Chapter 81 Lesson

Chapter 81: The Lesson

Xie Xinyi's hand trembled slightly as she held the phone. Xie Zhangshun had hung up after telling her to return quickly, not giving her a chance to ask for details about the whole incident.

Her mother had been fine at home alone—how could she have fallen? How severe was the fall that it required emergency resuscitation?

She was panicked, even forgetting to hang up the phone.

Wen Shuhua gently took the phone from her hand and, seeing her distressed look, softly asked what had happened.

"My mom... my mom is in emergency resuscitation. I... I need to go back."

Since hanging up, countless images had flashed through her mind.

She had imagined her mother being bullied or wronged while home alone, but she never expected her to get injured—so badly that she needed emergency resuscitation.

Xie Xinyi couldn't fathom what had happened, nor did she know how much of what Second Uncle said was true or false. Had he exaggerated to trick her into returning, or was he hiding something to avoid trouble?

Before this incident, she thought she was calm and composed in emergencies. But just now, she realized she couldn't stay calm after hearing her mother was injured and in emergency resuscitation—not even for a moment.

She told Wen Shuhua she needed to return and went upstairs to pack.

A large suitcase, cash, her bankbook, and summer clothes—it was clear she planned to stay for a long time. She wrote a leave request and asked Gu Ying to deliver it to Cui Jun at the factory tomorrow morning.

By the time Gu Yu borrowed a car and returned, she had everything arranged and was waiting at the door.

"I'll go back with you."

Seeing the girl's upset figure in the living room earlier had left Gu Yu with an inexpressible discomfort in his heart.

While she was upstairs packing, he had gone to request leave from his military unit and borrowed a car. Returning to find her waiting downstairs, he said this before quickly going upstairs to pack a few clothes.

The packing took less than two minutes, and Xie Xinyi waited obediently at the door.

She didn't refuse or act surprised. Once in the car, she leaned against the window without speaking.

"With doctors there, it probably isn't too serious."

Gu Yu held her hand resting on her lap, doing his best to comfort her.

"I know," Xie Xinyi let him hold her hand. "I'm okay."

"I'm not worried."

Her mother had already been taken to the hospital. No matter how shameless Second Xie was, he wouldn't lie about something like this.

But being at the hospital didn't guarantee her mother's safety. Second Xie's family was unscrupulous—they might have taken her to the hospital, but that didn't mean they cared.

She had to prepare for the worst.

Her father had passed away early, and her mother had raised the three sisters alone—it hadn't been easy.

Her mother was gentle-natured and easily influenced, but she loved her children deeply.

From busily arranging matchmaking meetings for Xie Xinyi when she learned she might be sent to the countryside, to worrying sleeplessly when Xie Xinyi decided to marry into the Gu family in her cousin's place, to secretly slipping money into her arms at her wedding, bringing her favorite pickles from afar when she learned about her pregnancy, and ensuring the cellar was always stocked with pickled long beans...

Her mother's love was hidden in the daily routines and meals, in her furrowed brow and graying hair.

She didn't dare imagine what she would do if something happened to her mother, and she knew overthinking was useless.

Right now, she needed to race against time to return home. She had to see her mother's condition with her own eyes and understand what had happened.

Second Xie's family wasn't trustworthy. When she was young, her mother had always protected her. Now that she was grown, it was her turn to be her mother's support.

Feeling the warmth and strength from the hand holding hers, Xie Xinyi tried to control her thoughts. Everything could wait until they reached the hospital.

When Second Xie called earlier, he only said her mother was in emergency resuscitation but didn't specify which hospital.

Xie Xinyi first had Gu Yu drive to Guozixiang to check. Finding the main door locked, they rushed to the County People's Hospital overnight.

The duty doctor checked the records of people admitted in the past two days and confirmed Li Jiyun wasn't there.

They hurried to the County Chinese Medicine Hospital—still no sign of her.

As dawn broke, Gu Yu drove them to every hospital in the county, big and small, but they couldn't find her mother.

With no other options, they returned to Guozixiang to see if anyone from Second Xie's family was back.

As the car entered the alley again, Xie Xinyi was about to get out when a woman approached.

"Is Second Xie back?"

A woman in her fifties, holding a child, came closer. Recognizing Xie Xinyi as the second daughter of Xie San's family, she hurried over and said, "Child, why are you only now returning? Your mother has been in the hospital for days!"

In the hospital for days!

Xie Xinyi, just getting out of the car, recognized her as Auntie Zhang from next door. Without even bothering with her jacket, she quickly went to her.

"Auntie, you said my mother has been in the hospital for days? Do you know which hospital she's in?"

"Your uncle didn't tell you?" Realizing she might have let it slip, Auntie Zhang blushed, feeling awkward. "I thought he would have told you."

Remembering what had happened at the Xie house days earlier, Auntie Zhang still felt apprehensive.

The argument had been so intense, and the injuries so severe. With Li Jiyun's daughters not around, she assumed Second Xie's family would have called their daughters to inform them. Instead, they hadn't even told the daughters which hospital their mother was in.

Auntie Zhang smiled sheepishly. She didn't want to meddle in others' family matters, but seeing Xie Xinyi's forehead sweaty with anxiety and her weary-looking face, she couldn't bear to see it and told everything she heard that day in detail.

"...I heard your Second Aunt mention they probably took your mother to the health center."

The health center!

Xie Xinyi shook with anger on the spot.

After a fall, instead of taking her to the County People's Hospital, they took her to the health center—just because it was closer and saved them transportation costs to the county hospital?

Xie Xinyi's grip on her clothes tightened. Thanking Auntie Zhang, she turned and walked toward the health center at the end of the alley.

The health center—such a tiny clinic. And Second Xie had the audacity to tell her her mother was in emergency resuscitation at the hospital.

Xie Xinyi moved so fast she practically kicked up dust, with Gu Yu jogging closely behind. When they arrived at the community clinic, Xie Xinyi surged ahead, stopping a doctor and demanding, "Which room is Li Jiyun in?"

Gone was her usual gentleness and composure, replaced only by anger and panic.

The doctor, grabbed abruptly, was about to lose his temper, but when he turned and saw a young girl with eyes red-rimmed, glaring coldly at her, his expression softened. "Are you looking for someone? What's the patient's name, and when was she admitted?"

"The patient is Li Jiyun. She should have been brought in a few days ago."

Gu Yu stepped forward, taking Xie Xinyi's hand, and calmly answered each question.

Though he couldn't see his own face, his expression was colder than a popsicle in winter, making the doctor nervous.

"Li, Li Jiyun... she's in the back inpatient ward."

As soon as he finished speaking, Xie Xinyi released the doctor's arm and turned toward the inpatient ward.

The clinic was small, comparable to a community hospital in later years. Xie Xinyi had been here many times to pick up medicine for her mother and was familiar with the place.

She reached the inpatient ward—which was really just a row of dilapidated single-story buildings, four rooms in total. Xie Xinyi checked each one and finally found her mother lying in bed in the last room.

"Mom!"

Xie Xinyi pushed past the people gathered around the bed and rushed to her mother's side.

"Mom, I'm back."

Looking at her mother lying pale as a sheet on the bed, Xie Xinyi was eerily calm, more composed than she had ever been.

She held her mother's hand, carefully examining her bandaged head, closed eyes, and pale lips. Then she turned and asked the people standing behind her, "What exactly happened to my mom?"

"Um, well..."

Xie Zhangshun stood there, stammering without giving a straight answer.

"Um, Xinyi, your mom is out of danger now. The doctor just checked and said she can be discharged in a few days."

She was still unconscious, and they claimed she could be discharged in a few days? Xie Xinyi didn’t believe a word of Xu Wenxia's explanation.

She looked away coldly, staring silently at her mother lying in bed.

Gu Yu entered a few steps behind her, weaving through the crowd to stand by her side. "The doctor said Mom is temporarily out of danger."

Seeing Xie Xinyi rush in, he hadn’t followed immediately but instead went to find the doctor in charge of her mother to get the details.

Second Xie's family hadn’t explained how Xie's mother was injured. She was already unconscious when brought in, and Second Xie's family hadn’t taken her to the hospital immediately after the injury.

By the time she arrived, the blood on the back of her head had already clotted. The doctor had to clean the wound before bandaging it.

The wound wasn’t large, but there were likely blood clots inside. While she was temporarily out of danger, there was no telling when she would wake up.

That was the doctor’s assessment. Given the clinic’s limited resources, they could only perform basic wound cleaning and bandaging. Further examinations were beyond their capabilities.

"Let’s transfer Mom to another hospital."

"Let’s transfer Mom to another hospital."

Gu Yu made the suggestion, and it aligned perfectly with Xie Xinyi’s thoughts.

They spoke in unison. Without waiting for Xie Xinyi to explain or give instructions, Gu Yu turned and walked out the next moment.

Gu Yu went to handle the transfer procedures while Xie Xinyi stayed behind to pack her mother’s belongings.

"Yi, Yiyatou (a diminutive form of her name), wh-where are you taking your mom?"

Second Xie stood to the side, watching as Xie Xinyi didn't say a word to him and focused solely on gathering her mother’s things. He was both surprised and unsettled.

As those responsible for Li Jiyun’s injury, his family hadn't taken her to the hospital immediately or informed Xie Xinyi right away. They were in the wrong and had no excuse. He wondered if Xie Xinyi knew the full story.

In truth, the incident was an accident.

That day, he had just returned from work and forgotten to buy groceries. His wife suggested that Grandma Xie go to Li Jiyun’s room to take something to make do for the meal.

Grandma Xie refused, saying they shouldn’t just make do, so she secretly went to Li Jiyun’s cellar and took a large piece of cured meat.

This wasn't the first time Grandma Xie's family had stolen from the third family’s belongings. Since Li Jiyun happened to be out that day, busy preparing winter quilts for her daughter, Grandma Xie decided to go all out. Not satisfied with just the cured meat, she went back into the cellar and took a large basket of pickled string beans.

The pickled string beans were something Li Jiyun had specially prepared for her second daughter. She guarded them jealously, never giving a single one to anyone.

Grandma Xie had long coveted them. She thought she could sneak some while Li Jiyun was away to satisfy her craving. But as she emerged from the cellar, she was caught red-handed by Li Jiyun, who had just returned from her errand.

Taking a few pickled string beans shouldn’t have been a big deal. Li Jiyun had a soft temper and would usually just grumble a bit. Grandma Xie hadn’t planned to engage much, but when she mentioned that returning the martyr's certificate could exchange for many pickled string beans, the two began arguing.

The argument escalated. When Xu Wenxia heard Li Jiyun bring up the martyr's certificate, subsidies, and work-related matters, she rushed over and jumped into the argument. She even told Grandma Xie to go to Li Jiyun’s room and retrieve the martyr's certificate, claiming it rightfully belonged to them.

At that, Li Jiyun immediately refused.

It was unclear if Xie Xinhuan had said something to her mother before leaving, but when Grandma Xie headed toward her room, Li Jiyun hurried after her. Xu Wenxia saw this and also gave chase.

Just then, Dabao heard the commotion and came out of the house. Seeing the three entangled, he went to tug at Li Jiyun’s clothes.

In the chaos, someone used excessive force. By the time he realized what was happening, Li Jiyun had already slammed her head on the steps under the eaves.

Blood—a lot of blood.

Dabao was scared and burst into tears. Xu Wenxia and Grandma Xie froze in place, their faces turning pale with fear.

Second Xie had never seen anything like it and panicked. It took him a while to regain his senses. He hurriedly tried to stop Li Jiyun’s bleeding, carried her to bed, and then washed the blood away in the yard.

At first, he didn’t think Li Jiyun would lose consciousness. He assumed it was just a bump and that the bleeding would stop, and everything would be fine.

But two days later, his second daughter-in-law came to tell him that Li Jiyun was unresponsive. Only then did he realize the severity of the situation.

He and Xu Wenxia rushed her to the clinic. After some thought, they decided to call Xie Xinyi.

He thought it wasn’t a big deal, but at the hospital, the doctor told them they needed to transfer her right away.

Transfer? To where?

Xu Wenxia was at a loss. She suggested transferring to the County People's Hospital, but what about the money?

Emergency treatment costs money, transferring costs money, hospitalization costs money.

Such a large sum—who was going to pay for it?

Second Xie was unwilling to foot the bill for an accident, thinking he had already called Xie Xinyi.

After all, didn't she marry a wealthy man and even has a steady job there?

As the daughter, shouldn't it be reasonable for her to pay for this?

Moreover, it was Xie Xinyi herself who suggested transferring her mother to another hospital. Second Xie exchanged a glance with Xu Wenxia behind him, and seeing that Xie Xinyi hadn't responded to him, he just stepped aside and played dumb.

When Li Jiyun was first brought to the local clinic, the doctor had recommended transferring her to another hospital, so Gu Yu completed the transfer procedures quickly.

The local clinic had no ambulance, but at Gu Yu's request, they helped contact the County People's Hospital.

When the ambulance arrived, Xie Xinyi didn't say a word to Second Xie and his wife. She stayed close to her mother, not letting anyone else near.

Xu Wenxia watched the ambulance drive away, feeling apprehensive. "What if Li Jiyun wakes up and tells her daughter what happened that day…"

Would Xie Xinyi come to cause trouble for them?

"I told you not to call her, not to call her, but you wouldn’t listen. Now she’s back, and just like that…"

"What’s there to fear?" Second Xie cut off Xu Wenxia's nagging.

"Li Jiyun has been unconscious for so long. Even if she says something, why should we admit to it just because Xie Xinyi believes her?"

After all, he had gotten her to the hospital for treatment and even paid a high cost to call her.

As for Li Jiyun waking up and accusing them, Second Xie couldn’t control that, nor was he afraid.

What was there to fear? It wasn’t as if they pushed her on purpose—it was an unfortunate coincidence. If she hadn’t argued with Grandma Xie about those past matters, Xu Wenxia wouldn’t have ignored Da Bao to argue with her.

As Jianmin said, could Da Bao have pulled her over? She just lost her balance and fell.

They hadn’t even blamed her for scaring Da Bao—how could Xie Xinyi dare to confront them?

Second Xie didn’t think he had done anything wrong and told Xu Wenxia to stop gossiping about it everywhere.

"Going home and keeping Da Bao safe is more important than anything else."

When Xie Jianjun brought the child back, he repeatedly warned them not to let the Liu family take him away.

Liu Da Bao was not just the Liu family’s treasure—he was the Xie family’s lifeline.

Among the children, Second Xie valued his eldest son, who worked as a worker in Jing City, the most.

His eldest son was capable, and he and his wife would rely on him for support in their old age. So, they had to do their best to fulfill Xie Jianjun’s instructions.

As for Xie Xinyi, he didn't have time for her.

For now, the Liu family didn’t know Da Bao was with them. Worried about complications, Second Xie decided to have Xu Wenxia take the child to her sister’s place for a couple of days.

"Get a twenty-day introduction letter and leave today."

Second Xie instructed as they headed home.

The couple was solely focused on guarding against the Liu family. They not only ignored the transfer of Xie's mother but didn’t even offer the most basic inquiry.

But Xie Xinyi didn’t need their concern.

After transferring from the local clinic to the County People’s Hospital, Xie's mother was immediately sent for a series of tests, but the results… were not good at all.

"Too much time has been wasted. The blood clot in her head is still there and hasn’t dissipated."

The doctor offered two suggestions: one was conservative treatment at their hospital, waiting for the blood clot in Xie's mother’s head to slowly dissipate.

The time to wake up was uncertain, and due to the hospital’s limited conditions, there were no better methods to help her.

The other, more riskier option, was to risk transferring her to a municipal hospital with better medical facilities.

These were the two suggestions, and the doctor urged Xie Xinyi to decide quickly.

Xie Xinyi looked at her mother lying unconscious in the hospital bed and spent the whole night at a loss about what to do.

Gu Yu stayed up with her all night.

In the two days since returning, the girl hadn’t shed a single tear. She tried her best to remain composed, but her bloodshot eyes and exhausted face betrayed her.

Her younger sister had just started school in Jing City when such a serious accident happened at home.

Xie Xinyi didn’t want to worry the young girl and hadn’t called her sister.

With one child not at home and another in school, Xie Xinyi was alone and truly didn’t know what to do.

In this era, medical care wasn't as advanced as in later years, and the doctors at the County People’s Hospital had made things very clear.

If she wanted to transfer, it had to be done quickly.

Xie Xinyi stood by the window, arms crossed, never expecting such a difficult scenario to appear before her again.

In her past life, her grandfather had faced the same situation.

A car accident delayed the critical treatment time, and the doctor gave her two choices.

Either transfer to a better hospital for further treatment, with equal parts risk and chance.

Or stay at the hospital for conservative treatment, with minimal risk but a very low probability of success.

She was only eighteen at the time, with no adults around to see her grandfather, so she had to decide alone.

Back then, she didn’t dare gamble and chose the latter. In the end, her grandfather was declared brain dead, and she was the one who draped the white cloth over him.

The same scene, the same choice, now lay before her again.

Xie Xinyi didn’t know what would truly be best for her mother.

This time, she didn’t dare gamble—she couldn't bear to lose.

She stood there, scenes flooding her mind: her mother lying in bed, the doctor declaring her grandfather brain dead, her trembling hands as she draped the cloth over him.

The words of the doctors from both lifetimes rang in her ears…

"Maybe we should take Mom to a city hospital."

"Maybe we should take Mom to a city hospital."

Once again, Gu Yu and she said simultaneously.

Looking at the girl who stood by the window with her back to the light, the girl gave him a faint smile, but it was filled with worry.

"Risks and opportunities go hand in hand."

This was the reason she had found for herself.

Gu Yu nodded and said, "Once we get there, Mom’ll definitely be fine."

Having reached a consensus, Xie Xinyi went to handle the transfer procedures, while Gu Yu asked a friend to line up a connection at the City People's Hospital.

Once everything was prepared, Gu Yu asked Xie Xinyi if she needed to go home to pack some things for her Mom. The girl shook her head, "We can buy whatever we need in Beijing."

Right now, she didn’t want to set eyes on that family ever again.

Understanding her feelings, Gu Yu didn’t mention the Xie family again. Instead, he asked whether they should notify her younger sister once they arrived at the city hospital.

Gu Yu hadn’t asked his family not to tell the younger sister about their return to Guozixiang.

Considering that Xie Lao’er hadn’t explained the situation clearly over the phone, they needed to see for themselves upon returning to understand the specifics.

Moreover, the younger sister had just started school in Beijing and must have a lot on her plate. Telling her wouldn’t be of much help and would only add to her worries.

That was their initial plan before coming, but now that they were transferring their Mom to a hospital in Beijing, Gu Yu felt it necessary to ask the girl’s opinion on whether they should continue keeping her in the dark, and for how long.

"Let’s give her a call once we’re settled in."

As a daughter, the younger sister had the right to know about their Mom’s condition. Previously, they had kept it from her because they were in a rush to get back to Guozixiang without knowing the full situation. But now that they were heading to Beijing, the younger sister should be informed.

Once everything was prepared, Xie Xinyi went to the hospital office before departure.

She didn’t want to see Xie Lao’er’s family, but that didn’t mean she forgave them for what they had done to her Mom.

When did Xie’s Mom fall at home? When was she taken to the clinic? And why was she sent to the clinic first instead of the county hospital?

Neighbor Auntie Zhang had explained it clearly. Even without Xie Lao’er’s admission, Xie Xinyi could guess his motives.

For money, Xie Lao’er’s family would stoop to anything.

Before, when they hadn’t crossed her bottom line, Xie Xinyi could turn a blind eye and let it go. But this time, they had endangered her Mom’s life for their own gain.

Xie Xinyi couldn’t tolerate it one bit, and she had no intention of tolerating it.

She wasn’t the type to hold a grudge till New Year’s. Since Xie Lao’er’s family dared to provoke her, she would make sure they learned a lesson they’d never forget.