At around 3 a.m., the whole world seemed to be still immersed in a deep sleep, and all was quiet.
However, at that moment, a sudden, urgent, and loud knocking broke the tranquility of the courtyard at night.
The sound was like a heavy hammer, slamming hard onto the gate of the courtyard house.
Xiao Jian and Hu Zi have been working non-stop at the factory lately, so busy that they've barely even had their feet on the ground.
For the sake of convenience at work, they have been living in the factory's single apartments for several days in a row.
At this moment, only Xiao Mengjie and her mother Gu Meiying remained at home.
The sudden knocking woke the mother and daughter from their deep sleep.
Xiao Mengjie rubbed her sleepy eyes and listened to the increasingly urgent knocking on the door. A sense of doubt arose in her heart: Who could it be so late?
When she realized that the person knocking on the door was her familiar neighbor, the older sister who worked at the textile factory, Xiao Mengjie didn't dare to delay. She quickly put on a coat, got out of bed, and ran to open the door.
After all, someone knocking on the door at this hour must have done something extraordinary. Xiao Mengjie's heart started racing, and a strange sense of tension instantly enveloped her.
When Xiao Mengjie finally opened the door, standing in front of her was her neighbor, a woman with a face full of anxiety.
As soon as she saw Xiao Mengjie, she grabbed Xiao Mengjie's shoulders tightly as if she had found a lifeline.
Perhaps due to excessive nervousness, the woman's voice trembled as she spoke.
"Xiaojie! Something terrible has happened! A major accident has occurred at the textile factory!"
As she spoke, the older sister was panting heavily, as if she had just gone through a thrilling run.
Xiao Mengjie's heart sank suddenly, and a chill ran down her spine.
She subconsciously shook the clothes she was wearing, trying to calm herself down, but the panic in her heart surged like a tidal wave, difficult to suppress.
However, despite the turmoil in her heart, she took a deep breath and tried her best to keep her tone steady as she spoke softly to her older sister.
"Sister, don't worry. No matter what happened, we can talk about it slowly and clearly. What exactly is going on at the textile factory?"
The woman first patted her chest forcefully, seemingly trying to calm her nerves, and then swallowed hard.
After a long while, she spoke again.
"Xiaojie, you can't even imagine how terrifying the scene was! We were working overtime when suddenly, a crisp and piercing gunshot rang out from the direction of the apartment."
When the words "gunshot" reached Xiao Mengjie's ears, her face instantly turned deathly pale, as if she had been struck by lightning.
"Ah! What happens next?"
She pressed for answers in terror, her voice trembling with anxiety.
The eldest sister composed herself and continued her story.
"After that, we all put down our work and rushed out of the workshop to check the situation."
As soon as I stepped outside, I saw the factory's security guards running frantically toward the direction from which the gunshots had rang out.
Seeing this, everyone knew that something serious must have happened.
So, without thinking too much, we followed them and ran over.
When they arrived at the scene, the first thing they saw was Grandpa Wang, the gatekeeper, lying in a pool of blood at the entrance, along with a security guard.
The scene was so bloody and terrifying that none of us dared to approach; we just stood at the doorway and watched from a distance.
Just then, Xiao Jian suddenly appeared out of nowhere, carrying the unconscious Gao Hu on his back. He rushed towards a car like a madman, jumped in quickly, and sped away, seemingly heading straight for the hospital.
Alas, poor Tiger…
At this point, the eldest sister couldn't help but sigh, her face full of worry and unease.
At this point, the older woman seemed worried that Xiao Mengjie wouldn't be able to hold on, and glanced at her anxiously. Sure enough, she saw that the girl was trembling all over, her face had turned deathly pale, and tears were streaming down her face.
"Big sister, big sister, tell me quickly, how is Tiger? How is he?"
Despair was already evident in Xiao Mengjie's voice. Her large eyes looked pleadingly at her older sister, begging her to tell her the result quickly.
"well!"
The older woman sighed first, then continued.
"Mengjie, don't panic. I only see that Huzi's face and head are covered in blood, and he's already unconscious. I don't know the specifics. I know you two are close, and I'm worried about what might happen to you..."
The older sister didn't say what she meant, but Xiao Mengjie understood what she meant: when the older sister saw Hu Zi, he was already in grave danger.
"Xiaojie! Your older sister is really worried about you two! That's why she rushed back in the middle of the night without thinking, just to tell you this as soon as possible. You should go to the county hospital quickly, maybe you can still see them one last time."
Having said all that, the eldest sister gritted her teeth, steeled her heart, and decided to stop hiding things and simply tell Xiao Mengjie everything at once.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Mengjie felt a buzzing in her head, her vision went black, and her body swayed involuntarily before going limp.
If her older sister hadn't reacted quickly, rushing forward and embracing her tightly, she probably would have collapsed to the ground.
"Xiaojie, you must cheer up and be strong! Hurry up and go see Huzi..."
The eldest sister was extremely anxious and was about to continue speaking when she suddenly realized that Gu Meiying had also quietly appeared behind them.
Gu Meiying quickly stepped forward, reached out and steadily supported her daughter, then gently raised one hand and patted Xiao Mengjie's back a few times.
"Daughter, your older sister is right. Listen to me, you should go to the hospital right away."
At this moment, Gu Meiying no longer showed any trace of her former madness and insanity.
After experiencing many hardships and trials, she now resembles an incredibly kind, loving, and generous mother.
Xiao Mengjie finally came to her senses, hurriedly pushed out her bicycle, wiped away her tears, and was about to leave.
"Mom, please take good care of yourself while you're at home alone."
Gu Meiying shoved the flashlight into her hand and waved to her.
"Go quickly, Mom is fine. Take good care of your brother Tiger, and take good care of yourself too."
In the cold night at three or four in the morning, Xiao Mengjie rode her bicycle towards the county town, relying on a flashlight with a dim light.
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