Chapter 51: Severe Illness Like a Mountain
Chapter 51: Chapter 51: Severe Illness Like a Mountain
In an ordinary, lived-in two-bedroom apartment.
Of the two middle-aged men inside, one lay on the bed. His face was exhausted, his complexion sallow, and his right hand would occasionally clutch his upper right abdomen. The other, slightly older man sat on the sofa, sighing heavily as he smoked with a worried expression.
After a long silence, the man on the sofa spoke in frustration. "Second Brother, why are you so stubborn? Of all the good traits our dad had, you just had to inherit his mule-like temper! You can’t just hide your sickness and avoid doctors. We have to go get it properly checked to see if it’s really cancer!"
The man on the bed waved his hand weakly but impatiently. "Brother, why are you nagging so much? I said it isn’t, so it isn’t! Tomorrow, I’ll go find that old traditional doctor in the west of the city. I’ll get a couple of folk remedies, take it easy for a bit, and I’ll be fine."
Hearing the mention of the old traditional doctor, the man on the sofa flew into a rage, slapping the armrest hard.
"Nonsense! Have you forgotten how our youngest brother died?! Wasn’t it because of that quack?! He lost his entire fortune and his life, leaving behind his widow and child. Can’t you see how they’ve struggled all these years?"
"Well, with thousands of years of ancestral medical knowledge, there’s bound to be both good and bad practitioners. Who knows, maybe I’ll find a miracle doctor this time."
The man on the bed was Chi Chenghu, Chi Xinyue’s father.
It wasn’t that he didn’t know those unlicensed traditional doctors were unreliable. The truth was, he knew he simply couldn’t afford to treat his illness.
He had already secretly visited another hospital for a check-up behind his family’s back. The results were exactly the same: early-stage liver cancer, but due to cirrhosis, it was inoperable. The doctor had recommended a liver transplant.
There was no point in struggling anymore.
Saying he would get medicine from a traditional doctor was just an excuse to comfort his family. In reality, he wouldn’t waste a single penny on that, either.
Chi Chenghu’s only wish now was to linger on for a few more years, hopefully long enough to see his daughter get married.
The man on the sofa was Chi Chenglong, Chi Chenghu’s older brother. The three brothers—whose names meant Dragon, Tiger, and Panther—had once dreamed of making a name for themselves in their youth. But reality had been cruel. Now, only the two of them remained, weak and sickly, relying on each other to survive.
Chi Chenglong was about to continue scolding his stubborn younger brother when the sound of keys jingling came from the front door. Chi Xinyue opened it and walked in.
Chi Chenghu instinctively tried to get up and open the windows to ventilate the room. He couldn’t let his precious daughter inhale secondhand smoke. However, his body was so weak that he failed to push himself up.
Realizing what he wanted, Chi Chenglong quickly stubbed out his cigarette and stood up to open all the windows.
Chi Xinyue was in no mood to care about the smoky air, even though it was choking her and making it hard to breathe. The moment she entered the room and saw her father’s state on the bed, her nose stung, and tears instantly filled her eyes.
"Dad!"
It had only been a short while since she last saw him, yet he had become so agonizingly haggard!
"Daughter, why are you back? Brother, did you tell her to come back?! Aren’t you just adding to the mess? Yuyu is in college, right at a crucial time. Why would you call her back!"
"Dad, we’re on summer break right now. It won’t affect my studies." Chi Xinyue took a deep breath, barely managing to compose herself.
"Even if you are on break, there’s no need for you to come back. You should stay in the big city to broaden your horizons and meet some outstanding young men. Why come back here? There’s nothing to see but a couple of miserable old men."
Chi Chenghu rubbed his aching head. His daughter was the apple of his eye, and he was completely helpless against her. It wouldn’t be easy to fool her now.
Beside them, Uncle Chenglong took the opportunity to briefly explain her father’s situation.
No one knew a father better than his daughter. As Chi Xinyue listened carefully and noticed her father’s evasive expression, she instantly guessed the truth.
"Dad, tell me the truth. You secretly went for another check-up, didn’t you? And they confirmed it’s liver cancer, right?"
Father Chi hummed and hawed, refusing to give a direct answer, but Chi Xinyue already had the confirmation she needed. Her heart skipped a heavy beat.
On the way back, she had held onto a sliver of hope, thinking it would be wonderful if it were just a misdiagnosis—a false alarm. If her father could live a long and healthy life, she wouldn’t have to jeopardize the newfound relationship she had just built with Zhang Yan. Everything could have developed perfectly...
Shaking off those thoughts, Chi Xinyue braced herself and bravely faced reality. "Then let’s start treatment!"
"Treat what?! I’m not sick, and I’m not getting treated!" Overly agitated, Father Chi shouted. The exertion seemed to trigger a bout of discomfort, and he instinctively clutched his upper right abdomen, his face twisting in pain.
"Dad, what’s wrong?"
"It’s nothing, just an old ailment. It’ll pass in a minute."
Chi Xinyue cast him a few worried glances. Ignoring her father’s earlier objections, she took on a forceful tone.
"Uncle Chenglong, I have nearly ten thousand yuan with me. This happened so suddenly, and I didn’t save much of the money I earned before. Could you lend me some so my dad can start his pre-operative treatment?"
Chi Chenglong looked conflicted. He seemed to recall his own family’s financial struggles; these days, everyone had their own hardships and getting by wasn’t easy. But gritting his teeth, he finally answered.
"I can give you at most thirty... fifty thousand! Let’s just get past this initial hurdle first!
"But Niece, you need to think carefully about the rest of the money. Even if you sell your house, it probably won’t be enough.
"Our family doesn’t have any close relatives around here anymore, and you lost contact with your mother’s side of the family a long time ago..."
In their small town, they would be incredibly lucky to sell this sixty-square-meter old house for four thousand yuan per square meter. The financial gap would still be massive.
"Who’s selling the house?! That’s my daughter’s future dowry! I already said I’m not getting treated, don’t you people understand human speech?!" Having just recovered slightly, Father Chi immediately lashed out upon hearing they might sell the house, though the agony on his face only deepened.
"Dad! Just say less and rest for a bit. Seeing you in so much pain makes me want to cry."
Seeing his daughter on the verge of tears, the mule-tempered Father Chi stopped his tantrum and forced himself to quiet down.
"Uncle Chenglong, don’t worry. I can go back and borrow money. I’ll ask... classmates, friends, teachers. If I ask enough people, I’ll definitely gather some.
"As for the liver donor, I’ll go to the hospital tomorrow to get tested and see if I’m a match."
The moment Chi Xinyue said this, her father, who had only been quiet for a brief moment, immediately protested.
"No, absolutely not!
"The surgery requires a long recovery time! Not only will it affect your current studies, but it could also ruin your health for the rest of your life!
"I’m just a miserable old man who only has a few years left anyway, but you’re still so young!
"I won’t allow this under any circumstances!"
"Then are you just going to make me watch you die?!" By this point, Chi Xinyue’s voice was choking with sobs.
Father Chi was speechless. If given the choice, who would actually want to die?
Chi Chenglong’s eyes grew red as he watched the scene unfold. He deeply felt his own incompetence, entirely unable to offer any substantial help.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!
Just then, a knock came from the door of the Chi family home.