Qiao Zhaodi froze. Noticing the malicious look in his eyes, she immediately pulled Qiao Yuwei behind her in alertness.
Li Daguo straightened his wrinkled clothes and let his gaze slowly drag over her body, sticky and disgusting.
“Getting shy now? Don’t worry. If you follow me, you’ll be living the good life. That Tang Jiahé is your relative, right? I’ll arrange his surgery right away. And your stall? Set it up however you want no one will ever stop you again.”
The moment he said this, the couple trembled in anger. Tang Jiahé even ignored his injured leg and struggled to stand up, ready to fight him.
“Sis, brother-in-law!” Qiao Yuwei quickly pressed them down.
She turned around and faced Li Daguo directly, her eyes sharp.
“And if I say no?”
Li Daguo took a lighter from the burly man’s pocket, slowly lit a cigarette, and spoke lazily.
“No? Without my permission, that country bumpkin won’t even think about getting surgery. And even if he manages to drag himself out and open a stall, I’ll make sure he loses everything within a day.”
“You talk big. Without your father’s money and power, what are you? Just a thug. Not even worth a second glance in a crowd.”
“What did you say?” Li Daguo’s face instantly turned livid.
“What, not only relying on your father but also deaf? Perfect this is a hospital, go get yourself checked.”
Li Daguo’s eyes widened in rage. With a twisted expression, he suddenly raised his arm and swung it toward her face.
“Bitch, I’m going to tear your mouth apart today!”
The slap cut through the air with force. The surrounding onlookers gasped.
Qiao Zhaodi turned pale, reaching out too late to stop it.
Qiao Yuwei knew he was lawless but she hadn’t expected him to be bold enough to hit someone in public. Her pupils shrank as she instinctively stepped back.
At the critical moment, a large, well-defined hand suddenly reached out and firmly grabbed Li Daguo’s wrist.
The grip was like iron. Li Daguo felt as if his wrist had been clamped in a vise. Pain shot through him as he howled, his arrogance instantly replaced by agony.
“Who the hell who dares interfere with me”
He lifted his head to shout, but immediately swallowed the rest of his words.
The man before him had a cold, stern face. He wore a neatly pressed military uniform, standing tall and straight. The stars on his shoulder epaulets glinted sharply.
“Beating people in a hospital in broad daylight?” Song Zhinian flung his hand away. His voice wasn’t loud, but it carried undeniable authority.
The burly man who had been about to rush forward instantly froze. The moment he felt the oppressive aura around Song Zhinian, his legs weakened.
They were just small-time thugs who followed Li Daguo around for money. Bullying ordinary people was one thing but they didn’t dare provoke someone from the military. Especially someone like Song Zhinian, whose battlefield-honed presence alone was enough to make them instinctively afraid.
“Alright, alright, disperse!” Several doctors in white coats pushed through the crowd to calm things down.
The one leading them was an elderly man wearing glasses, sharp-eyed and composed.
After entering, he nodded slightly to Song Zhinian, who returned the gesture.
The dean glanced at the chaotic ward and raised his voice.
“Who is Comrade Tang Jiahé? The operating room is ready. Pay the fees and surgery will begin immediately.”
Qiao Zhaodi immediately raised her husband’s hand excitedly, her voice trembling.
“Here! Tang Jiahé is my husband!”
Qiao Yuwei, guessing this was likely Song Zhinian’s doing, looked at him in surprise.
“Doctor, can the surgery really be done?”
“Yes,” the dean replied firmly. “I will personally lead the team. We will do everything possible to treat Comrade Tang.”
Li Daguo turned angrily toward the deputy dean hiding behind the dean his uncle, Zhang Wenwei.
“What’s this supposed to mean? Uncle! Didn’t you say he definitely couldn’t get surgery? What does this old man mean now?!”
Earlier that morning, his uncle had confidently guaranteed it. Now everything had flipped how was he supposed to save face?
“Shut up.” The deputy dean shot him a harsh glare and hissed through clenched teeth.
“This isn’t your place to speak. Patient safety comes first. The dean is here stop talking nonsense.”
Zhang Wenwei was practically itching to slap this idiot nephew. Couldn’t he see the dean standing right there? He had no idea what had suddenly changed wasn’t the dean supposed to be on a business trip? Why was he personally taking over the surgery?
He had checked Tang Jiahé’s background before just an ordinary farmer with no connections. How on earth did he get the dean involved?
Qiao Yuwei caught all the subtle interactions and immediately understood.
It was Song Zhinian.
She looked at him with deep gratitude.
She even stepped forward a little smugly, standing in front of him as if borrowing power, hands on her hips.
“Li Daguo, looks like your father’s connections aren’t that strong after all. Didn’t you say my brother-in-law couldn’t get surgery without your approval?”
Li Daguo’s face turned green and white, but under his uncle’s warning glare, he couldn’t retaliate.
“And didn’t you say the stall would be ruined within a day?” Qiao Yuwei continued coldly. “Fine. Then I’ll tell you this you’ll be the one who understands what real ruin feels like.”
“You’ll regret this,” Li Daguo spat, realizing he couldn’t act right now. With a cold snort, he left.
Soon after, Tang Jiahé was pushed into the operating room.
The surgery went smoothly. Just over an hour later, the doctor came out smiling.
“The surgery was very successful. We’ve saved his leg. After about half a month of rest, he’ll be able to walk again.”
Qiao Zhaodi burst into tears of relief, repeatedly thanking the doctor.
After accompanying her outside the ward for a while and seeing Tang Jiahé returned pale but stable, likely to wake soon Qiao Yuwei finally remembered something important.
“Sis, during this time you stay here and take care of brother-in-law. I’ll help you reopen the dumpling stall. The surgery and recovery costs aren’t small.”
She had already made bold claims she couldn’t back down now. In her previous world, she had plenty of upgraded dumpling recipes and techniques. Here, it would be more than enough.
And besides, she still needed to repay 300 yuan a month. She didn’t want a divorce.
Qiao Zhaodi was stunned and quickly waved her hands.
“No, no, Yuwei. You’ve never even entered a kitchen. You’ve never done any cooking how could you make dumplings or run a stall? And you’re a military wife now. How can you go out selling things in public?”
“Sister, things are different now. Private business is allowed,” Qiao Yuwei said seriously. “Trust me, I really can do it.”
She paused, then added,
“And all that flour and filling we prepared before it’d be a waste to throw them away. We should make use of them.”