Chapter 28 Lesson

"Everyone go back, your families must be worried by now," Zheng Xianghong addressed everyone and then turned to He Xuegang and He Xuebing, "Gangzi, Bingzi, you should head back too. Your mom and dad are surely worried about you. Hurry home and let them know you're safe; otherwise, your mom might come looking for you in the county town."

He Xuegang and He Xuebing nodded; they understood their mother well—they knew she would definitely come out to look for them if they didn't return.

Xia Xiao felt that the news of Gao Jiaxing's injury must have spread throughout the village by now. It was possible that as soon as Gao Guoqiang and Zheng Xianghong stepped out, Li Shengmei would also appear. Maybe He Xuegang and He Xuebing would run into Li Shengmei on their way back.

Soon, everyone dispersed. Yang Xuehua, Wang Aihua, Dong Meihua, and others followed He Xuegang and He Xuebing back to the production team. Meanwhile, Xia Xiao and the Gao family stayed in the hospital; Gao Jiaxing was still unconscious. Watching Zheng Xianghong missing her son yet afraid to get too close to Gao Jiaxing, Xia Xiao couldn't help feeling sympathetic, only being able to let out a soft sigh.

"Dad, Mom, it's my fault for not protecting Jiaxing well," Gao Jiazhi knelt on the ground, admitting his mistake.

Gao Guoqiang did not speak. Zheng Xianghong quickly pulled Gao Jiazhi up, "Mom doesn't blame you. As long as you're all safe, that's what matters. None of you are allowed to get into trouble again."

Xia Xiao glanced at Gao Guoqiang and somehow found his attitude towards Gao Jiazhi a bit strange. When the younger son had an accident, many fathers might not blame the older sibling, but would still have a few words to say. However, Gao Guoqiang didn't say anything; instead, he looked anxiously at Gao Jiaxing, ignoring the situation here.

Xia Xiao didn't know if she was being too sensitive, but she always felt that compared to Jiazhi, Gao Guoqiang cared about Jiaxing a little more.

Like now, Gao Guoqiang was holding Gao Jiaxing's hand tightly, looking fearful of losing his son. Once he entered the ward, nobody else seemed to exist for him except for Gao Jiaxing.

"Brigade leader, Brother Gao is on an IV drip right now. You don't have to hold his hand so tightly," Xia Xiao said. Although Gao Guoqiang wasn't holding the hand that had the IV needle, the grip was too firm, prompting Xia Xiao to speak up.

Gao Guoqiang immediately released Gao Jiaxing's hand and nodded at Xia Xiao, "Educated Youth Xia, thank you."

Then, Gao Guoqiang turned to Zheng Xianghong and Gao Jiazhi, "You all go back; I will stay here."

"I should stay here," Zheng Xianghong said.

Gao Jiazhi also spoke up, "Dad, Mom, you both go back. It's enough if I stay here."

"Brother Gao hasn't woken up yet. Brigade leader, auntie, and Brother Gao, please take a seat. I'll go get some food. It will be good for Brother Gao to have some porridge when he wakes up."

Without waiting for their response, Xia Xiao left.

After all, Gao Jiaxing had once saved her, and now that Gao Jiaxing was in trouble, Xia Xiao still wanted to do her part to help.

As she stepped out of the hospital, Xia Xiao saw Luo Mingzhe and Liu Yue arguing at the entrance.

"You blame me, but you went there too, didn't you? If you didn't want me to go, you could have stopped me. It was you who took me there. I almost lost my life, and you don't even comfort me. He's not dead, is he?" Liu Yue's voice was sharp, and with an aggrieved look, she confronted Luo Mingzhe loudly.

Xia Xiao didn't intend to interfere, but hearing Liu Yue's last sentence, she couldn't help but walk over and said, "Educated Youth Liu, you may not feel grateful to Gao Jiaxing for saving you, but please don't say such heart-chilling words. Everyone needs help at some point in their lives. You made it through this time because someone saved you, but what about next time? Can you guarantee your safety then? Sometimes, calamity comes through the mouth. Be careful with your words. If heaven hears you, maybe next time you face danger, nobody will be arranged to save you."

"Who are you to be so nosy?" Liu Yue glared at Xia Xiao.

"I'm someone who knows how to be grateful to those who save lives. As an educated person, you should be careful with your words, otherwise, it shows a lack of culture and upbringing," Xia Xiao saw Liu Yue's defiant look, even glaring at her fiercely, and continued on.

"I did pay money, didn't I? You're just a dog always beside Yang Xuehua. Are you standing up for her now?" Liu Yue stood arrogantly, her voice dripping with disdain towards Xia Xiao.

"You are indeed not as good as Sister Xuehua. I admit, Liu Yue, that you are beautiful, but truth be told, aside from your fancy exterior, you fall short in every aspect compared to Sister Xuehua—morality, personality, temperament, cultivation. And Sister Xuehua is also quite attractive. Overall, except for your family background, which might be slightly better than Sister Xuehua's, you are inferior to her in every way."

Xia Xiao turned away from Liu Yue—the woman truly was not worth as much as even a fingertip of Yang Xuehua's. She looked at Luo Mingzhe, "Educated Youth Luo, do you also think this way? That having money makes you superior? That you can dismiss life and look down on those who have saved your life?"

"He didn't get hurt saving us. He got hurt saving Ge Lai who was being attacked by the Black Bear," Liu Yue added.

With a slap, Ge Lai seemed to appear out of nowhere. After hearing Liu Yue's offensive words, he rushed out and slapped her hard.

"Waaah, why did you hit me? You're bullying me! I'm going to tell my dad," Liu Yue cried out in sobs.

"Spit on it! Go ahead and get your dad if you have the guts," Ge Lai spat on the ground, "I can't stand you haughty, shameless city folks."

Xia Xiao blushed with embarrassment—she was also a city person, but she didn't belong to the crowd of haughty and shameless ones. However, Ge Lai's slap was well-deserved; people like Liu Yue needed to be set straight. In these remote parts of the south, not everyone was impressed by one's family background.

Xia Xiao then noticed that Ge Lai, Liu Haiguo, and several others were standing by the wall corner, obviously having overheard Liu Yue and Luo Mingzhe's conversation for a while.

"How can you hit someone? Apologize to Xiao Yue right away," Luo Mingzhe glared angrily at Ge Lai.

"Come at me if you dare. Fight me, and if you can beat me, I'll apologize," challenged Ge Lai.

"You're barbaric," Luo Mingzhe snorted. Naturally, he could not defeat Ge Lai in a fight and wouldn't foolishly attack him. Frustrated, he said, "I'm going to tell the brigade leader."

Liu Yue also shouted, "Yes, tell the brigade leader. If the brigade leader doesn't do anything, I'll find my dad." Then she turned to Liu Haiguo, "If my dad finds out you bullied me, your dad can stop being the brigade leader."

"Little ancestor, what does this have to do with me? I didn't hit you," Liu Haiguo said with a wry smile, feeling very aggrieved.

Right now, Ge Lai was still angry at him. Liu Haiguo had been scared by the two black bears at the time. If it were just one, he wouldn't have feared it, but upon seeing two, he instinctively ran. And once he ran, the others armed with weapons followed suit.