STT – Chapter 36 • Little Panda

12-15 minutes 16.07.2023

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You need to be mentally prepared

Jiang Huaixi intermittently had a fever in the hospital for two days. On the fourth day, her body temperature finally stabilized and returned to normal. She had been concerned about what Mama Lu had told her and wanted to have a chat with her. Jiang Huaixi was not sure about the specifics of what Mama Lu wanted to discuss, but she had a vague idea. She feared it wasn’t just casual small talk but had something to do with her rejection of Zizheng a few days ago. With these thoughts in mind, her eyes dimmed, and she closed them in pain, gradually losing focus.

Approaching noon, Jiang Huaixi got out of bed, changed her clothes, tidied herself up, and then slung her bag over her shoulder, preparing to leave the hospital. Jiang Wang came to make his rounds and was surprised, trying to stop Jiang Huaixi. However, Jiang Huaixi calmly said, “Didn’t you say my fever has subsided and I can be discharged in two days? Today is precisely the second day.”

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

Jiang Huaixi reached out and took the book Jiang Wang had brought, giving a faint smile. She said, “Thank you. You are the most caring doctor I have ever encountered.”

Jiang Wang raised an eyebrow and asked, “So? Are you so moved that you want to stay?”

Jiang Huaixi turned and walked away, leaving behind a graceful silhouette. “No, I still want to leave. Wishing Dr. Jiang a pleasant day at work.”

Jiang Wang placed her hands in the pockets of her white coat and leaned against the wall, watching Jiang Huaixi’s departing figure, shaking her head helplessly.

At noon, Jiang Huaixi had her meal at home and speculated that Mama Lu probably hadn’t started her afternoon nap yet. She called Mama Lu, informing her that she would come over for dinner in the evening and asked if she would be hospitable.

Mama Lu naturally agreed happily, replying with a smile, “Of course, I’ll be delighted to have you. Auntie has been eagerly looking forward to it for days. I’ll make your favorite eel soup for dinner. I noticed your complexion wasn’t great a few days ago, so it’s a perfect opportunity to nourish your body.”

Jiang Huaixi was surprised by Mama Lu’s keen observation and felt somewhat touched as she replied, “Okay, thank you, Auntie.”

Mama Lu kindly said, “Don’t thank me. We’re family, no need for thanks.”

In the afternoon, a little after three o’clock, Jiang Huaixi applied light makeup to conceal the signs of illness she had shown in recent days. She brought some digestive health supplements and went to Mama Lu’s house. She thought that after this time, she could lend a hand to Mama Lu in preparing dinner together.

Arriving at Mama Lu’s doorstep, Jiang Huaixi reached out to press the doorbell, only to realize that the door was slightly ajar. This puzzled Jiang Huaixi because Mama Lu usually kept the door closed for safety as she lived alone. She furrowed her brow, speculating whether it was intentionally left open for her.

Gently, Jiang Huaixi pushed open the slightly ajar door. Before she could even step inside, she saw Mama Lu collapsed in the entrance, still holding two large bags of groceries.

Jiang Huaixi’s heart skipped a beat, and she immediately panicked. She hurriedly stepped forward, crouching beside Mama Lu. With a sense of urgency and distress, she gently turned Mama Lu’s body over, laying her flat. Her tone had lost its usual calmness, replaced by anxiety and panic as she called out, “Auntie, Auntie, what happened to you? Auntie…”

However, Mama Lu lay motionless, her face pale, breathing rapid and weak.

Jiang Huaixi tremblingly reached into her bag, searching two or three times before pulling out her phone. With one hand, she dialed Jiang Wang’s number through speed dial, and with the other hand, she tremulously unbuttoned the nearest button on Mama Lu’s clothes, hoping to facilitate her breathing.

The phone rang for only three seconds before it was answered.

Before Jiang Wang could speak, Jiang Huaixi urgently interjected, “Jiang Wang, listen to me. I’m currently at Zizheng’s mother’s place, the one you visited last time. Do you remember the way?”

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

Jiang Huaixi couldn’t wait and immediately gave her instructions, “Auntie has fainted. Contact the hospital right away and request an ambulance to come here. Also, ask Director Wang to prepare the emergency room.”

Jiang Wang didn’t hesitate at all and promptly replied, “Okay, I’ll do it right away.” Then she hung up the phone.

After ending the call, Jiang Huaixi lowered her head and softly called out “Auntie” twice, but Mama Lu still showed no response. She carefully laid Mama Lu’s head down and rushed into Mama Lu’s bedroom. She came out with a blanket and a pillow, covering Mama Lu with the blanket and placing the pillow under her feet.

Then, Jiang Huaixi knelt by Mama Lu’s side, anxiously waiting for the arrival of the ambulance while continuously dialing Lu Zizheng’s phone number. However, after each long wait, the response was always the same automated message: “Hello, the number you have dialed is currently not available…” Jiang Huaixi made dozens of calls, but the result remained unchanged. She bit her lip, her eyes turning red with frustration.

After about ten minutes, Jiang Wang arrived with the paramedics in a hurry.

Jiang Huaixi watched as the medical staff carefully lifted Mama Lu onto the stretcher, still kneeling on the ground. Her legs felt weak and numb, making it difficult for her to stand. Her face was pale, devoid of any trace of color.

The medical staff carried Mama Lu ahead, while Jiang Wang stayed behind and turned to pull Jiang Huaixi. With Jiang Wang’s support, Jiang Huaixi finally managed to stand up. Just as she straightened her body, she took big strides towards the door, wanting to keep up with everyone’s pace. However, she suddenly felt dizzy, and her body swayed back and forth.

Jiang Wang held onto Jiang Huaixi firmly, asking her with concern, “Are you okay?”

Closing her eyes, Jiang Huaixi took a deep breath and shook her head softly. She replied in a low voice, “I’m fine, let’s catch up quickly.”

Inside the ambulance, Jiang Huaixi sat beside Mama Lu and made several more calls to Lu Zizheng, but she was met with the frustrating system prompt each time.

For the first time, Jiang Huaixi felt so angry at Lu Zizheng, desperately wanting to throw her phone away.

She squatted down, leaning close to Mama Lu’s ear, and pleaded softly, “Auntie, you must be alright. Zizheng is waiting for you to welcome her back…”

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

“Auntie, don’t you cherish Zizheng? You said you would never leave her…”

“Auntie, Zizheng only has you, and she believes in you. You wouldn’t want to see her sad, right? Auntie, I’m begging you…” By the end of her words, her voice was choked with sobs.

Jiang Huaixi knew all too well how important Mama Lu was in Lu Zizheng’s heart. During those years when Lu Zizheng was struggling, the only pillar that supported her to persevere and stay in this world was Mama Lu. Now, if even Mama Lu had to leave, she couldn’t fathom what Lu Zizheng’s world would crumble into.

Looking at Mama Lu lying there, weak and unconscious, her heart felt as if it were being twisted by knives. She couldn’t bear it. She couldn’t imagine how Zizheng would face such a painful and terrifying reality.

Outside the emergency room, Jiang Huaixi held the critically ill notification in her hand, thinking of what Director Wang had just said, “Huaixi, the patient has a gastric perforation with massive bleeding and signs of long-term medication usage. It’s preliminary diagnosed as advanced-stage gastric cancer. Be prepared mentally.” Tears finally rolled down her cheeks.

She felt an immense sense of self-blame and sadness. When Mama Lu had stomach pain earlier, she should have insisted that both she and Lu Zizheng take her to the hospital for examination. How could she have just let it go? In her heart, she kept apologizing to Lu Zizheng, saying sorry for not taking care of Mama Lu, apologizing to Mama Lu for not discovering it earlier and letting her bear the pain of this secret alone. She felt so foolish.

Jiang Huaixi held back her tears, restraining her self-blame and grief. She took out her phone again and dialed Lu Zizheng’s number. Yet, it was still the same cold automated message, “Hello, the number you have dialed…” Before the system could finish the sentence, Jiang Huaixi angrily threw her phone away, her pale face turning red with frustration, her clenched fists making cracking sounds.

Jiang Wang, concerned about Jiang Huaixi’s well-being, accompanied her outside the emergency room until they received the notification. Afterward, Jiang Wang went to the office to retrieve the tranquilizers and brought them to Jiang Huaixi. Seeing Jiang Huaixi getting angry, Jiang Wang paused, sighed heavily, and walked over to her. She poured out the medication and handed it to Jiang Huaixi.

Without even looking, Jiang Huaixi resisted and tried to push away Jiang Wang’s hand.

Jiang Wang spoke coldly, “Don’t you want to be the next one pushed into the emergency room?”

In an instant, Jiang Huaixi’s face turned ashen. She snatched the medication and swallowed it in one gulp. Then, she collapsed, leaning against a chair, covering her eyes with her hands, and muttered in a hoarse voice, “How could she not answer the phone, how could she…”

Jiang Wang saw crystal-clear tears slowly slipping through the gaps between Jiang Huaixi’s fingers.

Jiang Wang narrowed her eyes and took out her own phone, handing it to Jiang Huaixi. She said, “Try using my phone and make another call.”

Jiang Huaixi fell silent for a moment, sniffed, and reached out to take the phone. She dialed the familiar number that she knew by heart. This time, the system prompt finally changed to, “Hello, the phone you dialed is turned off.”

She was unwilling to give up, always hoping that Lu Zizheng would turn on her phone by the next call. So, she acted like a wound-up robot, repeatedly redialing, hanging up, redialing again, and hanging up… She repeated this process countless times. Finally, Jiang Wang couldn’t bear to watch any longer and took the phone from her, advising, “Wait a moment before trying again.”

However, to their surprise, as soon as the phone landed in Jiang Wang’s hands, it suddenly vibrated.

Jiang Huaixi immediately sat up, snatched the phone from Jiang Wang, and answered anxiously, “Zizheng?”

On the other end of the phone, she heard the voice that haunted her thoughts, and Lu Zizheng answered, “Hmm.”

For a moment, she found it difficult to speak.

What should she do? How could her Zizheng bear this? She thought of Lu Zizheng’s tear-stained face and the look of despair in her eyes, and it broke her heart. She felt so sorry and scared.

However, in the end, she mustered up the strength to steady her voice and told her, “Zizheng, are you still in Japan? Please come back. Auntie… she’s critically ill and currently undergoing emergency treatment. The doctor has issued a critical condition notice…”

There was a terrifying silence on the other end of the phone for a few seconds, and then Lu Zizheng’s faint voice came through, barely audible, “Wait for me, I’ll be right there.” With that, the call disconnected.

Jiang Huaixi held the phone weakly in one hand and pinched her nose, taking a deep breath, trying to control herself from crying again.

Finally, the door to the emergency room opened, and Director Wang walked out. Mama Lu was being wheeled out and taken into the intensive care unit. Jiang Huaixi quickly got up and went to meet them.

Director Wang reached out and patted Jiang Huaixi’s shoulder, sighing, “I managed to temporarily save her, but… sigh, where are her family members?”

Jiang Huaixi lowered her head in despair and replied softly, “They are on their way.”

Director Wang shook his head and sighed, “You all need to prepare yourselves mentally…”