A Young Woman's Heart

"Well, anyway, let's go eat together, have a good meal, and then go to the arcade to have some fun. At least we should make the most of today."

"Okay, let's go." Mo Xueyao straightened up and patted the dust off her back. "I hope that every time we meet again, we can still feel like old friends."

"Is this how you summarize things? Actually, we're all in the same city, so meeting up shouldn't be difficult, right?" Shi Haiming laughed and put his arm around Li Gutao's neck, then reached out his other hand to beckon to Mo Xueyao, making no attempt to avoid suspicion, as if she were still the boy she was when he was a child.

Mo Xueyao also moved closer without hesitation, letting Shi Haiming embrace both of them.

"Brothers, we'll always be brothers, no matter how much time has passed! See each other whenever you want, no need to pick a special day, and don't feel awkward because we haven't seen or contacted each other in a long time. Our friendship will never change!"

"That's right!"

"Forever and ever!"

When Mo Xueyao uttered the phrase "I hope so," it became her most resolute response.

……

Chapter 211 The Day of Discharge

(one)

Sunday, July 24, 2002.

As expected, Yukong High School did not have a break today, and the students had to make up for Wednesday's classes.

The thought of having to continue for another week after today's class makes me feel a bit listless.

Fortunately, the school is still somewhat 'merciful'; there's no evening self-study session today, and the homework seems to be a little less than usual.

"Yaoyao, let's go."

"Hey, isn't Wanyan staying to close up shop today?"

"I'll lock it today." Ye Banxia waved the key in her hand. "Then I'll come to open it earlier tomorrow. If the class monitor has something to do, he should go back quickly."

"Mm." Li Wanyan nodded, it seemed she had already made arrangements.

"Oh, oh..." Mo Xueyao hurriedly picked up her schoolbag and was pulled by the wrist as she quickly walked out of the classroom.

It seems like it's been a long time since I left school at this time.

Students crowded out of the school gate, the afterglow of the setting sun spilling onto the open space outside. Snack stalls with tricycles were already set up at the entrance, and students gathered around these stalls, impatiently shouting out what they wanted, while the owners were always busy taking money and making snacks.

I don't know where they got the information, but they actually knew that Yukong High School had classes today.

The most popular stalls, of course, were those that deep-fried various foods. Some of the oil was dark brown and bubbling, and strings of bright red pork tenderloin were put in and quickly fried until they emitted a rich aroma of meat. After wrapping a napkin around the base of the bamboo skewer, the food was handed to the students, who would then quickly take it and eat it without hesitation.

In addition, there are strings of cheap and delicious ingredients such as rice cakes, starch sausages, and cauliflower floating up and down inside.

Mo Xueyao couldn't help but lick her lips, but with so many people queuing, she didn't want to join the crowd, so she could only turn her gaze away and hope to find a less crowded stall along the way.

However, those are usually not fried skewers or similar items; they're usually things like dried tofu or tea eggs.

The shadows of the telephone poles were stretched long by the setting sun. Li Wanyan walked much faster than usual, in such a hurry that Mo Xueyao could hardly keep up.

"Wanyan, Wanyan, wait a minute, don't be in such a hurry... You're walking too fast. Is today some special day?"

"My mom has been discharged from the hospital."

"Ah...oh, right..." Mo Xueyao suddenly slapped her forehead, only then remembering, "Today should be the final check-up, and then I can be discharged, right? The wound should be almost healed, right?"

"Ah."

Li Wanyan nodded vigorously, unable to resist looking in the direction of the hospital, wishing she could instantly teleport to the ward door.

She gripped Mo Xueyao's hand, and couldn't help but use even more force.

"Oops, you're pinching me a little too hard... Wanyan?"

"Hmm..." Her walking rhythm suddenly became a little disordered. After a few seconds, she slowed down and gently released her hand that had been holding Mo Xueyao's. "Let's walk slowly."

Mo Xueyao breathed a sigh of relief, turned her wrist where five fingers had been grabbed, and the woman next to her turned her face away, clearly embarrassed.

……

(two)

In front of the fruit shop, the father was talking with the principal when he saw two girls come out from around the corner. He waved and shouted with a smile, "Hey! The girls are back!"

"Dad... uh, hello Principal, hello Teacher Su." Mo Xueyao touched the corner of her mouth, and as soon as her gaze fell on the principal, she quickly shifted it to Su Yuqing.

"Hello, Principal, hello, Teacher Su." Li Wanyan bowed deeply. She knew very well that the surgery fee was paid in advance by the principal through a school subsidy application, and judging from the long repayment period, the money was probably not paid by the school, but by the principal himself.

"You're back? Let Xiao Qing go with you to settle the remaining medical bills." Mo Kong gently patted Su Yuqing's shoulder beside him and said with a faint smile.

"Let's go~" Perhaps because the temperature has dropped a lot recently, Su Yuqing was wearing a thin, light yellow cotton-padded jacket, wrapped up like a fluffy little duck. "We're going to the hospital."

Although the principal is very approachable, he is still the principal, and it is inevitable to feel pressure when walking with him.

Su Yuqing is different. First of all, she is the school doctor, which makes her seem less formal compared to other teachers. Secondly, she doesn't feel too much pressure facing a woman who is about the same height and looks about the same age.

"Wait a minute, Xiaoyao, take this bouquet of flowers. I wrapped it beforehand." Her father said, picking up a particularly full bouquet of flowers and placing it in Mo Xueyao's arms.

"Hey, Dad, wait a minute! At least let me put my backpack down."

"Godfather, this is a waste of money."

“What do you mean by wasting money? After staying in the hospital for half a month, we’re finally about to be discharged. Of course, we need to spend some money. That will put us in a good mood, and when we’re in a good mood, we’re less likely to get sick, right?” the father laughed.

Li Wanyan gently bit her lip with her pearly teeth, her gaze sweeping over the carnations, lilies, violets, gladioli, calla lilies, sunflowers, champagne roses, and baby's breath filling every corner, before looking at Mo Wenli, lowering her head slightly, and softly responding.

The paper used to wrap the flowers was all in plain colors, without deliberately creating a strong visual impact, making the abundance of flowers appear somewhat simple.

"Alright, go ahead and bring your mother back!" Mo Wenli picked up a cigarette that Mo Kong had handed him, but didn't light it in front of them. The cigarette butt seemed to be stuck to his mouth, and no matter what he said, it wouldn't fall off.

"Dad, let's go!"

"Um...we're over there, Dad...godfather."

……

(three)

The number of people who are hospitalized for extended periods is actually not that large.

And not all illnesses that require hospitalization are that serious.

Over the course of two weeks, people came and went in the ward, changing frequently.

But the little girl lying in the middle remained there.

For the first two days after she arrived, she slept almost all day. A man and another older girl who looked like her sister would take turns taking care of her.

But she wasn't there all the time; sometimes she had to stay in the hospital alone.

After she was wheeled back from the operating room, her condition seemed to improve considerably. In the past few days, she has gradually been able to get up and walk around on her own. And today, like Pan Jiexiang, is the day she is discharged from the hospital.

Both patients were waiting for their families to arrive. During this time, the two, who had barely spoken because they were awake at different times, started chatting because they were both waiting to be discharged.

"I heard the nurse call you earlier, was your name Lin Mian?"

"Hmm..." Lin Mian nodded gently. She was sitting on the edge of the bed, gently swinging her fair and smooth feet.

Those feet were so delicate that you couldn't even see any calluses; it seemed their owner rarely used them for running.

"Just call me Aunt Pan. Young lady, you had heart surgery before, didn't you?"

Even though Lin Mian was mostly asleep or resting with her eyes closed, Pan Jiexiang could still overhear a few words of conversation between the nurses.

“No.” She shook her head gently. “That time I went for a full check-up…not surgery.”

"Oh, I see. I thought you were having surgery when I saw you being pushed in and out."

"Um...no." She pursed her lips and shook her head slightly, looking like she wasn't in very good spirits.

"What's wrong? The checkup should be fine, right?"

“…It’s impossible that there’s no problem. I’ve had a heart condition since I was a child, it’s congenital…” Lin Mian braced her hands on the bed, leaning forward and staring intently at the instep of her feet. “Then I was diagnosed with early-stage leukemia…”

"Oh, so if it's in the early stages, treatment should be timely?"

Lin Mian shook her head in frustration and gently gripped the bed sheet: "Because of my poor health, the doctor said it's best not to have chemotherapy. In the early stages, I should take medication to control the condition, and then... wait until a matching bone marrow donor arrives before having a bone marrow transplant. But... because of my heart condition, it's very easy for complications to occur during a bone marrow transplant."

Facing this unfamiliar woman, Lin Mian finally opened up. She spoke with some grievance, sobbing, "And...and the stent should have been replaced, but...but it was done overseas, and that company was shut down...My dad said we have to wait for the next few years, until the technology transfer is complete and the parts are manufactured again..."

Pan Jiexiang nodded as if she understood, she probably understood the girl's situation, which was worse than before.

"What should we do then? If this continues... won't we just have to wait around?"

"Yeah, my dad said he'll figure something out." Lin Mian rallied, forcing a smile that looked more like a grimace. "He... he's really capable, he'll definitely find a way..."

"It's good that there's a way..."

"Other hospitals abroad should still have stock, so I will probably go abroad to replace the stent when the time comes."

"That's good." Pan Jiexiang was truly relieved this time. "Leukemia is one of the easier types of cancer to treat, as long as there is a matching bone marrow donor. So you don't need to worry. Little girl, cheer up and don't always look so gloomy. When you're in a good mood, even your symptoms will lessen. Didn't you hear a news story about someone who was very optimistic and ended up getting cured of cancer?"

"Um……"

"Oh, come on, smile! Smile like Auntie, okay?" Pan Jiexiang gently took her hand and placed it in her palm.

That gentle feeling seemed to remind Lin Mian of something she had long lost. Her lips trembled, as if she were even more heartbroken, but she still managed to force a smile.

"Yeah, smile, smile, cheer up! No matter what, you have to try to live every single moment of your life to the fullest, right?"

“Yes…” She nodded subconsciously.

Just then, the ward door was gently pushed open.

Holding a large bouquet of flowers, Mo Xueyao stood unsteadily at the door. After pausing for a few seconds, she quickly walked over.

The footsteps that followed and the noise in the corridor drowned out the soft beeping of the machine by the girl's bedside.

……

Chapter 212 All is Well

(One)

Discharge from the hospital is not simply a matter of paying money and leaving.