In the emergency room, the doctor first reached out to check Chuntao's pulse, then peeled back her eyelids to take a look.
His brows knitted tightly into a knot. He suddenly turned his head and shouted urgently to the nurse beside him, "She's in danger! Get ready for a blood transfusion! Hurry!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, the crisp clatter of medical instruments and the quick footsteps of the nurse echoed through the emergency room.
Zhou Zhijun leaned against the wall with both hands, his jaw clenched tight. His fingernails dug into the plaster wall, causing flakes of it to crumble and fall.
Suddenly, the door to the emergency room creaked open a crack. A nurse leaned halfway out and shouted urgently to the people outside, "Go pay the hospitalization fee right away! She needs a blood transfusion soon, so hurry up!"
Zhou Zhijun reflexively patted his pockets, only to realize he didn't have a single penny on him. A layer of cold sweat instantly broke out on his forehead.
"Zhijun, I've already paid the fee!"
Wu Mingwei walked briskly over from the other end of the corridor, looking at Zhou Zhijun and asking, "How is she?"
"They said she needs a blood transfusion soon!" Zhou Zhijun's voice trembled.
He grasped Wu Mingwei's hand tightly, his eyes full of gratitude. "You're busy with work, you should head back first!"
Wu Mingwei was indeed tied up. Aside from the missing persons case in the commune, there were also many petty thefts and trivial matters waiting for him to handle.
He had come to the county town for a meeting earlier that morning specifically to report on the security situation of the Qingshan Commune.
The county officials had repeatedly urged him to solve the two missing persons cases as quickly as possible, terrified that something similar might happen again.
He had just returned from the county when he heard that someone had been stabbed. Before he even had time to ask for details, he and Wang Jinlong hurried to the clinic to check on the victim.
To his surprise, the victim turned out to be Zhou Zhijun's sister, and she was severely injured.
Since she hadn't woken up yet, how could he leave with peace of mind? No matter how busy he was, he had to stay.
After all, this case was no small matter, and given his relationship with Zhou Zhijun, he couldn't just wash his hands of it.
"It's fine, I'll stay and head back first thing tomorrow morning!"
He said this with furrowed brows, his heart fluttering with anxiety.
If this really resulted in a loss of life, not only would Secretary Wang be implicated, but there would be no way to explain it to the county leaders.
The emergency room door suddenly opened again, and a nurse hurried out carrying an empty tray.
Just as Zhou Zhijun was about to step forward and ask, the nurse was already heading toward the pharmacy.
A moment later, she returned with a heavy tray holding saline, glucose injections, IV tubing, and a bag of blood.
Zhou Zhijun opened his mouth to ask about the situation but swallowed his words, afraid of delaying the nurse's work.
The few of them stood stiffly in the corridor outside the emergency room. No one spoke; they could only hear each other's heavy breathing.
Chuntao's life hung in the balance, and every second felt as long as a century. The string in Zhou Zhijun's heart was pulled taut, feeling as though it might snap at any moment.
Zhou Hongxia stood beside him, not daring to make a sound when she saw his deathly pale face.
Why was Chuntao's life so bitter? Wang Jieshi had already dragged her down until she was a shadow of her former self, and now she had to encounter something like this.
Her heart was filled with regret; if she had known this would happen, she never would have invited her to the fair.
If something terrible happened, she would die of guilt for the rest of her life.
As she thought about it, Zhou Hongxia's nose stung, and tears rolled down her cheeks.
Zhou Xiaowei turned his head to glance at her but said nothing. His eyes also revealed his distress, and the soles of his shoes unconsciously rubbed against the concrete floor.
Zhou Zhijun leaned against the wall for a while, then began pacing back and forth in the corridor.
The others were the same, standing for a bit, then squatting, feeling uncomfortable all over, their faces etched with anxiety.
After an unknown amount of time, the emergency room doors finally opened all the way.
The doctor walked out. His expression remained solemn, but the knot between his brows had clearly loosened a bit.
"Doctor, how is she?" Zhou Zhijun was the first to rush forward, his voice hoarse.
"The wound has been re-stitched and bandaged, and the blood transfusion has started. Her blood pressure is slowly stabilizing, but we need to keep observing her!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a nurse walked out and called, "Family members, come lend a hand and move the patient to the ward!"
Zhou Zhijun and the others carefully lifted Chuntao onto a gurney, pushed her into the ward, and gently moved her onto a hospital bed.
Chuntao was frail to begin with, and now she looked even more delicate. Her pale face was completely devoid of color, like paper, as if a gust of wind could blow her away.
There were five iron-frame beds in the ward. Including Chuntao, there were three patients in total. The other two were elderly and had already fallen asleep, letting out soft snores.
The nurse looked at the people crowded into the room and said in a low voice, "It's fine to leave two family members here, but the rest of you should go back. Don't disturb the patients' rest!"
Zhou Zhijun gave the others a look and was the first to walk out of the ward, with the rest following behind.
He looked at Wu Mingwei. "Mingwei, it's the middle of the night, and there are no cars going back now. Find a place to rest for the night and head back first thing tomorrow morning!"
With a pile of matters waiting to be handled at the station, Wu Mingwei said, "The supply and marketing cooperative's car is still waiting outside. I'll take that back! If you need anything, call the station!"
As he spoke, he pulled a pen and paper from the canvas bag he carried, jotted down a string of phone numbers, and handed it to Zhou Zhijun.
Zhou Zhijun nodded, then turned to Zhou Zhimin and Zhou Xiaowei. "You two catch a ride back as well. Hongxia and I will stay here and keep watch!"
"Second Uncle, let Hongxia go back. I'll stay! If anything happens, I can lend a hand!" Zhou Xiaowei said, stiffening his neck.
"It's more convenient for Hongxia to stay and take care of her. You can't be of much help here, go back!" Zhou Zhijun's tone left no room for argument.
"Then... alright! I'll come back tomorrow!" Zhou Xiaowei muttered, hanging his head.
"No need to come. If anything happens, I'll have someone send a message!" Zhou Zhijun waved his hand.
Zhou Zhimin also hypocritically leaned in, rubbing his hands together. "How about I stay too!"
"No need, all of you go back!" Zhou Zhijun frowned, clearly impatient.
"Zhijun, if anything happens, be sure to call the station!" Before leaving, Wu Mingwei anxiously reminded him once more.
After they left, Zhou Zhijun told Zhou Hongxia to sleep for a while on an empty bed in the ward while he kept watch.
Seeing that Chuntao hadn't woken up yet, how could Zhou Hongxia sleep? "Second Uncle, you've been tired all day. You get some sleep, and I'll call you if anything happens!"
Zhou Zhijun didn't move. He just sat on the wooden chair by the bed, staring unblinkingly at Chuntao's pale face.
Zhou Hongxia sat on the edge of the bed. Neither uncle nor niece spoke. The ward was so quiet that only the ticking sound of the medicine dripping in the IV tube could be heard, striking panic into their hearts.
That night, Chuntao received three bottles of IV fluids and two bags of blood, lasting until seven or eight in the morning. The two of them didn't close their eyes all night, their eyes bloodshot.
As soon as the doctor arrived for work, Zhou Zhijun hurried to the consultation room and asked, "Doctor, when will she wake up?"
The doctor followed him to the ward, checked Chuntao's blood pressure, listened to her heart and lungs, and frowned again.
"The patient was already weak to begin with, and she lost too much blood. Two bags of blood aren't enough; she needs another one to replenish her blood volume first...
If she doesn't wake up after twenty-four hours, the situation will be troublesome!
But don't worry too much; the chances of her not waking up are slim!"
The doctor's words were like a roller coaster, sending Zhou Zhijun's emotions soaring and plummeting, making his heart ache with anxiety.
"Doctor, then hurry up and give her a blood transfusion!" Zhou Zhijun stomped his feet in anxiety.
The doctor gave the nurse a look, signaling her to fetch blood from the blood bank.
A moment later, the nurse hurried back empty-handed, clutching a billing slip.
"Dr. Li, out of the fifty-dollar admission fee paid last night, there's only a few dollars left! The blood and medicine must be paid for before they can be issued!"
Dr. Li turned around and said sternly to Zhou Zhijun, "Hurry up and pay the balance. Don't delay the patient's treatment!"
"Doctor, could you please start the blood transfusion first? I'll go back and get the money right now!" Zhou Zhijun's voice trembled.
"The hospital has its rules: pay first, then treat. That's set in stone! Go gather the money and stop dawdling!"
Dr. Li's tone was rigid, leaving absolutely no room for negotiation.
"My home is over thirty miles away. A round trip by bus takes more than half a day! Doctor, I beg you to save her first. I'll pawn everything I own and bring you the money today!"
In all his life, Zhou Zhijun had never humbled himself to beg anyone. Today was the first time.
For Chuntao, let alone begging, he would willingly fall to his knees and kowtow.
Dr. Li frowned, hesitating for a long while before finally saying, "If you have relatives in the city, why don't you go borrow from them first?"
"We don't have a single relative in the city!" Zhou Hongxia, standing beside them, cut in with a sob. "Doctor, I'm begging you, please save her first! We will definitely pay the money, not a penny less!"
Dr. Li sighed and finally relented. "Never mind. I'll go talk to the pharmacy and the blood bank, and try my best to get the blood released for you first!"
Right at that moment, a clear female voice suddenly rang out from the other end of the corridor. "Brother Zhijun!"
The voice was completely unfamiliar. Zhou Zhijun's heart skipped a beat, and he whipped his head around toward the sound.
A fashionably dressed young woman was walking toward him. Zhou Zhijun furrowed his brows, unable to recognize who she was for a moment.
