Chapter 323

Yi Zhonghai's teeth were almost ground to dust.

Returning home.

Yi Zhonghai collapsed onto the bed.

"Master of the house, what's wrong with you?"

"Are you not feeling well?"

First Aunt was very worried about Yi Zhonghai.

"I'm fine, just a bit tired. Don't worry about me, let me lie down for a while!"

Yi Zhonghai waved his hand.

First Aunt was even more worried.

Yi Zhonghai was bruised and swollen, and there were many footprints on his clothes. One look and she could guess he had been beaten severely; it would be strange if he were fine!

To save Yi Zhonghai's face, she didn't say it explicitly.

After a while.

First Aunt took some safflower oil to apply to Yi Zhonghai.

She saw Yi Zhonghai's face was flushed red, so she touched his forehead with her hand. As soon as she touched it, she shuddered—Yi Zhonghai had a fever!

A very high fever!

"Master of the house, get up quickly, I'm taking you to the hospital!"

First Aunt was anxious.

"I'm fine, just a bit tired. I'll be better after a sleep, don't worry about me."

Yi Zhonghai refused in a daze.

No matter how First Aunt tried to persuade him.

Yi Zhonghai just wouldn't go to the hospital.

First Aunt had no choice. Too worried about Yi Zhonghai's condition, she went to find Deaf Old Lady; only she could persuade Yi Zhonghai.

"How did he get such a fever?"

Deaf Old Lady arrived at Yi Zhonghai's house.

She reached out and touched Yi Zhonghai's forehead.

"Zhonghai doesn't want to go to the hospital. You go to the community clinic and invite the doctor over."

Deaf Old Lady instructed First Aunt.

"Alright, Old Lady, you look after Zhonghai, I'll go get the doctor."

First Aunt turned and left.

"Zhonghai, your wife is gone. Is there anything you want to tell me?"

Deaf Old Lady was an old fox.

She guessed that Yi Zhonghai didn't want to go to the hospital because he didn't want people to know he had been beaten.

"Sigh, Old Lady, when I went to see Xiao Bai, I ran into He Great Qing. He was too ruthless!"

Yi Zhonghai sighed.

He had nothing to hide from Deaf Old Lady.

The two were grasshoppers on the same rope.

"How did he discover you?"

Deaf Old Lady was very surprised.

"I don't know."

"I suspect Widow Bai let it slip."

Yi Zhonghai sat up.

A wave of dizziness hit, and he fell back down.

"Just stay down. I think you're sick from anger. Did He Great Qing swindle you? You feel very stifled and can't get over it in your heart, right?"

Deaf Old Lady guessed it.

A large part of human illness is caused by emotions.

Some people with more violent tempers, whose emotional fluctuations are too intense, can directly vomit blood from anger. This isn't an adjective; it's a rare fact!

Yi Zhonghai nodded.

He was indeed angered.

Thinking of Wan Ping'an, thinking of He Great Qing, and then thinking of Jia Zhang, he felt even more depressed. Why did he encounter so many difficult opponents?

As he thought and thought.

Yi Zhonghai had a fit of violent coughing.

"Stop letting your imagination run wild!"

"As the old saying goes, victory and defeat are common occurrences for a soldier!"

"You live a whole life, you can't lose forever, and you can't win forever. Having both wins and losses is life; you can't be too calculating!"

Deaf Old Lady comforted him.

"But I was too miserable this time. He Great Qing swindled me out of another five hundred yuan!"

"My debts are getting higher and higher, when will I ever turn things around?"

He Great Qing felt more and more depressed.

He had two major creditors: one was Wan Ping'an, to whom he still owed over eighteen hundred yuan, and the other was He Great Qing, with a new debt of five hundred yuan!

Deaf Old Lady was also speechless.

Alas!

She couldn't help.

She had no ability to earn money, though she did have a few pieces of jewelry left, meant for emergencies. Unless she was at the end of her rope, she would never take them out to exchange for money!

Under Deaf Old Lady's comfort.

Yi Zhonghai's emotions quickly calmed down, and his symptoms lessened significantly.

Soon.

First Aunt returned with the doctor from the community clinic.

"Nothing major."

"Take some medicine and you'll be fine."

The community clinic doctor didn't have high medical skills and could only handle simple problems; headaches and fevers were just within his capabilities.

While examining, the doctor stared at Yi Zhonghai, very curious!

How did he get beaten up like this?

He understood in his heart that Yi Zhonghai's fever was likely caused by emotional distress; once he figured things out, the illness would be gone!

Leaving some medicine.

The doctor left.

"I'm heading back now, you take good care of Zhonghai!"

Deaf Old Lady also left.

Just as the doctor reached the gate of the Sihe Academy, he ran into He Great Qing.

"Oh, Little Sun?"

"Are you here to make a house call at our courtyard?"

He Great Qing knew the doctor.

"Brother He, did you just get off work?"

"I just saw the First Master of your courtyard; he has a fever, caused by emotional distress."

Dr. Sun didn't know that Yi Zhonghai had been beaten by people arranged by He Great Qing.

When He Great Qing arranged for people to beat Yi Zhonghai, he told them: don't kill him, don't break his arms or legs, but beat him as hard as you can.

"Caused by emotional distress?"

He Great Qing couldn't help it and laughed very happily.

Why was Yi Zhonghai emotionally distressed?

Because he was beaten by him!

Because he was blackmailed for five hundred yuan by him!

The five IOUs were still in his hands!

Of course.

What was written on the IOUs wasn't compensation, but that Yi Zhonghai had borrowed money from He Great Qing, agreeing to pay it back within a year!

"Old He, wait a moment."

"Just now when the First Master came back, I saw he was bruised and swollen, as if he had been beaten. Do you know something about it?"

Dr. Sun left.

Just as He Great Qing was about to go home, he was stopped by Yan Fugui.

"Third Master, you're overthinking it, I don't know anything."

He Great Qing, of course, wouldn't admit it.

"Old He, you must know. Why don't you tell me quietly?"

Yan Fugui was very gossipy.

"I really don't know!"

He Great Qing shook his head.

The next morning.

He Great Qing went to find Director Wang to explain his family background situation.

"Director Wang, I admit my mistake."

"When I first wrote down my background, I was worried that a bad family background would affect my children, so I begged them to write me as a bit more pitiful..."

"At the time, perhaps they saw a grown man like me, raising two underage children, and really felt sorry for me, so they helped me out a little!"

He Great Qing didn't dare say he had used connections.

He insisted that the person handling the paperwork at the time had just done him a small favor because they felt sorry for him.

"Nonsense, you are really talking nonsense!"

"How can you falsify your family background?"

Director Wang criticized He Great Qing.

"Fortunately, your family background issue isn't major."

"Based on what you've said, it doesn't reach the level of a rich peasant; it's on the upper side of a middle peasant. I'll change your background from the previous one to middle peasant!"

"Consider yourself lucky, kid. If you were a rich peasant, a landlord, or a petty bourgeois, do you believe I would have had you dragged out and shot?"

"I'm punishing you to come to the street office every day for the next month to receive two hours of ideological education!"

Director Wang announced the punishment.

He Great Qing felt a weight lift; the boulder that had been pressing on his heart was removed, and he felt unprecedentedly light!

"Thank you, Director Wang, I will definitely report in every day!"

He Great Qing felt physically and mentally light.

Two hours of ideological education, in his view, didn't count as punishment at all, as long as they didn't lock him up!