Chapter 81: Lu Qingshan's Steady Responsibility, Li Jimin's Shocked Moment

The incandescent lamps in the Wan Gou Zhen hospital emitted a ghastly white light, casting a faint yellow hue on the walls along both sides of the corridor.

Lu Qingshan followed behind Chen Zhiguo, his steps neither fast nor slow, his face maintaining calm.

But he knew in his heart that today's matter would not be easy to handle.

In his previous life he was all too familiar with such drunken assault cases; back then he himself had gone to prison because of the same.

This time Lin Yueqiang's trouble was of a vile nature; if mishandled, it could lead to detention at best, imprisonment at worst.

In the ward came a suppressed wail and curses: "Break his hand! If my eyes really go blind, I won't let him go to prison; I'll take your family name!"

Chen Zhiguo stopped at the ward door, his brows knit: "The emotions are still quite agitated."

"Brother Chen, I'll handle it myself," Lu Qingshan said, pushing the door open.

In the ward, a middle‑aged man with thick gauze wrapped around his head lay on the bed; a piece of gauze also covered the corner of his right eye, his face bruised with bluish purple.

At the bedside stood several burly men, and a middle‑aged man in official attire, his eyes sharp, clearly a person of status.

"Who are you?" the official‑looking man scanned Lu Qingshan from head to toe.

"I am the victim's brother‑in‑law, Lu Qingshan of Shanwan Village," Lu Qingshan stood upright, his tone respectful yet not servile, "I came specifically to see the injured and to apologize to everyone."

"Apologies are useless!" a man in his fifties lunged forward, pointing at Lu Qingshan's nose, "Your brother‑in‑law blinded my brother in one eye; how do we settle this? If the police station doesn't give an answer, we'll sue the county!"

Lu Qingshan did not dodge, allowing the man's finger to come within a hair's breadth of his nose.

"Everyone, hold your temper," Chen Zhiguo stepped forward, "Lu Qingshan came specifically to visit and apologize; let's all stay calm."

The official‑looking man squinted: "You're the 'Lu Liehu' who hunts bears?"

Lu Qingshan gave a slight nod: "A stroke of luck."

The other's expression softened a bit: "I am the Lu Jia Tun branch secretary; this is my brother, also our village production team leader. The wound was sewn with seven stitches; we don't yet know what after‑effects the eye corner may have. The doctor said the cornea is injured and could affect vision."

The injured man groaned, "Brother, my eye hurts, everything looks blurry." His voice carried a hint of exaggerated pain, but the injury was indeed serious.

Lu Qingshan stepped forward half a pace: "My brother‑in‑law indeed acted wrongly; I apologize on his behalf. I will cover all medical and nutrition costs."

The injured man suddenly struggled to sit up: "Apologies are useless! If I really go blind, can you afford to compensate?"

The branch secretary's gaze fell on Lu Qingshan's face: "Does your brother‑in‑law often cause trouble?"

"He usually…" Lu Qingshan paused, offering no excuse for his brother‑in‑law, "He is indeed impulsive, but this time he was drunk and lost his senses. Regardless, hurting someone is wrong; whatever compensation is needed, just name it."

The words were neither servile nor arrogant; he neither defended Lin Yueqiang nor grovelled.

The injured man snorted: "Stop the act! You've already beaten him; now you pretend to be a good person?"

Lu Qingshan looked at the injured man with composure: "I truly came to make amends. I'm sorry for your injury; I've spoken with the hospital doctor, and the right eye's vision may be temporarily affected but will not go blind. Our family will see this through until you recover."

At that moment, the injured man suddenly coughed violently, his face turning blue, a "hoho" sound emanating from his throat, as if he were having difficulty breathing.

"Little Liu!" Wang Zhishu jumped in alarm, calling out, "Get a doctor quickly!"

Lu Qingshan's eyes sharp and hands swift, he covered two steps in three, reaching the bedside; his fingers pressed quickly on a spot on the injured man's neck while his other hand steadied the man's back.

This was an instinct he had honed after being released from prison in his previous life while working as a caregiver.

"Don't panic, it's a temporary airway spasm; I'll relieve it," Lu Qingshan's movements were practiced and precise, his tone steady, without any hint of panic, "He'll be fine."

Sure enough, after a few seconds the injured man's breathing steadied and his complexion softened.

The relatives and friends nearby were stunned; they hadn't expected this seemingly ordinary villager to possess such skill.

"You also know medicine?" Wang Zhishu asked in surprise.

Lu Qingshan shook his head: "I learned it while hunting in the mountains; I've encountered similar situations and know some emergency hemostasis and spasm‑relief techniques."

At that moment the doctor rushed in, and after examination he exhaled, "Nothing serious; it was likely a brief breathing difficulty caused by emotional agitation. Thanks to this Comrade's proper handling."

The injured man lay on the bed, the hostility in his eyes lessening, looking at Lu Qingshan with a complex gaze.

Wang Zhishu gave Chen Zhiguo a look, and the two walked aside to speak in low tones.

After listening, Chen Zhiguo nodded, walked to Lu Qingshan's side: "The family says that if we can settle the medical and lost‑wage costs on the spot, they are open to a private settlement."

Lu Qingshan asked, "How much?"

The Lu Jia Tun branch secretary held up three fingers: "Three hundred yuan."

In an era when a worker's monthly wage was only twenty‑to‑thirty yuan, three hundred was no small sum. But for Lu Qingshan now, the amount was not significant.

Lu Qingshan lowered his head, took out three hundred fifty yuan from his inner pocket, bills neatly stacked, and handed them to the Lu Jia Tun branch secretary.

"This is three hundred fifty yuan; the extra fifty shows our apology, hoping you'll buy more nutritional supplements."

The branch secretary clearly hadn't expected Lu Qingshan to be so generous, hesitated a moment before taking the money: "You… you carry this much cash with you?"

Lu Qingshan smiled: "When I'm out, that's all I bring."

That offhand remark made everyone present understand where his confidence came from.

The injured man's several relatives exchanged glances, clearly not expecting the matter to be resolved so smoothly.

They had originally thought this would become a months‑long drawn‑out dispute.

"This money is too easy to take, huh?" a young man muttered softly, only to be glared at by the Lu Jia Tun branch secretary.

The Lu Jia Tun branch secretary counted the money and said to the injured man: "Old Liu, look at this matter…"

The injured man stared at Lu Qingshan for a while, then sighed, "Fine, the money's in place; I don't want the holiday to be unpleasant. But that kid must come himself to apologize to me!"

"That's natural," Lu Qingshan turned to Chen Zhiguo, "Captain Chen, could you bring my brother‑in‑law here?"

Soon, Lin Yueqiang was brought into the ward. His complexion was pale, his legs weak; when he saw his sister and brother‑in‑law, a flash of surprise and a stroke of luck crossed his eyes.

"What are you still staring at? Quickly apologize to Master Liu!" Lu Qingshan said gravely.

Lin Yueqiang shivered in fear, hurried forward and bowed ninety degrees to the injured man on the bed: "I'm sorry, Master Liu, I drank too much, acted impulsively and hurt you; I… I truly realize my mistake!"

The injured man let out a cold snort, but said nothing further.

During the reconciliation procedures at the police station, Li Jimin witnessed Lu Qingshan's handling throughout.

From the initial calm analysis, to the familiar conversation with Captain Chen, to the composed response when facing the victim's family, and finally the decisive presentation of money.

All of this left Li Jimin shocked.

He originally thought that the trouble Lin Yueqiang got into this time would require him to pull strings everywhere, ask for favors, and probably wouldn't be easily resolved.

Unexpectedly, Lu Qingshan settled the matter with just a few words and a few hundred yuan.