Chapter 85: Call an Ambulance!

She saw Su Ruan's gaze drift lightly over her, and in those clear eyes there was no mockery she had expected, not even much surprise, only a near‑indifferent calm.

It was as if she saw only an inconsequential stranger staging a farce that had nothing to do with her.

Then Su Ruan, as if nothing had happened, withdrew her gaze, gently slipped an arm around Jiang Ran's arm, tilted her head and whispered something to him.

Jiang Ran, hearing that, also glanced at Su Yanhua, but said nothing, followed Su Ruan's lead, paid the money, and took the soy‑milk and fried dough sticks handed over by the stall owner.

From start to finish, Su Ruan never gave Su Yanhua a second look.

She held Jiang Ran's arm, the two moved with natural intimacy, and walked straight toward the scallion‑pancake stall.

They even… didn't bother to utter a single cutting remark!

This complete disregard was more unbearable to Su Yanhua than any vicious mockery or fierce confrontation.

It shows that, in Su Ruan's eyes, Su Yanhua doesn't even qualify as an opponent.

Her struggle, her embarrassment, her humiliation, to the other party, were merely the futile efforts of ants, unworthy of any attention.

With a "Boom—" she felt all her blood rush back to her brain, her cheeks burning intensely.

An embarrassment and fury a hundred times worse than when Liu Mother had humiliated her seared her internal organs.

How could they, looking pristine and blissfully affectionate, stand aloft and look down on her disgrace?

How could Su Ruan so easily possess everything Su Yanhua desperately seeks, yet be stingy with even a single extra ounce of attention toward her?!

"What are you looking at! Got nothing better to do?!"

Su Yanhua snapped her head up and hysterically shouted at the onlookers around her, her voice hoarse and unpleasant.

The surrounding people were startled by her sudden outburst, averted their gazes, some lowered their heads to eat, others muttered "madman" and hurried away.

After all, no one wanted to provoke someone who was clearly out of control.

After that shout, Su Yanhua seemed drained of all strength.

She stared at the fried cakes and glutinous rice balls in the pot, now cooling and greasy, at the shabby three‑wheeler and the blackened stove, then at her oil‑ and flour‑stained hands and tattered clothes…

An indescribable sorrow and desolation replaced her anger, enveloping her tightly.

She flailed, dumping the unsold remnants haphazardly into the nearby waste‑water bucket.

Ignoring the heat, she scrambled to extinguish the stove, tossed the pots and pans onto the cart, pushed the rickety three‑wheeler, and fled from the place that had stripped her of dignity.

And all of this was witnessed in full by her mortal rival, Su Ruan.

Su Ruan and Jiang Ran had bought breakfast and were strolling leisurely home.

Jiang Ran held the soy‑milk, fried dough sticks and scallion pancake in one hand, while his other arm naturally looped around Su Ruan's waist.

"Tsk, I didn't expect to see such a scene," Jiang Ran said with a hint of amusement, "Su Yanhua is desperate, jumping the wall and setting up a stall? She should at least check if she's cut out for this."

Su Ruan took a bite of the crisp scallion pancake, her expression flat: "Whatever she is like, it has nothing to do with us."

She truly had no interest.

Su Yanhua's fortunes or misfortunes, her struggles or downfall, once she decided to cut ties with the past, were no longer matters Su Ruan needed to pay attention to.

Su Yanhua's provocation, jealousy, even her current embarrassment, to her, were merely insignificant noise.

Jiang Ran looked down at her, saw she truly seemed indifferent, and the fleeting pleasure he felt at seeing the disliked person embarrassed faded, replaced by admiration for his wife's magnanimous attitude.

He leaned in, quickly planted a kiss on her cheek, and said with a grin, "My wife is really magnanimous! Come on, let's go home for a meal! We still need to go to the Fabric Market to check out the new stock today!"

"Mm." Su Ruan curled the corner of her mouth, and squeezed back the hand he had around her waist.

……

Su Ruan and Jiang Ran, carrying the steaming breakfast, pushed open the front door, their faces still bearing the light smile from outside.

"Grandma, we've brought breakfast back! There's the scallion pancake you love!" Jiang Ran called out loudly, habitually looking toward the Main Hall.

Su Ruan laughed in response, "Grandma, the soy‑milk is especially fragrant today…"

Her words abruptly stopped.

The imagined scene of Grandma cheerfully greeting them never materialized.

The Main Hall was silent, even tinged with an unusual dead stillness.

An inexplicable chill instantly crawled up Su Ruan's spine.

"Grandma?"

Jiang Ran's smile froze; he raised his voice and called again, quickening his steps inward.

In the next instant, the two almost simultaneously saw a figure collapsed on the Main Hall floor.

She lay motionless, a small stool toppled beside her, and a few pieces of clothing that seemed just taken in and not yet folded were scattered nearby.

"Grandma!!"

The soy‑milk and fried dough sticks in Jiang Ran's hand "slapped" onto the floor, the scalding soy‑milk splashing his pant leg without him noticing.

He lunged forward in a single stride, his voice altered by extreme terror.

Su Ruan's heart seemed seized by an invisible hand, stopping instantly.

Her complexion turned ashen, the scallion pancake slipped from her hand, and she rushed forward right after.

"Grandma! Grandma, what's wrong? Wake up!"

Jiang Ran knelt on the ground, his trembling hands carefully lifting Grandma into his arms.

The elder's eyes were tightly shut, her face ashen, lips tinged purple, her breathing so weak it was barely perceptible.

"Jiang… Jiang Ran…"

Su Ruan's voice also trembled; she forced herself to stay calm, reached toward Grandma's breath, and felt her carotid pulse.

"She's still breathing, there's a pulse… Quick! Call an ambulance!!"

In this era, telephones were still rare, but fortunately Jiang Jianguo, as Factory Director, had installed one at home.

Jiang Ran, as if waking from a dream, gently laid Grandma flat and, almost crawling, scrambled toward the telephone set in the corner of the living room.

His hand shook badly; he had to spin the dial several times before finally dialing the hospital's number.

"Hey! Ambulance! Send an ambulance quickly! My grandmother has collapsed! The address is..."

Jiang Ran shouted into the microphone hoarsely, his forehead veins bulging, his eyes blood‑red.

Su Ruan knelt beside her grandmother, observing her condition while straining to recall the first‑aid knowledge she had learned in a previous life.

She dared not move her grandmother recklessly; she could only gently tilt her head to one side to keep the airway clear, continuously whispering,

"Grandmother, hold on, the ambulance is coming right away... can you hear me? Grandmother..."

Su Ruan's voice trembled with sobs, yet she forced herself not to shed any tears.

She knew that she could not act rashly now; Jiang Ran was on the brink of collapse, and she had to stay calm.

Time seemed to stretch infinitely, each second feeling like a torment in a hot oil pot.

After finishing the call, Jiang Ran rushed back to his grandmother's side, gripping her icy hand tightly, repeatedly calling "Grandmother," his voice full of helplessness and panic.

This fearless Chaos Demon King, at this moment, was as vulnerable as a child.

Su Ruan looked at her grandmother's lifeless face, her heart feeling like it was being torn by knives.

Grandmother was the kindest and most unconditionally loving person in the household, the first unreserved warmth Su Ruan felt in this unfamiliar era.

She dared not imagine what would happen if something were to befall her grandmother...

"Ambulance! It must be the sound of an ambulance!"

Jiang Ran jerked his head up, tilting his ear to listen for the faint siren in the distance; it was as if he had grasped a lifeline, and he gently released his grandmother's hand.

"RuanRuan, watch over Grandma! I'll go to the door and let them in!"