The woman held a string bag in her hand, containing a lunchbox, a tea mug, a towel, soap, and similar items, along with two bottles of malt extract and a few red apples.
Who was this fashionable woman? Zhou Zhijun couldn't recall for a moment.
Zhou Hongxia also turned her head to look at the newcomer, her eyes full of confusion.
The woman had already walked up to them. "Brother Zhijun, my cousin called and told me everything. How is she?"
As she spoke, the woman handed over the string bag in her hand. "My cousin said you came in a hurry and didn't bring any necessities. I just bought these at the store!"
Only then did Zhou Zhijun remember; she was Wu Mingwei's cousin from his aunt's side, named Zuo Jinhui.
That year, when he and Wu Mingwei returned from the army, it was already the middle of the night when they arrived at the county town by bus, so Wu Mingwei took him to stay at the Zuo family's house.
The next day, they encountered a heavy rainstorm and couldn't travel, so they stayed for another two days.
Zuo Jinhui had an older brother about the same age as Zhou Zhijun, who had already started working at that time.
Zuo Jinhui was only thirteen or fourteen then, still in middle school.
She had a lively personality and wasn't shy around strangers. She quickly became acquainted with Zhou Zhijun, calling him "Brother Zhijun" in a sweet and crisp voice.
A few years ago, when Zhou Zhijun went to visit Wu Mingwei's mother, he bumped into her again.
At that time, she chatted with Zhou Zhijun about the past, her eyes sparkling. "Brother Zhijun, I always remembered you, looking so heroic in your military uniform..."
The items were offered right in front of him, and it would be impolite for Zhou Zhijun not to accept. He took the string bag and said, "Sister Jinhui! Sorry for troubling you to make a trip, and for making you spend money!"
"Brother Zhijun, why are you being so polite with me?" Zuo Jinhui said with a smile.
Seeing a fashionable woman arrive who sounded like a relative, Dr. Li stopped in his tracks and whispered to Zhou Zhijun, "See if you can borrow some from her!"
Zhou Zhijun understood what Dr. Li meant, but he had only met Zuo Jinhui twice in total, and she was a female comrade; he really couldn't bring himself to ask.
"Dr. Li, please do me a favor and start the blood transfusion first. I will go back and get the money right now!"
Hearing this, Zuo Jinhui quickly chimed in, "I've already paid the hospitalization fee!"
Last night, Wu Mingwei had paid a fifty-yuan hospitalization fee. The patient was severely injured, needing both medication and a blood transfusion, so he knew that fifty yuan was nowhere near enough.
Early this morning, he called Zuo Jinhui, explained the situation to her, and asked her to bring two hundred yuan to pay the hospital fee.
Upon hearing that it was Zhou Zhijun's relative in the hospital, Zuo Jinhui didn't hesitate. She took some time off from her workplace and rushed to the hospital with the money. She paid the fee first before coming to the ward.
Hearing her say this, Zhou Zhijun's hanging heart finally settled. He said gratefully, "Thank you so much, Sister Jinhui!"
"Brother Zhijun, are you still being polite with me?" Zuo Jinhui said, pulling out a few ten-yuan bills and some coupons from her bag, handing them to Zhou Zhijun. "Brother Zhijun, take this to use!"
Chuntao hadn't woken up yet, and Zhou Zhijun wouldn't feel at ease going home to get money at this time, so he had no choice but to accept it. "Sister Jinhui, you've done me a huge favor! I don't even know what to say!"
"It's a small matter, not worth mentioning." Zuo Jinhui waved her hand. She still had to work, so she took a look at Chuntao in the ward and hurriedly left.
With the hospital fee paid, Chuntao smoothly received her blood transfusion, but she still hadn't woken up, and Zhou Zhijun's heart remained tightly clenched.
The food bought in the morning was placed on the bedside table, long gone cold.
Zhou Hongxia dipped a towel in warm water and gently wiped Chuntao's dry, cracked lips.
Zhou Zhijun stood by the hospital bed watching, silently praying in his heart that she would wake up soon.
Chuntao woke up in the evening. She opened her eyes, and the first thing she saw was Zhou Zhijun's dark, solemn face.
"Brother Zhijun..." Her voice was terribly hoarse, so soft it could barely be heard.
Zhou Zhijun hadn't closed his eyes for two days and one night. He was sitting by the bed dozing off, but he heard Chuntao's faint voice clearly and suddenly opened his eyes wide.
Both surprised and overjoyed, his voice choked up, "You're awake?"
Chuntao recalled that terrifying scene; her brows furrowed subconsciously, and her heartbeat couldn't help but accelerate.
Glancing toward the ward's window, it was already dark outside. She felt a bit dazed, not knowing where she was.
She retracted her gaze and tried to sit up, but as she exerted force with her left hand, a piercing pain instantly filled her eyes with tears.
"Don't move, your wrist is injured!"
Zhou Zhijun brushed a stray strand of hair from her forehead aside, then carefully helped her sit up, letting her lean against the headboard.
"You must be hungry, right? Hongxia went to buy food and will be back in a bit!"
Chuntao looked around and asked softly, "Where is this?"
"The county hospital. The doctor said you'll be fine after resting here for a few days." He pretended to be relaxed.
Not long after, Zhou Hongxia returned, carrying a portion of millet porridge and a few large steamed buns wrapped in brown paper.
Seeing that Chuntao was awake, she was so happy her voice trembled. "Sister-in-law Chuntao, you're finally awake! I was scared to death!"
Chuntao looked at Zhou Hongxia's dark circles and felt awful, saying guiltily, "Hongxia, I'm really useless, causing trouble for you again..."
"Don't say that! What trouble? As long as you're okay, that's all that matters!"
Zhou Zhijun and Zhou Hongxia only knew that Chuntao had been stabbed; they weren't clear on the specific causes and consequences.
Chuntao had just woken up and her body was still very weak, so the two didn't ask further.
Zhou Hongxia wet the towel, wiped her face and hands, and then picked up the porridge to feed her.
"I can drink it myself!" Chuntao quickly said. As long as she had even a bit of strength, she didn't want to trouble others.
Holding the lunchbox, she drank the millet porridge and ate a steamed bun. She felt a bit of energy return to her body, and a trace of color gradually appeared on her face.
Seeing her like this, the heavy stone in Zhou Zhijun and Zhou Hongxia's hearts finally dropped.
Only then did Zhou Zhijun feel hungry, and he picked up a steamed bun to eat.
Chuntao looked at their exhausted faces and bloodshot eyes, feeling terrible in her heart.
Words of gratitude were stuck in her throat, unable to be spoken. She knew that a simple "thank you" was far too light.
Lying on the hospital bed, her thoughts had long flown back home.
She thought of the piglets that had just been operated on, the newly hatched chicks, and the watermelons in the East Gully, and her brows couldn't help but furrow.
Zhou Hongxia saw her worry and comforted her, "Sister-in-law Chuntao, don't worry about things at home. My dad and the others are taking care of it, everything is fine. You just focus on recovering!"
Chuntao looked soft and weak, but she had a stubborn streak in her bones and never wanted to trouble others.
But as fate would have it, she had troubled Zhou Zhijun's family quite a bit with the chores at home and in the fields.
Now she was lying in the hospital again, with the uncle and niece busying themselves for her, guarding her bedside day and night, while also troubling Zhou Zhiguo and the others to look after her home.
These heavy debts of gratitude weighed on her heart like massive boulders.
Her grandmother used to always say: "A drop of kindness should be repaid with a surging spring." She wasn't someone who didn't understand gratitude; if someone respected her a foot, she always wanted to return a yard.
But even if she had the intention to repay them with a surging spring, she truly lacked the capability.
Yesterday, Zhou Zhijun and the others had all gone looking for Chuntao, and Wang Xiaohong was also restless at home.
In the late afternoon, she heard Wang Chunxiao say that her mother and Wang Haibao and the others had returned, so she hurriedly ran over to ask about the situation.
Liu Cuilan did not hide anything. She explained Chuntao's situation and told Wang Xiaohong to stay out of it, leaving the matter to Zhou Zhijun.
Hearing this, Wang Xiaohong burst into anxious tears. She ran all the way home, determined to go see Chuntao.
Unexpectedly, she bumped into Zhou Zhiguo on the main road. He had originally intended to keep it a secret from her, but since Liu Cuilan had already spilled the beans, he decided to just tell her the whole truth.
Wang Xiaohong grew even more worried upon hearing the details. However, the buses to the city had stopped running for the day, so she had no choice but to wait until the next morning.
Bright and early, before the sun even rose, she took the bus to the county hospital, clutching a few dollars she had borrowed from Zhou Zhiguo's family.
Once Wang Xiaohong arrived, she sent Zhou Hongxia home.
For the next few days, Wang Xiaohong and Zhou Zhijun took turns caring for Chuntao.
During the day, while Chuntao was on her IV drip, Wang Xiaohong kept watch. At night, Zhou Zhijun took over.
Zhou Zhijun stayed up until his eyes were completely bloodshot, which made Chuntao feel incredibly guilty.
"Brother Zhijun, I am fine now. Go find a place to get some sleep!"
"I am not sleepy. You go to sleep, and I will rest when I get tired." Zhou Zhijun might have said that, but his eyes betrayed a deep, unhideable exhaustion.
Late at night, the hospital ward was pitch black. The other patients and their visiting families had all fallen asleep, but Chuntao's mind was in turmoil. She closed her eyes but felt no trace of sleepiness.
Suddenly, a warm breath tinged with the scent of sweat brushed against her face. Startled, Chuntao jolted and snapped her eyes open.
In the faint moonlight filtering through the gap in the curtains, she saw Zhou Zhijun leaning over her, his lips moving closer to hers.
Chuntao's body stiffened instantly, and she did not even dare to breathe. Zhou Zhijun had lost his mind! This was a hospital ward...
