Free Web NovelChapter 224: Chapter 224: Melodrama
Su Li overheard a bit about Doctor Yang and Yang Xiangyun, but she didn’t have the energy to pay much attention.
There was too much going on, and she had to look after Little Tang Mo, who had come down with a fever for the second time.
Three days later, Little Tang Mo had fully recovered. The town- and county-wide disinfection and mosquito extermination efforts were nearly complete, and there were barely any mosquitoes to be seen.
The treatments for dengue fever were also proving effective, and most of the patients whose conditions had previously worsened were now on the road to recovery.
Although one child and one elderly person did ultimately pass away, the fatality rate was very low compared to the total number of infections.
No one could deny that Su Li’s contributions were indispensable in keeping the death rate so effectively under control.
By the same token, Doctor Yang’s negligence and malpractice could not be denied either.
Doctor Yang, who had stubbornly insisted he’d made no mistake, finally broke when he was forced into early retirement—a disguised form of being held accountable.
On the day he was forced to retire, after seeing a patient’s mother throw rotten eggs at his front door yet again, Doctor Yang couldn’t take it anymore and tried to hang himself.
While Doctor Yang was attempting to hang himself, Grandma Cui’s fever had broken. Su Li was in the hospital room, watching over Little Tang Mo as she packed Grandma Cui’s belongings.
Yang Xiangyun suddenly burst in, and without a word, she dropped to her knees in front of Su Li.
"Sister-in-law, my uncle and I were wrong before. We’re so sorry. We know we were wrong now, and we regret it. Sister-in-law, please, go talk to my uncle. He really didn’t mean for any of this to happen." freewёbn૦νeɭ.com
Su Li quickly stepped aside, a bewildered look on her face.
"Your uncle?"
"Doctor Yang! He’s at home trying to hang himself right now! He said he’s keeping the promise he made to you. Sister-in-law, I’m begging you, please, go talk some sense into him."
Yang Xiangyun looked frantic, leaving Su Li speechless.
’Doctor Yang made that grand pronouncement to me himself. Now that he’s backed into a corner, he’s resorting to a suicide attempt, and an anxious Yang Xiangyun comes running to me.’
"He was the one who said those words, who made that vow. It has nothing to do with me. You shouldn’t be coming to me for this."
"I heard the patients’ families have been going to him, but he hasn’t offered a single word of apology. You’re the one who’s been apologizing on his behalf." Su Li’s lip twitched.
"Nurse Yang, I know you’re sensible and kind, but there are some apologies that can’t be made by a substitute. You should understand that you shouldn’t have come to me at a time like this."
Tears streamed down Yang Xiangyun’s face. "I’m sorry, Sister-in-law. I know I shouldn’t have come to you, but I have no choice... I have no choice! I can’t just stand by and watch my uncle die."
Su Li shook her head. "Please, get up. It wouldn’t be good for people to see you kneeling like this."
"Sister-in-law, please..." Yang Xiangyun sobbed. "Saving a life is the greatest good deed one can do! You just have to go and say a single word..."
Seeing that there was no getting through to her, Su Li simply turned her back and prepared to leave.
Miao Zhi, who had also recovered from her fever, saw how heartless Su Li was being and couldn’t stop herself from speaking up for Yang Xiangyun.
"Why won’t you help Sister Yang? It would only take a single word! Su Li, we all know how capable you are, and we know we misjudged you before. We apologize. Please, just help Sister Yang. No matter what mistakes Doctor Yang made, a life is still a life."
A headache started the moment Su Li heard Miao Zhi speak, and she couldn’t help but rub her forehead.
When Su Li didn’t answer, Miao Zhi closed the door and lowered her voice.
"Why aren’t you saying anything, Su Li? Are you still holding a grudge over what I said before? Or is it because of Sister Yang and Captain Tang? Are you refusing to help because you’re jealous of her?"
Miao Zhi gritted her teeth. "Even if Captain Tang has feelings for Sister Yang, you’re the one who’s married to him! You..."
Miao Zhi’s words were cut off by a deep voice from behind her.
"Since when do I have feelings for some ’Sister Yang’? How come I’m the last to know?"
Miao Zhi spun around in disbelief and saw Tang Yuanxiao pushing the door open.
"Captain Tang!" Miao Zhi gasped.
Yang Xiangyun’s eyes lit up when she saw Tang Yuanxiao, though a flash of pain crossed her features. But when she saw his bleeding arm, the color drained from her face.
"How did you get hurt?"
Tang Yuanxiao didn’t seem to hear her gasp, nor did he even seem to notice Yang Xiangyun. The moment he pushed the door open, his eyes were only for Su Li and Little Tang Mo.
"Su Li, Momo, are you two okay?"
he asked in a low voice, striding over to them.
Little Tang Mo blinked, and a moment later, he was dashing over to his father. "Daddy, you’re finally back!"
"Yeah. Are you okay?" Tang Yuanxiao crouched down to catch Little Tang Mo, his heart aching as he looked the boy up and down and saw how much weight he’d lost.
"Daddy, what happened to your arm?" Little Tang Mo asked, looking cautiously at Tang Yuanxiao’s arm.
Tang Yuanxiao’s arm was bandaged, but the gauze was soaked through with fresh blood.
"Daddy’s fine. It’s just a small cut, don’t be scared," Tang Yuanxiao said, his eyes shifting to Su Li as if to reassure her as well.
He scooped up Little Tang Mo with his uninjured arm and walked over to Su Li.
"I’m sorry. For something like this to happen... and I wasn’t here."
Before Su Li could say a word, Yang Xiangyun rushed forward.
"Captain Tang, you need to get that wound treated right away! Oh my god, you’ve lost so much blood..."
Tear tracks still wet on her face, Yang Xiangyun reached out with trembling hands.
Tang Yuanxiao took two large steps back, avoiding her touch. He looked warily from her to Miao Zhi.
"What was that I heard from outside just now? Since when do I have feelings for some ’Sister Yang’? How come I don’t know anything about it?"
Yang Xiangyun froze, staring at Tang Yuanxiao in disbelief.
Miao Zhi was even more dumbfounded. She stared blankly between Yang Xiangyun and Tang Yuanxiao, muttering, "You risked your life to save Sister Yang... you have feelings for her, and she has feelings for you..."
Tang Yuanxiao frowned. "Risked my life to save who? You’re talking about Nurse Yang?"
His face was a mask of incredulity. "That was just a routine rescue. There was no ’risking my life,’ and it’s even more impossible that I have feelings for her. We’ve barely even exchanged a few words."
Yang Xiangyun looked as if she couldn’t believe her ears, swaying unsteadily.
Miao Zhi rushed to steady her. "Captain Tang, how can you deny it?" she said frantically. "Is it just because you can’t admit it in front of Su Li?"
She gritted her teeth. "Sister Yang said you both have feelings for each other! She said you had no choice after your family arranged for you to marry Su Li, and that you’ve been forcing yourself to keep your distance from her. But you’ve been in just as much pain as she has, haven’t you?"
Tang Yuanxiao’s expression turned icy. "Absurd! What ’feelings for each other’..."
Tang Yuanxiao snapped, "Nurse Yang, I admit that I saved you once. But that’s all it was—I saved you. You thanked me, and I said you were welcome!" freeωebnovēl.c૦m
"After that, we’ve been nothing more than acquaintances! At most, we nod and say hello when we see each other!"
He took a couple of deep breaths. "Nurse Yang, please clarify things for Miao Zhi. Don’t let her continue with this ridiculous misunderstanding."
Miao Zhi could only stare at Tang Yuanxiao, completely dumbfounded, as she dazedly picked up the thread.
"But... that’s what Sister Yang told me. I’m not misunderstanding..."
It was Yang Xiangyun who had told her all of this. Miao Zhi, a romantic at heart, had sympathized with Yang Xiangyun and had come to dislike Su Li for "destroying" the love between Yang Xiangyun and Tang Yuanxiao. That was the reason for everything that had happened.
But now, Tang Yuanxiao was saying none of it was real.
Miao Zhi’s entire world was thrown into chaos.
"Sister Yang... what’s going on?" Miao Zhi asked, tugging on Yang Xiangyun’s arm as if pleading for help.
Seemingly unable to withstand the blow, Yang Xiangyun swayed on her feet, tears streaming down her face.
"Tang Yuanxiao, how can you deny everything? I know what I saw! Every time you looked at me, I saw the feelings in your eyes! I saw that you were just as miserable as I was after you got married!"
