0169 Self-abandonment
A few days later, Jiang Jifan officially began his rehabilitation training.
After getting up and having breakfast in the morning, the nurse took her to the rehabilitation department.
Because she was a patient in a special needs ward, a nurse had already arranged a number for her, so she could start treatment immediately upon arrival.
"Excuse me, there is another patient ahead of you who has not finished treatment. Please wait for two minutes."
As if afraid they would be dissatisfied and complain, the ward nurse pretended to say a few words to the rehabilitation department doctor, then turned around and apologized to them with a smile.
Tantai Qing shook his head and said it was okay, then let the nurse lead them to the waiting room to sit down.
While waiting, a sharp scream suddenly came from the treatment room next door. Immediately afterwards, the door was opened, and a boy who looked like a teenager stumbled out of it.
"It hurts too much, I don't want to do it anymore! I don't want to do it anymore!"
"Don't you want to get better? So what if it hurts? Just bear with it and it will pass!" The middle-aged man, who looked like the father, scolded him while forcefully pushing him inside.
Then, through the crack in the door that hadn't been closed, came the boy's broken, ear-piercing screams.
"Mommy, I'm so scared, I don't want to do it anymore, waaaaah..." A little girl who was also waiting nearby was so frightened that she burst into tears.
Hearing the shrill screams, Jiang Jifan felt a chill run down his spine, his scalp tingled, and goosebumps rose on his exposed skin.
Seeing this, Tantai Qing grasped her hands, which were clenched tightly in fear, and gently comforted her, "Don't be afraid, Ji Fan, I will stay with you."
Then he shifted the focus to other topics in an attempt to distract her.
Jiang Jifan listened to his words with her eyes lowered, but she was still uneasy.
Soon it was her turn.
Before going in, Tantai Qing asked if he could accompany her. The nurse in charge of calling the numbers didn't even look up and said in a cold voice, "I'm sorry, sir, in order to avoid interrupting the treatment, we do not recommend that family members accompany you."
He frowned upon hearing this, glanced down at Jiang Jifan, who looked somewhat helpless in his wheelchair, and made the request again.
"Sir, please don't be too nervous. We will call you if you need anything. Please wait outside." The ward nurse said gently, dispelling his worries with just a few words. She stood behind the wheelchair, ready to push Jiang Jifan into the treatment room.
Tantai Qing was also afraid that his presence would interfere with their work, so he gave up.
“Jifan, don’t be afraid. I’ll be waiting outside. If anything happens, just call me and I’ll come in immediately…” He squatted down next to the wheelchair, patted her head, and said softly.
"Hmm." Jiang Jifan could not hide his disappointment and responded very softly.
Before being pushed inside, she glanced back in his direction.
Although she can't see anything.
When Tantai Qing saw her turn around, he involuntarily took a step forward, but he forcibly restrained himself before taking the next step.
He can't interfere with her...
Once inside, the young therapist told Jiang Jifan not to be nervous and to relax.
She tried to suppress her fear, but her body was still tense.
"We're about to begin."
Upon learning that she had difficulty seeing, the therapist patiently explained today's rehabilitation training tasks to her before starting.
Jiang Jifan sat on the edge of the bed with his legs dangling down. He grasped her ankles with his broad hands and then pushed them upwards forcefully.
"Ah!" A sharp pain shot through her injured leg, causing her to scream out and nearly jump out of bed.
The therapist was clearly used to this situation and continued pushing her calf upwards without stopping.
"It hurts! It hurts!" Jiang Jifan was in so much pain that his vision went black. He kept pounding the bed, struggling and screaming.
"Hold her down," the therapist instructed the nurse.
The nurse stepped forward, pressed her down, and comforted her, saying, "Just bear with it for a moment, the pain is what makes it effective."
Time passed slowly, and just when she was in so much pain that she felt dizzy and disoriented, the therapist finally stopped.
"Let her catch her breath..."
"Call her family in."
Tantai Qing was restless and paced back and forth in the corridor.
"Where are Jiang Jifan's family members?" the nurse in the treatment room asked loudly as she pushed open the door.
“Here!” he immediately turned around and replied.
In the treatment room, Jiang Jifan was calming down in the nurse's arms when he vaguely heard Tantai Qing's voice. He immediately pushed the nurse away and looked in the direction of the voice.
As soon as Tantai Qingfu entered the room, he saw her sitting on the treatment bed, her face pale. Her face was streaked with tears, and her eyes were red and swollen, making her look pitiful.
She stared fixedly in her direction, saying nothing, but her deep grievances were evident.
Tantai Qing quickly stepped forward, took the tissue from the nurse's hand, and wiped away her tears, feeling extremely distressed.
"It's alright, Ji Fan, it's alright, I'm here..."
Jiang Jifan seemed to have finally found her pillar of support, and she leaned tightly against him, sobbing uncontrollably.
The ward nurse, who had been following her, went out and brought back a glass of warm water when she saw this.
"This rehabilitation treatment is a bit uncomfortable. Here, have some water first."
Tantai Qing took the water cup and carefully fed her water.
"How much longer?" he asked.
"If we coordinate well, it will take at most twenty minutes."
When Jiang Jifan heard the words "twenty minutes," it was as if he had heard something terrifying. Recalling the excruciating pain he had just experienced, he couldn't help but shudder.
Tantai Qing touched her sweaty face and asked softly, "Jifan, can you hold on a little longer?"
Imagining herself walking briskly after recovery, she gritted her teeth and nodded in agreement.
Later, watching helplessly as the veins on her forehead and neck bulged in pain, her face turned deathly pale, and her lips trembled, Tantai Qing's hands supporting her shoulders trembled slightly. Unable to bear the sight, he turned his head away with tears in his eyes, and even had an impulse to end it all.
Jiang Jifan was in so much pain that he kept gagging, crying and sneezing, his face covered in snot and tears, looking utterly pathetic.
"Can we stop doing this?!" she cried out in despair.
Tantai Qing cast an inquiring glance at the rehabilitation therapist, only to see him straighten up, wipe the sweat from his brow with his sleeve, and say, "This is just the beginning. If you can't even stick to the current treatment, the subsequent treatments will be even more difficult..."
Hearing this, he wiped her face and coaxed her softly, "Jifan, let's hang in there a little longer, okay? Just a little longer, it'll be over soon..."
Jiang Jifan felt he had no right to refuse, sniffed, and was forced to continue.
"Ugh!!" In the throes of extreme pain, she bit his shoulder hard and pinched his back with her fingers.
Although he had trimmed her nails, the tips of her nails were still digging into her flesh, causing her pain.
Tantai Qing endured all the pain without uttering a sound.
For him, his pain was less than one ten-thousandth of what she was currently enduring.
"alright."
The long and agonizing torture finally ended, and Jiang Jifan's hospital gown was completely soaked.
The nurse brought over a wheelchair and tried to help her sit down.
Jiang Jifan had just recovered from the pain and was still in shock, so he reacted violently and refused to let her touch him.
"Don't touch me..."
Seeing this, Tantai Qing could only carefully pick her up horizontally, thank them, and then leave quickly.
"Why are your clothes all soaked?" Aunt Li exclaimed when she saw the listless Jiang Jifan in his arms after they returned to the ward.
"Auntie, please turn on the water first. I need to help her take a bath." Tantai Qing picked her up and sat her down, then took a tissue and reached inside her clothes to wipe the sweat from her back.
Fearing she would catch a cold, I quickly turned up the air conditioner temperature.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Jifan said in a hoarse voice, "I want Auntie to wash me..."
He didn't want to go against her wishes, so he had no choice but to agree.
Perhaps the rehabilitation treatment had exhausted all her energy, because she fell asleep as soon as she touched the bed after taking a shower.
After that, Jiang Jifan underwent rehabilitation treatment day after day, and rehabilitation undoubtedly became the thing she feared most every day.
Throughout this time, Tantai Qing stayed by her side. Even though she didn't perform well during the treatment, he never blamed her, but only encouraged her gently.
"Don't rush, Ji Fan, take your time..."
"Very good, you did a great job..."
Jiang Jifan struggled to walk on the ground, holding onto the parallel bars with both hands, his whole body drenched in sweat.
Perhaps it was because she wasn't feeling well today, but walking, which was usually not difficult for her, became extremely difficult at this moment.
She has always been stubborn, and she will insist on doing her best in things she is not good at, so much so that she was still working hard to exercise when the therapist said it was time to end.
"Jifan, let's call it a day and go back." Tantai Qing couldn't bear to see her like this, so he stepped forward to persuade her.
Jiang Jifan seemed not to hear, frowning and gritting his teeth as he continued walking while holding onto the parallel bars.
She finally stopped when she was completely exhausted.
On the way back to the ward, she suddenly insisted on getting down and walking by herself. Tantai Qing couldn't persuade her otherwise, so he could only let her have her way.
"I don't need your help." Jiang Jifan pushed him away, refusing his assistance, and as if competing with himself, took off his crutches and walked slowly.
Tantai Qing followed beside her, watching with bated breath, not daring to even breathe loudly.
Sure enough, after only a few steps, she collapsed from exhaustion.
Fortunately, he reacted quickly and pounced on her to hug her.
"Jifan, don't go, I'll carry you back."
Jiang Jifan lowered his head, looking dejected, feeling powerless and defeated.
Back in the ward, Tantai Qing helped her sit up on the bed and went to get a towel to wipe her hands, but as soon as he turned around, he heard a loud noise behind him.
He turned around in shock, only to see her sweep all the items on the bedside table to the floor, with water glasses and other items shattering everywhere, shards flying all over the place.
Resentment and anger surged through Jiang Jifan's chest, making her heart feel like it was about to explode. The emotions she had been holding back for days finally erupted at this moment.
Tantai Qing didn't go forward, but stood aside and watched her vent her anger until she stopped before going up to her.
“Ji Fan…”
"Leave me alone!!!" Jiang Jifan shook off his hand, shouting in a tearful voice, then collapsed onto the bed in despair and cried loudly.
Tantai Qing's heart clenched, a slight pain welling up inside him. He wanted to go forward and comfort her, but he didn't dare to touch her. He could only sit silently by the bedside.
Jiang Jifan turned his back to him, curling his body into a self-protective posture, his thin shoulders trembling incessantly.
How could someone as proud as her accept being so weak and incompetent?
She didn't cry the day she learned she had lost her sight, but now, realizing she may never be able to be as healthy as she imagined, she finds it hard to accept.
No matter how good the world is, she is now nothing more than a blind and lame cripple.
Countless pessimistic thoughts flashed through her mind, making her increasingly heartbroken.
Jiang Jifan buried his head in the pillow and let out a sob like a trapped animal.
After a long while, the crying gradually stopped.
After a few minutes, Tantai Qing cautiously called out, "Jifan?"
There was no response.
He peeked over and found that she was asleep.
Tantai Qing turned her around and saw that her fair cheeks were covered with tear streaks, and her red nose was still wet with tears, making her look pitiful.
He sighed softly, turned around and got a warm towel to wipe her face.
She was still restless in her sleep, her thick eyebrows furrowed.
Anyone with eyes could see that since she woke up, she no longer smiled as much as before, and her personality had become much more gloomy. In the end, the loss of her sight was a huge blow to her.
Tantai Qing stared at her face for a long time before finally lowering his head to gently kiss her cheek.
After she regained consciousness, she avoided him; he hadn't kissed her like that in a long time.
Jiang Jifan suddenly let out a soft moan in his sleep.
He left immediately, afraid of waking her, and dared not move again.
Tantai Qing glanced at the messy floor and, fearing that she might be injured by the shards when she woke up, squatted down and carefully cleaned it up.
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