Recently, I've been attending weddings, Qi Shaobai's coming of age ceremony, and Jing City No.1 Middle School's art festival.
I’ve left most of the company matters for Qin Jiamu and Cheng Zhuo to handle, which makes Sheng Mumu feel a little embarrassed.
These last couple of days, since I've had some free time, I took the initiative to give them two days off.
Today, after dealing with things at hand, she glanced at the clock on her desk.
She was surprised to find it was already seven o’clock.
She got up to pour herself a glass of water, and just as she brought it to her lips, her cell phone rang urgently.
The name “Jiang Doctor” flashed on the screen.
Sheng Mumu’s heart skipped a beat.
She had squeezed the paper cup so hard that she crumpled it.
A few drops splashed out accidentally.
She answered the call.
Jiang Doctor’s voice sounded rushed and somewhat heavy.
"Mrs. Qi, the test results for your mother-in-law came back. Do you have time to come over?"
Sheng Mumu’s lips were drawn in a straight line. “I’ll come over right now.”
At the clinic, Jiang Doctor and her senior brother sat across the desk and slid the test report over.
Jiang Doctor had her hands clasped together and looked solemn. “Mrs. Qi, take a look. This time the test found a shadow in your mother-in-law's brain. It's a tumor."
Sheng Mumu hadn’t even opened the report yet when she suddenly looked up at Jiang Doctor, tense.
Her fingertips sunk into her palms but she didn’t feel any pain at all.
Her senior brother added, “The location of your mother-in-law's tumor is not good. It’s hard to detect through routine examinations. If the tumor grows bigger and starts compressing nerves, it would be impossible to remove through surgery."
Sheng Mumu suddenly remembered the description of the old lady's condition in the original book.
The book mentioned that the old lady was diagnosed with a tumor before Qi Shaobai started college.
Her condition deteriorated rapidly within a week, and she passed away without getting to see her grandson and great-grandson one last time.
There's a saying that the passing of a loved one is not a downpour but a lifelong dampness.
But for Qi Mo and Qi Shaobai, the old lady's sudden death was torrential rain, as well as lifelong dampness.
After that, Qi Shaobai suffered a huge blow, and his personality became even more moody.
Jiang Doctor’s senior brother said that if the tumor grew bigger, it would be impossible to remove through surgery.
Doesn't that mean it can still be treated now?
Sheng Mumu clenched her fists tightly and looked over. “So can it be completely removed through surgery now?”
Her senior brother had the usual calm expression of doctors on his face. He slowly said,
“It's still early stage for the tumor. Surgery is not the only option.”
Sheng Mumu didn’t know anything about medicine, so she listened to him quietly.
“My mentor professor in Germany is an internationally top tumor expert. Earlier this year, he had just researched a new conservative treatment method for early-stage brain tumors.”
When Sheng Mumu heard this, the wrinkles on her forehead relaxed, and her face showed joy. “Can it be completely cured without surgery?”
“Based on your mother-in-law’s current condition, yes it can.”
He nodded, but then suddenly changed the topic.
“However—”
As his tone shifted, Sheng Mumu’s relaxed eyebrows twisted together again. She anxiously asked,
“What’s the matter?”
The senior brother said, “The treatment is expensive—”
“Don’t worry about the money,” Sheng Mumu interrupted him impatiently and lost her usual calm composure.
The senior brother nodded slightly.
He knew the financial situation of Qi's family, so he was just informing the family as a matter of course.
What he really wanted to convey was in his next sentence.
“—and your mother-in-law needs to be sent to Germany for treatment for about two months.”
“Many elderly who have lived in China all their lives have an innate resistance to going abroad. The family needs to do some work...”
“To prevent the elderly from becoming depressed or even feeling abandoned in a foreign country because they've left their hometown.”
“Okay, okay.” Sheng Mumu kept nodding. She stood up to thank Jiang Doctor and the senior brother, and said, “This is very important. I have to discuss it with my family.”
The senior brother expressed understanding, “Of course.”
When she left the clinic, it was close to eight o’clock. Jiang Doctor walked Sheng Mumu downstairs.
Sensing that Sheng Mumu was still very upset, she patted her on the shoulder and gently gave her a comforting hug.
She patted her back a few times, her voice gentle,
“Mrs. Qi, given my senior brother’s personality, if there was even a 0.01% negative possibility, he would not say outright that he could cure it.”
“If he says he can cure it, then he must be very confident.”
Sheng Mumu was hugged, surrounded by warmth.
The faint antiseptic smell from Jiang Doctor's body entered her nose.
Sheng Mumu's empty heart ever since she got the call was instantly healed by this hug.
Jiang Doctor released the embrace and smiled warmly. She added,
“Back when I was your mother-in-law’s private nurse, she always took good care of me. Mr. Qi also paid me far more than other places.”
“If it wasn’t for your mother-in-law and Mr. Qi, I wouldn't have my own clinic or been able to buy a place in Jing City.”
Sheng Mumu blinked blankly at Jiang Doctor, who had an extremely gentle smile.
Jiang Doctor's hair ends were blown up by the wind, free and beautiful.
Her warm, firm voice floated over,
“If your mother-in-law goes to Germany, I’m willing to go with her and take care of her.”
She paused for a moment, a hint of shyness on her face.
“My senior brother would probably be willing to go with me too.”
On the drive back, Sheng Mumu kept thinking about what Jiang Doctor and her senior brother said.
The traffic light ahead turned green from red.
She didn't react to drive forward until the car behind honked at her.
In just an hour,
she went from nervous worry at the beginning, to joy when she learned it could be treated, to being deeply moved by Jiang Doctor's words.
It was an enormous emotional rollercoaster.
Now relaxing, she suddenly felt extremely tired.
Her hands on the steering wheel felt weak and lifeless.
The car entered the villa area.
When she parked in the garage, she finally let out a long breath.
She suddenly noticed her palm was purplish red.
The nail marks from her tight grip looked terrifying.
She ignored the pain, slumping over the steering wheel.
Staring blankly out the window, her eyes dazed.
On one hand, she organized how she would explain the situation with her mother-in-law's test results to Qi Mo later. On the other, her mind drifted.
Ever since coming here, there hadn't been a single day like today,
where she so strongly felt the storyline change because of her existence.
It was related to life and death.
That kind of thing always strikes at the heart most directly.
Without even realizing it herself, her emotions had been completely stirred by this world and she was thoroughly immersed in it.
After resting for a bit, she got out of the car and went back inside.
Passing through the foyer, Qi Shaobai happened to come out of his room and greeted her as usual.
Because of the old lady's condition, Sheng Mumu couldn't respond to Qi Shaobai with her usual composure.
She just tilted the corner of her mouth slightly and turned away, not wanting Qi Shaobai to notice anything wrong.
However, the sensitive teenager still felt something was off.
He walked closer to her and peered over.
“What’s up with you? You're acting weird. Did something happen?”
