1023 Leaving Immediately



Qiao Mei and Xia He looked at Xia Wen nervously, not even daring to breathe loudly.

Xia Wen said slowly, "It's Father. He has sustained a serious injury during this mission. I heard that he wanted to protect his comrade and took a bullet for that young soldier. The wound is right next to his heart. Although his heart is fine, the risk is very high because of his age. The doctors are trying to save him now."

Before Xia Wen finished talking, Xia He had collapsed to the ground and stared ahead with lifeless eyes. She just knew that something big must have happened. For a moment, Qiao Mei also felt a sense of panic. This was the first time she had experienced such a situation.

"Where is Father now?" Qiao Mei asked, putting on a front of calmness.

"He's not in the capital. He's being treated at the mission location. He can't be moved now. The bullet needs to be removed and his vital signs stabilized before he can return to the capital for treatment," Xia Wen said.

Xia He hurriedly grabbed Xia Wen's trouser leg and asked, "What about Mother? Does Mother know about what happened?"

Even if Xu Lan had strong mental fortitude, she had also aged and was already almost 60 years old. When the army notified the soldiers' family members of such incidents, they would always give the worst case scenario so that the family members could be mentally prepared. Xia He was worried that Xu Lan would fall ill before Xia Mao could even start to recover.

"She knows. Aunt is now taking care of Mother and Second Aunt-in-law at the house. They're still feeling alright. Eldest Aunt is currently investigating what has gone wrong during this mission," Xia Wen said.

Qiao Mei hurriedly returned to the bedroom to retrieve her money. As long as Xia Mao was still alive when they arrived, she would have a way to save him. If she had known that such a day would come, she would not have soaked the golden ginseng in wine. The juice extracted from it might even be able to bring a person back from the dead!

"Elder sister and I will pack our things now… No! Let's set off immediately!" Qiao Mei said nervously.

Xia Wen had not intended to involve Qiao Mei in this. After all, the journey was long and Qiao Mei was pregnant. If anything unexpected happened on the way, they would not be able to take care of her. One of their family members was already unwell and they could not let anything happen to anyone else.

"Qiao Mei, you can't go. It's sufficient for eldest brother and I to go. I'll call… call Qian'e in a while and ask her to come over and take care of you. The weather is bad now and the journey is too bumpy," Xia He wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and stood up to look at Qiao Mei firmly.

She was an elder sister and could not always let her family protect her. She also had to protect these people who loved her.

She reckoned that Xu Lan and Liu Fen were probably also feeling at a loss now. It would be a mess if they were asked to take care of Qiao Mei. As for Li Gui, she not only had to run her business, but she also had to take care of the four children. Qiao Qiang was already so old and also needed someone to take care of him, but she was also worried about finding a suitable nanny at such a last minute. In the end, Qian'e was the best person for the job.

Although there was a grudge between Qian'e and Qiao Mei in the past, they had a very good relationship at the moment. Qiao Mei could talk to Qian'e about anything and they were as close as sisters. Sometimes, Xia He also felt jealous of the relationship between Qiao Mei and Qian'e.

"Stop dawdling. If you continue talking, dawn will be breaking soon. Let's hurry and go over to save him! I must go today!" Qiao Mei said stubbornly.

The two siblings could not dissuade Qiao Mei at all, so they had no choice but to bring her along to the place where Xia Mao was injured. They did not have time to wait for the heavy rain to stop before setting off. The three of them braved the heavy rain and left the house. They were drenched just walking the distance from the main hall to the main door and there was no way for them to bring along a change of clothes. Qiao Mei's school bag was not spared either and it was totally drenched.

Fortunately, Qiao Mei had the bangle which allowed her to maintain her body temperature and not catch a cold. Her clothes could also slowly dry up. Xia He and Xia Wen did not have such a good thing with them.

Xia Mao's mission location was a valley surrounded by forests. If they were not careful, they could become separated. If they accidentally walked into the depths of the valley, they could also be targeted by ferocious beasts looking for a meal.

On the way, Xia He and Qiao Mei sat together in the back of the car. Xia He was so nervous that her palms were sweating and she kept muttering to herself, praying that the heavens would save Xia Mao's life.

"It's going to be alright. Father will definitely be fine," Qiao Mei said as she smiled and patted Xia He's hands.

"I also think that everything will definitely be fine. Father is such a brave and skillful warrior. Nothing will go wrong!" Xia He said with a trembling voice.