Seeing He Yinhua sitting at the table, Jiang Xuan felt a little relieved, but she still couldn't quite bring herself to call her "Mom".
"You're awake? You scared me to death!"
He Yinhua's lips were so dry they were peeling, but she smiled and said, "I made my Xuanxuan worry, but I'm fine."
"The school teacher has already contacted the affiliated hospital, and I've also taken the afternoon off. Let's go, let's go get checked out."
"I'm really fine. Your studies are important, so don't let them interfere with your studies. Go back to school now."
The shop owner advised, "Sir, you look so pale. You should go get checked out, otherwise you'll worry about your child."
"Yes, you should go get checked out," a customer next to him said.
He Yinhua sighed, and tears streamed down her face.
Humans are truly strange creatures.
When she came to Ningzhou before, she only wanted to see her daughter.
But after spending some time with her daughter, she couldn't bear to leave.
How she longed to see her daughter more, to watch her graduate from university, to see her find a good job, and to see her get married and have children.
But all of this is ultimately just wishful thinking.
Lin Che comforted her, "Auntie, don't be sad. The affiliated hospital is our school's internship base, and it's a pretty good hospital in Ningzhou. You should go there and get a thorough check-up."
"The hospital that said you have anemia must be a small one. Those kinds of hospitals have limited testing equipment, and their diagnoses are not always accurate."
He Yinhua's eyes lit up.
So, her illness might also be a misdiagnosis.
She wiped away her tears and whispered, "Okay, I'll go to the hospital."
Jiang Xuan led He Yinhua onto the school bus, and then saw Lin Che follow them.
What's going on here?
Lin Che said expressionlessly, "I'll go too."
"No need, no need. You've already gone to so much trouble for me today. You haven't eaten yet, have you? Go and eat. I can manage at the hospital by myself."
Lin Che strode over and sat down. "Big hospitals have complicated procedures; you might not be able to manage everything by yourself."
Ningzhou University is only about five kilometers away from its affiliated hospital, which takes about 10 minutes by car.
The outpatient hall was bustling with people, and there were queues at several registration windows.
"You and Auntie go sit over there first. Professor Wang should have already contacted the hospital. I'll go ask."
Jiang Xuan felt really bad. She wanted to say that she would ask, but Lin Che had already strode away.
She caught up with him and stuffed five yuan into Lin Che's hand. "Thank you for your help. I didn't bring any money with me today. This is all I have. Please use it first, and I'll go back and get more later."
Lin Che nodded.
Sitting in her seat, He Yinhua closed her eyes and rubbed her aching chest, saying softly, "Xuanxuan, I want to have my breasts checked."
"It will be checked, don't worry."
"What I mean is to just get a breast exam; there's no need to spend that money on anything else."
"It won't cost much. It's usually hard to get an appointment at this hospital on weekdays; you almost never get one for the same day. Today, we're so grateful to Professor Wang from the university. Since you've come all this way, please get a thorough check-up."
At this moment, Lin Che walked over and said, "Let's go to the internal medicine department on the third floor."
When I arrived at the internal medicine examination room, the doorway was already full of patients waiting to be seen.
Jiang Xuan found an empty seat for He Yinhua to sit down, while Lin Che went to explain the situation to the doctor.
A short while later, the nurse called out He Yinhua's name.
The doctor was an elderly man in his fifties, wearing reading glasses. After listening to He Yinhua's description of her condition, he nodded, opened the medical record, and said, "You should first get a blood and urine test, and then get an X-ray."
He Yinhua said, "Doctor, I've had these tests done at our county hospital. The doctor said I have a problem with my breasts, so I just want to have the necessary tests done again."
The doctor thought for a moment and said, "Did you bring the test results from the county hospital?"
"No."
"Let's get all the tests done first, and then we'll talk about it when the results come out."
Lin Che said in a low voice, "Let's go, let's get checked first."
Jiang Xuan nodded.
They helped He Yinhua to the laboratory.
The corridor of the laboratory was crowded with patients waiting to have their blood drawn, and the air was filled with the smell of disinfectant alcohol.
The nurse was a middle-aged woman who moved quickly and skillfully.
She had He Yinhua sit down, quickly drew a blood sample, then handed her a small bottle and instructed her to go to the bathroom to collect a urine sample.
After He Yinhua returned with the urine sample, Lin Che handed the sample to the nurse. The nurse recorded the information and said, "The results will take about an hour to come out. You can go and get an X-ray first."
The three then went to the radiology department and had chest X-rays taken.
While waiting for the results, Lin Che and Jiang Xuan stayed by He Yinhua's side, comforting her and telling her not to be nervous.
An hour later, the results from the laboratory and radiology departments came out. Lin Che took the test reports, and they returned to the internal medicine examination room together.
The doctor carefully examined the report, his brow furrowed. "The blood and urine tests show an inflammatory reaction, and the X-ray also shows an abnormal shadow in her breast. We need to perform a biopsy."
Jiang Xuan's heart skipped a beat.
The unusual shadow suggests the condition is quite serious.
He Yinhua's face turned even paler, her eyes filled with despair and helplessness.
Jiang Xuan held her hand and comforted her, "Don't worry, let's do another check-up, the doctor will have a solution."
As they left the consultation room, He Yinhua held Jiang Xuan's hand and smiled bitterly, "Forget it, Xuanxuan, don't waste this money. I know my situation. The county hospital has already diagnosed me with breast cancer."
"Let's get it checked out. Small hospitals are prone to misdiagnosis. Even if it really is a serious illness, the doctors here are highly skilled, and they might have a treatment plan."
He Yinhua couldn't help but cry, "Look, I've only caused you trouble by coming here. If I had known this would happen, I wouldn't have come to see you."
Lin Che said, "Auntie, please don't be sad anymore. Please get a proper check-up."
He Yinhua cooperated and underwent a biopsy.
Because Professor Wang had given prior notice, the biopsy was expedited, and the report came out two hours later.
However, the result was not satisfactory.
The doctor carefully reviewed the medical records and biopsy report, his expression serious and grave.
He glanced at He Yinhua, then turned to Lin Che and Jiang Xuan, "Come with me for a moment."
The doctor gestured for them to leave the examination room and enter the small conference room next door.
In the conference room, the doctor closed the door, sat down at the table, and took a deep breath. "Are you the patient's children?"
Jiang Xuan said, "I am her daughter, and this is my classmate."
The doctor nodded. "I regret to inform you that, after a biopsy, it has been confirmed that the patient has breast cancer, and it has already reached an advanced stage, with the cancer cells having metastasized."
Lin Che immediately looked at Jiang Xuan, fearing she might not be able to handle it.
That's why he wanted to come along today.
But she seemed stronger than he had imagined, asking the doctor, "Doctor, what treatment options are there?"
The doctor shook his head. "Current treatment options are very limited. We can try some conservative treatments and try to relieve the pain with medication, but the effectiveness will vary from person to person. Let's admit you to the hospital first."
Without even a second's hesitation, Jiang Xuan said, "We won't be hospitalized."
(End of this chapter)
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