Ye Qingyan pulled her wandering thoughts back and reached out to take Ji Qiuyun’s hand.
Feeling how cold Ji Qiuyun’s skin was, she immediately took off her coat and draped it over her mother.
Seeing this, Ye Qinghui quickly took off his own coat as well.
After Ji Qiuyun was rushed to the county hospital, the doctor asked a few quick questions and had her wheeled straight into the emergency room.
Ye Qingyan stood leaning against the wall, her eyes fixed on the closed doors. Even though she knew how the original story went, genuine worry still gnawed at her.
“Qingyan, your cut needs tending to too.” Ye Qinghui led her over to a nurse. “Comrade Nurse, excuse me — could you please dress the wound for my sister?”
“Goodness, how did you get hurt this badly?” The nurse laid out antiseptic and cotton swabs, sighing as she worked. “Such a lovely face… it’d be such a shame if it scarred.”
“What?” Ye Qinghui asked anxiously. “Will it leave a scar?”
“Not necessarily.” The nurse gave them clear instructions. “Change the dressing daily, keep it covered with gauze, and keep it away from water for now.”
“Thank you so much.” Ye Qinghui thanked her earnestly.
Once the cut on Qingyan’s forehead was treated and paid for, they sat together on a wooden bench nearby.
For a long while, neither spoke. Side by side, they sat in silence, praying their mother would pull through.
It felt like hours before the latch clicked and the doors swung open. The doctor stepped out to them. “She’s awake now. You may go in.”
Ji Qiuyun lay in bed receiving an IV drip. Seeing her children enter, she tried to prop herself up on her elbows and sit up.
“Mom, please don’t move — rest.” Ye Qingyan gently held her shoulders, easing her back down.
Ye Qinghui meanwhile spoke quietly with the doctor, asking about his mother’s condition.
“My poor babies…” Ji Qiuyun’s eyes glistened with tears. “Mom’s been useless. I couldn’t even protect you, and now I’ve made you both worry… I’m fine, really. There’s no need to stay in the hospital.”
Ye Qingyan knew her mother’s real concern was the bill. “Mom, you were badly hurt — you even passed out. Please don’t worry about the cost. I have money.”
Ji Qiuyun knew her daughter far too well. She looked at her, confused. “Where did you get money? Did your father give it to you?”
Ye Qingyan pressed her lips together. “Mom, please don’t concern yourself with that. What matters now is that you rest and heal.”
“Mom, the doctor wants you to stay two days for observation,” Ye Qinghui said, stepping forward with a grave expression after speaking to the doctor. “You can’t leave yet.”
“I’ll go buy us something to eat,” Ye Qingyan said, glancing at her brother. “Qinghui, please stay with Mom.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea — you still have that cut on your forehead,” he objected. “Let me go instead.”
Night had fully fallen outside. Ye Qingyan said no more, simply handing him banknotes and food ration coupons.
Ye Qinghui hurried to the hospital canteen just before closing time and returned with two servings of plain noodles and one bowl of meat congee.
Once they had eaten and drunk their fill, Ji Qiuyun fell asleep not long after.
Ye Qingyan drew her brother out into the hallway and sat him down on a bench. “Qinghui, we need to talk — about what happens next.”
“What do you mean?” So much had happened that day, he wasn’t sure exactly what she meant.
“All of it.” She looked him straight in the eye. “He’s forcing me to marry that simpleton. I will never agree to it — I’d rather die than go through with that! And look what he did to Mom… are we just supposed to let it slide?”
Her brother felt utterly helpless hearing this. He wanted nothing more than to protect his mother and sister. But he was only one person — he had work in the fields all day; he couldn’t guard them every moment.
He looked at her, his voice steady. “Tell me what to do, Qingyan. I’ll follow your lead.”
“With what he’s done — the abuse — we should get Mom to divorce him.”
Ye Qinghui was stunned. What child ever suggests their parents get divorced? Yet as he thought it through, he realized she was right. If they divorced, their mother would never again have to endure beatings… and Qingyan would never be forced into that marriage.
Seeing him fall silent, she assumed he hesitated out of loyalty to their father. “Brother, we have no other choice. Unless we get away from this beastly home, we have no future at all.”
“I know… I know.” He gently ruffled her hair. “I’ll do as you say. Tomorrow, we’ll talk to Mom together — and convince her to agree.”
The next morning after breakfast, when the ward was quiet, Ye Qingyan sat by her mother’s bedside and laid out their plan.
“Divorce?” Ji Qiuyun blinked, bewildered and unsure.
“That’s right,” Ye Qinghui said firmly from beside the bed. “Mom — after everything he’s done… do you really want to stay in this home, with a husband like that?”
“But… but…” Ji Qiuyun had lived under Ye Xingcai’s thumb for twenty years. At the mere thought of leaving, fear took hold — old habits kept her hesitant.
Ye Qingyan saw her hesitation and took her hand. “Mom, I’ll be honest with you. I took some of his money yesterday — that’s how we’re paying for all this. If you don’t divorce him, if we don’t leave this house… I truly believe he’ll beat me to death. I won’t survive it.”
Her voice dropped to a whisper, heavy with sorrow and dread.
Ji Qiuyun’s face filled with alarm. Instantly, her resolve hardened. “Fine. I’ll ask for a divorce!”
Ye Qingyan smiled, relieved. “That’s wonderful.” She could already picture the bright future ahead.
“But…” Ji Qiuyun’s smile faded. “Will your father agree? You know what he’s like — he’ll never let us leave.”
“Mom, here’s what we’ll do…”
Together, the three of them leaned in close around the bed, plotting how best to persuade — or outmaneuver — Ye Xingcai.