The director made no move to stop the woman, and Jiang Li certainly wasn’t going to intervene.
The female doctor was thoroughly beaten by the enraged patient before the director finally stepped forward and apologized.
“I’m very sorry. Because of our negligence, you nearly suffered a terrible loss. The hospital will definitely deal with this doctor appropriately.”
Having vented her anger, the woman finally calmed down. Fortunately, her baby was alive. After collecting herself, she left the hospital.
The director then turned to Jiang Li.
“I sincerely apologize for the trouble we’ve caused you. Please trust us—we will definitely deal with her.”
“How?” Jiang Li asked. “In just this short period today, she nearly harmed both of us. Two embryos are two lives. If a mother died during an abortion procedure, that would make four lives at stake. And that’s only today. Who knows how many people she’s harmed before now?”
The director was familiar with most of the staff employed by the hospital.
Calculating quickly, he realized the doctor had been working there for nearly six months.
On average, she saw several patients every day.
As he did the math, cold sweat nearly broke out on his forehead.
If she had been doing this regularly, how many unborn children had already lost their lives in this hospital?
“Comrade, please believe us. We will handle this very seriously.”
“Call the police,” Jiang Li said.
She was worried the hospital might simply dismiss the doctor or issue a lesser punishment. That would be far too lenient and would leave a dangerous medical risk hanging over society.
The director nodded.
“Very well. We’ll call the police and have them investigate.”
As for the damage this would cause to the hospital’s reputation, he could only accept it.
“No! No, Director, don’t call the police!” the doctor cried in panic. “I’ll quit! I’ll resign! Isn’t that enough? Please don’t call the police. I don’t want to go to prison.”
Jiang Li stared at her.
“Why were you doing this? You were deliberately sentencing other people’s children to death. Did you have some kind of ulterior motive?”
“A motive? What motive could I possibly have?” the doctor stammered. “I wasn’t doing it on purpose.”
“Whether you’re innocent or not isn’t for me to decide. The police will investigate.”
The director instructed someone to contact the authorities.
Before long, officers arrived and took the woman away.
As Jiang Li left the hospital, she gently placed a hand over her abdomen and looked back at the building.
The hospital wasn’t particularly large or small, yet it had still harbored such a dangerous doctor.
At this point, she was increasingly convinced that the woman had some sinister purpose.
Now it would be up to the police to discover what it was.
She had come hoping to see her baby through an ultrasound.
Instead, the entire experience had become deeply unpleasant.
She no longer felt like finding another hospital for a second opinion.
Instead, she headed straight for the post office.
As she walked, Jiang Li nervously rehearsed what she wanted to say to Lu Yuanshan.
How should she tell him that she intended to travel northwest and join him at his military posting?
And should she tell him about the baby now?
Taking a deep breath, she made up her mind.
No matter what, she intended to live a proper life with him this time.
In her previous life, she had wronged him in many ways.
He could think whatever he wanted of her.
She would spend the rest of her life making up for it.
Finally, she picked up the telephone at the post office counter and dialed the number of Lu Yuanshan’s military unit.
The line connected.
A female operator’s voice answered.
“Hello. This is the switchboard for the Second Regiment, First Division, Fifth Military Region. Who would you like to speak with?”
“I’d like to speak with Deputy Regiment Commander Lu Yuanshan.”
“And what is your relationship to Deputy Commander Lu?”
“I… I’m his wife. My name is Jiang Li.”
The moment she said it, her cheeks warmed noticeably.
She and Lu Yuanshan had known each other for only a few days before getting married. They had been separated less than three days after the wedding.
Love?
There wasn’t even any real affection between them yet.
“Very well. I’ll connect you immediately.”
A short while later, however, it was still the operator’s voice that came through the receiver.
“I’m sorry, Comrade Jiang Li. Deputy Commander Lu has been sent on a mission and is currently away from the military district.”
“He’s not there?”
Disappointment washed over her.
“When will he be back?”
What if he returned too late and the divorce paperwork was approved before she could stop it?
The operator replied apologetically,
“I’m sorry. Military assignments vary in length. I don’t know when he’ll return.”
“I understand.”
Jiang Li slowly hung up the phone.
Since Lu Yuanshan was away on a mission, he probably wouldn’t be back for several days.
In that case, she would handle everything herself.
Once she settled matters in Beijing, she would travel to the military district. If Lu Yuanshan still hadn’t returned, she would personally speak to his superior officers and withdraw the divorce application.
Northwestern Military Region
Everyone in the army knew that Lu Yuanshan had gotten married.
More than a month earlier, he had taken leave and, upon returning, immediately applied for family housing.
That could only mean one thing—he had a wife.
What nobody knew was what she looked like.
Because of injuries Lu Yuanshan had suffered during a mission, rumors circulated that he had lost the ability to father children and might even have difficulties with marital relations.
As a result, many soldiers assumed that any woman willing to marry him must either be unattractive or have problems of her own.
Most believed it was the former.
They were all eagerly waiting for the day Lu Yuanshan brought his wife to live with him on base.
Everyone wanted to see just how ugly she supposedly was.
Meanwhile, back in Beijing, Jiang Li left the post office and headed for the bank.
She successfully withdrew the ten thousand yuan stored in her savings account.
In reality, her family’s wealth amounted to far more than that.
Two additional bankbooks were locked inside a safety deposit box. Those accounts represented the bulk of the family’s remaining assets aside from their hidden treasures.
Using her own key and obtaining the second key from a bank supervisor, she opened the box and retrieved the two bankbooks.
Together, they contained another one hundred thousand yuan.
When her grandfather had still been alive, he had donated almost all of the family’s publicly known wealth in order to protect them.
What remained was only the amount they had been permitted to keep openly.
If her aunt and uncle hadn’t secretly worked against them, her parents would never have been sent away.
After withdrawing the money, she turned her attention to her job.
Both her parents had been highly educated intellectuals.
From childhood, Jiang Li had excelled academically and possessed numerous talents.
Because of the political climate, however, she had only been allowed to complete high school before finding work as an accountant at a textile factory.
In truth, thanks to her parents’ education, her knowledge surpassed that of many university graduates.
Compared to some students admitted through worker-peasant-soldier university recommendations, she was arguably even better educated.
Since her aunt intended to give away her job to someone else, Jiang Li needed to transfer it quickly.
She remembered that only two days ago, Sister Wu from her office had mentioned that her second daughter couldn’t find work after graduation and faced the prospect of being sent to the countryside.
Perhaps she could transfer the position to Sister Wu’s daughter instead.
Today was a workday.
Jiang Li had taken leave because her early pregnancy symptoms made her suspect she was pregnant.
By now it was already noon.
Sister Wu lived close to the factory and usually went home for lunch, so Jiang Li could simply visit her there.
But if she arrived now, the family would be eating.
Perhaps she should find something to eat herself first.
Just then, as she passed the corner of an alley, she suddenly spotted Jiang Jinxiu standing with a man in a deserted side alley.
Jiang Li immediately stopped.
Without hesitation, she slipped behind the corner and entered her space.
From there, hidden from view, she intended to watch and find out exactly what the two of them were doing.