I was discharged from the hospital
After staying in the hospital for a month, it was finally time to be discharged.
Some personal belongings have been packed and placed in the corner. The fruits and nutritional supplements that were originally piled up have decreased a lot, and the bedside table has become empty.
All that was left was a water cup and a few daily necessities.
Zhou Shufen sat on a chair beside the bed, holding an apple in her hand. The fruit knife turned flexibly in her hand, peeling out a continuous and evenly thick peel, which fell into the trash can at her feet.
Wen Lingyi went to the nurses' station and the cashier's office to complete the final discharge procedures. Taking advantage of this gap, Zhou Shufen had the opportunity to ask the question that had been lingering in her mind for a long time.
"Xingxing," Zhou Shufen cut the peeled apple into small pieces of appropriate size, neatly arranged them on a small porcelain plate, and pushed it in front of Zhou Jianxing, "Tell me the truth."
Her voice was steady, without much emotion.
Zhou Jianxing was pinching a piece of cucumber-flavored potato chips and putting them into his mouth. He paused when he heard the words. He exerted force with his fingertips, and the crispy potato chip broke into several pieces with a snap, falling on the quilt.
"What is your relationship with Lingyi?" Zhou Shufen picked up another apple and began to peel it skillfully.
She didn't look up, her eyes fixed on her moving fingertips.
Zhou Jianxing gathered the broken potato chip crumbs together and threw them into the trash can, his fingers unconsciously twisting the corner of the quilt.
The ward was very quiet, and the sound of wheels of a cart passing by in the corridor could be heard.
"She is your ex-girlfriend, right?" Zhou Shufen's tone remained flat.
It seemed like the answer had already been determined and just needed confirmation.
At first, she and Zhou Jianjun both thought that Wen Lingyi was their daughter's new good friend in City B.
Later I learned that Wen Lingyi chartered a plane from City C and rushed over as soon as the news of Zhou Jianxing's serious injury and rescue came out.
What kind of friend would go to such lengths? The answer is actually not difficult to guess.
"Yes." Zhou Jianxing lowered his eyes, and his eyelashes cast a small shadow under his eyes.
She picked up another whole potato chip, but didn't eat it. She just held it in her hand: "She is my girlfriend." Her voice was not loud, but very clear.
"Why did we break up in the first place?" Zhou Shufen had peeled the second apple. She placed the fruit knife on the cabinet next to her, making a slight clinking sound.
This time she raised her head and looked directly into Zhou Jianxing's eyes with a calm gaze.
"At that time... there was a little misunderstanding." Zhou Jianxing lowered his voice, took out a tissue, and slowly wiped his fingers.
The tip of her tongue unconsciously pressed against the base of her teeth, her heartbeat quickened, and her fingers gripping the tissue tightened slightly: "What's wrong?"
She raised her eyes and looked at her mother, with a little nervousness and tentativeness in her eyes: "Mom, don't you like her?"
Zhou Shufen stood up and began to sort out the scattered items around the room and put them into the packed boxes.
"No," she said, her back to Zhou Jianxing, so her expression couldn't be seen. "She's fine." After a pause, as if choosing her words, she continued, "You should cherish her."
At the beginning, when Zhou Jianxing came out, she and Zhou Jianjun were so worried that they couldn't sleep all night.
Their family is just an ordinary traditional family with conservative ideas, and they have never heard of such a thing around them.
At one point, I still held on to a glimmer of hope, thinking that it was just that my daughter had gone astray in her youth due to confusion.
Just like an unexpected deviation in life, one day they will return to the "right path" in their cognition.
For people of their generation, the thought of two women living together was too much of a shock.
But this month of hospital care has unknowingly changed Zhou Shufen's perspective.
As a working woman who has toiled for most of her life, Zhou Shufen could tell at a glance that Wen Lingyi's hands were definitely not for working.
You can tell at first glance that he has never suffered any hardship and was raised with great care.
Like a young lady who has never been involved in housework.
But it was this pair of hands that took care of Zhou Jianxing in every detail during this month, wiping his body, feeding him, massaging him, cleaning up his mess... without any complaints.
There is an old saying that there is no filial son by the bedside of a long-term patient. Taking care of a patient with limited mobility is not only extremely tiring physically, but also a huge mental drain.
I have to get up every one or two hours at night to check the urine bag, so I basically can't expect to get a full night's sleep.
Patients may suffer from depression, irritability, and even inexplicable aggressiveness due to postoperative pain, fasting, hunger, and long-term bed rest.
All these negative emotions are often borne by the closest caregivers.
Zhou Shufen once secretly observed and wondered how long this seemingly spoiled girl could last.
One day, two days, one week, two weeks... Unexpectedly, Wen Lingyi persisted to the end without saying a word.
Zhou Shufen is a person who cannot sit still. After dinner, or when Wen Lingyi is with her in the ward, she likes to walk around the hospital.
She saw too many patients hospitalized alone and too many family members who had emotional breakdowns because of taking care of the patients.
Too many patients do not receive good postoperative care, resulting in wound infection and poor recovery.
The more she saw, the more she thought about it.
If she were to ask herself, if it was Zhou Jianjun who was sick, she wouldn't dare to guarantee that she could take care of Zhou Jianxing like Wen Lingyi did.
Such extreme patience and meticulousness.
Returning to their original intentions, isn't her and Zhou Jianjun's greatest wish to hope that their daughter can find someone who is truly good to her, who can take care of her and make her happy?
So, does it really matter whether this person is a man or a woman?
Zhou Shufen observed a very common phenomenon in the hospital.
When a husband is sick and hospitalized, his wife and daughter will most likely accompany him personally and take good care of him.
When a wife is sick, her husband and son are often unable to take care of her personally. Of course, they will come to see her, give her some gifts, say a few words, and then leave in a hurry.
Most of the time, patients hire a caregiver, or simply bear the pain on their own.
Therefore, Zhou Shufen had an idea in her mind that might be a little selfish.
Rather than letting my daughter marry a man who may not be able to understand her feelings in the future and have to work hard to support a family.
She would rather her daughter have a "wife" like Wen Lingyi who can truly take care of her and accompany her.
By the time Zhou Shufen reached her age, she had become immune to all the sweet words that were spoken.
What is love? Love is not empty promises, but real support, sincere appreciation, selfless care and long-lasting companionship.
All of this actually has nothing to do with gender.
The things were almost packed up, and Wen Lingyi returned to the ward with the completed discharge documents.
Her face was slightly flushed from being busy, and her forehead was a little sweaty.
Zhou Shufen picked up the plate of sliced apples and walked over. Without saying anything, she picked up the largest piece and handed it directly to Wen Lingyi's mouth: "You've been busy all morning and haven't had time to eat breakfast, right? Come, have an apple first."
Wen Lingyi was a little surprised and subconsciously glanced at Zhou Jianxing on the bed, and found that he was looking at her with a slightly blushing face.
She obediently opened her mouth and took a bite of the sweet apple: "Thank you, Auntie. The procedures are all done, you can leave anytime."
"What are you thanking me for?" Zhou Shufen smiled and handed over another apple. "I should be the one thanking you."
Thank you for being so caring and loving my daughter so much.
·
When I was officially discharged in the afternoon, the ward became particularly lively.
Zhou Jianjun rushed back from City C specially. Chu Wei, Ajie, Xiaomin, Huang Haifu, and Su Qing were all there.
The girl rescued by Zhou Jianxing and her mother also came with flowers.
"Come, look over here, get ready to take a photo!" Huang Haifu seemed particularly happy. He stood next to Zhou Jianxing and cheerfully made a scissors gesture. "Yeah!"
Behind them were two conspicuous banners with white letters on a red background.
One message read, "Warmly commend the outstanding Schindler maintenance employee Comrade Zhou Jianxing for his heroic act of bravery!"
Another message read, "Sincerely congratulate Comrade Zhou Jianxing on his recovery and discharge from hospital!"
Zhou Jianxing held in both hands 50,000 yuan in red bills, which spread out like a fan. It was the bonus given to her by Huang Haifu on behalf of the company.
"Cheese!" Ajie's loud voice rang out, and Zhou Jianxing cooperated by showing a standard smile with eight teeth, and also made a playful gesture.
With a click, this lively moment was frozen.
"My dear, thank you so much for what happened that day..." The girl's mother tightly grasped Zhou Jianxing's hand, her voice choking with sobs, "This is a small gift from us. You must accept it, okay? Otherwise, we will never be able to let it go..."
A thick, bulging envelope was stuffed into Zhou Jianxing's hands without any explanation.
The envelope was heavy and felt like it was burning to the touch.
Zhou Jianxing panicked and waved his hands repeatedly.
"Auntie, there's really no need to do this," Zhou Jianxing tried to push the envelope back, saying sincerely, "I really can't accept it. You've come to see me many times before..."
Seeing this, Zhou Shufen immediately stepped forward and firmly stuffed the envelope back into the woman's handbag. "Look at what you're doing? I've told you many times that Xingxing didn't do this for this reason. If you continue to be so polite, it will be too formal."
"We have to pay some of the medical expenses and nutrition expenses..." The woman still felt bad and wanted to take out the envelope again.
"Most of it was reimbursed by the medical insurance, and the government also gave me a bravery bonus, and the company also rewarded me. Really, I don't need anything anymore." Zhou Shufen raised her eyebrows slightly, deliberately putting on a stern face. "If you keep doing this, I'll be really upset!"
Seeing Zhou Shufen's firm attitude, the woman withdrew her hand awkwardly.
"Thank you so much," the girl said as she stepped forward. She carefully opened her arms and gave Zhou Jianxing a gentle hug. "If you hadn't stepped forward, I might... I might not even be able to stand here and talk to you now."
Wen Lingyi, who was standing nearby, frowned slightly when she saw this scene. She was worried that the girl's movements would touch the wound on Zhou Jianxing's abdomen.
But when she looked carefully, she found that the two of them were not completely close to each other. The girl considerately left a gap between them, and it was just a symbolic hug.
Only then did I relax.
"It's okay, it's all over." Zhou Jianxing patted the girl's back with a bright smile, "I wish you a safe and smooth life in the future."
The girl loosened her arms and glanced casually at Wen Lingyi beside her with an ambiguous smile: "I also wish you... and the person you love, a long and happy life together."
Zhou Jianxing's face turned red in an instant, his eyes flickered over the people around him who were laughing secretly with their heads down, and he touched his nose embarrassedly.
·
Before leaving City B, Wen Lingyi treated all the friends who came to help and visit her to an authentic roast duck meal.
But she did not go to the old restaurant that Zhou Jianxing had been thinking about and strongly recommended, but chose another restaurant she had eaten at before in City B.
Because the store recommended by Zhou Jianxing was right next to the square where the accident happened.
She didn't dare to go, and was even unwilling to get close to that area.
Whenever she thought of Zhou Jianxing lying on the cold ground covered in blood, she felt a suffocating palpitation.
That scene has become her haunting nightmare at night.
The roast duck is also a signature dish of this restaurant, with crispy skin and tender meat, and is cooked impeccably.
"This one is really delicious," Zhou Jianxing licked his lips contentedly and rolled up another piece of duck meat with sweet noodle sauce. "If I had known earlier that this place was so delicious..."
She stopped talking halfway through.
·
As the dinner was coming to an end, Su Qing got up and went to the bathroom to touch up her makeup.
Under the bright mirror light, she was carefully drawing her lip line.
The bathroom door was pushed open, and Chu Wei walked in and stood in front of the sink next to it.
"You are Zhou Jianxing's good friend, right?" Su Qing didn't turn her head, but looked at Chu Wei through the reflection in the mirror, gently spreading the lipstick color evenly with her fingertips.
"Yes." Chu Wei closed the door, walked to the mirror, took out the air cushion powder compact from her handbag, and checked her makeup in the mirror.
Su Qing paused for a moment, turned around, walked to the door, and gently locked the door with a click.
"Tell her to be nice to Wen Lingyi." Su Qing looked at Chu Wei. Her voice was not loud, but every word was clear and powerful. "Otherwise, I will not let her go easily."
Chu Wei's hand, which was applying powder, stopped.
She slowly turned her head and glanced at Su Qing, then retracted her gaze and continued her hand movements, her tone calm and calm: "Oh?"
"I don't think it's our turn as outsiders to worry about what's going on between them." She smiled lightly after saying that.
Chu Wei closed the air cushion powder box, put it in her bag, then turned around and looked at Su Qing directly.
"But I'll give you the same thing." Her tone could even be described as gentle, but the meaning behind her words was uncompromising.
"You should also ask Wen Lingyi to be nicer to Zhou Jianxing." Chu Wei raised his chin, "Otherwise, I won't let her go."
In the small bathroom, the air seemed to stagnate for a moment.
A strange tacit understanding flowed in the silence.
Then, almost simultaneously, they looked away.
Su Qing reached out and unlocked the door. A light click broke the brief silence.
Chu Wei fixed her hair in front of the mirror for the last time, then opened the door and walked out first.
Su Qing looked at her back, and after a few seconds, she also walked out of the bathroom.
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