Old Lady Wang stared fiercely at Xiao Mandong's retreating figure, her chest heaving rapidly, her eyes bloodshot.
She refused to believe that no one could handle this damned girl.
Old Lady Wang went straight to the dean's office. Without caring whether anyone was inside, she pushed the door open, plopped herself down on the floor, and began wailing, slapping her thighs.
"Dean, you have to do right by this old woman!"
Dean Cao was in the middle of hosting two officials from the Bureau of Health, discussing the repair of the hospital's American-made GE electrocardiograph machine. Old Lady Wang's outburst startled all three people in the room.
Before Dean Cao could react, Old Lady Wang launched into her tale—how Xiao Mandong had caused Wang Meixia's wound to tear open in anger, how she didn't care whether her own mother lived or died. She wept and sniffled, but from start to finish, she never once mentioned why Wang Meixia and Xiao Mandong had fought in the first place.
Dean Cao's face turned ashen.
He had sat in this position for over a decade and had seen all sorts of people, but today's situation was truly thorny—and the health bureau officials were sitting right there.
"Auntie, please get up first," Dean Cao said in a low voice, suppressing his irritation. "Let's talk this through calmly. I need to understand what happened before I can address it, don't you agree?"
"What's there to understand!" Old Lady Wang grew even more agitated. "Xiao Mandong is always throwing that whole 'cutting ties' thing in our faces. What does cutting ties have to do with today? The doctor said my daughter needs to be turned over in bed, but I'm an old woman—how am I supposed to turn her? When I saw that wound, my hands and feet went numb! If you don't deal with this today, Dean, I'll hang myself right here in this hospital!"
The two health bureau officials exchanged a glance and stood up.
"Dean Cao, you handle this first," one of them said, patting his shoulder. "We'll come back in a few days. You can file a report. But take care of the matter at hand."
Dean Cao's heart sank. The words were polite, but the meaning was crystal clear—they were telling him to "handle" Xiao Mandong's family dispute.
As soon as they left, Dean Cao rubbed his face hard.
Why did she have to pick this exact moment to cause a scene?
He turned to look at Old Lady Wang, who was still sitting on the floor, and his voice turned cold.
"Auntie, if you want to solve this problem, stand up and talk properly. If you keep up this wailing, I'll have to call the security detail or report you to the police. This is a hospital, and it's not a place where anyone can make a racket and get their way."
Old Lady Wang's crying hitched to a stop.
She knew she couldn't afford to make an enemy of the dean. You don't kick against the pricks. So she sheepishly got up off the floor and brushed the dust off her pants.
Dean Cao didn't say another word to her. He sent her home and then had someone summon Xiao Mandong.
By the time Xiao Mandong was called to the office, she already suspected what this was about.
Dean Cao laid out the situation without reproach, only letting out a sigh. "Xiao, I know you have your difficulties, but things have gotten this far. You need to do me this favor. Go tend to her for two nights, put on a show. All right?"
Xiao Mandong was silent for a few seconds, then nodded.
She couldn't put the dean in a tough spot, and she couldn't afford to give anyone ammunition against her.
As she walked out of the office, dusk had already fallen. She thought for a moment, then turned and headed to Shen Linzhou's ward.
Zhou Qichuan was in the room. When he saw Xiao Mandong enter, he stood up.
"Company Commander Zhou, I have a favor to ask of you."
"What is it? Go ahead."
Xiao Mandong briefly explained the situation: "Wang Meixia's wound has burst open, and it's a bit dangerous. I won't be coming back to the village for a few days. Could you pass a message to Xiao Manxue for me? Tell her not to worry. And also..." She paused for a moment. "Don't tell anyone else about this. Her being alone at home by herself isn't safe. If Zhou Xiaomei has the time, could she come stay with her for a couple of days?"
"Sure, no problem," Zhou Qichuan agreed without hesitation.
But the seed of suspicion in his heart began to swell again.
Just a few days ago, she'd said she was cutting ties with her own mother, swearing they'd have nothing to do with each other for life. And now, today, she's volunterring to stay at the hospital to care for her? That was too sudden a change.
Still... thinking of how decisive and capable she'd been when she saved Shen Linzhou, Zhou Qichuan figured someone like that probably wasn't the enemy agent he was looking for.
At the same time, at the other end of the hospital corridor.
Wang Yuanyuan, rubbing her cheek that Xiao Mandong had slapped red, rushed out of the ward and ran straight into someone.
"What the hell, you blind—?" She looked up and froze.
It was Lu Jianguo.
Lu Jianguo recognized her too. He'd seen this girl when they'd stirred up trouble in the village that day.
A couple of days ago, when he'd been bringing Wang Xiumei out of the hospital after her discharge, he'd happened to run into Xiao Mandong arguing with Old Lady Wang. After making some inquiries, he learned that Xiao Mandong's mother was hospitalized. He figured—if he could get Xiao Mandong's family to help persuade her, maybe there was still a chance at remarriage.
But as he was just walking up to the inpatient building, he heard a huge commotion inside. He was hesitating over whether to go in when Wang Yuanyuan came charging out.
Wang Yuanyuan recognized him at a glance.
A flash of cunning darkened her eyes. She pulled him toward a corner at the end of the corridor.
"You want to remarry her?"
Lu Jianguo didn't speak, which was as good as admitting it.
"Going to my aunt won't do you any good," Wang Yuanyuan said with a cold laugh. "Xiao Mandong is not the kind of person who listens to her family. She came down to the countryside in the first place just to protect Xiao Manxue. If you want her to change her mind, you've got to go after Xiao Manxue herself."
Lu Jianguo's brow furrowed.
Seeing that he stayed silent, Wang Yuanyuan continued: "Find a few idle thugs, have them snatch Xiao Manxue, and force Xiao Mandong to remarry you. Simple as that. You're overthinking a simple problem."
"How can that work?" Lu Jianguo shook his head instinctively. "That's a crime. I'd end up in prison."
"She'd never dare to report a kidnapping—not with Xiao Manxue's reputation at stake. What are you worried about?"
Wang Yuanyuan looked him up and down, her tone dripping with mockery: "You're such a coward. You don't even have the guts for this."
Lu Jianguo clenched his fists.
He thought about the state of his family right now. His mother had suddenly fallen ill, Wang Xiumei was pregnant, the money they'd borrowed to buy his job was still unpaid debt, and there wasn't a single penny of income coming in the household.
Only if Xiao Mandong came back would things be able to return to the way they were.
He gritted his teeth: "But Xiao Manxue never leaves the village. How am I supposed to grab her?"
A cruel light flickered in Wang Yuanyuan's eyes: "Leave that to me. You go back and round up some men now. Tonight, I'll find a way to get her out of the village."
Lu Jianguo was silent for a long time.
The corridor was dimly lit, and in the distance came the sound of a nurse's cart wheels turning.
"Fine," he said.
The two of them whispered in hushed tones for a while longer before going their separate ways.
When Wang Yuanyuan returned to the ward, Old Lady Wang had just been sent back by Dean Cao.
"Grandma, what did the dean say?"
"Told me that damned girl has to do two nights of nursing duty," Old Lady Wang spat. "It's a fitting punishment for her."
Wang Yuanyuan’s eyes darted around, and a plan took shape in her mind.
She leaned close to Old Lady Wang’s ear and whispered her scheme.
When she finished, Old Lady Wang’s eyes lit up with hope.
Fate was truly on her side—the dean had arranged for Xiao Mandong to do the night shift at the hospital, which meant Xiao Manxue would be home alone.
This was nothing short of a golden opportunity.
As dusk deepened, the sky darkened slowly.
Inside the stone house, Xiao Manxue was having dinner with Zhou Xiaomei.
Zhou Xiaomei’s brother had brought her over that evening to keep Xiao Manxue company. The two young women, close in age, chatted as they ate, and the evening passed without boredom.
Suddenly, a loud banging erupted at the courtyard gate.
Xiao Manxue set down her chopsticks, exchanged a glance with Zhou Xiaomei, then rose to answer the door.
Standing at the threshold was Wang Yuanyuan.
Her hair was a disheveled mess, her face streaked with tears, her eyes red and swollen. Her voice came out hoarse, barely above a whisper:
“Xiao Manxue, hurry… something terrible has happened…”
She grabbed Xiao Manxue’s hand, her fingernails nearly digging into the flesh:
“Your mother… she’s failing… she wants to see you one last time…”
