Chapter 2-3
3
On Thursday morning, Qiao Wei successfully completed his examination. After receiving the examination report, Qiao Ruo reviewed it herself and concluded that his lesion was located in the muscularis propria of the upper anterior wall of the stomach body. It was roughly oval in shape, and the shortest diameter was more than two centimeters, which was not small. The report suggested that it might be a stromal tumor.
Qiao Ruo led Qiao Wei to the outpatient clinic with the report. When registering last night, she specifically booked an appointment with a specialist. The doctor's surname was Lou, and his full name was Lou Xufeng. According to the hospital's website and photos, he was already a chief physician, around forty-five years old, with the slightly overweight appearance common among middle-aged men. He wore frameless glasses and had a friendly and approachable smile.
Upon entering the doctor's office, Qiao Ruo gestured for Qiao Wei to sit down and handed the report to Lou Xufeng: "Director Lou, hello, my father's condition requires surgical removal, right?"
Upon hearing this, Qiao Wei was startled: "Could it really be cancer?"
Lou Xufeng smiled reassuringly: "The stromal tumor mentioned in the report is not a confirmed diagnosis, but only a possibility. You don't need to panic too much. Its diameter is over 2cm, so surgical removal is recommended. We will make further arrangements after the pathology results are available."
Qiao Wei's expression was solemn, and he hesitated slightly before asking, "Director Lou, is the surgery expensive?"
Before Lou Xufeng could speak, Qiao Ruo hurriedly said, "Dad, now is not the time to think about money, getting him treated is the priority."
She pressed down on her father's shoulder, applying slight pressure, to indicate that he didn't need to worry about the money. At the same time, she said to Lou Xufeng, "Director Lou, please arrange this surgery for us as soon as possible."
Lou Xufeng stared at the computer screen for a while and said, "The surgery won't be scheduled until next Saturday. Come to the hospital next Thursday afternoon to complete the admission procedures."
"OK, thanks."
Qiao Ruo pulled Qiao Wei away. She opened the door, and the next patient who had been waiting outside hurriedly went in. When she looked up again, she was stunned. He Yajun was leaning against the wall across the corridor, looking at her with the same surprise.
Her mouth reacted before her brain could process it: "What are you doing here?"
Before she could finish speaking, she immediately realized that her father was still beside her, and she was so regretful that she wanted to bang her head against the wall.
He Yajun quickly regained her composure, her lips twitched slightly, and she smiled gently as she lifted the basket of eggs she was carrying: "Today, my mother and I brought my grandmother to the hospital for a full physical examination. She brought a lot of eggs and asked me to deliver them to my uncle on the way. My uncle is this Lou Xufeng."
Qiao Ruo tried her best to remain calm and said in a voice as even as possible, "Oh, I'm accompanying my father to the doctor."
He Yajun looked at Qiao Wei with no more strange expression, straightened up, and greeted him: "Hello, Uncle, I am Qiao Ruo's classmate."
Qiao Wei was preoccupied with his illness. He smiled absentmindedly. He was not good with words. He nodded to He Yajun, replied with a "hello," and then closed his mouth.
Qiao Ruo hurriedly said to He Yajun, "Then you go ahead with your work, we'll be going now."
She didn't stay any longer, turned around and left with Qiao Wei. Her heart was in her throat, afraid that Qiao Wei would ask her about He Yajun. Fortunately, Qiao Wei didn't ask, obviously not taking her daughter's chance encounter with her classmate to heart.
As soon as they entered the house, Xu Mingyu came up to them and asked eagerly, "How were the test results?"
Qiao Ruo was naturally worried, but she didn't want to show it and cause her parents anxiety. She just smiled and said, "Mom, Dad has to have surgery first. The doctor will then do a pathological analysis on the removed diseased tissue, and then we'll know what its nature is. We've already communicated with the hospital. He'll be admitted next Thursday, and the surgery will be scheduled for next Saturday."
Xu Mingyu breathed a sigh of relief: "At the time, I thought that if something grew there, it would definitely have to be surgically removed to get better."
Qiao Wei, who had been silent all along, sighed heavily: "Qiao Ruo, you're so busy with work, why don't you go back to work first? I have your mother with me."
“Dad, what are you saying? I have to be by your side during your surgery.” She decided to keep her resignation a secret for the time being to avoid causing them any more trouble. “I’ve already taken leave, so you don’t need to worry about my job.”
Xu Mingyu was quite happy that Qiao Ruo could stay at home during this time: "Yes, Lao Qiao, it's perfect timing for me to cook more delicious food to nourish your precious daughter."
Finally reassuring her father, Qiao Ruo returned to her bedroom. She took out her phone; apart from a text message from Qiao Min, no one else had contacted her.
Looking at the text message, she thought of Qiao Min, who, as her father's daughter, also cared deeply about his health. However, because she had interfered in someone else's marriage when she was young, she had been treated almost like a stranger by her father for many years. Now, she didn't even dare to directly ask him for any information. Wasn't this coldness in their family relationship a form of punishment? And she herself was with He Yajun. If her father found out, he would probably only think that the Qiao family had produced another scandalous affair for others to gossip about: two sisters entangled with two different fathers and sons. In this light, she was also doing something to hurt her father. How much more sensible was she than Qiao Min?
Qiao Ruo didn't want to continue imagining the consequences, so she tried to calm her uneasy mind and dialed Qiao Min's cell phone.
"Qiaoqiao, what did the doctor say?" Qiao Min's urgent voice came through.
"The tests have been done, but it's still too early to say exactly what the swelling is. The schedule is set: hospitalization next Thursday, surgery next Saturday."
Qiao Min breathed a sigh of relief: "It's good that he's willing to cooperate with the doctor."
"Okay. I'll hang up now."
"Qiaoqiao," Qiao Min called out tentatively, "You haven't been back for a long time. Why don't you make time to have dinner with me tomorrow night?"
Qiao Ruo hesitated.
Qiao Min understood what she meant, and smiled with a hint of self-deprecation: "I didn't expect you to have such a strong sense of morality and justice. Don't worry, I asked to meet you just to tell you some good news."
"Just talk about it over the phone."
"He Qingyang formally filed for divorce from me."
Qiao Ruo was speechless, unsure of what to say.
“I demanded that he leave with nothing, but he disagreed. We had a very difficult talk, but in the end I compromised and we finally reached an agreement. Once the relevant procedures are completed, we will proceed with the divorce.”
This was the ending Qiao Ruo had strongly hoped for when she first learned of her sister's extramarital affair with He Yajun's father when she was young. But now that she had actually heard the news, she felt no joy, only bewilderment.
She sighed and couldn't help but ask, "After all these years, have you been happy?"
Qiao Min was taken aback by the question and took a while to say, "No, no normal person would be happy when neglected by their father and sister. But when I think about how I would be like many other women, working from dawn till dusk, only earning a little over three thousand yuan a month, scrimping and saving, sharing the children's expenses with my husband, and constantly calculating how to save a few hundred yuan more each month, looking weathered and worn out by life even though I'm not yet forty, I feel hopeless. That's definitely not the kind of life that would bring me happiness. So, whether I'm happy or not, I don't regret any of the choices I've made in the past."
Qiao Ruo was secretly puzzled and couldn't understand why their personalities were so different, even though they came from the same womb. Qiao Min broke up other people's families without any remorse and even defended herself with great conviction, while Qiao Ruo herself had only just started dating the man she loved and was already questioning her choice and feeling guilty about the potential harm she might cause to others.
Qiao Ruo suddenly regretted her own hesitation. If she had opened her heart and boldly told Qiao Min that she liked He Yajun the day she learned about Qiao Min's improper relationship with He Yajun's father, would Qiao Min have hesitated? Would things have turned out differently?
Qiao Min laughed and said, "Stop judging me. I know you can't stand seeing me either. I won't force you. I won't contact you again unless necessary. You can go tell Dad I want a divorce now. He'll definitely be happy that I've 'turned over a new leaf.' Maybe next time I see him, he'll give me a smile."
Qiao Ruo was speechless at her logic: "You don't understand Dad at all. He just values his reputation too much, hates himself for not raising his children well, and can't stand seeing his daughter gossiped about. But no matter how much he hates it, he's still your father. He won't still hope you get a divorce after you're married and have children. Now that things have come to this, even if he doesn't want to face everything, he still hopes your family is harmonious and complete. No matter what others say, at least you seem to be doing better than most people. Those gossips are nothing compared to your real good life. Now that you're preparing for a divorce, no matter how much you try to hide it, it will eventually get out. When others find out, they'll inevitably bring up the old issues again, and their comments about you and our family will only be more merciless. Do you think Dad will feel better? He'll only hate himself more. If you think it's necessary to tell Mom and Dad about the divorce, you have to tell them yourself. I won't bring it up with them."
Qiao Min remained silent for a long time. Just as Qiao Ruo was about to hang up, she suddenly asked in a flat voice, "And what about you? Why have you been giving me the cold shoulder for so many years?"
Qiao Ruo opened the window, and a cold wind carrying icy rain rushed in, making her feel suffocated for a moment. Looking at the bleak and gloomy winter scene outside the window, she remembered how tense she had been when she met He Yajun at the hospital that morning. Suddenly, she felt very tired. After what seemed like an eternity, she answered in a hoarse voice, "Because I love He Yajun. From the time I was sixteen until now, I have loved him, and I have never stopped."
Qiao Min let out a short "Ah".
"It's surprising, isn't it? When I found out your boyfriend was He Yajun's father, I was not only surprised, but also desperate. You said the kind of ordinary life you described to me would make you despair, but that was just imagination. Mine is different; my despair is real and indelible. If living the life of a rich person is your most important goal in life, then being with He Yajun and building a happy family with him is my only dream in matters of the heart." Qiao Ruo paused, composed herself, and continued, "But things don't always go as planned. Because of your mistakes, this dream has become wishful thinking. You want me to face you with a normal heart? I'm sorry, I don't have your composure. I can't do it."
She didn't say anything more, hung up the phone, casually tossed her phone onto the table, and then threw herself onto the bed.
She covered her eyes with her hands and lay quietly. Then she picked up her phone, opened WeChat, and sent a message to He Yajun: "Do you have time tonight? Let's go to a hotel."
He Yajun didn't reply to her until almost four o'clock in the afternoon: Okay.
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