Chapter 17: Returning to Yang City
When the young soldier drove back, dawn was already breaking.
Ye Ting saw that Su Qiao was still awake and discussed with her, “Comrade Su Qiao, shall we leave now? That way, when we reach Yang City, it won’t be dark yet, and we can take Comrade Fang Xiaoying straight to the hospital.”
“Alright.” Su Qiao knew that the doctor on duty was the same female doctor they had met before, so she gave her five yuan to help pay the hospitalization fee.
“Isn’t that too much?”
“The rest can be used to buy candy for the children at home.”
The doctor liked hearing this and hurriedly said, “Thank you.”
Fang Xiaoying had also woken up. Seeing her mother about to carry her, she wanted to walk by herself.
Su Qiao wanted to refuse, but Ye Ting insisted that Fang Xiaoying walk on her own. “Comrade Fang Xiaoying’s leg isn’t injured, so don’t carry her. If you mean well but cause her secondary injury, that would be bad. It’s better to support her so she walks herself. That way, she can sense which part of her body is more seriously hurt.”
“Uncle Ye said it well. Mom, let’s listen to Uncle Ye.”
“All right, I’ll hold you.”
Once the mother and daughter got into the car, Ye Ting let the young soldier sit in the front passenger seat.
“Commander?”
“I’ll drive first; you get in and rest for a bit.”
“Yes, sir.”
As Ye Ting settled into the driver’s seat, Su Qiao handed him a piece of fruit candy. “This is peppermint candy; it can refresh your mind but shouldn’t be eaten in excess.”
“Thank you, Comrade Su Qiao.”
“If anyone deserves thanks, it’s me for Commander Ye.”
Ye Ting: “Here we go again.”
“I was wrong.”
Hearing Su Qiao admit her mistake, Ye Ting’s mood improved considerably.
Su Qiao didn’t think much of it. She helped Fang Xiaoying settle in and asked if she wanted to lean on her.
Fang Xiaoying nodded and, just like when she was little, leaned into her mother’s arms. Before long, she fell asleep.
...
The dirt road was full of potholes. Ye Ting concentrated fully on driving, not daring to relax for a moment—more diligently than when he first learned to drive—just to minimize the bumps for the mother and daughter in the back seat.
With the sky brightening, they passed through a small town. Su Qiao pointed to the sign of a state-run restaurant nearby and asked Ye Ting to stop.
“It’s getting late; let’s get some breakfast.”
“All right.” Ye Ting parked the jeep by the roadside.
Su Qiao helped Fang Xiaoying out of the car and found an empty table to sit at. She then went to the ordering window.
“Comrade, please give me a pound of fried dough sticks, four fried cakes, four steamed buns, and four bowls of tofu pudding.”
The waiter on the other side, surprised by such a large order, glanced at Su Qiao twice. Ye Ting, who had followed behind, smiled when he saw how much food she was buying.
“Comrade Su Qiao, buying so much—can we really eat all this?”
“No, we can’t. We’ll eat on the road.”
From their exchange, the waiter assumed they were a married couple.
It wasn’t surprising—standing together, the man was tall and handsome, the woman strikingly beautiful; they looked like a family.
Neither Su Qiao nor Ye Ting thought much of it. After eating, they continued on their journey.
Both Ye Ting and Su Qiao noticed that Fang Xiaoying hadn’t dared to open her eyes and concluded the child was dizzy. But since Fang Xiaoying insisted on not speaking, all they could do was try to reach Yang City as soon as possible.
For most of the remaining journey, Ye Ting was at the wheel.
He was skilled and familiar with the route, taking shortcuts along the way.
Before nightfall, the jeep finally stopped at the entrance of Yang City First People’s Hospital.
Ye Ting got out, picked up Fang Xiaoying, and ran toward the emergency room, with Su Qiao following closely behind, carrying her bag.
Just as Ye Ting reached the emergency entrance, he saw an elderly doctor in a white coat being pulled away by someone.
Ye Ting quickly intervened, “Doctor, the child has a head injury. Please examine her.”
The elderly doctor looked at Fang Xiaoying, struggled free from the person holding him, and skillfully pried open Fang Xiaoying’s eyelids, saying habitually, “Please follow me.”
Only after saying this did he realize his current predicament and slowed down.
Ye Ting glanced seriously at everyone present and said, “Saving lives is the priority.”
With that, Ye Ting carried Fang Xiaoying forward while Su Qiao reached out to pull the doctor along.
The group’s leader, eyeing Ye Ting’s military uniform, chose to let the matter drop.
It is said that a wise man knows when to yield; he didn’t want to confront a soldier. Secretly signaling his companions, they released the doctor and slinked away.
Freed, the doctor didn’t have time to fix his disheveled hair and led the way into the emergency room.
Two large footprints marked the back of his white coat, starkly visible.
Su Qiao saw it all clearly—the doctor disregarded his own safety and personal interests, putting rescue first.
This is what the saying “a physician’s benevolent heart” truly means.
The doctor carefully conducted a thorough examination of Fang Xiaoying. The results came quickly: she had a concussion and multiple soft tissue contusions, requiring hospitalization.
The doctor responsibly shared his assessment with Ye Ting and Su Qiao: “The injuries on this child are clearly inflicted by someone. Do you want to report this to the police?”
Faced with the doctor’s professional demeanor, Su Qiao didn’t hide anything and recounted Fang Xiaoying’s ordeal.
The doctor was furious but powerless to do more. He gave detailed instructions on precautions.
“I recommend the child stays in the hospital for several days until her dizziness subsides. This will help us monitor her condition.”
Just as the doctor was about to comfort a frightened young nurse, the emergency room door was quietly pushed open from outside. The leading elderly woman burst into tears upon seeing the doctor.
A middle-aged man following behind relaxed only after seeing the doctor’s only disarrayed hair and lack of serious injury.
“Dad, are you okay? You scared Mom and me just now.”
“Yes.”
The elderly woman was truly terrified, clutching the doctor and sobbing.
The doctor wiped her tears while explaining to the mother and son, “We should be thanking this family for not letting them take me away.”
The middle-aged man caught the hidden meaning in the words and quietly pleaded with Ye Ting, “Comrade soldier, could you allow the child to stay in this hospital for a few more days? It might help my father avoid this disaster.”
Fearing Ye Ting might refuse, he humbly added, “As long as my father isn’t taken away, we will cover the child’s hospital expenses. Also, I’m trying to arrange my father’s retirement quickly—it will be done soon. I only ask you to help us delay for a few days.”
“A few days is fine. But you won’t have to pay,” Su Qiao said, unwilling to take advantage.
“My intention is also for the child to remain in the hospital longer since she has a head injury.”
“Thank you, thank you all.”
“No need to thank us.”