"Hey...hey...don't rush me..."

Upon seeing the three people in the room, one agitated and the other in tears, Professor Jiang gave a wry smile and hurriedly said, "I mean, there weren't many misconceptions in the diagnosis back then, but your diagnosis was made several years ago. Modern medicine has advanced rapidly, and many conditions that were incurable a few years ago can now be treated."

"ah?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Chongshan was taken aback again, and then hurriedly asked, "Professor Jiang, are you saying that there is a cure for my brother's illness?"

"Well..."

Professor Jiang shook his head and replied, "There are indeed treatments for congenital bilateral leg disabilities, but our hospital currently has no precedent for a cure."

"Then..." Chen Chongshan's heart began to race with Professor Jiang's words, and he opened his mouth wide, not knowing what to do.

"Don't be impatient, let me finish what I have to say."

Professor Jiang shook his head, stopping Chen Chongshan, and continued, "Our hospital has no precedent for curing this disease, but a few years ago when I was studying in the United States, I participated in the treatment of such a case with my medical mentor. Although the process was quite difficult, we were ultimately successful."

"The patient has now completely gotten rid of the wheelchair and can walk normally on his own. Although he is not able to do strenuous exercise yet, I believe that in a few years, he will be able to become a normal person."

"So that means you have hope, right? You can cure my brother's illness, right?"

After patiently listening to Professor Jiang's words, Chen Chongshan became very excited. He grabbed Professor Jiang's hand and said loudly.

Yuan Yuan was overjoyed. She grabbed Chen Chongming's arm with both hands and murmured, "There's hope, Chongming, there's hope! Professor Jiang said there's hope that you can stand up again."

"Mmm...mmm...mmm..."

Chen Chongming was so excited he didn't know what to do; standing up was something he had always dreamed of.

In the past, although he knew that his brother was working hard to save money for his medicine and take him to seek medical treatment, he never dared to dream that he would be able to stand up again because of the county doctor's verdict and the gossip from the neighbors.

But now, right before my eyes, the most authoritative expert in the best hospital in the country is telling me that I can stand up again.

Chen Chongming felt his whole body trembling uncontrollably. The tears he had just stopped flowing again, but instead of tears of despair, they were now tears of happiness.

"Please don't get agitated."

Professor Jiang smiled slightly and then said, "Although I say there is hope for a cure, given the current medical conditions in our hospital, it is still quite difficult. Although our hospital's medical level is already at a leading level in China, it still lags behind the professional medical team at one of the world's best medical institutions."

"Moreover, at that time, my mentor and a group of his students were involved in the treatment of the cases, but now I am the only student here. Although we have successful experience, it will still be very difficult for me to do it all by myself."

Professor Jiang spoke sincerely, looking at the three young boys and girls in front of him, his words were very calm.

"So...Professor Jiang, is Chongming's leg curable? What should we do?"

Chen Chongshan hesitated, then asked tentatively.

Professor Jiang hesitated for a moment, then said in a deep voice, "Treatment is possible. After I have carefully studied your brother's condition, I will seek help from my American mentor, and I hope he can come in person or send some students over."

"But you should know that my mentor is one of the world's top experts in this field, and his and his medical team's consultation fees are very expensive."

Chen Chongshan was taken aback and asked, "How much?"

"How much?"

Professor Jiang smiled and replied, "There is no specific amount. It depends on your brother's condition and recovery. The consultation fee and some hospital fees combined will probably be around 800,000 to 1 million."

"One million?"

Chen Chongshan was stunned and stood frozen in place. Not long ago, 20,000 yuan was almost a number that would make him despair, but now Professor Jiang told him that his brother's illness could be cured, but it would require one million yuan.

One million—that's more money than many people could earn in a lifetime. Chen Chongshan was overwhelmed with mixed feelings, and his mind went blank for a moment…

"Brother... let's go back."

Chen Chongming spoke up during the silence, tugging at Chen Chongshan's sleeve and speaking calmly.

Chen Chongshan looked down at his younger brother, wondering how much willpower it would take for Chongming to persuade him to give up in such a calm tone at this moment.

What he gave up wasn't the number one million, but his legs and his lifelong happiness.

"Chongming, we..."

Chen Chongshan's throat seemed to be choked by something, and he didn't know how to continue speaking. He wanted to say that he would sell everything he owned to treat his brother's illness, but the reality was that even if he sold his blood or kidneys, he still wouldn't be able to raise that one million.

"Professor Jiang, is this much money really necessary?"

Yuan Yuan, who was also anxious, burst into tears and said, "Professor Jiang, the two brothers are orphans. Their parents have passed away. They rely on Chongshan to hunt in the mountains to raise money to treat his younger brother's illness. A million is too much for them to come up with. Do you think there is any way to reduce the amount?"

"Young lady, buying medicine isn't like a market; you can't haggle over prices here."

Professor Jiang gave a wry smile, shook his head, paused, and then said, "If what you say is true, I can waive my consultation fee, and our hospital can also apply for some reductions for you."

"But for my American advisor, even if we calculate based on his lowest consultation fee, you'll need to prepare at least 500,000 yuan if you add it all up."

"Five hundred thousand?"

Professor Jiang's offer of a 500,000 reduction immediately gave Yuan Yuan hope, and she hurriedly continued, "Professor Jiang, I can guarantee that their situation is true. We can provide supporting documentation from the local government. Do you think we can reduce the price even further?"

Professor Jiang shook his head: "There's nothing I can do. This is the best I can manage."

"Alright then," Yuan Yuan replied somewhat dejectedly, turning to look at Chen Chongshan.

At that very moment, Chen Chongshan also looked up and asked Professor Jiang, "Professor Jiang, when is the best time to treat my brother's illness? How much time do I have to raise the money?"

"The sooner the better."

Professor Jiang replied in a deep voice, "Your brother's legs have been paralyzed for so many years. In order to prevent other muscle problems from developing, treatment needs to be started as soon as possible."

"Um."

Chen Chongshan nodded and then said, "Professor Jiang, could you leave me your contact information? We'll go back and raise the money now, and I'll contact you as soon as I have it. Then you can connect us with a medical team in the United States."

"That's no problem."

Professor Jiang nodded, then took a piece of paper from his desk and wrote two phone numbers on it: "This is my office phone, and this is my personal phone. You can contact me anytime."

"Also, I'll contact my supervisor tonight to help you determine a pre-treatment preparation course."

"Okay, thank you."

Chen Chongshan nodded, and then bowed respectfully to Professor Jiang. Although they hadn't had much contact, he could feel the medical expert's kindness.

"It's alright, it's alright..."

Professor Jiang quickly stopped Chen Chongshan, also admiring this honest and simple boy from the mountains.