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墨書 Inktalez
I arrived alone in Annam, which is the hometown of Jiang Qiuying.
Driving to their town, I wound my way up the mountain road until I finally reached Su Qing's village. What would her family think of me? Would her parents want to kill me? Whatever the outcome, I deserved it!
"Su Qing? Her father broke his leg and is undergoing surgery these days. The family is all at the hospital! Such a handsome young man, and you drive a nice car. Who are you?"
Ignoring the gossiping women in her village, I turned the car around and headed back.
At the county hospital, there weren't many orthopedic patients, so I quickly found out Su Dongqiang's name. As I reached the door of the ward, I overheard someone inside shouting, "We notified you long ago to pay the surgery fee, and you still haven't paid! How can we operate without it? Hurry up and figure something out; you need at least twenty thousand!"
A woman's voice stammered, "Doctor, can we operate first? My daughter went to borrow money; she should be back soon!"
"We'll talk once the money is in place!" The voice was as cold as ice. "The doctor with the flying knife is already here; if we can't perform the surgery this time, you'll still have to pay him two thousand for transportation!"
I pushed the door open. A woman with disheveled gray hair and cracked lips bore a resemblance to Su Qing. I had harmed her daughter.
"Who are you? What are you doing here?" The doctor barked angrily.
"I'm a relative of the patient, here to see him and bring some money!" I shot back defiantly.
"Child, who are you?"
"Auntie, it's urgent that we operate first!"
I didn't dare introduce myself; I feared a barrage of scolding and insults might come my way, or worse, she might lash out at me.
As I helped aunt Su push Su Qing's father toward the operating room, a voice suddenly called out, "Xiao Xi, what are you doing here?"
The fierce doctor was accompanied by a graceful female physician—it was my stepmother. She was the youngest yet highly skilled orthopedic expert at the provincial hospital.
Seizing this lifeline, I pulled her aside and unprecedentedly added a respectful title before speaking: "Auntie, the patient is my classmate's father. Please do your best to save him!" Tears streamed down my cheeks as I bowed deeply to my stepmother.
"Look at you; there's no need for such formality. Even if he were just an ordinary patient, I'd still do my best!" Aunty Qi said with a warm yet complex look in her eyes.
She handed me a tissue. "Quickly wipe your tears; I need to go change into scrubs and wash my hands!"
The red light above the operating room door lit up. Su Qing's mother grabbed my hand: "Child, you're Xiao Qing's classmate, right? Her dad got into trouble, which has delayed Xiao Qing too. Our family is poor; we've borrowed quite a bit for his treatment from relatives multiple times. If it weren't for you, we wouldn't have made it through this!"
In a family like this, I have harmed their daughter! Am I even human? Once the surgery is over, I need to escape quickly! The daughter of this middle-aged woman, who looks as old as a crone, is the one I have hurt!
For over two hours in the operating room, I sat like a needle on a pin. mother Su repeatedly expressed her gratitude towards me and inquired about my well-being. I responded cautiously, my heart racing with fear. How wonderful it would be to be a good person! If she knew that I was the scoundrel who harmed her daughter, how disappointed she would be!
I wish I hadn’t done those things! Just like now, I don’t need anyone’s thanks; it feels so much better to have a clear conscience! Finally, the red light above the operating room turned off, and the green light came on.
Aunty Qi personally wheeled Father Su out. She seemed to be advising the family but was actually speaking to me: “Don’t worry, the surgery was very successful. Just take good care of her; she’ll recover quickly.” Then she turned to the accompanying doctor: “This time, charge the cost of the scalpel directly to this patient’s hospital fees!”
Even the previously irritable doctor was much more polite to mother Su: “Alright, Director Qi! I will keep a close eye on this patient!”
mother Su hadn’t eaten since morning. I went downstairs and bought braised pork with sea shrimp, yellow braised chicken, and staple food. As mother Su thanked me repeatedly, she also complained: “That girl has been at her aunt’s house for so long; you should hurry back! Xiao Li, did you bring your phone? Call her and make sure she doesn’t wander around outside!”
“Who should I call?” I asked foolishly as I took out my phone.
“Xiao Qing! You have her number, right?”
My head buzzed with shock. Am I hearing this wrong? Call a dead person?
The door to the ward swung open, and a slender figure rushed in, drenched in sweat and panting: “Mom, I borrowed the money!”
Looking up, our eyes met instantly, and we both froze. My ears rang, and stars danced before my eyes as she suddenly collapsed.
“Xiao Qing! What’s wrong with you?” mother Su cried out as she rushed over. A nurse came in and shoved me hard: “What are you standing there for? Come help!”
I lifted Su Qing’s body onto the stretcher; she felt warm to the touch.
Rumors are truly terrifying. Su Qing had indeed been hurt by me, but that was no longer enough to break her. Both her brother and father were in a car accident at the same time; her brother spent half a month in ICU and despite spending a lot of money couldn’t be saved, while her father suffered broken legs and expenses flowed like water.
She couldn't care less about the harm she had suffered, nor could she think about the impact those photos had on her. She took a long leave of absence, and when Jiang Xiaoli asked her what was going on, she replied with a "better off dead" and some medication for her fiery temper.
As a result, the big mouth Jiang Xiaoli spread the news of Su Qing's "death." The Fatty, Ma Gan, and Bucktooth asked me where I had been wandering off to, as they hadn't seen me for days. I simply replied, "Undergoing a soul cleansing; when I return, I'll enlighten you all!"
After coming back from Annam, I went to turn myself in. At the police station, I calmly stated my motives, methods, and the facts of the case. The police officer called Su Qing, who had already returned to school, to confirm my confession.
While I was waiting for the next steps regarding detention and prosecution, the police officer who had been glaring at me like fire entered the room. He removed my handcuffs and gave me a kick on the backside, saying, "Don't mess with us for fun; next time, we'll charge you with disturbing public order!"
Su Qing stood at the door of the detention room, watching me come out. She stepped forward and pulled me along as we walked outside. My mind was racing with a thousand chaotic thoughts.
The fact was that when Su Qing was called in and listened to an explanation from a female officer, her initial anger turned into shock and then confusion.
"Little sister, you don't need to be afraid; just tell us what really happened!" The female officer probably feared that Su Qing might hold back because I was the son of the infamous Li Jincheng. They believed I could commit such acts without hesitation. Moreover, if I hadn't turned myself in, even with Li Qing's accusations after all this time, I would likely escape legal consequences.
By confessing, I had effectively branded myself as a rapist.
"He has delusions; many things never happened; he's just making it all up!" Su Qing said.
The officers were stunned. I was stunned too. I felt like that shameless character from Half Fire, Half Sea while Su Qing resembled that naive girl.
On the weekend, Su Qing and I went back to see her father recovering at home. mother Su was busy making chicken and goose stew. The village gossipers gathered around to see Su's "new son-in-law."
I posted a photo of myself with Su Qing, mother Su, and Father Su. The caption read: "A good deed is a treasure that lasts a lifetime; a kind heart is fertile land that can be cultivated for generations. For goodness, one can never do enough; for evil, one act is sufficient."
That night in the ancient temple, the Great Monk held my hand and wrote this passage word by word in my palm.
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