Chapter 89: Are You Free Tomorrow?

Yao Jia dashed out of the house, her rubber shoes sinking into the muddy ground as she hurried toward the source of the commotion.

Fortunately, the rain had stopped for a while. Despite her frantic pace, she managed not to fall.

When she reached the outside of Huang Dahuang’s house, she saw a crowd gathered in the yard, and the sound of a farm vehicle starting up not far away.

She rushed into the yard and was stunned by what she saw.

The child, who had been lively just moments ago, was now lying in the yard. His mother was holding his upper body, crying helplessly and asking what to do. Two villagers were crouched on the ground, helping each other tie a rope around the child’s leg.

The ground was stained with his blood, and a metal shovel lay nearby.

“What happened?” Yao Jia asked in shock and urgency, turning to the villager beside her.

The villager explained, “It was slippery because of the rain. The kid was playing in the yard, slipped, and somehow hit the shovel lying there. It cut his leg open! His dad went to get the tricycle to take him to the hospital to stop the bleeding!”

Yao Jia’s heart skipped a beat. A metal shovel.

Meng Xingzhe pushed through the crowd and hurried over. As soon as he saw Huang Dahuang, his expression changed.

“This rope won’t work, it’s too slippery and won’t hold!” he told the villagers tying the rope around the child’s leg.

He immediately turned to the crowd and shouted, “Someone, give me a belt!”

Everyone was momentarily stunned.

“A belt!” Meng Xingzhe repeated loudly.

In that moment, his presence was commanding, and many villagers quickly began unbuckling their belts.

Meng Xingzhe took the first belt handed to him and tied it tightly above the wound on Huang Dahuang’s thigh.

Yao Jia approached and asked, “Is it an arterial injury?”

Meng Xingzhe nodded, “We need to get him to the hospital immediately.”

Yao Jia quickly said, “Let’s take him to the hospital. Their farm vehicle is too slow!”

Meng Xingzhe nodded.

Yao Jia hurriedly told Huang Dahuang’s distraught mother, “Carry him and come with us. Our car is faster!”

The mother quickly picked up her child and followed Yao Jia and Meng Xingzhe, running madly toward the SUV parked outside the village. As they passed the tricycle, Yao Jia also called for Huang Dahuang’s father to join them.

The Village Head called several people to follow, saying, “Let’s go with them to the hospital. In case they need help, we’ll be there.”

Seven or eight people climbed into the back of the Village Head’s farm vehicle.

Meng Xingzhe drove according to Huang Dahuang’s father’s directions, heading to the nearest hospital.

The doctors and nurses immediately began emergency treatment on the child.

But soon, a doctor emerged from the operating room with bad news: “The child’s major artery is ruptured, and he’s lost a lot of blood. He needs a transfusion. He’s O-type, but the blood bank is low on O-type blood…”

As soon as the doctor finished speaking, the child’s father pointed to himself, and the mother pointed to the father, both saying, “Take mine/his, take mine/his! I’m/he’s O-type!”

But the doctor directly told them, “Blood cannot be taken from direct relatives.”

Huang Dahuang’s mother began to cry, asking what they could do.

The father quickly called the Village Head, asking when they would arrive, how many people were coming, and if any were O-type…

Yao Jia stepped forward and told the doctor, “I’m O-type, take mine first!”

Meng Xingzhe immediately objected, “No way!”

Yao Jia asked why not.

Meng Xingzhe pulled her aside and began to reason with her.

“You’re already thin, haven’t eaten all day, and you’ve been running around for research. You’re at your limit, do you understand? How can you think you can handle this? I know you’re kind and want to help, but you need to take care of yourself first.”

Yao Jia quickly replied, “I’m fine. I’m thin but healthy! And saving a life is urgent.”

Meng Xingzhe argued, “Even if you’re usually healthy, in your current state—hungry and exhausted—do you really think it’s okay to give blood?” He paused, his voice stern and severe, “I believe that even if you want to help others, you must ensure you don’t harm yourself in the process.”

Yao Jia glared at him, “But if everyone calculated their own costs before helping, there’d be no such thing as lending a hand in times of need!”

Meng Xingzhe’s expression changed, his gaze sharp, “Very few people are willing to lend a hand in times of need!” He calmed himself and advised Yao Jia, “You can help when you want, but it shouldn’t require sacrificing your health!”

“What if I donate blood and I’m fine?” Yao Jia challenged.

Meng Xingzhe looked down at her, “You won’t be fine! Your current condition can’t handle blood donation!”

Yao Jia took a deep breath. She didn’t want to waste time arguing, “Forget it, I don’t want to debate this with you now. The priority is to get blood for Huang Dahuang!”

She turned to leave, but Meng Xingzhe grabbed her again.

“Listen, Yao Xiaojia,” he spoke quickly, “I know you love helping people, and I’m trying to learn from you. But we’ve already done what we can by stopping the bleeding and getting him to the hospital.”

He paused, his expression serious, his brow furrowed, “The people in the other vehicle will be here soon, and Huang Dahuang’s father has confirmed there are O-type donors among them. We don’t need you to risk yourself. Are you a martyr? What if you collapse from donating blood? Have you seen your own face?”

Hearing the word “martyr,” Yao Jia was instantly angered.

She told Meng Xingzhe, “The word ‘martyr’ has been ruined by people like you who think they can objectively judge others’ morals! You think I’m a martyr? At least I’m willing to donate blood. You don’t help, nor let others help, yet you judge those who want to help as martyrs?”

Meng Xingzhe’s brow furrowed tightly.

Yao Jia, infuriated, laughed bitterly, “Fine, I want to be a martyr! Is that okay?”

Amid their low-voiced argument, the Village Head arrived with the others. Fortunately, four of them were O-type. Yao Jia asked the doctor if four were enough, and if not, she could donate too.

The doctor glanced at her and quickly said, “You’re too thin, we won’t need you for now. If we do, we’ll call you.”

With that, the doctor led the four people away swiftly.

Yao Jia couldn’t quite describe how she felt—an empty sense of defeat.

It seemed that without donating blood, she had inadvertently proven Meng Xingzhe’s point—you see, saving lives doesn’t require you to rush to the front line selflessly.

She suddenly realized her sense of failure stemmed from her values being defeated without a fight, while Meng Xingzhe’s values prevailed without resistance.

After a long surgery, little Huang Dahuang was finally out of danger. Huang Dahuang’s parents and the villagers, including the Village Head, repeatedly thanked Yao Jia and Meng Xingzhe for their help in stopping the bleeding and getting the child to the hospital quickly, saving his life.

Yao Jia couldn’t quite articulate her feelings.

Once assured that Huang Dahuang was safe, Meng Xingzhe drove Yao Jia back to the city.

Throughout the journey, Yao Jia gazed out the window. Meng Xingzhe didn’t speak either, leaving the car in a cold silence.

By the time they reached Yao Jia’s villa, it was late at night, and the city was asleep.

As Yao Jia was about to open the car door, Meng Xingzhe stopped her.

“Yao Jia, can we talk?”

Yao Jia paused, sighed, and turned to face Meng Xingzhe, “What do you want to talk about?”

Meng Xingzhe frowned, “I want to know why you’ve been silent the whole way. What’s bothering you?”

Yao Jia looked at him, her voice unusually calm, “Maybe I’m just upset you stopped me from donating blood to Huang Dahuang.”

Her peculiar calmness provoked Meng Xingzhe.

His brow furrowed deeper, and his expression darkened. “I thought we had already discussed this.”

He raised a hand to rub his temples, trying to disperse the frustration within him. He summoned every ounce of patience he had to face Yao Jia.

He thought there was no one else in the world who could make him feel both angry and helpless, yet unable to lose his temper.

Lowering his hand, he looked at Yao Jia and adopted a calm tone. “In the end, you think I’m selfish for not helping, don’t you? Yao Xiaojia, let’s be reasonable. You know what kind of person I used to be. I wouldn’t even spare a glance or lend a hand if someone fell in front of me. But now? Now, because of you, I’ve changed. I’m making an effort to help others!”

As he spoke, his calm demeanor began to crack, and his voice gradually grew louder.

“But before we help others, shouldn’t we first assess our capabilities and ensure our own safety? Is it not possible to do that? Must one sacrifice oneself to save others to be considered noble and great? Is it wrong to help others while safeguarding our own interests?”

Yao Jia’s calm façade also shattered, and she couldn’t help but raise her voice. “Can you stop putting labels on values? No one said sacrificing oneself to save others is about pursuing nobility and greatness. It’s about saving lives!”

She took a breath and asked Meng Xingzhe, “When firefighters run into a burning building, do they think about saving themselves first? When they charge into the flames, are they not thinking solely about rescuing people? Are they doing it to pursue nobility and greatness? No, they just want to save lives!”

Yao Jia saw Meng Xingzhe open his mouth, but he said nothing.

She looked into his eyes, calmed herself, and then asked him, “Do you know how Huang Dahuang injured his leg? He fell onto a shovel and cut his leg. But that shovel wasn’t originally in the yard; it was placed by the wall. Do you remember how it ended up in the yard?”

She softly asked Meng Xingzhe and then gently told him, “The child moved the shovel to chase away a dog for you. But after chasing the dog away, none of us thought to put the shovel back.”

Yao Jia noticed a flicker of something in Meng Xingzhe’s eyes.

Upon closer inspection, it seemed to be guilt.

After returning from the countryside, Yao Jia and Meng Xingzhe didn’t see each other for several days.

Yao Jia was busy discreetly arranging for someone to handle the refurbishment issue in the countryside. She didn’t have time to seek out Meng Xingzhe.

To her surprise, Meng Xingzhe hadn’t reached out to her during these days either.

It seemed they had unknowingly continued the silent standoff from the car that day, maintaining a calm and gentle distance.

In her busy moments, Yao Jia couldn’t help but wonder why Meng Xingzhe hadn’t contacted her. What was he thinking? What emotions was he experiencing during this “cold war”? How long did he intend to keep this up?

She often thought about dialing Meng Xingzhe’s number. But each time she was about to press the last digit, it was as if she were frozen in place, unable to move her finger.

She realized that they hadn’t even officially established a romantic relationship, yet here they were, inexplicably embroiled in a cold war.

On Friday after work, Yao Jia decided, enough was enough. This time, she would let Meng Xingzhe be the “little princess,” and she would take the initiative. She resolved to call Meng Xingzhe once she got home.

However, before she reached home, she received a call from Meng Yutang.

Meng Yutang’s voice was cheerful over the phone. “Xiao Yaojia, tomorrow’s the weekend. Are you free? Would you like to visit Uncle’s retirement home? I can cook something delicious for you, and we can have a little drink and chat?”

Without a second thought, Yao Jia immediately agreed.