Chapter 10: Fighting

An Xin was helped up by Su Nianmei and sat down on a bench, her hands gripping the wooden armrests tightly. A chill seeped from her heart into her hands as she stared at the tightly closed door of the emergency room, forcing out a voice. “I-I didn’t expect things to turn out this way.”

“Didn’t expect?” Su Nianmei’s voice suddenly rose.

An Xin hesitated, her words stumbling out. “It was Shi Hongtu from the next class who fought with Xiaobao. At first, I was busy in the office. When my classmates told me, I didn’t pay much attention, thinking I would handle it later, but when I got here—”

An Xin didn’t continue.

By the time she arrived, Xiaobao was already in trouble.

“And what about the other parents?”

An Xin lowered her head again, her gaze slipping from the door. She opened her mouth to speak but then closed it, then opened it again, finally shutting it for good as she stuck her tongue out to wet her dry lips.

She recalled Shi Hua saying that Su Nianmei was just a country bumpkin and Gu Xiaobao was merely a wild child with an unknown mother.

It mattered who Shi Hongtu’s father was; one had to weigh the situation carefully.

Whether to speak or remain silent hinged on her thoughts.

As long as she didn’t say anything, no one would know that it was Shi Hongtu who had hit Gu Xiaobao, and this matter could be brushed aside without consequence.

Ji Yuan stepped forward.

He moved closer, resting one hand on the back of the bench, his body slightly leaning in. His beautiful peach blossom eyes narrowed with a smile, and his fingertips tapped rhythmically on the chair’s back, the sound somewhat playful as he leaned in to whisper to An Xin, “Teacher An, silence can only hide the truth for a time.”

After saying this, he stood up quickly.

Ji Yuan’s words weren’t heavy but were like the last straw that broke the camel’s back. They seemed light yet pressed down into An Xin’s heart, making her tremble.

Suddenly, the iron door of the emergency room creaked open, and a middle-aged doctor in a white coat walked out.

Su Nianmei rushed up.

Gu Xiaobao was being wheeled out on a stretcher, and Su Nianmei gently placed her hand over his, feeling his small fingers were cool to the touch. A wave of tenderness washed over her.

The doctor stood by the bed, removing his mask. “Don’t worry, the surgery went very smoothly. The child will need to stay in the hospital for a few more days for observation.”

Gu Xiaobao lay on the bed, his eyes tightly shut, his long, thick eyelashes still casting a delicate shadow under the sunlight.

An Xin leaned in to take a look, her gaze unfocused.

She took a deep breath and stood up from the chair, only to see a figure approaching from a distance, causing her to stagger back down heavily.

“Is Xiaobao okay?”

Su Nianmei looked up to see Shi Hua walking toward them.

She replied flatly, “Xiaobao is fine.”

As Su Nianmei helped the nurse push the stretcher, Shi Hua blocked their path, and the faint scent of perfume drifting through the air gave Su Nianmei a slight headache.

“My child needs to rest. Do you have something to say?”

Shi Hua wore a smile on her face, her hand resting on the edge of the bed.

“Since the child is fine, our school hopes that you, as parents, can understand the difficulties of school management and let this matter die down.”

Su Nianmei’s anger flared up. “Let things die down?”

Outside the corridor, the sound of a child crying echoed repeatedly. Shi Hua’s smile faltered, and she recognized the sound.

A woman dressed in a plaid shirt, her short hair neatly slicked back, hurriedly walked in, pulling a small boy by his ear. He winced in pain, his chubby body wobbling as he walked.

Shi Hua turned to look, forcing a smile back onto her face and awkwardly greeting her, “Sister-in-law.”

The woman glanced at Shi Hua and nodded dismissively. Her gaze fell on her younger sister-in-law, and her anger flared again.

Hongtu’s current situation had a lot to do with this woman.

Earlier that day, she had gone home for something, and upon entering the room, she found Hongtu lying on the bed, tightly wrapped in his blanket. Finding it odd, she uncovered him and checked his neck, not feeling any heat.

After repeated questioning, she finally learned that her child had gotten into a fight with a classmate and had pushed someone down the stairs, after which Shi Hua had brought him back.

She pulled the child toward the hospital, her mother-in-law trailing behind, also tugging at the boy. If she hadn’t come home today, this mother-daughter pair would have surely covered up the whole incident.

With one hand holding the child and the other helping Su Nianmei push the stretcher, the woman said, “I’m Zhang Xue, Shi Hongtu’s mother.”

As Su Nianmei looked at Zhang Xue, she understood a bit more about the situation. Looking at the nearby sobbing little boy, it felt as if something was stuck in her heart.

Once Su Nianmei had settled Gu Xiaobao, Zhang Xue was about to speak.

Su Nianmei interrupted her, “Let’s talk outside. It’ll disturb Xiaobao if we talk here.”

Zhang Xue smiled. “Right, right. I didn’t think it through.”

Zhang Xue followed Su Nianmei out of the hospital room.

Shi Hua stood by the door, watching Zhang Xue with a forced smile, her eyes filled with disdain. This woman usually flaunted her position as deputy factory manager at home but acted like a sycophant in front of outsiders.

Just as Shi Hua was about to say something, Zhang Xue shot her a glare, prompting her to silently close her mouth.

Zhang Xue reached into her pocket and pulled out a neatly folded handkerchief containing twenty yuan. Standing next to Su Nianmei, she handed it over.

She took Su Nianmei’s hand and said, “Little sister, I’m sorry. Our Hongtu is too naughty. I truly apologize for what happened to Xiaobao. This is just a small gesture from our family.”

Su Nianmei glanced at Shi Hua and the boy, Shi Hongtu, standing beside her, then quietly pulled her hand back from Zhang Xue’s grip. She looked up at Zhang Xue and said, “Sister Zhang, our Xiaobao is still lying on the hospital bed. If you really feel sorry, could you please tell me what happened? After all,” Su Nianmei paused, “Teacher An hasn’t told me anything yet.”

Zhang Xue let out a loud shout, calling, “Shi Hongtu!”

Standing nearby, Shi Hongtu, who was peeling a banana, trembled slightly, causing part of the banana to fall. The quick-witted little boy grabbed it and stuffed it into his mouth, then looked at his sticky hands and wiped them on Shi Hua’s bag.

Shi Hua frowned slightly but didn’t dare say anything, pulling her bag inward.

Shi Hongtu wiped his mouth and ambled over casually, mumbling through his food, his voice interspersed with burps, “I-I didn’t say anything wrong!”

Zhang Xue raised her hand, aiming to slap Shi Hongtu’s face. Just as it was about to reach his cheek, she redirected it and pinched his arm hard instead.

Shi Hongtu burst into tears, his eyes watering as snot dripped down his face. He continued to shout, “I didn’t say anything wrong! Gu Xiaobao is just a kid without a mom!”

Su Nianmei’s expression froze.

Suddenly, a sharp sound echoed through the air as Shi Hongtu quickly covered his face.

He glared at Su Nianmei and shouted, “Y-You actually dared to hit me!”