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墨書 Inktalez
The surgery for Shu Mother was scheduled for 1 PM on the 20th.
Shu Ran remembered that day, when the sky was overcast and it seemed like it might rain. The air was heavy with a gloomy atmosphere, making it hard to breathe.
From the moment Shu Mother was taken into the operating room, an inexplicable restlessness surged within Shu Ran, accompanied by a sense of foreboding.
The doctor said this surgery was the last chance.
If it succeeded, it would be a victory; if it failed, then that would be the end.
If they went through with it, there would be a glimmer of hope.
But if they chose not to, they could only rely on conservative chemotherapy to prolong her life.
Had she not witnessed the excruciating pain Shu Mother endured during chemotherapy, Shu Ran might have opted for the conservative approach.
But she had seen it.
While she could not fully empathize, the pain was still heart-wrenching.
After repeated discussions with Shu Yi and considering Shu Mother's own wishes, they decided to proceed with the surgery.
Even though the success rate was less than 20%, even if there was just a 1% chance…
Shu Ran sat anxiously outside the operating room, feeling as though time had never dragged on so slowly. It felt endless, draining her heart piece by piece until it withered away.
Shu Yi stood alone in a corner, smoking. The fatigue and blows of recent days had left him utterly dejected.
His face was already covered in stubble, and his hair was disheveled. His once bright eyes were now swollen with dark circles, devoid of any spirit.
Her sister-in-law sat quietly beside Yuyu. It was naptime, and Yuyu had already begun to doze off, mumbling innocently, "Why has Grandma been sick for so long? I really want to eat Grandma's Sweet and Sour Ribs. I hope Grandma gets better soon."
Yu Xinyou quietly coaxed him to sleep, saying, "She will be fine, Grandma will get better soon."
Then there was a long silence, a stillness.
During this time, Qin Xian made two phone calls to Shu Ran, but Shu Ran sounded dejected and lacked the energy to talk, her voice weak.
To Qin Xian's ears, it was another wave of heartache.
Unfortunately, life is unpredictable; aging, illness, and death are all part of it.
No matter how powerful he was, he was helpless in the face of life; he felt small and insignificant.
The feeling of waiting was painful, rolling between anticipation and fear, yet unable to do anything.
It was hard to tell how much time had passed when the surgical lights finally went out.
The moment the operating room door opened, the attending physician emerged slowly with several doctors and nurses.
Shu Ran and Shu Yi hurriedly approached, nervous and anxious, hoping against hope for him to reveal the outcome—the result that could lead to either heaven or hell.
Unfortunately, they saw the attending physician slowly remove his mask. A shadow of dark despair gradually revealed itself in their hopeful eyes.
Shu Ran heard him say despairingly, "I'm sorry, we did our best."
In an instant, Shu Ran's heart sank; she felt as if she had been petrified, unable to utter a single word.
But the doctor's words continued, "The patient's cancer cells have already spread and metastasized. Surgery cannot completely remove the tumor. Even if it is removed, it will only recur indefinitely."
Shu Yi remained relatively calm and knew to ask the doctor at this moment, "Is my mother okay?"
The doctor nodded and replied, "She has been anesthetized; now we just wait for her to wake up."
Yu Xinyou quietly asked, "What should we do afterwards?"
"We can only stick to the initial conservative treatment and do our best to prolong her life. However, her condition has deteriorated severely, and I'm afraid she won't last much longer."
"Try to spend more time with her and fulfill her wishes."
Their words seemed distant from Shu Ran, as if she were drifting away, lost in a haze. All the sadness was pent up in her chest, unspeakable yet painfully sharp like a knife.
The last hope...
Had vanished.
She once believed that miracles could happen in this world.
At least her mother had a 20% chance of a miracle occurring. A miracle would come to Her Mother. She would have a successful surgery, work hard to recover, and return to being the spirited Shu Mother who often fussed over them.
Not the frail figure lying in the intensive care unit, filled with tubes and gasping for air, on the brink of death.
Shu Ran spent the entire day in a daze, completely absent-minded.
Whatever Shu Yi asked her to do seemed to fall on deaf ears; she sat motionless in front of the hospital bed, trapped in a negative spiral of her own thoughts.
How difficult it must be to accept the fact that a beloved person is about to leave her. Every day, every moment could be the last day, the last moment.
Shu Ran didn't dare to cry; she was afraid that when Shu Mother woke up, she would worry and feel uneasy.
She sat alone in silence for a long time until after nine o'clock at night when Shu Mother finally regained consciousness, slowly waking up bit by bit.
Shu Ran had never seen her mother looking so worn, as if she had aged over a decade in an instant. Her eye sockets were deeply sunken, her cheekbones protruded sharply, and she had been reduced to skin and bones by illness. Her skin was dry and rough, and the sight was heart-wrenching.
A weak call came from the hospital bed, “Shu Ran…”
Shu Ran hurriedly replied, “Yes, I’m here.”
“The surgery wasn’t successful, was it…”
Shu Ran turned her gaze away weakly, lowering her eyes as she responded with a heavy “Mm.”
Seeing the disappointment and sorrow in her daughter's eyes, Shu Mother managed to pull the corners of her mouth slightly upward, trying to form a smile.
This normally casual and easy gesture was incredibly difficult at this moment.
She struggled to breathe with the oxygen machine, and any movement caused pain in her wounds. The torment was unbearable; she slowly opened her mouth to speak after a long pause, “Don’t be sad, it’s alright like this… Mom is tired too; I want to see your father.”
“Mom has no regrets. The only hope I have is that you can find a good place to settle down. That way, I can rest easy underground.”
Shu Ran listened intently, absorbing every word. Her eyes were already red, but she held back her tears.
She heard Shu Mother say reassuringly, “Qin Xian… Mom really thinks he’s quite good. Treat him well; don’t let him down.”
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