Chapter 25 Mind Your Tone

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“Keep still, or I’ll drop you on the ground, and you can’t blame me for it!”

Xu Zhixia kept squirming in my arms. After getting them out, I had barely any strength left, so I shouted at her irritably.

She clearly had not expected me to turn on her and froze in fright, no longer daring to move.

I placed her on the back seat. “If you don’t want to end up crippled, stop moving your foot.”

After getting into the car, I glanced at Xu Zhixia in the back and adjusted the rear air-conditioning to blow warm air.

“Xiao Zhu, I’ll drive. You take the passenger seat.”

“Okay, Brother Jiang.”

I continued driving down the mountain. Darkness gradually fell, and we encountered several small landslides along the way, but managed to get around them without incident.

Xiao Zhu had never experienced anything like this before. Sitting in the passenger seat, he was even more nervous than I was, clutching the seat belt across his chest and never once taking his eyes off the road ahead.

I had no idea how long passed. By the time night had fallen and the rain finally stopped, I had safely driven the car down the mountain.

At last, I could breathe a little easier. Only then did I realize that Xu Zhixia had been unusually quiet throughout the journey, without saying a single word.

I glanced at her in the rearview mirror and saw that she had curled herself up, her entire body trembling faintly.

Her head was buried in the crook of her arm, concealing her face. If I listened carefully, I could hear her taking shallow breaths.

After living under the same roof for so many years, I understood Xu Zhixia’s habits and physical condition far better than she understood them herself.

Her period had just begun. The arrogant, triumphant look she had worn during the day had been thanks to painkillers. Now that she had been drenched by the rain and exposed to the wind, her body had grown cold, and her menstrual cramps had clearly returned.

It would take eight or nine hours just to drive back to Tianhai on the highway. After being exhausted all day, I had no energy left to drive through the night.

“Let’s drive to the hospital in town first and have Xu Zhixia’s ankle treated. Then we’ll find a hotel and rest.”

“We definitely won’t make it back to Tianhai tonight. We’ll fill up the tank tomorrow morning and decide what to do then.”

Xiao Zhu nodded and looked toward Xu Zhixia in the back seat. “President Xu, is that all right with you?”

Xu Zhixia was probably in too much pain to speak. She did not even raise her head, merely letting out a muffled, “Mm.”

After nearly an hour of driving, we reached the city and went straight to the nearest People’s Hospital to register for emergency treatment.

Xu Zhixia’s slender, fair ankle was swollen like a risen steamed bun, mottled with blue and purple bruising. Her foot had swollen along with it, making it impossible for her to put her shoe back on.

After examining the X-rays, the doctor said it was a dislocation and that she needed a cast.

“Doctor, could you prescribe her some painkillers first? She’s having menstrual cramps.”

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Xu Zhixia, who was sitting in a chair with one leg raised, suddenly looked up when she heard me.

I frowned. “What are you looking at me for? You went into the mountains wearing high heels and fell like that. You brought it on yourself.”

Xu Zhixia’s eyes widened at once. “Jiang Jian, you—you!”

“What about me? Miss Xu, I suggest you get your situation straight. If it weren’t for me, no one would know whether you’d still be alive right now.”

“Show some respect to the person who saved your life.”

Seeing Xu Zhixia rendered speechless, I felt immensely satisfied.

Didn’t Xu Zhixia look down on me and despise me? Yet when her life was on the line, she still had to rely on me to survive!

We had started down the mountain sometime after five in the afternoon. By the time we left the hospital, it was nearly eleven.

Only when a burning sensation from stomach acid rose through my gut did I remember that I had not eaten all day.

I drove to the most upscale chain hotel in the city, but when we entered the lobby, Xu Zhixia still could not conceal the disdain on her face.

Having somewhere to stay was good enough. Where was I supposed to find a luxury hotel in a small third- or fourth-tier city?

With Xiao Zhu there, I certainly was not foolish enough to pay out of my own pocket for an executive room for Xu Zhixia. I booked only an ordinary standard room for myself.

“Such a cheapskate. You’re staying in a standard room even at a hotel like this.”

After taking the painkillers, Xu Zhixia’s temper rose along with her spirits, but her mockery stirred not the slightest ripple in me.

“Yes, yes, I’m a penniless nobody. I’m nothing like Miss Xu, who can casually spend more than ten million. Sorry to have inconvenienced you.”

After checking in, I slipped the key card into my pocket and turned to leave.

“Jiang Jian, where are you going?”

Tsk. Had Xu Zhixia hit her head when she fell? Normally, she could barely be bothered to acknowledge me, but today she had become remarkably talkative.

“Obviously I’m going out to find something to eat. I’m human. If I don’t eat, I’ll starve to death.”

Xu Zhixia paused, then stiffened her neck and continued, “Then why didn’t you ask me what I wanted to eat?”

“Why should I care what you eat? Xiyuan is a small place. There aren’t any Michelin-starred restaurants here. If you want something, have Xiao Zhu order delivery for you.”

With that, I walked out of the hotel without looking back. The moment I stood on the steps, I inhaled the damp moisture hanging in the air.

Suddenly, I wanted a cigarette. But when I reached into my pocket, I found that I did not even have a lighter. Then I remembered that I had given both of them to Uncle Bai’s apprentices earlier that day.

Damn it. Now I was even more annoyed.

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I got into the car, and my stomach began twisting in pain again, as though punishing me for failing to eat on time.

The pain made me suck in breath repeatedly, but the more I inhaled, the worse it became. I pressed myself against the seatback, biting down so hard my gums nearly bled.

I took a bottle of medicine from the glove compartment, poured out a pill, stuffed it into my mouth, and swallowed it dry. After waiting a while, the pain finally eased.

I had not been into the city for years and had no idea which restaurants would still be open at this hour.

I drove slowly along the main street. Nightlife in a small city was generally dull and uneventful, and on a rainy night there were hardly any cars on the road, let alone pedestrians.

At last, I found a Lanzhou beef-noodle shop that was still open. When I pushed through the door, the proprietress, wearing a headscarf, was clearing the tables, while a child in the corner was doing homework.

Behind the kitchen window, the proprietor, wearing a prayer cap, was cleaning the stove.

Sometimes I genuinely wondered how this particular combination had managed to become standardized across the entire country.

“Ma’am, are you still open?”

“We are. Find a seat. What would you like?”

I ordered the plainest bowl of Lanzhou noodles and a fried egg. Since I was the only customer, the food came out quickly.

The large white porcelain bowl was decorated with blue flowers. Several slices of beef rested atop the noodles, along with a fried egg so perfect it looked like it belonged in a textbook. Oil shimmered on the beef broth, garnished with scallions and cilantro.

For little more than a few dollars, the portion was generous and filling. The hot noodles and broth warmed me from the inside out, and the chill that had settled over my body seemed to vanish in an instant.

After finishing my meal, I walked to the door, intending to call my mother and ask whether the village had been affected. Then I remembered that there was no signal on the mountain and gave up on the idea.

My phone rang. It was Lin Xingfan.

“Fan, why are you calling me at this hour?”

“I can actually get through to your phone. You’re not on the mountain, are you? Where did you go?”

“Yeah, I’m in the city. I’ll drive back to Tianhai tomorrow morning.”

Lin Xingfan sounded puzzled. “Why are you in such a hurry to come back? The news says there have been several landslides on the mountain near our hometown. I can’t get in touch with my parents either.”

“Don’t ask. I nearly left my life on that mountain today. I almost ended up on the news myself.”

The thought irritated me all over again. I noticed a small convenience store still open nearby, so I went in and asked for a pack of Lotus cigarettes. After thinking about it, I added, “The slim ones—and give me a lighter too.”

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