Chapter 3 - HAPPY TO HAVE A NEW SISTER
Both Han Ying Wei and Qin Zheng were promptly taken into the ambulance. Assistant Tong had given Han Luo to Han Changhong as he had left with Officer Zhao Jie to be questioned. With much hesitance, Han Luo and her uncle had decided to sit beside their two dear family members on the ambulance.
Han Luo had become unusually silent. She tugged nervously on Han Changhong's reddened sleeve. "Hungry, uncle, hungry."
Han Changhong didn't have anything to give the poor girl, but he strived to keep her morale high. He stroked her small head gently and whispered, "Wait a little more, Luo'er. We will arrive soon."
Han Luo looked up to see her uncle's face. "Uncle… home… home?"
"Yes, Luo'er, we are going home." His hands were trembling as though he were caught up in the cold.
The paramedic monitoring Qin Zheng suddenly stated, "The patient is not breathing."
"What did you say?" his colleague immediately responded.
"Mommy?" Han Luo's eyes had begun to swell. She sensed that her mother was in pain.
Han Changhong hugged his niece tightly, in hopes that she could not even peek at her parents. "Luo'er, why don't you try to sleep? When you wake up, uncle will buy you whatever food you want."
"I want home…" Little Luo wanted nothing but to go home and spend time with her mother and father – her two rays of light.
"Your uncle promises you to take you home." Han Changhong pledged as his heart twitched in pain.
The ambulance had driven to a local rural hospital with underdeveloped equipment. The Vice President had realized that there was no bright chance for this hospital to have sufficient facilities to save his family.
Han Ying Wei was still breathing but he had broken three ribs and damaged his spinal cord, leaving him in a coma. His brother quivered at the sight, cursing himself, thinking that God should have just taken Han Ying Wei instead of leaving him with a life of suffering.
Qing Zheng's case was unlikely to show any improvement. She was taken into cardiac arrest, and following external cardiopulmonary resuscitation, her heart started beating again. But this was short-lived. Despite the attempts to save her, Qing Zheng's internal injuries were too extensive. The resuscitation attempts and the internal cardiac massage were both unsuccessful. Qing Zheng's heart had been displaced to the right side of her chest, which tore the pulmonary vein and the pericardium. The doctors had spent three hours fighting for her, but Qing Zheng's inevitable death had soon dragged her into eternal darkness.
Meanwhile, little Han Luo drifted into a peaceful slumber, innocently unaware of the distressing truth that awaited her.
The next morning, Han Ying Wei's body was transferred to the military hospital in the city where the Han family lived. Han Changhong's soul felt hollow. He couldn't save his family, nor could he even take little Luo to her own home as he promised. The troubled Vice President was shrouded in guilt, so he decided to take his niece to the family main house.
Han Luo was left in the dark about her mother's death and her father's coma. Eventually her mind had forgotten about the disaster, but she still remembered the perpetual love of her parents.
There were three children in the main house; however, after Han Luo arrived in the main house, she wasn't able to talk to her aunt and three cousins. Du Liu, who was Han Luo's aunt and Han Changhong's wife, was already out on a trip to visit her parents, and she had taken her two younger daughters with them. Du Liu's son, Han Sheng Ming, was at his friend's house. But both of their day outs were cut short after hearing the tragic news about their fellow family members. Qing Zheng's funeral had been arranged.
Du Liu and her son had to hastily return to the main house, with the mother leaving her daughters at her parents' house – she felt that it wasn't right for the children to be at the funeral. Du Liu knew that she would be too busy to take care of her daughters during this period of dejection.
However, the one child that did have to share with the adults' low spirits was Han Sheng Ming, the next head of the Han Family. He was expected to attend the funeral. Although Han Sheng Ming was still relatively young, he was the only child who somewhat understood the current situation.
The day of the funeral had come.
Han Luo, who knew nothing about life and death, wore black traditional clothes to pay respect to her deceased mother, but little Luo thought that these clothes were just a new outfit.
The sunlight was barricaded by an army of clouds, and arrows of tears shot down onto the ground. Han Luo felt confused and agitated, especially when all the strangers around her were crying. She disliked this tense atmosphere; she wanted the comfort of her parents, not the comfort of outsiders.
Out of the sea of new faces, Han Luo could only recognize the wilted appearance of Han Changhong. She stumbled her way to him and tugged on his black pants. "Uncle, home… let's go…" Little Luo remembered that her uncle promised to take her home, but he never kept that promise. The promise could no longer be kept. Han Changhong's countenance remained statue-like.
Han Changhong remembered his younger brother, Han Cheng. He was only fourteen years old and was a middle school student, making him the youngest Han brother.
After he was born, Mrs. Han died due to an unexpected illness. Their father, Major General Han, loved his wife dearly. Her death had left a scar on him so deep that he retired from the army and fled the country, only to leave his three sons behind. The feeling of their father's neglect was a feeling Han Changhong did not want his niece to feel.
This very day, Han Cheng didn't go to school because he had to attend his sister-in-law's funeral. He felt devastated – though, for him, 'devastation' was an understatement. Han Cheng refused to accept the death of his favorite sister-in-law. His tears confined him, restraining him from meeting anyone. He didn't even see his loveable niece, little Han Luo.
After the funeral, the Han Family had returned to the main house. Han Changhong met with his son, Han Sheng Ming. "Take care of your cousin," he declared, "as from this moment, you are Luo's big brother. Protect her like how a big brother would protect his little sister, all right?"
Han Sheng Ming nodded firmly. "I will protect little Luo Luo from harm."
"That's my boy." Han Changhong hugged him tightly, yet stiffly.
Han Sheng Ming went to Han Luo's new bedroom only to find her already sleeping. There was still a droplet of tears hanging on her eyelashes. Young Sheng Ming smiled painfully as he ruffled his cousin's black silky hair and said, "Little Luo Luo, you are my sister now. I will protect you because big brothers protect their little sisters."
Two days flew by as Han Luo spent most of her time sleeping, perplexed with what to do in this unknown environment. As she woke up from her deep sleep, she noticed that Han Sheng Ming was sitting beside her. "Cousin Ming?"
Han Sheng Ming gave her a radiant smile. "Little Luo Luo, from now on, call me big brother."
Han Luo tilted her head in wonder. "Big brother Ming?" She was always a quick learner.
Ming's overcast sadness was cleared by the sight of his little cousin. He felt as though his heart was pierced by a gleaming dart, as he admired her innocent cuteness. He hugged her little body securely.. "My Luo Luo is so cute! I don't want to see you sad."