“What? Twenty yuan?!”
Li Juhua’s hand trembled as she held the bill. Just three spoonfuls of medicine—and it cost twenty yuan?
Her heart ached as if flesh was being cut away. Glancing at the Qin family, she shamelessly walked up to Qin Yanzhou.
“Ya… Yanzhou, I rushed out and forgot to bring money.”
In the past, whenever Li Juhua ran into Qin Yanzhou on the way to the supply cooperative, she would always find excuses to borrow money. Each time, Qin Yanzhou would readily hand over all the cash he had.
This trick had never failed her. She was certain he would pay again this time.
Qin Yanzhou sniffed and frowned.
“What’s that smell?”
As soon as he said it, Xie Yulan and Qin Shanhai also noticed it.
Mianbao covered her little nose. “It smells so bad. Grandma Li, did you poop your pants?”
Xie Yulan and Qin Shanhai immediately carried Mianbao a few steps away.
Even the doctors and nurses nearby stepped back.
The words struck Li Juhua like knives. Before coming to the hospital, she had only managed to change clothes in a hurry—she hadn’t had time to wash.
Furious, she glared at Mianbao.
“You little… what nonsense are you saying?” She nearly blurted out “little bastard.”
Qin Shanhai’s expression darkened instantly. His imposing presence made Li Juhua shrink back.
The doctor urged, “If you delay any longer, the situation will worsen.”
Li Juhua didn’t dare delay, but she still wanted the Qin family to pay. She gave Tao Xiaohong a look.
Tao Xiaohong bit her lip, eyes reddened.
“Brother Yanzhou, I… I didn’t bring enough money either. Could you lend us twenty yuan first?”
Qin Shanhai and Xie Yulan were right there, yet she ignored them and only asked Qin Yanzhou.
Qin Yanzhou glanced at the unconscious Li Mushuan on the bed, something flickering through his mind.
This time, he didn’t take out money as readily as before.
Seeing him silent, Tao Xiaohong clenched her hands, looking pitiful as she prepared to speak again.
Xie Yulan interrupted, “As soon as we heard Xiaohong came to the hospital, we rushed over, afraid something might happen to her. We came in such a hurry that none of us brought money.”
“Sister-in-law Li, let the doctor perform the gastric lavage first. You hurry home and get the money.”
Qin Shanhai turned to the doctor. “Doctor, I’m Qin Shanhai, director of the textile factory. Can you treat the patient first? The family will pay once they return with the money.”
The doctor thought for a moment. “Alright, but be quick.”
Li Juhua’s plan fell through. She felt uneasy all over and wanted to say more.
The doctor snapped, “If you delay, your brother will die!”
Hearing this, Li Juhua didn’t dare argue anymore. Trembling, she rushed out to get money.
Everyone was driven out of the ward as the doctors and nurses began the procedure.
Tao Xiaohong walked up to Qin Yanzhou. Her pale face and frail figure made her look especially vulnerable.
“Brother Yanzhou… when did you leave my house earlier today?”
She needed to know—what had gone wrong?
Why was it Li Mushuan lying in her bed instead of Qin Yanzhou?
Earlier, when Qin Yanzhou said he was leaving with that little “wild child,” she knew the drug would take effect quickly. Afraid her uncle might ruin things without being informed, she hurried to her mother’s room to find something to send him away.
When she returned, her uncle had already left—and there was movement coming from her room.
When she went inside, she saw Qin Yanzhou already lying on her bed, covered, unconscious.
She had been overjoyed, quickly shutting the door, lying beside him, waiting for her parents to bring neighbors to witness everything.
Qin Yanzhou’s gaze deepened slightly as he looked at her anxious face.
“After your uncle arrived and drank the sugar water, I left with Mianbao.”
She already knew this—so why ask?
Tao Xiaohong’s already pale face turned even whiter. Her body trembled like fragile porcelain.
“You didn’t come back?”
“No.”
Two firm, decisive words shattered her last hope.
So… it hadn’t been without clues. It had been wrong from the very beginning.
Qin Yanzhou never returned. The person who entered her room was Li Mushuan. Somehow, he had drunk the drugged sugar water. And she, too confident and blinded by the dim lighting, had assumed the person in her bed was Qin Yanzhou.
But how did Li Mushuan drink that bowl?
Tao Xiaohong suddenly looked at Mianbao. A trace of certainty flashed in her eyes.
It was her!
This little wretch!
She must have swapped the bowls when Tao Xiaohong wasn’t looking.
Mianbao felt the intense gaze and turned, meeting Tao Xiaohong’s vicious eyes.
“Waaah…”
Mianbao suddenly clung tightly to Qin Shanhai’s neck, crying in fright.
Qin Shanhai and Xie Yulan panicked.
“What’s wrong? Mianbao, did something scare you?”
“Waaah… just now Sister Xiaohong… I’m scared… so scared…”
Qin Shanhai shot Tao Xiaohong a stern look.
But she had already masked her expression, returning to her weak, innocent demeanor.
“Maybe the hospital feels eerie, and she got scared?”
Qin Shanhai frowned. “This is a new society. As a young woman of this era, you shouldn’t think like that.”
“I… I didn’t…” Tao Xiaohong lowered her head, trembling.
Xie Yulan comforted Mianbao gently.
“Don’t be afraid. Grandpa, Grandma, and your father are all here. We’ll protect you. No one will bully you.”
Her heart ached. This child must have been bullied terribly in the countryside to be frightened so easily.
“Mhm!”
Mianbao pouted, her eyes watery, holding back tears.
She told herself she couldn’t be afraid of bad people. She had to help Grandpa, Grandma, and Uncle defeat them.
Mom had said—to be brave.
She was brave Mianbao!
She clenched her little fists.
Qin Yanzhou watched her go from frightened to determined in a moment—it was oddly interesting.
Something crossed his mind, and his gaze at her became thoughtful.
Meanwhile, Li Juhua wandered outside for a while before returning, reluctantly paying the fee.
“Xiaohong, how’s your uncle? Is the procedure done?”
She rushed over, her heavy body moving quickly, bringing with her a wave of foul odor.
“Ugh…”
Tao Xiaohong gagged, bending over retching.
“Xiaohong, what’s wrong?” Li Juhua hurried forward.
Tao Xiaohong raised a hand. “Don’t… don’t come closer.”
Li Juhua froze.
She tried to approach Tao Dazhuang, but he quickly stepped back.
“Don’t come near me!”
Confused, she approached the Qin family—who also stepped back.
Just then, a passing nurse wrinkled her nose.
“What smells so bad?”
Only then did Li Juhua realize the stench on her body. Her face darkened in embarrassment and anger.
Meanwhile, Tao Xiaohong continued retching.
Xie Yulan, unable to bear it, asked with concern, “Xiaohong, what’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell? Should we see a doctor?”
Qin Yanzhou stepped forward, about to help her.
At that moment, a doctor passing by stopped.
“Huh? It’s you—Comrade Tao Xiaohong. Why are you at the hospital? Are you feeling unwell during pregnancy?”
“I told you before—your first pregnancy is unstable. You must be extra careful. Look at you, your pregnancy reaction is so strong, vomiting like this. Where are her family members? Go get her some hot water!”
The entire family froze in shock.