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墨書 Inktalez
If the doctor's earlier words were abstract, my son's condition was now painfully concrete: half of his body was completely unresponsive, he had lost all ability to speak, and his mind was severely distressed. He no longer recognized me; in his eyes, there was only helplessness and fear. Saliva dripped from his mouth as he emitted incomprehensible "huh" sounds.
Due to a traffic violation, my car had been temporarily seized by the police, and I was required to report to the traffic management department for processing.
My neighbor, sister Jiang, called: "Lao Hu, why did you leave without closing the door? Someone has stolen your cash register, and you've lost a lot of cigarettes and alcohol!"
Choking back my emotions, I briefly explained the situation to sister Jiang. She comforted me in return: "Just take care of Qiqi; I'll handle everything else!"
I stayed by my son's bedside for twenty-four hours straight. When exhaustion became unbearable, I would lean over the bed for a brief nap. But as soon as I fell asleep, nightmares would invade my mind: I would see my son being beaten by several indistinct figures, hearing his desperate cries for help: "Dad, come save me!" Yet I could only watch helplessly, unable to move or make a sound. In the end, his raised arm would fall limply before me.
I woke up in a cold sweat.
For five days and nights, I nibbled on cold buns when hungry and took sips of water when parched. Even going to the bathroom felt like a sprint.
I longed for my son to miraculously awaken like in movies or online novels: moving his fingers and weakly asking, "Dad, why am I lying here?" Then we would embrace and weep together.
But that miracle never came.
The young nurse named Zhou often brought me bread and milk, gently urging me: " brother Hu, you can't let your health deteriorate like this!"
On the sixth day, sister Jiang arrived.
Her restaurant was next door to my liquor store. Both of us had lost our spouses and found solace in each other’s company. Upon seeing me, tears welled up in sister Jiang ’s eyes, but she forced a smile as she handed me a package: "Here’s 50,000 yuan for you. I've appealed your traffic violation case to the traffic management department; they are verifying it now. I've also reported your theft to the police; they are investigating..."
Seeing me silently cry, she added, "You should rest; I'll take care of Qiqi here!"
When I shook my head, she pulled out a small mirror from her bag: "Look at what you’ve become; Qiqi will be heartbroken if he sees you like this!"
In the mirror, I barely looked under forty yet appeared as if I were fifty or sixty: pale complexion, cracked lips covered in dry skin, disheveled gray hair, and an unkempt beard...
To be honest, I could hardly recognize myself.
After consulting with the doctors, they explained: "This is the current situation. If we proceed with further surgery, there’s a fifty percent chance of recovery, but the risks are significant. You’ll need at least 1.5 million yuan for all expenses!"
"No matter how much it costs, we will treat him!" I grasped the doctor’s hand tightly, fearing he might turn away.
"Alright then; you need to prepare the money first."
Where would that money come from?
The monthly gross profit from the liquor store barely reaches 20,000 yuan. Besides covering my son's tuition, I also have to manage the mortgage, car loan, and expenses for both of us. My bank savings amount to just over 300,000 yuan.
"Sister, I can free up another 100,000 yuan for you!" sister Jiang said.
But that's just a drop in the bucket compared to the total cost of the surgery. I hired a caregiver for my son, costing 4,500 yuan a month! I need to find a way to raise more money.
The economic situation is grim; the house I bought for 1.3 million yuan is now listed for less than 900,000 yuan. My four-year-old Passat, worth 260,000 yuan, can only be sold for 60,000 yuan. I'm also considering transferring the store.
Although this business is our lifeline, right now, I need to save my son.
"Have you not reached an agreement on compensation?" Nurse Xiao Zhou asked as she came over to change the IV drip, noticing the worried expressions on my face and sister Jiang ’s.
Compensation? Who's going to compensate? For whom?
sister Jiang gently pressed me back down when I tried to get up and responded vaguely, "They are also in a tough spot; they can't come up with that much money all at once."
"That's not right. I've met the parents of the other child; they arrived in a Land Rover and certainly didn't look like ordinary people. Besides, don't they have four children? Are all four families broke?"
I was left dumbfounded.
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