Chapter 41 Xiao Bin: Why is this world so unfair? ...
After leaving the hospital, Chu Yanxi and Lu Zhe did not waste a moment and immediately went their separate ways.
Lu Zhe was responsible for going to the bank to withdraw money and learning in detail about the hospital's specific procedures and precautions regarding critical illness assistance and overdue payment collection. Chu Yanxi went to a nearby supermarket, selected more than a dozen bright red and particularly sweet-looking apples, and bought two boxes of easily digestible snacks suitable for sick children.
Half an hour later, the two met at the entrance of the inpatient department of the hematology department of the Second Municipal Hospital.
The smell of disinfectant was strong, and the ward was quiet, with only the occasional rhythmic ticking of medical equipment or the suppressed coughing and groaning of a child.
The two gently pushed open the slightly ajar door.
On the hospital bed by the window, a thin boy lay quietly, an IV drip in his hand, the transparent tubing connected to the IV bag at the head of the bed. He looked younger than his actual age, his face almost transparently pale, his hair thinned from chemotherapy, but his eyes were unusually large and bright, staring blankly out the window.
This is Xiaobin.
Hearing the noise, Xiao Bin turned around and saw two unfamiliar uncles and aunts. A hint of timid curiosity flashed in his eyes, but he did not cry or make a fuss.
"Xiao Bin, hello there." Chu Yanxi softened her voice and gave a gentle smile. She stepped forward and gently placed the bag containing apples and snacks on the bedside table. "My surname is Chu, and his surname is Lu. We heard that Xiao Bin is a brave little soldier, so we came to see you."
Lu Zhe bent down, his smile friendly and warm: "Xiao Bin, hello there, does the injection hurt?"
Xiao Bin blinked his big eyes and said politely, "Thank you, Aunt Chu, thank you, Uncle Lu. I'm not in pain. My mom said that the injection will make me better, and then I can go back to school."
His voice was soft, carrying a sense of weakness and illness, but his speech was clear. It was truly heartbreaking to see a child who had just started second grade facing his illness with such strength.
Chu Yanxi sat down on the chair by the bed and picked up the biggest and reddest apple: "Xiaobin, Auntie brought you a big apple, do you want to eat it? Auntie will peel it for you, okay?"
Xiao Bin's eyes lit up for a moment, and he subconsciously licked his chapped lips, but then shook his head and whispered, "Mom said I can't just take things from other people. Besides, I'll throw up if I eat them..."
The side effects of chemotherapy were clearly taking a toll on the young child.
Chu Yanxi glanced at the IV drip he was receiving. The milky white medicine dripped slowly, flowing into Xiao Bin's body through the IV tube, cold and clear. Don't underestimate this small amount of chemotherapy fluid; it can trigger a severe systemic reaction.
Hair loss, vomiting, numbness in hands and feet, mouth ulcers, bone pain...
Chu Yanxi felt as if her heart had been stabbed, but she maintained her smile: "It's okay, eat a little less, or wait until you feel better before eating, okay?"
Xiao Bin nodded and licked his lips again: "Then, can I eat just a little bit?"
Chu Yanxi took a small spoon, scooped some apple puree, and fed it to Xiao Bin. Xiao Bin obediently opened his mouth and ate the sweet and soft apple puree.
After waiting for a while, Xiao Bin's eyes lit up and he said happily, "Aunt Chu, I didn't throw up! I didn't throw up."
Faced with such an obedient and sensible child, and seeing his joy at not spitting it out, Chu Yanxi felt as if something was blocking her throat. She lowered her head and scooped up another spoonful, bringing it to Xiao Bin's lips: "Hmm, then have another bite."
Lu Zhe chatted gently with Xiao Bin, asking him how old he was and what cartoons he liked to watch. Xiao Bin was a little reserved at first, but seeing that Chu Yanxi and Lu Zhe meant no harm, he gradually became more talkative.
He said his favorite show is "Journey to the West" and he wants to be Sun Wukong because Sun Wukong is not afraid of pain and can fight monsters.
"Once Xiaobin recovers, he'll be even more powerful than Sun Wukong," Lu Zhe encouraged him.
"Yes!" Xiao Bin nodded vigorously, a faint light appearing on his pale face. "The doctor said that if I take the injections and medicine properly, I can drive away the disease monster! I want to get better quickly so that my mother won't cry every day or have to stay by my side all the time. Then she can go out and set up a breakfast stall to earn money."
The child's innocent words revealed a precocious maturity beyond his years and a heartbreaking understanding.
Chu Yanxi paused almost imperceptibly while peeling the apple, then continued feeding Xiao Bin the apple.
After taking three bites, Xiao Bin refused to eat anymore, shaking his head and saying, "It's cold, I don't want to eat anymore, I don't feel well." Chu Yanxi quickly stopped feeding him, looking at his face nervously, worried that he would vomit.
Fortunately, Xiao Bin was only a little pale and did not vomit.
"Auntie, Uncle, you can have some too." Xiao Bin picked up an apple and handed it to Chu Yanxi and Lu Zhe.
"Xiao Bin, be good. Auntie and Uncle don't want any, these are for you. And these snacks, you can have a little something when you're hungry." Chu Yanxi felt a pang of sadness.
“Then I’ll save the biggest one for Mom!” Xiao Bin picked up the biggest apple, held it in his palm, and looked expectantly at the ward door. “Mom goes home to cook for me. She runs around every day, it’s so tiring. She must be hungry too.”
Just then, the ward door was gently pushed open, and Lin Rong walked in carrying a small insulated lunchbox. She was clearly taken aback when she saw Chu Yanxi and Lu Zhe, especially when she saw Chu Yanxi, recognizing him as the community worker who had come for a home visit that morning.
“Ms. Lin, we’ve come to see Xiaobin.” Chu Yanxi stood up, her tone natural.
A hint of panic and embarrassment flashed across Lin Rong's face. She subconsciously hid the lunchbox behind her back and whispered, "Leader Chu, what brings you here?"
Hearing Lin Rong address him as "Leader Chu," Chu Yanxi sighed inwardly, "Sister Lin, you can just call me Little Chu."
When faced with community officials who could decide whether or not to grant her hardship assistance, Lin Rong's attitude was very humble: "I wouldn't dare."
Chu Yanxi had no choice but to change the subject, his gaze falling on the lunchbox in her hand: "Did you bring lunch to Xiaobin?"
"Yes, that's right. I just... made something simple." Lin Rong walked to the bedside, placed the lunchbox on the bedside table, and opened it.
It sounds simple, but it's actually not that simple.
The lunchbox was divided into three compartments. One compartment contained several pieces of stewed ribs that looked carefully selected; another contained steamed eggs with golden-yellow minced meat, sprinkled with a few chopped green onions; and the third contained stir-fried broccoli, vibrant green. This was clearly the most nutritious and best thing Lin Rong could offer her son, given her limited means.
"Mom!" Xiao Bin's eyes lit up when he saw his mother. He stuffed the apple in his hand into hers. "Aunt Chu and Uncle Lu came to see me and said I was very brave. They also brought me apples and snacks. I saved the biggest apple for you, look!"
Lin Rong's eyes instantly reddened. She turned her back, quickly wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, and then turned back, forcing a smile: "Xiao Bin is so sensible... Come on, eat while it's hot."
She picked up the lunchbox and began to feed her son small bites at a time.
"Mom, you eat too." Xiao Bin ate a few bites of ribs and pointed to the steamed egg with minced meat.
"Mom has eaten, you eat. You need to eat more so you can get better faster." Lin Rong's voice was so gentle it could melt your heart.
“You’re lying, you definitely didn’t eat it,” Xiao Bin said stubbornly. “If you don’t eat it, I won’t eat it either.”
Lin Rong finally couldn't hold back her tears, and they fell in large drops. She quickly lowered her head. In the end, at her son's insistence, she symbolically scooped up a small spoonful of steamed egg, put it in her mouth, chewed it a couple of times, and then couldn't swallow it anymore. She just watched with red eyes as her son tried hard and had some difficulty swallowing the food.
Chemotherapy affected Xiaobin's appetite and swallowing function, making each bite difficult, but he still tried his best to eat, as if he knew that this meal was hard-won and contained all of his mother's love and hope.
Chu Yanxi and Lu Zhe stood quietly to the side, watching this scene, their hearts filled with indescribable emotions.
This is the power of maternal love.
She went hungry herself, yet saved the best for her sick child; she bore immense pressure, yet forced a smile in front of her child.
This kind of love is enough to move people's hearts, and it is also enough to... push people to the brink of madness in times of despair.
After feeding Xiao Bin and putting him to sleep, Lin Rong packed up the lunchbox and gestured for Chu Yanxi and Lu Zhe to talk in the corridor outside the ward.
Chu Yanxi said softly, "Sister Lin, the community and we are aware of your situation. We came here today to tell you that Xiaobin's treatment cannot be stopped."
Chu Yanxi took out a thick envelope that she had prepared beforehand from the cloth bag she carried with her and stuffed it into Lin Rong's hand without saying a word.
The envelope contained 26,000 yuan in cash that Lu Zhe had just withdrawn; it was thick and heavy.
“Here’s 26,000 yuan, that should be enough to pay off the hospital’s current debts and get us through this difficult time.” Chu Yanxi’s tone was calm and firm, carrying an undeniable force. “Don’t think about anything else, the child’s illness is the most important thing.”
Lin Rong gripped the heavy envelope, her fingers trembling violently.
She felt as if she had been burned; she wanted to refuse, her lips moved but no sound came out, only large tears rolled down silently and landed on the envelope. She looked at her sleeping son in the ward, then at the two complete strangers in front of her who had come to her aid in her time of need. The overwhelming emotional shock made her almost unable to stand.
Lu Zhe stepped forward, supporting her swaying body, his voice low but firm: "Sister Lin, take this. We genuinely want to help you and your child get through this difficult time. Don't say anything else, just go pay the fees first and stabilize the treatment!"
"Thank...thank you...thank you!" Lin Rong finally managed to squeeze out a few words through her sobs, and bowed deeply, almost to Chu Yanxi and Lu Zhe.
She stopped refusing, clutching the envelope tightly in her hand as if it held her son's life in her grasp. Then, she turned and practically ran towards the stairwell, heading towards the payment counter on the first floor.
Chu Yanxi and Lu Zhe exchanged a glance, both seeing deeper worry in each other's eyes. This 26,000 yuan was merely a drop in the bucket, temporarily paying off the hospital debt. But the subsequent treatment costs remained a bottomless pit.
There was a line of moderate length in front of the hospital's payment window.
Lin Rong clutched the envelope tightly, waiting anxiously. Finally, it was her turn. Trembling, she handed the thick wad of cash and the payment slip into the window. The clattering of the money counting machine echoed from inside, each tick feeling like a knife scraping against Lin Rong's heart.
The 26,000 yuan stayed in her hand for less than 15 minutes before flowing into the mouth of the hospital, that huge "money-devouring beast," in exchange for a thin receipt stamped with a red seal.
Holding the receipt, Lin Rong seemed to have exhausted all her strength. She leaned against the cold wall for a while before taking the receipt and preparing to return to the ward.
Perhaps distracted, or perhaps unsteady on her feet, Lin Rong accidentally bumped into a chubby boy rushing up the stairs at the corner of the staircase. The boy, about seven or eight years old, was wearing a designer T-shirt with a cartoon print. He was chubby and fell to the ground with a thud.
The impact wasn't actually that serious, but the child immediately started wailing dramatically, kicking his legs and yelling, "Ouch! It hurts so much! My leg is broken! Dad! Mom! Someone hit me! I want to be hospitalized! I want the best ward!"
Immediately afterward, a well-dressed couple, adorned with jewels, rushed up.
The woman had fashionable permed hair and wore a gold necklace and bracelets, while the man had a beer belly and a huge gold ring on his finger. The woman picked up her son and coaxed him tenderly, while the man glared at Lin Rong, who was still unsteady on her feet and looked terrified, and berated her: "Are you blind? Can you afford to pay for damaging my son? Country bumpkins have no manners! Let me tell you, if anything happens to my son, I'll make you regret it!"
Lin Rong was stunned by the sudden scolding and repeatedly bowed and apologized: "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I didn't mean it, I was in a hurry to get back to my ward to see my child..."
"Looking at your child? Just because you look at your child doesn't mean you can run people over like that!" the woman shrieked. "Look at your pathetic state! You hurt my precious child, you couldn't afford to pay for it even if you sold yourself! Honey, call the police and make her pay! My son needs a full checkup, he has to be hospitalized for observation!"
The chubby boy cried even louder in his mother's arms, glancing furtively at his parents' expressions as he sobbed, clearly trying to whine and beg.
Lin Rong stood there helplessly, surrounded by the family of three, her face pale and her body trembling slightly. She looked at the child who had cried for hospitalization over the slightest bump, the child being pampered by his parents like a precious jewel, and then thought of Xiao Bin in her own hospital room, enduring the pain of chemotherapy yet so understanding it was heartbreaking. An intense surge of emotion, a mixture of resentment, bitterness, anger, and despair, erupted violently within her like a volcano!
Why?
Why does her child have to endure such pain and suffering, without crying or making a fuss, and even thinking of leaving the apple for his mother?
Why are other people's children so healthy, yet they act recklessly and indulge in pampering over trivial matters?
Why is it that she has to go to great lengths, even swallowing her dignity to accept donations from strangers, just to barely keep her son's treatment going, while some people can be so aggressive over the slightest little collision?
Why is this world so unfair?
Her eyes changed instantly; they no longer held only sadness and despair, but instead ignited a near-mad, twisted flame.
She stared intently at the family of three, her fists clenched tightly, her nails digging deep into her palms.
All of this was clearly seen by Chu Yanxi, who had reached the stairwell.
Chu Yanxi was all too familiar with Lin Rong's gaze.
—That was the look in Zhang Ya's eyes that flashed through her mind during countless reflections after her failed negotiation mission.
—It was an indictment of fate, a grievance against injustice, and a resolute desire to tear everything apart and fight to the death.
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