The Stepmother’s Counterattack: Raising a Child in a Bygone Era
Chapter 402 - 401 The Wicked Will Receive Their Retribution

Chapter 402: Chapter 401 The Wicked Will Receive Their Retribution

Zhong Qing treaded up the stairs in her cotton slippers, step by step.

Pat-a-pat, pat-a-pat.

What appeared to be light footsteps were in fact, for her, as heavy as carrying a thousand pounds with each step.

As she drew closer to the second floor, the scene in the stairwell came into her view.

Zhong Jiping lay motionless at the junction between the bedroom door and the corridor, dressed in the robe she had prepared for him.

Zhong Qing felt as though she had been nailed to the spot, momentarily unable to move forward.

It was an unknown length of time before she regained her senses and continued to move her feet, approaching the prone Zhong Jiping step by step.

Finally, she stood before Zhong Jiping.

Gazing down at the man sprawled on the floor like a dead dog, Zhong Qing felt as if her chest was stuffed with cotton, unable to breathe.

She was really so foolish and naive.

Such a simple thing, and she had only learned it now.

After checking the time on her wrist, and feeling for Zhong Jiping’s pulse, she went back to her room to fetch a pair of scissors.

Turning Zhong Jiping’s body over and lifting the robe, the sharp blade of the scissors gleamed with an icy cold light under the lamp.

Snip.

Zhong Jiping’s underwear was cut off, pulled away, and replaced with a new pair.

Although Zhong Qing appeared calm and even remembered to wear gloves, her trembling hands betrayed her nervousness.

It was only after she confirmed that all traces were eradicated that she panickedly ran downstairs.

...

Outside the emergency room.

Zhong Qing was restless. Shan Yi comfortingly said, "Qingqing sis, don’t worry, good people will have good karma, Mr. Zhong will definitely be okay."

Good people will have good karma, but the opposite is also true, evil people will meet their retribution.

She was also curious whether God would take Zhong Jiping’s life.

Although, it wasn’t her intention for Zhong Jiping to die, whether he lived or died was also not something she could control precisely.

"Shan Yi, could you please stay here for me? I need to make a phone call."

"Sure."

After calling relatives and friends, as well as Chu Yuqing who had gone back to Jin City for ancestral worship, Zhong Qing turned to the restroom, and threw the content of her coat pockets into the sewage channel.

Flush.

The water tank gate opened, and everything dirty and miscellaneous in the sewage channel was scrubbed clean by the water, leaving no trace.

...

An hour later, relatives and friends who had received the news began to arrive at the hospital one after another.

In addition, key executives from the First Pharmaceutical Factory and some officials from governmental departments also came to the hospital.

The First Pharmaceutical Factory was the largest state-owned pharmaceutical enterprise in Fengcheng, owning more than twenty production lines, nearly three hundred types of drugs, with an annual output of more than five billion (pills, supports, pellets, counts, bottles), and sales covering all provinces and cities nationwide.

And with Zhong Jiping, the current chairman of the First Pharmaceutical Factory, suffering from a sudden serious illness, naturally drew attention from all sides.

When the doctor emerged from the emergency room door, he was immediately surrounded by a crowd eager to inquire about the patient’s condition.

"Based on our preliminary diagnosis and treatment, we suspect the patient suffered a sudden myocardial infarction. Thankfully, he was brought in for medical attention in time, and we managed to save his life."

Hearing that the life was saved, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Shan Yi, excited, grabbed Zhong Qing’s hand, "That’s great, I knew Mr. Zhong would be okay!"

Zhong Qing smiled, her hand by her side clenched slightly.

"However..."

When they heard the doctor speak again, everyone quieted down.

"Due to prolonged shock causing oxygen deprivation, the patient’s brainstem functions may be compromised, and it’s irreversible."

"What does that mean? Didn’t you say his life was saved?"

The doctor looked regretful, "Mr. Zhong’s life is out of danger, but his motor functions, speech, and cognitive abilities may be affected due to the brainstem injury."

"In simple terms, there’s a high probability that the patient will experience conditions like hemiplegia or diminished mental capacity."

Everyone looked at each other, unsure of what to say at the moment.

"Doctor, thank you so much!"

Looking at Zhong Qing, who was crying tears of joy, everyone was immensely surprised.

Her own father was nearly paralyzed, yet she seemed quite happy.

"Thank you for saving my dad’s life. As long as he’s alive, there’s hope."

Everyone suddenly understood.

Indeed, it’s better to cling to life than to die.

With the wealth and background of the Zhong Family, they might well be able to cure him.

Having gotten the news they were hoping for, various people began to leave one after another, leaving only Zhong Qing and a few relatives who were on good terms with the Zhong Family to keep vigil in the hospital.

Late into the night, the family’s nanny also heard the news and hurried to the hospital to help take care of things.

As dawn was breaking, Chu Yuqing, who had gone back to her parental home to worship the ancestors, finally rushed back.

Seeing her husband lying unconscious in the hospital bed, tubes inserted all over his body, she was both shocked and angry as she questioned Zhong Qing:

"What happened? Why has your dad become like this?!"

"The doctor said it was a myocardial infarction, but thankfully, his life was saved..."

Zhong Qing covered her mouth and didn’t continue.

She was afraid she couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

Chu Yuqing did not pick up on Zhong Qing’s unfinished words, hearing only that her husband’s life was saved, she breathed a sigh of relief.

However, just because Zhong Qing didn’t say it did not mean the other relatives wouldn’t.

Paralysis, mental disability!

Chu Yuqing could hardly believe her ears.

And when she turned her head and glared at Zhong Qing, she suddenly noticed Shan Yi standing beside her.

"Why is she here? Why is she here?!"

A few relatives looked at Chu Yuqing with strange eyes, finding her baffling.

At a time like this, instead of thinking about how to save her husband, she was fixating on an irrelevant outsider.

Shan Yi herself was also quite perplexed and felt uneasy.

Chu Yuqing’s gaze was so frightening, as if she wanted to swallow her whole.

Among those present, only Chu Yuqing and Zhong Qing knew why Chu Yuqing was so concerned about Shan Yi.

Oh, and the unconscious Zhong Jiping.

"Mom, Shan Yi came to our house as a guest last night. After dad fell ill and passed out, none of you were around, and she stayed with me at the hospital all the time."

Zhong Qing’s explanation seemed perfectly normal to everyone else.

However, Chu Yuqing, having a guilty conscience, couldn’t help but suspect that her husband’s accident was related to Shan Yi.

But in front of other relatives, she couldn’t dare ask, so she could only watch helplessly as Shan Yi left the hospital room under Zhong Qing’s escort.

...

When Zhong Qing returned to the hospital room, only Chu Yuqing and the bedridden Zhong Jiping were left in the room.

Chu Yuqing demanded that Zhong Qing tell her everything that had happened the previous night in detail.

When she learned that Zhong Jiping had collapsed alone in his room, Chu Yuqing rushed over and slapped Zhong Qing across the face.

"Why didn’t you bring Shan Yi to your dad’s room sooner?"

In Chu Yuqing’s view, if Shan Yi had been with her husband at the time, his attack would have been discovered promptly.

"Shan Yi drank the tea, but the drug didn’t take effect. I’m puzzled too."

Chu Yuqing refused to believe her explanation, "I think you did it on purpose, deliberately trying to harm your dad! How can you be so vicious?"

"If I really wanted to harm him, I wouldn’t have taken him to the hospital at all. Just five minutes later, and it would have been too late to save him."

"He gets a full health check three times a year, his body has no problems at all. How could he suffer a myocardial infarction?"

"The doctor said it was sudden... maybe he got too excited seeing some new trinket."

Chu Yuqing was so infuriated by her mockery that she raised her hand to hit her again, but she was stunned by her words.

"If dad really can’t recover, do you think you can hold up the Zhong Family all by yourself?"

...

It wasn’t until evening that Zhong Jiping finally woke up.