Eхtrа Chaрter: Liang Сhеngmin
Аt twеntу-sеven, Liang Сhengmin was still unmarried, which was quitе unusuаl in 1970s Chinа.
Liang Сhеngmin’s mоthеr would nаg whеnеvеr shе saw hеr daughter: “Arе уou gеtting married or nоt? Just give me а straight answеr. Sо mаnу реоple hаvе introduсеd рotеntial bоуfriends to уоu, but yоu won’t even tаke a loоk. It’s nоt thаt we сan’t afford tо kееp уоu аt hоmе, but thе neighbоrs will gоssip!”
“Lеt them gоssip,” Liang Сhengmin rерliеd unhurriedlу. “Моuths bеlong to othеrs—we can’t contrоl them.”
Born in Jiаngsu, she had livеd in Shanghаi аnd latеr worked as an intern doctor in Anhui. After moving around, her professional knowledge had grown, and her accent had become a mix of dialects.
Her mother grew a little impatient watching her. “If you’re not in a hurry, your grandmother is.”
“I’ll marry whoever it is tomorrow, no matter what he’s like!” Liang Chengmin tossed out the words and ran off.
The next day, she left the hospital, rode her bicycle to the library, and lingered nearby. At twenty-eight, she still had a childlike heart, indifferent to most things. She cared only about the human body and pathology, dreaming of becoming a female Hua Tuo.
The man standing at the library entrance seemed a bit out of place—white shirt, black trousers, posture straight, brows furrowed. He didn’t look like an easy person to get along with. The matchmaker had said he was handsome and that many girls fancied him. Liang Chengmin couldn’t tell if he was handsome or not; she cared about whether people were healthy. This one looked quite healthy.
She ran over, two thick braids hanging over her chest, clutching a book like a fool. Slightly out of breath when she reached him, she said, “Luan Mingrui? I’m Liang Chengmin.”
Luan Mingrui, who had a bad temper, glanced at his watch. “You’re late. By minutes.”
Liang Chengmin couldn’t say she had been sizing him up from a distance, so she just smiled awkwardly. “I was held up at the hospital.”
“It’s fine.”
“Shall we take a walk?”
“Mm.”
Luan Mingrui responded casually, and the two walked along the road. At that time, there were few people on the streets, and the air carried the scent of the sea. Every morning, fishing boats would return, laden with seafood. Liang Chengmin had been frail since childhood. When she grew older, her parents heard that shrimp and crab could strengthen the body, so they went to great lengths to get them, making shrimp paste and crab meat for her every day. Over time, she grew a slightly larger frame than the average southern girl, with a fresh, dewy appearance. Even with her stature, she still looked petite next to Luan Mingrui. He was tall, with a straight posture and wore glasses. Liang Chengmin stole a glance—not bad, the prescription wasn’t too strong.
They briefly shared their situations, neither particularly invested in the blind date, and ended the conversation after a few words.
As soon as Liang Chengmin entered her home, the matchmaker came in, pulling her mother to stand by the window and talk. At first, her mother seemed excited, but after a few sentences, her spirits dampened. “Oh, so he didn’t think it was a match? That’s fine, it’s all about fate. You can’t force something that isn’t right. His family background is indeed a bit better than ours. Even a starved camel is bigger than a horse.”
Liang Chengmin coughed. “Mom, the window’s open—I can hear everything clearly. Why be upset? I didn’t like him either!”
Hearing this, the matchmaker leaned in through the window. “You didn’t like him?”
“No. He wears glasses.”
“Don’t you wear glasses too?” the matchmaker pointed out.
“I don’t. My prescription is under a hundred—I don’t need to wear them. His prescription is strong.”After hearing this, the matchmaker clicked her tongue: "Tsk tsk, these young people nowadays, each one pickier than the last. If you keep being this choosy, you'll end up staying home until you're old." She had already forgotten that it was the other party who had been picky first.
Liang Chengmin didn’t take this matter to heart. If she didn’t get married, so be it—what was so great about marriage anyway? Many doctors and nurses at the hospital were married, and there were often people coming to work with tear-stained faces!
She was usually carefree and cheerful, like a girl who never grew up, but once she started her clinic shift, she became extremely serious. With her white coat on, her hair tied up, and her doctor’s cap in place, she looked as stern as could be.
On this particular day during her shift, a patient came in claiming to have a fracture.
He started wailing as soon as he entered, refusing to listen no matter what Liang Chengmin said. Annoyed, she put on a stern face to scare him: "If you keep shouting, I’ll sew your mouth shut!" As a young doctor, this was about as intimidating as she could get. This remark, overheard by Luan Mingrui, who had been notified by his parents to come take care of his younger brother, gave him a somewhat biased impression of the doctor.
Liang Chengmin examined the patient carefully. The leg was swollen as thick as a tree trunk, but it wasn’t actually fractured.
"Stop shouting and listen to me. You don’t have a fracture."
"If it’s not fractured, why does it hurt so much? Get someone more experienced!"
"I am experienced!"
"You look like a half-baked amateur!"
...Liang Chengmin’s face flushed red with anger. She asked, "Where’s the family member?" Looking up, she saw Luan Mingrui standing there with a stern expression.
Liang Chengmin thought he looked somewhat familiar. After thinking for a while, she remembered he was the rich young man who had looked down on her family background. But she didn’t bring that up, pretending not to know him: "Are you the family member?"
"Yes. He’s my younger brother."
"Your brother doesn’t have a fracture. Tell him to stop shouting. I’ll prescribe some medication, and he can go for physiotherapy next door."
"Can we have another doctor take a look?" Luan Mingrui asked, clearly distrusting her. She was only 28—what experience could she possibly have?
"Sure. Go out and register again." Liang Chengmin didn’t give him a friendly look. If he wanted to change doctors, so be it. She didn’t even lift her head, her temper as stubborn as ever.
Luan Mingrui took Luan Mingcheng to register again. This time, they saw an older doctor, who gave them the same diagnosis as Liang Chengmin: "No fracture. I’ll prescribe some medication and recommend physiotherapy."
"Then why is the leg so swollen?"
"It’s a soft tissue injury. A fracture and a soft tissue injury are different, young man. Don’t let your imagination run wild."
Suddenly, Luan Mingrui felt he had wronged the young woman earlier. After thinking for a while but failing to recall her name, he went to the outpatient department to ask. By the time he returned, Liang Chengmin had already finished her shift. She had changed into a floral shirt and was walking toward the hospital entrance.
Seeing Luan Mingrui, she inwardly scoffed and walked past him without even glancing his way.
Luan Mingrui didn’t know whether she remembered him or not, so he decided to act as if she didn’t. He stopped her bicycle: "Doctor."
"So you know I’m a doctor now? Why didn’t you trust me when I was treating your brother? You even asked to change doctors. Well, did his leg turn out to be broken?"
Liang Chengmin fired off words at Luan Mingrui like a machine gun: "And another thing, how old is your brother anyway? What’s with all the shouting in the hospital? Isn’t it embarrassing?"
Luan Mingrui had originally intended to apologize, but seeing her relentless attitude, he stood to the side and said something that could infuriate Liang Chengmin: "I just wanted a second opinion to be sure. I was worried you might misdiagnose him."
Arrogant and infuriating.
Liang Chengmin felt a surge of anger rising in her chest. She glared at him and walked away.
Even after arriving home, her anger hadn’t subsided. She said to her mother, "From now on, if anyone tries to set me up on a blind date, anyone who wears glasses is out of the question."
"Why not?"
"They just look sneaky!"The next morning, Liang Chengmin arrived at work early and saw Luan Mingrui bringing Luan Mingcheng for physical therapy in the hospital corridor. She walked past them without even glancing their way. Luan Mingcheng remembered her and greeted her, "Hello, doctor!" He wasn’t the same crying mess from the day before.
Liang Chengmin stopped and looked at him. "Who are you?"
Then she turned and walked away.
"That doctor is really scary," Luan Mingcheng whispered.
Luan Mingrui said to him, "Next time you get hurt, just bear with it. What’s the point of making a scene in the hospital? Isn’t it embarrassing?"
Scolded by his brother, Luan Mingcheng didn’t dare say another word. He had always been afraid of Luan Mingrui since childhood, feeling like his brother’s face never saw a sunny day. Luan Mingrui was glad he had turned down the matchmaker right away. With Liang Chengmin’s temper, forget about living together—they’d probably end up fighting after just a few interactions.
While Luan Mingcheng was inside getting his dressing changed, Luan Mingrui sat waiting on a wooden bench outside. He could hear Liang Chengmin in the next consultation room, her voice rising and falling as she scolded someone, "You only come now when it’s already this bad? What were you thinking?"
"Are my words just going in one ear and out the other? Didn’t I tell you to avoid certain foods? Look at this wound!"
A moment later, her tone softened, "Don’t cry. Your husband needs someone to take care of him now, and you’re pregnant. You have to control your emotions, understand?"
At such a young age, she could switch moods as quickly as flipping a page.
Luan Mingrui was twenty-nine, and quite a few girls liked him, but he didn’t like any of them. Over time, he became the family’s biggest headache. The Luan family had been in business for generations, experiencing three rises and three falls—their property had been confiscated, and they had also made voluntary donations. Gradually, the family’s fortunes declined. But the Luans were an odd bunch. By the time it reached Luan Mingrui’s father’s generation, in his old age, good fortune struck again. That year, their name was cleared, and life slowly began to improve. The family had experienced both poverty and wealth, but the habits of the older generation remained. Even when eating a simple stir-fried vegetable dish, the plate had to be arranged neatly and beautifully. In earlier years, when the two sons and two daughters went out, their clothes might have had patches, but they were always washed clean. They carried a sense of dignity rarely seen in the small town, which the neighbors described as "pretentious."
Luan Mingrui was exactly like that.
Not only was he pretentious, but he also had a bad temper, wearing a stern expression every day that scared off many girls. Yet he was sharp-minded, thriving within the system with a secure, stable job.
The young man was handsome, well-educated, came from a good family, and had money. Combined with his pickiness, he became the unattainable ideal in the hearts of the small town’s girls.
Liang Chengmin knew nothing about this.
She had loved medicine since childhood and later studied it, leaving the small town for several years to pursue her studies. She was unaware of this newly prominent figure in town. In her mind, Luan Mingrui was just an arrogant fool. He looked down on her family background, but she looked down on him for wearing glasses! Besides, her family background wasn’t poor at all—both her parents taught at schools, which could be considered half a scholarly family.
But Liang Chengmin didn’t hold grudges. Once something was over, it was over.
More than half a month later, one evening, she was sent by her mother to buy soy sauce. At the supply and marketing cooperative, two long lines had formed. Estimating the time, she decided to wait patiently and stood there reciting medical terms. Coincidentally, Luan Mingrui also went to the cooperative that day and stood in the line next to hers. Someone called his name, and when he turned around, he saw Liang Chengmin. After all, the two of them had been set up on a blind date. At that moment, she stood motionless, appearing somewhat aloof.
Finally, it was their turn. Liang Chengmin rummaged through her pockets for a long time but realized she hadn’t brought the ration coupons. A clean hand reached over from beside her, "Use mine." She looked up and saw Luan Mingrui.Liang Chengmin, afraid of being scolded by her mother for being foolish if she went back, nodded and said, "Alright, thank you. I'll return it to you tomorrow."
With the soy sauce in hand, she walked out.
Luan Mingrui followed behind her and asked, "How are you going to return it to me?"
"?"
"Do you know where I live? Do you know how to find me? You don't know anything, so how are you going to return it?" Seeing Liang Chengmin stunned by his questions, he continued, "You weren't planning on returning it, were you?"
Liang Chengmin grew anxious. "Are you crazy? Who cares about your measly ticket? Don’t insult me like that! I said I’d return it tomorrow, and I will. If I don’t know where you live, can’t I ask the matchmaker? How could you think I wasn’t planning to return it?"
"You remember we went on a blind date, right?"
"..."
"Then why do you act like you don’t know me? I thought maybe your eyesight was poor."
He had told the matchmaker that he thought the girl was nice but just not his type. The matchmaker later told his parents, "It’s fine. The girl didn’t take a liking to Mingrui either. She said he wears glasses."
Today, he finally got his revenge.
Seeing Liang Chengmin’s face flushed with anger, he added, "Tomorrow night, at 8 o’clock, right here. Return the ticket to me. If you don’t, I’ll come to your house to get it."
Then he turned and walked away.
Under the moonlight, the mischievous smirk on his lips was clearly visible to passersby.
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