"Auntie has been receiving treatment during this period, but you know about this disease. I, I can't..."
"How is this possible, how is this possible..."
Jinyun repeated these words in a daze as if he had lost his soul, his emotions on the verge of collapse running rampant in his mind, as if they were going to smash his brains to pieces.
"I have to go back, Sister Xi, I have to go back!"
"Auntie, she doesn't want you to know this, I..."
"It's already this hour, why are you still talking about this?"
Jinyun took out his cell phone and booked two of the fastest flights. They would depart in half an hour. As long as there were no accidents along the way, he would be home in two hours.
Yun Xi had no reason to stop him from going home. From the village in the city to the airport, and then to boarding the plane, the two of them didn't say a word. The depressing atmosphere was like a dark cloud before a storm, hanging over their hearts.
When the plane landed, it was already night. Yun Xi took a taxi and took Jin Yun to the hospital.
Even though it was already night, the hospital lobby was still busy with people coming and going.
Jinyun took the elevator to the inpatient department. The strong smell of disinfectant choked his nose, accompanied by a cold wind. Unreasonable fear eroded his pounding heart.
Yun Xi asked to arrange his mother in a single room. The door was tightly closed. Through the glass on the door, Jin Yun saw his mother lying on the hospital bed and his father guarding the bedside.
The two elders' hair was obviously much whiter than the last time they met.
He swallowed his saliva, gently opened the door, and was about to go in when his mother suddenly said to his father:
"Hey, Lao Jin, what time is it? Can I call my son now?"
"It's only eight o'clock. You've asked me several times. If you want to fight, just fight!"
"If I call him too early, what if he hasn't finished get off work yet?"
"Fight now!"
"If we fight him now, what if he hasn't eaten yet?"
"Oh, he can't talk while eating, right? You, on the other hand, should act more alert, so he won't notice you!"
"Don't worry, I've been practicing for a long time, there will definitely be no problem!"
The mother took a deep breath and took out her cell phone.
Seeing this scene, Jinyun hurriedly retreated, hid against the wall, and turned his phone to silent mode.
The next second, my mother's call came as expected.
He took several deep breaths to relax himself, then pressed the answer button under Yun Xi's worried gaze.
"Son, are you off work? Have you eaten yet?"
"..."
Jinyun lowered his voice and nodded to the air: "I'm off work, I just ate."
"That's good, that's good. Do you know what day it is today? It's your birthday! I haven't called you for a long time. I want to wish you a happy birthday."
"Thank you, thank you mom, you have to be happy too."
"I'm happy when you're well! Did you see the 200 yuan red envelope I just sent you? Eat something good on your birthday. You're out there by yourself, so take good care of yourself."
"You too, Mom, what are you doing now?"
"Me? Me..."
The mother pointed at the TV hastily and signaled to the father, who hurriedly turned on the TV and turned up the volume.
"I'm watching TV at home now. It's so good."
"...Mom, your voice sounds weak, are you sick?"
"No, no! I'm fine! Maybe I'm a little tired today. It's okay, don't worry."
"Oh, well, you must take care of yourself."
"You are the one. It's cold recently. Remember to wear the winter clothes Xiaoxi sent you. Stay up less late. Buy good food. Spend the money where it counts. Don't send it home. Tell your parents if it's not enough!"
"Mom, I, I have enough money. If you don't have money, you must tell me..."
"Okay, I know you have made it. Oh, you must be good and take good care of yourself. If your father and I are gone one day, you must live well."
"Mom, what are you talking about? It's not auspicious at all. You and Dad will definitely live a long life. I will work hard to make money and buy you a big house so that we can travel around the world together."
"Okay, okay, I'll wait. Son, why does your voice sound weird? Are you crying?"
"No, Mom, I-I was hurt by the spicy food I just ate."
"You, you, eat less spicy food, it's bad for your stomach."
Suddenly, the mother frowned, covered her lungs and took several deep breaths.
Jinyun saw it and felt as if his heart was being cut by a knife.
After a while, she picked up the phone again: "Son, that's it, I'll watch TV, everything is fine at home, don't worry."
"...Okay, love you mom, and dad."
"Yeah, we love you, too."
After hanging up the phone, Jinyun collapsed to the ground as if all the bones had been pulled out of his body. The white wall behind him was extremely cold, like a railing left outside in the middle of winter.
He resisted the urge to burst into tears, suppressed his emotions that were about to collapse and asked Yun Xi:
"Sister Xi, what should I do..."
"..."
Yun Xi was powerless to do anything about this kind of thing. Cancer was very similar to a disease she had seen before.
At that time, she felt as powerless as she does now facing the scorched earth.
Chapter 91 The Last Round (4K)
Jinyun followed Yunxi back to the clinic.
Yun Xi took down the sign that said "out of business", pulled down the shutter, and poured hot water for Jin Yun, who was sitting in a chair in a daze.
Jinyun's mind was filled with the scene he had just seen in the hospital. He did not dare to go in, because the scene of the lie being exposed would surely make his mother break down and cry.
But it is only a matter of time before this lie is exposed.
"It's late now. There's nothing to eat in the clinic. There's only bread and instant noodles. You can't eat instant noodles. Let me get you a piece of bread."
As Yun Xi spoke, he took out a bag of meat floss bread from the small refrigerator in the clinic, opened the package and handed it to Jinyun.
Jinyun had no appetite now. He glanced at the bread and shook his head tiredly:
"I'm not hungry and don't want to eat."
"No, you have to eat. You haven't eaten for more than ten hours since you came out of the cinema."
"But I really can't eat it."
"You have to eat even if you can't eat."
"Why do you have to force me? You're not my mother!"
"..."
Jinyun's face was full of anxiety. The sight of his mother suffering from illness in the ward made him extremely anxious, especially the feeling of powerlessness and despair in his heart which always hung over him like a dark cloud.
Yun Xi's well-intentioned concern made him seem particularly irritated in front of him when he was almost emotionally collapsed. In addition, the damn cold and fever kept tormenting his head, so he unconsciously raised his voice.
The next second, Jinyun realized that he had vented his low mood on one of the people who cared about him the most, and annoyance and regret surged into his heart along with anxiety.
He couldn't help but lower his head in self-blame, slowed down his voice again, and apologized in a guilty tone:
"I'm sorry, Sister Xi, I just, I just don't know what to do..."
"It's times like this that make it even more important to fill your stomach."
"But I really don't have an appetite right now..."
Before he could finish his words, Yun Xi suddenly and roughly stuffed the meat floss bread into Jinyun's mouth, and at the same time held his head with his other hand. His slender arms were like two mechanical clamps, and no matter how Jinyun resisted and struggled, he could not break free.
"You're right, I'm not your mother."
"But like I said, it's always my job to make sure you're healthy, both physically and mentally."
"To me, Auntie is also very important. Regardless of whether it is for the original oath or for her, I must take good care of you."
"What has happened cannot be undone, and decisions that have been made cannot be reversed. Fate is indeed ridiculous, but all you can do is accept it."
"If Auntie really can't make it through this, then you should fulfill your promise to her, take good care of yourself, and live well."
"Eat it, even if you cry. Let me see if you have the determination to never give up hope for tomorrow, and if you have the courage to grit your teeth and persevere."
The bread stuffed in his mouth made Jinyun only able to utter broken sobs. The scenes he witnessed in the hospital were like a steel knife, constantly cutting into his heart and digging out a large bloody hole.
Tears flowed down her cheeks onto the bread, which was then chewed and swallowed by Jinyun. Although she was very hungry and the bread smelled delicious, every bite was filled with the bitterness of reality, making it hard to swallow.
Yun Xi's hand that was pressing on his head gradually slowed down and turned into a gentle caress.
Her usually cold voice became as gentle as spring water at this moment, and every word she said fell into Jinyun's ears:
"There are many things in life that you can't get over. You have to believe that one day you will be able to calmly talk about the things that make you cry. Time will make all the things you can't get over pass, so you have to eat well and take good care of yourself."
Jinyun closed his eyes, and all his anxiety, despair, powerlessness and regret were swallowed along with the bread.
Half an hour later, Jinyun's emotions had returned to normal.
Adults are not qualified to collapse. No matter how painful it is, they have to seize the time to face reality.
"I have something for you."
Yun Xi walked to the door of the clinic's rest room and winked at Jin Yun, who stood up and followed with heavy steps.
She opened the door and made way for Jinyun.
The room behind the door had hardly changed from what Jinyun remembered: the narrow space, the monotonous white walls, the old air conditioner, and even the second-hand home game console he played as a child was still there.
There is also the single bed that left the deepest impression on me. It was covered with clean and tidy sheets, and on the wall at the head of the bed were photos of Jinyun's family.
"Here, it's still the same as before."
Jinyun said in a low voice, walked in and sat on the bed.
Yun Xi walked into the room after him, closed the door, walked to the desk, took out a bank card from the drawer and handed it to Jin Yun.
"what is this?"
"There's about a million yuan in the card. It's what I saved over the years of running the clinic. Take it first."
"what?!"
"Since the diagnosis, I have spent a lot of money on enhanced CT, PET CT, various tests, equipment, and medicine...
All these costs totaled tens of thousands after medical insurance reimbursement. If I choose to continue treatment, I have to be prepared to transfer to a hospital in a big city, which will cost even more.
You know the old couple's income situation. They have almost used up all their savings in the past three months, and they refuse to take my money.
You are the backbone of the family now, you have to have a plan on what to do."
Jinyun stared at Yunxi blankly, unable to say a word.
More than one million is undoubtedly an astronomical figure for 99% of working families.
Even if it was Yun Xi, taking out so much money at once would probably empty his family's savings.
Some people may think that running a clinic is a highly profitable industry, where you can earn millions a year by just picking up money from a sack and doing nothing.
But the profits from Sister Xi's clinic are not considered high income even for the working class.
Her small clinic can indeed be described as "busy", but the patients are basically neighbors and acquaintances, and most of those living in the old neighborhood are poor and elderly.
Sister Xi opened the clinic not to make money, but to cure diseases and save lives. Whether it is medicine or surgery fees, her prices are kept very low. She will even pay for the treatment of extremely poor elderly people out of her own pocket.
Many diseases can actually be cured by taking cheap medicine, but some clinics will specifically trick the elderly into buying drugs with extremely high profits.
In other words, if she was a little more ruthless and had less professional ethics, she would definitely be a super rich woman with tens of millions of assets.
Seeing Jinyun standing there in a daze without any response, Yunxi took the initiative to stuff the bank card into his hand.
