Chapter 15 A Bolt from the Blue
The candlelight went out and the cabin fell into darkness.
Strangely, even Cheng Xiaoyan's crying stopped abruptly.
I stayed at the door for a while, wondering what was going on inside.
Suddenly, a strange feeling of palpitations came over me.
This feeling is very strange, as if there is a cobra, staring at me in the dark with its cold, sinister pupils...it may pounce on me and bite me at any time.
I shuddered and felt a boundless fear all over my body.
In my head, an inexplicable thought flashed: "Escape!"
I turned around and ran away like crazy.
Keep running and keep running.
After running for almost a kilometer and getting away from the hut, I finally breathed a sigh of relief. I was sweating all over and panting.
I didn't think about why I wanted to run away, but the extremely terrifying feeling just now made me unable to control myself instinctively.
I took out a cigarette, lit it and took a long puff.
It took me a long time to calm down.
I don't know if this is a kind of premonition of danger, or a sixth sense.
I remember when I was a kid, I took the bus to school. Halfway through the ride, I suddenly felt inexplicably panicked, my heart beat wildly, and I ignored the conductor’s dissuasion and jumped out of the window.
Not long after he jumped down, the car drove a few dozen meters away and collided with a large truck that ran a red light at an intersection.
No one on board survived.
Thinking about it now, I still feel a little scared.
And just now at the door of Cheng Xiaoyan's house, I had this feeling again, as if that was not a house at all, but a tomb.
grave?
I opened it and shuddered, wondering why such a thought came to me.
…
Go home, wash up, and go to bed.
I didn’t sleep well. I kept dreaming that I was back in that village in the city, back in front of Cheng Xiaoyan’s house. No matter how I tried to escape, I couldn’t escape from that place…
When I woke up the next day, it was already noon. I didn't feel well and had more dark circles under my eyes. I went to the hospital to deliver food to my mother, chatted with her for a while, and then went to school for class.
The class was still the same as usual, noisy and chaotic.
I returned to my seat and found Cheng Xiaoyan lying on the table, staring at the blackboard in a daze, and I had no idea what she was thinking.
The seats of several boys who used to play cards with her were all empty. I guess what happened last night might be related to them, and now I feel guilty.
"Hello."
Not long after we sat down, Cheng Xiaoyan started talking to me.
I looked at her.
She has a cherry mouth, an oval face, slender clear eyes, fair skin and delicate features. If she weren't so crazy, she would be a real beauty.
"What's the matter?" I asked.
"Let me ask you a question. If a person is going to die, will he accept death calmly or fight it desperately?"
I thought to myself, what is the problem?
"That depends on the situation... If the person has a terminal illness and his time is up, or he is very old and even the King of Hell is going to take him, what's the point of resisting? It's better to accept death calmly. After all, this is the natural law of all things." I said seriously.
Cheng Xiaoyan blinked her eyes and said, "I couldn't believe you had so many ideas."
I thought to myself, that’s right. After all, I have been working in Building D for so long, so I have some understanding of life and death.
"The second question is, do you have a girlfriend?" Cheng Xiaoyan asked.
I nearly fell off my chair.
This woman's train of thought is too weird, isn't it?
One second he asked me about life and death, and the next second he asked me if I had a girlfriend?
But why did she ask that?
Really?
I felt a little elated, wondering if it was because of my heroic act of saving the beauty last night that this little girl fell in love with me?
I was thinking about how to answer when I suddenly saw Cheng Xiaoyan bend down and cough violently.
"Hey, are you okay?"
I frowned.
Cheng Xiaoyan shook her head, raised her head, and looked at me with cloudy eyes.
Only then did I realize that her face looked very haggard, as if she had been staying up late for several days and nights.
Cough cough cough!
She started coughing again, swaying in her seat, and fell toward me.
I held her, not knowing whether to laugh or cry, and said, "Again? Please stop playing this."
no response.
She closed her eyes quietly, and her cheeks, which were usually rosy and white, were now pale.
"Cheng Xiaoyan?" I suddenly felt a little nervous and called out.
She still didn't speak.
I suddenly realized something in my heart.
I patted her face and shouted, "Cheng Xiaoyan? You, you wake up!"
The commotion here attracted students and teachers.
Chen Wei also came over.
"Isn't he sick?"
"I saw her coughing before, and she seemed to be coughing up blood . I thought she was joking, but I didn't expect..."
"Stop wasting time and call an ambulance. I don't think you're pretending!"
Everyone was talking about it, and the teacher was a little panicked at this time. He took out his cell phone and prepared to call an ambulance.
"Aikang Hospital is next door." Chen Wei suddenly said.
I immediately understood what he meant. Without saying a word, I carried Cheng Xiaoyan on my back and rushed out of the classroom.
I left the school and ran towards the hospital.
Fortunately, I have a good physical condition and Cheng Xiaoyan is very light, so I didn’t feel very tired along the way.
When I arrived at the hospital outpatient department, I didn't follow the normal procedures because the situation was critical. In addition, I had been to the hospital frequently recently and basically knew everyone here. After registering my information, I was immediately sent to the emergency room.
…
Not long after, the doctor came out.
I quickly stood up and asked him about Cheng Xiaoyan's situation.
The doctor sighed, patted my shoulder, and told me to prepare myself mentally.
He told me that Cheng Xiaoyan was suffering from viral hepatitis and her condition was very serious, basically close to the late stage. No surgery could cure her and she could only rely on medication to barely maintain her life.
Moreover, antiviral drugs are very expensive. According to conservative estimates, they cost at least tens of thousands of yuan a month.
When I heard the news, my mouth opened wide and my mind went blank.
I never thought that this lively and active girl would have such a day...
Suddenly I thought of the question she asked me in class: "If a person is going to die, should he accept death calmly or resist it desperately?"
Could it be that she already knew that she was terminally ill?
My heart seemed to be pulled, and I felt indescribable pain.
"The patient is awake. Do you want to go in and take a look?" the doctor asked.
I shook my head. At this moment, I didn't have the courage to look at her.
It is hard to imagine how desperate the cheerful and outgoing Cheng Xiaoyan would be at this moment?
"This illness cannot be delayed. If you take medicine now, you may be able to maintain your life for a while," said the doctor.
I asked, how long can it last?
The doctor said it might take at least one or two years, or at most five or six years.
I nodded dejectedly.
maintain?
How to maintain it?
Her parents are not around, and she lives with her grandmother in a dilapidated self-built house. Under such circumstances, it is impossible for her to come up with tens of thousands of yuan every month. Isn't that a fantasy?
"If you really can't afford the medical bills, I have a suggestion," the doctor said after a moment's hesitation.
"What suggestions?" I looked up.
"Send her to Building D."
