Chapter 6: Doctor Ai
Translator: Ruriko
Zhishu He stayed in the bathroom, waiting for the sense of nausea to disappear, and then he went to the bedroom and changed his clothes. He held the orchid in his arms and walked out of the house.
The winter in the north was dry and cold, wind always blowing. Zhishu He wore his thickest down jacket and spent more than 80 Yuan on taking a taxi to the hospital.
When Ziyu Ai heard the sound of knocking on the door and turned around, he saw a person dressed like a creamy-white ball rolling into his office. The person pulled his scarf down and showed a thin, pale face, which succeeded in stopping Ziyu Ai’s laughter.
“Doctor Ai,” Zhishu He greeted him with a gentle expression.
Ziyu Ai immediately poured a cup of hot water and handed it to Zhishu. He frowned when he touched Zhishu’s icy cold fingertips, and asked concernedly, “It’s very cold outside. Are?you?here?to get your medicines?”
“Yes, by the way,” Zhishu He smiled and put the orchid on Ziyu Ai’s table, and continued, “I bring your ‘house’ back to you. Someone told me that it was worth a down payment of a house.”
It was the first time that Zhishu He spoke to Ziyu Ai in such a joking tone, though they had known each other for almost two months.
Ziyu Ai ran his fingers along the withered long leaves of the orchid and said in a careless voice, “It’s just a plant. If you think it’s too delicate to keep, I will ask my father for some other plants that are easy to grow for you. He grows a lot of plants.”
Zhishu He didn’t want to accept his kindness as he had no energy to make a friend. He just twisted his lips into a faint smile and changed the subject, “I vomited again this morning, and this time I even vomited?blood. It was different from the gastric?bleeding that I suffered a few years ago because of drinking too much. This morning when I vomited, I felt my life slowly fading away.”
“I have advised you to accept the chemotherapy as soon as possible...” Ziyu Ai frowned and subconsciously began to spin the pen, which showed that he fretted. “You are only thirty years old and still young. And you look rich. Why don’t you actively cooperate with us on the treatment?”
“I need to think it over,” Zhishu He dropped his eyes wearily.
“Two months ago, you said the same words. Do you want to just take the medicines and hang?on?till?the New year?” Ziyu Ai said.
Zhishu He picked the cup up and drank some warm water without answering his question. Then he asked, “Have my medicines arrived here? I’m not feeling good now.”
“If you don’t accept the chemotherapy, I won’t give you the medicines,” Ziyu Ai got angry for some reasons. “I have been looking for the bone marrow for you these days, but if you don’t take your health seriously, no one can save you!”
Ziyu Ai’s words warmed Zhishu’s heart, and he broke into a sincere smile, “You are a good doctor, and if all doctors are like you, there won’t be so many doctor-patient conflicts in the world.”
“Don’t flatter me,” Ziyu Ai stood up and took off his white gown. “I’m off duty this afternoon. Now let’s go straight to the Medicine Center and get your medicines. You need a new prescription, but I don’t want to write it. So I’ll go with you.”
“You are so wayward.” Zhishu He sighed and could not help reminding Ziyu Ai when he saw him just wear a thin windbreaker, “It’s so cold outside. You need a thick coat.”
Ziyu Ai didn’t take his words to heart. They went together to the Medicine Center. After getting the medicines, Zhishu He thanked him and turned around to leave, but he was stopped by Ziyu Ai. “Let me drive you home. It’s not easy to hail a taxi in such a cold day.”
In consideration of the cold weather and own poor health, Zhishu He agreed.
When he saw Ziyu Ai’s car, he got a new understanding of his riches. It was a Ferrari, looking eye-catching. The doctor was even more high-profile and extravagant than Wenxu Jiang.
“I don’t like to be regarded as a good-for-nothing born in a wealthy family, so I studied hard to be an excellent doctor, and my father is proud?of me now,” Ziyu Ai’s nerves relieved after leaving the hospital. He looked vigorous as he drove the car.
Zhishu He looked?out?the?window for a while before he whispered, “I used to want to be a doctor and filled three medical universities’ names in my College Application Form...”
“You failed?in?the?college?entrance?examination?”
“I didn’t take the exam,” Zhishu He said with a blank expression on his face. “After that, for a long time I easily woke up from sleep with crying. Though I didn’t regret my decision, it always came to my dream and tortured me.”
Ziyu Ai was very considerate. He kept silence for a few minutes, waiting for Zhishu He to calm down, before he said in an ostensibly lively tune, “Now you live well and your house is in a very good position. Maybe it is a good decision for you to discontinue your studies. If my father didn’t pay for my university education, now I would live a hard life.”
Zhishu He slightly smiled and stopped talking about his past. Finally, he asked Ziyu Ai to park at the entrance of the housing estate.
“Thank you, Doctor Ai. When you are free, I will invite you to dinner.”
“Come on, if you have time, just go to the hospital and let me treat you,” Ziyu Ai said in Beijing dialect. He was a humorous and charming man in private.
Zhishu He waved good-bye to Ziyu Ai and stood still, watching him drive away. Then he tightened up the scarf around his neck and turned around to go home when he saw Wenxu Jiang’s car parked on the side of the road.
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