Chapter 9: Something Happened to Xiao Bao

The next morning, when Su Nianmei woke up, she found a small bun sleeping beside her, and her emotions were quite complicated.

The tiny body was curled up, and his mouth moved as if he were still dreaming, making her want to squeeze him into her embrace.

Glancing at the clock in the morning light, it was a little after six. She gently woke the little bun, and after they washed up, they headed to school.

As they entered the school gate, the little bun still appeared sleepy but showed no signs of unhappiness. He held the principal’s hand and walked inside, turning back to wave at Su Nianmei.

Only then did her anxious heart begin to relax.

After walking back home, she found a more appropriate outfit belonging to the original owner and changed into it. She simply tied her hair back, making her look refreshed and energetic. After a little grooming, she grabbed her temporary appointment letter and went to report to the procurement office in the courtyard.

Although the procurement office was located in the courtyard, its office was set up within the military district.

On the way, she was stopped once, but after showing her appointment letter, the soldier on duty let her through.

As she recalled the route that Ma Fang had described, she wound her way through the military district.

The procurement office was in a somewhat secluded area; to reach it, she had to go around the training ground, ending up at a small building behind it.

Su Nianmei looked up at the wooden sign that boldly displayed the characters for “Procurement Office,” the brush strokes strong and vigorous. Upon closer inspection, she noticed a layer of fine dust covering the sign.

The front door was wide open and polished to a shine. Inside, the light was somewhat dim. Su Nianmei leaned in to take a look, spotting a desk directly in front, flanked by two chairs, while the person inside had their back turned to her.

Su Nianmei reached out and knocked on the door. “Hello, I’m here to report in.”

The person inside quickly turned his head, hands clasped behind him, his movements sharp and decisive. The sunlight outside was a bit glaring, and he squinted to see a small, thin figure standing at the door.

His brows furrowed slightly as he thought to himself that Old Liu was quite unreliable, sending someone so thin they were practically a stick to their place, where most of the work was labor-intensive. However, he did not voice his dissatisfaction and simply waved for her to come inside.

After a brief exchange, Su Nianmei learned that the person inside was named Zhou Dayong, the director of the procurement office.

He appeared to be in his forties, with a slightly plump figure, always smiling, and sporting a pair of small mustaches that twitched whenever he laughed.

Although he was smiling, Su Nianmei always felt a barrier between them.

He patted Su Nianmei on the shoulder, adopting the aura of a good leader. “Since you’ve chosen our procurement office, you need to work hard.”

Su Nianmei nodded, just taking out her temporary employment certificate to hand to Director Zhou. Before she could say much more, Ma Fang rushed in from outside, panting heavily.

She gasped for breath as she ran, shouting Su Nianmei’s name.

Su Nianmei’s expression changed slightly, and she reached out to pat Ma Fang’s back to help her catch her breath, urging her to calm down.

“Xiao, Xiaobao,” Ma Fang said between gasps, her voice stuttering. “Xiaobao has had an accident.”

Su Nianmei’s hand, which had been resting on her back, suddenly tightened.

“An accident? What happened?”

After catching her breath, Ma Fang said, “Xiaobao got into a fight with a classmate and got hurt. He was just sent to the hospital. Teacher An came to look for you but couldn’t find you, and she happened to run into me. I thought you’d be here, so I rushed over.”

Ma Fang stole a glance at Zhou Dayong, who was frowning even more deeply. She felt uneasy; Zhou was known for being stingy. She wondered if he would allow Su Nianmei to leave.

Upon hearing this, Su Nianmei immediately set aside her concerns about onboarding. She apologized to Director Zhou and prepared to bolt out the door.

“Stop!”

Just as she reached the door, a loud voice thundered from behind, sounding as if it could break through the roof.

Su Nianmei halted in her tracks, turned her head back, and frowned deeply.

Ma Fang’s heart tightened in response.

Zhou Dayong, however, stepped into the inner room, rummaged around for a moment, and then came out pushing a brand-new 28-inch bicycle, which he handed to Su Nianmei.

Su Nianmei was taken aback.

Zhou Dayong waved his hand at Su Nianmei. “Quickly go; your child is still in the hospital.”

A warm current flowed through Su Nianmei’s heart as she repeatedly thanked Zhou Dayong and hurriedly rode off to the military hospital.

—o—o—o—

Ji Yuan had just set down a fruit basket inside the military hospital and was walking out of the ward when he spotted a familiar figure rushing in through the doorway.

Seeing the flustered appearance, he paused in his steps and walked over to meet the person.

When Su Nianmei arrived, she saw a little girl squatting at the emergency room entrance, hugging her knees and staring blankly ahead with a pitiful expression.

Su Nianmei looked around and, finding no one else, stepped forward to ask, “Are you Teacher An?”

The girl blinked a few times, slowly coming to her senses. She released her knees and struggled to stand up, swaying unsteadily. Tears glistened in her eyes as she straightened her body and gave a deep bow to Su Nianmei, her voice trembling at the end. “I-I’m sorry!”

Seeing her like this, Su Nianmei’s irritation was softened; what had started as eight parts anger dwindled to just three.

She helped the girl to her feet and pressed her fingers against her forehead to keep her tone calm. “How is Xiaobao now?”

Teacher An seemed on the verge of tears. “The doctor, the doctor said they’re doing everything possible to treat him.”

She paused for a moment, her voice becoming even quieter. “He’s not out of danger yet.”

Her next words were barely a whisper.

“Life-threatening!”

Su Nianmei felt a pounding sensation in her head as she stared at the closed emergency room door, where the words “Emergency Treatment” were faintly illuminated.

Her hand, which had been supporting Teacher An, suddenly dropped. She weakly clenched her fist.

Then, as if suddenly gaining strength, she grabbed Teacher An by the collar, her voice nearly a hoarse whisper. “What happened?”

Teacher An was unable to speak, caught in the grip, only able to cough in response.

Ji Yuan rushed out, intending to separate the two. He reached out to pull Su Nianmei but found he couldn’t budge her. He secretly grumbled to himself; this girl had quite the strength.

Just as he noticed An Xin’s face turning red from holding her breath, the emergency room door suddenly swung open.

A nurse walked out, holding a clipboard filled with documents. She regarded the commotion outside with indifference and asked, “Who is the patient’s family member?”

Su Nianmei released her grip on An Xin’s hand and stepped forward in front of the nurse, saying, “I am.”

The now-freed An Xin slumped down against the wall, and Ji Yuan extended his arm to her. An Xin grasped his arm to awkwardly stand up, her palm feeling warm.

The nurse removed her mask and handed the surgery consent form to Su Nianmei.

“Our hospital has made an exception for a late signature.”

Seeing Teacher An crouching on the ground, Su Nianmei felt a twinge of guilt. She realized she had acted too impulsively earlier.

She took a  few deep breaths to calm herself before she asked.

“Teacher An, could you tell me what happened?”