Go back to the prosperous days and become a layman

Chapter 863, Chapter 862: Think it over
Fengzhi was overjoyed by the maltose, and she danced with delight, saying, "Brother is so great! It would be even better if I could make two sticks to eat every day!"

"Even though you're ugly, you're dreaming!" Tang Zhitong grabbed her sister's pigtails to quiet her down and gave her a flick on the forehead.

"Hmph! You big bad guy!" Seeing that Tang Zhitong disagreed, the good brother suddenly turned into a bad guy.

"From now on, this bowl of maltose will be under your sister's control. If you want some, you'll have to ask her." Tang Zhitong didn't care what Fengzhi said. She handed the maltose, which had been moved from the lunchbox to the large earthenware bowl, to Fengzhen. Her younger sister was always quiet and reserved, only knowing how to do housework silently. She needed to make her feel more present.

"Hmph, my sister loves me the most. Isn't that right, sister?" Fengzhi, on the other hand, was the complete opposite; she was talkative and knew when to say something conciliatory.

Fengzhen held the bowl, only smiling.

Zhang Guifang listened with a smile as she busied herself slicing the meat her son had brought back, intending to stir-fry it into salted pork. She would add a few pieces to each dish so that the whole dish would have a meaty flavor.

"Did you get this prescription from Dr. Lü?" Everything was so peaceful until that evening when Xiao Wang saw the vitamin B6 and glycerin her husband had bought from the hospital, and the atmosphere changed.

She could understand that her husband asked Dr. Lü for vitamins, as it was out of love for her, but what about glycerin?

"Yes, I mentioned I was constipated. When I got your medicine, I also asked Dr. Lü to prescribe a bottle for you." Tang Zhitong chuckled. Little Wang didn't understand, so he had to teach him again, which was quite amusing.

"When did you become constipated?" Ms. Wang asked, sensing something was wrong when she saw her husband's mischievous grin.

"I don't have constipation, that's just an excuse. Actually, glycerin can be used for other purposes as well, like..." Tang Zhitong explained while making a vivid demonstration with his hand.

"Oh dear, your sister-in-law must have noticed something." Upon hearing this, Xiao Wang blushed, but there was no point in complaining now; he just felt a little embarrassed.

"Hehe, they say pregnancy makes you stupid for three years. You don't know how shrewd Dr. Lü is. As soon as I mentioned I was constipated and wanted glycerin, she immediately guessed you were pregnant." Tang Zhitong touched Xiao Wang's face. His face was as smooth as cream, and she could never get enough of touching it.

"You, really! What kind of medicine is it? How do you know how to use it? You think you can hide this from her? Now she knows you're a frivolous person." Even without seeing Lü Lixian, Xiao Wang felt her face burning with embarrassment. After her husband did this, how could she possibly have the face to go for a checkup?
"Come on, there's no medical use for that. I suspect the doctors already knew, but they just used it secretly without telling anyone. Judging from Dr. Lü's reaction, she and Yang Ge probably used it quite a bit recently." Tang Zhitong didn't think it was shameful. He was just playing around with his wife, not some random guy.

Tang Zhitong's suspicions lacked direct evidence, but they were quite reasonable. Current medical books did not mention the use of glycerin in this regard, and most couples were repressed in their intimate relationships, making it unlikely that they would experience insufficient lubrication.

"Shameless! How dare you gossip about your sister-in-law and Yang Ge?" Xiao Wang blushed and pushed her husband's face aside.

"Hey, I mainly wanted to tell you that they've been through this before, and using glycerin is perfectly normal. Don't make yourself feel awkward." Tang Zhitong leaned closer again, guessing that Liu Yue hadn't shared the usage of glycerin during pregnancy with Xiao Wang, otherwise she wouldn't have reacted so strongly.

"Hmph, I don't need it anyway, take it far away." Little Wang couldn't stand the sight of glycerin.

"Okay, okay, I don't need it then." Tang Zhitong didn't expect Xiao Wang to react so strongly, so she could only hide the glycerin in the closet for the time being and wait for another opportunity.

After calming Xiao Wang down and putting him to bed, Tang Zhitong, feeling bored, mentioned that Gu Yong had called her. She explained that her schedule was so tight today that she'd forgotten to call back.

"Yueyue told me it's because of the ankle brace. Gu Yong is getting promoted and wants to invite us to dinner. He asked when we're free, but I forgot to tell you." Xiao Wang was still feeling unwell today. He ate a peach at work in the afternoon and felt a little better, so he didn't think about this.

"Okay, you set the time. Just reserve Sunday noon for me, any other time is fine." Tang Zhitong thought for a moment, it seemed that apart from regular classes, there was nothing else to do this week.

"Okay, I'll discuss it with Yueyue again." Xiao Wang agreed. Actually, she wanted to postpone it. She had been vomiting for the past two days, and it wouldn't look good if she vomited again while eating together.

June 14th, Tuesday, is the day Lu Yan will have surgery.

Tang Zhitong got up early. As the person who facilitated the connection, he felt it necessary to make an appearance at the hospital today.

"Do you want to come over for a check-up?" Tang Zhitong asked Xiao Wang after getting dressed.

"You go by yourself, I'll go over this afternoon." Xiao Wang didn't really want to go. She was getting a checkup to prepare for childbirth, while Lu Yan was having an abortion. They were both pregnant, but their situations were different. Xiao Wang didn't want to run into Lu Yan.

"That's fine too." Tang Zhitong didn't insist. Lu Yan's surgery was still uncertain in terms of duration, so Xiao Wang could only wait. It would be better to go over in the afternoon.

When Tang Zhitong arrived at the entrance of the Municipal Maternity Hospital, it was not yet 7:45, and Luo Zhiping and Lu Yan were already waiting at the gate with basins, lunch boxes and other items.

Lu Yan clasped her hands together, her eyes seemingly unfocused, while Luo Zhiping was squatting on the ground smoking.

"Squad leader, Xiao Lu, you're here pretty early. Have you been waiting long?" Tang Zhitong stopped in front of them and got off his bicycle.

"Hey, can't sleep well." Luo Zhiping heard Tang Zhitong's movement, threw the cigarette in his hand on the ground, and stood up.

"Alright, let's go in." Tang Zhitong nodded to Lu Yan, intending to lead them to Lü Lixian's office to wait.

"Teacher Tang, is this surgery safe?" Luo Zhiping asked impatiently without moving.

Lu Yan was determined to have an abortion, which gave Luo Zhiping a lot to worry about. In addition to asking Tang Zhitong to find connections, he also read through the entire "Barefoot Doctor's Manual".

The manual does have a chapter on miscarriage, but it always puts the preservation of pregnancy first, and provides Chinese medicine prescriptions and precautions. Although the book mentions that curettage is necessary in case of emergency, it does not mention how curettage should be performed.

While flipping through the manual, Luo Zhiping saw many precautions for basic surgeries and possible accidents and complications. The more he read, the more uncertain he felt.

This morning, he wavered and tried to persuade Lu Yan to give birth, but Lu Yan did not agree.

"What? Now you're scared? At least you have a conscience and care about Xiao Lu." Tang Zhitong glanced at Luo Zhiping's feet; there were already four or five cigarette butts. It seemed Luo Zhiping had been smoking quite a lot. Since it had already happened, it was too late to say anything now. Tang Zhitong was worried that the two of them would harbor resentment because of this, so she could only say the best thing for now.

Luo Zhiping lowered his head in shame, but his words remained stubborn as he tried to find some comfort: "Teacher Tang, I know I was wrong, please tell me."

“All surgeries carry risks. The doctor I found graduated from a regular medical school and has performed countless surgeries, big and small. He wouldn’t agree to this if he wasn’t confident. Don’t worry, he will definitely minimize the risks.” Tang Zhitong couldn’t guarantee that abortions these days are not painless and there are no visual devices; they rely solely on touch and experience for blind scraping.

"Xiao Lu, the surgery will be a little painful, so you must bear it and not move around. If all goes well, you'll be able to get out of bed in a day or two. If you're scared, it's not too late to regret it now." Tang Zhitong then looked at Lu Yan, who was standing to the side.

When the manual was first being compiled, Tang Zhitong saw a version of an introduction to abortion surgery, which included the surgical technique and process. This surgery was not only performed blindly, but also without anesthesia!

The reason I wrote this passage was because of the current situation in rural areas.

Not all women want to have children, and not all parents-in-law want grandchildren, so infanticide is a common occurrence.

Due to the lack of effective contraception, many families are already overwhelmed, with seventy or eighty children, the youngest of whom is still nursing, making it impossible to raise them all.

Women who are constantly pregnant are already physically weak. In an attempt to prevent further pregnancies, some even believe in folk remedies such as "eating tadpoles or snails" as a form of contraception, which can lead to death or illness.

The comrade responsible for writing this section meant well; if someone can learn it, it will reduce the occurrence of all the tragic situations mentioned above.

However, this section was ultimately not included in the manual because abortion requires too much skill. Blind scraping is impossible for anyone without practical experience, and a single mistake could result in severe bleeding.

The reason Wang Bo dared to perform surgery on Chu Chunxue recently was partly due to the surgical experience he gained from training at a large hospital, and partly because Chu Chunxue's miscarriage was incomplete, meaning the fetal tissue had already flowed out naturally and the cervix was open, making the procedure less difficult.

"Teacher Tang, I'm not afraid of pain." After Lu Yan finished speaking, she pursed her lips.

"Alright, let's go." Tang Zhitong sighed inwardly, hoping that this experience would teach the two a lesson.

Just as they finally started heading towards the hospital, Tang Zhitong heard Wu Haiyang calling her from behind: "Anzi!"

"Hey? Yang-ge! Are you here to take your wife to work?" Tang Zhitong turned around and saw Wu Haiyang driving Lü Lixian to a stop beside her.

“Your sister-in-law said you arranged work for her today, so she has to come early. There aren’t many buses at this time, so I thought I’d come and give her a ride.” Wu Haiyang got off the bus only after his wife got off the back seat.

"Brother Yang, you've worked hard. Hey, sister-in-law, you're so loving, you even have a chauffeur to take you to work." Tang Zhitong knew that Zhang Ye had been riding Lü Lixian's bicycle. He had seen it when he went there on the weekend and had also heard Gao Dashan talk about it. But none of that stopped him from teasing Wu Haiyang and his wife.

"Isn't it all because of you? Alright, you two haven't seen each other in ages, let's chat for a bit. This is your classmate, right? Come with me." Lü Lixian was swift and decisive. She nodded to Tang Zhitong and led Luo Zhiping and Lu Yan directly to the office.

"Yang-ge, is Hanguang fun?" Neither of them smoked, and they chatted away from the hospital entrance. Due to the nature of Wu Haiyang's workplace, Tang Zhitong couldn't ask about his work, so she could only ask about the child.

"All you do is grin all day long, and you've gotten quite chubby. I heard from your sister-in-law that Xiao Wang is pregnant. How are things on your end? Are you having enough to eat at home? If you're short on food, just let me know, and I'll provide more supplies." Wu Haiyang grinned when talking about his son, but he didn't forget the current economic situation and still thought about his little brother Tang Zhitong.

“I don’t need any. I have a vegetable garden at home. I’ll send you a basket later.” Although it had been a while since they last met, Tang Zhitong was still grateful and warm to Wu Haiyang. If it weren’t for this older brother in front of him, he would not only have had a lot of trouble stockpiling supplies, but he wouldn’t even have had the opportunity to work in the postal system.

“Keep it, I don’t need it. I heard Gu Yong was transferred to the telephone exchange, I wonder how he’s doing there.” When Wu Haiyang saw Tang Zhitong, he naturally thought of the days they spent on the construction site.

"He's having a great time. I even went to see him when I passed by a while ago. He doesn't have much focus on work now; he's devoted to his wife. Liu Yue is probably due to give birth soon." The young couple had just been talking about Gu Yong and his wife last night. There was something Tang Zhitong didn't say at the time: given Gu Yong's family background, now that he's been promoted, as long as he stays stable, he'll have a bright future for the next twenty years.

"Isn't it normal for him to be so devoted to his wife? Everyone's busy with work and hasn't seen each other for a while. Has there been any news from Kejian?" Wu Haiyang knew a lot about the families and jobs of the group. Gu Yong wasn't facing any difficulties, and Ma Kejian's job was special, so there weren't any major problems either. Now that even Tang Zhitong and her husband had a child, it would be a bit unreasonable if there was still no news from Xiao Ma.

"I don't know, I haven't seen Third Brother for a while either." Tang Zhitong shook his head. It had been a while since Ma Kejian last came to see him.

"Let's get together sometime later. I have some things to take care of at work," Wu Haiyang said frankly, glancing at his watch.

"Alright, Yang-ge, take care. I'm meeting with them." Tang Zhitong stepped aside, making room for Wu Haiyang to turn the car around.

"Okay, let me know when the time comes. Go in and see your classmate." Wu Haiyang waved and walked away without looking back.

When Tang Zhitong arrived at Lü Lixian's office, Dr. Lü had already finished examining Lu Yan and was lecturing the two college students:

“You are all Xiao Tang’s classmates and college students, so you must be reasonable.”

Xiao Tang is my younger brother. He might be embarrassed to tell you, but I still have to tell you what needs to be explained.

The health department issued a document in 52 restricting the performance of abortion procedures.

Currently, the only recommended approach to fertility issues is contraception. While IUDs can be inserted for married women, this procedure is generally not permitted for women under 35.

When Xiao Tang came to me, I certainly wouldn't refuse, but once the arrow is released, there's no turning back. Once you're in the operating room, there's no going back.

Have you thought this through?

(End of this chapter)