Chapter 27
As soon as Counselor Yuan left, Xia Zhiheng received a call from Cao Xi.
Seeing him answer the phone, Zhang Jusong subconsciously turned around and walked out of the ward holding a bottle of water. She herself was not used to others hearing her private phone calls, so when others called, she would naturally avoid them.
There were a few people sitting on the bench outside the ward, and it was unclear whether they were patients or family members. Zhang Jusong chose an empty chair with his back against the corner and sat down, unscrewing the bottle cap and taking a few gulps of water.
I wonder if Xia Zhiheng's mother will blame him? Zhang Jusong felt a little uneasy. She knew that some parents expressed their love and concern by scolding, such as the counselor Yuan just now, and another example... her father. When she was a child, she caught a cold accidentally and had a high fever. She went to find her father in the middle of the night. After using the back of his hand to feel the burning temperature of her forehead, her father almost jumped up in anxiety, and then scolded: "What did I say, bring an umbrella! If it rains, wait until the rain stops, you insisted on running home. Now you have a fever, are you feeling better!"
After scolding her, he drove her to see a doctor at night. His father ran around the hospital and hardly slept a wink.
What a strange and twisted feeling.
Although I know he may not have any bad intentions, the moment I hear it, I still feel as uncomfortable as being pricked by a needle, especially when I am sick.
Thinking of this, Zhang Jusong turned on the screen of his mobile phone, hesitated for a few seconds, and sent a text message to Xia Zhiheng's mother.
"Hello, Auntie. I'm in the hospital with Xia Zhiheng now. The counselor is also here. Don't worry, the doctor said it's not a big problem. As long as you rest well, you'll recover soon."
The implication is that he should rest well.
After a moment, I received a reply: "Thank you. Ju Song, are you available to answer the phone now?"
Want to call her? Zhang Jusong opened his eyes slightly wide, and after being surprised, he thought it was normal, so he replied "OK".
When the phone vibrated for the first time, she immediately pressed the answer button.
Cao Xi's voice was as gentle as ever: "Hello? Ju Song, I'm really sorry to trouble you."
"No, no, it should be."
Cao Xi sighed: "It's also because I'm not a good enough mother. After divorcing Xia Zhiheng's father, I've been busy and haven't communicated with him properly. Now even if he's sick, apart from telling Zhiheng to have a good rest, I don't have much to say to him."
Her voice sounded a little bitter: "I don't know if this child blames me in his heart..."
"Don't think like that," Zhang Jusong advised her, "Zhiheng wouldn't do that."
Cao Xi: "I know he won't. Alas, he always values others more than himself sometimes. He has something hidden in his heart but he doesn't want to say it."
After a pause, she asked, "Have you ever heard your father talk about my divorce from Zhiheng's father?"
Zhang Jusong thought quickly and answered, "No."
The father and daughter rarely communicate with each other, not to mention these gossips from others.
Cao Xi confided in her: "I'm not afraid of you laughing at me. Zhiheng's father and I rarely see each other, and his father has someone else outside. I heard about it, but I refused to let it go. I felt that why? I just wanted to drag it out and pretend that nothing happened. I was able to cover up the truth for some time."
"One day, during the Mid-Autumn Festival, the whole family gathered together. Because the elders and relatives were there, Zhiheng's father and I seemed to be in harmony on the surface."
"As a result... during the reunion dinner, Zhiheng actually blurted out the matter in front of everyone."
"I still remember him asking me, 'So, when are you going to get a divorce?' He said not to worry about him, he can take care of it all by himself."
Hearing this, Zhang Jusong's hand holding the phone suddenly tightened.
How old was Xia Zhiheng at that time? It should be when she left her old home to go to high school, so he was only twelve or thirteen years old.
A boy of twelve or thirteen asked his parents in a calm tone when they would divorce in public. She found it incredible just thinking about it.
Cao Xi on the other end of the phone said in a low voice: "At that time, I was so angry that I almost went crazy. After returning home, I——"
She was quiet for a moment, took a deep breath, and then said in a bitter tone: "I - slapped him."
The past emerges from the waste paper pile of time, carrying a heavy shadow.
The mask of peace and tranquility was torn off, and she could no longer pretend like an ostrich that nothing had happened. This kid did it on purpose. He knew that she and Xia Zhiheng's father were very proud, so he deliberately broke the window paper in front of everyone and forced them to divorce in an almost threatening manner.
Spilled water cannot be collected, and a broken mirror cannot be mended.
At that time, Cao Xi was like a piece of rotten meat being cut off from her body, and she screamed hysterically: "How could there be a child like you? How could I give birth to a child like you! Others all hope that their parents are well, and cry and make a fuss to ask people not to divorce. But what about you? What about you!"
She burst into tears and collapsed onto the cool marble tiles.
Xia Zhiheng stood there, not crying, not making a fuss, not making any excuses, just looking at her quietly.
He handed her a tissue only when Cao Xi was tired of crying and had no more tears to shed.
"Mom, you deserve true happiness."
He sat on the ground, his eyes level with hers, and said calmly, "These days, you've been crying secretly at night."
"Even if Daddy comes home, you still won't be happy looking at him."
"I'm young and don't understand what kind of relationship marriage is. But I think, if I can't even do something as simple as making you happy, then what's the point of maintaining such a marriage?"
Cao Xi pushed his tissue away and gritted her teeth, "What do you know? What do you know! I refuse to divorce because of you."
The pair of eyes that were the same as hers looked at her quietly. The little boy's eyes flashed with an emotion that could be called "pity".
"I understand one thing," Xia Zhiheng said slowly, "If you are unhappy, I will not be happy either."
He handed over another tissue persistently.
"Mom, let him go, and let yourself go, okay?"
"Since then, I have officially divorced his father." Cao Xi took a deep breath and said to Zhang Jusong, "I'm sorry for nagging and talking nonsense to you. Well, the main reason is that I usually don't have anyone to talk to. I'm really sorry to have wasted your time."
"No." Zhang Jusong pulled the hem of her skirt unconsciously.
After hesitating for a moment, she asked, "So...are you happy now?"
"What?" Cao Xi was quite surprised. When she came to her senses, she smiled softly, "Me? Not bad. I'm really sorry to have caused you trouble, both for me and our Zhiheng."
"It's not a big deal. We just look out for each other."
After hanging up the phone, Zhang Jusong stood in the corridor for a while before returning to the ward.
Xia Zhiheng seemed to be asleep, lying quietly on the hospital bed.
She sat down quietly beside him, put her chin in her hand, and just looked at his face.
Perhaps because of his illness, his face was a little pale, his brows were wrinkled, and he slept very uneasily.
Get well soon, Zhang Jusong thought.
As he gradually felt sleepy, Zhang Jusong found a small corner where he could not get in the way, and lay down to sleep, moving very quietly.
In the ward, patients and their families would occasionally talk in low voices; in the corridor, footsteps could be heard occasionally going away. She fell asleep in a daze.
When Xia Zhiheng woke up, the sunlight shining on the white sheets had turned into a brilliant golden color.
At sunset, the girl took a nap on the bed, as quiet as a kitten curled up on the bed. The twilight outlined a circle of golden color around the edge of her messy hair.
As he looked at her, he suddenly had an urge to touch her hair.
But no, it would scare her.
Suppressing his thoughts, Xia Zhiheng had to settle for the next best thing and trace her outline with his eyes. A distant and secretly happy feeling rose in his heart, just like the joy he felt when he was a child and couldn't go to school because he was sick, and he secretly turned on the TV remote control when the adults were not at home.
For this, I am willing to get sick.
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