It had to be said that the Ding Dayang household was truly experiencing an unprecedented uproar. It wasn't just that more people had shown up than at his wedding; it was likely that even at his funeral, there wouldn't be this many.
And if nothing unexpected happened, with the news spreading, more people would arrive tomorrow, the day after, or even later this afternoon and evening. At that point, it wouldn't just be villagers coming to witness the spectacle. Friends and relatives from nearby villages, even from the county, might make a special trip to see for themselves.
After all, this situation was truly too rare.
It would feel like a loss not to witness the commotion.
It could be said that at this moment, apart from Ding Dayang himself and a few truly concerned family members who were quite anxious, most others were primarily there for the spectacle and out of curiosity. Their enthusiastic inquiries were just to glean more information, not out of genuine concern for Ding Dayang's well-being.
"Has Dayang really turned into a woman?"
"That's right, I saw it with my own eyes. His build and face are clearly those of a woman. But I have to say, she's quite attractive now, even prettier than your fiancée. What a shame, what a shame!"
"What's a shame? What, you want to marry her yourself! You've got a strange taste, my friend!"
"Hahahaha! Aren't you afraid that when he's doing 'that' with you, he might suddenly turn back into a man? Oh no, no, just thinking about it gives me goosebumps."
"By the way, what will happen to Sister Hua now? How will two women live together? And is their marriage certificate still legal? I feel like there will be a lot of trouble ahead, and his family will probably be dealing with this for a while!"
"Hey, why are you guys, all men, still standing here watching the show and laughing? Aren't you scared? Not knowing why Ding Dayang underwent such a transformation.
Aren't you afraid you'll end up like him?
Are you sure this... thing, won't spread?"
"Aunt Hu, do you think we're easily scared? Books have never mentioned any contagious disease that can turn a man into a woman. That's ridiculous, isn't it?"
"Hey, hey, hey, make way, make way! Shui Gen is here. Shui Gen definitely knows what's going on. Don't block the road in front of his house. If the illness worsens because of this, who will be responsible?"
While the crowd was chattering, Ding Shui Gen, the sole doctor at the village's only clinic, finally received the news and was being summoned. Although the villagers were enthusiastic about gossiping, they weren't so unreasonable as to deliberately block the doctor from attending to a patient.
So, they naturally parted ways, clearing a path.
This was to facilitate Ding Shui Gen's entry into the house.
However, Ding Shui Gen's expression was clearly somewhat nervous and apprehensive, tinged with helplessness. This was because as soon as he heard the rumors, he felt this was beyond his capabilities. At this moment, he was purely being dragged along by the villagers.
Whether they genuinely believed he had the ability to cure the illness, or were using the excuse of him treating the patient to get a firsthand look at Ding Dayang, who was hiding inside and refusing to come out, was hard to say.
But since he had come, he was indeed curious. Furthermore, if he couldn't cure it, he could still recommend going to the hospital, right?
So, after entering the house, he stated his willingness to help examine the patient but couldn't guarantee a cure. Wu Hua and the others had no other options for the moment. Since Ding Shui Gen wasn't confident about curing the illness, he wouldn't prescribe any medicine or charge any fees.
So, after a brief discussion, they agreed.
They even persuaded Ding Dayang together to open the door, at least to let Shui Gen in so he could examine the situation.
It had to be said that doctors did receive a bit of different treatment. Moreover, Ding Dayang was also desperately hoping that he was ill, rather than having transformed into a woman for some other reason. After a moment of hesitation, he opened a crack in the door, allowing Ding Shui Gen to enter, and then quickly locked the door again, not allowing anyone else in.
What followed was Ding Shui Gen's examination process.
As for the result...
It could only be said, 'Heh heh,' he didn't find anything.
Whether Ding Shui Gen used a stethoscope or traditional Chinese pulse-taking methods for diagnosis, he found no issues. Everything seemed normal, so normal that there was no indication that he was originally a man. It was as if she had been born female. In the end, under Ding Dayang's expectant gaze, Ding Shui Gen could only shake his head helplessly, stating that his skills were insufficient and he couldn't identify any problems. He suggested that if possible, it would be best to go to a major hospital and consult a renowned doctor.
He was truly powerless.
Afterward, Ding Shui Gen felt it was inappropriate to stay in Ding Dayang's house any longer. He apologized and left, opening the door.
He didn't even linger at Ding Dayang's house. After telling Wu Hua and the others outside that he was unable to help and that they should seek medical attention at a major hospital, he hurried back to his clinic.
In the following days, everything unfolded as Ding Yun had predicted. The household was never peaceful. There were people watching the spectacle, gossiping, and observing. Shamans, fortune-tellers, sorcerers, and temple priests from miles around, and even those who consulted spirits, made special trips.
Great deities were invoked, and talismanic waters were drunk.
The Earth God was worshipped, and the ancestors were sacrificed to.
Even rituals involving tying him with ropes soaked in black dog blood, treating him as a female ghost possession, and whipping him with willow branches dipped in virgin boy's urine to exorcise the spirit were performed multiple times. He was almost beaten to death, yet there was no change.
It was only at this point, after all superstitious methods had been exhausted with no results, that his family reluctantly sent him to the county hospital.
They hoped the county hospital might have a solution.
However, when the county hospital heard their story – that Ding Dayang was originally a man and had turned into a woman after falling into a cesspool – their first reaction was that this family was either sick, deliberately causing trouble, or suffering from some form of mass hysteria. In any case, they didn't take it seriously.
Later, the examination results confirmed that Ding Dayang was indeed a genuine woman. There was no possibility of him having been a man before. The earnest assurances from Wu Hua and the others were not as credible as the actual examination findings.
Eventually, the Public Security Bureau was called in.
Then, both the staff from the Public Security Bureau and the hospital staff were somewhat baffled by the information gathered so far. The household registration records from the Public Security Bureau clearly indicated that Ding Dayang was indeed a male, with two daughters. However, the hospital's examination results also clearly showed that the Ding Dayang before them was undeniably a woman. Apart from the age matching that of the Ding Dayang on the household registration, nothing else aligned.
She was even in her early thirties.
A woman who had never given birth.
"It doesn't seem like abduction. Who would abduct someone and then bring them to the Public Security Bureau themselves? And Ding Dayang seems to believe she was a man. It's too strange."
"But she's truly not a man. Based on blood, bone structure, and all other examinations, she is a genuine woman. Even if someone underwent surgery to change from male to female, it wouldn't alter bone density, let alone the possibility of childbirth."
"Then what is this situation? Is it a ghost?"
"Mass hysteria doesn't manifest like this..."
"The household registration photo of Ding Dayang from last time also looked quite similar to her. Even if they aren't the same person, they look like twins. No, siblings.
But we've never heard of him having twins!"
"Could it be an unregistered person trying to obtain a household registration?"
"What's there to fake? Besides, they aren't trying to fake the household registration. This is about changing the original male household registration to female. But where did the man go? Could he have killed his own family? I've never encountered anything so strange in my life.
No, my brain isn't functioning well enough for this."
"No, I think they're implying they firmly believe Ding Dayang was originally a man and want us to treat her, to turn her back into a man.
Isn't this just nonsense?"
...