit and delayed the goods of a factory for a day, that would be a huge matter for this factory...

Thus, sent by the wind and rain to the Ma family, Wang Yan raised his hand and was about to knock on the door, but the door had already been opened.

"Hurry in, hurry in, the weather isn't good today, didn't get the books wet, right?" Ma Yan lifted that stack of books with effort.

"You really love learning," Wang Yan pricked her, then looked at the man standing in the small room, looking as if he was stunned for a moment, then put away his umbrella and placed it by the door, raising his hand forward.

"Uncle Ma, back."

Ma Kui's rough and powerful hand shook tightly with Wang Yan's, one hand patting Wang Yan's shoulder: "You kid have made something of yourself, your ability is great..."

Wang Yan smiled and shook hands: "That was you last night, right? Uncle Ma? When I got on the train, I thought it looked like you, later I remembered it was Uncle Ma, but I wasn't sure. It's good to be back, it's good to be back."

"Unjust, false, and wrong cases, the case has been overturned." Ma Kui said with a smile, but gritted his teeth, "I heard from Old Hu, you went out on this trip, caught one human trafficker and twelve thieves in one round trip? Said you've only been doing it for a few days, you're capable, kid."

"Just good luck, happened to catch up." Wang Yan looked at Ma Kui's already flushed face, "Uncle Ma looks like his health is good, still so energetic."

"Not anymore, even you kid can't be controlled."

At this time, Ma Kui's wife, Wang Sufang, went up and gave a big slap, *bang*—it hit Ma Kui's back: "That's enough, Wang Yan came here with difficulty, and this is how you welcome him? Old thing."

"Dad~" Ma Yan, who had sent the books back to the room and came out, was also full of dissatisfaction.

Ma Kui glared at Wang Yan, then let go of his hand: "Sit."

"I see today doesn't seem very appropriate..."

"Alright, don't make trouble, if I tell you to sit, then sit, don't dawdle." Ma Yan pressed Wang Yan to sit on the stool.

"Yan'er, pour wine for your dad and Wang Yan. Wang Yan, you drink first, I still have two dishes, they'll be ready soon."

Wang Yan responded, but didn't let Ma Yan pour the wine. He unscrewed the bottle of Tao'er River, poured a two-liang cup for Ma Kui first, and then poured for himself.

"Speaking of which, I still have to thank you." Ma Kui raised his glass to indicate, took a sip first, saw Wang Yan also drink, aligned his chopsticks to greet Wang Yan to eat, and then went on to pick up peanuts.

He said, "I came back and saw your aunt and the others busy cooking, good fellow, fish and meat, thought it was news of my return in advance, welcoming me. Didn't expect it was you kid coming over empty-handed, but you gave me a welcome. Haven't eaten this well in ten years."

Ma Yan raised her head and said: "Then don't just pick peanuts, Dad, eat more meat."

"Eat, eat, I'm back, life at home can also be much better."

Ma Kui said, "The little thief who framed me back then was caught, and he made a meritorious service to overturn my case back then, and also overturned my case and rehabilitated me. Today I came back and talked to the organization, saying they would give me national compensation, reissue my wages for these years. In addition, they also restored my party membership and restored my work."

This was explaining to Wang Yan. After speaking, he drank another mouthful of wine, feeling happy.

Wang Yan asked: "Finished?"

"Finished, what else do you want?" Ma Kui looked annoyed, "Kid, I know you're someone who doesn't forgive people and can toss and turn. But the situation at that time was like that, I had a hundred mouths, no one to testify for me, so I couldn't explain it clearly, so I can't blame the country. Spent ten years in prison for nothing, I really can't get over it in my heart, but that's not against the country."

Wang Yan shook his head and pointed to Ma Yan's room: "The house is leaking, Uncle Ma."

"Oh my..."

Everyone looked over together, but it was Ma Yan who shouted, hurriedly taking a basin to catch the rainwater.

Ma Kui looked at his daughter who was adjusting the angle of the basin, looked at the dusty, leaking roof, looked around at the cramped three small rooms, was stunned for a moment, then turned back and hummed at Wang Yan: "It's not bad that they can restore my work, how can there be so many requirements! Your awareness is too low, you need to study well."

"You just say you forgot, and you have to prick me a few times."

Wang Yan didn't stand on ceremony, directly poking through Old Ma's disguise, and said, "Uncle Ma, tomorrow you go to the organization to solve the problem, you have to say it, if you don't say it, how does the organization know your difficulties? It's not like there are no houses. There are two empty ones in our compound. This isn't making unreasonable trouble. We don't say how superior our life is, but the basic conditions can't be bad, right? Only then can we serve the people wholeheartedly, right?

Without conditions, we don't say anything. We certainly can't compare with those corrupt elements who have lost their party spirit. In the past, everyone was bitter, eating chaff and vegetables and still serving the people, that's no problem, and it's what should be done. But times have changed, now that we've caught our breath and life is better, we must certainly strive for ourselves.

Uncle Ma, you were delayed by that matter before, otherwise, where would there be a time for Old Hu to show off?"

Just as Wang Yan said, Ma Kui was a police officer who served the people properly, and in such an era, it was relatively easy to rise. With a bad temper, not fitting in, and no background, the road wasn't difficult to walk, at least not at the same level of difficulty as the new century. If he hadn't spent these ten years in prison, he might have been able to rank in the leadership sequence of the Ningyang train operations section.

"You kid, sowing discord, right?"

"Speaking the truth. You're old and strong, maybe we'll be in the same class, I'll flatter you first and prepare the front station."

"You kid haven't been a good thing since childhood," Ma Kui scolded with a smile, then asked, "The one standing next to you yesterday, is surnamed Wang, right?"

"Wang Xin, Wang Yongge's son. Also said your hand strength is great, because he couldn't beat you, he didn't sleep all night last night."

"He's still a bit green, but he looks like his roots, the son is a good son, the father is not a good father."

Wang Yan heard the resentment in his words, smiled politely, raised his glass to drink, and said nothing.

Ma Kui put down his wine glass and asked curiously: "Do you know about what happened back then?"

"Asked Old Hu, he said you saw Uncle Wang at that time, but Uncle Wang said he wasn't there at the time, plus the thief's testimony, that's why this happened."

"At that time, if he had said a word, I wouldn't have ended up like this. I thought for ten years and didn't understand, why..."

Wang Sufang put the last dish on the table: "Alright, ancient history, what are you saying that for? Isn't everyone back now? Come, Wang Yan, Auntie will drink one with you. Your studying is good, help Yan'er with the college entrance exam."

She was also straightforward, poured a liang of white wine, looked up and drank it in one gulp. After drinking, she couldn't stop coughing.

Wang Yan also drank the wine and smiled: "Auntie, I see your health is not very good."

"At this age, how can there be no problems." Wang Sufang didn't care at all.

Ma Kui listened: "Go to the hospital for a checkup tomorrow, listen to what the doctor says and feel at ease."

"I know my own situation, why spend that unjust money? With that money, buy more meat to make up for you, you've suffered these years."

"Not as bitter as you."

This couple was sending electricity with their eyes, Wang Yan found it meaningless, so he exchanged glances with Ma Yan, making Ma Yan blush.

After being quiet for a while, Wang Yan said: "Auntie, come, stretch out both hands, I'll take your pulse. My grandfather was a doctor before, and he had some level, I learned a bit when I was young."

"I know this, but can you do it?" Ma Kui looked suspicious.

"Take a look. Even if it doesn't work, my grandfather left a few prescriptions for conditioning the body, heard they were obtained from imperial doctors before, still quite useful."

"Looking doesn't lose meat, give Auntie a good look."

Wang Sufang cooperated very well and stretched out her thin arms under Wang Yan's instruction.

Wang Yan held them with both hands, sensing carefully; it was undoubtedly lung cancer.

After a while, he said: "Auntie's lungs have some problems, often coughing, chest pain, right? I have a prescription here, Auntie drink it for three months to condition it. Going to the hospital for a checkup is also necessary, still have to find time to go see it."

This Wang Sufang was diagnosed in the late stage, and now it was also the late stage. In the original drama, she hid this news and didn't tell the father and daughter Ma Kui and Ma Yan. And under such circumstances, she adopted the child Ma Kui brought back on the train. Taking care of a child was not a light task, she must have consumed more of her remaining time.

Maybe not having a son was a regret, maybe it was to have someone to keep the father and daughter Ma Kui and Ma Yan company, in short, this was a woman who had suffered for a lifetime.

Wang Yan of course couldn't cure cancer, especially late-stage, but with his medical skills, relying on medicine to condition the body, balance the state, reduce symptoms, and make people live comfortably for a few more years, it was no problem at all.

For Ma Kui, this was of course a great thing. Ten years ago, his wife was young and beautiful, his child was smart and clever, obedient and cute. Ten years later, when he came out, he was estranged from his daughter, and his wife didn't live for two years before dying—thinking about it, it was extremely painful.

"Is it really useful? Don't fool my mom." Ma Yan looked suspicious.

"My grandfather was a famous doctor who made a name for himself," Wang Yan looked as if he had been underestimated, "Bring paper and pen, I'll write a prescription for you, go get the medicine tomorrow, start with a month's worth. Rest assured, as long as the medicine is right and the decoction is right, you absolutely won't have any problems, and we'll see the curative effect then."

Ma Yan was still skeptical; her childhood classmate also knew medicine—no matter how she looked at it, it felt unreliable. But she still went to get paper and pen, letting Wang Yan write the prescription...

Writing the prescription was a small matter; mainly, Wang Yan chatted with Ma Kui and the others, listening to him talk about prison, listening to him instruct Ma Yan to study hard, listening to him crying and saying sorry to his wife and children, listening to him cursing Wang Yongge.

Not drinking for many years, half a jin of white wine was over the limit.

Ma Kui's eyes were blurred with drunkenness, his vicissitudes eyes were full of the past, he was already drunk... ===== CHAPTER 1130 =====