They walked back to their own building and didn’t see anyone around, which suggested everyone else must have gone to join the festivities at the newlyweds’ place.
It was quite the spectacle to have a wedding in the military region, so naturally, everyone wanted to have a good look.
Their building was eerily quiet as Yang PeiMin chatted and walked alongside Yang Peiying.
"Let’s just leave once Yixiang gets back, without attending the banquet. If we eat there it’ll be dark by the time we’re done. How about we head to Jiefang Road and eat dumplings? I’ve been craving their mutton-filled dumplings; it’s been a while since I last had them."
Yet Yang Peiying timidly asked, "Sister, can you eat mutton?"
"I can, I’ve eaten it a few times already without any issues, and I don’t eat it often."
"No, I mean, I heard that eating mutton can cause the baby to have ’sheep spasms’..."
Yang PeiMin burst into laughter. "Who told you that? That’s hilarious!"
"That’s what the old folks in our village say."
"Don’t worry about it, there’s nothing to it. It’s just a coincidence that has become a superstition. People get sick from eating other meats too, right? Should we start blaming those meats as well?" said Yang PeiMin with a shake of her head.
Unexpectedly, Yang Peiying, the stubborn girl, still resisted. "Sister, you should still avoid it for now, just wait until after you’ve given birth. Doesn’t Third Brother always say, better safe than sorry? If it turns out to be true, it’d be too late for us."
Yang PeiMin glanced at her, and Yang Peiying’s face was a picture of resolve.
Alright then, the sister rarely insisted on something .
"Okay, we won’t have the mutton dumplings; let’s go for the cabbage-filled ones instead, those are delicious too."
"Sister, we can make those at home too, they’re expensive outside."
"Don’t bother, it’ll take time to make them at home, and I can’t wait that long."
They almost reached the second floor as they talked.
Yang PeiMin was ahead, with Yang Peiying following closely behind. Since the staircase wasn’t very wide, Yang Peiying kept a careful eye on her.
The stairs were wet throughout; it looked like someone had splashed water on them.
Yang Peiying stopped talking and just urged her sister to hold onto the handrail and to be careful.
Just when Yang PeiMin reached the middle of the staircase, she heard Yang Peiying shout from behind, "Sister, be careful!"
Yang Peimin had already stepped onto it when suddenly her foot slipped. She reached for the handrail, but even that was slippery. Yang Buyin, whose soul almost flew out of her body at the sight, frantically reached to support her sister but instead only grabbed a handful of Peimin’s clothes. Peimin, who had instinctively leaned forward, was now flung backward by her sister’s tug.
Peimin was so scared her guts seemed about to leap out. Peiying stretched out her arms to catch her, and with a thud, Peimin fell on top of her. Peiying groaned as the two of them continued, tumbling down two more steps, the heavy sound of her head hitting the concrete floor echoing in Peimin’s ears.
Peimin scrambled to her feet to check on Peiying, whose face had gone utterly pale as she grimaced in pain. Afraid to touch her, Peimin frantically inspected the back of Peiying’s head, finding a trail of blood on the ground. She began to shout for help and only after yelling did she realize there seemed to be no one around. She quickly tore some cotton from her thin coat to press against Peiying’s wound and said, trembling, "Yingzi, hold on. I’m going to find a doctor, just hold on, I’ll be back quickly."
Peiying looked at her and gently hummed in acknowledgment.
Peimin turned and ran downstairs; fortunately, she found some people who quickly came to help.
Soon Peiying was treated urgently and sent to the military hospital. Peimin followed closely by her side, asking a neighbor to inform Shen Yixiang that both she and Peiying had gone to the hospital.
Peiying had hit the back of her head against the stairs, leaving a large gash. Her back and waist were also injured, but it was unknown if there were any fractures.
Peimin sat at the emergency room entrance, praying silently. Only when she calmed down did she feel a faint pain in her stomach; she was so terrified she felt as if she had lost her soul. In the panic and the running, she hadn’t paid attention to it. It was Peiying who had shielded her during the fall; Peimin had merely stumbled and hadn’t been injured. She couldn’t even dare to imagine what might have happened and quickly spoke to a nurse before visiting an obstetrician.
Luckily, after listening to the baby’s heartbeat, the doctor saw no issues; she was just experiencing a little fetal distress and a bit of rest would resolve it.
Peimin’s heart finally settled down a bit.
Shen Yixiang had also rushed over, immediately checking on Peimin’s condition. "Sister-in-law, are you alright?"
"I’m fine, Yixiang blocked it for me. She’s still in the emergency room."
Yixiang breathed a slight sigh of relief, glanced up at the emergency room door, and sat down beside her. "How’s Yingzi doing? Everyone was saying terrifying things when I was coming over, that her skull was... "
Peimin cut her off, unable to bear such words, and informed Shen Yixiang about Peiying’s condition.
After listening, Yixiang said, "How did she just slip down the stairs like that? And with everyone off watching the wedding, why was there water there?"
This moment snapped Peimin back to reality, and she, too, found it odd.
After Yixiang finished speaking, she suddenly exclaimed, "I get it now, could it have been Du Juanjuan’s doing? In this building, you’re the only pregnant woman, and while others might just scrape themselves if they slipped, you’re different. Any minute, you could suffer a miscarriage. How vicious, that Du Juanjuan, so malicious! What does her fight with me have to do with you? If she has an issue, she should come at me, not you. Does she even have a conscience, harming you like that!"
Peimin was momentarily stunned, then after some thought, she too felt there was some truth to Yixiang’s words. The two steps she’d stepped on had been greased, not wet with water; any water on the ledge would merely cover up the oil. In this building, who would have the resources to spread oil so carelessly? Even accidentally seemed unlikely, given how expensive oil was, and how carefully each household treated it, ensuring no spills when handling it. Moreover, if oil really were spilled, most people would clean up the trace on the ledge to prevent others from falling. So, aside from Du Juanjuan, it truly was difficult to think of anyone else.
The more Yixiang thought, the more convinced she became. "There’s no doubt, it had to be her! Sister-in-law, we can’t let this go. To have such an evil person, we must report her to the authorities and have them conduct a thorough investigation. We must get this criminal locked up!"
Peimin nodded, sure that if somebody was deliberately causing harm, she wouldn’t let it go just like that.
"What did the landing look like when you arrived? Did anyone notice anything?" Peimin inquired, recalling that in her haste, she only cautioned everyone about the problematic staircase without seeing if anyone had noticed anyone carrying oil.
Yixiang nodded, "Yes, when I was coming they were discussing this very thing, but I was in such a rush I didn’t really listen. Nevertheless, surely everyone would’ve found it odd."