Chapter 101 redemption
The layout of J Provincial People’s Hospital is relatively tight, and a new ward building was built directly in the old hospital area. The space is further compressed, and the green area is very small, which cannot be compared with the vast garden of the First Affiliated Hospital of F University.
Under Xu Boyu’s guidance, Min Yue pushed him to the municipal park. Go straight in and find a quiet place by the fountain pool.
The water in the pool was lighted up, and the workers were concentrating on their work, overhauling the colored lights at the bottom of the pool, and preparing for the musical fountain show every weekend night.
The two turned sideways to them, looking at the grass surrounded by bushes, where a few birds were pecking at the roots of the grass in search of food. Xu Boyu spoke first: “What did Xu Mai tell you?”
Min Yue reproduced the sentence that Xu Mai’s mother was a patient with Tetralogy of Fallot, and then added her own question: “I should have undergone a radical operation. I feel that Master himself is not very clear about the cause of Auntie’s death.”
“Well, I did, and I did it. Later she became my daughter-in-law, which is also a kind of fate.”
Min Yue squatted beside the wheelchair and listened quietly.
Xu Boyu clasped his left and right hands, exerted his strength faintly, and was silent for a while, slowly taking out the dusty past in his heart, and spreading it out under the sun.
“Her mother’s annulus did not develop very well, so she underwent a second operation. After that, she grew and developed normally, not much different from her peers, so much so that she forgot that she was a congenital heart patient.”
“I know they were already pregnant with Xu Mai when they were dating. Is there any risk? Of course there is, but… I’m being emotional.”
“They begged me together, saying that they want this child, that is my own grandson, but if there is a little hope, they are not willing to give up, and do everything possible to fight for it.”
“Too self-confident, she tasted the bitter fruit. In the late pregnancy, her mother suffered from severe heart failure. Her heart function was grade Ⅳ. She couldn’t control it, so she had to have an early cesarean section. But she couldn’t be rescued, and I announced her death.”
“Xu Mai was put into the incubator directly after she was born, stayed there for a month, and was taken by her grandmother after she was discharged from the hospital. Her father couldn’t face the reality and was unwilling to go home. He lived in the company and used overtime to numb himself until he collapsed at his post. It’s… Sudden cardiac death.”
“We lost our son and daughter-in-law within three months, and we couldn’t bear it. But Xu Mai was still so young and needed someone to take care of him, so he had to work hard. Her grandmother had high blood pressure and coronary heart disease, and it was very difficult for her to take care of her children. , hired a nanny, but when the nanny went out to buy groceries, she had a heart attack and was already dying when she was sent to the hospital…”
“At this point, I can no longer take care of Xu Mai, so I handed her over to her grandpa and grandma.”
After saying this, Xu Boyu closed his eyes and fell into a long silence. His hands on his knees trembled slightly. He curled up his fingers and clenched them into fists, trying his best to restrain the grief that was churning in his heart.
It took Min Yue a long time to digest these words, and she was so shocked that she couldn’t believe it was true. However, their tombstones are on the top of the mountain, and they just went to worship yesterday. Although it is cruel, this is the reality.
Compared with the tragedies in literary and artistic works, life abandons the lengthy presentation and does not give you any psychological preparations. The world will collapse without warning, and all the good things will be reduced to ruins in an instant.
Some people choose to perish and sink into sadness for the rest of their lives. A few strong people can face the dead head-on, walk out of the sad place, and rebuild their homes. There are also people who can’t face the reality, so they run away from the environment that makes them think about others, and hide their pain deep in their hearts.
Xu Boyu is like this. Min Yue suddenly realized that Xu Mai actually had a lot of misunderstandings about him. For example, Xu Boyu didn’t hate her, he just didn’t dare to face her.
Sure enough, she heard Xu Boyu continue to say: “I’m sorry for that child… If I can rescue her mother, or fulfill my responsibility as a grandfather, she won’t suffer so much grievance.”
Xu Boyu turned to Min Yue and asked, “How is she?”
Min Yue replied: “Master is very good, but his stomach was not very good before, and he was hospitalized for a while, but now he is much better.”
There was a trace of pleading in Xu Boyu’s expression: “Help me tell her that she must have a physical examination once a year, don’t work too hard, pay more attention to your body, health is the first priority.”
Although he had only been in contact with Xu Boyu for two days, Min Yue found that their personalities were really similar, and he kept everything in his heart. But if you don’t say a lot of things, the other party won’t know.
Xu Mai always believed that his birth caused his family to be ruined, and he was alienated by his only relative. Xu Boyu also blamed himself for failing to save her mother and protect the family.
But where they are wrong, they are all just victims of this tragedy. They should have been each other’s comfort and support for each other, but they have been strangers for many years because of misunderstandings.
It can’t go on like this forever, someone has to take the first step. So Min Yue shook her head and refused, and decided to melt the ice further: “Grandpa, you can tell her yourself. Although Master didn’t say it, I can feel that she is waiting for you to talk to her.”
Xu Boyu raised his thumb slightly, pondered for a few seconds, and said in a deep voice, “Okay.”
After consulting with the doctor in charge about the follow-up treatment plan, Xu Mai came back from the duty room of the orthopedics department and found that the ward was empty. He was about to go out to look for it, but the door was pushed open from the outside, and a wheelchair appeared at the door.
Inevitably having a face-to-face meeting with the visitor, Xu Mai was taken aback for a moment, and quickly looked away.
Min Yue pushed the wheelchair into the door, held the doorknob, and made excuses to hide for a while, letting them talk alone: ”I’m a little thirsty, go down and buy a drink.”
After closing the door, the atmosphere became awkward, Xu Mai casually grabbed the newspaper on the table, lowered his head to tidy up, and found something for himself to do.
Xu Boyu turned the wheel and moved to the end of the hospital bed, facing the table in the corner, and said, “I heard about you running for the Golden Knife Award.”
Xu Mai paused.
“The dean of the People’s Hospital is the vice president of the branch and one of the judges. I heard it from him a while ago.” Xu Boyu rubbed his thumb slowly and coughed lightly: “I read your deeds, complex congenital heart and Total thoracoabdominal aortic replacement can be done, and the paper is also very good.”
Xu Mai put down the newspaper and responded in a low voice: “I did not enter the final trial.”
“But it cannot be denied that you are outstanding.” After a pause, he added: “You are still young, and you will definitely surpass me in twenty years…I am very proud of you.”
Xu Mai’s eyes shook violently, and he unconsciously grasped the edge of the table with his hands to stabilize his mind.
The ward became quiet again, Xu Mai turned his back to him, but felt the long and silent sight behind him, like the coastline under the afterglow of the setting sun.
“Min Yue said, you didn’t go to see your mother yesterday.” Xu Boyu spoke slowly, “You should go and see, tell her your grades, and she will be happy for you.”
Xu Mai turned around: “But she…”
“No, it was my blind self-confidence that hurt my daughter-in-law.” Xu Boyu snapped.
Looking at each other, and reading the same self-blame in each other’s eyes, Xu Boyu suddenly realized that what she lacked in her own absence during her growth was not only love, but also an explanation.
So he added the sentence that was 33 years late: “You were born because of love, not disaster.”
“Your mother, and all of us, are so glad you’re here to be part of the family. Don’t beat yourself up, silly boy, you’re our pride.”
Xu Mai leaned weakly on the edge of the table, covered his mouth with his left hand, lowered his head, closed his eyes, two lines of tears slipped from the corners of his eyes, and flowed into his fingers.
Xu Boyu turned the wheel, approached silently, took out a handkerchief from the pocket of the hospital gown, and handed it over.
The pretentious strength and calm collapsed, Xu Mai bent his knees exhaustedly, squatted down, covered his face with his hands, and cried out.
Xu Boyu stretched out his hand, tremblingly, placed it on top of her head, and patted it unskillfully but very gently.
Self-exile in the abyss and night, the lonely soul wandering for 10,000 days and nights, waiting for salvation at this moment.
Xu Mai arched his back, leaned forward, and leaned on Xu Boyu’s knee, choked up and called out: “Grandpa…”
“Yes.” Xu Boyu carefully wiped the tears on her side face with a handkerchief.
“Follow me back to City S.”
The author has something to say: the next chapter will enter the last episode, and the countdown to the end is on, babies!
There will be extra episodes, don’t worry.