A Young Woman's Heart

"The surgery went smoothly, but you'll need to stay in the hospital for about two weeks to check if the cancer has spread. If it has, you might need a second surgery. As things stand, the armpit hasn't been removed yet. If it hasn't spread, there's no need for further surgery. All that's left is to wait for the wound to heal and observe for complications such as skin flap necrosis or subcutaneous fluid accumulation." Although the doctor was dealing with two children, he still explained things in relatively detail.

“Okay…” This time it was Li Wanyan who answered.

"If anything happens, just press the call button. She'll wake up within half an hour, and then we'll come back to check on her again."

"Thank you, doctor." Li Wanyan placed her hands on her lower abdomen and bowed deeply.

"You're welcome, it's what we should do."

"Boom."

As the door closed again, the ward fell silent.

Hearing that the cancer might spread, Li Wanyan's relaxed heart became slightly anxious again.

Clearly, she's likely to be quite unsettled for the next two weeks.

Several tubes were also inserted into Pan Jiexiang's body, and nutrient solution was being slowly infused into her body.

Mo Xueyao walked to the window and gently closed the half-closed window completely.

Although the weather is not cold, it is best for patients to avoid being exposed to cold winds.

The old man I saw this morning is gone.

The bed has been cleaned and made neatly again, as if no one had lain on it for days.

The ward, which was supposed to house three people, now only had Pan Jiexiang left.

The ground outside was a bit wet, as if it had just rained.

But the rain obviously didn't last long, and the sun was about to break through the clouds again, casting its golden rays upon the earth.

Mo Xueyao was about to push the door open and go back to the fruit shop to call her father over, but as soon as she put her hand on the handle, he was gently pushed away.

Mo Kong and Su Yuqing, dressed in formal attire, were standing outside, preparing to come in.

"Ah... Principal Mo, and Teacher Su, hello."

"Hello, Principal..." Li Wanyan knew that the principal had paid for all the money, and that the repayment period had been extended to give them ample time to pay it back, so that their lives would not be strained by the debt.

Before entering the ward, Mo Kong seemed to have already learned about the situation. A smile appeared in his deep eyes as he gently patted Li Wanyan's head and stood beside the bed.

Su Yuqing placed the fruit basket she was carrying on the bedside table.

If I'm not mistaken, that flower basket should belong to my family...

This made Mo Xueyao cough involuntarily. It was as if she bought something for herself and then had to ask someone else to pay for it.

Judging from the flowers and the fruit in the basket, this is clearly one of the more expensive varieties.

Logically speaking, the father shouldn't have accepted the money, but it's also possible that Su Yuqing bought it—he doesn't seem to have seen her before.

"Don't worry, she's still in the early to mid-stage. After the surgery, it's almost impossible for it to spread further." His reassurance made Li Wanyan's shrugged shoulders relax a little.

"Thank you."

Standing next to Mo Kong, Su Yuqing was overjoyed: "It's good that you succeeded. Now you just need to wait to be discharged from the hospital and live a good life. There's still a long way to go in life."

"Um……"

At that moment, Pan Jiexiang finally broke free from the 'confinement' of the anesthesia and slowly opened her eyes from her drowsy sleep.

Those cloudy eyes were unfocused, and it took them a long time to regain their focus.

When she saw Mo Kong standing next to her, she hurriedly tried to sit up.

"No need, just lie down and rest," Mo Kong gently stopped her.

As if timed perfectly, the door was pushed open again, and several nurses and doctors came in to check on Pan Jiexiang's condition.

At the same time, he chatted with her casually, gradually bringing her back to her senses.

It seems that Mo Xueyao doesn't need to go back to find her father, because the doctor has already told Mo Kong and Su Yuqing about the precautions they need to take.

When Pan Jiexiang over there heard that the cancer might spread, she seemed a little nervous.

If she had no intention of having surgery at all, that would be fine. But what people fear most is giving her hope only to take it away again.

The doctor, who had taken off his green coat and put on a white one, finally smiled quite clearly—his mask had been removed from his face: "Don't worry, it seems unlikely to spread at the moment, the possibility is probably only two or three percent."

The nurse beside her smiled and comforted her, "Auntie, just rest well and relax. It will help you recover. You can be discharged in two weeks, very soon!"

Yes, very soon.

Like a minor rain shower, everything in Pan Jiexiang's long life was about to pass completely, and the dark clouds that had been hanging over her heart were finally about to be dispelled.

For the first time, she found the faint smell of disinfectant in the ward to be so pleasant, and for the first time, she felt that the sky outside the window was so beautiful and the weather was so nice.

Her thoughts drifted to two weeks later.

I want to go on a picnic with my daughter in this spring when everything is coming back to life.

There are many things I haven't been able to do before, and now I finally have the chance to make up for them.

"Oh, right, breakfast, Wanyan, eat your breakfast! It's all cold." Mo Xueyao picked up the breakfast from the bedside table. "You must be hungry by now, right? I wonder if there's a microwave. It would be great if we could heat it up..."

"No need." Li Wanyan picked up a steamed bun. It wasn't actually that cold; it had just gone from hot to room temperature.

She opened her small mouth, took a small bite, and immediately a few specks of dark brown bean paste stuck to her white teeth.

The delicate and soft red bean paste melted on her tongue, and the rich, sweet flavor spread throughout her mouth.

She couldn't help but lower her head, her smile blooming like a flower: "...So sweet."

"Ah, it's too sweet?"

"No, it's perfect." Li Wanyan swallowed the food in her mouth. "It's delicious."

"It would probably taste even better when it's hot."

"Red bean paste tastes good even when it's cold."

"That's true..."

Li Wanyan and Mo Xueyao spent the entire day in the ward with Pan Jiexiang.

Mo Xueyao didn't have many opportunities to chat with Pan Jiexiang like this.

Once she started talking, she recounted many things that had happened between her and Li Wanyan.

She poured out those trivial, everyday things, one after another, as if they were endless.

"So, Wanyan just doesn't show it, but she's actually a real glutton!"

"..." Li Wanyan shook her head helplessly. Today, Mo Xueyao had exposed a lot of her secrets, but it also made her feel a bit curious.

Because she always thought that Mo Xueyao couldn't see her deeper self, and that no one could see through her many true thoughts.

But little did she know that she had already seen through many things.

Why didn't she say it?

Is it to take care of one's own feelings?

Li Wanyan glanced at Mo Xueyao's chubby, innocent, and adorable face, and couldn't help but gently purse her lips.

It seems that Mo Xueyao is not as naive and ignorant as she imagined.

"Ah, it's almost time. We should go back to sleep. We have school tomorrow. Wanyan, shall we go?"

She snapped out of her thoughts and gently shook her head.

"Sleeping here? You won't get a good night's sleep."

"Yan Yan, go back to sleep with Yao Yao." Pan Jiexiang gently stroked the back of Li Wan Yan's hand. "Mom is fine now. There are still two weeks left. You can't stay in the ward with me every day. Go back to sleep when you should. Don't let Mom be discharged and then you get sick instead."

"That's right, rest is very important!"

"Mm." Pan Jiexiang smiled and gave her an encouraging look.

Li Wanyan was puzzled, not by what she said, but by the look she suddenly received, which left her confused.

But in the end, she nodded: "Okay..."

"Let's go, it's already dark, Wanyan, let's go home, take a shower and go to sleep! I suddenly feel—" Mo Xueyao said, covering her mouth and letting out a big yawn, "I'm so sleepy..."

……

Chapter 204 When Life Smooths Out Your Edges

At three in the morning, the sky was a deep, dark blue.

Shi Haiming walked wearily out of the alley and onto the wide street.

He's not at work today.

In fact, he had already resigned that afternoon.

I just went online at this time.

When a hobby becomes a job, it's hard for people to appreciate the beauty of it.

Regardless of whether others are like this, Shi Haiming is definitely like this.

To him, the bustling hall was just noisy, not a fulfilling atmosphere.

He glanced back at the internet cafe's sign and realized he might never want to go back there again.

He touched the cigarette pack in his shirt pocket; there was only one cigarette left.

But after hesitating for a moment, he threw them all into the nearby trash can.

I finally freed myself, but the sense of liberation I had imagined did not come; instead, I felt more empty and lost.

It's probably because they can't see any hope in life.

He felt extremely sad and regretful thinking that he would only be at the bottom of society in the future, only able to do those servile and subservient jobs.

What I regret is why I didn't study harder back then.

Even if it's like Li Gutao, going to a vocational high school would be better.

Time cannot be turned back, and the bitter fruits sown in youth can only be swallowed silently.