Year 1983: I was a carpenter in Northeast China

Chapter 170 A Mixed Feeling

"Acute appendicitis can't be delayed; there's a risk of perforation at any moment. Hurry up and pack your things; I'm coming with you in a bit!"

Xu Bei spoke quickly as he turned and walked into the house.

Therefore, Zhao Fengying and Zhu Wenliang did not see the very complex expression on his face when his back was turned to them.

The three quickly went into the room and rummaged through the luggage, bedding, enamel basins, enamel mugs, thermos flasks, towels, soap, and other things that might be needed during the hospital stay.

Then, after packing everything up, I carried it on the handlebars and rack of my bicycle and walked straight to the city hospital.

It wasn't until on the way there that everyone had the time and the mood to chat as they walked.

"This has happened so suddenly, little brother. You've been on the train all night and won't be able to catch up on sleep. If the surgery time is set later, Mom and I will be fine at the hospital. You should go home. Otherwise, Xiao Juan will be worried when she comes home from school at noon and finds no one there."

Zhu Wenliang, pushing his bicycle, believed he understood the discord between his brother-in-law and father-in-law.

The reason for this arrangement was to prevent the father and son from arguing again if they disagreed.

After all, a quiet hospital is not home, and it wouldn't be good for people to see us like this.

Xu Bei, walking beside him, knew exactly what his brother-in-law was thinking.

But at this point, as the man of the house and the pillar of the family, he couldn't back down no matter what.

"It's okay, I slept in the car and I'm not sleepy yet. We'll see how things go later. If it gets really bad, we'll have Mom go home. We'll stay at the hospital."

Zhu Wenliang quickly replied, "That's fine too."

Xu Bei then looked at his mother, who was being rather quiet, and quickly comforted her, "Mom, don't worry. The medical standards in the city hospitals are pretty good now. They can easily handle an acute appendicitis surgery."

Zhao Fengying came back to her senses and sighed softly, "To be honest, how could I not be anxious and upset? Although I'm divorced from your father, we've been together for over twenty years and I've given birth to three of you children. Seeing him so thin and pale makes me feel terrible."

At this point, with only family members around, how could we abandon him to his fate? But when I think about what he and that old lady Xu Dahong did, I feel an intense rage.

Xu Bei could completely understand his mother's complicated feelings; in fact, he himself was also feeling a mix of emotions.

Although he had argued and even fought with Xu Dashan, they were still father and son, and he felt bad when he learned that Xu Dashan was sick.

Next, he and Zhu Wenliang spent a long time comforting Zhao Fengying, one after the other, until Zhao Fengying calmed down a bit.

In a surgical ward of the city hospital.

The air was filled with a lingering smell of disinfectant.

Although the old-fashioned cast iron radiator was still radiating residual warmth, the outside world was still a vast expanse of white snow, and because the weather was still a bit cold, a layer of ice flowers had formed on the window glass.

Sunlight streamed in through the frosted glass, casting faint beams of light onto the mottled terrazzo floor, where tiny dust particles floated slowly in the halo of light.

This typical large ward contains six metal-framed beds with peeling paint.

Xu Dashan was curled up and half-lying on the hospital bed near the door.

Having suffered from acute appendicitis all night, his complexion was an unhealthy sallow, and he was covered in cold sweat.

But he pursed his lips tightly and pressed his hands firmly against his stomach, trying to endure the waves of excruciating abdominal pain in this way.

His expression was extremely complicated when he saw other patients in the hospital beds and their family members taking care of them, and tears of regret seemed to be streaming down his face.

"Hey buddy, your family said they went back to get some stuff but haven't come back yet?"

The patient in the next bed was an old man who was very outgoing. Perhaps he was bored or felt sorry for Xu Dashan being alone there, so he struck up a conversation with him.

Xu Dashan rubbed his eyes and forehead before turning to answer, "Probably soon. Brother, what illness do you have that requires hospitalization?"

The old man chuckled and said, "My appendix was acting up, so the doctor cut it off with scissors. I'll be fine after a few days and almost ready to be discharged."

Upon hearing that it was the same illness as his own, Xu Dashan quickly asked, "How long will it take to fully recover after being discharged from the hospital?"

"That's not necessarily true; it depends on each person's constitution and recovery progress." The old man changed the subject, then inquired curiously, "Were those your wife and son just now?"

Xu Dashan felt that divorce was a shameful thing, and he didn't want to mention it to strangers. He mumbled, "No—it's my son-in-law. My son went to the provincial capital."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than the sound of a nurse pushing a stainless steel treatment cart rolling across the floor came from the corridor, along with several familiar footsteps.

One of the dishes sounded more and more like Xu Bei's. In his panic, Xu Dashan tried to sit up but broke out in a cold sweat from the pain.

Xu Bei, Zhao Fengying, and Zhu Wenliang each carried the things they had brought. They hurried into the ward and saw this scene.

His lips moved, and he called out with extremely mixed feelings, "Dad—"

Xu Dashan responded excitedly and eagerly, then asked, "You're back from out of town?"

"Yes, I just got off the bus."

As Xu Bei spoke, he glanced around the ward and noticed that all four other beds were occupied, leaving only one empty bed. He wondered where the person accompanying him would stay that night.

Zhao Fengying and Zhu Wenliang had accompanied the person beforehand and were familiar with the situation, so they didn't look at the person with curiosity and started tidying up the things they had brought.

Xu Dashan looked at his busy ex-wife and son-in-law, and his son standing at the foot of the hospital bed with one hand in his pocket. He had a thousand words he wanted to say, but he couldn't say them because there were other patients and their families watching in the ward.

Xu Bei saw Xu Dashan's expression clearly and could easily guess what was going on.

However, getting medical treatment is still the most important thing right now.

He quickly found an excuse to ask the doctor what he thought and left the ward.

No sooner had Xu Bei left than Zhu Wenliang went out to fetch water with an empty thermos.

Zhao Fengying sat by the hospital bed and wiped Xu Dashan's face with a dry towel she had brought. However, he grabbed her hand and whispered something to her.

"Fengying, I've wronged you so much, yet you still come to take care of me. I'm truly—let's get back to normal once I'm better."

Hearing Xu Dashan speak at a volume that only the two of them could hear, Zhao Fengying was furious.

But because they were afraid that outsiders would hear and laugh at them, they had to whisper in close proximity.

"What kind of wishful thinking are you having all day? I'm only taking care of you because you're the father of several children. Do you think all the despicable things you and your family have done can be wiped clean and pretended never happened? Besides, we're living a very comfortable and wonderful life without you! If you do anything unnecessary again, no one will take care of you!"

Xu Dashan wasn't angry at being rebuked; instead, he felt a genuine joy welling up inside him. "Okay, I won't do anything useless anymore. I'll listen to you! I'll do whatever you tell me to do—"