Life is Like a Journey – Chapter 67
by Little PandaVolume 2: Inheritance
Dispute
Lu Qingshi, you killed your own son!
“Lu Qingshi!” Not far from exiting the operating room, she was called to a halt. She turned around, and Xu Qiankun rushed up to her with an imposing manner.
The two stood by the glass curtain wall. Lu Qingshi had her hands in the pockets of her scrubs, quietly watching him emit thunder and lightning (fly into a rage).
“Since you came to the emergency department, I’ve treated you well, I believe. You want to do surgeries? Go ahead! I’ve even entrusted you with managing the ward, never interfering with your treatment plans. Why do you repeatedly obstruct my surgeries?”
Faced with the furious person, her expression remained calm: “Is that because you have other people you can use? You’re already spread too thin, indulging in power plays and profiting from various pharmaceutical companies.”
Xu Qiankun nearly choked on his anger, a mouthful of old blood stuck in the throat, almost unable to come up (extremely angry and frustrated). His face turned red as he pointed at her, trembling: “Don’t be too arrogant… When the hospital dean returns…”
“Fine, let’s go to the dean together and discuss how you’ve received at least a few million from Changsheng Biologics…”
Xu Qiankun interrupted her vehemently: “It’s not for the money, it’s to save more patients! How many doctors in the country have your skills? If the nanoknife is successfully promoted…”
Lu Qingshi’s expression turned cold. She had never interrupted someone so forcefully and impolitely before: “It’s for your papers! For your impact factor! You’re just using patients as test subjects!”
“Doesn’t medical progress always come with death?” Xu Qiankun calmed down from his outburst and looked at her: “Doesn’t Dr. Lu have a few innocent souls under her hands to achieve her current skills?”
“Super doctors like you are the ones who kill the most people.”
A crack opened in her memory.
“Lu Qingshi, you killed your own son!” Fu Lei roared, grabbing her collar.
Tears flowed freely down her face as Lu Qingshi, holding a bloodstained scalpel, lunged towards the operating table. She was restrained by several people, “seven hands and eight feet (hasty and disorderly manner).
In the struggle, her surgical cap was torn off, revealing her flowing black hair. Her eyes were bloodshot, the whites completely covered with red veins. Her blood-stained clothes made her look like Asura crawling out of hell.
She had never been so disheveled before. Crying, she begged Fu Lei to let her see Lele one last time, insisting she could find a way to wake him up.
The chaos in the hospital that day ended with security intervening. From that day on, her career at Xiehe Hospital came to an end.
“Lu Qingshi, you’re so arrogant and disrespectful. You’ll get your comeuppance sooner or later.”
The person opposite her continued to ramble on. She only saw their mouth opening and closing, spewing out many sentences she had heard before.
“Lu Qingshi must be crazy, using her own son for medical experiments. She’s completely lost heart and gone mad. She deserves to be punished.”
“Exactly. I just can’t stand her face, always smiling at everyone. Who knows what she’s really like behind closed doors.”
“It’s a shame for those chief professors who assisted her in surgeries. A moment of weakness, and their entire careers were ruined.”
“If you ask me, the most pitiful one is Dr. Fu. He finally had a son who could have lived a few more years without surgery, but he ended up with a crazy mother who sent him straight to the Yellow Springs. I heard Dr. Fu’s mother had a heart attack and was rushed to the emergency room when she heard the tragic news…”
That faint pain sensation spread throughout her body through the nerve endings. Lu Qingshi frowned. His face became blurry, indistinct. There were only many mouths chattering incessantly, spitting out all kinds of caustic sentences. She gradually felt short of breath, and the world started spinning.
“Qingshi!” A clear voice cut through the darkness, rescuing her into the light.
Gu Yanzhi put her hand on her forehead: “Are you alright?”
Lu Qingshi came to her senses, her face pale, struggling to sit up from his arms: “I’m fine…”
Xu Qiankun had long since disappeared. The empty corridor had only the two of them, with occasional passing medical staff casting curious glances their way.
Gu Yanzhi was still worried: “Let’s go get you checked out.”
Auditory and visual hallucinations caused by extreme mental stress weren’t uncommon for her. Lu Qingshi rubbed her brow: “It’s nothing. I’ve been too tired lately. I’ll be fine after some rest.”
Gu Yanzhi helped her up: “Then I’ll take you back.”
“I have outpatient clinic this afternoon,” she reflexively refused, but upon meeting her gaze, she quickly changed her mind: “How about you take me to the on-call room for a nap?”
Li Xiaole’s memorial service was held today at the Jinzhou Funeral Home. Colleagues who weren’t on duty all came. Xiang Nanke arrived last, dressed in all black with a white flower pinned to her chest, standing discreetly in the last row.
In the center of the memorial hall hung the portrait. In the photo, Li Xiaole wore his police uniform, looking simple and honest. She remembered that day when he first reported to the unit, and she had accompanied him to take that photo.
The coffin was covered with a vibrant Party flag. Everyone stood up and removed their hats in respect: “All rise and pay silent tribute to Comrade Li Xiaole’s remains!”
The family members were crying uncontrollably. Her lips moved, but she still lacked the courage to go and comfort them.
Li Xiaole’s tombstone was surrounded by chrysanthemums. Xiang Nanke went up to offer him a final toast of alcohol, with the aging police chief standing beside her.
“Do you know why we still let you wear this uniform?”
Xiang Nanke’s expression turned solemn: “Because there are still many people like Chen Guoli. As long as there’s life, the battle continues.”
“I remember the day you volunteered to join the criminal investigation team, you said, ‘Once in this line of work, one has already put life and death aside.’ We, the people’s police, are brave and fearless, never afraid of sacrifice. But we can’t sacrifice blindly. Everyone has a complete family behind them. Xiang Nanke, I hope you remember this lesson.”
Xiang Nanke raised her hand to her temple, giving a standard military salute: “Yes, Chief!”
Chief Li patted her shoulder, speaking earnestly: “Alright, go say a few words to Xiaole’s family. They don’t blame you. After all, this wasn’t just your choice alone, but also Li Xiaole’s choice as a people’s police officer.”
As she turned to leave, Chief Li added one more thing: “Also, pay attention to that case. According to reliable informants, a shipment will be coming from Yunnan soon. Keep a close eye on it.”
Xiang Nanke paused her steps: “I understand.”
“Next patient,” it was almost time to end the shift, but there were still a few patients left to see. Lu Qingshi took a sip of water and asked the nurse to call in the next patient.
A girl of about sixteen or seventeen came in, with short hair, wearing a red and white jersey, hugging a soccer ball. Her mother followed, talking incessantly.
“I’ve told you not to play soccer. You’re always neglecting your proper duties, just soccer, soccer all day! Look at your scores from the last mock exam! Instead of playing soccer, you should be improving your Math and English. Last time the teacher called me in for a talk – you couldn’t even score half on a 150-point test, and you still have the nerve to play soccer! It’s high time you settle down and focus and prepare for next year’s college entrance exam. Try to get into a good university. Your father and I…”
…
Lu Qingshi interrupted her lengthy speech: “What’s the problem?”
“It’s not me, it’s my daughter,” the parent pushed the girl to sit on the chair. “Look at this, how can her knee be in such a state from playing soccer!”
Lu Qingshi changed her gloves and leaned down to gently press the skin around the wound. It was bruised, swollen, and the injured area was covered with sand.
“It’s quite serious. I’ll clean the wound first, then we’ll get an X-ray to check it out.”
The nurse brought over the medical cart. Lu Qingshi used forceps to gently dab the wound with an iodine swab. Despite her gentle touch, the girl still trembled in pain but didn’t make a sound.
While looking down, a detail on the girl’s soccer shoes caught her eye. Lu Qingshi casually asked, “Do you play soccer often?”
The girl nodded: “Yes… I’ve been playing since elementary school. My dream is to represent China in the World Cup.”
Hao Renjie, standing nearby, scoffed: “Even the men’s team can’t make it, let alone the women’s. Your mother is right, young lady. You should settle down and focus and study hard.”
The girl’s face turned red with anger: “Who says it’s impossible… I…”
“Don’t move,” Lu Qingshi held her leg still, placing the forceps back on the tray and applying the dressing.
“Let’s do a tetanus skin test. How did you fall like this if you play soccer often?”
The girl’s mother let out an exclamation of exasperation: “That’s right, she didn’t even make it to the soccer field. She fell right outside our building. Isn’t that embarrassing?”
Hao Renjie burst out laughing, and the girl’s ears turned red as she glared at him: “I’m going to file a complaint against you!!!”
“Alright, alright, I’ll shut up,” Hao Renjie covered his mouth with his hand.
“Okay, take this slip to the injection room for a tetanus shot, then go get an X-ray. Do a CT scan as well.”
Lu Qingshi’s pen moved like a dragon and snake (writing quickly and gracefully) as she wrote another slip and handed it to the girl’s mother.
“It’s just a fall, is a CT scan really necessary?”
Lu Qingshi put the pen back in her pocket, her expression calm: “To be on the safe side, I recommend you do it.”
The girl’s mother grumbled, but seeing the title of Associate Chief Physician on Lu Qingshi’s badge, she hesitantly helped her daughter up and left.
“Is this Associate Chief Physician reliable? She looks about the same age as me…”
The girl’s mother muttered as they walked away down the corridor.
“Next patient.” The moonlight outside the window was deep. Lu Qingshi saw off the last patient and was tidying up the medical records on her desk when the girl’s mother rushed in frantically.
“Doctor, doctor, the CT results are out. Please take a look.”
Even though it was past her shift, Lu Qingshi took the results and carefully examined them under the viewing light.
The lab colleagues must have already given her some advice, as the girl’s mother watched her nervously.
After a while, Lu Qingshi took off her glasses: “She needs to be hospitalized, right now.”
“Arrange for an urgent blood test and biochemistry panel. You’ll do the needle biopsy,” Liu Qingyun nodded as she put on her gloves. Hao Renjie brought over the biopsy needle.
The girl’s mother hugged her daughter’s head, not letting her look, while the nurse administered local anesthesia.
The sharp needle pierced deep into the skin of her other leg. The girl felt a slight coolness, and quickly a tube of purulent blood was drawn.
Liu Qingyun placed it in a low-temperature storage box: “Send it to pathology.”
“Come to the hospital quickly. Your daughter is already hospitalized, why are you still playing mahjong? The doctor said the situation doesn’t look good…”
The girl’s mother was in the stairwell corner, covering the phone receiver as she spoke. The sound of mahjong tiles being shuffled came through the phone.
“It’s not confirmed yet, just tell me when it’s diagnosed… Come on, let’s continue. ‘pure suit dragon’ (a winning hand in mahjong) – I win!”
After the biopsy, the other test results wouldn’t be available until tomorrow. Lu Qingshi was stretching, preparing to end her shift, when the girl who had been lying in the hospital bed limped out after her.
“Auntie… will I not be able to play soccer anymore?”
The girl’s face looked gloomy. She was wearing her favorite Ronaldo number 7 jersey, which hung loosely on her frame.
Girls her age could already understand some things. Lu Qingshi didn’t want to say much: “Let’s wait for the test results.”
“I have the right to know the truth,” the girl took a couple more steps forward.
Seeing her walking with difficulty, covered in sweat, Lu Qingshi stopped.
“You might not be able to play soccer for a while. This ‘while’ could be a few months, or it could be years, maybe even a lifetime.”
This was the best-case scenario. If the pathology results came back malignant, survival itself would be a question.
“Is that so…” The girl’s gaze dimmed for a moment, then she smiled again. “It’s okay. Whether it’s months or years, I’ll make it to the World Cup someday. When that time comes, I’ll invite you to watch the match, doctor.”
Lu Qingshi shook her head, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. She had long passed the age of being overly optimistic.
The new month’s medical journal was out, and Xu Qiankun couldn’t find his paper even after flipping to the end. Instead, he saw two familiar names on the last few pages: Lu Qingshi and Yu Gui. Furious, he threw the journal away and slammed his hand on the coffee table. Tea spilled from the glass onto the luxurious carpet.
The phone rang for a long time before it was answered. Yu Gui, holding the money she had just collected from the post office, was ecstatic: “Zhiyou, my first medical paper has been published! The remuneration is a whole 500 yuan. I can buy you some good food, and save the rest to come see you…”
A gentle voice came through the receiver, and she could hear her laughing too: “Congratulations, Xiaogui. Does this mean we’re one step closer to meeting? It feels like it hasn’t been long since I last saw you, but I’m already missing you terribly…”
Warmth spread through her heart. Yu Gui used two yuan in change to buy four steamed buns from a small stall: “Mm… I’m planning to take some time off during the Mid-Autumn Festival to go back and see my mom, and also meet you.”
“That’s great, we can…” A teammate’s voice came through the earpiece: “What are you doing? Hurry up, we’re preparing for the city battle.”
Fang Zhiyou covered the receiver: “Xiaogui, I’m a bit busy right now. Can I call you back in half an hour?”
Yu Gui’s voice dimmed: “What’s so urgent…”
Fang Zhiyou laughed, wishing she could pat her head: “Of course, it’s about making money.”
“You’re playing games again. How much money can you make from games?” Before she could finish complaining, she heard the call disconnect.
Yu Gui felt disappointed. Looking at the city’s dazzling lights, she suddenly felt that there was no one here to share her joys and sorrows. She silently finished the four now-cold buns, tucked the money into her pocket, and hopped on the bus heading to the hospital.
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