Chapter 124: The Older, the Wiser

Xu Yi was wheeled into the hospital room, with Qiao Jiu and Guan Wei following behind.

After the doctor and nurses finished explaining the precautions and left, Xu Yi began to whimper again, mumbling, “A-Jin, it hurts so much.”

Liang Xiujin reacted almost instinctively, lifting his foot as though to move toward the bed.

But Madam Liang gave a mild cough, and he immediately stopped.

Madam Liang walked over to the bedside. “Miss Xu, after suffering an injury and experiencing pain, you ought to learn your lesson. Next time, you should understand what can and cannot be done.”

Her words carried a double meaning, making Madam Xu frown. “My daughter has suffered such a serious injury. No one would blame you for not comforting her, but could you please stop making sarcastic remarks?”

“Satirical remarks?” Madam Liang smiled. “Can’t you bear to hear the truth?”

She glanced at Madam Xu. “There are some things you, as her mother, failed to teach her. I’m merely reminding her of a few points, and you’re still unhappy?”

Then she continued, “They say that when a child is not taught properly, the father is to blame. Madam Xu, you really ought to reflect on whether there is something wrong with your family upbringing. Otherwise, how could so many problems have arisen?”

“You…” Madam Xu shot to her feet, her old face flushing crimson.

Qiao Jiu cooperatively let out a sudden laugh from the side.

Madam Xu paused, then turned toward Qiao Jiu, gnashing her teeth.

Qiao Jiu hurriedly blinked her innocent eyes. “Sorry. I couldn’t help it.”

The corners of Madam Liang’s mouth lifted as she looked at Xu Yi again. “Miss Xu should be fine now, so we won’t disturb you any longer.”

She turned and headed outside. As she passed Guan Wei, she said, “Aren’t you coming?”

Guan Wei hurriedly answered twice and followed Madam Liang. Qiao Jiu went after them, with Liang Xiujin bringing up the rear.

Once they were out of the room, Madam Liang spoke neither loudly nor softly. The people inside should still have been able to hear her.

She addressed Liang Xiujin. “And you, too. Next time, distinguish whose troubles you can help with and whose you cannot. If you encounter something like this again, call the police and let them handle it. Don’t come running over and get yourself dragged into the mess.”

With that, she strode toward the elevator. Her high heels struck the corridor in a crisp, rhythmic clatter.

Qiao Jiu took a deep breath. “Madam Liang really is remarkably clear-headed.”

The elevator must have been upstairs, and Madam Liang did not wait for them. By the time Qiao Jiu and the others reached the elevator lobby, it had already gone down.

One had to admit that although Madam Liang did not seem particularly easy to get along with, she was rather likable.

When they went downstairs and headed outside, no one spoke. Qiao Jiu could sense that Liang Xiujin and Guan Wei probably had some private matters to discuss.

So instead of walking toward the parking lot, she turned around and said, “You two go on home. I’ll just take a taxi. Don’t argue. Whatever the problem is, try to talk it through.”

Guan Wei looked helpless. “Argue about what? We’re not going to argue. Don’t worry.”

It was not as though Liang Xiujin and Xu Yi had secretly gotten into trouble together. He was practically innocent in this matter.

Qiao Jiu waved at the two of them, then hurried toward the hospital exit.

She had to pass the emergency building on the way. Just as she reached it, an ambulance pulled to a stop. The doctor and nurses accompanying it hurriedly unloaded a mobile stretcher.

Qiao Jiu merely glanced over, then froze.

“Mr. Jiang?”

The family member accompanying the patient was Jiang Qingchen, and he looked panicked.

When he saw Qiao Jiu, he froze as well. “Qiao Jiu.”

That was all the greeting they exchanged. He then followed the doctor and nurses as they quickly pushed the patient into the emergency room.

Qiao Jiu stood where she was, unsure whether to leave or stay. In a situation like this, turning around and walking away without checking on them seemed a little too heartless.

After hesitating, she followed them into the emergency building. The patient had already been taken into the treatment room, while Jiang Qingchen stood outside.

Qiao Jiu walked over. “Mr. Jiang, what happened?”

Jiang Qingchen was covered in sweat. He turned to look at her. “It’s my mother. There was an accident.”

Qiao Jiu had not been able to see the patient clearly earlier, but now that Jiang Qingchen had turned toward her, she noticed that his clothes were stained with a great deal of blood.

She was startled. “Mr. Jiang, you…”

Jiang Qingchen lowered his head and looked at himself. “It isn’t mine.”

There was a chair nearby, and he went over to sit down. His voice was somewhat weak. “Why are you here?”

“I came to see a friend,” Qiao Jiu replied.

Jiang Qingchen said nothing. He stared at the treatment-room door, his lips pressed into a thin line.

Under the circumstances, Qiao Jiu could not very well turn around and leave, so she sat down beside him.

Before long, the treatment-room door opened, and a doctor came out. Jiang Qingchen’s mother had suffered more than superficial injuries; some of her internal organs had been damaged, and she needed surgery as soon as possible.

Jiang Qingchen panicked at once. Grabbing the doctor by the sleeve, he asked whether his mother would be all right and whether her life was in danger.

Qiao Jiu knew there was little point in asking those questions at that moment. She pulled Jiang Qingchen aside and asked the doctor what procedures needed to be completed.

Doctors preferred dealing with rational people. The doctor ignored Jiang Qingchen and instead explained to Qiao Jiu what they needed to prepare.

Qiao Jiu nodded. “All right, I understand.”

She first took Jiang Qingchen to complete the hospital admission procedures, then went to the hospital supermarket to buy some medical supplies.

Jiang Qingchen was trembling all over. In the end, Qiao Jiu handled nearly everything herself.

Qiao Jiu was speechless. What an unfortunate night this had turned out to be.

By the time the paperwork was finished, the patient had already been wheeled into the operating room. Qiao Jiu accompanied Jiang Qingchen as they waited outside. During a lull, she asked, “Are you the only one in your family? Isn’t there anyone else coming?”

Jiang Qingchen’s voice was soft and distant. “It’s just me. There are only the two of us.”

Qiao Jiu thought of herself. She, too, had once depended solely on her father, so she did not find it particularly strange.

She comforted him. “Don’t worry. She’ll definitely be fine. The doctor didn’t say it was especially dangerous when he came out earlier, so the risks should not be too great.”

Still, she was curious. “How did your mother get injured? Did she fall?”

Jiang Qingchen pressed his lips together, clearly unwilling to answer.

The surgery lasted more than two hours, and Qiao Jiu stayed with him until the end.

Fortunately, when the doctor came out after the operation, he said that everything had gone well. Her internal organs had been ruptured, but they had been sutured, and all she needed now was careful recuperation.

When the patient was being wheeled to the hospital room, Qiao Jiu finally got a clear look at her. There were numerous tiny wounds on her face, which appeared to be scratches.

If that was the case, then she probably had not been injured in a fall.

Once they reached the room, the doctor and nurses explained the precautions, and Jiang Qingchen acknowledged each one.

After they left, he visibly relaxed. Turning to Qiao Jiu, he said, “Thank you. Thank you so much for everything tonight.”

Qiao Jiu glanced at his clothes. “I might as well see this through to the end. Go home and change. I’ll stay here and keep watch.”

Jiang Qingchen lowered his head to look at himself, then nodded. “I’m sorry to trouble you.”

Qiao Jiu went over to sit in a chair nearby. It was not long before the phone in her pocket vibrated twice.

She took it out and looked at the screen. Lu Fengzhou had sent her a message asking whether she was asleep.

Qiao Jiu replied directly:

I’m asleep.

Lu Fengzhou called almost immediately.

“Why are you still awake?”

Qiao Jiu answered deliberately, “I knew you’d look for me, so I was waiting especially for you.”