08 Hospital
Yang Xiao pulled Mao Qiu and trotted towards Zhou Daye. They saw a truck with its lights on at the intersection. Zhou Daye handed a cigarette to the store owner, smiled and said sorry for the trouble, stuffed some money into his pocket, and finally persuaded him to get the two children into the car.
It was a single-row truck, so besides the driver, the passenger seat could only accommodate one person. Without a word, Yang Xiao jumped into the back and sat on two large cardboard boxes. Before closing the door, Yang Xiao looked at Zhou Daye, who was smiling at her and making a phone gesture. Should she call him or Zhou Qi if she had anything to say? Yang Xiao didn't know. She only knew that Zhou Daye had been busy running around and wasting money on her again.
Yang Xiao sat in the swaying back of the car, unable to see the scenery outside or hear any sound except the rustling of the wheels and the occasional honking of the horn. The air was filled with the unpleasant smell of cardboard boxes, which made her want to vomit. She fished out the water bottle from her bag and waited for the car to calm down before taking a few sips.
Although the temperature at night was lower than usual, the airtight rear compartment was still stuffy. She felt her sweat running down her back, scratching her spine, which was itchy. Even her hair began to become sticky, sticking to her neck in strands. She leaned on the cardboard box on the other side and fell asleep in a daze. The bumpy road would often wake her up from her sleep, so she did not sleep well along the way.
I don’t know how much time had passed, I only knew that the water in the cup had been finished long ago, and my lips began to feel dry due to lack of water. Yang Xiao licked her upper lip, her mouth felt bitter, and her stomach was churning.
Just when I was about to give up, the car seemed to stop.
The shop owner, with a beer belly, opened the back door and stood at the door, motioning her to get out. "We're here, little girl."
"I usually buy supplies nearby. It's a bit far from the city. Just follow this road and you'll reach the city."
After hearing this, Yang Xiao stood up. Her legs and feet were numb from being pressed down, and her saliva immediately started to flow back. She didn't care about the discomfort in her legs, jumped out of the back of the car, and ran to the flowers on the side of the road to vomit. All the bad smells in her stomach came up at this moment, and it seemed that she wanted to vomit out her heart and liver as well.
Seeing this, Li Maoqiu walked over quickly and stroked her back. When she had almost finished vomiting, he took out a tissue from his pocket to wipe the corners of her mouth. When he was about to take out the schoolbag she was holding and get a cup of water for her to rinse her mouth, he found that all the water was gone.
Seeing her vomiting so violently, the shop owner, fearing she hadn't heard what he had just said, repeated it to Li Maoqiu, then jumped in his car, slammed the door, and drove off. It was now dark and quiet, with no one around. Yang Xiao, utterly nauseated from vomiting, sat down on the side of the road. Only after her stomach ache subsided did she notice her legs and feet weakening. Looking up, she could only see a few scattered streetlights. Everything was so unfamiliar that it frightened Yang Xiao.
But she had to stand up first.
She slowly stood up, leaning on the roadside guardrail and Mao Qiu's elbow, and asked:
"Why isn't this the road we took for our graduation exam? Wasn't it very flat back then? Why are there so many potholes on this road?"
Li Maoqiu shook his head and replied, "That stingy guy in the store wouldn't want to take the highway. This must be the old road."
Yang Xiao nodded with an expression of sudden enlightenment. Mao Qiu thought she was so cute.
"Then let's go. Let's walk along this road." Yang Xiao said, putting the schoolbag in her arms on her back, and using her hands to brush away the hair stuck to her neck. The wind also kissed her sensibly, blowing away the heat for her.
The two little girls, neither of them mentioning the fear brought on by the darkness and the unfamiliarity, held hands, walking along the roadside, just as they often did in Deer Town, neither looking back. There were very few cars on the road, and few were willing to roll down their windows to offer a quick greeting. It was only when they passed a gas station that an aunt, who had just finished work and was heading back to the city, took them to the nearest city hospital.
Along the way, she asked about the children's well-being, whether they had eaten, whether there was bread in the car, and why the adults didn't come along. Question after question came pouring out, and Yang Xiao suddenly thought of her own mother. Did her mother ask her the same questions? She secretly asked Mao Qiu to close some of the car windows, hoping to keep the warmth inside, to quiet the noisy wind, and to hear every word of concern from the aunt.
It was already early morning when they got off the bus. The aunt touched Yang Xiao and Li Maoqiu's hands with her palms, and said with a smile, "Children, be careful."
The skin that touched the palm of the hand was warm, and flowed along the blood to Yang Xiao's heart.
Yang Xiao's hands and feet were shaking as she entered the hospital, not sure if it was from fear or nervousness. The city she had longed for now presented itself to her in a completely different light: people were still coming and going at night, some with frightening bloodstains on their clothes and faces, others lying on hastily wheeled beds with hideous expressions, and others sleeping on stools with their necks tilted to one side—a scene she had never seen before in the clinic.
Li Maoqiu felt the same way. From the moment she entered the room, her body had instantly stiffened, and her palms were sweating uncontrollably. She feared the outcome, and she also feared the judgmental looks or words others would give her. Yang Xiao gritted her teeth, took a few deep breaths, and dragged Maoqiu to the outpatient payment counter. Her voice trembled, "Hello... My friend hasn't had her period in two months, and she..."
The lady at the cashier's office looked up at them and asked, "You can only make an appointment at the night clinic right now, little sister. The general gynecology clinic will be open tomorrow."
Yang Xiao nodded and said, "Let's hang up and take a look." When the other party asked for her ID, Yang Xiao slapped her head in regret and said she forgot to bring it. Li Maoqiu, upon hearing this, became anxious and whispered, "What should I do now?" The other party then asked if she remembered her ID number. Li Maoqiu recited it fluently, and Yang Xiao finally paid the registration fee. After receiving the number, they both breathed a sigh of relief.
They followed the sister at the payment counter and the signs on the ground to find the night gynecology clinic. When they arrived at the door, there were two more people ahead of them.
Yang Xiao and Li Maoqiu sat on a bench by the entrance, waiting. "Is the hospital this cool at night?" Yang Xiao thought. It didn't feel like summer at this hour, it felt more like autumn. Fortunately, the first two patients were seen quickly; by the time Li Maoqiu was called, only half an hour had passed. The door to the gynecology clinic was always closed, and Yang Xiao followed suit after entering.
Li Maoqiu sat nervously on a wooden chair without any backrest, buttoning his pants with his hands nervously.
The doctor sitting behind the computer noticed her nervousness and uneasiness, and tapped away on the keyboard, telling her not to be nervous. He asked some questions as usual, and after repeated questions and hearing vague answers, he looked up at Yang Xiao and said, "Little girl, wait outside for a while." After being kicked out, Yang Xiao could no longer sit still. She paced back and forth at the door of the clinic, sighing from time to time.
Staring at the tightly closed door, Yang Xiao felt like there was a rabbit in her heart, jumping up and down, feeling uneasy.
After walking back and forth for an unknown number of times, Yang Xiao watched as a nurse approached from a distance, pushed open the door, and led Mao Qiu out, a list in her hand. Yang Xiao immediately walked towards Mao Qiu, watching her lower her head and sniff. She didn't dare to ask, so she just walked silently side by side with Mao Qiu. When they reached the end of the corridor, the nurse handed Mao Qiu a urine test cup and told her to go to the bathroom.
After the nurse sent her off for the test, the two of them leaned against the white wall of the hospital corridor, awaiting the results. Yang Xiao took Mao Qiu's hand, which hung by his side. Both of their hands were equally cold. Yang Xiao looked at the clock hanging in the corridor and gently closed her eyes.
Dad, if you can hear me, please bless Maoqiu this time.
She is my good friend and a good child who studies hard and works diligently.
I don't want Mao Qiu to bear the consequences of the bad things done by bad people. She didn't do anything wrong and she shouldn't be punished, right, Dad?
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