Aunt Hua changed her clothes, ran out of the house carrying a small cloth bag, locked the door and went to the village entrance to take a bus. As soon as she left the yard, she saw a car parked in front of her house.
The passenger door opened and Xia Zhi got out of the car.
"Aunt Hua, we'll take you there. Get in the car."
"Ah... OK, OK." As the situation was urgent, Aunt Hua did not refuse and got into the back seat.
Sang Luo and Jiang Zhixia were also in the car, as well as the photographer and director. Jiang Zhixia was driving.
Aunt Hua sat next to Sang Luo. Sang Luo fastened her seat belt and comforted her, "Aunt Hua, don't worry, Uncle Hua will be fine. Tian Li Yun'an and Xiao Han will also help."
"Yeah." Aunt Hua was still uneasy.
In fact, everyone understands that no amount of comfort will be of any use before seeing Uncle Hua. The only thing we can do is to rush to the hospital as soon as possible.
Jiang Zhixia drove the car as fast as possible while ensuring safety. The journey that usually takes more than half an hour took them only 20 minutes.
After entering the hospital, everyone went straight to the emergency department.
Standing at the gate, Aunt Hua tightly grasped the small cloth bag in front of her with both hands. She was extremely anxious before coming here, but now she hesitated and dared not go in.
Xia Zhi had been watching her silently. He said nothing, but just gently held Aunt Hua's hand and said softly, "Aunt Hua, it's okay. Let's go in."
Aunt Hua looked up at him, her eyes seemed redder than before, but she seemed no longer afraid. She held Xia Zhi's hand tightly and let him be taken in.
Uncle Hua fainted at the construction site and was immediately sent to the hospital by several co-workers. However, as the construction site had been busy recently, everyone couldn't leave for too long, so after sending Uncle Hua to the hospital, everyone went back, leaving only a young man to wait for Aunt Hua.
As soon as Aunt Hua and the others arrived, the young man explained Uncle Hua's situation to everyone and left quickly as if there were thorns on his feet.
Fortunately, it was just a false alarm. The doctor said that Uncle Hua fainted suddenly because of long-term malnutrition and lack of sleep during this period, which caused him to faint due to exhaustion.
The doctor prescribed nutrient solution for him and he is now receiving an IV drip in the observation area. He will probably wake up by night.
Everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief and decided to stay with Aunt Hua and wait until Uncle Hua woke up before leaving.
Around seven o'clock in the evening, Uncle Hua finally woke up. He was still very weak and spoke weakly.
When Aunt Hua saw him like this, she couldn't help but started crying again.
Uncle Hua raised his hand with great effort and wiped away the tears from her eyes: "What's there to cry about? You're not dead yet."
"Pooh, pooh, pooh! What nonsense are you talking about!" Aunt Hua was so angry that she slapped his hand away, but tears kept falling down her face. She covered her face and sobbed, "If something happens to you, what will I do, wuwuwu."
"Okay, okay, stop crying. I'm fine." Uncle Hua looked at the three people standing at the end of the bed, trying to divert Aunt Hua's attention. "Is this the young man you mentioned who came to our village to film a TV show?"
"Yes, there are two who stayed in the village to help us harvest the grain. They didn't come with us." Aunt Hua's attention was indeed diverted, and a smile appeared on her face. "They are all a group of kind-hearted children. They were the ones who sent me to the hospital."
"I see." Uncle Hua forced a weak smile and thanked the three people. "Thank you so much."
Sang Luo smiled and waved his hand: "Uncle Hua, you're welcome. Aunt Hua also takes good care of us and often brings us food. We are also very happy to help you."
Uncle Hua said, "You guys have worked so hard today. You must be tired after a whole day. Go back and have a rest. Your Aunt Hua is all that's needed here."
Aunt Hua was reminded by her husband that she had troubled them all day, and she also urged them: "Yes, Xiaoxia, Xiaojiang, Xiaosang, you should go back to the village. Your uncle has woken up now, and I am enough here. Go back and rest after a tiring day."
They really couldn't help much here, so they decided to go back to the village and come to see them tomorrow morning.
As soon as he got in the car, Sang Luo couldn't help but let out a long sigh, and said thankfully: "Fortunately it was a false alarm."
Xia Zhi also nodded in agreement. Thinking of Aunt Hua's anxious but fearful expression before entering the hospital, she felt a little uncomfortable.
Aunt Hua has lost three children, and now Uncle Hua is her only support. If something happens to Uncle Hua, I don’t know if Aunt Hua can hold on.
He subconsciously glanced at Jiang Zhixia standing beside him.
He noticed early in the morning that Jiang Zhixia seemed unusually silent today and hardly spoke in the hospital. Xia Zhi initially thought that he was worried that he would be recognized by the crowds in the hospital and tried not to speak, but later he found that this was not the case - although Jiang Zhixia was silent, his expression was very solemn, and his frown had not relaxed since he met Uncle Hua.
Jiang Zhixia's series of unusual behaviors made Xia Zhi a little concerned, but since there were other people in the car besides them, he resisted asking.
It was already nine o'clock in the evening when they returned to Jingwu Village. Aunt Niu and Aunt Qingxiang were still waiting in the B&B because they were worried about Uncle Hua's condition. After the three of them came back, they told them about Uncle Hua's condition, and the two sisters finally felt relieved and left the B&B hand in hand.
Everyone was tired after a day of hard work and prepared to rest early.
Xia Zhi was in no hurry to sleep, so she stayed on the first floor to handle work, which lasted until 11 o'clock. After taking a shower on the first floor, she was about to go upstairs to sleep, but when she passed the terrace, she found that Jiang Zhixia was still awake, and was now lying on the railing to watch the night view.
Xia Zhi walked over lightly and was about to ask him why he hadn't slept yet, but he found that he was surrounded by smoke and had a faint smell of tobacco.
Jiang Zhixia seemed to be in a trance and did not notice the subtle footsteps behind him.
He hunched over with his hands folded on the railing, a half-burned cigarette was pinched between the index and middle fingers of his right hand, the scarlet flame flickering in the night.
Xia Zhi quietly walked to his side, his eyes swept over the cigarette at his fingertips, his expression as usual.
"What are you thinking about?" He asked softly, breaking the silence.
Jiang Zhixia suddenly came back to his senses, and his first reaction was to hide his right hand behind his back, and calmly explained: "I didn't think about anything, I couldn't sleep so I came out to relax."
Xia Zhi wanted to laugh: "Don't hide it, I saw it all."
Jiang Zhixia slowly pulled his hand out, looking a little embarrassed, and crushed the remaining cigarette and threw it into the trash can, explaining, "I don't usually smoke. I only smoke a little when I'm in a bad mood."
Xia Zhi asked: "Then why are you in a bad mood today?"
"… "
"Are you worried about Uncle Hua?"
"… Um."
Jiang Zhixia leaned over the railing, clasping her hands together gently: "Have you ever noticed Uncle Hua's expression?"
"It seems that his face is a little yellow, and he has dark circles under his eyes. He looks a little thinner." Xia Zhi paused and said uncertainly, "It should be caused by malnutrition and lack of sufficient rest time."
Jiang Zhixia did not answer, but remained silent with his head down. After a moment, he opened his lips, his voice a little dry.
"My mother has liver cancer."
Xia Zhi was stunned: "So she is now..."
"The condition has been brought under control after timely treatment."
"That's good." Xia Zhi asked, "Are you worried that Uncle Hua also has... cancer?"
"I'm not sure. I'm not a doctor, so I don't dare to make a random diagnosis," Jiang Zhixia was a little irritated. As usual, she reached into her pocket to take out a cigarette, but suddenly stopped and clasped her hands again. "But my mother was like this at the time. She looked pale and suddenly lost a lot of weight. She went to the hospital for a check-up. The doctor said there was something wrong with her liver after just one look. Later, it was found to be liver cancer."
Xia Zhi was a little worried: "If Uncle Hua really has this problem, the doctor should have noticed it."
"should."
"Let's see what the doctor says tomorrow." Xia Zhi said hesitantly, "It may not necessarily be cancer. Even if it is cancer, it doesn't mean it can't be treated."
"Um."
"I hope we are just worrying too much." Xia Zhi gently touched his arm, "Go inside and go to bed. It's late."
"You go to sleep first." Jiang Zhixia reached into his pocket, "I want to stay a little longer."
"Then I'll go in, and you should go to bed early. Good night."
"Good night."
Xia Zhi took a few steps, then suddenly stopped and turned around: "It's better to smoke less. It's not good for your health."
Jiang Zhixia paused as he reached for the cigarette, then slowly turned around and asked softly, "Don't you like it?"
"Of course I don't like things that are harmful to the body." Xia Zhi explained, "But I know your industry is stressful, and nicotine can help you relieve stress, so I can understand that. But cigarettes are always bad for your health, so you should smoke less if you can."
Jiang Zhixia said nothing, walked straight to him, took his hand, took out the lighter and cigarette case from his pocket and put them in his palm, and said to him solemnly: "I will never smoke again."
Xia Zhi stared blankly at the cigarette in his hand: "I'm not stopping you from smoking, I'm just asking you to control the amount."
"You don't like it." Jiang Zhixia lowered her eyes and looked into his eyes gently and sincerely, "I will never do anything you don't like in the future."
Xia Zhi's heart seemed to skip a beat, and he had to admit that he was touched by these words. But after the heartbeat, he was followed by endless melancholy and loss.
He lowered his head and murmured, "I've never seen you so aware before."
In an instant, all the hope on Jiang Zhixia's face disappeared, replaced by sadness. He felt that he should say something to defend himself. He had prepared those words in his mind countless times, but when the moment came, he couldn't say a word. The only thing left was the most pale and powerless sentence - "I'm sorry."
"I've already told you not to apologize to me anymore." Xia Zhi played with Jiang Zhixia's lighter and sat down on the chair. "These past few days I've been thinking about what I would do if it were me."
Jiang Zhixia stood in front of him, without interrupting, and listened to him quietly.
"I think if I was faced with the choice, I would probably choose to accept Gu Ying's help instead of asking my teammates for help."
At that time, they were all college students who had not graduated. Although they were lucky enough to enter the entertainment industry and become idol artists, they were actually just like office workers. Because the group was not famous and did not receive any announcement fees, they could only get a meager salary every month and did not have much savings. Although most of their families were relatively well-off, if teammates were in urgent need of money, each of them could ask their families for some money to make up the difference. But at that time, among all the difficulties facing Jiang Zhixia, money was probably the least important.
It is easy to borrow money but difficult to repay it.
With his mother sick and his father injured, Jiang Zhixia became the mainstay of the family overnight. He had to consider not only the present but also the future of the whole family. Because of his father's accident, he had to bear the burden of supporting the family in advance, but how could he support a family with his meager salary at Chuanxing
The reason why Gu Ying's timing of appearance is good is that Gu Ying's appearance not only helps Jiang Zhixia solve his current difficulties, but also gives him a chance to change his own destiny.
Xia Zhi sometimes wondered, if Jiang Zhixia had chosen to tell him the truth, what would their fate be now
Maybe Jiang Zhixia will choose to stay in the group and accept the help of teammates to solve the crisis at home. And I may not be discouraged and decide to quit the circle, but continue to stay in Chuanxing with Jiang Zhixia and continue to be an unknown little artist.
It is also possible that they will quit the entertainment industry together, give up further studies after completing their studies to help Jiang Zhixia pay off her debts, find a job in a company, and become one of the tens of millions of workers. Then the two of them will work hard all their lives just to have a home of their own in the city.
This may also be a kind of ordinary happiness.
But fate is so magical that it gave them completely different lives. Although they missed each other, they also became better people because of a blessing in disguise. That's why he said that day that they are fine now.
It was really good. Jiang Zhixia no longer had to worry about money, and they both had the best life experiences.
Xia Zhi told Jiang Zhixia his true inner thoughts, which was actually a disguised hint that he did not want to consider reconciliation for the time being.
"What about the future?" Jiang Zhixia took a step forward and lowered her head to look at him. Her eyes were as bright as the stars in the sky in the night. He leaned forward slightly and asked in a low voice: "Do you still have me in your heart?"
"Of course there is." With the help of the light from the corridor, Xia Zhi saw the joy gradually emerging in those beautiful eyes. He clenched his fists and said calmly, "No matter what, you and I are teammates. The friendship we fought together for a few years is still there. You will always be my friend."
The joy in his eyes dimmed quietly again.
"Are we really just friends?"
Jiang Zhixia murmured, took another step forward, inserted his left leg between Xia Zhi's legs, suddenly reached out and gently held his face, lowered his head and kissed him on the lips.
"Can I still feel it when I kiss you now?"
(End of this chapter)