Chapter 32
When Hang Liumei and Qi Xiuchun heard the noise, they both forced themselves to sit up from the bed. The two sickly old ladies looked at each other and were both stunned.
Qi Xinyu and Mai Sui took the others out and left the ward to them.
Hang Liumei remained as refined as she had been in her youth, even wearing embroidered cotton housedresses to the hospital. She'd been so excited the previous night that she'd drunk some alcoholic beverage from Wheat. The bottle looked fancy, with a circle of tropical fruits and a label written entirely in English. She'd drunk it without a second thought, unable to sleep. That night, her back had started itching, and this morning, she had a fever and couldn't get up. She'd thought she'd caught a cold, but Wheat Ear and Wheat saw the red spots on her neck and the backs of her hands, realizing she had an allergic reaction, and immediately rushed her to the hospital.
Qi Xiuchun hadn't even washed her face since waking up, and she'd only brushed her teeth for dinner. There was still mucus in the corners of her eyes. But her features retained the youthful charm of her youth. Her eye sockets had deepened with age, her eyelids widened, and even a glance was more captivating than before. It looked like the gastroenteritis had taken its toll on her; her face had shrunk since she'd last been at the wedding expo.
"Xiaomei, you are so old, why can't you control your mouth?" Qi Xiuchun looked at Hang Liumei's embarrassed look and slowly joked with her.
"Sister Xiuchun, aren't you here too?" Hang Liumei also smiled.
After saying these two sentences, they both pursed their lips and lowered their eyes. It was as if the intervening decades hadn't existed, and they were suddenly transported back to the night Hang Liumei had first arrived in Dunhuang. Hang Liumei's heart was as soft and smooth as the hot noodle soup that night. If only they hadn't argued in between... Oh, how could she have forgotten such an important thing!
"Sister Xiuchun!" Hang Liumei called her loudly, "That's right, that letter is the one you wrote to me. It wasn't written by me!"
Qi Xiuchun was stunned by her shout: "What did you say? What letter?"
"That's the letter of denunciation you asked Mai Sui to bring me, the letter you sent to the hospital exposing that young doctor. That wasn't the letter I wrote to Sister Xiuchun! The letter I wrote back then was sent to Huang Hanwen's factory, and the recipient was also Huang Hanwen. I told him that I accidentally went to the hospital and found out that he was having an affair with another woman, so I quickly calmed him down and said that as long as he and you lived a good life, I wouldn't make a big deal out of it. That's it. I don't know where this letter in the hospital came from, but I swear it wasn't me."
"It's not you? It's not you! But back then... it wasn't me either! Then who else could it be except the two of us?" Qi Xiuchun couldn't wrap his head around it, and even his stomach started to hurt.
Hang Liumei, seeing the situation was not good, pulled the wheelchair next to the bed, got out of bed, propped herself up with her arms, and sat on it, pushing the wheel over to Xiuchun's side. Qi Xiuchun quickly helped her adjust the direction, and seeing that Hang Liumei's mouth was dry and chapped, she opened the fruit basket that Zhu Fu had brought and peeled a pear for her.
"There's something fishy about this, Sister Xiuchun. We need to figure it out from beginning to end."
"Don't get excited yet. Let me think about it. This happened after you and Lao Jiang got married, when we returned to Lanzhou..."
Qi Xiuchun began her recollections by reminiscing about their reconciliation. Huang Hanwen then returned to Lanzhou with her daughter, mother-in-law, beaming with joy. They seemed to have truly repented and never pressed for a son again. She didn't know why the handicraft factory was so busy; he was often away, always claiming he was the breadwinner, earning the money to support them. Fortunately, he'd finally found his conscience and was generous enough to pay for his daughter's medical treatment.
He finally stopped deliberately irritating Qi Xiuchun. The last time he ran away from home, the argument was so hurtful that Qi Xiuchun suffered chest pain for the better part of a month. He remained as indifferent to her and their daughter, but he was generally pleasant and affable at home and abroad. This was part of his nature: if he wanted to stab someone, he could say anything harsh; if he wanted to cheer them up, he could compliment them on their appearance.
"Xiuchun, now that I think about it, you're the best. What does a man want in his life? Just a wife, children, and a warm bed."
"Xiuchun, I don't feel guilty about anyone else, it's just that you've suffered so much following me."
"Xiuchun, if we talk about the standard of a good woman, you are a first-rate good woman. Look at our mother, our daughter, and our family. It's all thanks to you."...
The more he talked, the more despicable Qi Xiuchun felt. She saw through his coldness, and those words made her want to sneer. Did he think she would be fooled by a few lies and become his slave for the rest of her life? You are truly despicable, Qi Xiuchun. Look at the way you live, living under the yoke of others. He got himself into a lot of affairs outside, and now he just treats you like a silly old woman.
It's easy to spot Huang Hanwen's infidelity: the movie ticket stubs in his pocket, the buttons mended by someone else, his hair always shiny, and even the cloying compliments that seemed to have been practiced elsewhere.
Qi Xiuchun no longer wanted to know who that woman was. Maybe it was the young doctor, maybe it was someone else. It didn't matter. Huang Hanwen was a piece of stinking dog shit stuck in the middle of the road. Whoever's shoe touched him would be unlucky.
When Qi Xiuchun took Yingying to the hospital for a checkup, she unexpectedly ran into the young doctor. She had been waiting at the door of their ward. When Qi Xiuchun came out with the child in her arms, she approached with a bag of eggs, her face flushed and unable to utter a word.
Qi Xiuchun said lightly, let’s go to your office and talk.
The young doctor led her into a secluded room. Her beautiful face was shrouded in panic and haggardness. The red that had spread to her ears faded, leaving her looking strangely pale, devoid of life. Seeing she still refused to speak, Qi Xiuchun offered, "You don't have to be so afraid of me. I'm just bringing the child to see a doctor."
The young doctor sank to his knees before her, tears streaming down his face. He hugged her legs and recounted the whole story. Qi Xiuchun had told her that she had broken up with Huang Hanwen after he got married, but he had continued to pursue her, even after finding a new lover. That new woman was a saleswoman, working behind a glass counter selling radios and televisions. She was articulate, beautiful, and feisty.
The saleswoman, somehow completely bewitched by Huang Hanwen, convinced she was still seducing him, repeatedly blocked her on her way home, most recently even slapping her twice. Huang Hanwen relished watching that woman vying for his favor, and instead of trying to stop her, he went out of his way to harass her, deliberately irritating her. If this continued and became public knowledge, Huang Hanwen would destroy her.
She told Qi Xiuchun that when I rejected him, he was furious. He definitely didn't do this because he loved me, he was taking revenge on me. Blame me for being so stupid, sister. I'm sorry. I did something wrong. This is my retribution. I accept it, but I really don't know what to do. I beg you to help me.
Seeing her trembling shoulders, Qi Xiuchun felt a wave of sadness in his heart. Although he was also a victim, his blood boiled in his heart, and he felt an urge to rid the people of this evil. Qi Xiuchun kindly advised her to move somewhere else for two days if it really didn't work out, first to make sure the beast couldn't find her, and then he would find a chance to warn him.
However, before Qi Xiuchun could deal with Huang Hanwen, a letter of denunciation arrived at the hospital director's office. The young doctor, relying on their brief acquaintance with Qi Xiuchun, believed that Huang Hanwen had not written the letter and, determined to fight to the death, rushed to Huang Hanwen's factory to find him.
Huang Hanwen leaped up in anger, refutation that this was slander, he knew who was behind it, it was Qi Xiuchun's former best friend, and said that this person actually liked him, but chose Qi Xiuchun, so she turned her love into hatred, and knowing that his daughter was treated in this hospital, she made up lies to slander him...
"He's so shameless, bah!" Hang Liumei was so surprised that she even forgot to eat the pear. "Sister Xiuchun? If you believe this lie, you are insulting me!"
"I didn't tell you the letter!" Qi Xiuchun said firmly, "I know he didn't tell the truth, but the letter was too real. I only told you about this hospital and this doctor. I felt so sorry for that young doctor at the time that I was so angry that I just blamed you for being impulsive. Later, the young doctor tried to commit suicide but failed, and her family moved away. She had a bright future, and I don't know how she is doing now."
Looking at it this way, it was indeed pitiful. Compared with this, their love-hate relationship had nothing to complain about. Both of them sighed heavily.
"Is that the end?" Hang Liumei asked.
"That's all. We haven't had a few days of peace yet. How much more can happen?"
"Then who wrote this letter? Huang Hanwen himself?"
"That's absolutely impossible. He's playing tricks, but he wouldn't seek death. He even pretends to be deeply affectionate towards us mother and daughter! This is the critical moment for his promotion, he wouldn't do something like this."
"Yes, yes, it shouldn't be him. I was wrong. Who else could it be? This person knows Huang Hanwen and knows that he is cheating. Your mother-in-law? His competitor? Or maybe—" Hang Liumei had an idea as she spoke. She took a breath and exclaimed at the same time as Qi Xiuchun: "That salesperson!"
She didn't run away. She hated Huang Hanwen for still having his heart attached to the doctor, so he wanted to destroy her.
"Then why doesn't she come to see you?" Hang Liumei asked.
"Why are you looking for me? I'm nothing at Huang Hanwen, what threat can I pose to her? She's fighting for love. Fighting with me? Then she can only get the Huang family's foot-washing maid."
Just after finding out the serious truth, Qi Xiuchun's two words made Hang Liumei laugh again.
Qi Xiuchun let out a sigh and said viciously, "I never thought Huang Hanwen would get into trouble because of this. He deserves it."
Thinking about it this way, everything made sense. This incident caused a huge uproar in the city, and Huang Hanwen went home in disgrace, becoming a coward. One night, Qi Xiuchun went out to get milk for her child when people on the street ran over and said someone was about to jump from a building. Qi Xiuchun instinctively thought it was the doctor, so she followed her, and sure enough, it was her.
She sat on the roof of a sixth-floor building, her legs dangling. Her white coat blew up in the wind, looking empty, as if four arms and legs had appeared from nowhere. Her hair was tied up neatly, just as tightly as it was when she worked. She had always been a good doctor.
Qi Xiuchun couldn't see her expression clearly, and stood below and shouted, "Don't jump! Don't jump! I haven't even tried to commit suicide yet, so don't lose heart!"
The onlookers were puzzled by the sudden appearance of two mad women, one sitting upstairs, the other standing below. Their eyes flickered between their faces, but Qi Xiuchun paid no heed, screaming until her face was covered in tears and her voice was hoarse. The doctor on the roof remained silent, and Qi Xiuchun only stopped screaming when someone brave and careful grabbed her from behind and dragged her back down. She returned home, utterly distraught, her throat so sore she couldn't speak.
Huang Hanwen was lying on the bed, legs crossed, picking his earwax. Qi Xiuchun picked up the tea set from the table and threw it at him, startling him. He jumped out of bed and started shoving her. Qi Xiuchun fought like crazy, and Huang Hanwen was actually losing. Finally, he grabbed his coat and rushed out. Now I think she was probably looking for the salesperson who was devoted to him.
Yingying burst into tears upon hearing this. Qi Xiuchun hugged her daughter tightly. Her daughter was about to undergo a second operation and she couldn't fall down. After comforting Yingying, Qi Xiuchun was exhausted and fell asleep. When she woke up the next day, she ran back to see the doctor, but the doctor was gone and she never heard from him again.
Qi Xiuchun was heartbroken, feeling that she was also responsible for this unjust case. She refused to believe that Hang Liumei had written the letter, so she rushed to find Hang Liumei. Hang Liumei admitted that she had indeed written the letter. In the end, before things could be sorted out, the two quarreled, leaving the case unsolved to this day.
"Then you divorced him, refused to contact us anymore, and returned to northern Shaanxi alone?"
"Yes, you were right to scold me. I had long ago asked myself if it was worth it, but I couldn't bear to hear others say it, especially you. The worse a person's life is, the stronger their self-esteem becomes, and the stronger their self-esteem becomes, the more fragile it becomes. Before anyone else could say anything, I was already being stepped on. I thought at the time, this is Xiaomei, Xiaomei looks down on me, so I might as well just leave."
The two of them only had a quarrel just once. Perhaps it was their destiny to suffer this misfortune. Life is full of regrets.
They should have been happy that their knot had been untied, but instead they felt like crying. I don't know who started it, but when the others, chatting and laughing, pushed the door open, they saw the two old ladies hugging each other, weeping, their clothes soaked with tears.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
