She didn't do much, just tidied up the room and placed a small bunch of sunflowers every day.
Sometimes when Li Mingshi wasn't getting checked in the ward, Shen Nian would put the flowers by the door.
The date for Li Mingshi's surgery was set, the Lu family had invited the most authoritative doctor in gastric cancer. After the surgery, she would need chemotherapy.
On the day of the surgery, the Lu family members put aside their work to accompany her. Li Mingshi had already changed into a surgical gown and was lying there.
"It's alright." Lu Yanhua held her hand, showing a relaxed smile.
"It's just a minor surgery, don't be afraid. It will be over soon. As long as you're brave, when you come out, I'll take you to see Lingrui, okay? You know, I used to be unwilling to let you see Lingrui." He coaxed Li Mingshi like a child.
In the first year after Lu Lingrui passed away, Li Mingshi went to the cemetery almost every day. Just looking at Lu Lingrui's tombstone would make her cry uncontrollably, and she had fainted multiple times. After that, the Lu family didn't let her go to the cemetery frequently anymore.
Hearing that she could go see her daughter, a glimmer of light flashed in Li Mingshi's eyes, and she nodded.
Lu Yanhua suppressed the bitterness in his heart and held her hand tighter: "I'll be waiting for you outside. When you wake up from the nap, it will be all good. Lingchuan and Lingchen are here too."
Remembering something, Lu Yanhua took out a sunflower from his pocket - it was a white cream sunflower with pale yellow petals, lighter in color compared to the normal variety.
Shen Nian had sent it yesterday, and for some reason, he had absentmindedly taken one and put it in his pocket before leaving the ward.
Placing the sunflower in Li Mingshi's hand, Lu Yanhua continued: "Lingrui too... me and the kids will all be waiting for you to come out."
Li Mingshi nodded heavily.
The nurse wheeled her into the operating room, and the doctor was already in position. Before going in, he said to Lu Yanhua:
"Mr. Lu, please don't worry."
Lu Yanhua nodded at him: "Thank you for your hard work."
"Of course."
The doctor also went into the operating room, the door closed, and the light above it turned on.
The hours of torment began.
Lu Yanhua sat on a chair, looking down at the sunflower petal he was pinching. When he handed the sunflower to his wife earlier, one petal had fallen off.
He sat there, silently waiting.
"Dad." Lu Lingchen sat beside his father, not saying much, just silently accompanying him.
Lu Lingchuan leaned against the nearby wall, looking down at his phone, his thumb tapping the screen.
Suddenly, sensing something, he looked up, staring straight at a corner not far away.
By the time he looked over, the figure at the corner had already disappeared, with only a glimpse of a cream-colored dress hem seen as she hurried away.
When Shen Nian noticed Lu Lingchuan looking over, she immediately averted her gaze and hid, pressing her back against the wall, her heart racing, one hand on her chest trying to calm her nerves.
After five minutes, feeling that it should be fine now, she peeked out again. The next second, her expression froze.
The moment she looked over, her gaze met Lu Lingchuan's.
Lu Lingchuan was still standing in the same spot, maintaining the posture of holding his phone, his piercing gaze fixed on her.
One could say that Lu Lingchuan had been staring at that corner for five minutes, just waiting for her.
"..." A look of bewilderment flashed across Shen Nian's face.
Lu Lingchuan looked at her for three seconds, then lowered his head to look at his phone again, his face devoid of any extra emotion, as if he had never seen Shen Nian.
Shen Nian pursed her lips, tightening her grip on her bag.
When people are nervous, they really do feel like time drags on forever.
Who knows how much time passed before the light in the operating room finally went off, and the door opened from the inside with nurses wheeling out the still unconscious Li Mingshi.
Lu Yanhua was the first to rush over, first checking on his wife, then looking up at the doctor with worry.
"Doctor, how's my mom?" Lu Lingchuan asked on Lu Yanhua's behalf.
The doctor took off his mask and smiled: "The surgery was very successful. But we can't be complacent, she'll need to actively cooperate with the subsequent chemotherapy. If there are no accidents, the chances of recovery are very high."
These words were truly a salvation, illuminating the gloomy Lu family.
"That's good, that's good." Lu Yanhua kept murmuring.
As long as she could recover, it was fine. The surgery was done now, and he would accompany her through the subsequent chemotherapy, always by her side.
When Lu Lingchuan heard the doctor's words, his furrowed brow relaxed, and his peripheral vision glanced towards the distance.
Shen Nian had been waiting. She watched as Li Mingshi was wheeled in and then out again, standing in her eight-centimeter high heels for hours until her legs ached.
But when she heard the doctor's words, she finally let out a sigh of relief, revealing a relaxed smile.
Leaning against the wall, tilting her head back, caressing the sunflower pendant on her necklace, eyes closed, smiling lightly.
After gastric cancer surgery, patients should remain in a fasting state for 1-3 days, unable to ingest food, and will need intravenous nutrition to sustain themselves.
When Li Mingshi woke up, she saw the new sunflowers. Upon seeing them, her brows relaxed, clearly in a good mood, the corners of her lips curved into a faint smile.
Having just gone through surgery, she was still very weak, with obvious signs of exhaustion on her face.
The sunlight from outside fell on her, making her smiling face even brighter.
Li Mingshi was very cooperative with the subsequent treatment. Her favorite thing every day was to arrange the sunflowers.
During her hospital stay, she received many sunflowers of various varieties - some were made into bouquets, while others were simply placed in bunches.
Some of the sunflowers had wilted, but Li Mingshi couldn't bear to throw them away. She had Lu Yanhua buy her flower drying agents and a large picture frame, planning to make a handcrafted hanging decoration.
Her condition was much better than before. She could smile now and had something she wanted to do - this was a good thing.
The most important thing in fighting cancer is one's mindset.
So, to keep Li Mingshi happy, Lu Yanhua brought her old painting supplies, which hadn't been touched for many years. He also helped her buy new paints and brushes, all from her favorite brands.
Sunflowers are much larger than roses, so Lu Yanhua bought a large frame. It was too big to be placed on the table but could be hung on the wall.
Inside it was a white board, to be used for crafting.
Li Mingshi's condition was good. She sat in the sunlight while Lu Yanhua helped her fix the white board on an easel. With her left hand holding a palette and her right hand holding a brush, she began sketching the outline of sunflowers on the white board.
It had been a long time since she had taken up her brush, so she felt a bit rusty at first. But sunflowers were what she had always been best at painting, and she quickly regained her rhythm.
Lu Yanhua sat beside her, watching over her. The sunlight fell on her, making her seem much brighter, and he felt a bit dazed.
In the past, Li Mingshi often sat in the warm sun and painted for hours. When Lu Yanhua was busy, he would sit by her side and work. When he wasn't busy, he would sit beside her and accompany her, watching her create.
Now, it was slowly returning to how it used to be.
