“Why didn’t Xiao Rong come in?” The old Doctor Sun looked behind him, asking curiously.
Shao Mingwei forced out a smile. “The child is scared. I’ll take a look first. I’ll let her follow inside later.” Then he handed over the medical report sheet to Doctor Sun.
Doctor Sun sighed, then took it over and said, “Then you sit down.”
AD
The clock on the wall was clicking and ticking, calming the tense atmosphere of the office.
Doctor Sun reads the test report with a grave expression. The old man’s fingers were holding the thin paper, and he turned silent for a long while.
Shao Mingwei, who had been so nervous for a long time, couldn’t help but say, “Doctor Sun…”
Doctor Sun glanced at him and put down the medical report. Shao Rong is a lively and kind-hearted girl. He has been treating her for the past three years, and he naturally had some affection. He had a little understanding of the brother and sister’s situation. Now, seeing his face full of anxiety, he also felt extremely uneasy.
He exhaled slowly through his nose and was about to speak when suddenly there was a cry of alarm from outside the door, “How come this little girl has suddenly fainted!”
In the middle of the night, Shao Mingwei was sitting outside the door of the intensive care unit, and his mind kept flashing back to the conversation he had with Doctor Sun.
“Xiao Rong’s condition is not good…” Doctor Sun’s expression was heavy.
Shao Mingwei was in a panic since Shao Rong was brought into the emergency room. He tried his best to keep himself calm. “Then… what should I do now?”
Doctor Sun pondered for a moment and said, “I suggest that since Xiao Rong is in this kind of condition. There are only two methods we could choose from, either hemodialysis or kidney transplant.”
“But before you…” Shao Mingwei hesitated before saying something.
“Listen to me,” Doctor Sun interrupted him using a gentle voice, calming Shao Mingwei with gentle and clear eyes. “I didn’t recommend a kidney transplant two years ago. On the other hand, you and Xiao Rong don’t match, so blood-related kidney transfer is not an option. In addition, the supply of kidneys is also limited. Even if you decide to choose kidney transplantation, it might be impossible to perform an immediate surgery. Moreover, Xiao Rong’s condition before has not come to the stage where a transplant is necessary. And the cost of a kidney transplant, including the postoperative cost, is really expensive for you. If you want this kind of operation, you must prepare a sufficient amount of funds…”
Shao Mingwei gradually calmed down. “What about now?”
Doctor Sun sighed. “Xiao Rong is not in a good condition at the moment, we have to pay attention to her condition or another complication might occur.” Seeing Shao Mingwei frowning, brows tightly knit together, Doctor Sun patted his shoulder. “But the good news is that the kidney you were waiting for in line has arrived. It’s currently undergoing a matching test for Xiao Rong. The matching result will come out soon and the possibility of matching is quite high.”
Shao Mingwei’s eyes suddenly lit up, however, it gradually turned dull and asked in a low voice, “Doctor Sun, how much does it cost with Rong Rong’s operation, including all the possible complications after? I am willing to bear it.”
Doctor Sun knew that Xiao Shao loved his sister very much, but in the face of this kind of high cost, he was not sure whether the young man was willing to bear it. As a doctor, he doesn’t want any patient to give up a better treatment plan that can treat the patient. However, he must inform the family members about the costs and the risks of the operation. So he had no choice but to say, “The cost of kidney transplantation is 300,000 Yuan. But this does not include the treatment if a serious complication happens afterward, and if the transplant fails the expenses would possibly increase.”
Old Doctor Sun paused after speaking, yet had to say, “Although I cannot guarantee a 100% success of the operation. No one can guarantee that, but I will try my best. Now the domestic kidney transplantation technology is developing very well, and it is on the same level as that of other foreign countries. Our hospital alone can perform hundreds of successful operations in one year. Moreover, the one-year survival rate of a transplanted kidney is 95%, the 10-year survival rate exceeds 60%, and the longest survival time is more than 40 years…”
Shao Mingwei looked at the old Doctor Sun.
At that moment, Doctor Sun was in a stupor that even the young man in front of him could see through his inner worries. Then he saw the arrogance and disdain in the youth’s eyes, but in the blink of an eye, those emotions disappeared as if his eyes were playing tricks on him, only leaving a firm look.
Shao Mingwei said, “Rong Rong must have an operation, even if I had to smash the pot or sell an iron.”
Doctor Sun couldn’t help but feel sad and distressed at this young man who had prematurely experienced the suffering of life. He patted his shoulder lightly and said, “Good boy, it will pass.”
Shao Mingwei leaned against the ice-cold walls of the hospital, and the good air-conditioning made him shiver. He stayed in the corridor all night, overthinking. He was unable to fall asleep when the sky turned white. Just then was he able to sleep crookedly on the bench.
At eight or nine o’clock, the nurse wake him up and told him that Shao Rong was already awake. Later, after three o’clock in the afternoon, he was given a visiting period for 30 minutes. He only needs to log in to the hospital’s ICU patient visitors system and register.
Shao Mingwei took a sigh of relief and thanked her with a smile. He has a handsome face and his bright eyes were gentle and polite. Although he hasn’t slept well all night, his face doesn’t show a weary appearance, which makes the little nurse look at him twice.
Shao Mingwei simply washed his face in the bathroom of the hospital, called his colleagues to change shifts, and went to the breakfast stall downstairs to fill his stomach quickly. He proceeded to the nearby ATM to check his account’s balance, and then returned to the hospital’s lobby.
The huge lobby was cool and refreshing, but Shao Mingwei’s palms were sweating. As if he already knew the obvious result that he would receive, yet he still clicked on the phone’s contact list and then made a phone call.
“Hello, uncle, this is Mingwei.” Shao Mingwei put a smile on his face.
“Mingwei, ah, what’s the matter? How have you been in Beijing for the past two years?” The other side didn’t seem to expect it to be him and paused after speaking.
Shao Mingwei held the phone tightly, still smiling, and said, “It’s good. I’m just looking for you for some matter…”
He narrated his situation by counting fives and tens, ending it with an indication of request. “So I was wondering, if you could lend me some money, I will certainly return it to you as soon as possible.”
There was a long silence on the phone, then there was a struggling half-truth, half-false explanation. “Mingwei, ah, it’s not that uncle does not want to help you. You also know that your elder cousin is going to get married. Now… the girl’s family must have a house. Our family is occupied with building a new house, and we’re unable to make ends meet…”
The smile on Shao Mingwei’s face slowly faded. “So that’s it, ah…”
The uncle seemed to realize that it’s unreasonable, so he added, “But now that Xiao Rong’s sick, uncle must also help, so after two days, uncle will give you 2,000 Yuan which is the limit uncle could give, and it is impossible to send more.”
“Why didn’t Xiao Rong come in?” The old Doctor Sun looked behind him, asking curiously.
Shao Mingwei forced out a smile. “The child is scared. I’ll take a look first. I’ll let her follow inside later.” Then he handed over the medical report sheet to Doctor Sun.
Doctor Sun sighed, then took it over and said, “Then you sit down.”
AD
The clock on the wall was clicking and ticking, calming the tense atmosphere of the office.
Doctor Sun reads the test report with a grave expression. The old man’s fingers were holding the thin paper, and he turned silent for a long while.
Shao Mingwei, who had been so nervous for a long time, couldn’t help but say, “Doctor Sun…”
Doctor Sun glanced at him and put down the medical report. Shao Rong is a lively and kind-hearted girl. He has been treating her for the past three years, and he naturally had some affection. He had a little understanding of the brother and sister’s situation. Now, seeing his face full of anxiety, he also felt extremely uneasy.
He exhaled slowly through his nose and was about to speak when suddenly there was a cry of alarm from outside the door, “How come this little girl has suddenly fainted!”
In the middle of the night, Shao Mingwei was sitting outside the door of the intensive care unit, and his mind kept flashing back to the conversation he had with Doctor Sun.
“Xiao Rong’s condition is not good…” Doctor Sun’s expression was heavy.
Shao Mingwei was in a panic since Shao Rong was brought into the emergency room. He tried his best to keep himself calm. “Then… what should I do now?”
Doctor Sun pondered for a moment and said, “I suggest that since Xiao Rong is in this kind of condition. There are only two methods we could choose from, either hemodialysis or kidney transplant.”
“But before you…” Shao Mingwei hesitated before saying something.
“Listen to me,” Doctor Sun interrupted him using a gentle voice, calming Shao Mingwei with gentle and clear eyes. “I didn’t recommend a kidney transplant two years ago. On the other hand, you and Xiao Rong don’t match, so blood-related kidney transfer is not an option. In addition, the supply of kidneys is also limited. Even if you decide to choose kidney transplantation, it might be impossible to perform an immediate surgery. Moreover, Xiao Rong’s condition before has not come to the stage where a transplant is necessary. And the cost of a kidney transplant, including the postoperative cost, is really expensive for you. If you want this kind of operation, you must prepare a sufficient amount of funds…”
Shao Mingwei gradually calmed down. “What about now?”
Doctor Sun sighed. “Xiao Rong is not in a good condition at the moment, we have to pay attention to her condition or another complication might occur.” Seeing Shao Mingwei frowning, brows tightly knit together, Doctor Sun patted his shoulder. “But the good news is that the kidney you were waiting for in line has arrived. It’s currently undergoing a matching test for Xiao Rong. The matching result will come out soon and the possibility of matching is quite high.”
Shao Mingwei’s eyes suddenly lit up, however, it gradually turned dull and asked in a low voice, “Doctor Sun, how much does it cost with Rong Rong’s operation, including all the possible complications after? I am willing to bear it.”
Doctor Sun knew that Xiao Shao loved his sister very much, but in the face of this kind of high cost, he was not sure whether the young man was willing to bear it. As a doctor, he doesn’t want any patient to give up a better treatment plan that can treat the patient. However, he must inform the family members about the costs and the risks of the operation. So he had no choice but to say, “The cost of kidney transplantation is 300,000 Yuan. But this does not include the treatment if a serious complication happens afterward, and if the transplant fails the expenses would possibly increase.”
Old Doctor Sun paused after speaking, yet had to say, “Although I cannot guarantee a 100% success of the operation. No one can guarantee that, but I will try my best. Now the domestic kidney transplantation technology is developing very well, and it is on the same level as that of other foreign countries. Our hospital alone can perform hundreds of successful operations in one year. Moreover, the one-year survival rate of a transplanted kidney is 95%, the 10-year survival rate exceeds 60%, and the longest survival time is more than 40 years…”
Shao Mingwei looked at the old Doctor Sun.
At that moment, Doctor Sun was in a stupor that even the young man in front of him could see through his inner worries. Then he saw the arrogance and disdain in the youth’s eyes, but in the blink of an eye, those emotions disappeared as if his eyes were playing tricks on him, only leaving a firm look.
Shao Mingwei said, “Rong Rong must have an operation, even if I had to smash the pot or sell an iron.”
Doctor Sun couldn’t help but feel sad and distressed at this young man who had prematurely experienced the suffering of life. He patted his shoulder lightly and said, “Good boy, it will pass.”
Shao Mingwei leaned against the ice-cold walls of the hospital, and the good air-conditioning made him shiver. He stayed in the corridor all night, overthinking. He was unable to fall asleep when the sky turned white. Just then was he able to sleep crookedly on the bench.
At eight or nine o’clock, the nurse wake him up and told him that Shao Rong was already awake. Later, after three o’clock in the afternoon, he was given a visiting period for 30 minutes. He only needs to log in to the hospital’s ICU patient visitors system and register.
Shao Mingwei took a sigh of relief and thanked her with a smile. He has a handsome face and his bright eyes were gentle and polite. Although he hasn’t slept well all night, his face doesn’t show a weary appearance, which makes the little nurse look at him twice.
Shao Mingwei simply washed his face in the bathroom of the hospital, called his colleagues to change shifts, and went to the breakfast stall downstairs to fill his stomach quickly. He proceeded to the nearby ATM to check his account’s balance, and then returned to the hospital’s lobby.
The huge lobby was cool and refreshing, but Shao Mingwei’s palms were sweating. As if he already knew the obvious result that he would receive, yet he still clicked on the phone’s contact list and then made a phone call.
“Hello, uncle, this is Mingwei.” Shao Mingwei put a smile on his face.
“Mingwei, ah, what’s the matter? How have you been in Beijing for the past two years?” The other side didn’t seem to expect it to be him and paused after speaking.
Shao Mingwei held the phone tightly, still smiling, and said, “It’s good. I’m just looking for you for some matter…”
He narrated his situation by counting fives and tens, ending it with an indication of request. “So I was wondering, if you could lend me some money, I will certainly return it to you as soon as possible.”
There was a long silence on the phone, then there was a struggling half-truth, half-false explanation. “Mingwei, ah, it’s not that uncle does not want to help you. You also know that your elder cousin is going to get married. Now… the girl’s family must have a house. Our family is occupied with building a new house, and we’re unable to make ends meet…”
The smile on Shao Mingwei’s face slowly faded. “So that’s it, ah…”
The uncle seemed to realize that it’s unreasonable, so he added, “But now that Xiao Rong’s sick, uncle must also help, so after two days, uncle will give you 2,000 Yuan which is the limit uncle could give, and it is impossible to send more.”
