Rebirth 04: Starting from Taking an Unconventional Approach

Han Fei was smoking outside the entrance of Jiaotong University Affiliated Hospital. He could see that the sky above was light gray and the city below was shrouded in a thin morning mist.

This scene reminded him of his childhood, when his father took him to the Bund to see the boats. Back then, a few wooden boats floated on the Huangpu River, and mist clung to the Customs House clock tower, making the whole of Shanghai seem like it hadn't fully woken up yet. However, over the years, with industrial development, the wooden boats have gradually moved away from the city, and even the morning mist is now tinged with the dust and haze from construction sites.

Early this morning, Han Fei received a call from Zhang Qiming, who said he wanted to visit Han Baohua today and hoped Han Fei would be there.

Han Fei glanced at his watch. 7:23 AM. Groups of patients' family members carrying thermos flasks and aluminum lunchboxes were coming and going in the courtyard.

He stomped out the cigarette with his heel.

Han Baohua looked much better, perhaps just because the hospital room was well-lit. Han Baohua asked Han Fei why he hadn't gone to the publishing house today, and also inquired about the progress of his career transition.

Han Fei told him that Zhang Qiming would be coming later.

Han Baohua sat up from the hospital bed and nodded thoughtfully.

"Where is Aunt?" Han Fei asked.

She said she had some family matters to attend to and would probably come later.

"How has she been lately?"

"She's very nice. As soon as she heard that you were busy with the publishing house's transformation, she said she would take good care of me and not trouble you too much."

Han Baohua smiled, and Han Fei returned the smile.

"When will today's treatment begin?"

"It'll be 9 o'clock. But thank you for reminding me."

Han Baohua rang the bell, and a young nurse came in. Han Baohua told the nurse that a guest was coming later and asked if today's peritoneal dialysis could be done earlier.

The nurse nodded, left the ward, and returned shortly afterward carrying a suitcase.

Han Baohua lay flat on the hospital bed. The nurse drew the curtain.

Han Fei walked out of the ward and sat down on a chair by the door, hearing the faint sounds of medical equipment running inside.

Half an hour later, the nurse opened the door and told Dr. Han Fei that she wanted to say a few words to him.

Following the nurse's instructions, Han Fei knocked on the doctor's door.

The doctor nodded towards the chair, leaned forward in the swivel chair, and pointed his fingers together: "You're Han Baohua's son, aren't you?"

"Yes, that's me," Han Fei said, sitting down in the chair.

"Is it your turn to take care of the patient today?"

"I happen to have some time today."

The doctor examined Han Fei carefully, as if pondering what to say next.

"Regarding your father's treatment," the doctor began, taking off his glasses, "he is currently mainly being maintained by peritoneal dialysis, and the condition is relatively stable. However, in the last two examinations, some indicators have fluctuated slightly. In the long run, this may not be the optimal solution for protecting residual kidney function and improving overall quality of life."

"Your suggestion is..."

"We could consider switching to automated peritoneal dialysis, also known as APD, combined with some new renal nutritional support therapies. APD is done on a machine at night, allowing for more freedom during the day, more thorough toxin removal, and less strain on the heart. Combined with specific nutritional supplements and new drugs, this would be a treatment upgrade for the current situation."

"And what about the cost?"

The doctor found a cloth and kept wiping his glasses repeatedly.

"It will probably double what it is now."

Han Fei nodded and looked out the window.

The current treatment costs are being covered by his father's own savings, but Han Fei knows that those savings are almost gone and won't last much longer, let alone allow for upgraded treatment.

"Will it have a big impact if we only start upgrading the treatment next month?" he asked after a while.

The doctor put on his glasses and cleared his throat: "It shouldn't have a big impact, but with things like this, it's always better to do it as soon as possible."

"I understand," Han Fei said.

......

The black Mercedes-Benz drove slowly under the sunlight, passing the Shanghai Swimming Pool under the overpass, and headed towards the Jiaotong University Affiliated Hospital.

Zhang Ruiyi leaned her head against the window frame, looking at the receding city scenery outside the car window, her eyes vacant.

In the front seat, Zhang Qiming and Li Ting were chatting animatedly. Hong Kong singer-songwriter Wang Jie, through a cassette player, sang in a melancholic, tearful voice. In the back seat, besides her, were a pile of gifts for patients.

"After that book was finished," Zhang Qiming said, "the bureau approved an editing fee. Considering that he had put in far more effort than usual, and that Qingniao was already declining at that time, he must not have much money, so I specially increased the standard by thirty percent and sent him a check."

"He didn't accept it?" Li Ting asked.

"He picked up a red pen, wrote a few words on the blank space on the back of the check, and then handed it back to me. When I looked at it, it said: 'The fee for writing should be reasonable; going too far is disrespectful.' He also told me that writing work has a price, but a writer should know how much his hand is worth. Anything more is not a favor, but charity. Later, he insisted on accepting the money according to the originally agreed standard and refused to take a penny more."

"What a man of integrity!" Li Ting said.

Zhang Ruiyi took a breath, rummaged through her bag for her iPod, put the earphones in her ears, and turned up the volume.

Linkin Park sang loudly, "I've become so numb, I can't feel you there."

She couldn't help but wonder why her parents insisted on taking her along when they went to visit a patient they hadn't seen in years. They could have easily gone for a drive with their friends. Since graduating from university last year, she had rarely had the opportunity to drive.

As the car passed the Shanghai Stadium, Zhang Ruiyi looked out.

The Shanghai Stadium is the largest stadium in the city, capable of accommodating 8 people at the same time. Its dome is woven from countless metal frames and membrane structures, resembling a crouching giant beast.

She remembered seeing a news article online saying that Jay Chou would be holding a concert here this October. She had seen many people's concerts, including Faye Wong, David Tao, and Stefanie Sun. Last year, she even skipped three days of classes to go to Hong Kong to see Eason Chan's concert, but she had never seen a Jay Chou concert, which she found regrettable.

The car bumped slightly as it passed rows of tall Chinese cypress trees lining both sides of the avenue and drove into the hospital parking lot.

"Ruiyi." Li Ting turned her head from the front seat and smiled slightly.

Zhang Qiming had already opened the car door and gotten out. He then opened the other rear door, took the gifts, and closed the door, as if she didn't exist.

Zhang Ruiyi took off her headphones, slumped back, and looked at Li Ting with a reluctant expression: "Can I wait for you in the car?"

"Okay, then you stay in the car, we'll be right back," Li Ting said, opening the door and getting out of the car so decisively that Zhang Ruiyi wondered if she had misheard.

The car door closed.

Zhang Ruiyi watched her parents whispering to each other as they walked towards the hospital building through the car window, and suddenly sensed a huge conspiracy brewing.