Principal Chen patted Xia Jinyuan’s shoulder heavily. “Good, good, good. A man must keep his promises. Uncle Gen and I believe in you! We believe that you will take good care of Ye Jian.”
Commander-in-Chief Xia knew about it and acknowledged it personally. Commander Liu and Commissar Yan, who were worried at first, felt relieved.
They all believed in Xia Jinyuan and believed that he would take care of Ye Jian for the rest of her life.
An Jiaxin immediately turned around and ran back to the doctor’s office when a few people came out. When she saw that they didn’t seem to be entering the ward anytime soon, she gritted her teeth, tiptoed, and pressed against the wall. She wanted to shift into the ward and talk to Ye Jian.
She thought that she was not discovered so she secretly heaved a sigh of relief and patted her chest when she got into the ward.
She turned her head and saw Ye Jian holding Uncle Gen’s skinny hands tightly. Her back was filled with sorrow. She quietly looked at the old man who was breathing weakly. An Jiaxin felt her heart aching terribly. She walked over and called him softly, “Little Jian.”
Outside, Xia Jinyuan retracted his gaze that was on the ward and explained, “An Jiaxin, Ye Jian’s best friend. Her mother is Doctor Zhou from the town hospital. It’s so late at night but she didn’t go back. I’m afraid she was waiting for Ye Jian to come.”
“That child is not bad.” Principal Chen knew An Jiaxin. He saw her bending over and putting her arms around Ye Jian’s shoulders. His gaze was gentle as he said, “She treats people sincerely. She can hang out with Ye Jian.”
It should be said that the girls in Ye Jian’s dormitory were not bad. They called her frequently during the summer vacation. A girl called Li Qian saw that she couldn’t manage to contact Ye Jian and was afraid that something happened to Ye Jian that she asked her parents to drive to Shuikou Village.
It was Ye Jian’s blessing to have her friends around.
At around 1.30 am, An Jiaxin walked out of the ward with red eyes. If Ye Jian didn’t persuade her, she would have stayed with Ye Jian until dawn.
“Jian said that she wants to accompany grandpa until dawn.” After she finished speaking, she dragged her feet and left.
She couldn’t bear to see these farewells.
Xia Jinyuan looked at the time and said in a deep voice, “Uncle Chen, I will accompany Ye Jian here. You can rest with Commander Liu and the political commissar. I’m afraid that you will be busy tomorrow. I will have to trouble you.”
Principal Chen wanted to say something but was stopped by Commissar Yan. “Old Chen, you should rest. Talk to Ye Jian tomorrow morning.”
With Xia Jinyuan’s added persuasion, Principal Chen didn’t insist on staying. Before he left, he reminded Xia Jinyuan repeatedly, “If anything happens, inform me immediately. We will be resting next door.”
Without alerting Ye Jian, the three of them went next door to rest.
Around four o’clock, Uncle Gen opened his eyes unconsciously. There was a layer of mist in the old man’s eyes. It was so gray that no reflection could be seen clearly. He only called out Ye Jian in a daze before closing his eyes slowly.
Holding the old man’s hand tightly, Ye Jian replied in a trembling voice, “I’m back. I’m back to see you, Grandpa. I’m back to see you.”
She looked at Grandpa Gen nervously. Then, she suddenly realized something. She looked at the heart control device and saw that the waves were still moving. Ye Jian raised her hand and bit her wrist. She started crying softly.
Xia Jinyuan called the military doctor over and asked him to examine the patient carefully. Two minutes later, the military doctor sighed. “Be mentally prepared. The old man is in a coma. He might wake up. Or he might… leave in his sleep.”
After the military doctor finished speaking, he lowered his head and looked at the sitting girl. When he saw her, his expression changed drastically. “You’re biting your hand until it’s bleeding! Quickly let go!”
