TYH-DCI | Chapter 26 – We’re Rich!

The pain hit Jiang Lai so suddenly that her face went deathly pale.

The police had already rushed in and, working together with Wang Shengnan, quickly subdued the two traffickers.

When Wang Shengnan saw the blood pouring from Jiang Lai’s elbow, her expression turned instantly ashen.

“You’re crazy! That was a real knife—how could you step in front of it like that? Don’t you care about your life at all?”

Her voice shook with fear and guilt. If she hadn’t been trying to protect her, Jiang Lai wouldn’t have been hurt like this.

Jiang Lai’s vision was already darkening from the pain. She forced out a reply through gritted teeth.

“I’m fine… it didn’t hit anything vital. It just cut my arm.”

The next second, her vision went black—and she collapsed.

Wang Shengnan’s usually cold, composed face broke instantly. Tears spilled from her eyes without control.

Panicking, she fumbled to pull out a handkerchief and pressed it hard against Jiang Lai’s wound, trying to stop the bleeding.

Jiang Lai had not been living well before this. Only in the past few days had she finally been able to eat and sleep properly.

She was extremely thin and chronically anemic.

Her clothes were patched and worn, offering almost no protection at all.

There was barely any fat around her elbow to cushion the blow. The blade had been fast and sharp—it cut straight through fabric and into her skin with terrifying ease.

The police restrained the traffickers, took the children away, and immediately contacted the doctors waiting outside to come aboard for emergency treatment.

Wang Shengnan was completely stunned now, mechanically pressing on the wound to keep the blood from flowing.

Meanwhile, Xi’er and Li Zhaodi, who had been sent to another carriage under police protection, were far from this side of the train.

The police had successfully handled the situation on their side, with little chaos.

Worried about Jiang Lai and the others, the two of them returned as soon as they confirmed there was no danger.

But when they finally reached the carriage, what they saw made their blood run cold.

Jiang Lai lay unconscious, covered in blood.

Xi’er’s legs nearly gave out on the spot; Li Zhaodi had to steady her from behind to keep her from collapsing.

The doctor was already performing emergency treatment.

“She hit a blood vessel. She needs to be taken to a hospital for stitches immediately. Fortunately, the wound missed the major vessels—otherwise the bleeding would’ve been uncontrollable.”

Xi’er sobbed as she rushed forward.

“What happened…? Why is Jiang Lai injured…?”

Li Zhaodi, seeing Wang Shengnan and Xi’er both on the verge of breaking down, spoke calmly and firmly.

“Stop crying. Pack up your things. We’re getting off the train and going to the hospital with her. Hurry.”

The usual cautious, timid demeanor she had earlier was gone—replaced by a rare, steady composure under pressure.

Only then did the others snap back to reality. They quickly wiped away tears, grabbed their remaining luggage, and followed the police off the train.

At the nearest hospital, Jiang Lai was rushed into the emergency room.

The three of them waited outside, unable to sit still.

Xi’er’s face had lost all its usual brightness. Wang Shengnan stood rigidly, her expression blank as she stared at the operating room door.

Only Li Zhaodi seemed more composed—but her thoughts were complicated.

On the way here, she had already learned from Wang Shengnan what had happened.

She couldn’t help but wonder: did someone really exist who would risk their life for strangers they had only known for less than two days?

She didn’t fully understand Jiang Lai’s actions. But she respected them—admired them.

If it were her, she knew she would never have done the same. Life had taught her long ago that only oneself could truly be relied on.

No one knew how long they waited before the emergency room door finally opened.

The three immediately rushed forward.

“How is she? Is Jiang Lai okay?” Xi’er asked urgently.

The nurse reassured them, “She’s out of danger. The wound has been stitched. She lost quite a bit of blood, so she’s still unconscious. Make sure she gets plenty of rest and nutrition to help recover her blood. Avoid heavy activity for now.”

With that, the nurse left.

Only then did they finally breathe again.

“Oh, and remember to settle the payment,” she added before walking away.

Xi’er quickly nodded. “We’ll take care of it.”

She reached into her pocket and pulled out 100 yuan.

Wang Shengnan also checked her belongings and took out 150 yuan.

Neither of them had brought much cash—their families had planned to send more once they arrived.

Li Zhaodi hesitated for a moment, then carefully pulled out a tightly wrapped bundle of small bills from inside her clothes.

Most were coins and small notes. The largest were a few one-yuan bills and a single five-yuan note.

After thinking for a moment, she kept one yuan for herself and handed over the rest.

It totaled 18.5 yuan—money she had secretly saved over two years.

Her hands tightened slightly as she passed it over.

“I… this is all I have. Sorry I can’t help much.”

Xi’er stared at the scattered money and suddenly teared up again.

Biting her lip hard, she forced the tears back and took the money.

“How could that be? Maybe this is exactly what we’re short by. Don’t worry—I’ll pay you back.”

Wang Shengnan also nodded firmly. “We’ll repay you. I’ll contact my family to send money as soon as possible.”

Li Zhaodi waved it off awkwardly. “It’s fine… think of it as payment for yesterday’s meat. Though honestly, that meal was way too expensive—it’s worth years of my food.”

Her rare attempt at a joke finally made Xi’er laugh through her tears, and even Wang Shengnan’s expression eased slightly.

Soon after, Xi’er went to pay the bill.

By the time she returned, Jiang Lai had already been moved out of the emergency room and was still unconscious.

Wang Shengnan had forgotten about the luggage and followed the medical staff as they pushed the stretcher.

Li Zhaodi sighed and picked up the remaining bags.

Fortunately, there were only two suitcases and their worn bundles of belongings—otherwise she wouldn’t have been able to carry them.

Xi’er and Wang Shengnan’s small suitcases had already been stolen in the chaos; each only had one left.

Only Li Zhaodi’s and Jiang Lai’s worn bundles were left untouched—too shabby for thieves to bother with.

She silently felt a bit relieved at the irony.

In the hospital room, they helped the nurses settle Jiang Lai in.

Wang Shengnan held Jiang Lai’s hand. Even in summer, it was ice-cold.

She pressed her lips together, gently tucking her hand back under the blanket and pulling it tighter around her.

Then she stood up.

“Zhaodi, I’ll go out and get some food. Please take care of her for me.”

“Go,” Li Zhaodi said, placing the luggage down. “I’ve got things here. Don’t worry.”

Wang Shengnan nodded and left.

The moment she stepped out, her entire aura changed.

Her expression turned sharp and resolute.

She had never used her family background to bully anyone.

But this time, she would not let those people go.