novelraw Chapter 316 - 313: Fortunately, It’s Benign
Chapter 316 - 313: Fortunately, It’s Benign
Lin Guozhu paid the surgery and hospital fees, and the group sat outside the operating room, waiting anxiously.
Zhou Dashan squatted by the door to the operating room, his head in his hands, while Zhou Shitou paced restlessly back and forth.
Lin Guoliang and his brother sat on a long wooden bench outside the operating room, waiting anxiously.
Wei Guangming said to Lin Guoliang, "Guoliang, I’m going to a relative’s house to get some sleep. I’ll be back to check on you all later."
Lin Guoliang gripped his hand gratefully. "Old Wei, thank you so much. Without your help, my aunt..."
"Don’t be a stranger now!" Old Wei cut him off with a laugh. "When it’s a matter of life and death, you have to help, even if it’s for someone you don’t know. And that’s not even mentioning our friendship."
Zhou Dashan and his son bowed to Old Wei, thanking him over and over again.
The father and son knew that without the help of Old Wei and the Lin family, they wouldn’t have had the two hundred-some yuan for the surgery, even if they had managed to get Wu Shufang to the hospital. Old Wei and the Lin family were their saviors.
Lin Guoliang gratefully walked Old Wei out of the hospital. After returning to wait outside the operating room, two or three anxious hours passed before the doors finally opened. Yet, Zhou Dashan and his son didn’t dare approach, standing frozen as they stared at the doctor and nurses in their white coats.
Lin Guozhu stepped forward to ask. The doctor told him the uterine fibroid they had removed from Wu Shufang’s abdomen weighed three to four pounds. It appeared to be benign, but they would have to wait for the lab results to know for sure.
He also stressed that because the fibroid had been so large, it had taken a heavy toll on her body. She would need to remain in the hospital for observation and would require several months of rest once she returned home.
Relieved, the men readily agreed to everything. They carefully wheeled the still-unconscious Wu Shufang into a hospital room and gently lifted her onto the bed.
As the doctor left, he shook his head, finding it unbelievable. A tumor that large, torturing a person until they were nothing but skin and bones... He couldn’t imagine how she had managed to endure it for so long.
Lin Guoliang said to Lin Guozhu, "I’m going to go tell Little Lan and the others, and I’ll grab a change of clothes or two for Aunt."
Lin Guozhu replied, "Little Lan has probably already gone to the South City Bakery. You should try to find her there."
Lin Guoliang nodded and left the hospital, heading for the South City Bakery.
Lin Lan was startled when she saw the dark circles under Lin Guoliang’s eyes. "Big Brother, what’s wrong? You look terrible! Did something happen?"
"I’m fine, and everyone at home is fine," Lin Guoliang said, glancing at Qiaohui. "Qiaohui, your mother was sick... but the surgery is over now."
When they heard the fibroid that had been removed weighed three to four pounds, they all looked at Lin Guoliang in shock, feeling a wave of post-facto fear and immense relief for Wu Shufang.
Qiaohui’s tears began to stream down her face. "Thank you, Big Cousin, thank you!" she choked out. "The money... I’ll pay you all back with my wages."
Lin Guoliang looked at her comfortingly. "It’s all right now, little one. Don’t cry. Your third cousin paid for the surgery, so you can just pay him back when you can."
Lin Lan patted her on the shoulder. "It’s all right. Now we just need to focus on helping your mom get better. You should go with Big Brother to see her, and bring some food for your father and the others."
Qiaohui thanked her again, full of gratitude. "Thank you, Cousin! Thank you!"
Lin Lan shot her a playful glare. She turned to Lin Guoliang and said, "Big Brother, we don’t have much to eat here right now. Go next door to Liying’s place and get something for yourself, then buy some steamed buns to bring to them."
Lin Guoliang nodded and followed Lin Lan next door to Yang Liying’s place.
Yang Liying’s eatery was packed with customers. In addition to her usual tofu pudding with rice and braised pork intestines, she had taken Lin Lan’s advice and added a variety of steamed dishes and stews to her menu.
Since Lin Guoliang had come to eat, Yang Liying and her husband graciously served him a plate of steamed pork ribs with rice flour and a bowl of stewed pig’s trotters. "Big Brother," Yang Liying said, "have a taste. Let us know what you think."
"Thank you! Business is booming!" Lin Guoliang remarked, looking around the full room.
Zhao Dehai beamed and nodded. "It’s been good, just exhausting. By the time we get home at night, I don’t even want to lift a finger."
’He was secretly thrilled, though. Since opening the restaurant, their income was much higher than when they were just selling tofu and tofu pudding.’
After eating, Lin Guoliang thought that while the food was good, there was still a noticeable difference between what Yang Liying and her husband made and his own mother’s cooking. ’So that’s it,’ he realized. ’That’s why Dad agreed to come to East Market and open a restaurant after the New Year.’
After his meal at Yang Liying’s, Lin Guoliang went across the street to buy some steamed buns. Lin Lan also packed some pastries into a ceramic jar for him. She told him to take Qiaohui on his bike to the hospital to see Wu Shufang and to switch places with Lin Guozhu and the others so they could get some rest.
Wu Shufang couldn’t eat yet after her surgery, so Lin Guoliang and Qiaohui left on the bike, carrying the food for the others.
Once a rush of customers had passed, Lin Lan went to the market to buy fish and meat. When she returned to the shop, she found that Lin Guozhu and the other two men had arrived.
Zhou Dashan told Lin Lan gratefully, "Little Lan, your aunt is awake. She was saying that in just the few months Qiaohui has been with you, she’s gotten taller, her complexion is fairer, and she’s so much more mature."
Lin Lan noticed that in just two short months, Zhou Dashan seemed to have aged a decade. "The important thing is that she’s awake," she said comfortingly. "Now, you all should go wash up and get some sleep in the break room."
Lin Guozhu nodded. "Alright. We’ll wash up and get some sleep, and worry about food later."
Tong Xinglan looked at Zhou Dashan and remarked, "Uncle, your hair... it’s all gone white."
Zhou Dashan rubbed his face and forced a smile. "This uncle of yours is getting old. It was about time for my hair to turn white."
’He’s only in his fifties, not even sixty yet,’ Lin Lan thought. ’How is that old?’
Zhou Shitou looked at his father with heartache. "Dad’s hair was still just salt-and-pepper yesterday," he said. "After Mom collapsed, it went almost completely white in a single night."
Hearing this, Lin Guozhu quickly tried to console Zhou Dashan. "Uncle, you have to try not to worry so much. Aunt will be heartbroken if she sees you like this."
Zhou Dashan scratched his head, managing a smile. "We’re an old married couple. What’s there for her to be heartbroken about?"
After washing up, the three men went to the break room, where they squeezed onto a single bed and fell asleep.
Lin Yuezhen and Tong Xinglan cooked in the backyard while Lin Lan stayed busy in the front of the shop.
Lin Guozhu got up after sleeping for two hours. He had a meal, left behind two changes of clothes, and headed to his workplace to check in.
Finally able to relax, Zhou Dashan and his son slept all the way until the afternoon.
After eating, the father and son went to the hospital to switch with Lin Guoliang and Qiaohui, allowing them to come back and rest.
Before closing time, the sisters Yang Liying and Yang Liqun came to Lin Lan’s shop. They had bought some malted milk powder, eggs, and two live hens. The three of them then went together to the municipal hospital to visit Wu Shufang.
Seeing Wu Shufang looking like nothing but skin and bones, Lin Lan’s heart ached. "Auntie," she said comfortingly, "you just focus on your recovery. Don’t you worry about the money."
Yang Liying and Yang Liqun were also stunned by her appearance. "That’s right, Auntie. Lin Lan is here to help, and Qiaohui is earning her own wages now. You just focus on getting well."
For some reason, the sight reminded them of how Lin Lan had once advised them to balance work with rest, warning them not to trade their health for money when they were young, lest they spend that money trying to buy back their health when they were old.
Wu Shufang weakly nodded in gratitude. Zhou Dashan thanked the Yang sisters for the nourishing gifts they had brought.
Wu Shufang was extremely weak, so after sitting in the room for a short while, the three women took their leave.