Year 1983: I was a carpenter in Northeast China

Chapter 172 Complex

Upon hearing a sound coming from inside the closed operating room, Xu Bei rushed over almost reflexively.

Zhao Fengying and Zhu Wenliang followed closely behind.

The three people stood like a human wall at the entrance to the operating room, peering inside with eager eyes.

When the green double doors were quickly opened, a doctor wearing surgical scrubs, a cap, and a mask walked out first.

"Doctor, how did the surgery go?"

"Did it go smoothly?"

"When will the person be able to be pushed out?"

A fine layer of sweat appeared on the other person's forehead, indicating that the surgery had taken a lot of time and effort.

He glanced at the anxious family members outside the door and announced calmly, "The surgery went smoothly. The appendix has been removed, and the pus in the abdominal cavity has been thoroughly flushed out. The patient is still awake; please return to the ward for observation."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Fengying, who had been holding on, suddenly felt her legs go weak, but fortunately Xu Bei caught her with quick eyes and hands.

By this point, all they could say was, "Thank you, doctor. Thank you, doctor!"

Soon, two nurses pushed the stretcher out one after the other, the wheels making a dull thud on the ground.

Xu Dashan lay on it, his chest and below completely covered by the blanket.

His face was ashen, his eyes were half-open, and a few strands of gray hair clung to his skin.

There was still an IV needle stuck in the back of his right hand, and the medicine in the IV bag was dripping down.

When Xu Bei, Zhao Fengying, Zhu Wenliang, and the others gathered around him, Xu Dashan's Adam's apple bobbed with difficulty, his chapped lips moved slightly, and he said in an extremely weak voice, "I'm sorry for making you worry—"

With red eyes, Zhao Fengying said, "The surgery made you speak again, and you even know how to apologize. That means you'll cause us less worry in the future."

Xu Dashan's lips twitched, his expression a complex mix of wanting to laugh and wanting to cry.

Seeing this, Xu Bei's feelings were indescribable. In short, he was quite happy that the surgery went smoothly.

Just then, a nurse urged us forward, "The patient just had surgery, it's best to talk as little as possible, and we need to get back to the ward quickly!"

Xu Bei and the others quickly moved aside; even if they couldn't help push, they stood guard on either side.

Once back in the ward, the nurses quickly pushed the stretcher to the bedside.

Xu Bei and Zhu Wenliang also lent a hand, and together they managed to get Xu Dashan, who had just undergone surgery, onto the hospital bed.

"Slow down, don't touch the IV line."

A nurse quickly adjusted the height of the IV drip.

"You cannot turn over or drink water for six hours after the surgery. Call us if there are any problems."

Xu Bei quickly thanked him, "Okay, thank you."

The two nurses said "You're welcome" and left with the empty stretcher.

For a moment, only Xu Bei and a few others remained, surrounding the hospital bed and staring at Xu Dashan, creating a somewhat somber atmosphere.

The other patients and their families in the ward also looked at Xu Dashan, who had just been settled, and the other two, Xu Bei and his companion.

The old man in the next bed was the first to speak, breaking the brief silence.

"Look at you all, all covered in sweat. You should all rest for a bit. Perforated appendicitis is no joke. Luckily, you were brought in in time, and Dr. Chen was there to perform the surgery. You're really fortunate."

The family member accompanying the patient on the opposite bed, a middle-aged woman with curly hair, chimed in, "Yes, you're lucky. Dr. Chen's skills are renowned for being reliable in this city hospital."

However, once the anesthesia wears off, the incision will be excruciatingly painful. I'll have to suffer a bit tonight, but once I get through it, it will get better day by day.

"Really? Then I just need to get through tonight—"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Fengying wavered again and whispered to Xu Bei, "Son, why don't I stay too?"

Xu Bei put his arm around his mother's shoulder, leaned close to her ear and whispered, "Mom, if you stay here, we won't even have a place to rest. If I were alone, I could probably figure something out and make do."

Besides, who can feel at ease leaving Xiaojuan alone at home? Can we really let her go back to the Forestry Bureau with my brother-in-law? What will she do for school tomorrow morning? You can go back and rest well, and bring some delicious food with you.”

Zhu Wenliang, who was listening nearby, also joined in the persuasion, "Mom, my younger brother is right, just listen to him."

Zhao Fengying thought it made sense, so she didn't insist any further.

However, after glancing at the sky outside, she said to her son-in-law, "It's already past three o'clock. Wenliang, why don't you go ahead and leave a little longer? It'll take another hour or so to get back by car, and Xiaoli must be getting really anxious all by herself in the shop."

"Yes, brother-in-law, we're here. You should hurry back. Come back with my sister tomorrow morning."

Xu Bei had made clear arrangements for his family, so how could Xu Dashan, who could only lie in a hospital bed, have any objections?

He even thought to himself that his son had grown up too fast and had already become the pillar and backbone of the family, doing things more reliably than his father.

After seeing Zhu Wenliang off, Xu Bei took advantage of the opportunity to pick up his sister and buy food to bring back a low cot.

When Xu Bei carried the folded cot and bedding, along with Xu Juan who was carrying a schoolbag and a thermos, back into the ward, Zhao Fengying, who was tucking Xu Dashan in, also had her eyes light up.

"Oh my son, where did you find this? It'll be so much better if I can lie down and sleep with this."

"I borrowed them from a friend," Xu Bei said vaguely, "I bought wontons, Mom, they're easier to eat with the soup on."

On her way there, Xu Juan heard her brother say that the surgery went smoothly, but when she saw her father lying there with his eyes closed, her eyes instantly welled up with tears.

"Mom, is Dad asleep? Is he alright?"

Zhao Fengying quickly hugged Xu Juan and patted her back. "Don't worry, my dear girl, she's just asleep."

Just as he was saying this, Xu Dashan opened his eyes and saw that his youngest daughter had also arrived. She waved her hand with the hand that wasn't receiving an IV drip.

Xu Juan immediately went over, bent down, and asked with concern, "Dad, are you in pain?"

"The anesthesia seems to be wearing off, it hurts a little, but I can bear it and it's okay." Xu Dashan's eyes reddened as he was touched by his youngest daughter's affection.

Watching the father and daughter chat, Xu Bei couldn't help but recall his mother's death a few years later in his previous life, his father's remarriage, and how his stepmother and stepfather looked down on them, the children of his previous marriage. His feelings were incredibly complicated.

Zhao Fengying and the others had no idea what Xu Bei was thinking, and they stayed at the hospital until six o'clock before they had to leave.

After seeing his mother and sister off, Xu Bei set up a cot next to Xu Dashan's bed, laid out a mattress on it, and lay down to take a nap under a thin blanket.

Knowing that his son had just returned from the provincial capital by train after an overnight journey and had been so busy during the day that he hadn't had a chance to catch up on sleep, Xu Dashan initially tried to endure the pain and remain as quiet as possible.

But the incisions from the open surgery felt like a series of rusty, dull knives, tearing and cutting inside his abdominal cavity, causing suppressed cries of pain to escape uncontrollably from deep within his throat—