Reborn in a small village in the 1990s

Chapter 175

Xiangzi immediately deflated. Chen Shuyi had seen right through his little scheme, and there was no point in continuing to pretend. He couldn't help but mutter to himself, "I'm not pretending anymore. Uncle Chen, you can see through everything. There's no point in me continuing to pretend."

Although Xiangzi's mutterings were low, Chen Shuyi heard them clearly. He curled his lips and said, "I'm not trying to criticize you, Xiangzi, but your every move is too obvious. Your thoughts are written all over your face. It's easy to guess what you're thinking. You even tried to threaten me with this laxative. I don't know how you came up with this idea. You're incredibly stupid."

Zhao Da'e eavesdropping behind the door...

Xiangzi sighed after hearing this. He didn't want things to be like this either, but he couldn't pretend to be convincing enough. What could he do? Thinking of the thing his aunt had asked him to do, Xiangzi felt a pang of guilt. He had tried to persuade Chen Shuyi, but Chen Shuyi wouldn't listen and even scolded him. Xiangzi felt a sense of defeat.

Still unwilling to give up, Xiangzi said, "Uncle Chen, are you really not going to reconsider?"

Chen Shuyi laughed, "Xiangzi, I think I've made myself clear enough. Why don't you understand? Why are you going to such lengths to get me to act? Why don't you go and find someone else?"

Xiangzi pursed his lips after hearing this, "Isn't it because you're a doctor, Uncle Chen? People listen to doctors the most."

Chen Shuyi shook his head, somewhat helplessly. "Xiangzi, tell me, who sent you to find me? Was it the village chief who sent you?"

Chen Shuyi knew the villagers quite well. Xiangzi would never have imagined that he would have to fake illness to make the villagers realize the importance of chicken plague. He was more concerned with making money and living his own life. What he meant by thinking about the villagers was too unrealistic. Chen Shuyi would think it was more normal if it were the village chief. After all, if something happened to the village, Zhao Tingming, as the village chief, would also bear some responsibility.

When asked about the person behind him, Xiangzi hesitated, unsure whether to speak or not. After thinking for a moment, he decided not to reveal his aunt's identity. "What? Who called me? Uncle Chen, you must be mistaken. I came alone. Nobody called me. Sigh, Uncle Chen, you're being paranoid again."

Chen Shuyi chuckled, "Keep pretending, you'll behave when I prick your butt with this needle."

Chen Shuyi deliberately held up the oversized syringe in his hand. When Xiangzi saw the thick syringe, he was so frightened that he trembled. He shrank his neck and immediately admitted his mistake, "No, no, Uncle Chen, don't try to scare me with this syringe. I'm scared, I'm scared. My aunt is behind me. If you have something to do, go find her. If you want to prick someone, prick her butt. Don't prick me."

Seeing that Xiangzi had been exposed, Zhao Da'e, who was behind the door, decided not to hide anymore. He pushed the door open, came out, and laughed, "Uncle Chen, you really can't hide anything from me."

Hearing the sound, Chen Shuyi looked over and saw the short Zhao Da'e. He hesitated for a moment, his smile almost freezing. The air was suddenly silent for several seconds before Chen Shuyi finally spoke, "Da'e, what brings you here? Are you sick?"

Zhao Da'e was also stunned. She never expected that Chen Shuyi would treat her like a child who came to see a doctor.

Zhao Da'e raised his hand and said, "Uncle Chen, it was I who sent Xiangzi to come find you."

Chen Shuyi smiled kindly, not taking Zhao Da'e for granted as the person behind the scenes. He thought she was just joking and found it funny. She probably overheard some conversation between him and Xiangzi and thought it was funny, so she said it. But what could a little kid like her know? Chen Shuyi didn't care at all. He even wondered if Zhao Da'e came to the clinic because she was sick or had diarrhea.

“Big Goose, don’t joke around. How could you have ordered Xiangzi to do this? You’re so young, how could that be possible? At your age, you should be playing at home. What are you doing here? Did you eat something you shouldn’t have and now you have a stomachache? Come, let Uncle Chen take a look.” Uncle Chen said gently, waving his hand at Zhao Big Goose, wondering if Zhao Big Goose had eaten something contaminated with chicken plague and was feeling unwell, which was why he had come to him.

Zhao Da'e tried to explain, "No, Uncle Chen, it really was me who ordered it. Why don't you believe me? Don't underestimate me just because I'm young; I'm very shrewd."

Chen Shuyi chuckled and said, "Yes, yes, you're the smartest goose."

No matter what Zhao Da'e said, he still didn't believe it.

Xiangzi, watching from the side, almost burst out laughing. "Hahaha, Uncle Chen, didn't you just ask me who sent me? Now that she's here, you don't believe me? Let me tell you the truth, the person who sent me is my little aunt Zhao Da'e! How to fake illness and act out the whole thing was all her idea. Don't underestimate my little aunt just because she's young; she's very shrewd, more reliable and capable than some of us adults."

Xiangzi's words startled Chen Shuyi slightly. He looked at Xiangzi with the eyes of someone looking at a fool, "Xiangzi, don't joke around. How could Da'e be the one who ordered you around? How old is she? She probably hasn't even gone to school yet and can't read many words. How would she know about acting in chicken plague? Xiangzi, don't joke around."

Zhao Da'e was both amused and exasperated. She had to step forward and claim to be the mastermind, but no one believed her because she was too small. Zhao Da'e could only sigh and explain again, "Uncle Chen, I really am the person Xiangzi mentioned who instructed him. Whether you believe it or not, I am. I told him to act and come to you, thinking that since you are a doctor, the villagers would believe what you say, so I came to find you."

The smile on Chen Shuyi's face gradually disappeared, and he became more and more serious. He pretended to be fierce and said, "Big Goose, this is no joke, or I, Uncle Chen, will get angry."

Zhao Da'e also said seriously, "Hey! Uncle Chen, why would I lie to you? I can even help you with your daughter's tuition."

When his daughter was mentioned, Chen Shuyi became serious, and even subconsciously asked, "What did you say?"

Zhao Da'e finally breathed a sigh of relief; at least Chen Shuyi would listen to him properly now.

“Uncle Chen, I said I have a way to solve your daughter’s tuition problem. If I help you solve this problem, you have to promise to help us in return.”

After hearing what Zhao Da'e said, Chen Shuyi realized that Zhao Da'e was just joking and trying to amuse him. However, Chen Shuyi was curious to know what Zhao Da'e could do to help. Although he thought it was just a child's joke, Chen Shuyi felt warm inside. After all, he could tell that Da'e really wanted to help him. Chen Shuyi smiled and said, "Then I'd like to hear what you have to say, Da'e."

Xiangzi said from the side, "Uncle Chen, you should listen carefully to what my little aunt has to say. Let me tell you, my little aunt is very shrewd. Although she comes up with all sorts of clever ideas, they are very useful and can even make money. And don't underestimate her because of her young age. In fact, she is more capable than any of us. She has unlimited potential. Give her some time, and she might become the richest person in our village."

Seeing Xiangzi praising Zhao Da'e so much, Chen Shuyi couldn't help but tease him, "Keep praising her like that, aren't you afraid she'll learn bad habits from you at such a young age?"

Xiangzi retorted, "Uncle Chen, what are you saying? How did my little aunt learn bad things from me? Learn bad things in what way? Tell me!"

Chen Shuyi said meaningfully, "Don't you know best what bad things they learn? They learn the same tricks of deception as you, but Da'e's acting skills are far superior to yours."

Chen Shuyi still believed that Zhao Da'e was lying to him. Xiangzi, upon hearing this, said angrily, "Hey... Uncle Chen, what can I say to you? You didn't believe what you should have believed, and you didn't believe anything you shouldn't have believed. I've told you countless times that the person who instructed me was Auntie. I'm really not lying this time, so why won't you believe me? Although Auntie is young, she is really shrewd, more capable than any of us. I'm not joking, but no matter what I say, you won't believe me. What can I do? Sigh, I won't explain anymore. Let Auntie explain it to you. It'll save me from having to explain and then you saying I'm lying again, and then I'll get a sore throat from listening."

Perhaps Xiangzi was being too serious this time, because for a moment Chen Shuyi was in a daze, feeling that this time it really might be true. Xiangzi didn't seem to be lying this time either, but it was just too outrageous! Chen Shuyi looked at Zhao Da'e again. Zhao Da'e was still so young, just a few days away from being a seven-year-old. What could a seven-year-old do? Sleeping, eating, and playing were probably the most common things. How could he possibly come up with the idea of ​​faking illness and acting out a scene? To prevent the villagers from eating chicken, duck, or goose meat contaminated with fowl plague, to prevent them from spending money on medical treatment—how could a seven-year-old come up with something like this? This was too outrageous! Utterly outrageous!

Zhao Da'e gave Xiangzi a reassuring look, signaling him to calm down. She then turned to Chen Shuyi and explained, "Uncle Chen, I know you don't believe me, but there are some things I have to say. If this chicken plague spreads, it will really cause many people to get food poisoning, and even the well water we drink will be contaminated and undrinkable. You're a doctor, you know this better than anyone. Several families in our village rely on poultry farming for a living. If they get infected, all their years of hard work will be wasted, resulting in losses of several thousand yuan a year. Or, in order to recoup some of their losses, they might..." The chickens, ducks, and geese infected with fowl plague are all being sold off at low prices. This only makes things worse; more people will get diarrhea from eating this unhealthy food, and some might even damage their kidneys. Hospital visits can cost several thousand yuan, and if the kidneys are damaged, it could cost tens of thousands. You know the people in our village, right? Which family can afford that kind of expense? If they can't, they'll lose a kidney. An ordinary person can survive without a kidney, but life will be incredibly difficult. Uncle Chen, can you bear to watch? Can you bear to see those villagers suffer because they ate chickens, ducks, and geese infected with fowl plague?”

“Actually, deep down you don’t want to see this, right?” Zhao Da’e stared directly at Chen Shuyi, but Chen Shuyi couldn’t meet her eyes. He was also heartbroken. “Da’e, you want me to understand them, but who’s willing to understand me? I’m really short of money, and I really want my daughter to go to university. The school only gave me one month to raise the tuition. If I can’t raise it, my daughter will be expelled. I don’t want that, but what can I do? What can I do? I’ve already lost my mother. I regret staying in the village instead of going to work in the city. But this time I have a chance to give my daughter a better life. Why don’t I try? Maybe, maybe this chicken plague isn’t as serious as we think. Maybe it’ll just give the villagers a bit of diarrhea. Maybe…”

Chen Shuyi wanted to say something more, but Zhao Da'e interrupted him sharply, "Uncle Chen, stop deceiving yourself. You are a doctor, and you understand better than any of us the harm this chicken plague will bring to us and the villagers. It's not just a simple case of diarrhea. They are all uneducated people who can't read much. As long as no one dies from eating it, they will eat anything."

In his previous life, Zhao Da'e remembered very clearly that after the spread of the fowl plague, all the chickens, ducks and geese raised by the villagers were infected. The meat of these infected chickens, ducks and geese could only be processed in a centralized manner and could not be eaten or killed by bleeding. This was because the blood of these infected chickens, ducks and geese also carried the virus. If it flowed into underground rivers, the water that people usually drank would also be contaminated with the virus and would cause diarrhea if consumed.

The farmers suffered huge losses, but the villagers who ate the chickens, ducks, and geese infected with fowl plague also suffered greatly. Those were tough years for everyone; even I ate it myself and got diarrhea several times. But because I ate so little, the problems weren't too serious. The hardest hit were the elderly, who couldn't bear to throw away food. They would secretly collect the discarded chicken, duck, and goose meat and eat it. Some unscrupulous merchants deliberately bought dead chickens and ducks at extremely low prices, saying they were only one cent each, then took them to unlicensed small workshops and illegal factories to make sausages and cheat people. Some people even collected dead chickens and ducks to feed their pigs…

She currently runs a water business, drawing water directly from her own backyard. If she wants to expand and strengthen the Kangxi Spring Water business, the water absolutely cannot have any problems. Otherwise, if her reputation is damaged and outsiders spread rumors that she is selling water contaminated with chicken plague, who would buy water from her? Therefore, Zhao Da'e will not allow this to happen. At the very least, she must ensure that the losses caused by chicken plague in her village are minimized, and she must absolutely guarantee that the water quality is clean and free of any problems. No one can stop her from making money; if problems arise, she will find a way to solve them.