Chapter 45

Lu Siyu was originally in the car, but when he heard gunshots and knew that there was a fight inside the clinic, he hesitated for a moment, worried about Song Wen. Eventually, he got out of the car and walked over, coincidentally encountering Xue Jingming rushing out.

Seeing someone blocking his way, Xue Jingming threatened by waving the knife, and the sharp blade made a whistling sound through the air. Hesitating for a moment at the sight of Xue Jingming, who was covered in blood, Lu Siyu felt the pain stimulating his nerves, making him increasingly alert. Watching Song Wen approaching from a distance, Lu Siyu pursed his lips, quickly made a decision, and instead of dodging, he directly confronted the assailant.

At the moment of intersection, the blade in Xue Jingming’s hand almost grazed Lu Siyu’s chest. Using great force, if it had penetrated, it would have pierced through his internal organs, causing blood to splatter.

Lu Siyu managed to dodge that thrust. The proximity to death excited him. He extended his right hand, tightly grabbing Xue Jingming’s wrist holding the knife. Then, with force, he rotated Xue Jingming’s arm upward.

One of Xue Jingming’s hands was restrained, and with the injury on his other shoulder, he was now trapped. Realizing he couldn’t break free, he fiercely pushed Lu Siyu backward. Lu Siyu, not far from the clinic’s fence, was forcefully pushed two meters away, and his back collided with the wall. The next moment, Xue Jingming, with a fierce look, raised his knee and forcefully struck Lu Siyu’s abdomen.

In that instant, Lu Siyu felt as if his internal organs had shifted out of place. The pain was excruciating, and he couldn’t help but make a sound of discomfort.

“Damn it, let go!” Xue Jingming roared, increasing the pressure of his body.

Lu Siyu looked up at him, gritting his teeth and not releasing his grip. A hint of fierceness flashed in his eyes. With one hand firmly holding Xue Jingming’s knife-wielding wrist, he used his other hand to insert the thermometer directly into the wound on Xue Jingming’s shoulder.

The thermometer, like a sharp needle, pierced into Xue Jingming’s shoulder, tearing through the stitched wound. Blood spurted out instantly, even the anesthesia lost its effect. Xue Jingming screamed in pain and finally let go of the knife, which clattered to the ground.

Seizing the opportunity, Lu Siyu countered, delivering a strong elbow strike to Xue Jingming’s head. The previously wounded area started bleeding more, covering Xue Jingming’s eyes. Lu Siyu followed up with a punch to his face, causing blood to flow from the corner of Xue Jingming’s mouth. Before he could react, Lu Siyu delivered a knee strike, making Xue Jingming stagger backward two steps.

Despite running a fever, Lu Siyu, trained professionally, naturally responded to the pain. These three moves were executed seamlessly, and Xue Jingming was completely suppressed, unable to retaliate.

Although the process may seem slow, it lasted only a dozen seconds. At this moment, Song Wen finally arrived. He pounced from behind Xue Jingming, forcefully grabbing his throat with his elbow. Xue Jingming, choked, was dragged a few steps, lost his balance, and was brought down to the ground by Song Wen. Xue Jingming’s face hit the ground, stirring up dust, and his face, scraped by gravel, instantly bore a bloody mark.

Song Wen didn’t stop; with one hand pressing Xue Jingming’s shoulder to the ground, he took out two handcuffs from his waist and secured Xue Jingming’s hands, locking them onto the hospital’s railing. Only then did Xue Jingming stop resisting, lying next to the railing with his face covered in blood, gasping heavily.

Having caught Xue Jingming, Song Wen finally breathed a sigh of relief. He turned back, feeling a bit anxious, and shouted at Lu Siyu, “Are you hurt?”

Lu Siyu, who had almost forgotten about his physical discomfort during the struggle, was reminded by Song Wen and suddenly felt like his stomach was burning after being hit. With a face devoid of expression, Lu Siyu, his eyes blurred, appeared to be about to fall forward. Song Wen noticed something was wrong and quickly got up, reaching out to support him. Lu Siyu looked up at Song Wen, wanting to say something, but felt a bloody scent rising in his chest and abdomen.

The lights in the clinic’s pharmacy were turned on again, and white light flooded in. Under the light’s reflection, Lu Siyu’s face turned as pale as transparent. He coughed twice lowly and suddenly sprayed a mouthful of blood.

After spitting out the blood, Lu Siyu was stunned. He frowned, looking at the dark red color. He tried to say something but found himself unable to utter a single word.

“Lu Siyu!” Song Wen called out, feeling an icy chill spreading throughout his body. The person in his arms, slim and delicate, seemed even more fragile. It was the first time Song Wen had seen someone spit blood, and he was frightened to the point where his heart seemed to stop beating. He reached out to wipe the blood from the corner of Lu Siyu’s lips. Unexpectedly, when he looked at the person in his arms, Lu Siyu’s eyelashes twitched, and he coughed up another mouthful of blood. The dark red color flowed down his pointed chin, staining the snowy white collar.

Song Wen, who had just shown immense courage, was completely at a loss. After checking Lu Siyu’s body and finding no knife wounds, he became even more confused. The nurse, hearing the commotion, came out of the door, took a look at the situation, and said, “It might be a gastric hemorrhage. Tilt his head to the side so he won’t choke. You’d better get him inside for Dr. Duan to check. I’ll call for an ambulance.”

Only then did Song Wen come to his senses. Regardless of dealing with Xue Jingming, he picked up Lu Siyu and entered the clinic, laying him on the examination room bed.

Dr. Duan, who had hastily bandaged his wife’s wound, turned his head to check Lu Siyu’s condition. Having heard Song Wen’s description of the symptoms earlier, he quickly examined Lu Siyu. Lifting Lu Siyu’s shirt, Dr. Duan’s hand touched his stomach. Before pressing further down, Lu Siyu frowned, grabbing his hand and trembling, and then lightly coughed. Dr. Duan gently tapped, hearing a sound of fluid inside. When he made this motion, Lu Siyu, who had been struggling to suppress his discomfort, couldn’t hold back any longer and vomited blood again.

“Constant nausea and the urge to vomit, right?” Dr. Duan asked, furrowing his brow. “Does it hurt here? Has it been like this for a while?”

Lu Siyu, who had remained clear-headed throughout, nodded in response.

Dr. Duan continued, “You had a stomach ulcer before, right?”

Another nod from Lu Siyu.

Dr. Duan asked again, “Did you just drink water?”

Once again, Lu Siyu nodded.

Hearing this, Song Wen’s heart skipped a beat. When he came out, he had poured Lu Siyu a glass of warm water, unaware of the severity of Lu Siyu’s condition, and he was now filled with self-blame.

Dr. Duan made a brief assessment and said, “It’s probably a high fever caused by gastric ulcer, and the shock led to bleeding in the gastric veins. Keep him on his side, don’t drink water or eat anything, apply a cold compress to his forehead for physical cooling, and then let him take some Yunnan Baiyao to stop the bleeding for now. I’ll administer some hemostatic agents and fluids. Further examination is needed.”

On the side, Zhang Ying had just finished calling for an ambulance. She sighed and went to prepare things. Although the small clinic had limited medications, they had the basics.

Song Wen, hearing about the unconventional treatment of ingesting Yunnan Baiyao, was surprised. Lu Siyu, on the other hand, seemed unfazed, appearing extremely calm, as if he were accustomed to such situations. He took the medicine from Zhang Ying and swallowed it without hesitation. Song Wen took a damp towel and placed it on Lu Siyu’s forehead.

Next, Dr. Duan used a pillow to elevate Lu Siyu’s feet, saying it would facilitate blood flow back to the heart, ensuring proper blood supply to the brain. The medication would take some time to take effect, so Lu Siyu lay down for a while. Dr. Duan measured his blood pressure, noting a decrease and an increased heart rate, but still within normal ranges.

Lying on the bed with his head turned to the side, Lu Siyu remained clear-headed. Song Wen, watching as he clenched the bedsheet tightly, sat by the bedside and asked, “Is it still very painful?”

With a soft hum, Lu Siyu’s bangs were damp with sweat, sticking to his forehead. His furrowed brows and trembling eyelashes gave his otherwise delicate face an abnormal paleness, with persistent redness around his eyes.

“It was too dangerous just now…” Song Wen was still feeling scared. Fortunately, it was only gastric bleeding. If Xue Jingming’s knife had hit him, he would have likely felt guilty for the rest of his life.

“I was afraid he would hurt someone else,” Lu Siyu, with a slightly improved throat, finally spoke. He coughed softly and said, “I won.”

“Good, you won. You were particularly heroic just now, but… you must pay attention to safety in the future and act within your limits,” Song Wen said, gripping his ice-cold fingers and wiping away the blood stains between them. He felt that Lu Siyu, when faced with life-threatening situations, seemed indifferent, as if he didn’t care about life or death. There was a stubbornness and recklessness about him. Song Wen preferred him to always be a little ancestor who cherished his life, someone to be held in the palm of a hand and protected, rather than causing constant worry.

Lu Siyu blinked and said, “I felt like I could stop him.” In fact, he said this to prove that he wasn’t acting recklessly, but rather, it was a result of careful consideration.

There was a watery glint in Lu Siyu’s eyes, crystal clear. Even in dangerous situations, someone had to take action; the assailant needed to be stopped, or it could lead to more bloodshed. If it wasn’t him, it would be Song Wen or someone else. In Lu Siyu’s view, it was better to end the matter here.

Song Wen helped him check the thermometer. After applying the cold compress for a while, his temperature dropped to around 38°C. Seeing Lu Siyu’s brows furrow again and his body trembling slightly, Song Wen knew his pain hadn’t eased. Seeing him in distress, he inexplicably felt a cold pain in his chest, pained beyond measure. He didn’t want him to suffer any harm and wished he could take his place.

Allowing Lu Siyu to rest, Song Wen stood up and quietly asked Dr. Duan, “Doctor, can we use painkillers?”

Dr. Duan said, “Second benefactor, it’s not that I don’t want to use them, but if I administer them now, we’ll still need to check when we get to the town hospital. It’s better to endure for now.” In fact, many times, the use of painkillers could delay the diagnosis, so he was being cautious and didn’t want to give Lu Siyu too many medications at this time.

Song Wen asked again, “Is his condition serious now?”

Dr. Duan said, “He already had an ulcer, and the external force from the attack caused a rupture in the stomach blood vessels, leading to gastric bleeding. Fortunately, we handled it relatively promptly. If the bleeding stops, there shouldn’t be a life-threatening danger. If the bleeding doesn’t stop…” Dr. Duan hesitated, as gastric bleeding could be life-threatening if severe. He looked at Lu Siyu and reassured Song Wen, “But for now, the situation is stable. He’s still young, so the recovery should be relatively quick.”

Song Wen continued to ask, “Apart from gastric bleeding, how is gastric ulcer treated?” He only knew that gastric ulcers were chronic conditions but was not familiar with the specifics.

Dr. Duan explained, “Gastric diseases are delicate conditions. You need to eat on time, take medication, have regular check-ups, avoid cold food, minimize smoking and drinking, engage in moderate physical exercise, and maintain a cheerful mood. The stomach is one of the organs most affected by emotions. If you’re stressed, anxious, or depressed, it’s easy to develop gastric problems.”

Song Wen acknowledged this newfound knowledge. He realized that Lu Siyu wasn’t being overly delicate; there were signs of these issues earlier. Song Wen returned to Lu Siyu’s bedside, and Lu Siyu blinked, looking at Song Wen. However, he noticed that Song Wen’s sleeve was rolled up.

Enduring the stomach pain, Lu Siyu wanted to sit up, but Song Wen, afraid he might spit up more blood, held him down, saying, “Behave, don’t move around. The doctor said you must stay absolutely still.”

“Now that we know what the problem is, and with the doctor here, nothing bad will happen. I can’t do much,” Lu Siyu said, reaching out to hook Song Wen’s sleeve. In a hoarse voice, he asked, “Are you injured?”

There were some bloodstains on Song Wen’s sleeve, which he had forgotten about. Now reminded by Lu Siyu, he remembered that during the struggle with Xue Jingming, he got a cut on his forearm. Nonchalantly, he rolled up his sleeve, “It’s nothing, just a minor injury. It’s not deep, and the bleeding has stopped. I’ll ask them for some iodine to clean it later. How about you? Lie down properly; the ambulance will be here soon.” Finishing his words, Song Wen looked at Lu Siyu’s pale and delicate face, feeling distressed, “Look at you today, you should have called 120.”

“You better get a tetanus shot,” Lu Siyu, looking at the not-so-significant wound, finally relaxed, blinked, and said softly, “If I had called 120 at that time, you wouldn’t have caught Xue Jingming.”

Song Wen, as Lu Siyu spoke more, slightly eased his worry, “Thanks to you.”

While they were talking, Zhang Dahai finally arrived. Earlier in the morning, he had some distrust towards the two young police officers, but after this day and night, he was now completely won over. Hearing that they had caught the murderer, he was excited. Entering the clinic, he began praising, “Oh, Officer Song, you really have some skills. I saw Xue Jingming cuffed outside.”

Song Wen said, “It’s just a coincidence.”

There was indeed an element of luck in this matter. If it weren’t for Lu Siyu having an episode at night and the two of them coming to the clinic, there might have been more casualties. The consequences would have been unimaginable.

Zhang Dahai’s gaze turned towards the bed, seeing Song Wen taking care of Lu Siyu. The young police officer, with a pale face, blood at the corner of his lips, curled up on the bed. Zhang Dahai was somewhat startled and quickly asked, “What happened to Officer Xiao Lu?”

Song Wen, seeing that Lu Siyu’s complexion had improved a bit, felt a little more at ease. He didn’t go into details with Zhang Dahai, simply explaining, “He got injured during the arrest, and there’s a bit of gastric bleeding.”

Zhang Dahai then glanced at Lu Siyu’s snowy side profile. His forehead was sweaty, the collar stained with blood. Zhang Dahai felt a bit strange—why did some people look better the more disheveled they were? He couldn’t help but feel sorry for him, “You can’t be careless. I hope he’s okay. Take good care of yourself, Officer Lu.”

After saying this, Zhang Dahai took out a few small packages from a bag, “Well, Officer Song, Officer Lu, I really want to thank you this time. I’m just a somewhat useless old cop. If it weren’t for you guys, I don’t know when this case would have been solved. You guys don’t smoke, don’t drink, so I brought some tea leaves we grow ourselves and sun-dried wolfberries. No pesticides, no additives. Make some tea later; it’s a token of my appreciation.”

Song Wen had always had a poor impression of Zhang Dahai. However, at this moment, hearing him speak this way, he could sense the sincerity and gratitude. Zhang Dahai might be worldly-wise, timid, and limited in his abilities, a bit slippery, but he was definitely not a bad person. Saying he guarded the peace of his hometown was a bit exaggerated, but without people like him at the grassroots level, who knows what the city and countryside would become.

Seeing Song Wen remaining silent, Zhang Dahai nervously rubbed his hands and said, “Well, it’s not expensive, just a few bucks…”

“Take it.” Lu Siyu, lying down and feeling a bit better, said to Song Wen, “Save some for Lin Ge and make tea later.”

Relieved that Lu Siyu seemed okay, Zhang Dahai handed the items to Song Wen and said, “I know I made a mistake. If it weren’t for the child drowning case before, I couldn’t see the truth, and it wouldn’t have turned into such a big deal. I’ve reported it all. I’ll see how the leaders decide… Our Luning is beautiful, with good tea and scenery. Don’t let a few bad people ruin your impression. Um, you two take a good rest. Come back later, my treat.”

Song Wen accepted the items, thanked him, then shook his head and said, “The food here is delicious, the scenery is nice, and the accommodation is decent. But, we probably won’t come back unless there’s a mission.”

Thinking he had offended someone again, Zhang Dahai stammered, “Uh… why?”

Song Wen explained, “I’m starting to understand why there’s such a big difference between here and Nancheng, despite being so close. The customs, interpersonal relationships, and people’s attitudes are quite different. Even though people here can become wealthy, blurring the lines between the city and the countryside, there are still some lingering differences. Probably because of this, many people want to leave their hometown, struggle in big cities.”

“I understand what you mean. There are indeed many issues here. A lot of customs are harmful. Gender bias, various cumbersome rituals, feudal superstitions, gossiping relatives, and idle talk of matchmaking. My daughter doesn’t want to come back; she’s afraid of being forced into marriage. Even if people here have money, these issues can’t be changed overnight. Some prejudices are ingrained. Like this case, because of rumors, a whole family died. Some people just talk, and it leads to such consequences.” Zhang Dahai paused, his expression dimmed, “But this is my home…”

Song Wen reassured him, “This was a unique situation. Most people here are still good, and there are many who bring back things from the outside, gradually changing things here.”

Zhang Dahai sighed in relief, “Thank you. I understand. Let’s see if fate brings us together in the future.”

In the city, people open their hearts to strangers behind screens, unaware of their neighbors’ names. In the countryside, lacking privacy, they are influenced by various rumors. Yet, human society is like this, generations overlapping, evolving forward. Life goes on, always improving.

When Lu Siyu heard them talking enough, he spoke to Song Wen, “I have a doctor here to accompany me. I’m feeling a bit better. You and him can go handle Xue Jingming’s matters. Leaving him there may cause trouble.”

Song Wen was still concerned about him, but there were things to deal with. Seeing that the ambulance was about to arrive, he said to Lu Siyu, “Lie down for a while. I’ll go handle the handover, and we’ll go to the hospital together later.”

Lu Siyu responded with an “um” and curled up, closing his eyes.