schlechte Samen

Kapitel 18

Secretary Gu tapped the table lightly with his fingers and said, "Director Tang, didn't I already give you instructions last time? We should treat students with an attitude of education and rehabilitation; punishment is not our goal. Besides, this matter has already been reported in the media, attracting even more attention. We must be extremely cautious! Also, I received a call today from Vice Mayor Xia, who is in charge of education, culture, and health in the city. He is also inquiring about this matter. I hope the school will handle it carefully and properly!"

"Why is Mayor Xia getting involved in this matter?"

"Media reports are one aspect, but the students may have also contacted him." It was clear that Secretary Gu looked troubled as he spoke.

"Jiang Boyu is from Hunan and comes from a poor family. How could he be related to Mayor Xia?"

"Old Tang, please stop asking. I personally believe that forcibly expelling him is inappropriate. We all heard the counselor's explanation when the Party Committee discussed this issue last time, right? That student isn't a bad person at heart, and there were reasons for his actions. Isn't that right?" Secretary Gu emphasized.

"Four-Eyes" remained silent. Putting everything else aside, Mayor Xia's background was already quite impressive—although the medical university was directly under the provincial government, the school still relied on the city for many issues, such as loans and infrastructure construction.

Secretary Gu looked at the bespectacled man without speaking, then waved his hand and said, "One requirement—education is the priority; absolutely do not condemn them outright!"

Back in the office, the student council member who had already written the disciplinary notice was waiting to be praised. "Four-Eyes" looked tired and impatiently threw his notebook on the table, saying, "Alright, you can go now, no need to post it." Then, he dialed the phone number of the counselor of Jiang Boyu's class.

Heart Dust, Part Five

When Ms. Liu Shuqin found Jiang Boyu in the boys' dormitory, he had already packed his things and was sitting on the bare bed, lost in thought.

Liu Shuqin was a recent graduate who stayed on at the university to serve as the counselor for Jiang Boyu's class of '98 in the Department of Anesthesiology. She was a petite female teacher with a delicate voice. Because she was only four or five years older than her students, and because she was kind and always blushed when speaking on the podium, Jiang Boyu and his classmates treated her more like an older sister.

The dormitory door was ajar. It wasn't until Teacher Liu gently walked in and greeted him that Jiang Boyu suddenly snapped out of his daze, then gave an embarrassed smile.

"When are you leaving?" Teacher Liu sat down on the bed that Jiang Boyu had tidied up.

"Tonight." Jiang Boyu couldn't guess why Teacher Liu wanted to see him. He figured it was probably just a routine conversation.

"Then you should get a refund for your ticket and not leave."

"Huh? Is there something else that hasn't been resolved?" Jiang Boyu's heart skipped a beat. His first thought was that there was a new development regarding this fight.

"No, your punishment has been changed. At least it's not an expulsion." Teacher Liu Shuqin even smiled slightly. She had always liked this student—Jiang Boyu was usually very popular in class, not only honest and hardworking, but also had good grades.

Jiang Boyu stared blankly at her, his mouth half-open, unable to utter a word.

"One more question, what is your family's relationship with Xia Xianlong, the deputy mayor of our city?" Actually, this was a question that "Four Eyes" arranged for teacher Liu Shuqin to find out.

"Xia Xianlong? The vice mayor?" Jiang Boyu looked puzzled. "It's alright. I've never even heard of him."

"Even Mayor Xia knows about this now." Teacher Liu knew Jiang Boyu never lied. "But it's also possible that Mayor Xia saw the newspaper report. Anyway, it's a good thing, Jiang Boyu. You've escaped disaster this time. Quickly get a refund for your ticket and go to class tomorrow. You've already missed quite a few classes. As for what kind of punishment you'll receive, just follow the instructions from the student affairs office. The worst is over!"

"Teacher Liu, are you saying that Mayor Xia has already contacted the school, so I don't have to drop out?" Jiang Boyu found it more and more unbelievable.

Teacher Liu Shuqin nodded, stood up and said, "Go and get a refund quickly, it's a pity you'll lose 20% in refund fees!"

When Jiang Boyu returned from the train station, Shen Wei and Duan Youzhi were just getting out of class at noon. Upon hearing the news, the two of them erupted in cheers and shouts in their dormitory. Shen Wei excitedly exclaimed, "Old Jiang, Old Jiang, my left eyelid was twitching all morning! I was saying that since you're leaving today, my right eyelid should be twitching—am I having some kind of physiological disorder? Now it seems I was right, this is truly a wonderful thing!" Duan Youzhi added, "Misfortune may be a blessing in disguise. Old Jiang has survived a great calamity; he's bound to have good fortune in the future!"

After nearly twenty days of silence, Jiang Boyu finally showed a happy smile for the first time. However, he did not mention Mayor Xia's visit to the school, so Shen Wei and Duan Youzhi attributed the credit for the overturning of the case to "Four Eyes" and said very sincerely, "From now on, we will definitely call him Teacher Tang and never call him Four Eyes again."

Shen Wei quickly called Wang Danyang to tell him the news, then winked at Jiang Boyu and said, "They really went through thick and thin with you. Put yourself in their shoes, Lao Jiang, you should consider giving them a chance!"

Jiang Boyu mumbled, "How could that be? I've missed so many classes, and the final exams are coming up soon. I should focus on improving my studies first."

In fact, ever since Jiang Boyu received this news, his biggest thought was how to return the 12,000 yuan to Wang Danyang as soon as possible. Secondly, he wanted to find out who had contacted Vice Mayor Xia to help him escape danger—but it certainly wasn't Shen Wei or Duan Youzhi; he'd never heard of them having such a relationship! Could it be Wang Danyang?—but that didn't seem likely! If it were her, she would have gone and told him already!—She was a girl who couldn't keep a secret.

That afternoon, while eating in the cafeteria, Jiang Boyu kept an eye out for He Jihong, but didn't see her—perhaps she wasn't on duty or was on vacation. He wanted to ask if He Jihong had contacted Mayor Xia. He had this intuition, but wasn't sure, because He Jihong was never one to meddle in other people's business.

The next afternoon, Jiang Boyu deliberately delayed until after six o'clock before going to the cafeteria. As soon as he entered, he saw He Jihong busy at work. Seeing that there were no other people around, Jiang Boyu walked over to her and greeted her across the narrow aisle.

He Jihong looked up and smiled, replying, "Hello! You're so late."

Jiang Boyu nodded, his expression unreadable, as it was impossible to tell whether she knew about the change in her punishment. He simply admitted, "I was supposed to leave tonight, but then they said the punishment had changed. So, I stayed."

He Jihong straightened up, looked at him with a slight smile and said, "I know everything, including your plan to sell your kidney and your decision not to drop out of school. Everyone told me. You've become a celebrity at school now."

Jiang Boyu looked down at the lunchbox in his hand and said, "I also find it strange that they suddenly said we don't have to drop out of school. I... I want to ask, did you go to see Vice Mayor Xia?" Jiang Boyu deliberately said "you" to avoid He Jihong being too perceptive and understanding his intention.

"I don't know, at least I don't know anyone in this family. Has the mayor even looked into this matter?"

Jiang Boyu looked up at He Jihong, whose expression was calm. He couldn't tell whether He Jihong was deliberately hiding it or really didn't know.

"Maybe they read the newspaper! But you should thank Wang Danyang properly this time, she's really a kind person," He Jihong said while continuing to wipe the dining table.

"You...you knew about this?" Jiang Boyu thought to himself, "Wang Danyang told me not to tell Shen Wei about her borrowing money, so how come even He Jihong knows?"

“We’re in the same class, so I’ll keep it a secret for you,” He Jihong said with a smile.

Jiang Boyu couldn't get any more information out of him, so he said dejectedly, "Well, I'll go get my food then."

He Jihong said, "I also want to tell you something. Let's talk about it after you get your food. The cafeteria is about to close, so hurry up."

When Jiang Boyu returned from the food window, He Jihong was already sitting at the table where they had been talking, waiting for him. Jiang Boyu put down his lunchbox opposite her and said, "What did you want to see me about?"

He Jihong said, "Do you want to find something to do?"

Jiang Boyu's eyes widened. He hadn't expected He Jihong to bring up the very problem he was anxiously facing. "Of course. I'm in a hurry to pay back the money I owe others."

"To be honest, I regretted scolding you last time. I never thought you'd consider selling a kidney. But a real man takes responsibility for his actions, and you're respected by everyone!"

Hearing He Jihong say this, Jiang Boyu didn't say anything, but his heart was warmed.

"Can you do the work in this cafeteria? Like me, you can work part-time, two hours a day. If you're willing, I can ask them to arrange it; we're hiring soon anyway."

Jiang Boyu didn't think twice and nodded hastily. "Okay! As long as I can make money!"

"Also, the library needs book organizers, you could apply for one. If time permits, you could also tutor."

Jiang Boyu blushed and said, "I can't be a tutor. I'm very bad with words! I can't speak fluently."

"He Jihong!" someone called from the doorway.

Jiang Boyu looked like a student, carrying a shoulder bag, and was quite tall, but he seemed older than he was. "Oh, I have to go. It's time for work, and I have things to do tonight," He Jihong smiled at Jiang Boyu. Then she turned to the other man and said, "Come out right away!"

Jiang Boyu stood up and watched He Jihong run into the cafeteria work area to change her clothes, while the person wearing a black polyester short coat stood at the cafeteria entrance with his hands in his pockets, waiting.

As He Jihong walked out of the workroom, she waved to Jiang Boyu and said, "Come to the cafeteria at 4:30 tomorrow afternoon. Remember to bring a one-inch photo!" Jiang Boyu stared blankly at her and said dryly, "Well, thank you." Actually, he really wanted to ask He Jihong who that person was, but he knew that would be too much. So, after watching He Jihong leave with him, he sat down alone and silently shoveled rice into his mouth.

Jiang Boyu ate his meal listlessly, the image of the man walking with He Jihong constantly replaying in his mind. "Who is he? How could he be with He Jihong?" Jiang Boyu wondered if he was jealous. "Could he be He Jihong's boyfriend?" But he desperately tried to dissuade himself. "No! It can't be. He Jihong is so busy, so studious, how could he be?" But after dismissing that notion, he started considering another possibility. "If he's not her boyfriend, why would he call her? He Jihong was quite welcoming!"—The more Jiang Boyu thought about it, the more confused he became. After eating half his meal, he closed his lunchbox and left the cafeteria.

Jiang Boyu arrived at the cafeteria entrance at 4:20 PM sharp the next day. Honesty was his consistent principle. Even when he was the football team coach, he was never late. He Jihong arrived five minutes later. She was wearing a stonewashed blue denim outfit, looking particularly capable.

“Great, you’re here even earlier than me. You’re the coach on the football field, and I’m your coach here.” He Jihong said with a smile as he led Jiang Boyu through a side door on the east side of the cafeteria. “I’ll take you to meet the head housekeeper first, Section Chief Wang, who’s in charge of this area.”

In an office on the second floor of the cafeteria, Jiang Boyu met the so-called head housekeeper. Section Chief Wang glanced at Jiang Boyu, nodded, and said to He Jihong, "Let him work with you for one shift first, and we'll adjust his schedule later when he's more proficient." Then he had Jiang Boyu fill out a registration form and attach his photo. And just like that—Jiang Boyu began his job.

The work in the canteen was not complicated. After receiving his work clothes and tools—dish soap, spray bottle, rags, and small shovels—He Jihong led him to the dining area outside, designated Jiang Boyu's work area, and demonstrated the work procedures and key points—the core of which was cleaning the dining tables and finally cleaning the floor.

"The work isn't tiring. As long as you're quick and careful, it's from 4:30 to 6:30 every day. It's 8.5 yuan an hour, and meals are free," He Jihong said with a smile. Jiang Boyu grinned and said, "Don't worry, it's no different from me helping my parents with housework at home. I won't embarrass you."

Zhou Yifeng went to the anatomy teaching and research office around 10 a.m. on Monday.

He had come to see Zheng Dazhi. At that time, Zheng Dazhi was processing a specimen that had just been delivered. He turned around and said to the teaching secretary who was standing at the door calling him, "Let Lao Zhou come over!" He was wearing latex gloves and washing the female corpse, his hands busy with other tasks.

Of course, it was also because he was very familiar with Zhou Yifeng that he received him in the office. Speaking of which, Zhou Yifeng's brother-in-law's wife is Zheng Dazhi's cousin. The two are related by marriage and live in the same unit of the school's staff dormitory, so they naturally have more contact than ordinary teachers.

Zhou Yifeng stood at the entrance of the specimen preparation room in no time. He stood two steps away from the door and covered his nose with his hand—Zhou Yifeng was a graduate of Tongji Medical University in 1982 and had no fear of these specimens—but the smell was really pungent and unpleasant.

"You're so busy, Lao Zheng, can't you even take a break?" Zhou Yifeng asked, frowning.

"Heh, Lao Zhou, can't you see I'm giving a woman a bath?" Zheng Dazhi wasn't wearing a mask—he was already used to the smell. He joked with Zhou Yifeng while rinsing the corpse.

Zhou Yifeng was a serious person by nature and didn't have as much of a sense of humor as Zheng Dazhi. He covered his nose and mumbled, "Alright. You go ahead and do your work, the smell is too strong. I'll wait for you in my office. I need to talk to you about something."

By the time Zheng Dazhi finished getting ready and arrived at the office, it was almost eleven o'clock. Zhou Yifeng was getting impatient.

"Old Zhou, you only come here once or twice a year. What brings you here today?" Zheng Dazhi tossed Zhou Yifeng a cigarette and sat down in a chair himself.

Zhou Yifeng smiled slightly and said, "I won't chat with you. I have to go to the research department later. Old Zheng, I need your help with a project."

Zheng Dazhi chuckled and said, "You're a psychology scientist, and I'm a morphologist. What, you want to borrow a couple of specimens for research?"

Zhou Yifeng took a puff of his cigarette and said, "I'm working on a research project recently, and I'd like to borrow your space to conduct a psychological experiment."

Zheng Dazhi's eyes nearly popped out of his head.

Yan Hao had already made three attempts to gain admission to the Department of Medical Psychology. He had just finished class around 4 PM when Zhou Yifeng called his dormitory directly.

"Professor Zhou, have you come up with the results?" Yan Hao asked impatiently as soon as he saw Zhou Yifeng.

"Don't rush, I have a new idea I'd like to discuss with you," Zhou Yifeng said, gesturing for him to sit down. The usually stern Zhou Yifeng seemed quite excited—his eyes crinkled with laughter, hiding deep wrinkles.

Zhou Yifeng cleared his throat and twirled the pen in his hand with three fingers as he said, "It's like this. Didn't you describe what you saw and heard during hypnosis last time? We want to do a targeted treatment based on your last experiment to completely eliminate the root cause of the problem!"

"What kind of treatment? Or hypnosis?"

Zhou Yifeng waved his hand and said, "Not entirely. To be precise, it's called psychological desensitization therapy. Let me give you an analogy—there's a saying in traditional Chinese medicine called 'fighting poison with poison,' which means 'nothing ventured, nothing gained.' You see, arsenic and croton are both poisons, but they're also excellent medicinal materials. Psychological desensitization therapy is the same—fighting poison with poison! But it targets the psychological poison. If someone has acrophobia, the best treatment is to have them gradually desensitize themselves by experiencing the environment from low to high. If someone has anxiety, you deliberately place them in anxious environments! Of course, psychological suggestion must be added during the treatment process."

"Then how do I desensitize myself?" Yan Hao asked the most practical question.

"Let's go to the place you mentioned during the hypnosis last time—the anatomy classroom!" Zhou Yifeng's eyes shone with excitement.

"Huh?" Yan Hao dropped the disposable water cup in his hand to the ground with a thud.

"Don't worry, you won't be going alone. Just like last time, you can bring your classmates," Zhou Yifeng said gently, looking at Yan Hao.

"When?" Yan Hao's voice sounded quite flustered.

"Tomorrow, 11:30 PM. There are too many people during the day." Zhou Yifeng stood up from behind his desk, walked over to Yan Hao, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "Don't be afraid, there's nothing there except specimens."

Zheng Dazhi agreed to help Zhou Yifeng. He knew that if he didn't help this madman Zhou, no one else in the school would. However, he didn't tell Director Lan or the other teachers about it.

On Tuesday evening around 7 PM, he went to Zhou Yifeng's house and left the key to the anatomy lab. He said he would pick it up before work the next day. As he left, he jokingly said in front of Zhou Yifeng's wife, "Old Zhou, that woman who just took a shower is still naked in the lab, no strangers allowed!"

Zhou Yifeng chuckled and scolded, "You old rascal," but inwardly he was very grateful to Zheng Dazhi for providing this convenience—he desperately needed a special case like Yan Hao. He wanted to produce results to show those snobbish colleagues that he, Zhou Yifeng, wasn't just a nobody!

As the clock struck eleven, he grabbed his white coat and an emergency light, preparing to leave. He hesitated for a moment at the door, then quietly went to the kitchen, grabbed a stainless steel boning knife—wrapped it inside his white coat—and went out.

This time, he didn't bring his assistants. Neither of the two young female master's students had a medical background, so he didn't want to frighten them.

It was a dark and windy night. The December wind was already quite biting. Outside the dark building of the Department of Basic Medical Sciences, several dark figures lingered—Yan Hao, Shen Zihan, and Liao Guangzhi had arrived long ago and were shivering and hunching over, waiting for Zhou Yifeng.

Zhou Yifeng first opened the iron gate to the teaching and research office area on the right side of the first-floor lobby, and led Shen Zihan and Liao Guangzhi into the office closest to the door. He then said, "You two, stay here. Listen carefully! I'll call you if you need help." Then he opened the door on the left leading to the anatomy classroom.

After stepping over the high threshold, he softly asked Yan Hao, who was following behind him, "Is this the corridor you're looking at?" The corridor was still lit by fluorescent lights, and although his voice was low, the echo was loud, adding to the gloomy atmosphere of the long, desolate corridor.

“Yes, we’ve had practical classes here, we can’t be mistaken,” Yan Hao replied.

The main door was closed. Zhou Yifeng looked around and then led Yan Hao directly into the first anatomy classroom near the main entrance.

Zhou Yifeng turned on the emergency light he carried with him—the jagged skeletal specimens piled on each table, out of the light, looked more like crouching, hideous wild beasts. Zhou Yifeng suddenly shivered—the classroom had no heating, it was so cold.

“Let’s begin. Don’t be nervous, it’s okay. Desensitization therapy is a powerful remedy to get rid of the root cause of your problem!” Zhou Yifeng said gently.

He asked Yan Hao to bring a stool to the podium. Then, when Yan Hao wasn't looking, he tucked the boning knife behind his belt and put on his white coat.