Everyone in the room raised their glasses and clinked them together.
Inside, a stove was burning, and a hot pot was boiling, the steam making everyone's faces rosy and radiant with joy.
In the days that followed, Jian Changnian never saw Yan Xinyuan laugh so heartily. Even when she later won many championships and wanted to show them to him to make him happy, he was no longer alive.
Later, Jian Changnian often thought that if there really was a time machine, she would want to go back to this moment, one of the few moments in her life when she felt happy, no matter the cost.
***
The elderly man got off the bus at the bus station, then transferred to a public bus. Despite the bumpy ride, he still held the lunchbox tightly in his arms.
Finally, they arrived at their destination. Grandma Jian, leaning on her cane, limped off the bus with the help of kind people.
"Excuse me, child, where is Jiangcheng Vocational and Technical College located?"
However, after not visiting for more than half a year, the old man had become somewhat unfamiliar with the area.
The kind person pointed to the school across the street.
"Here you are. Let me help you across."
"Okay, thank you."
Students were on holiday for New Year's Day, and the security guard was dozing off in his booth when someone suddenly knocked on the glass.
He opened the window: "Who is it? Who are you looking for?"
Grandma Jian smiled and said, "I looked for Jian Changnian from Class 3 of the 2011 Automotive Repair program. She said she went to a factory for an internship. I don't know if she's still at school..."
The old man looked at him with a glimmer of hope in his eyes.
The security guard frowned: "What internship? Isn't it too early for 2011 students to do internships?"
Grandma Jian's smile slowly faded, replaced by anxiety: "But she told me she went for an internship, that she was living in the school dormitory, and that she went to work at the factory every day, and that she got a salary every month..."
The security guard felt something was off as he listened, and seeing that she was old, he figured she was probably looking for her child. After thinking for a moment, he picked up the phone.
"Wait a moment, I'll call their homeroom teacher and ask."
Grandma Jian was relieved: "Okay, okay, thank you for your trouble."
"Hello, is this Teacher Li? Oh, it's like this, a parent of one of your students is here, their name is Jian Changnian..."
"What? She's already dropped out of school? Oh, okay, I got it. I'll let her know."
The security guard hung up the phone: "Did you hear that? He's dropped out of school, he's not here anymore, get out of here."
The old man, who had just been hopeful, suddenly panicked and refused to leave, leaning on his cane.
"Leave of absence from school? What does that mean? Why isn't he here anymore...?"
The security guard came out of the guard booth and chased people away.
"Oh dear, dropping out of school means not going to school anymore and going to do something else. He's such a big kid, who can control him if he doesn't want to go to school? And he even came to the school to look for him, really."
The old man refused to leave, but was pushed around and had no choice but to grab the security guard's sleeve and plead in a low voice.
“My granddaughter’s parents haven’t been around since she was little, and I’m her only family. Our village is far from the city, and she hasn’t been home for months. That’s why I’ve come looking for her. Please, tell me where she’s gone after dropping out of school?”
The security guard scratched his head; he had hung up the phone too quickly and hadn't remembered the address Mr. Li had given him.
"I think it's called something like... training base?"
It wasn't easy to go to the city; it was a long journey. The old man, leaning on his cane, was already feeling somewhat exhausted. The shock he received made him a little dazed. He was worried about Jian Changnian and also a little angry, complaining that she hadn't even discussed dropping out of school with him.
Before she knew it, Grandma Jian had walked to the middle of the road.
Before the security guard returned to his post, he heard a piercing horn blare. He turned around hastily and saw a motorcycle speeding past. The old man had already fallen in the middle of the road, and the lunchbox in his arms had fallen to the ground.
***
As night deepened outside the window, the atmosphere inside was lively, with the hot pot bubbling and steaming. Suddenly, Yan Xinyuan's phone rang.
Who would contact him during holidays?
Yan Xinyuan put down his chopsticks: "You guys eat first, I'm going to take this call."
He took his phone and went outside. When he came back inside, he looked anxious and hesitated as he looked at Jian Changnian.
"Chang Nian, hurry up, come to the hospital with me."
Jian Changnian, confused, said, "Coach Yan..."
Yan Xinyuan pulled the person up: "Stop dawdling, let's go first, we'll talk on the way."
In the instant she was being dragged away, stumbling and falling, Jian Changnian sensed something was amiss, and her eyes slowly reddened.
Yan Xinyuan gripped the steering wheel, driving while comforting Jian Changnian, who was sitting in the passenger seat, silently shedding tears.
"Don't be afraid, the person has been taken to the hospital immediately and the doctors are trying to save them. Let's go check on them..."
In the end, even he felt that his words of comfort were somewhat powerless, and Jian Changnian went from choking up to crying out loud.
"It's all my fault... Coach Yan... It's all my fault... I shouldn't have called her this afternoon... I should have just gone home... It's all my fault... If I hadn't lied to her... she wouldn't have come looking for me..."
Yan Xinyuan shifted gears again, increased the car speed to the maximum, and swerved left and right in the congested traffic.
"Changnian, I understand how you feel, but now is not the time to talk about who is at fault. Be strong, Grandma certainly wouldn't want to see you blaming yourself like this."
After exiting the highway, during the evening rush hour on holidays, the main roads in the city are completely congested.
Even though Yan Xinyuan kept honking his horn, the vehicles in front didn't budge. Just when he was at his wit's end, a motorcycle caught up with him in the rearview mirror.
Motorcycles honked their horns and cleared a path through the congested traffic. The rider on the back, wearing a helmet, waved to them, signaling them to follow.
Jian Changnian was somewhat stunned, tears still clinging to her face.
The person sitting in the back seat took off his helmet; it was Xie Shi'an.
Cheng Zhen saw them catching up in the rearview mirror, so he turned the accelerator to the maximum and roared all the way down the overpass.
"Orange Juice, let's go via Qing'an Road, it's faster that way."
Cheng Zhen nodded, then turned the van behind him and drove away from the city's main road.
When it comes to familiarity with the roads, Cheng Zhen and Xie Shi'an, the two locals, are the better ones. They took the fastest shortcut to the hospital.
Chapter 30 Borrowing Money
Jian Changnian ran frantically, but when she went up the stairs, she didn't pay attention to her footing and fell hard. Ignoring the pain, she was extremely anxious and grabbed the railing to get up again, rushing towards the emergency room like a madwoman. She was stopped by the medical staff at the door.
"They're trying to save him, you can't go in, hey..."
"Grandma, Grandma!" Jian Changnian broke free from her restraints, clung to the door, and stood on tiptoe to peek inside through the glass.
The curtains were drawn inside, so you couldn't see anything.
Tears welled up again without warning. Jian Changnian murmured to herself, repeatedly calling out, "Grandma, Grandma..."
Standing next to her were the security guard who brought her grandmother to the hospital and Jian Changnian's former homeroom teacher.
"I never expected that in the blink of an eye, the old man would be hit by a car, and the driver who caused the accident fled and has not been caught yet."
The homeroom teacher came forward and handed her the things her grandmother had left behind: "These are things your grandmother always carried with her."
Seeing the blood on the bundle, Jian Changnian felt as if she had been pricked by a needle, her lips trembling as she took it.
She opened the bundle and saw two pairs of cotton trousers and a sweater, both handmade by her grandmother. There was also a lunchbox inside, the contents of which had spilled, but the lunchbox was still warm.
Holding these heavy sentiments of love, she burst into tears.
Yan Xinyuan also turned his back, pinched his eyes, turned back and gently placed his hand on her shoulder, giving her silent comfort.
Cheng Zhen stood not far away in the corridor, watching.
Why don't you go over and comfort her?
Xie Shi'an, holding a helmet, leaned against the corner of the corridor, unable to see her location, but hearing her crying, he gently shook his head.
She knew that at this point, no amount of advice from others would be of any use.
As someone who's been through it all, she knows it all too well.
The lights in the emergency room went out, and the doctor came out: "Who are Fang Huaiying's family members?"
Jian Changnian wiped away her tears and choked out, "I am... I am... How is my grandmother?"
The doctor glanced at the people in the corridor, then at her.
"Where are your parents? Your grandmother is in critical condition and needs a blood transfusion. Someone needs to come and sign the consent form so we can proceed with the surgery."
Jian Changnian sobbed uncontrollably, "Doctor, doctor, please, please do the surgery first, okay? I... I don't know where my parents are... There's only my grandma and me at home..."
The doctor looked troubled: "That won't work, there are hospital regulations..."
Yan Xinyuan stepped forward and pleaded, "Doctor, please, please perform the surgery first. I am this child's coach. Her family situation is special. If there are any procedures that require signatures, I will sign them. If anything goes wrong, I will take responsibility."
The doctor gritted his teeth and said, "Alright then, you can go and sign the papers and pay the fees first."
After the doctor finished speaking, he immediately put on his mask and turned to go into the emergency room.
That night, Jian Changnian, who had never believed in ghosts or gods, lingered at the door of the emergency room, silently praying to all the gods and Buddhas. She was willing to pay any price as long as her grandmother was safe and sound.
***
The school's teachers and security guards had already gone home, and Yan Xinyuan was also sitting down to rest. Only Jian Changnian was still standing at the door of the emergency room, constantly peering inside.
Winters in the south are damp and cold. The north wind blows in from the corridor, and the breath you exhale quickly turns into white mist and dissipates in the air.
Jian Changnian breathed on her frozen fingers from time to time as she waited anxiously.
There was a sound coming from behind.
Here, have something to drink.
"I don't..." She really had no appetite and was about to refuse when she turned around and saw that it was Xie Shi'an.
The soy milk felt warm and cozy in my hand.
Jian Changnian felt a surge of heat in her heart, and tears welled up in her eyes again.
"Thanks."
Xie Shi'an divided the rest among Yan Xinyuan and Cheng Zhen. Upon hearing the news, Qiao Yuchu also rushed over from home.