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nChapter 838: Seeking Justice

nEditor: Henyee Translations

nAt the herbal clinic.

nA young woman in her twenties came to the clinic, clutching her stomach in pain, “Sister Qingchen, my stomach hurts terribly, please help me.”

nThe pain twisted her face, and there were blood stains on her trousers. She had been diagnosed with pregnancy on a previous visit, and now, without even needing to take her pulse, it was clear that this was a sign of a miscarriage.

nChu Qingchen quickly stepped out from behind the consultation desk, and together with Li Ziyun, they supported the pregnant woman to a ward.

n” Please lie down and try not to move,” Chu Qingchen urged as she took the woman’s pulse. “Your abdomen has suffered a strong impact, affecting the fetus.”

nThe woman, terrified, couldn’t stop her tears, “Sister Qingchen, can my baby be saved?”

n“Yes, don’t worry.” Chu Qingchen fetched a pill from the pharmacy and gave it to the woman, “Take this pill and lie still for half an hour, don’t move.”

n“I’ll do as you say.” Soon after, the woman felt much less pain and joyfully said, “Sister Qingchen, it doesn’t hurt anymore.”

n“Now, I will check your pulse again, relax, and then I will examine your body thoroughly. Understand?”

n“Yes.”

nAfter checking her pulse, Chu Qingchen lifted the woman’s clothes to listen to the fetus’s heartbeat with her ear, which would indicate whether the baby was alive or healthy.

nHowever, Chu Qingchen’s brow furrowed; it seemed there was no heartbeat.

nShe listened carefully again but still could not hear anything. Normally, at three months, a baby’s heartbeat could be clearly heard; the absence might indicate fetal death.

nFaced with this issue for the first time, Chu Qingchen felt uncertain, “Wait here without moving; I’ll be right back.”

nShe called Li Ziyun over, “Prepare a bowl of brown sugar water for her.”

nLi Ziyun nodded, “Yes, Sister Qingchen.”

nChu Qingchen went to find Chu Qingzhi…

nThe brown sugar was stored in the tea room, dedicated to serving drinks. Besides brown sugar, there was medicinal sugar, coarse sugar, fine sugar, and various kinds of sugar, as well as tea and other beverages, each in its own jar labeled with the contents.

nLi Ziyun entered the tea room just as Sun Xiaolan did too.

nSun Xiaolan bumped into Li Ziyun intentionally, then turned it around to accuse her, “Can’t you watch where you’re going? Is this room not big enough for you?”

nLi Ziyun turned to face Sun Xiaolan, reminding herself not to show weakness, and retaliated by bumping back.

nSun Xiaolan, unprepared for Li Ziyun to fight back, dropped her cup, which shattered on the floor with a loud crash.

nThe noise startled them both.

nYe Qingfu hurried over at the sound and saw the mess, “You broke the cup?”

nSun Xiaolan glared at Li Ziyun, “She deliberately bumped into me, causing the cup to break. It’s not my fault.”

nLi Ziyun argued, “You bumped into me first. I was just retaliating. I didn’t expect to break the cup. I’m partly to blame and will apologize to Sister Qingchen and replace it. Sun Xiaolan, you should pay half since you provoked me.”

nSun Xiaolan refused, “I bumped into you by accident, but you did it on purpose. I won’t pay. You should cover it yourself.”

nYe Qingfu, knowing Sun Xiaolan was jealous of Li Ziyun, believed Li Ziyun’s account to be more accurate, “Each of you pay half, then apologize to Sister Qingchen, and let’s put this behind us.”

nSun Xiaolan still refused to pay, “Li Ziyun should pay by herself. It’s not my responsibility.”

n” Whatever you say!” Li Ziyun, not wanting to argue further and needing to care for the patient, quickly prepared the brown sugar water.

nSun Xiaolan, knowing Li Ziyun couldn’t read, tried to stop Ye Qingfu from helping, “Don’t you help her.”

nLi Ziyun, confidently preparing the brown sugar water, proved her wrong, “Sorry to disappoint, but I can read now!”

nSun Xiaolan didn’t believe her, “You couldn’t recognize a single character just days ago, and now you claim to know? You’re lying!”

nIgnoring Sun Xiaolan, Li Ziyun accurately scooped out brown sugar, mixed it with hot water from a kettle on a small stove, and stirred it, “This brown sugar smells so good!” before taking it to the ward.

nFrustrated, Sun Xiaolan stomped her foot, pointing at Li Ziyun’s retreating figure, “Ye Qingfu, look at Li Ziyun’s smugness!”

nYe Qingfu tried to mediate, “Don’t always be against Li Ziyun. You were in the wrong this time.”

nAccusing him of favoritism, Sun Xiaolan retorted, “Do you fancy Li Ziyun? Is that why you’re always taking her side?”

nYe Qingfu was at a loss for words, “I’m just being fair.”

n“Sure, as if I’d believe that. Li Ziyun won’t look your way, Ye Qingfu. Give up on that fantasy,” Sun Xiaolan said spitefully before storming off.

nYe Qingfu was left feeling aggrieved, having tried to mediate only to be criticized and left to clean up the mess.

nMeanwhile, Chu Qingzhi and Chu Qingchen hurried to the clinic. After examining the young woman, Chu Qingzhi said gravely, “The baby has no heartbeat, Sister. Prepare the medicine for abortion.”

nThe young woman became agitated, “Sister Qingzhi, please check again. My baby was fine just a moment ago; how could there be no heartbeat?”

nWithout a trace of life, Chu Qingzhi couldn’t perform miracles, “Your baby lost its heartbeat half an hour ago.”

nThe pregnant woman tried to recall what happened half an hour before…

nChu Qingzhi lifted the woman’s sleeve, revealing bruises, including a fresh one. She pressed gently on several other areas on the woman’s body, each eliciting a painful response from her.

nChu Qingzhi’s voice grew stern, “Were you hit?”

nThe woman looked down, too scared to answer.

n“Who did this?” Chu Qingzhi persisted.

nChu Qingchen frowned deeply, “Apart from her husband, who else would hit her during pregnancy?”

nObserving the woman’s frightened and tacit acknowledgement, Chu Qingzhi surmised they were right. She despised men who hit women, especially their pregnant wives!

nDetermined to seek justice, Chu Qingzhi approached Xia Zhongxian, “Zhongxian, please check on the lady in the clinic and then bring her husband here.”

nFollowing Chu Qingzhi’s scolding earlier, Xia Zhongxian no longer dared to shirk his duties and had been conducting regular inspections three times a day, trying to be diligent.

nUpon hearing Chu Qingzhi’s instructions, he immediately headed to the clinic, asked a few quick questions, and then set off for the young woman’s village.

nChu Qingzhi returned to the ward, facing the young woman, “I’ve sent someone to fetch your husband. Do you want to seek justice for your child?”

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