“Yu Xia, you must donate blood to your cousin today!” a sharp female voice pierced her ears.
Yu Xia blinked, and her vision gradually came into focus. The familiar yet detestable face in front of her belonged to her aunt, Lin Fengxia.
“Doctor, she has O-type blood. Draw hers. Anyone can use it!” Lin Fengxia grabbed her arm, her fingernails almost digging into her flesh.
Yu Xia looked around in disbelief and exclaimed, “I was actually reborn?!”
One month before the apocalypse, Yu Xia’s cousin had been hospitalized to give birth and undergo surgery. By coincidence, Yu Xia had O-type blood. While her parents were away from home, her aunt and grandmother had forcibly dragged her to the hospital and pressured her into donating blood just to save the cost of purchasing blood.
She remembered that in her previous life, they had forced her to donate 600 ml of blood. If the doctor had not stopped them, they would probably have drained her dry.
Yu Xia had already been in poor health, and after donating so much blood, her anemia became even more severe. She could not even lift anything heavy. As a result, when the apocalypse arrived, she lacked even the most basic ability to protect herself and eventually froze to death during the extreme-cold apocalypse.
“I can’t donate blood.” I shook off Lin Fengxia’s hand, my voice so calm that even I was surprised.
The ward instantly fell silent. Grandma Yu widened her eyes, the wrinkles on her face bunching together as she shouted, “What did you say? Lili is your own cousin! She’s giving birth and needs surgery. She’ll die if she doesn’t have blood, and you actually want to stand by and watch her die?”
I let out a cold laugh and swept my gaze over these so-called family members. My uncle, Yu Jianguo, had a gloomy expression, while my cousin, Yu Zhiqiang, glared at me fiercely. Several other relatives who normally could not care less about me were also gathered around, as if I were some unforgivable criminal.
In my previous life, I had been too weak and had been suffocated by their moral coercion. But now, after experiencing the apocalypse, I knew that being softhearted would only get me killed.
“First of all, I’ve been taking antibiotics recently, so donating blood could pose a risk to my cousin.” I casually made up an excuse. “Secondly, shouldn’t the hospital blood bank have B-type blood? Why do you have to draw mine?”
“Bullshit!” Yu Zhiqiang lunged toward me and reached out to grab me. “The doctor said blood from the blood bank costs money. Your blood can be used and it’s free! Stop making excuses!”
I sidestepped him and quickly retreated behind the nurses’ station. “Miss Nurse, is donating blood required to be voluntary under hospital regulations?”
The young nurse hesitated for a moment before nodding. “Yes. The person has to give their consent…”
“You heard her, didn’t you? I’m not willing to donate.” I stared at the Yu family and enunciated every word. “Besides, forcing someone to donate blood is against the law.”
Grandma Yu suddenly sat down on the floor and burst into loud wails. “What a sin! How did the Yu family end up with such an ungrateful wretch like you? What’s wrong with taking a little of your blood after raising you all these years? If anything happens to Lili, I’ll never forgive you, even in death!”
Yu Jianguo suddenly slammed his palm onto the table, making the plastic cup on it wobble. His face flushed red, and the veins on his forehead bulged.
“That’s right, my daughter is waiting for your blood to give birth. You have to donate it whether you want to or not!” His voice was harsh and urgent, as if he were finally unleashing all the arrogance he had accumulated over the years. “Otherwise, otherwise, I’ll disown you as my niece!”
The patients and their families nearby all turned to look, whispering among themselves, but Yu Jianguo paid no attention. He simply felt that it was only natural. She was family, so her blood should be given to his daughter. It was only right.
Yu Xia stood where she was, her fingertips growing slightly cold. She neither moved nor spoke, merely staring coldly at him. There was no anger or grievance in her pitch-black eyes, only an icy indifference. Her gaze was like a blade, slowly and precisely cutting through her uncle’s intimidating facade until his arrogance gradually faded.
Yu Jianguo felt a chill run through him under her stare. He instinctively took half a step back, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed nervously.
Grandma Yu slumped on the floor, her withered hands slapping against the spotless hospital tiles as she threw her head back and wailed, “My poor Lili! Why is your life so miserable? If the family weren’t so poor, how could we let you go into surgery without a blood pack?” She cried so bitterly that her nose was running and her face was covered in tears, yet she kept peeking at Yu Xia through the gaps between her fingers.
She had used this trick for most of her life, and it had always worked. When she was young, she had used it to make her husband hand over his entire salary to her. When she grew old, she used the same tactic to pressure her younger son into continually supporting her eldest son. Now, she was using the exact same trick again, waiting for Yu Xia to soften.
“What a sin! We’re all family, and you’re just going to watch someone die!” Grandma Yu beat her chest and stomped her feet, deliberately making enough noise for the entire corridor to hear. “What’s the point of me staying alive? I might as well bang my head against the wall and die!”
Several nurses came rushing over when they heard the commotion, but Yu Jianguo stopped them. “Don’t interfere. It’s a family matter!” He turned around and glared fiercely at Yu Xia, a hint of smugness mixed into his threatening gaze, as if he were saying, Just how long do you think you can keep this up?
Yu Xia watched the farce coldly. She knew her grandmother’s tricks far too well. When she was little and her father had just managed to earn some money, her grandmother had also sat on the floor and cried like this, only to take all the money he had just brought home and give it to her uncle’s family to buy a new house.
Now, the same scene was playing out all over again.
Yu Xia slowly crouched down until she was at eye level with her grandmother’s swollen eyes and said softly, “You want to bang your head against something?” She pointed toward the load-bearing wall behind her. “That wall is sturdy. It’ll work better.”
Grandma Yu’s crying abruptly stopped. She sat there frozen with her mouth open, so stunned that she even forgot to continue her fake sobbing.
“Oh, my, we’re all family. Let’s talk things out!” Lin Fengxia squeezed her way forward with a sway of her waist, her face covered in a hypocritical smile as she reached out to grab Yu Xia’s arm. Her shrewd eyes darted around like those of an old fox that had caught the scent of prey.
Yu Xia sidestepped her, her fingernails unconsciously digging into her palm. It was this very smile that she remembered so clearly. After the apocalypse arrived, Lin Fengxia had affectionately linked arms with Grandma Yu and seemingly mentioned it in passing.
“Mom, you probably don’t know this, but Xia Xia has always loved stockpiling supplies since she was little. She must have plenty stored at home.”
Three days later, the door to Yu Xia’s house was smashed open. Lin Fengxia stood at the back, still pretending to plead, “Jianguo, be gentler. Don’t scare the child.” Yet those hands, coated with cheap lipstick, were gripping a half bag of flour that she had taken from Yu Xia’s cupboard.
“Xia Xia,” Lin Fengxia now put on that same kindly elder’s expression again. “Your cousin’s life is hanging by a thread. Just take pity on her…”
While they were distracted, Yu Xia’s gaze fell upon the bright red apple on the bedside table and the fruit knife beside it. She quietly picked up the fruit and slipped it into her pocket for protection.
“Crunch.”
The crisp sound of her bite was almost inaudible amid the noisy ward. The sweet juice burst across her mouth, and the familiar fragrance of the fruit made her fingertips tremble slightly.
What a luxury.