Life is Like a Journey – Chapter 4

Volume 1: Rise

Delivery

She is not a family member.

Hongrui Archery Club.

There are usually no customers at noon, and the receptionist was dozing off on the table.

The wind chime at the store entrance rang, and the receptionist looked up to see a woman in white casual sportswear standing at the door.

“Hello, Miss. Do you have a reservation?”

Lu Qingshi took out a golden membership card and placed it on the table.

The receptionist immediately straightened up with respect: “Hello, Miss Lu. This way, please.”

Passing through the hall with the plaque “Prosperity in Martial Endeavors,” they entered the archery area, where rows of recurve bows¹ were quietly arranged under the lights.

This is an 18M standard track, suitable for most ordinary people or beginners. However, the receptionist continued to lead her inside.

Until they passed through the rest area, the 50M track opened up, with only two bow positions. One side had quivers, and the other side had simple tables, chairs, and parasols.

A server brought a drink.

“Miss Lu, please wait a moment. The compound bow² you ordered from our store will be delivered soon.”

Lu Qingshi responded and took off her jacket, draping it over the chair back while doing warm-up exercises. After finishing the night shift, there was always a short afternoon to rest. If there was nothing to do, she would either stay at home reading medical books or come out to exercise. Archery was a habit influenced by the archery culture she encountered while studying in Japan.

However, in China, there were very few archery clubs with professional tracks over 50M, and even fewer clubs that provided compound bows. She had found this one by chance in an alley in Jinzhou City.

Ordinary people use recurve bows, but she found them too light and had played with them in school. So, she insisted on using a compound bow for practice, and the poundage³ had once increased to ten pounds.

Soon, a brand-new bow and arrow were delivered. Lu Qingshi sized it up in her hand and was quite satisfied. The customer service staff next to her kept praising how beautiful and sturdy the bow was, saying Miss Lu had good taste.

Lu Qingshi had already raised the bow, hooked the string with her right hand, her eyes fixed on the target paper opposite. She slowly adjusted her breathing, and when her eye, the sight, and the aiming point were aligned, her right shoulder suddenly exerted force. The arrow flew swiftly like a meteor, leaving only a faint shadow in the air before firmly embedding itself in the target paper.

A bullseye on the first shot. Someone applauded.

“It’s been a while, Miss Lu, and you’re still so impressive!”

On the other side of the archery range stood a man holding a recurve bow, eager to try.

“Mr. Li, don’t you want to try a compound bow?” She handed the bow and arrow over, but he shook his head, drew his bow, and hit the nine-ring on his first shot.

“No, I got injured when I was in the military a few years ago and can’t handle anything too heavy.”

Lu Qingshi said no more. She drew another arrow from her quiver, drew her bow, and shot arrows until she had shot sixty in total, breaking into a slight sweat. She put down her bow and drank the drink on the table in one gulp.

“Leaving now.”

Mr. Li waved his hand: “See you next time.”

When she came out of the shower, Mr. Li was leading someone in. “Why didn’t you let me know when you returned to Jinzhou, so I could pick you up?”

He punched the person’s shoulder, and the person laughed heartily: “Isn’t this to see you, brother?”

It was a young woman with chestnut hair.

Lu Qingshi glanced over and stepped aside. The fresh lemon scent wafted into her nose. Gu Yanzhi glanced back and saw the person wearing a tight vest, hair wet and draped over her shoulders, with long and muscular arms hanging a towel.

She also punched her comrade: “Nice, you, hiding a beauty.”

“Hey, she’s not! A client! Very impressive, let me tell you…” He patted his biceps: “Can pull a ten-pound compound bow.”

Gu Yanzhi sneered, twirling the recurve bow he had played with in his palm: “So what? I can do that too. But since you said so, I’m interested. Next time, let’s have a match.”

When she got home, it was already six in the afternoon. Lu Qingshi put her bag on the entrance, squatted down to change her shoes, and pressed the light switch. The room was cold and silent, with only the necessary furniture, overly tidy. A single hair on the marble floor would be picked up cleanly. Her meticulousness not only showed in her work but was even more so in her life.

After washing her hands three times with soap, she walked into the kitchen, put water in the small milk pot, and turned on the gas. While waiting for the water to boil, she took vegetables from the fridge, washed them clean, and took out an egg for extra nutrition. This was her fixed meal every late return. Single and living alone, she didn’t have the mood or time for complicated dishes. She wasn’t picky about food; filling her stomach was enough.

Soon, a steaming bowl of vegetable noodles was on the table. Lu Qingshi had just sat down.

A commotion came from outside the door.

“Damn! If you’re going to fake an accident, at least pick a rich target! Dude? Dude! Don’t lie at my door…” Gu Yanzhi looked around, seeing the deliveryman who had just handed her the delivery fall to the ground, motionless. She pushed his shoulder vigorously, but there was no response.

“Are you serious? Even scammers are this dedicated nowadays?” She reached for his carotid artery, barely detectable. She broke out in a cold sweat.

“Help! Is anyone around?” She shouted while fumbling for her phone: “Someone’s dying!”

The door of the next room swung open, and a woman in a black tight vest and striped shorts ran over.

She deftly took off the delivery guy’s helmet and slightly loosened his collar: “Patient’s age, name, medical history…”

Gu Yanzhi was bewildered: “Huh? I don’t know… I was just here to get food.”

Lu Qingshi turned the person to a lateral position. After pausing, she felt warmth on her hand. The patient coughed a few times, spitting out some bloody foam, and his face turned pale.

Lu Qingshi’s expression also became serious: “I don’t care who you are, you need to come to the hospital with me.”

Seeing the increasing amount of blood on her hand, Gu Yanzhi didn’t dare delay. She exerted some force to lift the person onto her back.

“I’ve already called 120. Let’s get him downstairs first.”

The middle-aged man, although thin, was still over a hundred pounds. In the old six-story building without an elevator, Lu Qingshi hesitated: “Can you manage?”

Although the woman seemed taller than her by half a head, she was just as thin. If she couldn’t carry the patient halfway, it would cause secondary injuries.

“Don’t worry.” The woman adjusted the person on her back, smiled slightly, and Lu Qingshi didn’t say more, jogging downstairs together.

The ambulance was already waiting downstairs. She climbed in and took out adrenaline⁴ from the emergency kit. The stretcher followed, and the sharp needle steadily pierced the patient’s skin. Orders were issued methodically.

“Establish an intravenous line.”⁵

“Balance solution, open the infusion speed to the maximum.”

The nurse glanced at the life monitor: “Doctor Lu, the blood pressure is still not coming up!”

“Open another intravenous line.” Lu Qingshi’s forehead was slightly sweaty. She pushed another dose of adrenaline: “Hemorrhagic shock, take samples, notify the blood bank to prepare blood!”

The ambulance wailed and sped towards the hospital. At this moment, Gu Yanzhi finally felt the severity of the situation. As soon as they arrived at the hospital, the green channel was opened, and Hao Renjie was the first to grab the stretcher.

“One, two, three!” Yu Gui also lent a hand. They pushed the stretcher swiftly, with Lu Qingshi kneeling on it, performing a tracheal intubation.⁶ They went straight into the emergency room without any obstacles.

Once connected to the ECG monitor, the machine kept beeping. Despite pushing two doses of adrenaline, the blood pressure didn’t rise much.

“Do an angiography⁷, notify gastroenterology⁸ for a consultation.” She threw the stethoscope around her neck, still wearing her home vest. Hao Renjie couldn’t help but joke amidst the busy moments: “Doctor Lu, you’re dressed quite cool today.”

Indeed.

Yu Gui couldn’t help but sneak a few glances while calling gastroenterology.

Her hair was tied into a simple ponytail at the back of her head, revealing her slender collarbones without the obstruction of hair. Her arms were muscular, with long legs and a slim waist. She was still wearing slippers, looking more humane than when she usually wore a white coat.

Soon she paid a heavy price for this realization.

“Doctor… Doctor Lu… Gastroenterology said… they also have surgery… can’t come down for now… asked us to hold the emergency first…”

Yu Gui held the phone carefully.

Lu Qingshi asked while operating the endoscope: “What did you say?”

“I…” Yu Gui’s voice was light and soft: “I said… Emergency requests you to come down for a consultation…”

Hao Renjie grabbed the receiver, speaking quickly and sharply: “Hello? Who am I? I’m Hao Renjie from Emergency. Let me tell you, if you don’t come down, this patient will bleed to death on the operating table. Blood everywhere! Who are you scaring? I’m not scaring you! Anyway, the medical director is here. If we can’t save him, it’s your gastroenterology’s responsibility!”

He hung up with a snap.

Yu Gui was dumbfounded.

Two minutes later, the gastroenterologist ran into the emergency room, panting: “I… I say… can you stop scaring us with the medical director every time…”

“Stop talking nonsense.” Although Lu Qingshi spoke little, every word hit hard: “If you can’t find the bleeding point, the person will really die.”

The gastroenterologist immediately shut up and picked up the other endoscope: “I’ll mark it, you assist with hemostasis.”

Half an hour later, the emergency room lights went out, and the patient was pushed out with tubes inserted. Gu Yanzhi sighed in relief: “Can I leave now?”

“No, you can’t. The fee hasn’t been paid, and subsequent treatment requires family signatures.” Hao Renjie had seen enough strange family members who refused to pay but still wanted treatment, more excited than anyone.

Lu Qingshi took off her mask and threw it into the trash can: “She’s not a family member.”

“?????” Hao Renjie’s suspicious gaze shifted between the two, and Yu Gui also curiously sized up the unfamiliar woman.

Chestnut shoulder-length hair, a washed-out jacket, camouflage pants, black combat boots. This outfit might look strange on others, but on this woman, both her temperament and appearance carried it off. She was taller than most women, estimated over 175cm, making her seem unapproachable when not smiling, but her smile was like the warm sun in winter, full of warmth and strength.

It was a smile hard to refuse, radiating natural warmth.

Yu Gui could only return a friendly smile.

“So I still can’t leave, Doctor Lu?”

Lu Qingshi nodded: “Correct, until we contact his family.” She added as she turned: “Don’t forget to pay the emergency fees.”

Gu Yanzhi groaned and collapsed on the hospital bench.

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1. Recurve Bows: These are traditional bows with curved tips that return to their original shape when not drawn. They’re common in beginner archery.
2. Compound Bow: This is a modern bow that uses a system of pulleys to make drawing the bowstring easier. It is typically more powerful and accurate than a recurve bow.
3. Poundage: The amount of force required to pull the bowstring. Higher poundage means the bow is harder to draw but can shoot arrows more powerfully.
4. Adrenaline: A hormone used in emergency medicine to treat severe allergic reactions and other critical conditions. It helps to increase heart rate and blood pressure.
5. Intravenous line: A tube inserted into a vein to deliver fluids and medications directly into the bloodstream.
6. Tracheal intubation: A medical procedure where a tube is inserted into the airway to help a patient breathe, usually done in emergencies or during surgery.
7. Angiography: A medical imaging technique used to visualize the inside of blood vessels and organs, usually to check for issues like bleeding or blockages.
8. Gastroenterology: A branch of medicine that focuses on the digestive system and its disorders.