Section 34

"The director assigned me a job. Tomorrow, I'm receiving the foreign visitors."

Gu Yinxing puffed out her chest proudly.

He Chunlian froze. "They picked you?"

"Yep." Gu Yinxing was already happily rummaging through her clothes. She had forgotten she would be wearing her nurse's uniform; all she could think about was looking beautiful enough to make the leaders and foreign visitors say "amazing" tomorrow. "I have the best English among the nurses. Of course they picked me."

"That really is a big deal."

He Chunlian hurriedly put down the rice. "Then get back to your books. Why are you choosing clothes? Won't you be wearing your uniform?"

Gu Yinxing paused, then slapped her forehead as she came to her senses.

Of course. She had been so happy she had forgotten all about it.

Gu Jinshui and Liang Ying came in from outside. The moment they lifted the curtain, they heard someone reading aloud in the East Room.

Gu Jinshui stopped and glanced inside. Gu Yinxing sat cross-legged on the kang with an English textbook in front of her, reciting, "I'm Su-san. I'm Su-san."

Gu Jinshui rubbed his eyes, stepped back outside, then lifted the curtain and came in again. His own sister was still reciting, "I'm Su-san."

"Well, did the sun rise in the west today? Even our young lady is studying English. What does 'I'm Su-san' mean?"

Gu Jinshui asked with a grin.

Gu Yinxing rolled her eyes at him. "Quit making fun of me. Can't I study?"

"You can, you can. Of course you can."

Gu Jinshui walked over and tilted the book up for a look. Good grief. It wasn't "I'm Su-san"; it was "I'm Susan"!

His mouth twitched. What a way to speak English!

"Don't mind your brother. Keep reading. You've got to seize this chance tomorrow. One word of praise from a leader will do you more good than years of hard work."

He Chunlian patted Gu Jinshui on the shoulder and gave him a look, telling him to stop teasing his sister.

Gu Yinxing hated hard work and had never taken her studies seriously. Now that she was finally making an effort, no one should discourage her.

Gu Jinshui sauntered off, grinning. "Sounds great. Remember to look after us when you become a leader."

Gu Yinxing made a face at him and ignored him. She even kept her book open while she ate.

Gu Yousi watched her aunt take a bite of food, then glance at the book, and quietly swallowed her egg custard.

Something about this seemed familiar.

She did not notice that while she puzzled over it, everyone at the table slowed down.

Gu Yinxing grew especially nervous.

Every time Yousi had a hunch, it had turned out to be right.

Don't tell me something's going to go wrong tomorrow.

Gu Yousi remembered.

Right. Her aunt accidentally ate something that gave her diarrhea, and Song Mei next door took her place.

Song Mei even got a chance to go on a training course because of it!

Something she ate?

Gu Yinxing stared at the rice porridge in front of her and instantly lost her appetite.

He Chunlian said, "Focus on eating. You can study when you have time later. There's no need to do it right this minute."

He Chunlian thought fast. The food at home could not be the problem; the whole family ate it. If something was wrong with it, why would Gu Yinxing be the only one to get diarrhea?

"Auntie, Auntie... no, no..."

Gu Yousi looked at Gu Yinxing and tried to warn her. But she could say so little at her age that she could not get the message across.

"Does our Second Girl want her auntie to work hard?" He Chunlian stroked Gu Yousi's hair. "Don't worry, Second Girl. Auntie will do her best."

Gu Yinxing took a deep breath and nodded. "That's right. Don't worry, Second Girl. A little challenge like this is easy for your auntie."

All right, then...

Gu Yousi opened her mouth, but had no idea what to say.

Maybe things will turn out differently.

The next day, Gu Yousi watched Gu Yinxing leave with a worried heart.

It would only be ordinary diarrhea, nothing serious. But missing this opportunity would still be a blow to Gu Yinxing.

All she could do was pray.

After all, even if she could explain it, Gu Yinxing might not believe her. What normal person would take the word of a child barely a year old? They would have to be crazy.

As Gu Yinxing rode her bicycle, her mind raced faster than it ever had. She usually hated thinking things through.

She had eaten breakfast at home, and her stomach felt fine now. There was no reason for her to get diarrhea. Unless...

Her thoughts turned to Song Mei.

Song Mei had already snatched one opportunity from her. If Song Mei got this one too, could it really be a coincidence?

As soon as Gu Yinxing arrived at the hospital, she set down her bag and poured herself a cup of water in her enamel mug. Someone then told her the head nurse wanted to see her.

She agreed and was about to leave when she caught sight of Song Mei changing in a corner. Song Mei was dawdling over something as simple as putting on a cotton coat.

Gu Yinxing had an idea. She said to Chen Deng Deng, "Deng Deng, come to the restroom with me first."

"Sure."

Chen Deng Deng thought nothing of it. She put down her bag and followed Gu Yinxing out. Some of the others in the office were chatting, while others were knitting sweaters.

"Aren't we going to the restroom?"

After a few steps, Gu Yinxing pulled her around a corner. Chen Deng Deng looked at her in confusion.

Gu Yinxing shushed her and glanced back. There was little to do at this hour, so the nurses were in no hurry to come out, and the night-shift staff had just left. Gu Yinxing turned back. "Deng Deng, I need you to do me a favor."

She leaned close to Chen Deng Deng's ear and whispered something.

Chen Deng Deng's eyes widened. Shock crossed her face, followed by hesitation, then resolve and a hint of excitement.

Chen Deng Deng clenched her fist. "Yinxing, leave it to me!"

"I know I can count on you, but be careful. Just watch what she does. Don't confront her!"

Gu Yinxing kept her voice low.

Chen Deng Deng nodded quickly. "Of course. I'm not stupid!"

The Thirty-Ninth Day of Being Overheard ### Gu Yinxing returned with the head nurse.

As they walked, the head nurse said, "Practice your spoken English this morning. Yours is the best among our nurses, so you need to do well. Don't let us down in front of the foreign visitors and the leaders."

"You can rest easy, Head Nurse."

Gu Yinxing smiled sweetly and took the head nurse's hand. "I practiced all evening after I got home yesterday."

"Really?"

The head nurse was only half convinced. At the office door, she turned to Gu Yinxing. "All right. I'm going to the restroom. When I get back, we'll practice a conversation so you don't freeze up later."

"Of course. Go ahead."

Gu Yinxing watched her leave before opening the office door. Chen Deng Deng had been waiting inside for a while. The moment Gu Yinxing came in, she hurried over. "Yinxing, you were right. That little wretch put some kind of white powder in your water. She put the packet back in her pocket."

"Probably a laxative."

Gu Yinxing looked thoughtful.

"A laxative?!" Chen Deng Deng paused, then understood and slapped her thigh. "That woman! Would she really go that far just for this opportunity?!"

Small disagreements between coworkers were normal. There were more than twenty of them, all with different tempers, and they were competing with one another. How could they all get along perfectly?

But this was the first time anyone had stooped to putting laxatives in someone's drink.

"Who knows what goes through her head?"

Gu Yinxing snorted. "Let's see how this plays out—and who ends up looking like a fool."

Just then, the head nurse arrived with Song Mei. The two were chatting and laughing. The head nurse smiled at Gu Yinxing. "Yinxing, Song Mei offered to help you practice speaking too. I'll run through it with you first, then you can practice with her. There's plenty to do this morning."

"That would be lovely. Sorry to trouble you, Comrade Song."

Gu Yinxing gave Song Mei a smile that did not reach her eyes.

Song Mei beamed, looking thoroughly pleased with herself.

Gu Yinxing knew her lines well. After all, hospital visitors generally asked the same few questions. The head nurse could not judge how good her English was, but Gu Yinxing seemed so confident that she felt reassured.

She had not had any water all morning, and her mouth was dry. Spotting Gu Yinxing's mug on the table, she said, "Yinxing, let me have a drink of your water."

Gu Yinxing froze. Her head was still full of English sentences, and she could not react fast enough to say no.

"Don't drink it!" Song Mei cried.

Her shout startled the head nurse so badly that her hand jerked, splashing water over her face.

Annoyed, the head nurse wiped her face. "Song Mei, it isn't your water I'm drinking. What are you so worked up about?"

Gu Yinxing's eyes flickered. "Yes, what are you so worked up about?"

"I... I..." Song Mei had never done anything this bold before. Her gaze darted about, and her lips turned pale.

The head nurse had worked at the hospital for over twenty years. She had seen all kinds of people.

One look at Song Mei, and her heart sank. "Did you tamper with this water?"

"I didn't. Head Nurse, how could you think that of me?"

Song Mei looked innocent, but her hands were shaking.

The head nurse's face hardened. "Song Mei, if you tell the truth, we can settle this among ourselves. If you keep hiding it, fine. The hospital lab can test the water. Whatever you put in it, I'll find out."

Song Mei's face drained of color.

Her lips trembled. In the end, fear got the better of her. "I... I only wanted to play a joke on Yinxing. I put a little something in her water."

"What was it?"

The head nurse had no intention of letting her evade the question.

Song Mei's eyes reddened. She looked pleadingly at the head nurse. "Head Nurse, I know I was wrong. I swear I'll never do it again."

"First tell me exactly what it was!"

The head nurse's tone was firm.

With no way out, Song Mei mumbled, "It was... a laxative. I only put in a little. Just a little!"

"You... You put a laxative in my water so you could take my place receiving the foreign visitors today?"

Gu Yinxing quietly pinched her own thigh, and tears spilled down her cheeks.

Seeing her like that, the head nurse could not help feeling sorry for her. She gave Song Mei an unfriendly look. "Come on. You're coming with me to see the director!"

"Head Nurse..."

Song Mei tried to say more, but the head nurse seized her arm without giving her a chance. Her manner was furious, yet when she turned to Gu Yinxing, her voice softened. "Yinxing, don't dwell on this. Just do your best when the foreign visitors arrive."

"Mm."

Gu Yinxing wiped her tears with her sleeve and nodded obediently.

She looked every bit like a sensible, honest young woman.

The head nurse's opinion of Gu Yinxing changed completely.

The girl might be a little lazy most days, but she had a good heart. Even after being wronged, she had not made a scene. She was still focused on the important task ahead.

That was a good kid.

Song Mei, on the other hand...

The head nurse had always thought she was honest and sensible. Who would have guessed she would quietly go so far as to harm someone?

The hospital had every kind of drug. Someone with bad intentions could steal poison, and no one might ever find out. The more the head nurse thought about it, the more frightening it became.

The head nurse took Song Mei to see the director.

Gu Yinxing received the foreign visitors without a hitch that morning. Her English was only passable, but she made up for it with confidence. After the visitors had their injections and collected their medicine, they even praised her with a few "good, good"s before leaving. The director was right there to hear it, and Gu Yinxing was delighted.

At noon, she went to the cafeteria for lunch.

Chen Deng Deng could not wait to tell Gu Yinxing about Song Mei. "The head nurse just said Song Mei made a serious mistake at work. She got a major demerit and lost two months' pay."

"That's no light punishment." Gu Yinxing took a bite of her chicken leg, overjoyed. "But why didn't they say exactly what she was punished for?"

"Are you silly?"

Chen Deng Deng rolled her eyes. "If word got out that a nurse drugged someone, we'd all be disgraced. And the last thing you want is for people to hear about something like this. Someone might get ideas and copy her..."