Hospital 444

"Chang Min." Jiang Shan suddenly asked, "For the next question, you must answer within three seconds. What was Xiahou Dun’s courtesy name?"

Chang Min immediately blurted out, "Yuanrang!"

"What about Jia Xu’s courtesy name?"

"Wenhe!"

"And Guo Jia’s?"

"Fengxiao... it should be this one without a doubt."

"Zhuge Jin’s courtesy name?"

"Zi... Zi..." Chang Min, showing a contemplative expression, said, "Ziyu... right, I think?"

"Good." Next, Jiang Shan threw out another question, "What about Wang Yun, what was his courtesy name?"

This time, Chang Min was completely stumped.

"This... this... I can’t remember."

"Wang Yun’s courtesy name was Zishi. What about Dian Wei’s? You might not remember Wang Yun since he made few appearances, but what about Dian Wei’s?"

Dai Wei had also read about the Three Kingdoms, but who could remember the courtesy names of so many characters? It seemed that Jiang Shan was also a fan of the Three Kingdoms.

"Dian Wei?" Chang Min started to rack his brain, saying, "This, I do not recall."

"Dian Wei was a warrior said to be on par with Lu Bu in martial prowess, are you sure you do not know his courtesy name?"

"I don’t know. Dian Wei... does he... not have a courtesy name?"

At this point, Su Wenqing could no longer sit still. He stood up and said, "Could it be you? Chang Min?"

He even began to shift his gaze towards the knife on the ground, as though preparing to rush at Chang Min and fight at any moment.

"No, he’s right," said Jiang Shan at that moment. "Dian Wei indeed did not have a courtesy name. It’s very normal for most people not to know Wang Yun’s."

"Eh? Really doesn’t have one?"

Jiang Shan nodded affirmatively and declared, "I remember all the courtesy names of the characters in the Three Kingdoms and every hero’s nickname in ’Water Margin’. I will never confuse them."

"You’re amazing, Jiang Shan. Can you recite all of them?" Dai Wei was quite surprised.

Jiang Shan continued, "I have read the Four Great Classics, except for ’Dream of the Red Chamber,’ and I am very familiar with their plots. In the past, my father went to the city to work as a profiteer, trading in famous domestic and foreign literature to earn a margin. Later, he brought many books back for me."

"I had no idea you enjoyed reading too, Jiang Shan," Uncle Li said, somewhat surprised.

"Actually, it’s similar to what we now call ’ticket scalping’. I always felt it wasn’t very honorable, so I rarely mentioned it to others. At that time, the Four Great Classics, and famous foreign literature... there was quite a demand for these books among the city folk."

At this moment, Uncle Li also nodded, "I have a bit of an impression."

Considering the ages, during the early days of the Chinese economic reform, Uncle Li was still a child.

"At that time, my father also had another idea when going to the city... he wanted to find his first love. You know, his first love had thought there was no hope of ever leaving Nanmian Village, so she got together with my father. But unexpectedly, later on... they naturally parted ways. My father could not forget her and wanted to find her, but she no longer had any regard for my father, a mere countryman. Because of this, it took many years for my father to reluctantly marry my mother. This matter, my father could never get over for the rest of his life."

Dai Wei remembered that Jiang Shan’s father was indeed quite old, having Jiang Shan when he was in his fifties, it seemed. However, he hadn’t expected there to be such a backstory.

"My mother and your father’s situation was the exact opposite," Uncle Li sighed. "My father thought he would be a rural person for the rest of his life anyway, so he chose my mother. He met my mother through a matchmaker in the neighboring village and I was born a year after they got married. But at that time..."

Many people showed a look of shock.

After all, most of them were young, and the older generation rarely spoke with them about the past in those times.

"My mother actually had the choice to terminate me. But in the end, she gave birth to me and raised me all by herself." Uncle Li spoke these words with particular calmness. "After all, compared with the big cities, it’s hard to imagine spending a lifetime in a place like Nanmian Village. You all know how impoverished our village is, right? It’s easy to go from frugality to luxury, but hard the other way around. I don’t hate my father; he made his choice. My mother has very strong self-respect, and she’s always been self-reliant, so she resented my father until she died. I think... at least I should forgive my father. I hardly ever saw him and never inquired about his life in the city afterwards."

Chang Min was clearly shocked as well, and he cautiously asked, "Uncle Li, is that true?"

"It is. But apparently, this also doesn’t prove that I truly exist in Nanmian Village, as most of you likely do not know it."

"No, it won’t happen... won’t happen..."

In Dai Wei’s memories, parents and other people around him rarely mentioned Uncle Li’s parents. The older generation indeed treated the subject as taboo.

If Uncle Li’s mother was indeed very strong-willed, she definitely would not want others to talk about it. It’s likely that the elders kept the matter a secret later on.

Although it was only Uncle Li’s side of the story, Dai Wei believed it was true. Besides, if it was false, he could simply ask an elderly person when he got out to find out the truth.

At that moment, Dai Wei suddenly thought of Elder Zhao.

Elder Zhao seemed to take special care of Uncle Li. When he visited Dai Wei’s family, he would occasionally mention to his parents, "Zhengshan, this child, is a hard-luck kid."

Considering Elder Zhao’s age, he must know the full details of what happened. Now, Dai Wei understood why Uncle Li was called a hard-luck kid. Abandoned by his father, raised by a single mother, Uncle Li’s life must have been so tough.

Looking at Uncle Li’s forlorn expression, Dai Wei found it hard to believe it was an act. If it was a performance, then it would surely earn an Oscar statuette.

If Chang Min, Xia Meng, Uncle Li...

Then...

Li Jun, Li Yanping, Su Wenqing, who could it be?

The most suspicious, as always, was still Su Wenqing.

His voice had been unusual when he called out the numbers that day.

"Uncle Li," Jiang Shan showed a look of regret at this time, "I’m sorry, I didn’t know about your past."

"The villagers don’t talk to you about it, so it’s not strange that you wouldn’t know."

Perhaps realizing that his life might not be much longer, Uncle Li even revealed such a deep-seated secret.

"Uncle Li." At that moment, Su Wenqing suddenly said to Uncle Li, "Actually, I know about this."

Everyone immediately turned their gaze to Su Wenqing.

"Anyway, on a day like today, there’s nothing that can’t be said." Su Wenqing looked at Uncle Li closely and said, "I once overheard my parents talking about you. I didn’t expect you to speak of it yourself today."

Then, Su Wenqing moved his chair a little closer to where Uncle Li was sitting and continued, "Actually, my dad has always felt guilty, feeling that he has wronged you. When he was young and foolish, he called you—you know..."

At this point, he stuttered, unable to continue.

"A child without a father?"

"Yes..."

Looking into Su Wenqing’s eyes, Dai Wei was once again confused.

Obviously, what Su Wenqing said aligned perfectly with Uncle Li’s recollections.

Of course, matching memories doesn’t prove anything; it could also be a deliberate ploy to confuse them. But looking into Su Wenqing’s eyes, Dai Wei also felt that he wasn’t acting.

"Back then, my dad often bullied you... but you later put past grievances aside and helped our family many times. When everyone in the village shunned us because of my sister, you still kept in touch during the festivities and brought us food."

"What’s a little food? I knew the villagers were skimping on your rations. I was fine eating alone; my whole family wasn’t starving."

Watching the sincere dialogue between Uncle Li and Su Wenqing, Dai Wei grew even more perplexed.

Looking at who... none seemed likely!

"Your family deserves it!" At that moment, Li Yanping said coldly, "Only because Uncle Li has a good heart! Who doesn’t know what your sister did to Li Sheng? You all just bullied Li Sheng because he had an honest nature back then, and now you’re playing the victim? Let me tell you, your sister... she’s nothing but a loose woman!"

"Li Yanping!" Su Wenqing immediately showed a look of anger, stood up and said, "Say that one more time!"

Pointing at Su Wenqing, Li Yanping declared, "I said your sister—is a loose woman!"

"Li Yanping!"

Unable to contain his rage, Su Wenqing suddenly crouched down, grabbed a knife from the ground, and charged at Li Yanping!