Chronicle of the 70s-Chapter 377 - 354: Saving a Life

Even Qin Xi brought up the subject of having a second child, and Li Xianglu started to hesitate. Should they really have another? It would be better to do it soon, so she could recover quicker. And three kids would grow up faster together. So, while dressing the twins in the morning, Li Xianglu couldn’t resist asking the two boys: "Shall Mommy have a little sister?"

Ba Yi and Ba’er, already over two years old, rarely cried except when hurt or grumpy. Ba Yi particularly seldom cried even when he fell, and his mischief was just as frequent as Ba’er’s. Sometimes, Ba Yi’s wrongdoings took a while for the adults to discover, while Ba’er looked a bit foolish and always giggled guiltily after his escapes, making it easy for the adults to know he was up to something. Ba Yi, on the other hand, was much cooler-headed.

After Li Xianglu finished asking, the two boys were slightly stunned. Ba’er’s little brow furrowed, and he said very seriously: "I want a big sister!"

Li Xianglu almost fell over backwards at her son’s words—how could she give birth to an older sister? So she emphasized again: "It can only be a little sister or a little brother!"

Ba’er was insistently stubborn as he repeated: "Big sister!"

Exasperated, Li Xianglu smacked her son’s bottom and said: "A little sister, or a brother, Mommy can’t have a big sister, and you will become big brothers in the future!"

Ba’er was firm in his beliefs, doggedly shouting: "Big sister, I want a big sister!"

Li Xianglu was frustrated—why couldn’t this kid understand? Meanwhile, Ba Yi watched on coolly as his clueless younger brother was getting smacks on his bottom without making a sound.

When Li Xianglu brought the two children to the living room, Mr. Li was sipping his thin congee and saw Ba’er with tears on his cheeks: "What’s the matter, starting to cry first thing in the morning?"

Li Xianglu didn’t want to explain and vaguely said: "This kid just woke up in a bad mood!" Then she went to the kitchen to serve the rice.

Ba Yi swiftly climbed onto a tall stool and said to Mr. Li: "Great-grandpa, Mommy is lying!"

Mr. Li’s eyes widened, and he blinked, asking: "Mommy lied?"

Ba Yi glanced at his brother, who was still wiping his tears, then said: "Mommy said she’ll have a little sister, but little brother wants a big sister, and then he got spanked!"

Mr. Li heard this earth-shattering secret, gestured to Su Yan who had just come in, and Su Yan, puzzled but quickly taking a seat, listened as Mr. Li repeated what Ba Yi had said, then asked: "So, are you planning to have a second child?"

Su Yan couldn’t help but curl her lips into a smile, then continued to ask Ba Yi: "Does Ba Yi want a little sister or a big sister?"

After a disdainful glance at his brother, who had climbed onto the table and was sneakily grabbing food with his hands, Ba Yi said earnestly and seriously: "Great-grandma, I want a little sister!"

Su Yan revealed a satisfied smile, gently touched Ba Yi’s head, and said: "Alright, your mommy will give you a little sister!"

Beside them, Ba’er, hearing Su Yan’s words, dissatisfiedly slapped the table and said: "Want big sister!"

Su Yan still soothingly touched Ba’er’s head and said: "Alright, we’ll have a big sister!"

Li Xianglu’s work at the bank had settled down, and the previous schedule, alternating between busy and off weeks, became a regular weekend off with the arrival of a new employee.

Meanwhile, Qin Xi became completely busy, and so did Leng Qing; the factory started ramping up. The batch of chili peppers they had bought last year was now entering production.

Hu Zi was assisting others, so Xu Wu, not feeling reassured about this place, sent over another man—a very plump middle-aged man by the name of An He. Speaking the Minnan dialect and proficient in Yong Chun Boxing, Mr. Li got everyone in the family, young and old, to learn it.

By the end of April, at seven in the evening, Sister Su prepared lamb stew with noodles for dinner. Children had their meal early and were enjoying their last round of playtime in the yard, while Li Xianglu was sewing coverall shirts for them with her sewing machine, not worried anymore about them playing and rolling in the dirt.

However, the phone rang. Su Yan got up to answer it, but quickly shouted, "Xiangxiang, come and take the call."

Li Xianglu stood up, saw Su Yan’s furrowed brows, took the phone with a start, and greeted the caller. A coarse, familiar male voice came through in a cry, "Xiao Li, please help your brother out, I’m begging you!"

Li Xianglu recognized it was Chen Zhong’s voice and quickly asked, "Brother Chen, what happened? Don’t panic, just tell me slowly!"

Chen Zhong sobbed, "My wife was beaten and sent to the hospital, but the hospital says her injuries are too severe for them to treat. But Hua’er’s head is cracked open and bleeding, how can they not treat her? I’m afraid if she doesn’t get treatment soon, she’ll bleed to death!"

Li Xianglu exclaimed, "How could this happen? Why would there be a fight out of the blue? Where are you now?"

Chen Zhong didn’t explain how the fight happened but told her they were in the same county town they knew from last time.

Li Xianglu, not knowing the full extent of the situation or why the hospital refused to provide treatment, instructed, "For now, use bandages to press down on the bleeding area of her head. Then in a little over an hour, rush to the entrance of the county town with a donkey cart and wait there. I’ll send someone to pick you guys up right away!"

Once Chen Zhong heard this, he hurriedly agreed. Li Xianglu briefly told Su Yan about the situation. Luckily, Hu Zi was at home, and the vehicle was there too, so she quickly arranged for someone to go pick them up. Meanwhile, Li Xianglu called the hospital in the county, informing them that a patient would arrive in four hours.

Getting to that county town in snowy weather would take at least four hours. Now, nearly in May, the roads should be faster, and with a bit of luck, they could arrive in four hours’ time.

Li Xianglu didn’t idle either; she prepared sheets, quilts, basins, towels, soap, and a bunch of other things, waiting to send them with Qin Xi when she gets back.

By the time Li Xianglu had everything ready, it was nine o’clock. She hurriedly sent Gu Niannian back, then got the twins washed up and off to sleep.

Just as the children were tucked in, Qin Xi came back from working late. She ate the lamb stew with noodles that Li Xianglu had served and listened to what had happened to Chen Zhong, frowning, "Why did they beat up a family member?"

Li Xianglu replied with a frown, "I don’t know, the situation seemed urgent, and I didn’t ask. We’ll go have a look in a bit."

Qin Xi agreed and ate quickly. After dinner, she changed clothes and, with Li Xianglu, carrying large and small bags, rode to the hospital on a bicycle.

It was a coincidence—they had just arrived at the hospital when they spotted the parked car in the yard. Hu Zi drove pretty fast, returning in just three hours.

They went upstairs and saw Hu Zi about to come down. After asking him, they learned that the patient had already been taken to the operating room.

So the three of them went up and saw a tall and robust figure pacing back and forth in front of the operating room.

Li Xianglu called out, "Brother Chen!"

Chen Zhong turned his head and saw Li Xianglu, quickly stepping forward and saying, "Sister, thank you so much. If it weren’t for you, I really wouldn’t have known what to do!"