“Please don’t try to move too quickly or you might hurt you lower backbone again.”
Su Qingsang held the woman down to prevent any unnecessary movement.
Xiang Caiping stayed still and fixed her eyes on Su Qingsang. It was as if she could not take her eyes off her.
Su Qingsang looked over Xiang Caiping’s condition and did not find any bone fracture or any other serious injuries. She reckoned it was only a sprain.
She was still skeptical of the intention of this elderly woman and suspicious of her being a scammer. The elderly woman was not causing a scene or asking for money, however, so Su Qingsang was not sure of her thoughts.
The ambulance arrived in a jiffy. Su Qingsang helped the doctor place Xiang Caiping in the vehicle. At the same time, she informed the doctor of the results of the preliminary examinations she had done on Xiang Caiping.
The doctor nodded in acknowledgment. At first, Su Qingsang and Huo Jinyao wanted to continue on their way but, after some thought, they decided to follow the ambulance to the hospital.
After entering the hospital, Huo Jinyao, still wary of the possibility of the elderly woman being a scammer, decided to tell the medical personnel to do a thorough examination on Xiang Caiping.
Xiang Caiping did not have any major injuries. She only suffered minor scrapes on her palms and a sprained lower back. The rest of her body did not have any other injuries.
Huo Jinyao realized that the elderly woman never asked for any compensation from him regarding the incident, so he finally dropped the notion that she was a scammer.
“Aunty, you did not sustain any major injuries. We have already paid for your hospital stay. You’ll just have to stay for a few days for further observation.”
Upon hearing Su Qingsang’s words, she immediately started to panic. “You…you are not here to take care of me?”
This person really is a scammer. Su Qingsang and Huo Jinyao looked at each other in dismay, their eyes reflecting the same feelings towards the elderly woman.
“Aunty, your injuries are not serious. If you want someone to take care of you, I can engage a caretaker for you.”
“I…I want you to take care of me.” Xiang Caiping held onto Su Qingsang’s hand with a sense of urgency in her voice.
“I’m afraid that is not possible.” Su Qingsang was being put in a spot. “Aunty, I’m not from Rong City. I’m leaving the city tomorrow; I’m sorry that I can’t stay. Rest assured that I will definitely hire a good caretaker for you.”
“You…you’re going to leave?”
Xiang Caiping was momentarily dazed. She had seen the news and knew that Su Qingsang was from Lin City. She did not need the news to tell her that Su Qingsang was not a local. She had not revealed anything to Su Qingsang yet, though, and now Su Qingsang was going to leave.
“Yes, Aunty.” Su Qingsang’s bedside manner was fairly good. She was a doctor after all. “As I’ve said, you can rest assured that I will have someone to take care of you until you have fully recovered.”
“I…you…but…”
Xiang Caiping also did not know what else she could say in this situation. She could not seem to utter anything but, at the same time, she felt that she had much to say.
Huo Jinyao furrowed his brow. He had seen too many of such people – the kind who tried to evoke pity and sympathy from others, then eventually tried to commit daylight robbery by demanding a huge sum of compensation.
“Qingsang.” Huo Jinyao pulled Su Qingsang towards him and obstructed Xiang Caiping’s view of her. He fixed his eyes on Xiang Caiping, who was lying on the hospital bed with an unreadable expression on her face.
“Greetings, Aunty. I was the one driving the car. If you’re looking for her to make compensation, you’ve picked the wrong person.”
Xiang Caiping moved her lips with the intention to respond and Huo Jinyao continued speaking. “She is my wife. If you have any requests, just let me know. As for her taking care of you, I’m sorry to say that it would put my wife at an inconvenience. I can hire someone to take care of you instead.”
After a long time, Xiang Caiping laid her eyes on Huo Jinyao for the first time.
She stared at him before shifting her line of vision to Su Qingsang. It came as a surprise that Su Qingsang was actually married. She is twenty-five this year. It’s normal to be married at that age.
She started feeling disconcerted again. She had missed Su Qingsang’s childhood and, moreover, she had missed her wedding. She even did not get to witness what Su Qingsang looked like as a bride.