TRMLCM Chapter 46

The morning light shone through the gauze curtains, and a gentle breeze slipped in through the unclosed corner, playing hide-and-seek as it fluttered the curtains.

After a night of sound sleep, Shen Chang’an was awakened by the ringing of his phone. He reached for the phone on the bedside table, closed his eyes for a moment, and then opened them to answer the call. Hearing the words on the other end, the sleepiness that had just been present vanished instantly, and he sat up abruptly.

“Okay, I’ll be right there.”

He got out of bed, quickly washed up, and casually threw on a set of clothes. After filling the automatic feeder next to the cat bed, he didn’t even bother with Berber’s pleas for attention. He grabbed his phone and walked out of the bedroom.

In the kitchen, the gas stove was on, and his grandmother was cutting vegetables. Shen Chang’an paused in his quick stride towards the door. He was silent for a moment, then turned around and went into the kitchen to turn off the stove.

His grandmother looked at his actions, a hint of confusion flashing in her cloudy eyes. She looked at him with a kind expression and wiped her wide, rough hands on her apron. “Xiao An, breakfast isn’t ready yet, wait a little longer, be good.”

She thought Shen Chang’an couldn’t wait and said with a kind smile, even raising her hand to try and push Shen Chang’an out of the kitchen.

Shen Chang’an quickly pressed down on her thick, calloused hand, pursing his lips tightly, and then said calmly, “Grandma, let’s buy breakfast on the way, we won’t eat at home.”

His grandmother was stunned, and just as she was about to say something, Shen Chang’an reached out and took off her apron, hanging it on the wall. He pulled his grandmother out of the kitchen, not even bothering with the things in the pot after making sure the gas tank was turned off. He quickly packed up his belongings, though there wasn’t much to pack. He packed his keys, grabbed his bag, and pulled his grandmother, who was standing blankly in the living room in a slight daze, out the door.

A taxi quickly arrived at the hospital. Sister Hong was already waiting for them in the hallway outside the ward, looking anxious.

Seeing them arrive, she hurried over, her face full of concern.

“This morning, Grandpa Li’s heart rate suddenly became irregular, and his blood pressure rose. I quickly called the doctor and then called you.”

Sister Hong walked to the other side of his grandmother, helping to support her, and explained to him. Shen Chang’an, while supporting his grandmother, who was trembling and walking unsteadily, thanked her, “Thank you, Sister.”

This was her job, what she should do. Sister Hong said dismissively, “Mr. Shen doesn’t need to say these things. You should go see the old man quickly. The doctor is doing an examination inside and should be finished soon.”

The door was ajar. As Sister Hong said, doctors were surrounding Grandpa Li, occasionally looking at the electrocardiogram next to him, observing and examining something, and writing it down in the medical record. Seeing the family arrive, the attending physician stopped writing, took the medical record, and walked over with a solemn expression.

He looked at the grandmother, then his gaze fell on Shen Chang’an. After looking at him, he walked towards the door. Shen Chang’an was silent for a moment, his heart beating rapidly, as if even his breathing had stopped. He turned around and asked Sister Hong to help him support his grandmother, and then walked out of the ward.

The attending physician was standing not far away in the corridor at the door. Seeing Shen Chang’an come out, he took out the newly tested report and said, “Mr. Shen, the patient’s condition is no longer ideal. The hospital’s suggestion is for you to go home and recuperate. The old man is old, the surgery is very high risk, and the success rate is less than ten percent.”

Shen Chang’an closed his eyes and lowered his eyelids slightly, without saying a word. Only his fingers, hanging on both sides of his body, moved, clenching into fists, but his thin figure looked very gaunt and weak.

The doctor looked at him and said in a very heavy tone, “I know you don’t want to give up a slim hope. We have been taking conservative treatment. This morning, the patient suddenly had high blood pressure and the cerebral hemorrhage worsened. The patient is relatively old, and conservative treatment is no longer effective…”

He paused, knowing that this news was completely unacceptable bad news for the family. As a doctor, he felt very responsible for not being able to save his patient from the disease, lowered his head, and sighed helplessly.

“Please consider it carefully.”

After leaving these words, the doctor didn’t want to disturb the family anymore. He took the medical record and left silently.

Shen Chang’an watched the doctor slowly walk away and disappear into the crowd. He turned around and wanted to return to the ward. Although it was only a few steps away, his feet seemed to weigh a thousand pounds, making it difficult to lift them.

A passerby in the corridor, holding a snow-white form in his hand, ran past in a hurry, but accidentally bumped into him. Shen Chang’an staggered and almost fell. Fortunately, he managed to reach out and support himself against the wall.

The passerby saw that he had bumped into someone and quickly stopped. The anxious expression could not hide the originally happy eyebrows. He quickly walked to Shen Chang’an’s side and helped him up. Seeing the pale look on the other person’s face, he thought he had hurt someone and quickly apologized, “…I’m sorry, I was too anxious just now…”

Shen Chang’an didn’t listen carefully to his words, just shook his head slightly, pushed him away, and stood up straight. The passerby saw that he was okay, and happily ran away again with the form he had been clutching in his fingers.

His hand clenched weakly into a fist, veins bulging. Shen Chang’an raised his foot again and finally took a step.

A distance of one or two meters, he walked very slowly, as if a century had passed. He finally reached the door. He hadn’t closed the door when he came out just now, and now the door was gently pushed open by his slightly trembling hand.

“Chang’an! Come quickly… Your grandfather is awake!”

“He’s awake!”

The grandmother, who was sitting by the bed unable to control her sobs, looked towards the door when she heard the movement. The cloudy eyes no longer held their usual silence, but were now sparkling with tears. Seeing Shen Chang’an return, she shouted excitedly, even trying to get up. Her thin body swayed for a moment, and Sister Hong, who was standing next to her and comforting her, quickly supported her.

Seeing that she almost fell, Shen Chang’an’s pupils contracted, and he rushed over without thinking. Only after seeing that she was supported by Sister Hong did he stop and slowly think about what she had just said.

Grandfather is awake?

The thought arose, and Shen Chang’an looked towards the bed in disbelief. He walked quickly to the bed and saw Grandpa Li sucking on an oxygen tank, his eyes weakly opened a crack. Seeing him come over, his hand on the bed couldn’t help but tremble and lift slightly, but then fell down weakly.

Shen Chang’an looked at the old man’s weak appearance, a layer of ripples rising in his eyes, but quickly disappearing again. He forcefully suppressed the sourness in the corners of his eyes and reached out his hands to steadily grasp his grandfather’s wide, heavy palm.

“Grandfather, you’re awake.”

He curved his lips into a shallow smile, without any of his previous embarrassment. His voice was very calm, but if you listened carefully, you would find a slight tremor hidden in the calm voice.

“Then let’s go home.”

Outside the window, the sun was shining brightly, and the lush old tree in the corner of the yard was slowly withering as autumn arrived.

The long-brewing, endless drizzle in his heart seemed to officially begin falling today.