Chapter 258: Reacting to Sound
Chapter 258: Chapter 258: Reacting to Sound
Not even Hua Yusen’s own parents and siblings had ever cared for him so meticulously!
"At least for now, Master. Let me be the one to take care of him." Zhao Nuanyue nodded, her gaze softening as she looked at him on the hospital bed. "I just pretend he’s sleeping or drunk. I read him the newspaper, and I believe that once he’s had enough rest, he’ll definitely wake up."
Just then, Feng Wanru arrived with Doctor Wu at her side.
"Doctor Sun, Doctor Wu said my son’s condition has improved. You just took his pulse—is it true?" Feng Wanru trusted Western medicine, but she also trusted National Doctors, especially since both Doctor Wu and Sun Haoran were leading figures in the medical field.
Sun Haoran chuckled. "Yes, I noticed it as well. I asked the nurse, and she said his care routine hasn’t changed. I was just about to ask Nuanyue what she’s been doing these past few days."
"Yes, I’m very curious as well," Doctor Wu said pragmatically. "Mr. Hua’s condition has been stable for a while now, so other than his nutritional IV drip, we haven’t administered any other medication to Hua Yusen. His recent improvement isn’t because of Western medicine or a National Doctor."
Feng Wanru turned to Zhao Nuanyue. "Mr. Zhao, what did you do to make my son’s condition improve?"
As all eyes turned to her, Zhao Nuanyue grew a little nervous but forced herself to remain calm. "Actually," she said earnestly, "I just washed Hua, cut his hair, gave him a shave, and changed him into clean clothes. Then I gave him a massage and read him the daily newspaper so he could hear about what’s going on in the world."
After hearing this, Doctor Wu and Sun Haoran exchanged a look, as if they had just stumbled upon a medical puzzle.
"If his improvement is truly due to these reasons, we can speculate that Hua Yusen can hear or is aware of the outside world, but simply cannot wake up for some unknown reason," Doctor Wu theorized. "If so, his brain activity must be quite high. It’s just that our current technology can’t detect it, and Western medicine offers no viable solution."
Sun Haoran considered this, then said, "Western medicine may have no solution, but I think a National Doctor might be able to try something. Brain activity often stimulates a lot of neural activity, which in turn affects one’s heartbeat and pulse. If Yu Sen is truly reacting to Zhao Nuanyue’s voice or her reading the newspaper, perhaps we can see it in his pulse."
Hearing Sun Haoran’s words, Feng Wanru’s heart filled with hope.
If her son could react to external sounds, then waking up might not be far off.
A person in a vegetative state has no consciousness whatsoever. If he could react to external sounds, then he wasn’t in a true vegetative state.
"Mr. Zhao, please start reading today’s paper. Doctor Sun, I’ll have to trouble you to check and see if there’s any change in Yu Sen’s pulse." Feng Wanru was getting excited. She looked at Sun Haoran with anticipation, praying she wouldn’t be disappointed this time.
"Alright, I’ll check now," Sun Haoran said with a nod, turning to Zhao Nuanyue.
"I’ll start reading right away. But a good day starts in the morning, and I want Hua to start this new day feeling fresh and clean." With that, Zhao Nuanyue went to the bathroom to get some warm water. She washed Hua Yusen’s face, wiped his teeth and mouth with a clean cotton cloth, and finally applied some face cream.
These simple acts made Hua Yusen look much more refreshed.
Feng Wanru, Doctor Wu, and Sun Haoran were all stunned as they watched Zhao Nuanyue’s actions.
Still, they had to admit that Zhao Nuanyue was caring for Hua Yusen with incredible dedication.
Feng Wanru’s impression of Zhao Nuanyue improved even more. Her initial prejudice was gone, and she even felt that Zhao Nuanyue’s care was more thorough and thoughtful than that of his own family.
Then, Zhao Nuanyue took out the newspaper and began to read from the top news on the front page. Her voice was gentle and her enunciation clear. While she didn’t sound as formal as a professional news anchor, her reading was full of emotion and very pleasant to listen to.
After Zhao Nuanyue had been reading for fifteen minutes, Sun Haoran began to take Hua Yusen’s pulse. His eyes lit up. He could clearly feel Hua Yusen’s pulse growing stronger than before. Compared to the previously recorded rate, it had quickened significantly, proving that Hua Yusen was indeed reacting to Zhao Nuanyue’s voice.
Half an hour later, Sun Haoran finally stood up and turned to Feng Wanru with a smile. "Heavens, I can’t believe it. There’s a real change, and a very obvious one at that. Hua Yusen’s pulse was only around fifty beats per minute before, but now it’s reached sixty, even over seventy."
The thought that her son’s mind was still conscious, that he could still react to the outside world, and that he might even be able to hear their voices, brought tears streaming down Feng Wanru’s face.
Hearing their conversation, Zhao Nuanyue felt a pang of guilt. ’But that Spiritual Power is already being slowly absorbed by Hua Yusen, and it will be of immense benefit to him later on. It’s true that I shouldn’t be deceiving them, but I have to take this chance.’
Zhao Nuanyue continued reading the newspaper to Hua Yusen. ’I just hope everything goes smoothly,’ she thought.
After Feng Wanru left, Sun Haoran and Doctor Wu began to discuss the next steps for Hua Yusen’s treatment.
Feng Wanru didn’t go to her office. Instead, she went straight to find her husband, who was busy with work. She had to wait for half an hour before she could see Hua Zhiqiang.
"Old Hua, our son can hear us talk!" Feng Wanru said excitedly, unable to stop herself from wiping away tears again.
Hua Zhiqiang was stunned. "Yu Sen is awake?" he asked.
"He’s not awake, but he’s reacting to Zhao Nuanyue’s voice when she reads the paper. His pulse quickened," Feng Wanru explained hastily.
Hearing this, Hua Zhiqiang’s hope faltered once again. He sighed. "Ah, so he’s not awake. The higher the hope, the greater the disappointment!"
"But it’s better than no progress at all!" Feng Wanru retorted, annoyed. "If even we lose faith, who else will believe in Yu Sen? Maybe just Zhao Nuanyue. Today, I saw that girl wash our son’s face and comb his hair with my own eyes. She even cleaned his teeth and his tongue, his whole mouth... I was deeply moved. We’re his parents, and even we haven’t been that meticulous. As for Yu Lin and Yu Fen, they’re even busier and have less time to visit. At first, they managed to come every day or two, then every few days. Now, it’s more like once every ten days or half a month."
"Ah, they have their own jobs," Hua Zhiqiang said with a sigh. "It’s normal that they can’t find the time."
"I understand that Yu Lin and Yu Fen are busy. Right now, neither of them is married, so they can still show some concern for their big brother. But once they start their own families and have their own children, what will happen to Yu Sen?" Feng Wanru said sorrowfully. She couldn’t bear to think about the future.