Chapter 130 (End of Main Text)
On the twelfth day of the outbreak in Beicheng, the city was officially locked down.
Amidst widespread panic, Anping Transportation Company's transportation business also suffered a huge blow, with many orders being canceled one after another due to the closure of passageways.
In addition, the fear of the epidemic among company employees led many to take leave and go home, bringing the company's operations to a near standstill.
Gao Ming shuttled between the company and home, and eventually moved into the company dormitory to avoid accidentally bringing the virus home.
Two weeks later, Cao Shengli from the Market Supervision Administration personally called Gao Ming.
As the city was locked down, shortages of supplies began to emerge, and several hospitals reported significant shortages of medical supplies.
The government is now calling on some private transportation companies in the city to help with the transportation of supplies.
Anping Transportation Company officially established an emergency transportation fleet for epidemic prevention and control.
Gao Ming personally led the team and organized a fleet of vehicles with the volunteers.
The car traveled back and forth between cities for more than two months.
This time, Gao Ming received a mission that was of great significance to him.
He delivered a batch of urgently allocated protective suits and ventilators to the Workers' Hospital, the destination of which was the hospital where his wife, whom he missed day and night, worked.
As the car slowly drove into the gate guarded by several police officers, Gao Ming immediately looked towards the second floor of the neonatal ward where Chen Yun worked.
Unfortunately... Chen Yun is not working there now.
The car, guided by directions, drove to the emergency department's logistics corridor. The once bustling place was now enveloped in an almost chilling silence.
Only staff members in work uniforms were silently busy at the entrance.
Gao Ming didn't know if they were men or women; he only felt that they were all like ants hurrying in and out of the snow.
I wonder how Chen Yun is doing?
After thinking for a few seconds in the car, Gao Ming quickly grabbed the protective suit from the car, put it on, and then opened the car door and jumped out.
Even if it's just through someone else's words, he still wants to hear even a little bit of news about his wife himself.
"Comrade."
Even though he was wearing protective clothing, the smell of disinfectant still seeped into his nostrils through the mask. This smell, which he should have gotten used to, made his heart tighten.
The person who was called slowly raised his head, and then suddenly exclaimed in surprise.
"clever?"
"Ren Qin!"
Gao Ming randomly asked someone, and unexpectedly, he ended up asking an acquaintance.
"Why did you come to the hospital?" Ren Qin initially thought Gao Ming had come specifically to see Chen Yun, and hurriedly looked behind him in a panic: "What are you doing at the hospital when you're perfectly healthy! If Director Chen knew, he would worry about you."
"I'm here today to transport medical supplies to the hospital," Gao Ming said, pointing to the truck beside him.
"Thank you for your hard work."
"How is Chen Yun doing? Your neonatal ward must be quite busy, right? Could you please ask her when you get back to the ward later if she needs anything? I'll bring her some next time..."
Since they were acquaintances, Gao Ming skipped the self-introduction step and asked several questions in succession.
Ren Qin's eyes blinked incessantly behind her goggles, but her expression was mostly obscured by her protective suit, making it impossible for Gao Ming to notice her immediately.
"..."
Gao Ming, who was talking excitedly, finally stopped. Ren Qin's silence made him feel uneasy.
What happened to Chen Yun?
Ren Qin pursed her lips tightly and slowly said, "Director Chen was assigned to support the emergency department. He went there on the first day of the epidemic."
She couldn't hide Chen Yun's infection from Gao Ming's face; if something happened, she couldn't bear the regret.
Gao Ming's heart skipped a beat.
"..."
"Director Chen has been infected... and is currently staying in the isolation ward."
She's infected... Chen Yun is infected...
He didn't hear a word Ren Qin said after that. His vision blurred, and he finally staggered two steps before he could stand up by holding onto the carriage.
"My sister-in-law has been infected!"
"sister in law!"
Su Weiming, Ma Zhigang, and several others who had followed Gao Ming for over a decade were all shocked and began asking questions with great concern.
Ren Qin sniffed, then suddenly turned and pointed in a certain direction.
"Director Chen is staying in that isolation ward."
The windows were covered with dark blue curtains, and the window frames were covered with yellow tape. A layer of wire mesh could also be seen between the tape and the curtains.
"Could you please... I'd like to see Chen Yun from a distance, just downstairs is fine."
Ren Qin thought for a brief two seconds, then nodded silently.
Time passed second by second, but Gao Ming's mind remained a complete blank. He rehearsed what he was going to say many times in his mind, but then rejected it again and again.
He stood downstairs, staring intently at that window.
The wind blew, making his hair disheveled, and the oil-stained hem of his clothes fluttered in the wind, making him appear lonely yet full of determination.
Gao Ming's eyes gradually stung, but he couldn't bear to blink, afraid of missing the first second of seeing his wife.
Finally... the blue curtains moved.
A figure in a gray hospital gown slowly stopped in front of the barbed wire fence, the bars making Chen Yun's face appear even more blurry.
But Gao Ming immediately recognized that the person behind the window was Chen Yun.
From the window, Chen Yun also spotted Gao Ming waving frantically downstairs.
A high fever that lasted all night left her unsteady on her feet, barely able to stand by holding onto the wall. Yesterday she could breathe on her own, but today she could only get out of bed with the help of an oxygen nasal cannula.
Chen Yun couldn't recall ever experiencing such pain in either of her two lifetimes... probably not.
She opened her mouth, intending to call out her husband's name as usual, but only weak gasps came from her chapped lips, and the cold air rushing into her throat made her cough incessantly.
Gao Ming's waving arm fell limply to the ground, and tears quickly blurred his vision.
"Stop talking!" Zuo Lingling patted Chen Yun's back in distress and handed him a piece of paper and a pen: "Write something! Gao Ming can see it."
Chen Yun finally caught her breath, glanced reluctantly out the window, and nodded gently.
She couldn't speak, and she was too weak to write. These few words were crooked and took a lot of effort to write.
[Wait for me to come home]
The paper was pasted on the window, and Chen Yun looked down at Gao Ming, who was trying to force a smile that was a mixture of tears and endless longing.
"..."
Gao Ming watched quietly, and finally nodded emphatically.
The couple looked at each other across the many barriers, and then Chen Yun waved to him.
Gao Ming's vision became completely blurred, and he quickly turned around and climbed into the driver's seat.
The car window rolled down, Gao Ming took off his protective suit, buried his face in the steering wheel, and burst into loud sobs. This was the first time in his more than forty years of life that he had cried so hard that he was hoarse.
Chen Yun, however, remained standing behind the window, watching the car slowly drive away from the hospital, until the taillights completely disappeared before slowly turning around.
"You need to rest more and avoid getting emotional."
Zuo Lingling helped Chen Yun back to bed and began to criticize her seriously.
When the news reached the isolation ward, she had already criticized Ren Qin on the phone. Now that she saw that Chen Yun was indeed even weaker, she couldn't help but start nagging again.
"I'll be fine after a rest."
"Then I'll take the paper and pen out, you can take a nap..."
There was a hand on the other side of the paper. Chen Yun held the paper and smiled weakly at her: "I'm bored, so I'll leave the paper for me to write some words for fun."
"No." Zuo Lingling tried harder.
The hospital just issued a rule that paper, pens, and other similar items are not allowed in the isolation wards. A few days ago, a patient wrote a suicide note and hanged himself in the bathroom.
Many critically ill patients find the torment caused by the virus more unbearable than the fear of death.
"Okay." Chen Yun smiled and let go.
Even though the illness tormented her to the point of wishing she were dead, Chen Yun never thought of suicide as a solution, so she really just wanted to keep the paper to write and pass the time.
She doesn't know if there will be a next life, so she will never give up her happiness in this life.
There are people at home waiting for her.
Then she would have to leave this isolation ward.
***
In late April, the weather in the northern part of the city was gradually getting warmer.
Chen Yun threw her hospital gown onto the bed, walked to the window, and pulled back the curtains. She squinted as she was suddenly blinded by the intense light.
I just tore off the wire mesh and tape yesterday, and fresh air rushed in as soon as I opened the window.
Chen Yun stood in front of the window, taking a deep breath to let the fresh air rush into her lungs, enjoying the feeling of breathing freely and unrestrainedly.
"You're finally all better."
Zuo Lingling stood at the door of the ward, forming two rows with her other colleagues to welcome Chen Yun, who was about to return to the medical team.
At the same time, a medical record book was handed to Chen Yun.
"We can only rest for one day." Zuo Lingling's smile was particularly obvious as she patted Chen Yun's shoulder hard. "The day after tomorrow, we will all be transferred to a designated hospital to continue working."
"Okay." Chen Yun's laughter came through her mask.
On April 29, Gao Ming received a call from Chen Yun informing him that he had officially recovered and could leave the isolation ward.
On May 1st, Chen Yun led the newly formed neonatal team to a designated hospital, specifically responsible for infected pregnant women and newborns.
On May 31, the designated hospital announced that no new infected patients had been admitted.
On June 20, the last infected patient was discharged from the hospital.
On July 2, all medical staff who participated in the support efforts completed their quarantine and officially withdrew from the quarantine hotel.
Gao Ming stood on the sidewalk opposite the hotel, with his two children following behind him.
Unlike the other family members who rushed forward with great joy, he saw Chen Yun's figure in the crowd, tugged at the collar of his white shirt, and then slowly walked over.
Chen Yun also saw her family who came to pick her up.
Gao Ming wore a slightly yellowed white shirt, his hair was neatly combed, and he walked with exceptional determination.
Chen Yun suddenly burst out laughing.
"You're not wearing the shirt from our blind date, are you?"
Having gained a little weight in middle age, this shirt, bearing obvious signs of age, is now quite tight, as if it were someone else's clothes.
“I’m getting old.” Gao Ming smiled, his index finger digging into the taut, exposed skin. “You can’t deny it.”
Chen Yun has lost a lot of weight. The clothes that were sent to the hotel a few days ago are now hanging loosely on her, even though they fit her perfectly just a few months ago.
Gao Ming remembered that Chen Yun's skin was always very fair, so she looked especially good in light blue.
But now his wife's complexion still had the sallow look of someone recovering from a serious illness, and the pale blue color made her look even more haggard. Even the dry skin on her lips had become more and more obvious.
There were no tears of emotion, nor did they embrace and weep like other couples.
Chen Yun reached out and took Gao Ming's arm, then waved to her two children: "Let's go home! I want to get some sleep."
"mom."
"mom."
Gao Nian'an rushed over first, grabbed Chen Yun's waist, and tears streamed down his face.
Her daughter is already taller than Chen Yun.
At this moment, she was perched on her mother's shoulder, and she had to hunch over to barely hold her. From behind, it looked more like Gao Nian'an was lifting Chen Yun up.
"Look, isn't that Gao Nian'an?"
"Her mother also participated in this epidemic relief effort? No wonder she said in an interview last month that she wanted to learn from her mother."
"Mom is also beautiful."
"It seems her mother is quite famous in the medical circle of Beicheng. Haven't you heard of her?"
"How come I've never heard of it... I was the one Dr. Chen delivered my baby."
The big star's wailing immediately attracted several stares. It was fortunate that smartphones were not yet widespread, otherwise Gao Nian'an's crying would have appeared on the internet that afternoon.
"Didn't Mom come back safely?"
"Mom, you scared me to death."
Gao Nian'an simply wiped the tears off Chen Yun's clothes, and the moment she looked up, she became very careful to manage her expression, her beautiful eyes sparkling as if they were filled with water.
"Mom isn't that fragile, she came out perfectly fine!"
Gao Nianping twitched his nose and looked at Chen Yun with red eyes without saying a word.
"Go home, go home."
More and more people were looking over, and if they stayed any longer, the family would have to put on a show of a family reunion.
Gao Ming felt uneasy under these gazes and hurriedly waved his hand, telling his family to leave quickly.
"Mom, you and Dad ride in our new car."
"A new car?"
"Dad said you'll drive that car to and from get off work from now on."
Gao Nian'an pointed to a white sedan at the corner. After exchanging glances, the siblings quickly climbed into the old car.
"Why did you buy a new car?"
"Consider it a celebration of your successful recovery and return home." Gao Ming's Adam's apple bobbed, and he extended his hand to Chen Yun: "Let's go home."
He wouldn't tell Chen Yun that this car was just the beginning.
After seeing Chen Yun from afar at the hospital, he prayed to God every day that he would do everything he could to treat her well once she returned home.
By making a wish every day, you owe Chen Yun something.
Therefore, he owes Chen Yun a total of 120 gifts, which he will send out gradually in the future.
The car door opened, and Gao Ming carefully shielded Chen Yun's head with his hand. The moment she sat in the passenger seat, he leaned down and kissed his wife's face, which was covered in marks.
"I love you."
Despite being married for many years, Gao Ming had never said this to Chen Yun.
But after saying it once, he repeated it again and again until Chen Yun was completely seated in the car.
"I'll tell you 'I love you' more often from now on, otherwise I'm afraid you'll forget!"
After saying that, he smiled, closed the car door, walked around to the driver's seat, and started the car.
As the car started, that hand reached over the control lever and grasped Chen Yun's hand again.
The car slowly drove away from the hospital. The streets were bustling with traffic, and the desolation brought by the epidemic seemed to have left no trace on the city.
The clothing market has reopened and is currently changing its storefront signage in preparation for the upcoming summer clothing market. A row of trucks are parked along the roadside, waiting to enter the gate.
The children, laughing and playing, walked home after school.
Everything returned to normal.
"I love you too." Chen Yun squeezed Gao Ming's hand tightly. "But you can't wear ill-fitting clothes like this anymore!"
If Chen Yun saw Gao Ming's exposed belly button a few more times, he couldn't guarantee he wouldn't change his mind.
It's absolutely too much to bear...
"Okay." Gao Ming chuckled.
The air smelled of sunshine, and Chen Yun smelled faintly of disinfectant.
And this road leads to... the taste of home!
End of main text.
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Author's Note: The main story is finished, but the epilogue is quite long, so you can continue reading without worry.
Also, the novel next door, "Chef Lin Arrives at Kindergarten [1970s]", has started; please add it to your favorites!
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