Back home, Xiao Chen went to prepare dinner. Zhou Xing's mother lay on the bed, staring blankly out the window.
It's snowing again. What if my little sister gets lost outside? Will she freeze to death?
She suddenly shivered, as if there was a small, cold body in her arms. She looked down, but there was nothing there. Yet, her heart could no longer find peace.
Zhou Xing's mother grabbed a coat haphazardly, put it on, and went straight out the door without saying goodbye.
She walked out of the main gate of the military area, disoriented, and walked straight along the road.
It was getting colder and colder, and she was only wearing a pair of leather boots. Her toes were getting so cold that they gradually lost all feeling.
At an intersection, a woman hurriedly crossed the road with two children. They were about the same age as Hanhan and her younger sister. Zhou Xing's mother blurted out, "Hanhan, Little Sister!"
Her voice was swallowed by the wind and snow, but it gave her courage. As she walked, she shouted loudly.
She didn't know how much time had passed, but she found herself back near the military region.
The snow had piled up into a thick layer, and her body was almost stiff. She decided to go back and change into something warmer before coming out again.
The sidewalk was covered with a thick layer of ice, and she walked on it carefully.
"Nana! Nana!"
She suddenly heard a magical sound.
Yes, she heard that sound in the car. She stopped and looked around blankly.
A ditch has been dug nearby, and the edges are already covered with snow.
Zhou Xing's mother used both her hands and feet to climb onto the mound of earth by the ditch and peered into it.
The little girl, her face covered in frost, tilted her head back and stretched out her arm.
Zhou Xing's mother panicked and jumped into the pit without hesitation, holding her little sister tightly in her arms.
"Are you talking? Can you speak now?" Zhou Xing's mother sobbed uncontrollably.
"Nai Nai!" The little girl's body was already frozen stiff, and she could only mechanically repeat a syllable.
"Grandma will take you home!" Zhou Xing's mother said, only to realize that she had been too reckless. The ditch was a person deep, and they were standing on the exposed pipe. The ditch walls were frozen solid and slippery, and she couldn't climb up at all.
Zhou Xing's mother looked at her little sister, made a tough decision, pulled down her coat, and wrapped her little sister in her arms.
The cold air instantly engulfed her, and she trembled uncontrollably.
"Help! Someone help me!" Zhou Xing's mother could only shout with all her might. She had never been so disheveled in her entire life. Even in the worst of times, she maintained her elegance, but what good was that? Her little sister's life was more important.
Qin Xiaoyu wandered outside for an unknown amount of time before finally remembering to go home, hoping that Qi Si would call back.
As soon as she entered the building, she saw Yao Mei pacing around like an ant on a hot pan.
"Little Fish, where did you run off to! Your phone has been ringing non-stop for half an hour now, and I don't know where to look for you. I'm so worried!"
Qin Xiaoyu hurriedly took out her key, but her hands were shaking so badly she couldn't insert it into the lock. Yao Mei couldn't stand it anymore, so she snatched it from her and unlocked the door.
The phone rang so loudly that Qin Xiaoyu rushed over to answer it.
"Sister Xiaoyu! Come to the military hospital quickly! We've found my little sister!"
"Found it?" Qin Xiaoyu cried as she ran outside.
Xiao Chen and others were in the lobby of the military hospital when they saw Qin Xiaoyu come in. They quickly led her to the ward.
"The doctor examined her carefully and found only minor frostbite. She's in a stable mood now," Xiao Chen said before Qin Xiaoyu could ask.
The little girl sat obediently on the hospital bed, her ears swollen like red berries, covered with yellow medicine. Her nose was also red, but not seriously.
When she saw Qin Xiaoyu, she silently stretched out her arm and pleaded for forgiveness with her eyes.
"You're not allowed to sneak away again, Mom can't bear it." Qin Xiaoyu hugged the little body tightly in her arms, tears streaming down her face.
"Nai Nai," the younger sister said softly.
"Little sister, are you talking? You spoke?" Qin Xiaoyu was surprised and pushed her little sister away from her arms, then pulled her closer to look at her.
"Nai Nai..." The little sister pointed to the room next door.
Qin Xiaoyu picked up her little sister and strode over. The white curtain was lifted, and Zhou Xing's mother came out from inside.
"The child has been found. You'll see. If he gets lost again, I won't be responsible." After she finished speaking, she strode out.
"Nai Nai!" the little sister called out loudly. Zhou Xing's mother paused for a moment, then walked even faster.
Xiao Chen didn't dare to delay and chased after them.
Qin Xiaoyu knew something must have happened, but she couldn't get her younger sister to explain. When she first started speaking, she didn't dare utter any sounds other than "Nai Nai," and was very shy.
"The child needs to stay in the hospital for observation. Don't take him home yet. We will do our best to take care of him. You can stay here to take care of him. By the way, dinner will be delivered from the cafeteria. If you need anything, just let us know." The head of the pediatrics department quickly came over and said humbly, as if Qin Xiaoyu were their superior.
"I'm the doctor on night duty, my surname is Zhang, I'll be coming to check on you, you..." Dr. Zhang couldn't finish his sentence.
Qin Xiaoyu recognized him; this was the person she had argued with last time.
"Didn't you say you didn't want to pay for my daughter's medical treatment? Then don't bother." Qin Xiaoyu held a grudge.
"No, no, that's not true. I'm sorry about what happened last time, it was my fault!" Dr. Zhang was terrified and waved his hands repeatedly, trying to clarify, but the more he explained, the worse it got.
"Dr. Zhang, come to my office for a moment," the director said sternly, then turned to Qin Xiaoyu with a smile and said, "Don't worry, I'll arrange for another doctor to come."
"I think the child is fine, so I won't trouble you. I have an urgent matter at home. Can I take her with me?" Qin Xiaoyu was worried that no one would answer the phone at home, and what if Qi Si contacted her?
"If you insist, you can take it with you. Contact us anytime if you need anything, and we can come to your home for a house call." The director wrote down a number and handed it to Qin Xiaoyu.
As Qin Xiaoyu carried her little sister out of the hospital, Xiao Chen came to greet them.
"Didn't you take her home?" Qin Xiaoyu asked in surprise, glancing into the car but not seeing Zhou Xing's mother.
"Auntie was worried and asked me to take you back." After saying that, Xiao Chen stuck out his tongue and said, "Wrong, Auntie told me to say that. All you do is show off. Driving yourself with a sick child, how are you going to take care of them!"
Qin Xiaoyu couldn't help but smile bitterly. She was clearly concerned, but she had to pretend not to care. What was the point?
She insisted on driving her own car back, worried about the safety of leaving it behind. Unable to persuade her otherwise, Xiao Chen had no choice but to act as her designated driver.
"Sister Xiaoyu, my life was saved by your aunt," Xiao Chen exclaimed.
"How so?"
“I ran into you at the guard post, and when I got home I went to cook. After I finished cooking, I realized Auntie was gone. I went out to look for her several times but couldn’t find her. Finally, the guard at the guard post called and said that some people had rescued an old woman and a young girl from a ditch under the wall. When I rushed over, I saw that Auntie had wrapped the little girl in her coat, and she herself was frozen stiff. Sigh, you know, I’m an outsider, so I can’t really say anything to her. It’s really difficult.” Xiao Chen sighed repeatedly.
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