As soon as Shen Huaichuan gently pushed open the ward door, before he could even see what was inside, a figure slumped softly towards the door!
Shen Huaichuan reacted quickly, standing in front of Zhou Qiqi's hospital bed to ensure her safety, and then used his free hand to carefully support his somewhat dazed mother.
Upon closer inspection, it was none other than his mother, Qin Peilan.
"Mom?! What...what happened to you?"
Shen Huaichuan felt both heartache and helplessness, and glanced casually outside again.
Upon closer inspection, it became clear that Qin Peilan wasn't the only one at the door!
Father Shen Zhenbang sat against the wall, his head nodding off.
Little Zhouzhou was curled up in the chair where her grandmother had been sitting, covered with a military overcoat, fast asleep.
Also present were Deng Cuixiang, Zhu Yingying, Zhao Damei, Yuan Xiaoyuan...
Almost all of Zhou Qiqi's close friends, comrades, and their families were waiting in the corridor!
They were all so sleepy they were practically slumped over, but not one of them was willing to go back to rest.
They groggily opened their eyes when they heard the door open.
Shen Huaichuan felt a mix of warmth and bitterness in his heart, and lowered his voice to say:
"Dad, Mom, and everyone else...didn't you all book rooms at the guesthouse in the back? Why are you all crammed in here? It's the middle of the night, go back and get some sleep!"
Qin Peilan rubbed her sleepy eyes, her face full of fatigue, but with unwavering determination, and said softly:
"Qiqi hasn't woken up yet, how can we sleep soundly? Our hearts are in our throats!"
It turns out that ever since Zhou Qiqi was rescued, everyone has been worried about her.
The doctor said they needed to rest and couldn't all crowd into the ward, so they voluntarily stood guard in the corridor outside the door.
When they were hungry, they took turns grabbing a few bites of food; when they were sleepy, they leaned against each other and dozed off for a while. They managed to keep watch for three days and three nights.
Qin Peilan had been sitting for too long and her back was aching. She wanted to get up and stretch, but she got so tired that she accidentally fell asleep and almost collapsed.
Lying in her hospital bed, Zhou Qiqi looked at the corridor full of family and friends who had worked tirelessly for her sake. Her nose tingled, and her eyes instantly reddened. She quickly spoke up to comfort them:
"I'm fine! Really! Look, I can even sit up! Everyone, go back and get some rest!"
She was initially hidden by Shen Huaichuan's tall figure, and everyone was too sleepy to notice at first.
Upon hearing her clear voice, everyone instantly snapped back to reality!
"Qiqi! You're awake?!"
"Oh! She's really awake! That's great!"
Shen Zhenbang suddenly stood up, his hands trembling with excitement.
Deng Cuixiang and her sisters immediately surrounded her, their faces filled with a relieved joy.
Little Zhouzhou, who was still half asleep, was also woken up. As soon as he saw Zhou Qiqi, his eyes lit up and he cried out, "Auntie!"
The little girl stretched out her arms to pounce, but was gently stopped by the quick-thinking Shen Huaichuan:
"Zhouzhou, be good. Auntie is injured, so we can't touch her. Let's be gentle, okay?"
Qin Peilan was now fully awake. Seeing her daughter-in-law on the hospital bed, she immediately began to complain to her son with heartache:
"Huaichuan! What's wrong with you! Qiqi just woke up and is still weak. Why did you push her out like that? In this freezing weather! You child, how can you be so careless in taking care of people!"
Zhou Qiqi quickly grabbed her mother-in-law's hand and explained softly:
"Mom, it's not Huaichuan's fault. I insisted on going out. I felt unwell after lying in bed for three days and wanted to breathe some fresh air. Also... I wanted to see Aunt."
Upon hearing this, Qin Peilan immediately changed her attitude and nodded repeatedly:
"Oh! Go see Shuhua! Of course, of course! It's good to be out here! You should get some exercise! Qiqi is so thoughtful!"
His undisguised double standards immediately amused everyone around him, and the atmosphere lightened considerably.
After saying a few more words, Zhou Qiqi, worried that everyone would continue to stay up, urged them again:
"Alright, it's too late. I'm already awake. I'm really fine now. Everyone should go back and rest. Don't make me feel bad."
Seeing that she was in good spirits and not wanting to disturb her rest, everyone reluctantly agreed to leave.
Shen Huaichuan quickly called Qin Lei, who had rushed over upon hearing the news, to drive the elders and children home safely.
After seeing everyone off, Shen Huaichuan pushed Zhou Qiqi to the door of the next ward.
Zhou Qiqi told him to knock on the door first to see if his aunt was asleep, since it was almost 11 p.m.
Shen Huaichuan reached out and touched the door, only to find that it wasn't locked at all, but just ajar.
With a gentle push, light shone through the crack in the door, and low voices could be heard coming from inside.
Zhou Shuhua was leaning against the hospital bed, clearly still awake. Lei Yuhua, who was keeping watch beside her, was speaking, her tone full of worry and self-reproach:
"Yuhua, when will Qiqi wake up? I'm so worried... It's all my fault, my old eyes are failing me, I didn't notice those damned bastards sooner, letting the child suffer so much..."
Lei Yuhua was gently persuading:
"Mom, don't overthink it. The doctor said you just had surgery on your leg and need to rest. You can't overexert yourself..."
Zhou Shuhua sighed:
"Qiqi hasn't woken up, how can I close my eyes..."
Upon hearing this, Shen Huaichuan quickly pushed open the door and went in, saying softly:
"Master's wife, Sister Yuhua, Qiqi has woken up. She was worried about you and insisted on coming to see you."
"What?! Qiqi is awake?!"
Upon hearing this, Zhou Shuhua was so excited she almost sat up in bed, which aggravated her injured leg, causing her to hiss in pain. However, she disregarded her own discomfort and hurriedly began to speak.
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