Chapter 7 The Most Unrelated Person During the Bitter Summer
After school, because she was worried about Shen Qingyun, Shen Qingli still took the bus to the First People's Hospital of Suzhou as Zhao Yixiao had suggested.
She asked at the nurses' station which ward Shen Qingyun was staying in, and searched through the wards one by one until she finally saw Shen Qingyun's name on the wall of one of the wards.
The ward door wasn't closed. She knocked and went in, finding that Shen Qingyun was already awake. She was lying in bed with her parents, and a steaming bowl of porridge was placed beside her bed.
Seeing her, Shen's father was somewhat surprised, while Shen's mother dared not look at her, avoiding Shen Qingli's eyes.
Only Shen Qingyun saw her and exclaimed in surprise, "Ali! What brings you here?"
"I came to see how you are. Are you alright?" She walked to Shen Qingyun's bedside and asked softly.
"Don't worry, it's nothing. I just caught a chill while sleeping last night, that's why I have a fever." She smiled at Shen Qingli with a pale face, telling her to relax.
"It's good that you're alright." Seeing that she was indeed alright as Zhao Yixiao had said, Shen Qingli finally breathed a sigh of relief. Then she took out the test papers and homework from her bag and handed them to her as she spoke: "By the way, this is the homework and class notes that Senior Zhao Yixiao asked me to bring to you."
Upon hearing Zhao Yixiao's name, Shen Qingyun's previously pale face immediately lit up with a smile. Her eyes brightened, and she happily took the things from Zhao Yixiao's hands, saying, "It's good that he remembered for me. But I might have to stay in the hospital for a few more days. Ali, please thank him for me."
"Okay." Seeing how happy she was, Shen Qingli nodded slowly, but her mind was on other things.
She still had homework to do at home, so she couldn't stay in the hospital for too long. When she was leaving, her mother came out and offered to take her home, but she declined.
"I can go back by myself. Please take good care of my sister."
Her polite yet distant words made Chen's mother's expression stiffen. She probably remembered her behavior that morning, and the belated sense of guilt left her at a loss for what to do.
Shen's father also clearly noticed that something was wrong with the mother and daughter. He took out some money from his pocket and handed it to Shen Qingli, saying, "Xiaoli, your parents might be home late. Take this money and go buy something to eat outside. Don't go hungry."
"Okay, thank you, Dad. I'll be going now." She nodded, slung her backpack over her shoulder, glanced at the three people in the ward before leaving, and silently closed the door.
-
Walking down the hospital corridor, she stuffed the money into her pocket, looked down at the wound on her arm, and saw that the redness and swelling had shrunk considerably, so she estimated it wouldn't be long before it healed.
...
If everything could be like this wound, healing and getting better given enough time, that would be wonderful. She thought to herself, lost in thought, when she heard a familiar voice calling her name from the open hospital room in front of her.
"Green pear?"
Shen Qingli looked up at the sound and saw the person lying on the hospital bed. She exclaimed in surprise, "Aunt Xia?"
Charlene smiled and waved to her, gesturing for her to come in.
Shen Qingli walked into the ward and looked at Xia Lin's thin face. She asked with concern, "Aunt Xia, what are you doing here? You look so thin."
"Hmm... I'm just a little sick, but why are you in the hospital? Are you feeling unwell?" Xia Lin asked her with concern as she gestured for her to sit down on the chair next to her hospital bed.
Hearing Xia Lin's gentle and caring voice, she lowered her head and her eyes welled up with tears. She forced back her emotions and shook her head, saying, "No, it's just that someone in my family is sick, and I came to visit them."
"Oh, I see. Are your grandparents doing well? I've been staying in the hospital and haven't been able to go back to see them."
"Everything is fine."
"That's good." Xia Lin nodded, then, as if sensing her downcast mood, reached out and patted her shoulder. Shen Qingli looked up and saw the woman smiling gently at her: "Qingli, how about you? Are you getting used to living with Dad, Mom, and Sister?"
Shen Qingli was surprised that Xia Lin would ask her that question. She was speechless for a few seconds, then suddenly lowered her head and remained silent.
Her memory seemed to return to the very beginning, to the time when she had just returned to the town and settled down. All the unpleasantness and sadness lingered in her heart. During the day at school, the heavy workload left her no time to be distracted, but when she was alone and quiet, the emotions that surged up made her feel so suffocated that she could hardly breathe.
At that time, Charlene, in the same gentle tone, asked her if she was unhappy.
She didn't say anything then, but tears fell uncontrollably, just like they do now.
Shen Qingli considers herself someone who can endure loneliness and pain, but she cannot control her emotions in front of a gentle person.
But now Aunt Xia, who was so kind to her, seems to be having a hard time. She reached out and rubbed her wet eyes, trying to sound tough by saying that she was doing fine.
Charlene frowned with heartache when she saw through her forced composure, but did not immediately expose her.
Just as she was about to continue speaking, footsteps outside the door interrupted their conversation. Shen Qingli heard the sound, her eyes red, and looked up to see Lin Xiaqing standing at the door, holding a thermos.
He noticed her red eyes and frowned slightly, then quickly regained his composure, carrying the soup he had prepared as he walked in, calling out to Xia Lin, "Mom."
"Hey, didn't I tell you not to come over?"
"I'm worried about leaving you alone in the hospital," he said, opening the thermos on the table and pouring the soup into a bowl, which he then handed to Xia Lin.
Shen Qingli stood up as he walked in, rubbing her eyes somewhat embarrassed.
Seeing herself in such a disheveled state, she was too proud to let Lin Xiaqing see her.
To be more precise, she didn't want to run into him again.
At that time, many people thought Shen Qingli was a cold person, even her own parents thought so more than once. But only a few people knew what a sensitive heart was hidden under her tough and cold exterior.
She always pretends to be indifferent to cover up her fragile heart, as if that's all she needs to do to deceive herself.
But her disguise was like a doll with a rusty interior, wrapped in bright and dazzling paint, yet so fragile that it couldn't withstand the baptism of a rain.
The girl's tears flowed freely. Someone had shared a rain shower with her. That person, who seemed the least related to her in everyone else's eyes, was actually the one who understood her best.
-
Thinking about what had happened before, she felt uneasy staying there, so she told Xia Lin that she was leaving first.
Before she could even speak, a sudden downpour began outside, with dense raindrops pounding against the windowpane. Xia Lin took the bowl of soup, glanced at the weather outside, and said to the two of them, "It's raining. Did you two bring umbrellas when you came?"
"I brought it."
"And what about you, Qingli?" Xia Lin glanced at her son, then turned to ask Shen Qingli.
"I...no," she replied reluctantly, though she was eager to leave but couldn't find a suitable opportunity right now.
"Then let Xia Qing take you back later."
Upon hearing the name Xia Lin mentioned, Shen Qingli couldn't help but glance at Lin Xiaqing. Seeing that he didn't react, Shen Qingli gave an awkward smile and said, "No need to trouble Aunt Xia, I..."
Before she could finish her excuse, Lin Xiaqing suddenly interrupted her, saying, "Okay."
Upon hearing this, she gave him a surprised look, clearly not expecting him to agree.
But Lin Xiaqing seemed completely oblivious to her reaction, and after agreeing, she continued with what she was doing.
Charlene breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that her son had no objections.
She chatted with Shen Qingli for a while until the nurse came in to remind her to take her medicine. After taking the medicine, Xia Lin wanted to rest. Seeing that it was getting late, she urged the two children in front of her to go home early.
"It's getting late, you should head back soon. Be careful on the road. Xia Qing, keep an eye on Qing Li, make sure she gets home safely, okay?"
Listening to his mother's instructions, Lin Xiaqing nodded in agreement. He tidied up his things, and seeing that his mother had already lain down, he turned off the light and, with Shen Qingli, quietly left the ward and closed the door.
-
When I left the hospital, the rain was still falling outside.
She and Lin Xiaqing walked on the wet ground, mud splattered from the rain splashing onto their trouser legs. Lin Xiaqing's umbrella was small, and in the pouring rain, they were forced to huddle under one umbrella, forced to get close to each other.
Shen Qingli walked side by side with him, and there were countless questions she wanted to ask, but when she actually tried to speak, she didn't know where to begin.
The people around her remained quiet. Her restless gaze could only fall on the umbrella above her head, and she noticed that Lin Xiaqing had already walked a distance. She unconsciously tilted the umbrella in her direction.
Noticing his behavior, she seemed to realize something, and her expression froze. Lin Xiaqing noticed her slowed pace and turned to ask her, "What's wrong?"
"No, it's nothing." She glanced at Lin Xiaqing, then immediately lowered her head and urged softly, "Let's go, the rain is getting heavier again."
Noticing that she was avoiding his gaze, he looked away and softly replied, "Mm."
-
On the way thereafter, apart from Lin Xiaqing asking her which intersection to turn at, the two barely spoke to each other.
The rain outside was getting heavier and heavier, showing no sign of stopping. The noisy rain made Shen Qingli feel particularly irritable.
Seeing that they would be almost home if she didn't speak soon, she pursed her lips and finally asked the question that had been bothering her: "What...is Aunt Xia sick?"
Lin Xiaqing stared ahead. He paused when he heard her voice, thinking that they wouldn't have another chance to talk or chat along the way.
He paused for a few seconds, then his voice became hoarse: "Breast cancer."
"What?" Shen Qingli stopped in shock upon hearing the answer. She asked him incredulously, "How could this be... When did this happen? The last time I saw Aunt Xia, wasn't she..."
“A few months ago.” He noticed her mention of “last time,” and his expression darkened further.
"How is Aunt Xia now?" Shen Qingli asked anxiously, completely unaware of his strange behavior.
“She had surgery before and is now undergoing chemotherapy in the hospital.” When talking about Xia Lin’s condition, Lin Xiaqing rarely showed a dejected expression. He only explained a few words and did not want to say more.
"No wonder Aunt Xia has lost so much weight..." Hearing this news, she also felt depressed. To her, Xia Lin was more like her own mother than Shen's mother. In those dark days, apart from her grandparents, Xia Lin was the only elder who had given her light.
Thinking about it, she looked up at Lin Xiaqing, who had turned her head away and stopped talking, and suddenly felt that the rest of the words on her lips were too hot to ask.
A note from the author:
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Two classmates seem to be having some kind of secret; I'm not sure, let me see. [Let me check]
No update tomorrow, will be taking a break. Update the day after tomorrow!
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