On May 1st, Labor Day, Song Guomin returned to the city.
Inside the Fourth Military Hospital.
He sat in the corridor, stiff and cold, the doctor's words echoing in his mind.
—Did you come alone?
Where are your family members?
—You're divorced, and you have two children?
—Your lung cancer has progressed to the middle stage, the tumor is already four centimeters in size, and it has metastasized to the lymph nodes. Do you want surgery or medication? If conditions permit, I suggest surgery; part of your lung will need to be removed. Post-operative adjuvant therapy and regular follow-up appointments are also necessary…
—The success rate of the surgery is about 60%, so don't worry. You're a grown man, why are you crying? I've seen many patients, and your situation isn't that serious.
—You should have come for treatment when you coughed up blood before. You even went to the clinic for IV drips. Never mind, you should think about it as soon as possible.
Song Guomin looked even thinner than during the Lunar New Year.
The doctor said it was still in the middle stage and treatable. Based on Song Guomin's description of his symptoms, I thought it was in the late stage, but the tests showed that his condition wasn't that serious...
The surgery and nursing fees will cost approximately one hundred yuan.
Song Guomin can afford it; he still has a job, so he should be able to keep up with the follow-up treatment.
Song Guomin's face was sallow, and even his glasses looked empty against his skin.
Song Guomin covered his face with his hands, sat for a while, and then mustered his spirits to go home.
He started coughing up blood again recently, and his bank colleagues urged Song Guomin to get checked out as soon as possible. The town hospital told him to go to the city to see a doctor.
Yesterday, Friday, he took Yan Yan and Lele back to the city.
I arrived at the hospital early this morning.
When he got back, it was only a little past five o'clock. Song Guomin had even bought some groceries. When he got downstairs, he suddenly heard a few familiar words.
Liu Aimei...
"How come they're all so young and yet they're like Liu Aimei? They both work in shopping malls and both became mistresses. Tsk tsk tsk, these young people these days, they all have character issues!"
"Just you wait and see. Dressing up every day will get you into trouble sooner or later. Look at Liu Aimei, she's in jail now!"
"Oh dear, her ex-husband still lives here; they haven't even sold the house."
"I saw him come back last night! He's lost so much weight—"
Song Guomin interrupted their conversation.
"What did you just say? Liu Aimei is in jail?" Song Guomin's tone was full of disbelief.
"You still don't know?!"
Since the Lunar New Year, Song Guomin has only returned home three times.
This was the third time. The previous two times, I had only come and gone in a hurry, returning to the head office to report and then going home for one night.
Song Guomin shook his head stiffly, "When did this happen?"
Those aunties didn't know everything either.
“We heard it from the news. The nanny who used to take care of Li Jinhua’s child used to work in Conglin Community. She was a neighbor! It’s said that Liu Aimei was kicked out after giving birth! She wasn’t allowed to see her child either. Later, it seems that Liu Aimei rented a place to live.”
"As a result, Liu Aimei's biological mother stabbed someone! Liu Aimei hid at the time and said she didn't see anything. The police found out that Liu Aimei had committed perjury, and that's why she was sentenced!"
"Song Guomin, it's a good thing you got divorced early, otherwise, you would have had a lot more trouble."
"By the way, you've gotten so thin. You need to take care of yourself outside of work. Oh, and have you found anyone new? Should I introduce you to someone? Even though you have a child, working at a bank should give you a good chance of meeting nice girls. Most of them are divorced, and they're doing well without kids, so don't look down on them—"
Song Guomin's voice was stiff, "The child is still waiting at home, I'll go home and cook first, thank you."
Song Guomin hurriedly carried the groceries upstairs.
He simply couldn't believe that Liu Aimei was in jail and that her mother had committed murder!
Yan Yan is reading a book with Lele.
"Dad, what's wrong?"
Song Guomin looked at the two children with a very complicated expression.
If his surgery fails...
Can Liu Aimei take good care of the two children...?
Song Guomin thought of Xu Guiying and Song Xinfu, his eyes filled with bitterness. He had raised his child for so long and now he understood most of his parents' expectations for him... and their disappointment.
He's almost thirty now, and apart from his job at the bank, he's accomplished nothing and has a host of health problems.
Song Guomin mustered his spirits and went to the kitchen to cook.
After finishing his meal, Song Guomin washed the dishes and said to Yan Yan, "Dad is going out for a bit. You stay home and look after Lele."
"Dad, when are you coming back?"
"About two hours, it'll be quick."
Both children nodded obediently, a stark contrast to their cheerful and optimistic demeanor when they lived in Heping Lane.
Song Guomin felt another pang of sorrow.
He went directly to Chengxiang Lane, not to the Liu family's house, but to find a place to sit down at the entrance of the lane. Someone recognized him, and there was another round of small talk, ostensibly about what he was actually interested in.
Song Guomin pieced together the whole story from various sources.
He was shocked.
To everyone's surprise, Xiong Jing turned out to be his ex-mother-in-law's illegitimate daughter!
They even killed Xiong Jing's own father!
"What about Xiong Jing and her mother?"
“They were kicked out long ago, I haven’t seen them since. I don’t know if they’re still in the capital. It’s a tragedy. Who hasn’t done something foolish when they were young? Look, He Shuqiong not only got executed herself, but she also dragged Liu Aimei into jail.”
“It’s been a long time since then. In just over four months, Liu Aimei will be released from prison. If she behaves well, she might even get a reduced sentence.”
Song Guomin listened in a daze.
After leaving Chengxiang Lane, I returned home.
He went into the room and looked at the two children sleeping.
Three years ago, no, even two years ago, he never imagined he would be in this situation.
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