Granny Liu’s granddaughter, Liu Ling, pushed her bicycle out and shouted to the distraught Lin Qin, "Sister Lin Qin, let me ride you there on my bike. It’ll be much faster."
"Thank you, thank you," Lin Qin said, her eyes brimming with tears as she looked at Liu Ling with gratitude.
"Don't worry about it! Get on!" Knowing the situation was critical, Liu Ling didn't waste time talking. She pedaled so hard her legs felt like they were smoking. The trip that usually took over forty minutes was completed in less than thirty.
As Lin Qin started to thank her again, Liu Ling urged, "Hurry and get the child inside. We can talk about everything else later."
Once Lin Qin had brought the child into the emergency room, she slumped against the hospital wall, drenched in sweat and utterly drained. She suppressed the storm of emotions raging inside her, not daring to let herself cry out loud.
The wait for treatment felt endless—long enough for Lin Qin to formulate exactly how she would destroy the three women of the Liu family.
Just then, a doctor and a nurse emerged. "What is your relationship to the patient?"
"I'm her mother. Doctor, how is my daughter?"
The doctor let out a long, heavy sigh. "The child has extensive burns on her back. It’s quite serious, but fortunately, you brought her here in time. We’ve already applied medication and started an IV. She may develop a fever over the next few days, so please keep a close watch. Also, try your best not to touch her wounds; if the blisters rupture and get infected, it will be very troublesome."
"I understand. Thank you, thank you, Doctor!" Lin Qin nodded while wiping her tears.
After the doctor left, the nurse said gently, "Come with me to pay the hospitalization fees."
Lin Qin looked back at Liu Yaya in the treatment room, unable to tear herself away, glancing back every few steps. She had barely finished paying the medical bills when she spotted Liu Yongming and a heavily pregnant Fang Ying at a corner.
She watched as the two of them whispered affectionately to each other, walking in her direction.
Lin Qin immediately turned to face the wall, pretending to study her receipts.
Fang Ying playfully swatted away Liu Yongming’s wandering hand. "This is a hospital! Be serious!"
Liu Yongming didn't seem to care. "What’s not serious about it? Didn’t the doctor just touch your belly like this earlier? Oh, look, our son is moving! He kicked me! He’s definitely going to be a tough little boy."
Fang Ying giggled. "We’ve been back for over half a month, and your son is about to be born. Why haven't you gotten rid of that sallow-faced wife of yours yet?"
"Don't panic. I’ve already had someone call her back. This time, I’m going to lay it all out for her. Don't worry, I will definitely marry you properly—I won't let anyone gossip," Liu Yongming promised with an oath.
Lin Qin turned around slowly, watching the backs of the adulterous pair as they walked away, her fists clenched tight.
Because the burns on Liu Yaya’s back were so extensive, she could only lie on her stomach. She was constantly hooked up to an IV, and whenever she woke up, she would cry out in pain.
The other patients in the room felt terrible for her. Seeing Lin Qin running around exhausted all day with no one else there to help, they couldn't help but ask, "Comrade, where is the child's father? Why hasn't anyone else from your family come? The child can’t keep crying like this!"
Lin Qin was burning with anxiety and was about to explain when Chen Wenjun rushed in, carrying food. "How did she get hurt this badly?"
He looked at little Liu Yaya’s pitiful, pained face, and his eyes reddened.
A warm-hearted older woman in the next bed immediately began to ramble, "Her whole back is covered in blisters; who knows if she’ll be scarred for life! The child has been crying all day. I see her mother is completely worn out—how could you, the father, come so late?"
Her words were full of reproach, blaming Chen Wenjun for being irresponsible.
Just as Lin Qin was about to speak, Chen Wenjun bowed his head repeatedly, apologizing. "It’s my fault for coming late."
Once he had pacified the woman, he gave Lin Qin a look, and the two stepped outside to talk.
"What happened? I only heard about the Liu family when I went to sell fish this evening. How did the child get hurt? What’s the situation?" Chen Wenjun was frantic.
Lin Qin sobbed as she gave him a brief account of what happened. "Liu Li threw hot water on me, and Yaya was burned protecting me. The doctor said we have to be very careful over the next few days—if the blisters break, infection will be a major problem. Could you run to Shanglin Village and fetch my father? Also, tell him to bring some money."
Chen Wenjun shoved thirty yuan into her hands without a second thought. "Take this first. The child’s treatment is what matters. I’m going to get your father now. Don't worry, we’ll settle the score with the Liu family later."
With that, he turned and left quickly, not even giving Lin Qin a chance to refuse.
As she thought about Liu Yongming, whom she had seen earlier, a mocking smile played on Lin Qin's lips. It turned out that in her past life, she had been too easy to deal with, which was why she hadn't seen the true, ugly faces of the Liu family.
"Liu Li! I will definitely make you pay for today’s debt with your whole life!" Lin Qin gripped the money tightly, her resolve hardening. She wiped her tears, calmed her emotions, and returned to the ward.
Chen Wenjun ran all the way to Shanglin Village; it was already dark by the time he arrived.
There were few people about in the village. He navigated the familiar path to Lin Yi’s house and, fearing he would wake the neighbors, knocked softly but urgently.
Lin Yi had just lain down but wasn't asleep yet. Hearing the knocking, he grabbed his clothes and headed out. "Coming, coming!"
When the door opened, he hadn't even caught a clear look at who it was before Chen Wenjun said urgently, "Uncle, Lin Qin and the child are at the city hospital. She asked me to come and get you."
Lin Yi’s heart skipped a beat. Without asking for more details, he turned back to grab some money and hurriedly locked the door to follow Chen Wenjun out of the village.
It wasn't until they reached the main road outside the village that Lin Yi recognized Chen Wenjun. He was shocked. "Why are you here?"
Chen Wenjun explained as he walked briskly, "I was selling fish in town this evening and heard about the trouble at the Liu family's house. The older women were saying it was quite serious, so I was worried and ran over to check."
Hearing this, Lin Yi quickened his pace. He didn't dare ask about his daughter or granddaughter along the way, and only upon entering the hospital did he learn it was Liu Yaya who had been hurt.
When he finally saw the child’s miserable state in the ward, Lin Yi broke down. He ran to the end of the hallway and wept uncontrollably.
Lin Qin entrusted Liu Yaya to Chen Wenjun and went over to comfort him.
"Dad."
Lin Yi beat his own head in remorse and self-blame. "It’s all my fault! If I hadn't made you go back, you wouldn't have had to suffer this! The Liu family is trying to take your lives! Where is Liu Yongming? Didn't he come back? Where is he? Why isn't he here?"
Lin Qin couldn't hold back and began to cry as well. "Dad! Don't ask! Liu Yongming never really wanted to marry me in the first place. He only proposed to our family because he didn't have the money to study and had no other choice. Now that he’s graduating and getting ahead, how could he possibly keep living with me?
"I... I heard people say he’s been back for half a month. He didn't show up even when his family was bullying me, and he doesn't care now that the child is like this. How can you expect him to protect us?"
Back when she reached the age to marry, because there were no men in her family, Lin Yi had been generous, announcing that he would provide a hundred-yuan dowry. It was under those circumstances that Liu Yongming had come to propose.