The younger sister mistakenly identified her brother when visiting relatives and was kissed by the c

As you exit the hospital building, a cool but not biting morning breeze greets you.

By this time, the red sun had fully risen on the horizon, and its golden rays shone on the somewhat mottled streets, making the frost and snow on the large-leaved privet trees along the roadside sparkle. Today was clearly a rare sunny and fine day.

Qiao Xinxin tightened her cotton-padded coat, picked up her cloth bag, and walked quickly back along the street paved with blue bricks.

Throughout the journey, her mind was like a clockwork, constantly calculating what words she should use to greet her parents when they met.

This matter absolutely cannot be downplayed. If Bai Zhengyuan only suffered a minor scrape, given his parents' doting nature, they might not think it's a big deal. However, if they later find out that their son was hospitalized, they will definitely blame her for keeping it a secret. But it also cannot be made too serious. If she lets slip that Bai Zhengyuan almost didn't make it off the operating table and went into shock due to excessive blood loss, Bai's mother, whose heart and high blood pressure were already not very good, would definitely have a relapse on the spot.

She had to strike the right balance, so that her parents would take it seriously without scaring them to death.

As I pondered this, I walked for more than twenty minutes before finally spotting my family's small restaurant with its wooden signboard in the distance.

By this time, the shop door was already open.

Mother Bai was sweeping the fallen leaves and dust from the previous night with a bamboo broom at the front door. In the kitchen, Father Bai, wearing an apron, was tidying up the ingredients on the cutting board in front of the stove. In the large iron pot, a large pot of water for making breakfast soup was boiling, making a muffled but cheerful "bubbling" sound, and white steam was rising straight out from the cracks in the window.

As Bai's mother was sweeping the floor, she caught a glimpse of a familiar, slender figure approaching from the street corner. She straightened up, wiped the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand, and when she recognized the person as Qiao Xinxin, a look of surprise appeared on her face.

She quickly put down the broom, dusted off her hands, and came to greet her.

"Xin Xin? You silly girl, why are you back so early today? Didn't you say on the phone yesterday that you were going to stay at a friend's house for a couple of days? Why are you rushing back so early this morning?"

Qiao Xinxin looked at her mother's concerned face and took a deep breath. Instead of rushing into the store, she reached out her slightly cold hand and took her mother's rough, calloused hands, softly saying:

"Mom, I have something to tell you. Don't panic, calm down."

Upon hearing her daughter's serious yet cautious tone, Bai's mother's heart skipped a beat, and her smile instantly froze. She gripped Qiao Xinxin's hand tightly, her voice trembling slightly:

"What happened? Xin Xin, don't scare Mom! What happened? Were you bullied outside?"

Qiao Xinxin quickly shook her head, trying to make her expression look relaxed and natural, before speaking slowly:

"Mom, it wasn't me. It was my brother. He sustained a minor injury while on a mission yesterday and is currently hospitalized at the military hospital. The doctor has given him a thorough check-up and said it's nothing serious; he just needs to rest for a few days and he'll be discharged soon."

"What?!"

Upon hearing the words "injured" and "hospital," Bai's mother seemed struck dumb, the broom in her hand falling to the ground with a thud. Her face instantly turned deathly pale, her eyes reddened, and her voice became shrill and distorted:

"Zhengyuan is injured?! Where is he hurt? How serious is it? Why did you only tell the family now! What happened to him yesterday?"

Seeing this, Qiao Xinxin thought to herself, "Just as I thought," and quickly stepped forward, tightly hugging Bai's mother's arm with both hands, gently comforting her:

"Mom! Don't worry, let me tell you slowly. It's really not serious. Yesterday, while chasing a fugitive in the primeval forest, he accidentally cut his leg on a branch and a sharp rock. The doctor cleaned the wound and stitched it up last night. He just looks a little weak because of the blood loss and needs to rest in the hospital for a few days. When I came back from the hospital just now, my brother was full of energy and even finished most of a bowl of millet porridge and a big steamed bun!"

After listening to her daughter's rapid-fire explanation and hearing that her son could still eat and drink, Bai's mother finally felt a slight sense of relief. However, her brows remained tightly furrowed, and tears welled in her eyes.

"Which hospital is he in? No, I don't feel at ease; I have to go see him now!"

"It's at the Military General Hospital, on the third floor of the inpatient department." Qiao Xinxin quickly stopped her, gently advising, "Mom, why don't you go this afternoon? My brother just took his medicine and has just fallen asleep. The doctor specifically instructed that what he needs most right now is rest; too many people going will only disturb his rest. I'm going to the hospital this afternoon to deliver his medicine anyway. After you and Dad close the shop tonight, we can go together to see him, okay?"

Mother Bai wiped her eyes, her heart pounding with anxiety, but she felt her daughter was right and couldn't let her son's rest be disturbed. She could only sigh and nod repeatedly.

"Okay, okay, I'll do as you say. Your dad and I will close the shop early this afternoon, make some extra chicken soup, and go check on him tonight."

As she spoke, Bai's mother suddenly paused. Her weathered eyes swept over Qiao Xinxin several times, and looking at her daughter's obviously tired face, she asked suspiciously:

"That's not right, Xin Xin. Last night...did you not go to any friend's house at all? Did you stay at the hospital with your brother all night?"

Caught off guard by her mother's words, Qiao Xinxin shrank back guiltily, lowered her head, and nervously twisted her small hands together, muttering softly:

"Mom... I was afraid you and Dad would worry too much and not be able to sleep at night. You're both getting old, and if you had known last night, you would have been frantic with worry. So I took the liberty of telling a lie..."

Looking at her daughter's pitiful appearance after doing something wrong, Bai's mother felt both heartache and anger.

She couldn't help but reach out her index finger and gently poke Qiao Xinxin's forehead, her tone full of tender reproach:

"You silly child! How could you be so reckless! Such a huge thing happened, and you still dared to hide it from the family and stay at the hospital alone. You know how to feel sorry and worried when your brother is injured, but you, a twenty-year-old girl, stayed at the hospital all night. Didn't your mother worry about you? What if something happened to you? How would I live?"