Jiao Ma's complexion looked a bit better today, with a healthier flush, and she seemed more spirited.
However, after learning about the incident that occurred last night in the East District courtyard, had Mr. Jiao not stopped her, Jiao Ma nearly dragged herself back to the scene with her injuries. Even though Aunt Ling and the others hadn't informed them, the incident in the courtyard had caused quite a stir last night, and with the hospital surrounded by school faculty and families, it was inevitable that word would get around.
Jiao Yuan and Gu Youzi answered a few of Jiao Ma's questions but didn't talk much afterward. It was Qu who did most of the talking, vividly describing the events of the previous night.
"Since the theft incident that happened before, people on the first and second floors have put up defenses, some even adding extra locks to their doors. Those on the fourth and fifth floors initially thought they were safer, but it seems the thieves thoroughly understood this mentality. The more you think living higher up is safer, the more they target those living on the higher floors. The cause of this incident, I heard, was because they saw the honor roll posted in the Life Science Institute, which mentioned that Jiao got over a million yuan for the National Natural Science Foundation of China this year. And knowing that there were troubles on your end, with only the two kids at home, they set their sights on your family."
"But the funds we apply for aren't for personal use; they're for the project and research topics!" Jiao Ma said, her tone not too pleasant.
"But those people don't think so. There are plenty who believe that one can get rich off such funds," Qu shrugged, then suddenly, his interest piqued again, continued, "Word is, with some veterans seated in the courtyard, a night investigation actually turned up some results. The theft from over a month ago supposedly hadn't yielded anything because someone was obstructing the investigation, but this time they couldn't be stopped. The mastermind is a guy who lives in Building A, his family has some connections, his uncle is the vice-principal, the one who oversees admissions and employment at the school."
Qu loved gossiping about high-profile figures, and he wasn't afraid of anyone giving him trouble for what he said. He could hold his own in a power struggle, and besides, he had already graduated, what was there to fear?
"People usually give him some face, but with this incident, everyone's patience ran thin. There are several more in the courtyard who have received funding in the millions, all listed on the honor rolls of the respective colleges. Knowing that you're being targeted because of this leaves no one feeling at ease. Last night an old gentleman made a direct call to that vice-principal. I reckon, once they've dealt with the stuff at the courtyard, they'll come over here to the hospital to apologize to you all."
Zheng Tan was squatting on Jiao Ma's bedspread by the bedside, listening quietly to their conversation. Mr. Jiao had brought the bedspread from home, which was much more comfortable than the hospital's and more pleasant to look at. Jiao Ma had just had her dressings changed before Jiao Yuan and the others arrived, so no nurse would come by for the time being.
Hearing Qu's words, Zheng Tan pondered a moment; it made sense. Without some connections or skills, how could one obtain access to all the doors in the residential buildings, including those in the Western Family District? After this incident, who knows what measures the school would take to prevent a similar occurrence. If they changed the door system, Zheng Tan would just need Mr. Jiao to get another access card; he wasn't worried about this.
"Hey Jiao, I heard that the thief got scratched by your cat before even getting in the door, thinking someone was home. He took off tumbling and crawling, not even minding his accomplice. He probably ran too fast, stumbled, and banged his head against the edge of a cement flower bed, bleeding profusely, and then Uncle Yan's Bull Terrier bit him, ripping a chunk of flesh from his leg. That Bull Terrier from Uncle Yan's family really made a name for itself this time; you should have seen it..."
After listening to Qu's recount, Mr. Jiao glanced at Zheng Tan squatting on the bedspread, eyes half-closed feigning sleep. Knowing the virtue of modesty and downplaying oneself was a good thing; there wasn't a need to seek attention.
The group chatted and joked, lightening the atmosphere that had been so somber the day before, and Jiao Ma was no longer as anxious as when she first heard the news.
Qu offered to look after the Jiao family's two kids for a few days, but Mr. Jiao politely declined.
After Qu left, Jiao Ma asked about the reason for refusing Qu's offer to help watch the children.
"I'm planning to find Wei Leng. That way, both of us can rest easy. That kid Qu is all about games now, and he'd probably just end up playing them with Jiao Yuan," Mr. Jiao responded.
Zheng Tan inwardly nodded in agreement. It was indeed possible, and considering that guy could ignore everything around him when gaming, relying on him to look after kids was no better than doing it himself!
Compared to Qu, Wei Leng indeed seemed a more reliable choice; after all, as long as someone stayed at home during the night, he could do whatever he wanted during the day, so Wei Leng should have the time. However, Zheng Tan wondered how Wei Leng was doing with his investigation into the case. It had been quite some time, and he still hadn't cracked it.
Zheng Tan was still considering the investigation when the door to the room opened.
Jiao Yuan and Gu Youzi hurriedly put Zheng Tan into the backpack, then each sat back down on their little chairs, pretending as if nothing had happened, though they looked overly serious. Jiao Ma chuckled and shook her head.
The visitor was Xiao Zhuo, who had come to visit after hearing about the incident at the courtyard.
Mr. Jiao quickly cleared the recliner for Xiao Zhuo to sit on. Thanks to their cat's relationship with Xiao Zhuo, Buddha had been rather friendly when Mr. Jiao went to borrow equipment at the Physics College lately. Even if he wasn't smiling, he didn't have that deathly cold expression like before.
Seeing Xiao Zhuo enter, Zheng Tan didn't bother staying in the backpack and jumped out, climbing onto the soft bedspread; it was much more comfortable than the backpack.
"Hey Heitan, did you sneak over here?"
Xiao Zhuo wasn't too surprised to see Zheng Tan there; she even smiled and lightly tapped Zheng Tan's head with her finger.
With Heitan as the subject, Xiao Zhuo and Jiao Ma's conversation flowed a bit more.
Jiao Ma breathed a sigh of relief; without Heitan as a topic, she really wouldn't have known what to say. Although they didn't have the full details on Xiao Zhuo's situation, they could guess some of it and felt she was quite a pity - one of Buddha's top three aces in the Physics College with a boundless future ahead of her. There was also a big project coming up at the Physics College, and if Xiao Zhuo participated, it would serve as a strong card in her hand for the future. But alas, this incident happened at such a time, and Xiao Zhuo had also decided to keep the child conceived during the period of her radiation experiments, a child whose health wasn't even guaranteed. Ah, the ways of the young these days!
Xiao Zhuo didn't stay too long. After some conversation, she left wrapped in her loose overcoat.
"Aunt Zhuo... such a pity!" Since Jiao Yuan and the others were there, Jiao Ma didn't feel it was appropriate to be too explicit.
"Did Aunt Zhuo have a baby?" Jiao Yuan asked.
"Yes." Jiao Ma didn't want to say more. She was a bit tired from talking but couldn't fall asleep either.
After thinking for a moment, Mr. Jiao said to Jiao Yuan, "Speaking of babies, there's something you definitely don't know."
"What is it?"
Jiao Yuan and Gu Youzi looked at Mr. Jiao curiously, and Zheng Tan was no exception. However, Zheng Tan was mentally prepared for a "Let me tell you."
"Let me tell you..." Mr. Jiao took a manuscript notebook and started drawing on it as he spoke.
As expected. Zheng Tan tugged at his ear.
Although hearing "Let me tell you" was a bit annoying, Zheng Tan was still interested in what Mr. Jiao was about to discuss.
After so many years together, Jiao Ma had already guessed what Mr. Jiao was going to say. With a smile and a shake of her head, she just wanted to see the children's reactions later.
"Our human growth and development isn't accomplished in one step; it goes through many stages. Take the baby you just mentioned, for example. When a baby is in its mother's womb, it needs to go through several stages of development. For boys like you, Jiao Yuan, at the very beginning of embryonic development, you are actually not much different from girls."
Zheng Tan, Jiao Yuan: "!!"
If one were to describe the expressions on Zheng Tan and Jiao Yuan's faces at this moment, it would be as if they were watching someone eat feces.
Mr. Jiao ignored their reactions and continued, "Although boys start off similar to girls, during the subsequent growth and development process, there are five gender transition points."
Mr. Jiao drew a "Y" on the manuscript paper, "The chromosome that determines sex will send a signal at the right time. After this signal determines the direction of growth and development, there will be a series of hormonal responses in the following stages, and in each stage, the relevant hormones will send out gender transition signals, causing the embryo to switch from a female to a male developmental path. During the changes at these five gates, if there's any error at any gate, it's very likely to cause the embryo to develop in the female direction..."
While Mr. Jiao was still explaining, by this time, the two kids plus a cat had become completely stupefied.
What would a boy think if he was told that he actually changed from a girl?
Dammit, this can't be real... right?!
"I'm a guy! A real man! Got my manly bits!" Jiao Yuan couldn't care less at this moment and argued, nearly to the point of dropping his pants to prove his point.
"Yes, you are a boy, no one knows this better than us. I was just stating a normal fact, it's a phase change, a normal change that everyone goes through!" Mr. Jiao said earnestly.
Jiao Yuan still looked constipated while Zheng Tan wasn't much better off. However, a cat's face doesn't show as much expression as a human's, and since he was black, people could only tell there was something odd about the cat's face, not knowing that inside Zheng Tan's head, the alpaca was galloping again.
"Boys are boys, girls are girls! It's either male or female, how could there be such a thing?" Jiao Yuan was puzzled. Indeed, biology's changes and evolution are always a mysterious and screwed-up topic.
"Just to correct you, many researchers now believe that there aren't just two genders, male and female. There are at least five: male, male-leaning, intersex, female-leaning, and female."
Zheng Tan: "..." The alpaca in his mind continued to gallop.
"So, sometimes with gender identification, even without surgery, people with a Y chromosome might not appear male, although the chances are very small. But possibility is still a possibility, you can't deny it. You must be rigorous in your attitude towards science."
This last sentence from Mr. Jiao made Zheng Tan's tangled thoughts come to a halt.
Suddenly he thought of some things...