Xu Nian’an turned around and saw that wheelchair, feeling incredibly grateful for his foresight.
"Brother Cheng, Yining, my leg will be fine after some rest. Why did you all get me a wheelchair too?" Xu Nianhua, seeing the wheelchair, couldn’t help but feel a headache coming on. Her leg wasn’t beyond healing; why was everyone getting her a wheelchair?
Her second brother did just that, and so did Brother Cheng and Yining.
"You will still need to move around while recovering, and the wheelchair will be useful for that," Pei Yining explained. "Of course, we hope your leg heals quickly, but you can’t rush it. It’s okay, you can alternate between two wheelchairs."
"No, that won’t do, Yining. Please return yours," Xu Nianhua urged. "Since it hasn’t been used yet, it can definitely be returned. One wheelchair is enough; why would we need two?"
Pei Yicheng’s eyes fell on the one Xu Nian’an had bought, and he suggested, "How about we one?"
"That’s a good idea," Pei Yining immediately agreed. "The one my brother bought is specially made, it’s still..."
Xu Nian’an interrupted Pei Yining, looked towards Pei Yicheng, and said with a smile, "Brother Cheng, since the wheelchair is so specially made, it’s best to return it quickly. It’s quite a sum of money; let’s not waste it."
In the end, Pei Yicheng didn’t win against Xu Nian’an—it wasn’t that he couldn’t, but that he was concerned it would make Xu Nianhua uncomfortable.
After all, the intention behind giving the wheelchair was to help with moving around and getting some fresh air during recovery. If the gift of the wheelchair ended up making Xu Nianhua unhappy, it would defeat the purpose of the gesture.
On Wednesday, it was time to change the dressing on Xu Nianhua’s head, and this gave Xu Nian’an, Pei Yicheng, and Pei Yining a direct view of the wound on Xu Nianhua’s head.
A few days later, the wound still looked shocking.
Pei Yining clutched her older brother’s hand, thinking how painful such a deep wound must be. No wonder she had lost so much blood that day.
Pei Yining’s heart clenched, and she couldn’t help feeling a numbness on her scalp, repeatedly reminding the doctor to "be gentle."
On the other hand, it was Xu Nianhua who was getting her wound dressed and she didn’t cry out in pain, instead comforting, "It doesn’t hurt, the doctor is being very gentle."
There was even a faint smile on her lips, as if she wasn’t the one injured.
Xu Nian’an didn’t speak, only silently holding Xu Nianhua’s hand, giving her strength without words.
Pei Yicheng’s gaze remained on the smile at the corner of Xu Nianhua’s mouth, which unexpectedly made him think of last summer, when she seemed to fall from the sky, seemingly unfazed by her injuries, as though she felt no pain, her resilience catching his eye in an instant.
"Nianhua, if it hurts, just say so. There’s no shame in that," Pei Yining felt that Xu Nianhua’s words were meant to comfort a three-year-old. With such a frightening-looking wound, how could it possibly not hurt?
She herself would cry out over a minor cut on her finger.
"It really doesn’t hurt," Xu Nianhua said lightly, still consoling Pei Yining as she changed the subject. "Yining, you haven’t been to school for two days? Is that okay? Oh, my dorm mates, they don’t know I haven’t been back for two days, do they wonder about me?"
That’s when Xu Nianhua belatedly remembered this concern.
"I’ve asked for a leave on your behalf," Pei Yining immediately reassured her. "My classes are pretty simple, and I know them already. The people in your dorm are unaware that something happened to you; they only know you’ve taken leave."
Xu Nianhua breathed a sigh of relief.
At noon, when Xu Nianhua saw those five familiar faces at the door, she was taken aback. Wasn’t it agreed that they wouldn’t be told?