Chapter 28: Going to the Hospital

“All of you, shut up! Stop arguing!”

Captain shouted.

It was already scorching hot in the middle of summer, and now he was even more furious.

“Handle things as they should be handled. Those who need to be sent to Public Security, send them there. If anyone has grievances, take them up with Public Security.” He had no interest in dealing with this mess.

Day after day, it was exhausting.

“Captain, Educated Youth Shen’s foot is injured. I want to borrow your bicycle to take her to the county hospital.”

Captain glanced at Shen Jiaojiao’s ankle.

It was covered in blood.

“Hurry up and go! Just go to my house and get the bike yourself.”

Xu Mo didn’t waste a second. He turned around and sprinted toward Captain’s house.

“Old Third, wait a moment. When you get there, borrow twenty yuan from Captain’s wife. Tell her I’ll pay her back later.”

“Alright.”

Liu Xiaolan felt distressed just looking at Shen Jiaojiao’s injury.

She wanted to go along as well.

But the bicycle could only carry one person, so she couldn’t go.

So, she turned her attention to Fang Qinghe.

“Big Brother, Second Brother, let’s go and take this man to the Public Security Bureau.”

Mother Fang was fuming with rage at this moment.

These little troublemakers had beaten her son to this state. She was determined to make Public Security seek justice.

“I’m coming too! If my son was beaten up for no reason, I’ll fight you all to the end!”

Liu Xiaolan stood with her hands on her hips, her face full of hostility.

“Let’s go! If anyone’s scared, they’re a coward!”

There was an ox cart in the village, so a few people carried Fang Qinghe onto it and set off for the county Public Security Bureau.

Meanwhile, Xu Mo anxiously carried Shen Jiaojiao to Captain’s house.

At that moment, Captain’s wife was in the courtyard doing laundry.

Suddenly, she saw someone rushing in like a storm.

She thought it was some kind of troublemaker.

But upon closer look, she realized it was Xu Mo.

“Old Third from the Xu family, what’s going on?”

“Auntie, Educated Youth Shen’s foot got caught in a hunting trap. I need to borrow your bicycle.”

Captain’s wife took a look at Shen Jiaojiao’s foot.  

“Oh dear, this is really serious. Wait here, I’ll go get the bike for you.”  

She quickly wheeled the bicycle out and stopped it in front of Xu Mo.  

Xu Mo placed Shen Jiaojiao on the back seat and was just about to push the bike out when—  

“Old Third from the Xu family, hold on. This won’t do. The road is too bumpy for riding like this. I’ll find a rope to tie you two together.”  

As she spoke, Captain’s wife went into the woodshed and brought out a hemp rope.  

“Sit down, Old Third, I’ll help you tie it properly.”  

Xu Mo was in such a hurry that he couldn’t think straight.  

He had no choice but to let her do as she pleased.  

Once she finished tying them securely, she said: “Hurry up and go now. It’s getting late. Be careful on the road.”  

“Thank you, Auntie.”  

“Thank you, Auntie.”  

Xu Mo and Shen Jiaojiao said in unison.  

“No need to thank me. We’re all neighbors; helping each other is the right thing to do. Now, go quickly!”  

Xu Mo nodded and was about to ride off when he suddenly realized—he didn’t have any money on him.  

His mother had reminded him earlier, but in his worry, he had almost forgotten.  

He was really too anxious.  

“Auntie, can you lend me twenty yuan? My mother will return it to you later.”  

“Alright, wait here. I’ll go get it for you.”  

Captain’s wife didn’t hesitate and went inside the house.  

When she came back out, she was holding thirty yuan.  

“Here’s thirty. Take a little extra, just in case.”  

“Alright, thank you, Auntie.”  

At this moment, Xu Mo was actually quite touched.  

His family was so poor that even when they went to borrow money from his own Second Uncle, not only had he refused, but he had also humiliated them.  

Yet today, Captain’s wife had generously lent him thirty yuan without a second thought.  

He would remember this kindness for the rest of his life.  

It took two hours to ride from the village to the county hospital.  

The road was rough, and the bumps were unbearable. After sitting for a while, Shen Jiaojiao felt like her whole body was falling apart.

Although she and Xu Mo were tied together with a rope, she still felt insecure.  

So, she reached out from behind and wrapped her arms around Xu Mo’s lean waist.  

Xu Mo’s pedaling stiffened.  

It took him quite a while to recover.  

“Third Brother, slow down. There’s no rush.”  

Xu Mo’s voice was dry and awkward. “Shen Jiaojiao, does your foot hurt?”  

“It hurts, a lot.” She pouted, deliberately acting spoiled.  

Besides, since she had such a good opportunity to make Xu Mo feel sorry for her, she wasn’t going to let it slip by.  

The man seemed to pedal even faster.  

“Hang in there. I’ll get you to the hospital as soon as possible. Once we get there, it won’t hurt anymore.”  

His voice was tight, even trembling slightly—he was really afraid that something might happen to Shen Jiaojiao.  

Shen Jiaojiao stared at his strong, broad back and could feel his nervousness.  

Her heart filled with warmth and joy.  

She even thought that getting injured wasn’t such a bad thing.  

At least, it gave them more time alone together.  

The rough ride made Shen Jiaojiao dizzy.  

So, she started chatting with Xu Mo, asking questions here and there.  

“Third Brother, those two people the villagers tied up earlier—what did they do? Why were they tied up?”  

Xu Mo’s back stiffened again.  

How was he supposed to answer that?  

Shen Jiaojiao probably didn’t know about gaopo xie—messing around with someone else’s spouse.  

After all, she was still a young girl.  

“Third Brother, why aren’t you talking?”  

“You’d better not ask.”  

“Oh, come on, just tell me! We’ve already done this and that, what’s there to be embarrassed about?”  

Xu Mo nearly swerved the bicycle into a ditch.  

This and that?  

Could she not bring up such blood-pressure-raising things at a time like this?  

Xu Mo cleared his throat twice.  

“They… might have been caught in the cornfield.” he said vaguely.  

“Cornfield? What did they get caught doing?”  

Xu Mo’s face turned completely red as Shen Jiaojiao kept pressing him with questions.  

He was at his wit’s end.  

He really wanted to say, Auntie, I beg you, please stop asking!  

“They were… messing around with a man and a woman’s relationship.”  

That was vague enough. Shen Jiaojiao should be able to understand.  

“Pfft… hahaha—”  

Shen Jiaojiao suddenly burst into laughter and couldn’t stop.  

She laughed so hard that she completely forgot about the pain in her foot.  

Xu Mo was mortified.  

He had been tricked by Shen Jiaojiao again.  

She actually already knew what had happened to those two.  

She had asked him on purpose, just to tease him.  

Sigh! This little troublemaker.  

Shen Jiaojiao laughed so hard her shoulders shook. It took her a long time to calm down.  

Then, she continued teasing Xu Mo: “We can try going to the cornfield too.”  

“Shen Jiaojiao!” Xu Mo growled at her in a low voice.  

Shen Jiaojiao wasn’t afraid of his anger at all.  

Because the more flustered he got, the more guilty he felt.  

“If not the cornfield, the grove would do too.”  

Xu Mo died inside.  

By the time they arrived at the hospital entrance, Xu Mo quickly untied the rope around them.  

He carefully lifted Shen Jiaojiao down, told her not to move around, and then went to lock up the bicycle.  

When he returned, he picked her up in his arms again and ran straight into the hospital.  

Several passersby saw them and were utterly confused.  

The man looked ragged, dressed like a country bumpkin from the countryside.  

Meanwhile, the young woman was as beautiful as a fairy, dressed elegantly and well-put-together.  

Yet here they were, wrapped in each other’s arms.  

In this era, even biological siblings wouldn’t be so physically close in public.  

Unless they were married.  

Could it be that these two were husband and wife?  

Oh dear, this girl must be blind! How could she fall for a rural bumpkin?  

She must have been tricked by that country boy!