Mrs. Zhao was heartbroken, anxiously telling the Young Doctor from the side, “Why are you being so rough with the treatment? Please be gentler!”
The Young Doctor had already packed up and left the consultation room, while the nurses busied themselves applying medicine to the abrasions on his body.
All the nurses knew about the Zhao family’s situation. When they treated Zhao Zongbao’s wounds, their movements weren’t gentle. Using tweezers to hold cotton balls, they roughly disinfected his injuries, moving quickly over the wounds.
The pain made Zhao Zongbao break out in a cold sweat, and Mrs. Zhao kept shouting from the side, “Be gentle! Be gentle!” She wished she could personally disinfect her son’s wounds.
After a round of treatment, Zhao Zongbao was finally out of danger, and they didn’t have to be discharged.
***
When the Zhao Sisters arrived, Zhao Zongbao’s wounds had long been treated with Jiazi Solution, his face coated in deep purple medicinal liquid. Blue and purple bruises covered half his face, swollen and distorted.
Seeing him like this, the Zhao Sisters were all startled. The whole group rushed into Zhao Zongbao’s hospital room. Seven or eight people squeezed the room so tightly it was impossible to move.
Unlike the bustling Obstetrics Department, the Traditional Chinese Medicine Surgery ward was much quieter. In Zhao Zongbao’s room, there was only him, Mrs. Zhao, and a nurse changing his IV drip.
“How did you manage to fall like this? Weren’t you supposed to be taking care of Huiqing? Don’t tell me you went off fooling around at that dance hall again?” Zhao Fifth Sister snapped.
Mrs. Zhao, furious, raised her hand to slap her. “Fooling around? Your brother got hurt like this, and you don’t even care, but you’re here making snide remarks!”
Zhao Fifth Sister wasn’t afraid of her mother. Being the youngest child after Zhao Zongbao, her name was Zhao Laidi. The family treated her as if she had brought Zhao Zongbao into the family. Unlike her middle sisters, she wasn’t scolded harshly growing up and could even attend school with Zhao Zongbao.
Mrs. Zhao, having calmed down a bit, had already scolded Xu Huiqing for two hours. Hearing her youngest daughter’s question, she resumed berating, “It’s all because of that black-hearted Daughter-in-law! She’s been staying at the hospital for half a month and still refuses to go home. Today, when we tried to bring her back, she pushed your brother down the stairs! If she weren’t so cruel, how would your brother have gotten hurt like this?”
Her eldest daughter, Zhao Yindi, immediately exploded upon hearing that Xu Huiqing was responsible. “Where is the Daughter-in-law? I want to confront her and see just how heartless she is to push Zongbao down the stairs!”
The nurse hanging Zhao Zongbao’s IV overheard and said, “Ma’am, you’re twisting the facts. Your Daughter-in-law fainted on the stairs, and you never once went to check on her during this whole ordeal. Now you’ve been yelling in this room for two hours!”
Turning to Zhao Yindi, she added, “You’re no better. You jump to conclusions without knowing the truth. Your Daughter-in-law is in Yuezi, your brother’s fine, and your Sister-in-law is still in the ICU!”
This was the Traditional Chinese Medicine Surgery ward, separate from the Obstetrics building. The nurse wasn’t fully aware of what was happening in the Obstetrics ward and didn’t know Xu Huiqing was actually fine, already out of the ICU and quietly resting in her room.
Zhao Third Sister, Zhao Pandai, awkwardly stepped in to ease the tension. “Sorry, doctor. My sister just heard that my brother was hurt and got worried. Do you know which ward my Daughter-in-law is in? I want to go see how she’s doing.”
The nurse pointed to another red two-story building about fifty or sixty meters down the hill. “That building is where she is.” Then she turned to Mrs. Zhao. “This is the Traditional Chinese Medicine Surgery ward. It’s better to take the newborn over to Obstetrics for easier care.”
Zhao Third Sister took the newborn from Mrs. Zhao’s hands and happily said, “This must be my eldest nephew, right? He’s so good-looking, just like his dad!”
Her other sisters came over out of curiosity. “The little one is growing fast. Those big eyes look just like his mom’s, and the nose and mouth are pure Zhao family traits!”
“He’s going to be a handsome guy someday. I wonder how many girls he’ll charm~”
Their husbands also gathered to take a look. Fifth Sister’s husband gave a fair comment, “They say daughters look like their dads and sons like their moms, but this one looks more like his little aunt.”
That comment was immediately shot down by eldest sister Zhao Yindi. “Who said that? Except for the eyes, he looks exactly like Zongbao!”
The Fifth Sister’s husband didn’t argue, “Alright, alright, looks like his little uncle.”
Holding the newborn, Zhao Third Sister said, “Mom, you and eldest sister stay here and take care of Zongbao. Laidi and I will go see the Daughter-in-law.” Then she asked Zhao Zongbao and Mrs. Zhao, “Have you picked a name for the little nephew yet?”
Mrs. Zhao, exhausted from caring for the newborn and the recent shock, said, “What name? His mom just calls him ‘Xiaobao’ for now.”
“Calling him ‘Xiaobao’ won’t do! That’s the same name as Zongbao. People might think you’re calling his dad!” Zhao Fifth Sister bluntly said, “How about ‘Goudan’? A silly name’s good for survival!”
Mrs. Zhao slapped her thigh sharply, “I think you look like Goudan! You brat, you just can’t stand seeing your brother have any good fortune!”
Zhao Fifth Sister dodged aside, deadpan. “I’m serious! Ask Jianhua if silly names are better for survival!”
Mrs. Zhao scowled, “There’s no need for such a ridiculous name! If you keep talking nonsense, I’ll spank you!”
Zhao Fifth Sister pouted, “But we can’t call him Xiaobao, right? Then who are we shouting at, him or his father?”
Mrs. Zhao said, “The formal name can be asked of your father later. The nickname can be chosen by Zongbao first.”
Zhao Zongbao’s mind was already on opening a disco dance hall and skating rink to make money back home. Without much thought, he said casually, “Then let’s call him Disco!”
He even added the Erhua accent to the last syllable, pronouncing it ‘Diskao!’
Zhao eldest sister, Zhao Yindi, was the most supportive. She immediately clapped and cheered, “Wow! Giving him a Western-style name now? So fancy!”
Zhao Third Sister, still holding the newborn, laughed, “Now that’s exotic, the first one in all of Shuibu Town! Your dad really knows how to name!”
Zhao Fourth Sister, usually quiet, just smiled silently without comment.
Zhao Fifth Sister curled her lip in disdain. “Diskao? Sounds more like the name of a dance hall!”
Mrs. Zhao reached out to scold her again, “You’re such a talkative brat!”
Her eldest brother-in-law, who also loved to joke, laughed and said, “That name’s good. Very stylish!”
The other brothers-in-law just smiled quietly. The room felt a little awkward.
Zhao Third Sister habitually smoothed things over. “We haven’t even seen our Sister-in-law yet. Eldest sister and brother-in-law, you stay here and take care of Mom and Zongbao. Laidi, Youdi, and I will go see Sister-in-law.”
Xu Huiqing had been pretending to be unconscious and was already back in her room. Because of her good reputation in the Zhao family, none of the sisters suspected her act.
Among the three sisters, Zhao Fifth Sister was the liveliest. Upon entering the room, she went straight to the bedside, loudly calling, “Huiqing! Huiqing!”
Zhao Fourth Sister whispered, “Huiqing is sleeping. Lower your voice.” Then she asked a neighboring mother, “Do you know how long my Sister-in-law has been asleep?”
The woman in the adjacent bed, just waking up, shook her head. “She was sleeping when I woke.”
Others in the room overheard Zhao Third Sister calling Xu Huiqing Sister-in-law and knew these women were from the husband’s side. They said, “She just came out of the ICU and is resting.”
Not only Xu Huiqing needed rest; the other mothers and newborns in the ward were resting as well.
Zhao Fourth Sister noticed a plastic basin under Xu Huiqing’s bed containing the newborn’s diapers. Silently, she took it to the washroom near the stairs to clean the diapers.
Zhao Third Sister asked where to get baby formula and went to feed the newborn. Zhao Fifth Sister stayed in the ward, quietly asking other family members about her Sister-in-law’s condition.
Originally, the other relatives hesitated to speak ill of their mother-in-law in front of her, but soon everyone started sharing what Mrs. Zhao had been doing in the ward.
One commented, “I’ve never seen a mother care for a postpartum woman like yours does. After all, she gave birth to your grandson, right?”
Zhao Fifth Sister nodded. “Yes, yes.” Quickly, she learned from the relatives what had happened these past few days.
When Zhao Third Sister’s voice rang out in the ward, Xu Huiqing had already woken but continued to pretend she hadn’t, sleeping until the noise rose again half an hour later, then acting as if she was coming out of a coma.
Zhao Third Sister had already fed the baby. Seeing her awake, she hurriedly placed the child by her side and smiled, “He just had milk and a diaper change. How’s your body feeling? I heard you had postpartum epilepsy. It sounds terrifying; it gave us all cold sweats!”
The Zhao Sisters all knew their Daughter-in-law was virtuous, so they had no complaints about her.
Zhao Fourth Sister had already washed and hung the diapers outside on the railing. She came back to help Xu Huiqing sit up and softly asked, “Do you want to go to the bathroom?”
Zhao Fifth Sister said, “Don’t mind what Mom says. She wasn’t like this before. Now that she’s old, she’s getting confused. She just tried to hit me again!”
Zhao Third Sister nodded, “Mom had a hard time when Grandpa and Grandma were alive. They treated her terribly. Only in the past few years has her life gotten better. Just be patient and don’t take her words to heart.”
Xu Huiqing only gave a weak smile and asked quietly, “Is Zongbao okay?”
Zhao Fifth Sister shrugged, “He’s fine. Jumping around as lively as ever. Don’t worry about him. Take care of yourself!”
Zhao Third Sister tucked the blanket over Xu Huiqing and said, “His injuries were serious. The nurse said he had a head wound that broke the skin and a concussion. When we went to see him, his arm was in a sling, and his leg was broken. His body and face were covered with bruises. He couldn’t move in bed!”
Xu Huiqing hurried to act worried and tried to lift the blanket to check, but the three Zhao sisters quickly stopped her. “Hey! Don’t move, you’re still in Yuezi. If you go outside and catch a chill, you’ll have headaches later!” They pushed her back onto the bed. “You just rest. Eldest sister and your brothers-in-law are there with Zongbao!”
Xu Huiqing looked deeply worried, full of self-blame. “If I hadn’t suddenly fainted, Zongbao wouldn’t have fallen trying to catch me…”
She turned her face toward the balcony window, the sunlight streaming through the glass unable to dissipate the shadows lingering in her eyes.
A faint smile tugged at her lips.
Zhao Zongbao wanted to leave, didn’t he? Now, no one could leave.