"Zhixia." Spotting his little sister, Fang Zhiyan's face broke into a smile.
The twelve-year-old girl, with her hair tied up, jumped up and down, her lips rosy and teeth bright—who wouldn't love her?
Such a cute child, spirited and understanding—it's not just him; even others would give her a big thumbs-up.
Fang Zhiyan grabbed her hand and ruffled her hair affectionately.
Excitedly, his younger sister exclaimed, "Big Brother, this is our English teacher, Ms. Xu!"
Fang Zhiyan had picked her up from school before, so he naturally recognized Xu Qiushuang.
She was one of the youngest teachers at the school, beautiful and quite capable, reportedly a graduate of a top normal university.
She returned to teach in Jiang'an City because it was her hometown.
"Ms. Xu," Fang Zhiyan greeted politely, nodding.
The young woman was just a few years older than him—twenty-seven, and being a single female teacher at that age could lead to much parental pressure regarding marriage.
"You must be Zhixia's brother," Xu Qiushuang initiated conversation, her curious gaze scanning Fang Zhiyan.
"Zhixia got the highest score in her English test again today—very impressive. She deserves praise."
She complimented Zhixia, and the girl's eyes gleamed with pride, her delicate little face lifting as if she were saying, "Come on, praise me some more!"
Fang Zhiyan chuckled and thanked her. "We owe it all to Ms. Xu's hard work, otherwise, Zhixia wouldn't achieve such results."
Xu Qiushuang smiled mildly, still examining Fang Zhiyan with inquisitive eyes. "What does your brother do? I don't think I've seen you around before."
"I'm a doctor," Fang Zhiyan briefly introduced himself.
Xu Qiushuang's eyes widened slightly in surprise. According to her earlier observations, Zhixia's family was not well-off, so how did they have a doctor in the family? Could it be a doctor at a town clinic?
But with so many people around, it wasn't the right time to delve deeper into such discussions.
After exchanging a few pleasantries, they parted ways.
On the way home, Lu Mingtang leaned closer and whispered, "Zhixia, is your English teacher single?"
"Yes," Zhixia responded. "Brother Mingtang, you wouldn't happen to like our Ms. Xu, would you?"
Zhixia was quite the sharp little girl.
Lu Mingtang rolled his eyes. "Don't mess around. I keep seeing your teacher looking over at your brother; I wouldn't be surprised if she has her eyes on him."
Hearing this, Fang Zhiyan felt a bit embarrassed.
Instead, Zhixia raised her head and began biting on her finger thoughtfully. "That's true, Big Brother. Ms. Xu hardly talks to other men as much. Should I play matchmaker for you?"
"What nonsense? Just be quiet. We're having McDonald's for dinner today." Fang Zhiyan tried to suppress a smile, shaking his head.
"What? McDonald's?" Zhixia instantly perked up.
"Big Brother, you're the best! You even got me McDonald's! I've heard my classmates talk about it, but I've never eaten there."
"Big Brother, you're too good!"
Fang Zhiyan felt a small smile cross his lips. Life had indeed been difficult before, but now that he'd found a job, everything was set to return to normal.
Gone were the days of hardship.
When they finally arrived home, dinner was already prepared.
Afterwards, Fang Zhiyan announced that he had landed a position at the hospital.
Although it was just a probation period, he was confident that with his past experience, given the opportunity, he could turn his life around.
After dinner, Lu Mingtang chatted a bit before saying his goodbyes.
Fang Zhiyan helped clean up while Zhixia worked on her homework, and Jiang Xu busied herself with some needlework.
Watching the simple yet warm scene, Fang Zhiyan momentarily became lost in thought.
He finally understood why the original owner had fought so hard to bring his mother and sister out of that dreadful situation.
Staying back would've been torturous; even if the start was tough, they could work toward a better future.
After tidying up the kitchen, Fang Zhiyan began arranging the living space.
Their home was small, consisting of just two rooms—a living room and a bedroom divided by a curtain.
The bedroom was reserved for Jiang Xu and Zhixia, while Fang Zhiyan slept on the sofa.
Their rental place was in a town-village where several rooms in a house were rented out.
This meant that using the toilet involved walking to an outdoor latrine, and the bathroom consisted of an outdoor sink.
When he finished tidying up, Fang Zhiyan glanced over to see Zhixia studying for her next lesson.
Jiang Xu was rubbing her tired eyes but continued her embroidery work.
The light stayed on for quite some time as Zhixia finally fell asleep, and it was only then that Jiang Xu switched off the lights and retired to her bedroom.
Lying on the sofa, Fang Zhiyan felt profoundly reflective.
He had secured employment, but with the end of the month approaching, they needed to figure out moving arrangements.
Otherwise, if Ma Xiaobing and Fang Fang decided to harass them, it would impose additional burdens on Jiang Xu and Zhixia.
Jiang Xu understood the importance of moving, which was why she was back to her handiwork early the next morning.
After having breakfast, Fang Zhiyan took Zhixia to school before making his way to the hospital.
Today was his first day on the job, and he aimed to leave a strong impression.
After dropping off Zhixia, he jogged the short distance to the hospital, which was only about one or two kilometers away.
Having been a doctor in his past life, Fang Zhiyan understood the significance of maintaining good health.
He had seen many colleagues pass away prematurely from exhaustion due to frequent all-nighters, extended surgeries, and relentless overtime.
This lifetime would be different; he couldn't afford to let that happen.
Fortunately, the original owner had a different background. Perhaps due to his grandfather being a traditional Chinese doctor, he had practiced martial arts since childhood, contributing to a robust constitution.
Fang Zhiyan aimed to carry on that legacy.
As he took a corner, he passed a bustling breakfast shop, slowing his pace to navigate through the crowd.
At a short distance, he noticed a small Audi parked at the curb, where a young girl was walking toward the breakfast shop, engrossed in a phone call.
"Mom, I know! Isn't Dad just going to a meeting? He left ages ago; what else should I report to him?"
"I get it; he runs things in Jiang'an City. Am I really in danger here?"
"Don't worry; I'll be cautious."
"Boss, I'd like two steamed buns and a cup of soy milk."
"Alright, Mom, I'll hang up."
Once she hung up, she briskly crossed the non-motorized lane, heading directly toward the parked Audi.
Just then, a large three-wheeler, loaded with glass and moving at a high speed, bore down on her.
The young girl didn't notice in time and was heading straight for a potentially catastrophic collision.
The driver of the three-wheeler paled and shouted as he swerved to avoid her.
Yet, even then, it was too late—the vehicle lost control and crashed hard into a nearby electric pole.
"Bang!"
The rear of the truck flipped over, releasing a spray of shattered glass that rained down toward the girl.
"Boom!"
"Crash!"
The young girl didn't have time to react as the glass struck her, rendering her unconscious as she collapsed to the ground.
Shattered glass scattered everywhere around her.
The chaotic scene swiftly attracted the attention of all bystanders.
Gasps, screams, and panic erupted as people began to gather in a circle around the incident.
Watching the unfolding tragedy as a full witness, Fang Zhiyan felt paralyzed.
"Can this accident be any more sudden?"
However, as a trained doctor, he quickly sprang into action, pulling out his phone to call for emergency help.
"At the intersection of Changjiang Road and Huanghai Road, east of the TCM Hospital, a girl has been knocked unconscious by falling glass."
After finishing the call and moving into the crowd, he noticed a middle-aged man rushing toward the scene.
He seemed to be a doctor as well.
After assessing the young girl's injuries, he said, "The jugular vein is severed."
"Quickly, someone call emergency services."
"I already called," Fang Zhiyan responded quickly.
The man nodded. "Does anyone have a clean cloth?"
"The jugular vein is severed; we need to apply pressure to stop the bleeding."
Bystanders quickly produced a clean piece of cloth.
The man took it and pressed it firmly against the girl's neck.
While the young girl lay unconscious, they could only wait for the ambulance to arrive.
Fang Zhiyan observed closely, but his expression soon shifted to one of concern.
The pressure was not positioned correctly! The man's hand appeared to be pressing against the girl's windpipe, obstructing her breathing!