The driver looked at the several dozens of passengers inside the bus, finding himself in a bit of a pickle. He wasn't sure who had stolen the money and it was unrealistic to take everyone to the police station.
"Madam, how much did you lose?"
"Ten yuan, a single note." The woman responded anxiously: "Driver, you can't let anyone off the bus until I find my money."
She was wearing a gray coat patched with repairs, suggesting poverty. Ten yuan might be a month's expenditure for her entire family. Yet, not everyone cared enough for her plight. As soon as she finished speaking, objections arose.
"We all have urgent matters to attend to, and we didn't steal the money. Why shouldn't we be allowed to alight?"
Another chimed in, "You can't delay everyone because of your issues, can you?"
The auntie who had boarded earlier tried to calm her barking pet dog. Everyone else largely ignored the dog's bark.
The bus filled with the noise of the barking dog and the ongoing debates, giving people a headache.
Suddenly, a clear voice sounded in the bus, "He stole it, I saw him."
Although her voice was not loud, it attracted everyone's attention. They turned to look at a girl who appeared to be only eighteen or nineteen years old, pointing firmly at a man, seemingly confident that she had seen him take the money.
The accused man's face twisted in rage, "What is this nonsense?"
Si Xiaohui, frightened by the man's expression, tugged quietly at Tong Yao's sleeve, whispering with a pale face, "It's none of our business, why did you have to speak up?"
We shouldn't make it our business even if we saw it!
This man seemed dangerous. What if he retaliated against them?
Zhang Lijuan quietly distanced herself from the two, pretending not to know them. She sat quietly and thought to herself, let Tong Yao bear the consequences of her own actions.
Ignoring Si Xiaohui, Tong Yao raised her chin and continued pointing at the man: "I saw him steal the money and put it into his left pocket."
In fact, Tong Yao hadn't seen the man steal the money. But the dog had been barking at the man as if he had stolen the money.
"Give me back my money. This is the money I borrowed to save my husband's life. You have no conscience," cried the woman who had lost the money. Without caring how dangerous the man might be, she clung to him, howling and demanding her money back.
"You'd better hand over the money and get off the bus, or else I'll take you to the police station."
The driver made to get up from his seat. The man sensed that things weren't looking good. He knew he wouldn't be able to escape if he didn't produce the money, considering the bus was full of people.
He knew the grave implications of a charge of theft. While it wouldn't land him in jail forever, he could serve two or three years, especially considering his past criminal record.
After briefly deliberating, the man made his decision. He took the money out of his pocket and threw it on the floor while cursing, "Who the fuck said I stole the money? I picked it up. Open the door, I'm getting off."
The driver didn't want to make a big fuss and delay his schedule, so he opened the door. Passengers instinctively made way for the man to disembark. They thought the man would calmly get off the bus and put an end to the situation. Suddenly, the man turned and pulled something out of his pocket, lunging towards Tong Yao.
Fortune favored Tong Yao as she quickly moved aside and avoided a fatal attack. Nevertheless, her arm was still grazed by the man's knife. The man, having failed to injure her, capitalised on the moment of shock to escape on foot. It all happened in less than twenty seconds.
The knife wound was deep. Tong Yao felt a numbness in her arm before looking down to see bright red blood staining her sleeve, resembling blooming plum blossoms. Si Xiaohui was dumbfounded at the sight.
Though she had time traveled from the modern world, Tong Yao was still understandably shaken. It was fortunate she had reacted quickly; otherwise, the small knife could have inflicted a serious injury.
"Goodness! Miss, are you alright?" The woman who had lost the money fumbled for her handkerchief to stop Tong Yao's bleeding. She was scared and her hands were shaking because this was the first time she had witnessed such an incident.
"There's so much blood. We need to get her to a hospital." Other passengers chimed in.
The driver reacted. He quickly returned to his seat and started the bus. "You hold on to the wound. The People's Hospital is just one stop away," he said.
Tong Yao, who was already quite pale, was on the verge of fainting due to blood loss. The other passengers saw this and advised Xiaohui: "You are together, right? Stop standing there foolishly. Help her hold her things!"
A young man next to them even gave up his seat for Tong Yao to sit down.
Si Xiaohui finally snapped back to reality, taking Tong Yao's bag with a tremble and helped press down on the wound. She snapped at Tong Yao, pale-faced, "Why on earth did you have to interfere? It wasn't your money that was stolen! Now look at the trouble you've caused! We just stepped out for the day and you have already provoked such a huge mess." They were surely going to be scolded when they got back.
Everyone looked dissatisfied when Si Xiaohui started badmouthing Tong Yao at such a moment. Si Xiaohui felt guilty and didn't dare to say another word under their glares.
Zhang Lijuan was so scared that she didn't dare make a sound. It wasn't until they got off the bus at the hospital stop that she started chiding Tong Yao: "That was reckless! So what if someone stole money? It was none of your business. You even helped the woman but she didn't thank you. Moreover, the man could have seriously wounded you. You could've lost your life!"
Tong Yao, no longer numbed and now overwhelmed by the pain, sucked in a sharp breath. Upon hearing Zhang Lijuan's words, she snapped back, "If you could be this articulate before the man, he might have even been educated by you."
At this, Zhang Lijuan frowned, "Sister-in-law, I was just looking out for your interest. Why can't you recognize that?" She refused to back down. Now that they were in a city where no one knew her, she wasn't afraid of Tong Yao.
"Lijuan, don't be mad. She's always unappreciative. She suffered so much this time but she still didn't learn. Once my brother is here, he'll teach her a lesson."
Si Xiaohui held Zhang Lijuan's hand and they walked towards the hospital together. After a few steps, she worried that Si Chen would blame her for not taking care of Tong Yao. So she turned around and grumbled at Tong Yao, "Hurry up! If you lose too much blood and faint, I won't be able to carry you."
Her arm hurt too much for Tong Yao to bother arguing. The three of them quickly reached the hospital. Si Xiaohui busied herself lining up to register while she asked Tong Yao to wait at one side. Zhang Lijuan, carrying Tong Yao's belongings, excused herself to use the restroom. Moments later, she appeared on the second floor, peeping into the different clinics, searching for Si Chen.
After failing to find him in three clinics, she saw a woman dressed as a doctor exit one of the rooms. She seized the opportunity to ask, "Hello, Doctor, may I know which clinic Doctor Si Chen is in?"