Chapter 23: The First Night in Building D
I was stunned and said, "Cheng Xiaoyan, are you crazy?"
Cheng Xiaoyan shook her head, seeming calm: "Others can live here, so can I. We are both human beings, am I just born to be more hypocritical?"
"You don't understand anything. That place is not a place for people to live in." I said anxiously.
Chen Wei asked me, is the place where you work so scary?
"Terrible, that's not enough to describe Building D..." I said with a sullen face.
"Okay, if you don't want me to stay, then you can help me pay for my medical expenses." Cheng Xiaoyan suddenly laughed miserably, "I am worthless now. I will die if I go home. I can still survive in the hospital for a few more days. Why can't you give me a chance to live? Yes, some people would rather die than live in pain, but I have become accustomed to a life worse than death. Can't I live now?"
Are you used to a life worse than death?
I was stunned.
Does this mean that her previous life was also painful?
The doctor was getting impatient waiting on the sidelines, and urged, "Hurry up and make a decision. If you are sure you want to move to Building D, I will report it to the hospital right away... Of course, if you insist on staying here, all medicines and medical equipment will be stopped from tomorrow."
Before I could speak, Cheng Xiaoyan said firmly: "I want to live in Building D!"
I looked at her speechlessly, knowing that there was no point in saying anything.
At this moment, I feel extremely heavy.
She had no idea what it meant to live in Building D. Apart from the extremely poor environment and depressing and gloomy atmosphere, that place was... too weird.
In particular, after hearing what Liu Fuqiang told me in the morning, I developed an inexplicable fear of Building D.
"Okay, I'll report this to my supervisor now - but be warned, it will be too late to regret it later." The doctor gave a cold reminder and left the ward with a few nurses.
The noisy ward suddenly became much quieter.
"Have you really thought about it?" I said, letting out a breath.
"Well, I've thought it through. Even if I stay in Building D, it's definitely better than going home!" said Cheng Xiaoyan.
I frowned, very puzzled, and said that although your house is a bit shabby, it is still a home. How come you still despise it?
Cheng Xiaoyan said I didn’t understand at all, that was not home, it was hell.
hell?
I was confused and had no idea what she was talking about.
"By the way, did you inform your grandmother after you fell ill?" I asked.
"No." Cheng Xiaoyan's face changed slightly, and she added: "She doesn't have a cell phone."
"Do you need me to run a trip for you and tell her?"
"No, no need!"
Cheng Xiaoyan suddenly became excited, stared at me intently, and said in a trembling voice: "Don't...don't tell my grandma!"
I was stunned and asked why.
She just kept shaking her head and said, "Anyway, don't mess around and don't come to my house!"
Cheng Xiaoyan looked so strange. It was normal to notify the family, even if she was worried that her grandmother would be worried, but why did she appear so scared?
I suddenly thought of the quarrels and noises coming from inside the house when I sent her home that night - could it be that her grandmother often abused her?
Forget it, this matter is no longer something I can control.
It is understandable that Cheng Xiaoyan wants to survive and lives in Building D. Outsiders have no right to interfere.
After the matter was finalized, the doctor quickly completed the transfer procedures for Cheng Xiaoyan.
Before going to Building D, Chen Wei said he would treat Cheng Xiaoyan and me to dinner.
We didn't have much appetite, but we didn't refuse.
I thought that the opportunities for contact in the future would probably become fewer and fewer.
I chose a small restaurant nearby and ordered a few side dishes.
Cheng Xiaoyan said she wanted to drink some wine, but I didn't agree. She already had liver problems, and she still wanted to drink? Isn't that courting death?
The meal was finished in a slightly depressing atmosphere. When Cheng Xiaoyan put down her chopsticks, she suddenly burst into tears.
Chen Wei and I were a little panicked and asked her if she was feeling unwell again.
She shook her head and choked up, "I was thinking that this might be the last time I eat out..."
The air suddenly became quiet.
Chen Wei and I fell silent.
I want to comfort you, but I don’t know how to start.
It hurts like a knife is cutting my heart.
She is telling the truth.
Because in the following period of time, the condition will only get worse day by day. After arriving at Building D, it will be almost impossible to go out for a meal.
My nose felt inexplicably sour and it felt like something was about to fall out of my eye sockets.
I tried hard not to cry, forced an ugly smile, and said, "When you recover, you can eat whatever you want."
Cheng Xiaoyan knew I was comforting her, and she burst into laughter: "Thank you."
This meal was arranged by Chen Weijie.
He seldom came to the hospital, and I did not stop him.
…
After dinner, Chen Wei said he also wanted to go to Building D to take a look, but I directly refused.
After parting with him, Cheng Xiaoyan and I walked side by side towards Building D.
Passersby and pedestrians looked at us from time to time. Occasionally, when we met a few acquaintances, they would smile at us in a friendly manner and nod to me.
Intentionally or unintentionally, I grabbed her hand.
I could clearly feel her body tremble and her cheeks flush.
Soon, she let go and said softly, "Don't do that. It's contagious."
My mood suddenly dropped a lot. I wanted to say that I didn't mind, but when the words came to my lips, they seemed to be blocked by something and I couldn't utter a single word.
When they arrived at Building D, Cheng Xiaoyan did not show much fear and looked quite calm.
Or perhaps, knowing that she didn't have much time left, nothing could scare her too much.
When she and I went in, many patients passing by greeted me. When they saw the delicate-looking Cheng Xiaoyan next to me, they were all surprised and asked me if she was my girlfriend.
girlfriend?
This word touched my heart for no reason.
Yes, Cheng Xiaoyan now has fair skin and pretty looks. Except for looking a little haggard, she is basically no different from a normal girl.
But they didn't know that from today on, Cheng Xiaoyan had become one of them.
When I walked into the building with her, Cheng Xiaoyan suddenly shrank her neck and said, "Why is it a bit cold here?"
"You'll get used to it. There's a complete temperature difference between here and outside." I said with a wry smile.
She didn't say anything, just looked at the outdated decoration of Building D, and then walked around the first floor by herself.
When she got closer to the bathroom, a huge figure suddenly rushed out and collided with her.
Cheng Xiaoyan was petite and weak, so after being hit, she screamed in pain and fell to the ground.
I hurried over and helped her up.
"Damn it, you don't have eyes when you walk!"
The one who bumped into her was the fat nurse Cao Fengjiao. She cursed, glanced at Cheng Xiaoyan, then looked at me, and said in a sarcastic tone: "Hey, here comes a little gangster girl. What does it have to do with you?"
"Apologize!" I said coldly.
Cao Fengjiao immediately got angry and said that it was good enough that I didn’t ask her to apologize, “How dare you take advantage of me?”
"sorry Sorry."
Cheng Xiaoyan pulled me aside and said, forget it, don’t cause trouble.
Cao Fengjiao seemed to understand something and sneered, "Oh my, so she is a patient here! What disease does she have, AIDS or syphilis?"
I clenched my fists, stood up suddenly, and glared at Cao Fengjiao.
She was frightened by my appearance and took two steps back, still saying firmly: "What are you looking at? Do you believe I will spank you?"
Cheng Xiaoyan pulled me away from Cao Fengjiao as I was about to explode.
The woman became even more arrogant and yelled at the top of her lungs, cursing so much that the whole building was filled with her voice.
"Don't argue with her. The more you argue, the more excited she becomes." Cheng Xiaoyan advised me.
I glanced at Cheng Xiaoyan and said, "You have changed a lot."
"People will always change. It's impossible to be a little gangster all your life, and it's impossible to never grow up." Cheng Xiaoyan smiled faintly.
She has indeed matured a lot.
But I felt inexplicably sad, and seemed to prefer the carefree Cheng Xiaoyan from the past.
I arranged for her to stay in Ward 105 on the first floor.
Firstly, it is close to my lounge. Secondly, there is only one patient in Ward 105, and he is not very old, only about 30 years old. He should have some common language with Cheng Xiaoyan.
The woman's name was He Min. She had short hair and regular features. She was considered a beauty. Unfortunately, beautiful women have always had a miserable life... She had suffered from severe heart disease since she was a child. When she gave birth, an unexpected condition caused the death of the fetus. Her husband ran away in anger. Her family ignored her and she lived alone in the hospital. Then she was sent to Building D.
He Min longed for a child. She often told me that she hoped to have another child, but because of her illness, she was afraid that she would never have the chance in this lifetime.
At the same time, she also hates scumbag men very much. Maybe she was thinking of her husband. She gritted her teeth when talking about men, and sometimes I was no exception.
When taking Cheng Xiaoyan to Room 105, He Min was very happy. She held Cheng Xiaoyan's hand and chatted non-stop. She didn't care that she was sick, and it seemed like they had known each other for a long time.
Seeing that things had stabilized, I breathed a sigh of relief and looked at the time. It was almost ten o'clock.
After routinely patrolling each floor and making sure everything was alright, I returned to the lounge.
After watching TV for a while, I felt a little sleepy, so I got up, washed up, and fell asleep.
I don’t know how long I slept, but when I was half asleep, there was a knock on the door.
I jumped up, walked over and opened the door, and saw Cheng Xiaoyan standing outside with a panicked look on her face, her body shaking, as if she had been frightened by something.
I was stunned and said, "What's wrong?"
"That... that He Min, there's something wrong!"
She said with a trembling voice.
