“Really full?” Du Sui’an spoke to her as if she were a little child.
Shi Meiqing didn’t dare move her head at all right now. Even the slightest movement made the world spin around her, and besides the dizziness, she also felt nauseous and wanted to throw up. “Mm, I’m full.”
“Do you need to use the bathroom?” Their daughter had been lying there for half the day already, and they didn’t know whether she needed to go or not.
“No. You two should go back and rest. I’ll be fine on my own.”
If someone really came to silence her, she could hide or fight back and kill them more easily alone. Even though she acted like a lazy bum in daily life, she was actually a patriotic young woman at heart.
She wouldn’t dare kill an ordinary person. But if it came to killing an enemy in battle, she thought she probably really could do it.
Back when she and Little Curly Hair used to watch those passionate patriotic videos together, they had once discussed whether they would go straight to the battlefield if war ever broke out.
Their answers had been exactly the same: yes.
Even if they might not become qualified soldiers, they would absolutely dare to risk their lives in exchange for the enemy’s in dangerous times.
That was the backbone and courage of the sons and daughters of China.
Du Sui’an’s somewhat rough hand gently stroked Shi Meiqing’s forehead. “What silly things are you saying? How could your father and I possibly feel at ease leaving you here alone?”
“We’re fine. Just sleep if you want to sleep. Didn’t the doctor say the best thing for you right now is plenty of rest? That’s how you’ll recover faster.”
“Don’t worry. You’re the only patient in this room. Your father and I have places to sleep, so don’t worry about us. Right now, you’re the most important one.”
A warm current spread through Shi Meiqing’s entire body. It felt like drinking a cup of hot milk tea on a freezing winter day—warm and sweet.
If only Little Curly Hair had come here too. The two of them were both children who had never experienced parental love. She wanted Little Curly Hair to experience this feeling together with her.
Shi Meiqing closed her eyes, refusing to let herself think too much. If she grew attached to this kind of family affection and was later discovered to be different, wouldn’t it hurt even more? She would never allow herself to be hurt so easily.
She was already past the age of needing parental love. Liking something didn’t necessarily mean she had to possess it.
Hearing Shi Meiqing’s breathing gradually become steady on the hospital bed, the two pairs of excited eyes met. Both could see the excitement and certainty reflected in the other’s gaze.
The exhaustion and worry the couple had carried all day seemed to vanish instantly. They felt full of energy. If they weren’t afraid people would think they were crazy, they could have taken turns running a few laps outside.
Shi Meiqing left the hospital three days later.
At that point, she still didn’t dare make any large movements. Moving her head too quickly made her dizzy, and standing up caused her vision to go black. These were the aftereffects of excessive blood loss and a concussion.
Medical conditions in those days were just like that. It was impossible to quickly replenish the blood she had lost.
She could only slowly recover through food therapy. But in an era where resources were scarce, even nourishing food wasn’t easy to obtain.
Of course, none of this was a problem for Shi Meiqing, who possessed a whole storage space full of supplies. She had nutritional supplements and medicine as well.
But she couldn’t take any of them out—not yet, at least.
She always felt that someone was secretly watching her. As for whether it was the same people who had attacked her from behind, she couldn’t say for sure. But from her parents’ expressions, she could tell they had noticed it too.
Which meant she absolutely couldn’t reveal anything unusual. Otherwise, what awaited her would be utter doom, and she might even drag this current family down with her.
“Oh? Meiqing’s all better now?” As soon as the bicycle turned into the alley, an elderly woman greeted them.
Shi Meiqing looked over. The thin old woman wore her hair in a sleek bun, streaked faintly with silver. Her cheeks were gaunt, but her eyes were bright. She wore a smile on her face, though somehow the smile felt strangely out of place.
Shi Meiqing recognized her from her memories. “Grandma Zhang.”
“Aiyo, this poor child. Just look at how pale your little face is. You really need some good nourishment. Have they caught the person who attacked you?” Although the old woman sounded casual, her eyes were probing.
Shi Meiqing frowned slightly, as if the topic triggered a stress reaction. She raised a hand to press against her temple as though enduring pain.
Shi Shengli immediately played along. “Sweetheart, your head hurts again? Didn’t the doctor say not to think about it? Don’t force yourself to remember.”
Du Sui’an also looked anxious. “Auntie Zhang, the child’s headache is acting up again. We’ll head back first and chat another time.”
Grandma Zhang quickly nodded. “If it’s that serious, then hurry home.”
The family of three hurried toward their house, never noticing the old woman’s eyes flicker behind them.
Nor did anyone notice the tiny red dot hidden in Shi Meiqing’s hair flash briefly as well.
“Oh my, Auntie Zhang, what are you standing here looking at?” A plump woman turned into the alley and greeted her cheerfully.
A smile immediately spread across Auntie Zhang’s face. “I just saw Meiqing from the Shi family come back and chatted with her for a couple of sentences. Then she started saying her head hurt. I was wondering why they discharged the child before she’d recovered.”
The plump woman’s surname was Tian, called Tian Caihua. She also lived in the alley and worked for the neighborhood committee. She was enthusiastic, talkative, cheerful, straightforward, and got along well with everyone.
“Well, you really can’t blame the doctors for that. And it’s not that the Shi couple couldn’t bear the hospital costs either.”
“That child Meiqing was probably frightened and also injured her head. The doctor said she forgot everything about what happened that day, and no one should bring it up. The moment she thinks about that day, her head starts hurting.”
“This is my fault. I forgot to remind everyone after I got back. From now on, don’t mention that day in front of Meiqing, otherwise her headaches will torture her.”
“You didn’t see it, but I happened to be there that day. When her headaches flare up, her face turns deathly pale and her forehead breaks out in cold sweat. You can tell the pain is unbearable.”
“When the police went to the hospital to investigate that day, she tried to think about what happened and the pain made her faint on the spot. This kind of thing can become serious very easily. Don’t let simple curiosity end up harming little Meiqing.”
“But honestly, I wonder who could be so heartless. Meiqing is such an honest, well-behaved child. How could someone do something like this to her?”
“Bah! That beast deserves to get run over the moment he steps outside.”
Everything about Tian Caihua was good—except for how fast her mouth worked. So when she had visited Shi Meiqing that day and asked about the incident, Shi Meiqing had put on a little performance. It shocked Tian Caihua badly enough that she completely believed it.
Grandma Zhang looked surprised. “So that’s what happened. I was wondering why they brought her home before she recovered.”
“Exactly. If the doctor said it, how could it be wrong? Still, it sounds pretty strange. First time I’ve heard of someone forgetting things out of fear.”
“It is strange. You must’ve come back to cook for your child, right? Hurry on home before it gets too late,” Grandma Zhang reminded Tian Caihua.