"My son! You lot, break the door down right now! How dare you let some unlicensed intern who's under investigation by the commune try to save my son?! He was injured for the army! If this bad element ends up killing him, I'll have this hospital sued, I swear it!"
She had just heard that the person who went in to save her son was a barefoot doctor whose internship had been suspended. How could someone like that possibly save anyone?
"Auntie, Director Qi and Dean Cao have already explained it to you. Everyone said there was no hope, and only this Doctor Xiao was brave enough to say she could give it a try. Shouldn't we hold on to even the faintest sliver of hope? If you keep making a scene like this, you'll only distract the doctors. Don't you want Deputy Commander Shen to walk out of here alive and well?" Xiao Ding, Shen Linzhou's orderly, was in tears. Poor deputy commander—how could he have family like this?
When Shen Linzhou had been carried out of the accident site, the military leaders had already seen that his condition was dire. Afraid he might not make it, they had contacted the factory where Shen Linzhou's father worked, and coordinated with the local police station to send a car. It had taken two hours to bring the Shen family here. After all, Shen Linzhou hadn't been home in three years, and the leadership hoped he could have his family by his side in his final moments, with no regrets.
But Shen's mother, upon arriving at the hospital, hadn't asked a single question about Shen Linzhou's condition. The moment she saw the military leaders, she asked how much death compensation she would get. The man was still alive, and she was already asking about death benefits—that wasn't normal behavior.
Xiao Mandong had heard the commotion outside. When she opened the door, Shen Linzhou's mother came wailing and rushing in. She was about to throw herself onto Shen Linzhou when Xiao Mandong grabbed her: "I just barely managed to save him. What do you think you're doing?"
The military leaders had also been startled by Shen's mother's behavior. Everyone had seen Shen Linzhou's wounds. If he suffered a second injury, the consequences would be unthinkable. Luckily, the doctor had caught her in time.
The military leaders now deeply regretted notifying the Shen family in advance.
Shen's mother was yanked off balance. Once she steadied herself, she immediately started wailing at the top of her lungs: "You little witch! Are you deliberately keeping my son half-dead on purpose? I'm telling you—if my son ends up crippled, you'll be responsible! You kept a man locked in a room with you—what exactly were you doing in there? Are you messing around with my son?!"
"Silence!" The military leader's sharp shout startled Shen's mother into silence.
Xiao Mandong was also angered by Shen's mother's words: "You'd better take a good look. He had no pulse just moments ago. I pulled him back from the jaws of death. Judging by the way you're acting, you don't want me to save him, do you? What's the matter? Are you afraid that if he lives, you won't get your death compensation?"
Xiao Mandong's words hit right at Shen's mother's secret thoughts. If her son recovered fully, that would be fine—they could go back to living off his monthly military allowance like before. If he died, they could get a lump sum of compensation. But what if he ended up half-dead? Then he'd have to be discharged from the army, and someone would have to take care of him. And since the son had never married, the burden of care would all fall on the Shen family. They had neither the time nor the energy for that. Besides, wouldn't Shen Linzhou just be suffering? Better to die and win a good reputation than to live in misery.
But she didn't dare say any of that out loud.
Shen's father stepped forward: "Comrade, you misunderstand. My old lady is just uneducated. She's only causing a fuss because she's worried—her mouth runs away from her. Don't take it to heart." He then dragged Shen's mother out of the ward.
Shen's father couldn't believe how stupid the old woman was. The man was already confirmed alive. What was she still making a fuss about? When the son woke up and heard about today, wouldn't it break his heart?
The operating room finally fell quiet. Dean Cao and Director Qi immediately went to check on Shen Linzhou. Director Qi first felt his pulse while Dean Cao examined his pupils.
"His pulse is weak but steady—far better than before. His pupils are fully focused. No immediate danger to his life."
Zhou Qichuan, who had just come back after having his leg wound dressed, heard those words and rubbed his face excitedly. Shen Linzhou had been injured saving him. If Linzhou had died, Zhou Qichuan would never have forgiven himself for the rest of his life.
After discussing in the corridor, the Shen family told the military leaders that they had work and farm duties at home and couldn't stay to look after him. Since he was injured for the army, they assumed the military would arrange proper care. And with that, they went home.
The military leaders wouldn't have used this family to nurse him anyway, so they readily agreed.
The police car from the local station hadn't left yet, so it took the Shens straight back home.
The military had also heard about Xiao Mandong being under investigation. They immediately called the commune, demanding that Xiao Mandong be allowed to continue working while under investigation, and that Shen Linzhou's treatment plan be fully entrusted to her.
Dean Cao retrieved the piece of paper he had been holding. Zhang Chenghui was utterly frustrated. He had been so busy today that he hadn't even had time to see Shao Tingting, Xiao Mandong hadn't been kicked out, and she had stolen the spotlight. He hadn't expected Xiao Mandong to actually have that much skill.
Director Qi called Xiao Mandong to his office. He wanted to ask her how she had done it.
Xiao Mandong had already prepared her explanation. She pulled a century-old ginseng root and half a lingzhi mushroom from her pocket: "I found these in the mountains. I was afraid of losing them, so I've been carrying them on me. I wasn't sure if they'd work. Lingzhi can settle the breath, and century-old ginseng can hold a person's life. Combined with an acupuncture technique I once learned, I thought I'd give it a try. It worked—though mostly it was Deputy Commander Shen's strong will to live. I'd call it a miracle."
Director Qi nodded: "You've done a great service this time. Keep up the good work."
He understood that even if all the ginseng had been consumed, it wouldn't have saved the man. It must have been Xiao Mandong's acupuncture technique that did the trick. But traditional Chinese medicine values the transmission of lineage—she wouldn't reveal the secrets of her family's craft. He didn't press further.
The military would arrange nurses for Shen Linzhou. Zhou Qichuan's leg was also injured, and for convenience, the military assigned him a car that took both him and Xiao Mandong to and from the hospital each day.
Xiao Mandong declined the military's kind offer. She still preferred riding her bicycle to and from work by herself.
After a long day, she had just returned to the village when she saw Zhou Qichuan waiting for her at the entrance.
"You got back faster by car. Why didn't you just wait at my place?" she asked.
"Your mother is here."
"What did you say?" Xiao Mandong thought she had misheard.
"Go home and see for yourself. Several people came—men and women—claiming to be your family. There's a pregnant woman too. Your sister wouldn't let them in, so they're making a scene in front of your house."
Xiao Mandong jumped on her bike and raced home. She hadn't expected them to come looking for her. Were they here to demand the money from her selling her job?
