"Quickly, she's in a lot of pain," Qin Ningyi urged, placing her on the stretcher.
Doctor Wang had been their family physician since Qin Ningyi arrived in Yuchang City. In all these years, this was the first time he had seen him so anxious about a woman.
Without any delay, he rushed her into the hospital.
In the ward, Doctor Wang looked at Qin Ningyi and said, "Mr. Qin, please help her remove her clothes so I can examine the wound."
Qin Ningyi froze, raising an eyebrow at Doctor Wang, seemingly puzzled why he would be tasked with such a matter.
Seeing Qin Ningyi hesitate, Doctor Wang stepped forward himself. As his hand reached for the edge of Huo Rou's clothes, Qin Ningyi grabbed him.
"Cut it," Qin Ningyi said out of the blue. Doctor Wang seemed to have anticipated this, retracting his hand.
A nurse beside them helped Huo Rou turn over. Doctor Wang carefully used scissors to cut open the back of Huo Rou's clothes.
A stab wound was revealed on her shoulder.
The moment the wound was exposed, Qin Ningyi covered An An's eyes.
The cut was deep, looking particularly gruesome on her fair shoulder.
"Dad, what happened to Mom!" An An twisted his head, wanting to see for himself. Qin Ningyi didn't budge, reassuring him, "It's nothing, children shouldn't look."
Then, another wound on her shoulder blade was revealed.
As this wound was exposed, Qin Ningyi and Doctor Wang both stiffened.
A gunshot wound!
"Arrange for surgery," Doctor Wang instructed his assistant, leading Qin Ningyi outside. A female nurse stayed behind to perform simple preliminary treatment.
With An An present, Doctor Wang couldn't say much. He only asked, "Who did this?"
Qin Ningyi glanced at the closed door, his mind deep in thought.
He had initially asked Xiao Konglin to contact the airline, stating that if Huo Rou returned, he would be notified immediately. Today, Huo Rou had returned, but he had received no news.
After Xia Qingxue had visited, he had ordered a check on the phone number Huo Rou had called. It was in Country Y, but he had found no record of Huo Rou flying there.
And now, she had a gunshot wound.
Everything indicated that Huo Rou was not ordinary. But who she was, Qin Ningyi had been unable to find out. His understanding of Huo Rou was limited to what An An had said – that she was someone who grew flowers.
Seeing Qin Ningyi not answering, Doctor Wang didn't press further and went to prepare for the surgery.
"Dad, what exactly happened to Mom? Why does she need surgery?" An An asked as they came out and Qin Ningyi released him. He hadn't seen Huo Rou's injuries inside, but he had heard the instruction for surgery.
Qin Ningyi came back to his senses, looking at An An. "Mom is injured and needs surgery to recover."
After a moment of hesitation, he continued, "An An, what exactly does Mom do?"
"Mom just grows flowers at home..." An An didn't understand why Qin Ningyi was asking him so seriously again. "She also takes me to Daocheng Village to see the farmers planting. She doesn't do anything else."
"Nothing else? Mom doesn't go out to work?" Qin Ningyi picked up An An, looking into his eyes.
"Mom goes out occasionally, but she comes back in a few days." An An was very puzzled. "What's wrong, Dad?"
It seemed he wouldn't get any more information.
Qin Ningyi, holding An An, went to Doctor Wang's office to wait. Xiao Konglin also arrived. Qin Ningyi instructed him to take An An to a nearby hotel to wash up and change into dry clothes.
As soon as An An arrived at the hotel, Xia Qingxue called to ask for their location. Xiao Konglin also received Qin Ningyi's instructions to keep An An at the hotel to sleep and not return to the hospital.
By the time Huo Rou was wheeled back to the ward, only Qin Ningyi and Xia Qingxue were waiting.
"The wounds have been treated," Doctor Wang said, meeting their worried eyes.
"What kind of injury did A'Rou suffer? Why did she faint?" Xia Qingxue asked urgently.
Doctor Wang looked at Qin Ningyi. Seeing him nod, he began, "Miss Huo sustained stab and gunshot wounds to her shoulder and back. They were left untreated for a long time and, combined with bacterial infection from the pool water, led to infection and fever."
As Doctor Wang spoke, he felt a complex mix of emotions. He looked at the delicate woman who, with such deep wounds, could still move freely and jump into the pool to save someone. Was this the strength of a mother?
Doctor Wang continued, "As for fainting, it's partly due to this. On the other hand, Miss Huo hasn't rested for a long time." Doctor Wang paused. "Being extremely fatigued and seeing her son fall into the water likely caused her to be mentally tense, leading to her fainting."
Xia Qingxue looked at Huo Rou with concern. "When will she wake up? So, she's not in danger, right?"
Doctor Wang nodded. "Let her rest well now. However, if this high fever doesn't subside, it will still be dangerous."
At this point, Doctor Wang looked at Qin Ningyi. "Mr. Qin, when will the medicine you mentioned arrive? Is it really effective?"
Qin Ningyi nodded. "It will take some time."
Hearing about the fever-reducing medicine, Xia Qingxue quickly rummaged through her bag and took out a small bottle. "Doctor, can this medicine be used?"
The bottle containing the medicine had no outer packaging, only a simple label with a few handwritten words indicating its purpose: "Fever Reduction."
Doctor Wang took the bottle, opened it with curiosity, took out a pill, sniffed it, and asked, "What is this medicine? Where did it come from?"
"A divine doctor friend gave it to me. It's very effective for reducing fever," Xia Qingxue replied quickly.
"We're not sure if it will conflict with the current medication. Without an ingredient list, we dare not use it arbitrarily," Doctor Wang said hesitantly, looking at Qin Ningyi.
Qin Ningyi's gaze, however, was fixed on the pill.
He took the pill and examined it carefully. Before he could say anything, the door opened.
"Doctor Uncle, it can be used," An An rushed in eagerly.
An An pointed at the medicine in Qin Ningyi's hand. "Uncle Shen gave it to me. He said this can be used with anything, anytime, and it can quickly reduce fever."
"Uncle Shen?" Qin Ningyi had heard this title more than once.
"Yes, Dad. Uncle Shen is very capable." An An looked at Huo Rou on the hospital bed, full of worry. "Is Mom's fever bad? Hurry and give Mom a fever reducer."
Doctor Wang dared not take the risk. Qin Ningyi had said he was arranging for a fast-acting fever reducer, one used by the military. The doctors there had said it could be used in conjunction. He trusted that source more.
Seeing Doctor Wang hesitate, An An looked at Huo Rou, whose brows were furrowed even in unconsciousness, and felt immense distress.
He looked pitifully at Qin Ningyi.
Qin Ningyi then gently tasted the pill. It had a familiar sweet and sour taste.
"Use it."