The white ceiling.
“Drip, drip, drip…”
There was a dripping sound in my ears.
This is a modern hospital. Looking at the equipment in the ward, it is obviously a single room. From the numerous equipment, it can be seen that the patients inside are of a more serious condition.
A monitoring machine was placed next to it. The patches responsible for monitoring body data were connected to cables of different colors and were attached to Hong Chen's body.
The monitor was displaying a variety of data, with wavy lines on it.
Refreshed with the sound of fluctuations.
From time to time, a steady and low dripping sound was emitted.
The sound was neither harsh nor fast, which meant that his body was relatively safe.
"Excuse me, are you Mr. Hongchen in bed 1?" The nurse's gentle voice came to my ears.
Hong Chen straightened his confused head and nodded, still seeming a little sleepy.
He replied in a weak and low voice: "Yes."
"I'm your responsible nurse, my name is..."
The nurse's voice was in his ears, but his mind was already wandering elsewhere.
He didn't notice until the nurse left.
It was a little dark around the bed.
Suddenly the door of the ward opened. Hong Chen turned around to look, but the blue curtains around the bed were drawn, so he could not see the situation outside.
Then the curtains were opened and light shone in.
This is a single room in a ward.
A middle-aged woman was busy alone in the ward, with the curtains and windows drawn.
Then he took the lunch box, sat on the edge of the bed, and looked at the machine carefully.
Then he looked at the situation nearby.
He picked up a long piece of paper from the end of the bed.
Look carefully at the items above.
The price is clearly marked behind each item.
It ranges from a few cents to thousands.
This is the cost for these few days.
The total amount reached nearly tens of thousands.
"Fortunately it can be reported." The woman muttered twice, without much change in her expression, and casually put the data sheet into her pocket.
Now he can figure out on his own which parts of it can be reported, and after the calculation, the actual amount he has to pay is not that exaggerated.
Open the lunch box.
"Son, how did you sleep last night?"
Hong Chen turned his head and looked at his mother.
My mother was still opening the lunch box as she spoke.
"It's okay, Mom. It just seems like a dream."
"Are you dreaming? Then why don't you just take oxygen tonight?"
"Forget it, it's just a dream, mom, it's not that serious."
"What are you afraid of? Oxygen is not expensive."
“It’s not about whether it’s expensive or not, I still have the energy to breathe on my own.
I took in too much oxygen and it felt like I was tiring to breathe. This is so strange."
"Okay, okay, come and eat something."
As the middle-aged woman spoke, the lunch box had already been opened and there was nothing particularly good inside.
Even if I wanted to eat delicious food, I couldn’t. There was only a bowl of porridge, but the porridge had a faint fish aroma.
You can see some fish and shrimp in the porridge.
There is also a bowl of sweet and fresh fish soup below.
The taste of carp.
"I can do it myself."
" Okay, do it yourself, be careful with the heat."
As she spoke, she handed over the spoon and bowl.
Hong Chen picked up the bowl and spoon, and could see purple holes on the back of his hands, and his whole hands became a little dry.
There are indwelling needles on the backs of both hands, and even one on the arm.
Avoid having to reinsert the vein every time you get an infusion.
Looking at her son's dry and wrinkled hands, the old woman turned her head silently, stood up, walked a few steps and then walked back.
"Is it tasty?"
"It's delicious. I feel much better after eating."
After eating, when the woman was cleaning up, the door was opened.
A doctor in a white coat, followed by a young intern, walked in and smiled at Hong Chen.
He then asked some questions, wrote them down in a notebook and walked out, shouting to the woman at the door.
"Come here, family, I need your help here."
The mother nodded, put the lunch box on the bedside table, wiped her hands, and walked out.
Hong Chen lay on the bed, feeling somewhat weak.
This is a private ward, and the corridor outside is not very noisy.
But he could hear the sounds outside the door. Although they were not loud, he could hear them very clearly.
Is the soundproofing in the hospital so bad?
"Family members, would you like to consider taking him back home? It's too expensive to stay here every day. He can almost go home now.
At this time, patients want to stay at home, which is also a good thing for their mentality.”
"Doctor, I know everything, but my son..."
"Well, let him go home and stay for a while. It's so uncomfortable to be in this hospital, don't you think?"
"Okay, just... go back."
"No problem, you can go and complete the discharge procedures later. Don't worry about those things during this period. Just take the medicine.
Take him to have a rest, and if he wants to play, take him out for some fun, but don't take him too far.
There is nothing to be strict about in terms of diet. It is a good thing to eat some good supplements to supplement nutrition.
Of course, you don’t want it to be too greasy, too spicy, or too stimulating.”
The doctor in front of me has tried his best to express his meaning in a tactful way.
The mother just nodded, and the sadness on her face was not too obvious.
These are all established facts, and I have been sad enough.
He sighed, pushed the door open with a calm expression and walked in.
"Mom, are we going home?"
"Huh? Well, time to go home."
A smile appeared on Hong Chen's face: "Are you leaving today?"
Seeing this smile, the mother couldn't hold it back any longer, and said in a trembling voice: "Yes... Yes, Mom, I'll go to handle the hospitalization procedures, you take a rest for a while."
With that, he quickly opened the door and ran out.
I could hear some faint sobbing sounds along the way.
"When did my ears become so sharp?" Facing the impending death, Hong Chen felt relieved.
He felt as if he wasn't that tired, and the pain in his body seemed to have eased, but he didn't know why.
After a while, a nurse came in and started cleaning the monitor on him.
By the way, take out the indwelling needles in his hands.
After the nurse left, Hong Chen seemed to have lifted a heavy burden from his shoulders. He left his bed and went to the window, looking at the tall buildings and the hustle and bustle of traffic outside.
"Let's go see the sea in a few days." He said to himself.
Then I felt weak again.
"It's the last few days now, just try to hold on for a while."
I didn’t know who I was talking to, I patted myself on the back and started to clean myself up.
After a while, the door was pushed open.
"Why did you clean up by yourself? Go upstairs and have a rest. Mom is coming."
"Oh, it's okay. If you don't move it will get rusty."
"Alright, then go and clean up the chargers and other things in the cabinet, and I'll take care of these."
Hong Chen nodded but didn't force it.
I quickly changed out of my hospital gown, put on normal clothes which I hadn't worn in a long time, went to the parking lot, and sat in the passenger seat.
"Is there anything you want to travel? Since we are out now, let's find a place to have some fun."
"I want to go to the beach, Mom."
"seaside?"
"Yes, I dreamed last night that I was on a ship on the sea, one of those ancient sailing ships."
"Oh, then go and book the tickets tonight. Unfortunately your dad is busy and Xiaohong has to go to school again."
"It's okay. I'll see if there's any ancient ship project on the beach."
We returned home chatting and laughing.
Looking at his room, Hong Chen stood there and suddenly was stunned.
"What's wrong?"
"I want to teleport in."
"Ah?" The mother looked confused.
"What are you talking about, silly kid? Mom is going to cook. Let's see which beach we want to go to."
Hong Chen nodded, then sat on the sofa and picked up his cell phone.
"It's been a long time."
I looked at my phone and felt a little confused. What was I doing?
Fight the Landlord?
Why are you thinking about playing Landlord?
He shook his head, stood up, and walked towards his room.
I saw the ultra-wide screen, gaming chair, speakers, and host on my desk.
The three great families next to it.
I picked up the red and blue machine and pressed the button on it, watching the small house appear on the screen.
“I really miss it.”
Do you miss something you played just a few days ago?
After putting the machine back in, Hong Chen lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling.
It feels weird.
Alas, they are about to die, how weird can it be?
…
I ate, slept, bought plane tickets, and boarded a plane with my mother to a coastal city early the next morning. After a transfer, I took a car and booked a hotel.
As night fell and the sun was about to set, he finally saw the beach and the vast ocean.
"The sun has set? How interesting."
The little children passing by looked at the older brother who looked a little weak with surprise.
You must be crazy.
The mother next to him also looked at him and patted him: "What are you talking about, you silly child?"
Be surprised when the sun sets.
"Nothing, it's rare to come out."
In addition to tourists, you can also see a retro man-made ancient port far away on the beach.
There are three different ancient sailing ships parked at the port, which are almost 1:1 replicas, but they are closed.
"Look, that's the sailboat you were talking about yesterday."
What my mother was pointing at was a modern sailboat, a small one-person sailboat. A male figure was controlling the sailboat as it glided along the waves in the distant sea.
"That's the kind I was talking about yesterday, Mom, look over there." Hong Chen pointed to the ancient sailing ship amusement area in the distance.
"Oh, you mean the ancient kind?"
Hong Chen swam in the sea for a while, and when it was getting dark, he went to the hotel with his mother.
After dinner at the hotel, I returned to my room alone and looked at the night view of the seaside through the floor-to-ceiling windows.
“Slowly turning black, this is what it feels like.”
As he said this, he touched his bald head, returned to the room and took off the hat he had been wearing.
Day 2.
Hong Chen and his mother bought tickets and boarded the three ancient sailing ships.
A tour guide is narrating.
"This is an ancient Chinese sailing ship. Compared with sailing ships from other countries at the time, Chinese sailing ships have a unique feature, that is, the sails are made of bamboo curtains that can be lowered side by side."
As he spoke, he demonstrated it under an ancient Chinese sailing ship. It was not canvas, but a bamboo curtain.
Hong Chen also felt it was very novel and kept checking it out.
Is this thing bamboo?
Then they headed to another sailboat.
This is exactly the same as the foreign sailboats you see in movies.
"This is the sailing ship used in ancient foreign countries."
Hongchen walked around the boat and looked around.
"Look, mom, he tied the knot wrong. This kind of knot shouldn't be tied like this. It should be tied like this so that it is easier to remove at sea and it is more secure."
Listening to her son's story, the mother looked at him with strange eyes.
Then he sighed and wondered if he didn’t even know his own son’s hobbies?
"Since when did you like this kind of thing?"
But I was also surprised that my son didn't seem to have bought anything like a sailboat model or a book.
I've never seen him express any interest in this area.
"No, I just started to like it recently." Hong Chen said perfunctorily.
He came to the bow and looked towards the sea, suddenly raised his hand, then went to the deck and patted the mast.
I looked at the poop and then at the forecastle.
The ship does not have a bow but instead has a mast that extends straight out.
"It would be nice if it was a bird's head." He said something inexplicably.
They have been traveling around for this month, and Hongchen's complexion seems to be getting better and better.
But only he knew that this was a bit like a last gasp of life. Since only his mother was with him, his father also put down his work and followed him. Later, even his sister asked for leave from school and came back.
After traveling around, Hongchen returned home and sat on the sofa.
Everyone in the family was busy in the kitchen, and only his sister was sitting on the sofa, turning her head to look at him from time to time.
"Why are you looking at me for no reason? Are you crazy?"
"What the hell, you lunatic? What do you care about me? I'll watch whatever I want. If you have the guts, poke my eyes out." His sister said bluntly.
Looking at his sister, Hong Chen suddenly sat on the sofa and stuck out his butt.
"I'll fart for you to smell."
"What a psycho! What a psycho!" After cursing twice, his sister sat back on the sofa.
Finally, she would occasionally keep an eye on him out of the corner of her eye.
Hong Chen stood up, his eyes seemed to have regained clarity, and he walked back and forth in the living room.
He looked at the balcony and occasionally fiddled with the small flowers on both sides of the balcony.
After picking up the watering can and watering the plants, he went back into the kitchen, watched his parents busying around, and chatted with them with a smile.
I opened the refrigerator, but didn't take anything out of it. I just opened it and looked around.
He looked at the shoe cabinet at the door and then sat down at the dining table.
Then he stood up and went to the toilet outside the room next to him and turned on the sprinkler for some unknown reason, then turned it off again.
I pressed the flush button on the toilet.
I couldn't help but smile.
I walked into my room, looked at the game consoles I bought after work, turned on my computer, and cancelled the password.
I looked at the model and fiddled with it a bit.
He went into his parents' room again, walked around, turned on the light and ran out again.
Then he looked at his sister's room next to him, opened the door and walked in.
"What are you doing?" asked his sister who had been observing him.
"Your room is such a mess, you don't look like a girl at all, it's so embarrassing!"
"Who cares? Who cares! Your room is a mess, isn't it? How dare you criticize me?"
"How dare you, a girl, compete with me?" He said, and closed the door.
He walked around the living room again and sat on the sofa.
I picked up the blanket and covered myself with it, feeling a little cold.
My sister watched TV from time to time, looked at her mobile phone from time to time, and tossed and turned.
Gaze at him out of the corner of his eye.
Looking at his brother sitting on the sofa, his eyes had begun to narrow slightly.
The complexion on his face became increasingly gloomy, quickly turning pale, and his lips began to turn dark purple.
Seeing this situation, his sister, who had been looking at him, could no longer hold back her tears and her voice became tearful.
Shouting, "Mom! Dad! Come quickly!"
This had obviously been anticipated a long time ago.
But when this scene came, no one could hold on.
The last thing I heard was my parents’ anxious footsteps and loud shouts.
The whole scene began to fall apart.
Alka stood there watching the scene, looking at the family members sitting around what used to be her body.
Looking at the room where I have lived since I was a child.
Standing on the balcony.
The gold outside began to fade.
The image of the entire house began to shatter and turned into something like flying ash and dissipated.
Something that had been buried in my heart appeared.
Regret, deep regret and longing.
Alka's figure disappeared, and Hong Chen, who was lying lifeless on the sofa, stood up again.
The images of my parents and sister faded.
The surroundings turned into endless blue sea and blue sky.
The sky is the unchanging sun and the only floating white clouds.
The sound of waves came.
A melodious song could be heard in her ears, and Alka was already standing on the deck of the Sound of Dawn.
The figures of Xia Daiti and others appeared.
Lucilia sat on his shoulder, and Xiadaiti came to his side and put her arm around his.
The crystal dragon glided across the sky and landed on the deck. Due to its body shape, its tail hung down onto the sea.
Pororo jumped off the deck.
Simon ran out of the cabin.
I smelled the aroma of food and heard the melodious singing.
Then the girls frolicked around, jumping up and down on the vines that were free to move.
The deep regret faded and dissipated.
More things came in, filling the gap left when this regret faded away.
Alka just stood on the deck and looked into the distance.
"I have no regrets anymore, Hongchen. At least this time I am dying at home surrounded by my family without any regrets. I am not dying in a confused state."
As he said this, he raised his hand and squeezed it hard.
The illusion dissipated.