Chapter 55

Everything happened so suddenly that no one had any time to react.

That night, Lin Baixin had gone back to the shop at the last minute to work overtime. Yu Min had originally planned to stay up until she got home. About ten minutes before Lin Qi’s video call came in, Lin Baixin had even messaged Yu Min to say she’d be home soon and that Yu Min should go to bed early and not wait up. She never imagined that something could happen in such a short time. The moment she heard the news, Yu Min’s heart lurched into her throat; her chest pounded violently.

After hanging up, she almost instinctively threw everything aside, even forgetting all about the next day’s travel plans. She hailed a taxi to the hospital as fast as she could. Along the way, the window was half open, and the cold wind bit through her hands and feet until they went numb. Her face was white as paper.

Lin Baixin had been in a car accident; she’d crashed on the way home. The roads were slick from the rain, and there was fog. Maybe visibility had been poor; maybe she’d been tired from working too long that day. Shortly after getting off the expressway, the car had smashed into a flower bed at a turn.

On the video call, Lin Qi hadn’t had time to explain everything in detail. She’d hung up after a few hurried sentences. By the time Yu Min reached the hospital, her first instinct was to run toward the emergency room. Seeing Lin Qi like that, she’d assumed the accident must have been serious. By then, Yu Min’s mind had gone completely blank on the way over; she’d been unable to think at all. She’d even assumed Lin Baixin must be in an operating room right then, so when she went to the registration and payment counter to ask for her, the only thing she could think to ask was whether any injured accident victim had been brought in for emergency treatment that night.

The medical staff at the counter couldn’t match her to the right person. At first, they didn’t even know who she was looking for. And because there were other people waiting in line, they told her to let the staff handle the patients behind her first and wait a moment.

When Lin Qi finally found her and called her name, Yu Min’s fingertips trembled twice. Startled by the sudden shout, she was so shaken she could barely speak. She looked at Lin Qi blankly, frozen for a moment, unable even to open her mouth. Only after a long while, when Lin Qi came closer, did she slowly blink and say, her throat dry, “Baixin jie...”

Lin Qi cut her off, sounding even more incredulous than the staff; she couldn’t understand what Yu Min was doing standing around outside.

“Didn’t I just tell you on the phone? We’re on the fourth floor, orthopedics. Why did you come to the front desk? Luckily, your sister was worried you might get lost and insisted I come down to find you. Otherwise, you probably still wouldn’t have found us even after we were done.”

Yu Min murmured something, and after a long moment managed to get out weakly, “My sister...”

“Didn’t I just say? Upstairs.”

“She...”

“She’s already been bandaged up; she’s waiting for you.”

Yu Min couldn’t quite get her thoughts to turn around. She was probably too dazed to catch the subtext in Lin Qi’s words. It was Lin Qi who could no longer stand it, dragging her into the elevator and up to the fourth floor so they could talk after they got there.

— Lin Baixin had not gone into surgery. Though she was injured, she was nowhere near needing an emergency operation. It was only a minor fracture in her right forearm, and conservative treatment was enough. The emergency doctor had already reset it and put on a splint; injuries at this level generally didn’t require surgery.

“It’ll probably take about a month and a half to heal enough for the first stage, and only then can the splint come off. Full recovery will take a while longer; maybe two or three months. It’s still hard to say for sure; it depends on how your sister heals.” Lin Qi relayed everything. She no longer sounded as panicked as she had on the video call. Knowing Lin Baixin was all right, she finally let out a huge breath. “Thank goodness, thank goodness. When I called you earlier, I nearly scared myself to death. I was even worrying she’d need surgery. I was so flustered I’d originally wanted to tell you to pack her hospital bag, then forgot it in the next second.”

Yu Min’s lips moved. “Does she still need to stay in the hospital?”

“Of course not. She can go home now.” Lin Qi said, “Just be careful once she’s home; don’t let her bump it or hit it. Come back next week for a follow-up.”

By the time they reached Lin Baixin, Yu Min’s face was still bloodless. Lin Baixin took one look at her and understood immediately, saying gently, “I told Lin Qi not to tell you. She didn’t manage to hold herself back.”

Yu Min’s eyelashes fluttered. At last, some life returned to her. Her brain finally started working again. After holding it in for a moment, she could only ask flatly, “...Does it hurt?”

“It’s okay; not very much.” Lin Baixin shook her head. “I don’t really feel much.”

Yu Min of course didn’t believe that. With a fracture reset like this, how could it not hurt? She was a medical student and knew perfectly well that setting the bone meant the doctor had to use force by hand, relying entirely on experience to put it back into place; there was no anesthesia. How could the patient not hurt?

She moved two steps closer and checked Lin Baixin herself. Only after confirming that it really was just a minor fracture did her expression soften a little.

But no matter how minor the fracture was, it was still an injury to the bones and tendons. Having no major problem didn’t mean she could just go on as if nothing had happened. That was impossible.

Because of the splint, Lin Baixin could no longer use her right hand normally, and even basic daily life would be affected. She needed someone to take care of her; ideally, someone who could stay close by her side.

Lin Baixin’s own plan was to hire a caregiver. She didn’t think being injured was all that annoying. Her mind was steady; even after the car accident, she hadn’t been left with any psychological trauma. She was very calm and collected, and could even find a caregiver herself.

As a friend, Lin Qi was loyal. She said there was no need to worry too much; they were neighbors on the same floor and business partners, so she could help take care of Lin Baixin day and night. She could serve as the caregiver’s assistant.

Yu Min didn’t say anything. She had nothing to say, and couldn’t bring herself to say anything. She was still shaken.

When they got back, that night Yu Min unhesitatingly stood Jiang Zhou up. Something this big had happened; with Lin Baixin unable even to take care of herself for the time being, how could Yu Min go out and have fun with a clear conscience? It wasn’t realistic.

She apologized to Jiang Zhou and the others over and over. Bailing at the last minute was a terrible thing to do. Yu Min called everyone one by one, but thankfully they all understood, especially Jiang Zhou. When she heard that Lin Baixin had been in a car accident, Jiang Zhou immediately decided to come by the next day to visit.

The trip had originally been planned for six people and had long since been settled. Since Yu Min wasn’t going, there were still five others. No one changed their plans because of her absence.

The next day, Jiang Zhou came with the other four, carrying gifts. Yu Min had stood them up, yet Jiang Zhou was the one comforting her instead, speaking softly: “It’s okay, it’s okay. We can go next time if we get another chance. We’ve got plenty of time ahead of us.”

Another friend said, “When we get there, we’ll take videos and photos for you. We’ll bring you back local specialties and gifts, too.”

The girls were young and kind, and when it mattered, each of them was more reliable and more reasonable than the last. One of the more outgoing girls even hugged Yu Min, heartbroken to see her looking like she’d lost half her soul.

Jiang Zhou didn’t feel right about hugging Yu Min with Lin Baixin standing nearby. Before leaving, she made a hand gesture toward Yu Min, meaning roughly that they could call each other later when they had time.

Yu Min saw them off to the parking lot, then went back upstairs. Once inside, she found Lin Baixin standing at the island counter with one arm in a sling, fiddling with the coffee machine. Waiting for the coffee to brew, Lin Baixin said, “You can still go with them now.”

“I’m not going,” Yu Min replied. What mattered to her wasn’t whether she could go out and have fun. “Next time. Forget it this time.”

“I don’t need that many people looking after me. It’s just one hand I can’t use.” Lin Baixin lifted her good hand and waved it. “It really doesn’t affect things that much; I can still take care of myself.”

Yu Min said, “I’m not going. We can go another time. It’s not like this is the only chance. It doesn’t have to be this year.”

“But you finally made plans with them. It’s rare to get a long vacation all at once like this.”

“We have long vacations every year. At least twice a year. Next year will be the same.”

“But next year you may not be able to make plans with them again.”

“We’ll see then.”

“I’m fine.”

“Besides, even if I went now... I’d already put all my things back. If I packed again, I still wouldn’t make the plane.”

“Then take the plane tomorrow by yourself.”

Yu Min held firm; if she wasn’t going, then she wasn’t going. She was determined to stay in Kyoto and go nowhere. Lin Baixin couldn’t talk her out of it, and in the end had no way to change her mind.

Later, Lin Qi came over and was puzzled to see Yu Min still there. She asked casually, “Why are you still home? Did you change your flight?”

Yu Min explained, and Lin Qi nodded, actually agreeing. “That works too. Your sister isn’t very comfortable with caregivers anyway. With you here, there’s one more person to help.”

With a fractured arm, there were many basic things she couldn’t do. After all, her freedom of movement was limited; driving, daily routines, even small things like eating and bathing were affected. Lin Baixin was right-handed, and now that her right hand was in a splint, she couldn’t even use chopsticks with her left hand; she could only use a spoon.

The holidays were peak season for the shop. Even though Lin Baixin was injured, she wouldn’t take time off. Lin Qi alone couldn’t manage it; she couldn’t possibly be absent at a time like this, so she still had to show up every day.

Yu Min’s role was far more important than a caregiver’s. In the morning, she helped Lin Baixin get dressed. During the day, when Lin Baixin went to the shop, Yu Min helped with all kinds of tasks. Yu Min was more familiar with the shop, and since Lin Baixin needed help with work, Yu Min understood those things better too. In that respect alone, a caregiver couldn’t compare.

On the second day after the injury, Yu Min stayed by Lin Baixin’s side for almost the entire day, ready for anything she might need.

And on that second day, Lin Baixin planned to take a bath. The caregiver had only been hired for the daytime shift, so at night there was only Yu Min there. Once she went into the bathroom, Lin Baixin couldn’t use her right hand; she even needed help taking off her clothes.

Yu Min stood in front of her. The water had already been turned on, and she had taken off Lin Baixin’s coat, but she couldn’t bring herself to continue with the rest; there was still the inner layer and her pants.

“Use scissors to cut it off,” Lin Baixin said, since the inner layer was fairly tight. She could only do it that way. “Wear something with looser cuffs next time.”

Yu Min murmured an acknowledgment, then turned around and slowly lowered her head to tidy up the things in front of her. She fussed with them for a long time; dragging her feet, she still hadn’t made the next move.