Chapter 19 Returning Home
Wang Xiulan's vision went dark, and she only managed to stay in place thanks to Xu Wanru's firm grip. She stumbled into the ward, her blurred vision fixed only on her son's tormented figure and the glaring crimson of his bandages. "Shi Yu!" her shrill cry was drowned out by fear.
Xu Wanru covered her mouth in shock, and her professional instinct made her heart sink to the bottom.
There was a hurried sound of footsteps, and Dr. Yang and the attending physician rushed in with their men.
"The wound has burst! Stop the bleeding! Prepare blood! Surgery immediately!" The order was firm and decisive. The medical staff moved quickly, pushing a stretcher in.
Gu Qiuyue was gently pushed away, not caring about the impact of her back against the wall. Her eyes were fixed on Xie Shiyu's pale face and the glaring red on the stretcher.
The red light in the operating room came on.
On a bench in the cold hallway, Gu Qiuyue and Wang Xiulan sat in despair. Gu Qiuyue clenched her hands, her nails digging into her palms. Wang Xiulan's accusation of "it's useless" stabbed her repeatedly like poison needles. She forced herself to calm down and review every detail.
Wang Xiulan sat slumped, her hair disheveled, all her anger and resentment shattered by the fear of her son's life or death. She glanced sideways at Gu Qiuyue, who was also pale and trembling slightly. She remembered Gu Qiuyue's panic as she threw herself over the bed, her braced back, and her intense concentration as she translated in the hallway... The high wall of resentment quietly cracked. She stopped scolding, only to weep silently.
A slightly cool hand covered Gu Qiuyue's clenched fist. Xu Wanru sat down beside her, her voice gentle and firm: "Comrade Gu, don't blame yourself too much. Doctor Yang is very skilled. Brother Xie will be fine." Her eyes were sincere. "Wait until he comes out, nursing is the key. I'm a nurse from the First Hospital in Beijing. I've applied for a secondment, and the transfer order will come soon. We'll take care of him together, and it'll be better if we take turns." Her words were frank and natural.
Gu Qiuyue's cold hands felt the warmth, and her tense nerves relaxed slightly: "Nurse Xu... Thank you."
After a long, agonizing ordeal, the operating lights went out. Dr. Yang emerged wearily. "Thank goodness! It was a small blood vessel rupture. The bleeding has stopped, and you're out of danger for now." He glanced sternly at the two men. "But you must stay in bed! Be extremely careful! Any misstep could ruin all your efforts!"
Wang Xiulan burst into tears, clutching the doctor's hand tightly and thanking him. She turned to Gu Qiuyue, her lips trembling, her eyes complex, and her words, though stiff, lacked their edge: "You... have worked hard. Later... you must be more alert and careful."
"Don't worry, Auntie!" Gu Qiuyue nodded vigorously.
"Auntie Wang," Xu Wanru said gently, "You're frightened and look pale. I'll accompany you to the guesthouse to rest. Brother Xie is temporarily stable, and my secondment procedures will be completed soon. I'll stay and take turns with Comrade Gu, which will be more comprehensive."
Wang Xiulan looked at her son, then at Gu Qiuyue, and then at the calm Xu Wanru, and nodded tiredly: "Okay... Wanru, thank you. Qiuyue, call us immediately if anything happens." She stretched out her hand, somewhat stiffly but naturally, to tidy up the loose hair on Gu Qiuyue's temples.
Gu Qiuyue's nose felt slightly sour: "Okay." Watching them leave, she took a deep breath and returned to the bed with full concentration.
The battle has just begun.
A month later.
The warm morning sun shines through the branches and leaves.
Gu Qiuyue steadily pushed Xie Shiyu home in his wheelchair, Xu Wanru following behind with her luggage. Xie Shiyu was thin and pale, but still in good spirits. Gu Qiuyue and Xu Wanru had both lost weight, with dark circles under their eyes, but as they walked side by side, talking in low voices, their relationship was as close as sisters. Gu Qiuyue had long known that Xu Wanru and Xie Shiyu were childhood sweethearts, and that their families had tried to reunite them without success, so they now treated each other as siblings. This openness made her feel only gratitude and a closeness towards Xu Wanru.
As they were almost at the door, Xie Shiyu glanced at Qiuyue and said in a low and gentle voice, "Qiuyue, thank you for your hard work."
Just as Gu Qiuyue was about to respond, the deliberately heightened whispers of the military wives who were mending shoe soles or picking vegetables under the shade of the trees drifted over sharply:
"Here, she's back! Captain Xie's new wife, I heard she's an educated youth who went to the countryside..."
"Captain Xie married her quietly? Who would believe it if he didn't tell her?"
"It didn't take long for a man to be sent to the hospital after being married. He has been to the gates of hell several times and his life is so tough that he can kill people!" A shrill voice was particularly harsh.
"I heard that the girl next to him is his real fiancée. She waited on him in the hospital for a month, bringing him water and cleaning his body... Now she's coming home to chase him..."
"An unmarried girl serving a man? Captain Xie's family is really bold. Aren't they afraid of inviting a wolf into the house?"
"Afraid? You must be feeling guilty! How could Captain Xie, with his family background, be interested in her? This marriage is filled with evil!" The malicious speculation was filled with contempt.
Gu Qiuyue's footsteps suddenly stopped, and her anger was instantly ignited.
Words like "husband-killing", "legitimate fiancée", and "evil nature" poured into her heart like boiling oil. She suppressed her anger and shot her eyes as sharp as ice knives at the group of gossipy women. She straightened her back and smiled an extremely bright smile, but it didn't even reach her eyes.
She let go of the wheelchair handle, patted Xie Shiyu gently to signal him to wait, and pulled Xu Wanru, whose face also turned grim, and walked straight towards the group of people.
Gu Qiuyue's voice was clear and loud, drowning out all the noise: "Oh, the sisters-in-law are so concerned about our family affairs? They are having a storytelling session here so early in the morning?"
She smiled brightly, but her gaze was like a knife scraping across everyone's face. "What a wonderful story! Even more lively than a storyteller. A murderer? An evil nature? Did the sisters-in-law see it with their own eyes, or did the fortune teller tell them in their dreams?"
The shrill-voiced sister-in-law wanted to retort, but Gu Qiuyue didn't give her a chance. "Oh, this sister-in-law said I'm unlucky and unlucky?" She locked eyes with her. "Then you better stay away from me! I can't afford to say anything if something happens to you. After all, you look... you're not much stronger than my man."
Someone next to him could hardly hold back his laughter, his voice shrill and his face flushed the color of liver.
Gu Qiuyue held Xu Wanru's arm affectionately, her voice rising, "And the sister-in-law who said 'legitimate fiancée' and 'letting a wolf into the house', you should look at the doctor's eyes and memory. Sister Wanru is my son Shi Yu's sister who grew up together. She is a nurse in the hospital. This time Shi Yu was seriously injured, so she took leave to help me. Otherwise, how could I have made it alone? And his professional knowledge is not as good as mine.
What's the matter? Can't my sister help my sister-in-law take care of my brother? Or is it..." She drawled out her tone, her eyes sneerful, "because your sisters-in-law have a big drama every day at home, so you think other people's families are the same?"
She looked around, her bright smile icy, "We don't need you to worry about our family's affairs. If you have the time, you might as well make a few more pairs of soles and add something practical to your family."
If I hear these slanderous gossips again, I don't care about sister-in-law or not. Let's go straight to the political commissar and see who is worthy of the label of destroying the unity of military families and slandering the families of revolutionary soldiers."
After saying that, Gu Qiuyue turned around neatly, pushed the wheelchair, and said to Xu Wanru loudly: "Wanru, let's go home. It's windy outside, and it makes people's brains confused and they're talking nonsense."
Xie Shiyu sat in a wheelchair, looking at Gu Qiuyue with eyes full of silent support and approval.
Xu Wanru breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Gu Qiuyue with admiration.
The group of sisters-in-law were speechless, their faces burning with anger, and they felt ashamed under the gaze of the neighbors around them.
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