Chapter 240 Pulling Threads, Suffering in Silence
<Previous Chapter<Table of Contents>Next Chapter>
The words “there’s blood” made Jiang Fuyue’s pupils shrink.
Hu Ben: “…but not much, so there shouldn’t be any life-threatening danger.”
“What did the neighbors say?”
Little Six: “The residents of the three floors upstairs and downstairs didn’t hear any unusual sounds. In the evening, they even saw your mother come home to cook.”
That’s right, the timing matches.
Last night, Little Brother Jiang inadvertently mentioned on the phone that Han Yunru returned home to cook, and even made his favorite sweet and sour ribs.
Hu Ben: “I also asked my mom. She said everything was normal yesterday, normal opening and closing of the shop, nothing unusual.”
Hu Ben’s mother was introduced to the shop by Jiang Fuyue half a month ago. After a week of trial, Han Yunru was very satisfied and decided to keep her.
So now there are three people in the shop, and it’s because of this that Han Yunru could find time to leave and come home in the evening.
From the current point of view, until she finished her call with Little Brother Jiang, there were no problems at home.
At this moment, Jiang Fuyue’s phone rang—
She answered.
Niu Rui: “As you said before, I’ve checked all the surveillance cameras near that unit building.”
“How is it?”
“Because it’s an old building, there are no cameras installed inside. There are none on the entire street. There’s only a bus stop at the intersection of the alley and the road, and there’s a traffic violation camera at the traffic light opposite.”
Jiang Fuyue frowned: “Get to the point.”
“It’s coming up. The traffic violation camera captured a photo at 2 a.m. A couple rushed out of the alley with their child in a hurry. I’ve sent the photo to your phone.”
Jiang Fuyue took out her phone and opened the latest WeChat message.
After a few seconds of buffering, the picture appeared, and she clicked “view original image.”
Although the shooting distance was far and the picture was blurry, Jiang Fuyue still recognized Jiang Da and Han Yunru at a glance.
The man was carrying Little Brother Jiang on his back, striding forward; the woman was running after him, putting clothes on the child.
The traffic light was still red, but the couple had already rushed into the middle of the road, showing how urgent the situation was at the time.
Jiang Fuyue suppressed the emotions surging in her eyes and picked up her phone again to put it to her ear: “Which direction did they go?”
“The camera only captured this one photo, and the direction…” Niu Rui hesitated, “is currently unknown.”
“What about other surveillance cameras nearby?!” Jiang Fuyue’s tone suddenly rose, “Is there only one camera on the entire road?!”
Niu Rui’s scalp tingled, and a chilling sensation climbed up his spine, making him shiver involuntarily.
“…All the other cameras are broken.”
Isn’t it just too coincidental? So many traffic cameras are working fine, but only the ones on this stretch of road are broken.
Niu Rui: “…I checked them one by one, and it’s indeed due to equipment aging and long-term disrepair, not sabotage.”
Jiang Fuyue: “Alright, I got it.”
Niu Rui wanted to explain a few more words, but she hung up directly.
The call ended, and the car fell into a deathly silence, filled with suffocating oppression.
Hu Ben and Little Six exchanged a glance.
The former raised his hand to grip the steering wheel, cautiously asking, “Sister Yue, where are we going now?”
“Wait a little longer.”
Wait for what? Hu Ben didn’t know, and didn’t dare to ask.
Little Six was equally puzzled.
About ten minutes later, Jiang Fuyue’s phone rang again.
Hu Ben saw her suddenly bright eyes in the rearview mirror, devoid of warmth but filled with coldness and ruthlessness.
“…Uncle Liu, speak.”
Hu Ben’s eyes flickered slightly. Uncle Liu?
Is it Liu Jinzhong calling?
Little Six perked up his ears.
Ever since they took over the bar, they’ve always had some conflicts with Old Liu…
“…Which hospital? Alright, I got it.” Jiang Fuyue’s gaze suddenly turned cold, her voice like ice, “Tell your people to stay put, I’ll be there soon.”
“Okay.”
After hanging up the phone, Jiang Fuyue looked up at Hu Ben. Despite the lingering coldness in her eyes, she stared at him, making him shiver in his heart.
“Go to Kantai Hospital, the sooner the better.”
“…Understood!” Hu Ben gripped the steering wheel tightly and quickly started the engine.
The car shot out of the airport like an arrow, leaving a trail of dust behind.
…
Kantai Hospital, third-floor ward.
“Ah Ru, you should rest for a while. I’ll take over.” Jiang Da walked to the bedside, glanced at his son sleeping on the bed, then turned his gaze to his wife, a trace of heartache flashing in his eyes.
Han Yunru shook her head: “I need to watch over him myself.”
“Then… why don’t you eat something?”
“Okay.” Han Yunru took the lean meat porridge he handed her, then suddenly her gaze froze: “What happened to your face?!”
Jiang Da quickly turned away: “It’s nothing… I just bumped into something outside.”
“Why don’t you look at me and say it again?” Han Yunru pursed her lips.
“Ah Ru…” Seeing her angry, Jiang Da suddenly felt at a loss.
“How about repeating what you just said? How did you get hurt?” Han Yunru insisted.
“That… Ah Ru…” Seeing her angry, the man suddenly became awkward.
“Is that agent from that agency still outside? Did he lay hands on you?” Han Yunru put the porridge aside and suddenly stood up, ready to go out, “I’ll go talk to him!”
“Dear, wait!” Jiang Da quickly stopped her. “Don’t be impulsive! It’s just a scrape, nothing serious. Look, I’m perfectly fine.”
He spread his hands and turned in a circle. “Really.”
But Han Yunru was still furious. “That’s not the point! Today it’s just a scrape, but what about next time? If they keep harassing you like this, who knows what they’ll do?”
“It won’t help to go there!” Jiang Da blurted out in frustration.
Han Yunru froze, her back stiffening.
“He won’t listen to reason. You’re a woman, and going there would only make you vulnerable. How can I just stand by and watch you walk into danger?”
Han Yunru felt a deep sense of helplessness. “Then what do we do? There has to be a solution. It’s broad daylight, they wouldn’t dare do anything to me. There’s still the law, we can call the police if we have to!”
Jiang Da pressed her shoulders. “Don’t worry, if anyone’s going, it’s me. You stay here and take care of our son, and make sure to eat some porridge.”
“But…”
“No buts! You said it yourself, they won’t dare do anything in broad daylight. I’m a man, it’s easier for me to deal with them.”
With that, he opened the door and left the room in large strides.
Han Yunru, pushing her worry aside, sat back down by the bed and tucked in their son’s blanket. She decided to get her phone, just in case she needed to call the police.
However, she realized she had left it at home in the rush the night before.
….
Outside the hospital room, in the corridor.
Jiang Da stood facing another man.
Jiang Da’s expression was furious, his eyes red-rimmed, while the other man looked arrogant and aggressive.
“…Let me tell you, if Jiang Chengxing doesn’t go live tonight, your family will have to pay up!”
“That’s not a small amount. Even if you sold pancakes your whole life, you wouldn’t make enough! Be sensible and bring Jiang Chengxing out now to prepare for the stream.”
Jiang Da’s teeth clenched so hard they made a grinding noise. “Do you have any conscience? Who caused my son’s current state? You know very well! Instead of showing any concern, you want to force him to continue streaming. You… you…”
Jiang Da trembled with rage, his fists clenched. “You are simply too much!”
The man, thinking Jiang Da was about to hit him, took a step back, eyes wary.
“Kids sometimes overeat and get diarrhea, what’s the big deal?”
“Diarrhea?!” Jiang Da laughed bitterly through his anger. “Diarrhea that requires stomach pumping in the middle of the night?! The doctor said it was food poisoning! You fed my son meat that had expired for half a year, do you realize this could have killed him?!”
The man’s face briefly showed guilt but quickly turned vicious. “Stop spouting nonsense! There was no expired meat, only the best! The viewers in the live stream saw it clearly.”
“Now that Jiang Chengxing has food poisoning, you blame it on us? Where’s your evidence? How do we know he didn’t eat something unclean on his own?”
“That’s bullsh*t! That meat was rotten, and you forced a teenager to eat it. Aren’t you afraid of retribution?!”
The tall man shouted, his roar like that of a trapped beast, tears rolling down his red eyes.
Jiang Da couldn’t forget the scene he saw past midnight when he heard noises and opened the door to the next room—
Little Chengxing was curled up on the cold floor, clutching his stomach, drenched in sweat as if he had just been pulled out of water.
Groaning and crying in pain, he looked like a dying kitten, seemingly about to breathe his last.
Yet, meeting his anxious gaze, he still tried to comfort him through broken sobs, “Dad… it only hurts a little bit. Don’t worry, okay?”
Jiang Da: “Alright, Dad’s not worried. Let Dad take a look, is it your stomach?”
“Yes.” Little Chengxing nodded, moving his hand from his stomach, his body twitching in pain but holding still for Jiang Da to check.
By then, Han Yunru had also run over, forgetting to put on her slippers in her panic.
“Mom…” His weak voice was filled with dependence.
Han Yunru was already in tears, pushing Jiang Da’s shoulder. “What are you doing? Are you a doctor? Take him to the hospital!”
Jiang Da, snapped out of his daze, picked up Chengxing. “Right, the hospital! Now!”
Little Chengxing, leaning against his father, protested, “I don’t want to go to the hospital… Mom, what time is it? I need to be at the airport by six, my flight is at 8:20, and I’ll see my sister in a few hours…”
“Be good,” Han Yunru stroked his pale face, her hand shaking and her whole body cold, but her voice was still gentle. “We’ll get some medicine first. There are still five hours until six. Once your stomach feels better, we’ll take you to the airport, okay?”
After thinking for a moment, Chengxing nodded. “Okay.”
He didn’t want his sister to see him like this. What if it scared her?
His mother was already crying; his sister would cry too.
Han Yunru quickly dressed him, grabbed a coat, and helped Jiang Da carry the child on his back.
“Mom…” By then, Chengxing was already fading in and out of consciousness, mumbling, “Mom…”
Han Yunru, crying and holding his hand, replied, “I’m here, we’re almost at the hospital, it won’t hurt soon…”
“Mom…”
“Yes, I’m here.”
“Mom, it hurts a lot… not a little… a lot…”
Han Yunru couldn’t hold back her sobs any longer.
Jiang Da: “Grab some money, let’s go!”
“Alright!”
“Mom…”
“Here.”
“Mom… wear your shoes… the floor is cold… you’ll catch a cold…”
Han Yunru nodded repeatedly, tears streaming down her face. “Okay, Mom will wear her shoes, right now!”
Suddenly, Chengxing started convulsing.
He then vomited a large mouthful of blood, splattering some on the sheets and the rest on the wall.
Han Yunru screamed.
Jiang Da quickly carried him out the door.
The couple ran frantically and finally reached the nearest Kangtai Hospital by 2:20 a.m.
The doctor immediately arranged for stomach pumping. It wasn’t until 6 a.m. that they moved him to a ward, where he slept until now.
The doctor said it was severe food poisoning from eating expired meat.
The child had endured the pain for a long time. If they had been half an hour later, his life would have been in danger.
Han Yunru remembered noticing his pale face before bed; he must have been in pain even then.
But then she saw him hiding under the covers, talking excitedly to his sister on the phone, his laughter echoing through the living room, and she didn’t think much of it.
She had no idea…
That silly child, enduring such pain, how did he hold on until after midnight?
Want to show your support? Go donate at Paypal or Ko-fi to show your appreciation! :)
<Previous Chapter<Table of Contents>Next Chapter>
