Chapter 91 Escape
The day Si Zhui returned home from the hospital, his steps felt like they were filled with lead. As soon as he entered the courtyard, he heard Wei Wuxian muttering in the kitchen, "The doctor said I need to avoid any spicy food. Nothing too sweet or oily. Just some porridge and some vegetables for the next few days."
The boy's face instantly fell. He secretly glanced at the table. Sure enough, there was only porridge, side dishes, and steamed eggs. Even his favorite sweet and sour spare ribs were nowhere to be found. Lan Jingyi was gnawing on a chicken leg. When he saw him come in, he quickly hid the chicken leg behind him and whispered, "Si Zhui, I saved one for you. I'll secretly give it to you tonight."
Si Zhui shook his head and said nothing. He sat down at the dining table silently, picked up the spoon and sipped the porridge. The porridge was very light and tasteless. He put down the spoon after two sips.
“Why don’t you eat anymore?” Wei WuXian walked over and touched his forehead. “Are you feeling unwell?”
"No." Si Zhui lowered his head, his voice muffled, "I just have no appetite."
Lan Wangji pushed the steamed egg towards him: "Eat a little, it's good for your health."
Si Zhui didn't move, staring blankly at the steamed egg in his bowl. He suddenly remembered the spicy and refreshing oil-splashed noodles he'd eaten at the farm; the smoky, earthy aroma of Wei Wuxian's burnt chicken wings; even the chocolate Chen Qiming had shared with him, blissfully sweet. But now, all of these things were forbidden.
"Also," Lan Wangji added, as if remembering something, "the doctor said you still need consolidation treatment. You need to go to the hospital every Monday and Thursday afternoon for an IV drip."
Sizhui's grip on the spoon suddenly tightened, his knuckles turning white. Getting an IV drip meant going to the hospital again, seeing those doctors in white coats again, and feeling the sting of the needle piercing his skin again.
"I don't want to go..." he whispered, with an imperceptible tremor in his voice.
"You have to go." Lan Wangji's tone was firm, but when he saw the fear in his eyes, he slowed down a little, "It's just an IV drip, no injection."
"But..." Si Zhui bit his lip, tears welling up in his eyes, "I'm afraid..."
Wei WuXian quickly squatted down and looked him in the eye. “Don’t be afraid, SiZhui. Daddy will go with you. I’ll always be with you, okay? Just like when you were little and you were afraid of the dark, I was there for you.”
Si Zhui shook his head and buried his face in his arms: "I just don't want to go..."
It's not that he doesn't understand the truth. He knows that treatment is important and that his dad and father are doing it for his own good. But when he thinks of the smell of disinfectant and the cold needles in the hospital, his whole body tenses up and he just wants to escape.
Over the next few days, Sizhui seemed like a different person. He used to wake up on time, but now he was sleeping in. He used to dawdle over his homework, which he used to do diligently. When Lan Jingyi called him to play in the yard, he just shook his head and curled up in his room to read.
Monday arrived quickly. Wei Wuxian walked into the room, coat in hand, and saw Sizhui sitting at his desk, his back to the door, his shoulders heaving slightly.
"Si Zhui?" Wei Wuxian walked over and found that he was crying. His tears fell on the open homework book, blurring a small patch of ink.
"Daddy, can I not go..." Si Zhui raised his head, his eyes red, "I think I'm well now, I don't need the IV drip anymore..."
Wei Wuxian's heart seemed to be gripped, and just as he was about to agree, he saw Lan Wangji standing at the door, shaking his head gently at him.
“Si Zhui, be obedient.” Wei Wuxian wiped away his tears, his voice gentle but firm, “After these few fights, when your illness is completely healed, we’ll go eat your favorite sweet and sour pork ribs, okay?”
Si Zhui bit his lip and said nothing, but his tears fell even harder. He knew he couldn't escape, but the fear in his heart surged up like a tide, almost drowning him.
Lan Wangji walked over and squatted in front of him. His voice was low but soothing: "I'll go with you. If you're scared, just hold my hand."
Si Zhui looked into his serious eyes, then looked at Wei Wuxian's worried face, and finally nodded, but he tightly grasped the corner of Lan Wangji's clothes, as if grasping a life-saving straw.
The car was quiet on the way to the hospital. Sizhui leaned against Lan Wangji's shoulder, his eyes closed, his long eyelashes trembling. Wei Wuxian watched him in the rearview mirror and quietly took Lan Wangji's hand—he knew that the hurdle in the child's heart could only be overcome slowly.
When they arrived at the infusion room, as soon as the nurse took out the needle, Si Zhui subconsciously shrank into Lan Wangji's arms. Lan Wangji gently patted his back and whispered in his ear, "Don't look, hold my hand."
Si Zhui immediately closed his eyes and gripped Lan Wangji's hand tightly, his knuckles turning white from the strain. The moment the needle pierced his skin, he groaned in pain, tears streaming down his face, but he bit his lip tightly to prevent another sound.
Wei Wuxian stood aside, looking at his trembling shoulders, his eyes red with heartache, but he could only tell himself over and over again in his heart: It's okay, it will be fine soon.
While receiving the IV, Si Zhui fell asleep in Lan Wangji's arms, his brows still furrowed. Wei Wuxian gently smoothed his brows and whispered to Lan Wangji, "When he gets better, let's take him to the amusement park. He said last time he wanted to see the Ferris wheel."
Lan Wangji nodded: "Okay."
Sunlight streamed in through the infusion room window, falling on the three of them. Sizhui's hand was still tightly clutching the hem of Lan Wangji's shirt, as if that could draw him up with courage. Wei Wuxian looked at his sleeping face and suddenly realized that children's fears were never trivial. What we consider "small matters" might, in their hearts, be insurmountable mountains.
All they could do was to accompany him, crawling forward step by step.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
