Xia Min quickly yanked open the half-closed door.
But there was nothing outside.
Hu Yinglian hurried over and boldly rushed out of the house to look around. All she caught was a glimpse of someone’s back disappearing around the corner of a house up ahead.
The person vanished so quickly that she couldn’t get a clear look.
Hu Yinglian glared at Xia Min. “Look at you! You didn’t even close the door properly. Who knows who that was or how much they overheard!”
Xia Min guiltily bit her lip. “It’s not like we said anything…”
Hu Yinglian swiftly shut the door.
“From now on, even when we’re inside our own home, we’re never mentioning what happened that night again. Remember that!”
Meanwhile, the skinny Qin Wang ran away as fast as he could, his heart pounding in his chest.
He didn’t stop until he reached home, where he immediately shut the door behind him.
Ming Shuangfeng asked anxiously, “What happened? Did you see something again?”
Qin Wang panted as he answered, “Mom, I heard a sentence or two, but I don’t know if I heard them correctly. Xia Min said Xia Junsheng told her he was going to get rid of the person who saved Sister. So Xia Min thought Xia Junsheng had pushed that person into the river!”
Ming Shuangfeng’s eyes widened.
“Th-That’s murder! Good heavens, how could they dare do something like that?! Xiao Wang, are you sure you heard them clearly?”
Faced with his mother’s shocked and nervous expression, Qin Wang suddenly lost confidence.
“I… I was a little far away, so I’m not sure if I heard correctly. I wanted to get closer and listen, but I accidentally bumped into the door ring. They came running out, so I ran away.”
Ming Shuangfeng exchanged a look with her son, then paced around the room several times before stamping her foot.
“Whether it’s true or not, your sister is still sick, and she’s gone to take care of the man who saved her life. That man still hasn’t woken up, so his condition must be serious.
“Right now, it’s just the two of us at home. Don’t go out again. Whatever you do, don’t cause any more trouble. The people in this village won’t readily help our family. Let’s wait until your sister comes back, then we’ll discuss what to do.”
Qin Wang disagreed and protested quietly, “But Mom, Sister told me to keep an eye on Xia Min! Don’t worry. They didn’t see me. I’ll be careful.”
“You child! Listen to your sister, but even so, you shouldn’t go out again right now. Wait until things calm down first. Otherwise, I’ll have to go with you!
“If they really dared to push someone into a hole in the ice, then it’s far too dangerous for you to keep spying on them!”
“Mom, you…”
Seeing how agitated his mother was, Qin Wang could only compromise for the time being.
“Fine, fine. I won’t go today, okay?”
While tensions ran high at home, Qin Yuan was equally anxious inside the ambulance.
She stared at the trees rapidly receding outside the window, her heart lodged firmly in her throat.
Every so often, she turned to look at the unconscious man in the back, desperately hoping they would reach the hospital soon and that the doctors could wake him up as quickly as possible.
The weather was bitterly cold.
It took Qin Yuan quite a while to realize that her hands were freezing.
She instinctively tried to put them into her pockets, but the moment her fingertips accidentally touched the pair of underpants inside, she immediately pulled her hand back and tucked it into her sleeve instead.
This was already the third time she’d done that today.
She still felt incredibly awkward.
Never in her life had she handled an unfamiliar man’s intimate clothing from such close range.
If those underpants weren’t the only intact piece of clothing belonging to her benefactor—and if the embroidered character “Wang” on them weren’t such an important clue—she truly wouldn’t have wanted to carry them around.
Just then, a thought flashed through Qin Yuan’s mind.
Wang?
In her previous life, hadn’t she seen something with the character “Wang” written on it in the Xia household too?
What was it?
Qin Yuan tried desperately to remember, but far too many years had passed.
For the moment, she simply couldn’t recall.
Behind her, the nurses’ voices suddenly sounded.
“Oh no, his temperature has shot up! It’s already thirty-nine degrees! These are typical complications after falling into freezing water. The icy water causes the blood vessels in the skin to constrict. Besides the frostbite on the surface, he inhaled cold water into his lungs, and the low temperature weakened his immune system. He’s developed a lung infection.”
“Mm! There’s obvious redness and swelling on his hands, feet, and ears. The frostbite has already set in. If treatment is delayed any longer, it could lead to infection and tissue necrosis. What about his blood pressure? Hurry and check it!”
“…His blood pressure is elevated too! Prepare a penicillin injection. I’ll start cooling him down physically.”
“Be careful when wiping the frostbitten areas.”
“I know.”
Qin Yuan, whose thoughts had been wandering only moments ago, tightly gripped the hem of her clothes.
She didn’t dare turn around.
She was terrified that the moment she did, she would hear even worse news.
After a flurry of activity behind her, the nurses began speaking quietly again.
“…Good thing we’re already heading to the hospital. In his condition, if he’d stayed at that forestry station clinic without proper rewarming equipment, he definitely wouldn’t have made it.”
“Shh! Just focus on the emergency treatment. He’ll be fine once we reach the hospital. If you keep talking like that, you’ll frighten his family member!”
The conversation behind her stopped.
Qin Yuan slowly loosened her clenched fingers and murmured under her breath.
Heaven, please protect him.
Dad, if your spirit is watching over me, please protect him too.
Nothing can happen to my benefactor!
The journey was forty kilometers.
The old-fashioned ambulance pushed itself to the limit and finally pulled steadily to a stop in front of the County First People’s Hospital after more than forty minutes.
Patients who arrived by ambulance received medical attention quickly.
Several doctors and nurses immediately rushed over and swiftly carried the unconscious man into the emergency room.
Qin Yuan stood outside, staring at the door marked with a red cross, and finally released a long breath of relief.
But before she could finish exhaling, a nurse handed her a hospital admission form.
“Family member of Sun Yulin? Hurry up and pay the fees and deposit so we can process his admission. Otherwise, it’ll delay his follow-up treatment!”
Qin Yuan immediately straightened and took the form.
Only then did she discover that using an ambulance alone involved three separate charges: fuel, dispatch, and emergency medical care.
Combined with the advance deposit for hospitalization, her first payment came to twenty-eight yuan.
Qin Yuan scratched her head.
Her mother had given her eighty-two yuan.
She had spent twelve at the forestry station, and now another twenty-eight at the hospital.
That left only forty-two yuan!
She smiled bitterly.
Her heart ached at how quickly the money was disappearing, but at the same time, she felt somewhat relieved.
Thank goodness she had sold the university admission slot!
At least she wouldn’t have to worry about the medical expenses that followed.
Not only could she afford her benefactor’s treatment, but her family could also use the money to survive their current difficulties.
Qin Yuan quickly went to the hospital’s payment counter and paid the fees.
However, after asking around, she discovered that the hospital provided only a bed.
Everything else needed for daily life had to be arranged by the patient’s family.
In other words, she would have to buy everything herself—clothes, blankets, a thermos, a lunch box, nutritious food, daily meals, and all sorts of other necessities.
Qin Yuan began to worry.
At this rate, the money she had left might not even be enough.
She stood helplessly near the payment counter, wondering whether she should buy a blanket first or a thermos, when someone gently tapped her shoulder.
Qin Yuan turned around and found herself staring at “four eyes.”
It was a middle-aged man wearing glasses. He held a bicycle with one hand and looked at her with an amused half-smile.
“Well? The ambulance got there quickly, didn’t it?”
The corners of Qin Yuan’s mouth twitched upward.
“Oh, Section Chief Wang. Have you come to bring me my money?”
Section Chief Wang pursed his lips.
“If you want the money, then hurry up and finish what needs to be done! Your friend is already in the emergency room. Section Chief Li specifically told me to wait here for you and take you over as soon as possible to get the marriage certificate.
“After that… well, you know!
“You’d better not go back on your word.”
Qin Yuan’s steps suddenly halted.
Come to think of it, if Section Chief Wang hadn’t been waiting here, she would have been so busy that she might have completely forgotten about the fake marriage!
But…
Since you’re the ones insisting that I get this marriage certificate…
Then don’t blame me for taking full advantage of it!??
【Today’s Mini Theater】
Hu Yinglian: Hurry up and get married! Marry into our family and work like an ox for us!?
Section Chief Wang: Hurry up and get married! Once you’re married, we’ll all be in the same boat!?
Little Puppy Wang: See? Only by marrying me can you finally live like a proper person!?
Qin Yuan: Nope. If I marry Sun Yulin, I can live like a ruthless landlord!?