Free Web NovelChapter 436: Chapter 156: To Save a Life, Amputation is Necessary
Waiting at home to die. It was cruel, yet they had no other choice. It wasn’t just what they thought; it was what they were doing. Now that Qin Mei had said it out loud, the old woman felt an unbearable tightness in her chest.
The old woman clenched her jaw, staring fixedly at Qin Mei. Her resolve wavered. Even if she knew it was a trap, she was willing to walk right into it. If she didn’t, Old Zhang truly had no hope of survival.
"Take him to the hospital," the old woman said with difficulty.
Qin Mei let out a sigh of relief and immediately signaled to Qin Xiang with her eyes.
Qin Xiang understood instantly and stepped forward to lift the man.
"Wait," the old woman stopped them. Qin Mei and Qin Xiang frowned. The old woman spoke, a bit embarrassed. "I... I need to put his pants on first."
Qin Xiang fell silent and looked at Qin Mei.
Qin Mei turned and walked out of the house. The elderly couple were proper people; they cared a great deal about their dignity.
The neighbor woman hadn’t left and was waiting outside. When she saw Qin Mei emerge, she called out, "Dear."
Qin Mei was lost in thought, and the woman’s sudden voice startled her. "Ma’am, why are you still here?"
"Dear." The woman pulled Qin Mei a few steps away, her expression serious. "Dear, seeing as you’re the one who saved my child, I have to warn you. Don’t get too close to Old Zhang and his wife. You’ll... get caught up in their bad luck."
"Ma’am, we shouldn’t be indulging in feudal superstitions," Qin Mei reminded her.
Seeing that Qin Mei had misunderstood her, the woman grew anxious. She glanced around warily, then leaned in close to Qin Mei’s ear and whispered, "Getting close to them... you’ll get implicated."
Qin Mei’s heart skipped a beat. ’The old couple’s background isn’t simple.’ Seeing the woman’s terrified expression, as if she was afraid of getting into trouble, Qin Mei’s tone remained calm as she said, "Ma’am, I don’t know anything about being implicated. All I know is that saving a life is the most charitable act one can perform."
The woman was speechless. Seeing that Qin Mei was dead set on meddling, she stopped trying to persuade her and shoved a basket of eggs at her. "Dear, take this basket of eggs."
Qin Mei refused to take them. The people living in this alley were all poor. A basket of eggs was nothing to her, but to them, it was precious.
Qin Mei tried to refuse, but the woman was a sincere person and insisted. Just then, a police car drove up. The moment the woman saw it, she panicked, shoved the basket into Qin Mei’s arms, and bolted back into her house.
Qin Mei stood there, holding the basket, utterly bewildered.
The police car stopped in front of her, and a familiar person got out. "Fourth Sister-in-law."
"Third Brother." Qin Mei looked at Jie Jinghun, a flicker of surprise in her eyes.
"Fourth Sister-in-law, what are you doing here?" Jie Jinghun asked. This alley was near the black market. His sharp gaze locked onto the basket of eggs in Qin Mei’s arms. "Fourth Sister-in-law, what’s this all about...?"
Qin Mei felt a bit mortified and gave an awkward laugh. ’How am I supposed to explain this?’ she wondered.
The last time, she and her mother-in-law had been arrested for speculation and profiteering just for buying potatoes, and it was Jie Jinghun who had gotten them out. Just as Qin Mei was racking her brain for an explanation, Qin Xiang came out carrying the unconscious Old Zhang.
"Little Sis, how are we going to get to the hospital?" Qin Xiang stared at the police car, stunned for a moment, then asked in confusion, "Little Sis, where did you find a police car?"
The corner of Qin Mei’s mouth twitched. "I didn’t find it, I ran into it. Big Bro, let me introduce you. This is Jing Si’s third brother, Jie Jinghun. Third Brother, this is my big brother, Qin Xiang."
The two men nodded politely to each other. Qin Xiang, still holding Old Zhang, looked at Qin Mei.
Qin Mei smiled at Jie Jinghun and asked, "Third Brother, are you finished with your business?"
"We are," Jie Jinghun replied, maintaining his gentle and refined smile.
On their latest case, the public security bureau, in cooperation with state security, had successfully apprehended several criminals involved in trafficking women and children. They had come here after receiving a tip that a fugitive suspect was in the area. However, it was a dead end. The suspect was long gone by the time they arrived.
"Would it be convenient to give us a ride to the hospital?" Qin Mei asked with a smile.
After getting a clear look at the person Qin Xiang was holding, Jie Jinghun’s brows furrowed slightly. When he then saw the old woman come out of the house, his expression grew more solemn. Upon seeing Jie Jinghun, a flicker of something passed through the old woman’s world-weary eyes. She lowered her head deep, anxiously picking at her fingertips.
"Fourth Sister-in-law." Jie Jinghun wanted to give her a warning, but seeing that the person Qin Xiang was holding was in critical condition, he decided to prioritize saving a life. "Get in the car."
"Thanks," Qin Mei said. She placed the basket of eggs at the neighbor woman’s door and knocked.
Jie Jinghun opened the car door. Qin Xiang carefully got in with the man in his arms. Qin Mei got in as well. Seeing the old woman hesitating, she urged her, "Ma’am, get in, quickly! Your husband is at death’s door. Every second counts!"
Hearing those four words—"at death’s door"—the old woman dared not delay and quickly scrambled into the car.
It was a bit crowded with four people in the back. After Jie Jinghun got in, he said to the driver, "Captain Gao, please take them to the hospital first."
Gao Yang chuckled. As he drove, he asked, "So she’s Jing Si’s wife?"
Hearing this, Qin Mei sat up straighter. The man was in uniform, sitting in the driver’s seat. She couldn’t see his face.
"Yes," Jie Jinghun nodded.
"Heh, that kid Jing Si has got good taste." Gao Yang turned his head to glance at Qin Mei.
When Qin Mei got a clear look at Gao Yang’s face, she felt he looked very familiar, but she couldn’t immediately recall where she had seen him before.
"Little Sis!" Qin Xiang cried out in alarm.
Seeing the situation, Qin Mei quickly fed another pill into Old Zhang’s mouth and took out her pouch of silver needles. When Qin Xiang saw she was about to perform acupuncture, he immediately shouted, "Stop the car!"
"Don’t stop!" Qin Mei snapped.
’Who should I listen to?’ Gao Yang looked to Jie Jinghun in the passenger seat.
"Drive faster!" Qin Mei urged, her hand steady as she precisely inserted a silver needle into one of Old Zhang’s acupoints.
"Drive faster," Jie Jinghun said. He had never seen Qin Mei perform acupuncture, but he had heard Shen Qing talk about it. He’d thought Shen Qing was exaggerating, but seeing it today completely shattered his expectations.
Gao Yang floored the accelerator. The old woman was stunned by the technique with which Qin Mei applied the needles, a complex light flickering in her eyes. She gripped Old Zhang’s bony hand, tears streaming down her face.
An obscure, unreadable emotion swirled in Qin Xiang’s eyes as he watched Qin Mei with a probing gaze.
"Will he die?" the old woman asked, her voice choked with sobs.
"No." Qin Mei rarely spoke with such certainty. Watching the weeping old woman, her gaze followed the woman’s down to Old Zhang’s broken leg. Qin Mei’s brows knitted in an almost imperceptible frown.
"Can you fix his leg?" the old woman asked.
"If you want to save his life, it has to be amputated," Qin Mei said gravely. "If he’d gone to the hospital right after breaking his leg and rested in bed for a few months, he might not have recovered completely, but it wouldn’t have affected his ability to walk. It’s too late for that now."
The old woman lowered her head and said nothing. After a long silence, she seemed to murmur to herself, "As long as he’s alive."
Qin Mei breathed a sigh of relief. ’So she agrees to the amputation.’ She had been worried the old woman would refuse the amputation no matter what.
At the hospital, with Mrs. Xie’s help, Old Zhang was taken into the operating room. Mrs. Xie assisted while Qin Mei took the lead as surgeon.
Qin Xiang paid for the surgery and hospitalization fees.
The surgery was a success. Old Zhang was moved to a ward, and only after handing him over to Mrs. Xie’s care did Qin Mei leave the hospital, relieved. Before they left, Qin Xiang tried to give the old woman some money, but Qin Mei stopped him.
’Old Zhang had earned a lot of money selling medicine but hadn’t kept a single cent. What did that mean? It meant they couldn’t have money on them. Rather than giving them cash, it would be better to buy them nutritional supplements.’
After leaving the hospital, Qin Xiang was full of questions, but in the end, he didn’t ask any of them. He only asked Qin Mei, "Where are we going now?"
"To eat," Qin Mei replied.
Qin Xiang rubbed his stomach. He was indeed hungry. The two of them went to a state-run restaurant. After eating and drinking their fill, they headed back toward the black market. Their bicycle was still parked outside.
Since Qin Xiang didn’t ask, Qin Mei remained silent.
