"Aunt Liu, how is my mother?"
Upon receiving the news, Tian Wei immediately took leave and flew back overnight, without even packing her luggage.
"Weiwei, don't worry, your mom is fine now. She's still asleep from the anesthesia. It's just... you have to be strong. Your mom might..."
Aunt Liu's hesitation made Tian Wei's heart, which had just been at ease, start to pound again.
"Aunt Liu, what will happen to my mother in the future?"
"The doctor said the rest were all superficial injuries, but my leg fell down the stairs, and I may have to use a wheelchair from now on."
Tian Wei's pupils contracted, her legs went weak, and she almost knelt down. Fortunately, Aunt Liu quickly supported her, preventing her from falling.
"Oh dear, child, are you alright?"
"It's alright, Aunt Liu, it's alright..." Tian Wei's eyes were unfocused as Aunt Liu helped her sit down on a chair.
"Don't worry too much. The equipment in the city hospitals can't compare to that in big cities. Aren't you working in a big city? Once your mother has recovered a bit, take her to a big city for treatment. Maybe there are other treatment options available."
"Okay, sure." Tian Wei nodded haphazardly.
"By the way, Aunt Liu, thank you for your help. I'll pay you back for the medical expenses."
Tian Wei took out her phone, but Aunt Liu quickly pushed it back.
"Don't rush, don't rush. Take a break. You haven't slept all night, have you? I'll go buy you some food first. Your mother is sleeping in this ward. Go and take a look."
Aunt Liu frowned, her eyes filled with heartache.
She knew about the mother and daughter's situation, but it was their family matter, and she was just an outsider who couldn't interfere. Now that something had happened, she could only help them to some extent; the rest was up to the mother and daughter to get through on their own.
Tian Wei gave her a grateful look, but still took out a few hundred yuan in cash from her bag and stuffed it into Aunt Liu's hand. Despite Aunt Liu's repeated refusals, she couldn't resist Tian Wei's persistence and accepted the money.
After Aunt Liu left, Tian Wei stared blankly at the white wall in front of her for a long time before finally standing up and pushing open the ward door.
There was more than one patient inside, Tian Chan. When Tian Wei went in, there were other patients' family members inside as well.
Everyone's expression was numb, or they were only concerned with their own family. They glanced at Tian Wei and then looked away, not paying much attention.
Tian Wei looked at each bed one by one, and finally saw her mother on the innermost bed.
Tian Chan's head was wrapped in gauze, her face still had lingering redness and swelling, and her thin arms were covered with bluish-purple marks. Her eyes were tightly closed, and only the medical equipment proved that she was alive.
Tian Wei's lips trembled slightly as she sat down beside Tian Chan's bed and took Tian Chan's hand in hers.
"Mom, Weiwei is back. I'm sorry. It's all because Weiwei was so useless that you ended up like this. I'm so sorry."
Tian Wei pressed her hand to her forehead, her voice low and choked with sobs, tears streaming down her face and dripping onto the pure white blanket.
"Weiwei..." In a daze, Tian Wei heard Tian Chan calling her name. The voice was very soft, but Tian Wei still caught it.
"Mom! Mom, how are you feeling? It's me, it's Weiwei, I'm back, I'm back." Tian Wei quickly wiped away her tears, pressed the call button by the bedside, and leaned her head over.
"Weiwei..." Whether Tian Chan was dreaming or awake, she didn't open her eyes, but just murmured her daughter's nickname.
Tian Wei responded again and again, sniffling and trying to hold back her tears, afraid that her mother would see her like this.
The nurse and doctor arrived quickly, checked her over, and after confirming there were no other problems, gave her some instructions and left. Tian Wei nodded, noting everything down, afraid of missing a single detail.
Aunt Liu happened to return, bringing two steamed buns and a cup of hot soy milk. Tian Wei didn't have much of an appetite, but she still drank a few sips after Aunt Liu's encouragement.
"Aunt Liu, what exactly happened? Where is he?"
Now, Tian Wei doesn't even want to call him "Dad" anymore, and she doesn't want to admit that this man who only commits domestic violence, gambles, and drinks is her father.
Aunt Liu sighed, "I was cooking inside when I heard your parents arguing. You know your dad, he'll hit you if you say anything to him..."
Aunt Liu glanced at Tian Wei cautiously, while the latter gritted her teeth and gripped the hem of her skirt tightly.
"It's alright, please continue."
“I heard your mother shouting something, saying she wanted to leave, wanted a divorce or something... Your father refused, and it seemed like the two of them had another conflict. I only heard your mother scream once and then there was no sound.”
Speaking of this, Aunt Liu felt a wave of fear.
“I felt something was wrong, so I quickly turned off the stove and went out to check. As soon as I came out, I saw your dad standing blankly at the bottom of the stairs. I took a couple of steps to ask what was going on, and when I turned around, I saw your mom lying at the corner of the stairs with blood gushing out from the back of her head. I was so scared that I quickly called my husband to get the car, and we rushed her to the hospital.”
Aunt Liu looked at Tian Chan on the hospital bed and sighed, "You know how honest, hardworking, and capable your mother is. How come your father doesn't appreciate her? My husband just called and scolded him, saying that he spent the whole night gambling at the casino. After finding out your mother was alright, he didn't say anything and just kept saying that as long as she's not dead, it's no big deal."
Aunt Liu spoke vividly, as if she were standing in the casino herself, watching Tian Hao say these words.
Tian Wei listened quietly, but she knew that Aunt Liu was telling the truth. She had long since given up on her father. Since high school, she had been urging her mother to quit her job, but her mother always said to wait, just a little longer.
She asked, "When will we have to wait?"
"When Weiwei grows up a little more, let's go to a big city and rent a house with a view of the sea, okay?"
My mother loves the sea; she thinks it's beautiful, boundless, and gives her a sense of freedom.
Before getting married, she was a girl who loved watching the sea, reading books, and doing handicrafts. But at some point, her world became limited to this place, and her life was reduced to nothing more than the mundane details of daily life.
"Mom, would you be better off without me?"
"Weiwei, without you, Mom has no reason to live."
Thinking of this, Tian Wei sniffed and wiped away her tears. Seeing Tian Wei like this, Aunt Liu swallowed the rest of her words.
"Weiwei, Aunt Liu has to rush back to cook, so she'll head back first. Don't be too sad, it's good that you're still alive, nothing is more important than being alive."
"I know. Thank you for your help today, Aunt Liu." Tian Wei stood up and saw Aunt Liu off before sitting back down.
They sat there until sunset.
The incandescent light in the ward was dazzling. The steamed buns and soy milk on the bedside table had long since gone cold, but Tian Wei didn't care. She finished the remaining steamed buns in a few bites and threw the soy milk directly into the trash can.
Tian Wei got up and was about to throw away the trash when she heard Tian Chan call her name.
Tian Wei was taken aback, thinking that Tian Chan was dreaming again, but the next second, Tian Chan slowly opened her eyes.
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