Chapter 115 You Are My Family
Lin Yu didn't sleep well that night. Perhaps it was because sleeping in his clothes was uncomfortable, and he woke up before dawn.
Chen Guang had left sometime earlier, leaving the house spotless, with the trash by the door taken down. A thermos sat on the bedside table, its lid unscrewed, revealing perfectly warm water inside.
She sat up, pulled back the covers, and turned on her phone, only to find that Lin Min still hadn't called her back.
Lin Yu felt a pang of anxiety, realizing his mother had never been out of contact for so long. After a moment's hesitation, he called Liu Wenbin.
This time, the phone was answered after only two rings. "Uncle Liu, where's my mom? Why hasn't she called back?"
"Banban, don't panic..." Liu Wenbin's voice sounded relatively calm. "We're in Yichang right now. Your great-aunt passed away the day before yesterday."
Lin Yu's maternal grandmother only had this one relative left. Since she married far away to Yichang, the two sisters had rarely seen each other, and Lin Yu had hardly seen her at all.
I only remember my grandmother often saying that she was frail and constantly ill, both big and small. Who would have thought that the next thing I would hear was the news of her passing.
According to Liu Wenbin, after entrusting his maternal grandfather to relatives in their hometown, he and Lin Min planned to take his maternal grandmother to see his younger sister one last time. They then intended for her to stay at her great-aunt's house for a while so they could take some time to visit Lin Feng in Shanghai.
However, plans can't keep up with changes. Just seven days after they arrived in Yichang, having just finished arranging their great-aunt's funeral and before they even had time to buy return tickets, the entire Hubei province entered a prolonged lockdown.
As for why he hadn't contacted Lin Yu for a while, it was because he was busy with the funeral arrangements and had no time for anything else. Later, it was simply because he was afraid she would worry.
They were unaware that Lin Yu was also quarantined in the community. Over the phone, they only told her to take good care of her aunt's family and themselves, and promised to go to Shanghai immediately as soon as Yichang was unsealed.
Thinking of the raging epidemic in Hubei and her grandmother's health, Lin Yu was immediately filled with worry. "How is Grandma? She's always had a heart condition, and now her great-aunt just passed away..."
On the other end of the phone, Liu Wenbin hesitated for a moment and didn't dare to tell her the truth.
Actually, Grandma fainted yesterday due to excessive grief and anxiety. But medical resources in Yichang are currently strained, and seeing a doctor is not easy, not to mention that going to the hospital may increase the risk of infection.
They've been worried about this for the past few days, hesitating whether to take the risk, since heart problems can be serious or minor, and Grandma is the kind of person who doesn't show her feelings.
But Lin Yuyuan was in Shanghai, and telling her would only make her anxious. So he just whispered to comfort her, "Don't worry, I'm here. I'll take good care of Mom and Grandma. You need to take care of yourself while you're out there alone."
Lin Yu hung up the phone feeling uneasy. The more he thought about it, the more uneasy he felt. Suddenly, he remembered that he had added a younger relative of his great-aunt's family on WeChat a few years ago during the Spring Festival. He quickly sent a message to ask her about it.
After a brief chat on their phones, Lin Yu finally understood what had happened.
It turned out that Grandma had been depressed ever since she learned of her great-aunt's critical illness. Otherwise, Lin Min wouldn't have insisted on taking Lin Feng out when she was seriously ill.
Even worse, after her great-aunt passed away, Lin Min's family has been trapped in their old house in Yichang. Her grandmother sits listlessly by the window all day, and after fainting a few days ago, her lips have been turning a sickly bluish-purple.
A genuine fear suddenly welled up in Lin Yu's heart. She was worried about the safety of Lin Min and Liu Wenbin in the epidemic area, and even more afraid that her grandmother's health might not be able to withstand this ordeal.
Although she had been mentally preparing for this over the years, death had never felt so tangible and imminent as it did at this moment, as if she could hear its hurried footsteps chasing after her.
Jiang Chuan called at that moment. "Banban!"
Lin Yu gripped his phone tightly, as if it were the only anchor in a storm. Almost the instant he answered the call, his body began to tremble uncontrollably.
"Your aunt's bed has been arranged. She'll start chemotherapy at the end of January, and she can be admitted to the hospital after the fourth day of the Lunar New Year." His deep voice came from the other end of the phone.
Lin Yu understood that these arrangements must have involved a lot of connections, especially given the raging pandemic, but Jiang Chuan didn't mention the complicated details at all, only calmly telling her the information she needed most.
"The caregiver slot has been reserved, so don't worry," Jiang Chuan added.
Her throat felt like it was blocked by something, and she couldn't make a sound. On the other end of the phone, Jiang Chuan waited for a long time without a response, and tentatively called her name softly.
"Banban? What happened?"
“My mom…” Lin Yu bit her lip hard. “They’re trapped in Hubei, and my grandma had a heart attack, I…”
At this moment, the pain of heartbreak and the anxiety of unemployment have become the least important things in her life. Her only thought now is that her relatives in the epidemic area are safe.
This once easily attainable, ordinary hope has become the most luxurious desire amidst the raging pandemic. And at this critical juncture, she is trapped in this small room.
Even if she could move freely, what could she do in the face of the epidemic thousands of miles away? At this moment, in the face of the raging virus and the cruelty of life and death, Lin Yu truly felt her insignificance and powerlessness.
Jiang Chuan listened quietly, his voice remaining calm and reassuring. "Don't be afraid, Banban. Now look up at your watch and tell me what time it is?"
"7:40..." Lin Yu's voice became fragmented due to his chattering teeth.
"Okay, let's start timing now. We'll contact each other again in thirty minutes. Be a good boy and wait for my message, okay?"
"good..."
At 8:10, Jiang Chuan called right on time.
Throughout, Lin Yu remained curled up on the sofa, staring intently at the wall clock. Jiang Chuan's voice pierced through his chaotic thoughts, like a beam of light cutting through the darkness, like a solid shore suddenly touched while drowning.
Never before had she placed such a desperate gamble, entrusting all her hopes to one person. Complete reliance, complete trust.
Over the phone, Jiang Chuan told Lin Yu that he had decided to personally go to the epidemic area to bring Lin Yu's family back.
At this moment, Hubei Province is under a complete lockdown, and ordinary vehicles cannot enter or leave at will, but he already has a solution and briefly explained his plan to Lin Yu.
He needed Lin Yu to contact his family immediately and prepare proof of a negative nucleic acid test. He would also coordinate an ambulance to transfer them to Changsha and arrange a receiving hospital for the elderly person there in advance.
He will also rush to Changsha to meet them and escort them home after their treatment is completed.
Each word was like a nail driven into a wooden board, nailing Lin Yu's heart, which was tossed about in the storm of despair, back to a place of peace, inch by inch.
Jiang Chuan didn't mention how many obstacles the plan would require overcoming or how much risk it would involve. Instead, he used the calmest tone and the most methodical approach to pave a clear path for her.
"No...this is too dangerous. Besides, you still have your grandmother to take care of. What will happen to her if you leave?"
Although she knew Jiang Chuan as she did, and knew that his offer meant he could definitely do it, and it was indeed the only solution at the moment, Lin Yu still refused him without hesitation.
At that moment, she suddenly realized with absolute clarity that her concern for Jiang Chuan had long surpassed her dependence on him. How could she let this person, who should have remained uninvolved, take the risk for her?
Grandma's condition has stabilized a lot recently, giving Jiang Chuan enough time to deal with Lin Yu's current problems.
“I’ll entrust the sanatorium to Yuan Jie.” Jiang Chuan’s tone was calm, his voice like a warm, dry palm on a winter’s day. “I promise I’ll come back safely. I told you, I’ll never lie to you.”
At this moment, he no longer cared whether Lin Yu would definitely return to his side. All he knew was that he couldn't let her bear all of this alone.
"You didn't need to take this risk for me at all!" The tears she had been holding back burst forth instantly. "I'm just your ex-girlfriend."
"No." Jiang Chuan's voice suddenly became very close, as if it were right next to Lin Yu's ear.
"You...are my family."
These words, seemingly carrying a soothing power, pierced through the cold radio waves and gently struck Lin Yu's heart. From that moment on, Jiang Chuan seemed to have finally completed his ultimate test for this relationship.
Lin Yu finally realized that his love for her was not simply a result of dopamine-induced infatuation, but rather a person's instinct and responsibility in the most extreme situation, stripped of all romantic veneer.
Faced with an unknown virus, there was no script, no certainty of victory. He was no longer a perfect lover who could be faked, but a family member to whom one could entrust one's life and spend one's life.
After hanging up the phone, Lin Yu squatted on the ground and took three deep breaths, repeatedly reminding himself that losing control of his emotions would only delay important matters, and that if he followed the plan, all problems would be solved.
She only cried for half a minute before stopping. She called Lin Min again to explain Jiang Chuan's plan.
She drew a simple flowchart of Jiang Chuan's plan on paper, carefully reviewed the transfer process from Yichang to Changsha, calculated the estimated departure time of the ambulance, and set an alarm clock, worried that she would miss his message while she was asleep.
After repeatedly considering all the preparations he could make, Lin Yu sent a message to Jiang Chuan, instructing him that his grandmother was allergic to nitroglycerin and asking him to remind the accompanying doctor to pay close attention.
Jiang Chuan began contacting Xiangya Hospital to obtain an acceptance letter. While waiting for a reply, he called Yuan Jie, explained the current situation, and asked him to keep an eye on the sanatorium's movements.
After everything was settled, I dialed Lin Min's number.
"Auntie, this is Jiang Chuan." After briefly inquiring about the elderly woman's condition, Jiang Chuan got straight to the point.
He instructed Lin Min to immediately submit a transfer application for critically ill patients to the community where she lived, and he would help coordinate with local hospitals in Yichang to issue a certificate of necessity for the transfer.
Without exchanging any pleasantries, Jiang Chuan hung up the phone and, while packing his luggage, called Zhang Hengyuan again, asking him to take good care of Lin Yu during his absence.
Zhang Hengyuan was unaware of their breakup. Upon hearing that he was going to risk going to the epidemic area, she berated him on the phone, calling him a madman.
If they insist on staging a tragic separation during peacetime, then this scene should be included in their wedding video.
Jiang Chuan decided to drive to Changsha the next morning. Although it would take twelve hours, it was the safest option at the moment.
He had actually considered going directly to Yichang to pick her up, which might have put Lin Yu at ease, but the risks were greater and the procedures more complicated. He had promised Lin Yu that he would ensure his own safety first, and he couldn't break his promise.
The drawbacks of isolation began to emerge, and loneliness and anxiety grew like vines in Lin Yu's heart.
She couldn't help but want to contact Jiang Chuan and Lin Min, but she was worried that they were busy with their transfer. Fortunately, Jiang Chuan seemed to sense her unease and would send her a message every two hours to let her know he was safe.
From Jiang Chuan's intermittent WeChat messages and video calls with Lin Min, Lin Yu learned that Jiang Chuan had already arrived in Changsha and arranged everything at Xiangya Hospital. At that moment, the ambulance was also on its way to Changsha.
Meanwhile, on my side, in just a few days, the epidemic in the community took a sharp turn for the worse. Close contacts were diagnosed with COVID-19, which raised the alert level of the entire community. The lockdown period was extended to one month and it will not be lifted until February 13.
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