STT – Chapter 36

by Little Panda

You Need to Be Mentally Prepared

Jiang Huaixi’s fever had come and gone intermittently for two days in the hospital. By the fourth day, her temperature had finally stabilized to normal. She had been thinking about what Mother Lu said—wanting to have a chat with her. Jiang Huaixi wasn’t sure what exactly Mother Lu wanted to talk about, but she had a rough idea. It probably wasn’t just simple small talk to pass the time; it likely had to do with her rejection of Zizheng a few days earlier. At the thought, her eyes darkened. She closed them in pain and gradually lost herself in thought.

Around noon, Jiang Huaixi got out of bed, changed clothes, tidied herself up, slung on her bag, and walked out of her hospital room, ready to leave. Jiang Wang came by on rounds and tried to stop her in surprise, but Jiang Huaixi said coolly, “Didn’t you say my fever broke and I could be discharged in two days? Today is exactly the second day.”

Jiang Wang stood with one hand in her white coat and the other holding a stack of books she had brought from Jiang Huaixi’s home to help her pass the time. She frowned at Jiang Huaixi and said with displeasure, “You really are the most uncooperative patient I have ever seen.”

Jiang Huaixi reached over and took the books from Jiang Wang’s hands, smiling faintly. “Thank you. You really are the most thoughtful doctor I have ever had.”

Jiang Wang raised an eyebrow. “So? Are you so moved you’re going to stay?”

Jiang Huaixi turned and left, leaving her a carefree silhouette. “Not at all. I’m still leaving. Have a good day at work, Doctor Jiang.”

Jiang Wang leaned against the wall, hands in the pockets of her white coat, watching Jiang Huaixi’s retreating figure. She shook her head helplessly.

At noon, Jiang Huaixi ate at home, figured Mother Lu probably hadn’t started her nap yet, and called her to say she planned to come over for dinner that evening—would Mother Lu have her?

Mother Lu, naturally, agreed happily. “Of course I’ll have you! Auntie has been looking forward to it for days—I couldn’t ask for more. I’ll make your favorite eel soup tonight. You’ve been looking a bit pale these past few days, so it’s just the thing to nourish you.”

Jiang Huaixi was surprised and touched by Mother Lu’s attentiveness. “Okay, thank you, Auntie.”

Mother Lu said warmly, “What are you thanking me for? We’re family—no need for formality.”

A little past three in the afternoon, Jiang Huaixi put on light makeup to hide the pallor of her recent illness and brought some stomach-nourishing supplements to Mother Lu’s place. She figured if she went over at this hour, she could help Mother Lu prep dinner.

When she arrived at Mother Lu’s door, Jiang Huaixi reached for the doorbell, only to find the door was left slightly ajar. She felt a flicker of doubt—Mother Lu lived alone and, for safety, always kept the door shut. She frowned, wondering if it had been left open for her.

Jiang Huaixi gently pushed the door open. Before she could even step inside, she saw Mother Lu lying face-down on the entryway floor, both hands still gripping two full bags of groceries.

Jiang Huaixi’s heart nearly skipped a beat. She panicked instantly, lunging through the door and crouching beside Mother Lu. She gently turned Mother Lu over and laid her flat, her voice long stripped of its usual composure, crying out in frantic urgency, “Auntie, Auntie, what happened? Auntie…”

But Mother Lu lay motionless, her face pale, her breathing rapid and feeble.

Jiang Huaixi’s hands trembled so badly it took her two or three tries to fish her phone out of her bag. She speed-dialed Jiang Wang with one hand while, with the other, shakily unbuttoned the collar of Mother Lu’s clothing, hoping to help her breathe more easily.

The phone rang for barely three seconds before it connected.

Before Jiang Wang could speak, Jiang Huaixi said urgently, “Jiang Wang, listen to me. I’m at Zizheng’s mother’s place. You’ve been here before—do you remember the way?”

Jiang Wang replied steadily, “Yes, I remember.”

Jiang Huaixi wasted no time giving instructions. “Auntie has collapsed. Send an ambulance here immediately, and have Director Wang stand by in the emergency room right away.”

Jiang Wang didn’t hesitate for a moment. “Okay. Right away.” Then she hung up.

Jiang Huaixi hung up and softly called “Auntie” twice more, but Mother Lu still didn’t respond. She carefully lowered Mother Lu’s head, ran into the bedroom, and came back with a blanket and a pillow. She draped the blanket over Mother Lu and propped the pillow under her feet.

Then Jiang Huaixi knelt beside Mother Lu, frantic with worry as she waited for the ambulance, while dialing Lu Zizheng’s number over and over. But every time, after a long wait, came the same automated response: “Hello, the number you have dialed is not answering at the moment…” She called dozens of times, all with the same result. She bit her lip, her eyes reddening with frustration and fear…

In less than ten minutes, Jiang Wang arrived with the paramedics at top speed.

Jiang Huaixi watched the medical staff carefully lift Mother Lu onto a stretcher, still kneeling on the ground. Her legs were so numb and weak she couldn’t quite stand, and her face was deathly pale, drained of the slightest color.

The medical staff carried Mother Lu out first. Jiang Wang stayed behind and reached back to pull Jiang Huaixi up. With Jiang Wang’s support, Jiang Huaixi finally stood. The moment she was upright, she strode toward the door to catch up with the others, but a wave of dizziness hit her and she swayed.

Jiang Wang gripped her firmly, steadying her. “Are you okay?”

Jiang Huaixi closed her eyes, tilted her head back, and took a deep breath. She opened her eyes, shook her head, and said quietly, “I’m fine. Let’s hurry.”

In the ambulance, Jiang Huaixi sat beside Mother Lu and called Lu Zizheng several more times—still the same maddening automated message.

It was the first time Jiang Huaixi had ever been this angry at Lu Zizheng—so furious she wanted to hurl the phone from her hand.

She crouched down and leaned close to Mother Lu’s ear, pleading softly, “Auntie, you have to be okay. Zizheng is still waiting for you to welcome her home…”

“Auntie, Zizheng is coming back soon. You have to get better quickly. You don’t want her to worry, right…”

“Auntie, you couldn’t bear to leave Zizheng, could you? You said you would never leave her…”

“Auntie, Zizheng has only you. She only trusts you. You couldn’t bear to see her in pain either, could you? Auntie. Please…” By the end, her voice had dissolved into a barely audible sob.

Jiang Huaixi knew all too well how important Mother Lu was in Lu Zizheng’s heart. During those years when Lu Zizheng had lost the will to live, the one pillar that kept her going, that kept her in this world, was Mother Lu. And now, if even Mother Lu were to leave, she couldn’t fathom how completely Lu Zizheng’s world would shatter.

Seeing Mother Lu lying there so weak and unconscious, Jiang Huaixi felt her own heart wrenched beyond endurance. She couldn’t bear to imagine how Zizheng would face such a painful, terrible truth…

Outside the emergency room, Jiang Huaixi held the critical condition notice in her hand. She thought of Director Wang’s words just now: “Huaixi, the patient has gastric perforation with massive bleeding, and there are signs of long-term medication use. The preliminary diagnosis is late-stage gastric cancer. You need to be mentally prepared.” Heavy tears finally rolled down her cheeks.

She was consumed with self-blame and grief. When Mother Lu had stomach pain before, she should have insisted, together with Lu Zizheng, that she go to the hospital for a checkup. How could she have just let it go? In her heart, she said “I’m sorry” to Lu Zizheng over and over—sorry for not helping her take care of Mother Lu. She said “I’m sorry” to Mother Lu over and over—for not discovering it sooner, for letting her bear the pain of this secret all alone. She was so stupid.

Jiang Huaixi stopped her tears, suppressed the guilt and grief inside her, and pulled out her phone to call Lu Zizheng again. It was still that same cold automated voice: “Hello, the number you have dialed…” Before the system could finish, Jiang Huaixi hurled the phone away. Her pale face flushed crimson with fury, her fists clenched so tight her knuckles cracked.

Jiang Wang, worried about Jiang Huaixi’s condition, had stayed with her outside the emergency room until the notice came, then went to her office to get heart rescue pills¹ for Jiang Huaixi. Seeing Jiang Huaixi’s outburst, Jiang Wang paused, let out a heavy sigh, walked over, and poured out the pills for her.

Jiang Huaixi didn’t even look and tried to push her hand away.

Jiang Wang said coldly, “You don’t want to be the next one wheeled into the emergency room, do you?”

Jiang Huaixi’s face instantly went deathly ashen. She snatched the pills and swallowed them in one gulp, then slumped back in the chair, covering her eyes with her hands. In a low, hoarse voice, she murmured, “How could she not answer the phone? How could she…”

Jiang Wang watched as glistening tears slipped slowly through Jiang Huaixi’s fingers.

Jiang Wang’s eyes narrowed slightly. She took out her own phone and offered it to Jiang Huaixi. “Use my phone. Try again.”

Jiang Huaixi was silent for a long moment. She sniffed, took the phone, and dialed the number she knew by heart, could recite backward. This time, the automated message finally changed: “Hello, the number you have dialed has been turned off.”

She couldn’t accept it. She kept hoping that on the next call, Lu Zizheng’s phone would be on. So, like a wind-up automaton, she repeated endlessly—redial, hang up, redial, hang up… After who knows how many cycles, Jiang Wang couldn’t watch anymore. She snatched the phone back and advised, “Try again later.”

But to their surprise, the phone had barely been in Jiang Wang’s hand for a moment when it suddenly vibrated.

Jiang Huaixi bolted upright, snatched the phone from Jiang Wang, and answered, “Zizheng?”

From the other end came the voice she had been longing to hear, answering her, “Mm.”

For a moment, she couldn’t find the words.

What should she do? How was her Zizheng going to bear this? The thought of Lu Zizheng’s tearful face, her despairing eyes, made her heart ache so much, made her so afraid.

But in the end, she managed to steady her voice and told her, “Zizheng, are you still in Japan? Come back right away. Auntie is—she’s critically ill. She’s in emergency rescue right now. The doctor has issued a critical condition notice…”

A terrible silence fell on the other end for several seconds. Then Lu Zizheng’s voice drifted through, barely audible: “Wait for me, I’m coming immediately.” The line went dead.

Jiang Huaixi held the phone limply in one hand, pinching her nose with the other, breathing hard, fighting to keep herself from crying again.

The emergency room doors finally opened. Director Wang stepped out. Mother Lu was wheeled out and moved into the ICU. Jiang Huaixi hurried to her feet and rushed forward.

Director Wang reached out and patted Jiang Huaixi on the shoulder, sighing. “I’ve managed to save her for now, but I’m afraid… Ah, where is her family?”

Jiang Huaixi lowered her head in dejection and replied quietly, “On the way.”

Director Wang shook the head and sighed. “You need to be mentally prepared…”