"Mom, stop arguing, let's just leave it at that!"
“No! Men get sick if they don’t sleep well. You can’t stay here. You’re so busy with work, how can you have time for this?” As Yaping’s mother said this, her eyes were fixed on Lijuan, hoping she would give an answer. Lijuan bit her lip and remained silent.
“How about we hire a male caregiver? It’ll cost 800 yuan a month. I’ve inquired, and this hospital only offers this service. That way, everyone can get some rest. It’s not that I don’t want to stay up all night, it’s just that it’s inconvenient for me as a woman. What if Dad needs to use the restroom or something? I can’t follow him into the men’s room!” Lijuan finally said.
"What's there to be afraid of? She's your own wife. Besides, your dad usually doesn't go to the bathroom at night. He sleeps quite well, except for coughing once or twice. If he really needs to go, there's a chamber pot, right? You can hand it to him; he can manage on his own. You just need to empty it. If he wants water, you can offer him some. And when the IV drip is almost empty, you can call the nurse. It's not difficult! Why hire a caregiver? It's not like he can't take care of himself."
Yaping's mother naturally passed the conversation to Lijuan, meaning that it was fine for her to stay here.
Lijuan got angry. "Why do you feel sorry for your son being tired at work, but I'm not tired at work? Let alone not being able to sleep all night staring at the bottle, I can't even sleep on that little recliner next to me! Curled up at night and then going to work during the day, even an iron man couldn't stand it!"
“I also have to work during the day. This also affects my work. The company is very strict now, and being late or leaving early too often will result in being fired. There are people in the community waiting in line to get in! Otherwise, Yaping and I could take turns staying overnight.”
“Then how about this, I’ll take Yaping’s place that night, and we’ll take turns sleeping together. I feel bad for you being so tired,” Yaping’s mother quickly replied.
Lijuan glanced at her mother-in-law with a look of disdain and didn't reply.
“Then it’s decided!” Yaping’s mother said.
"What decision? I disagree. I'm tired, I'm going home first. You two can discuss it slowly!" Lijuan turned and left.
"Look! Her! Her!" Yaping's mother pointed at Lijuan's back, trembling with anger.
"Mom! From now on, if there's any chores you need, I'll do them, not Lijuan's. She'll just cause herself trouble. I'll talk to her and criticize her!"
"She doesn't act like a junior at all! A son-in-law is half a son, and a daughter-in-law is half a daughter! We can't count on her at all! Let's go outside and talk!" Ya Ping's mother pulled Ya Ping to leave the ward.
"Go out? Are you just afraid I'll hear you? I'm not deaf or blind. Can't I see?" Ya Ping's father chimed in. "Just pretend she doesn't exist, just pretend Ya Ping is still single, okay? This kind of woman is neither virtuous nor filial, just pretend she doesn't exist. Don't let her come to see me anymore. I'm not going to die anytime soon. I'll live longer if she doesn't come!" Ya Ping's father coughed loudly, then couldn't catch his breath again, so Ya Ping quickly went to find a nurse.
That night, Yaping fought with his mother for custody, but he was clearly no match for her and lost.
Home, bedroom.
Lijuan lay on the bed, cold and silent. Yaping, still dressed, went to sleep fully clothed.
"What are you pretending to be asleep for?! Don't treat me like a fool! I'm asking you! As soon as I walked in, you and your mother fell silent. I could hear her muttering my name as I got to the door. What bad things did she say about me to you this time?"
Yaping remained silent.
"You won't tell me, huh? How much did your dad's treatment cost this time? Why didn't you come back to report?"
Yaping remained silent.
“You think I can’t see you hiding it in a shoebox? I didn’t realize you, Li Yaping, were so capable, actually managing to make money. And what about later? Where will the money come from next? Have you thought about that? Your mother! She only remembers I’m family when she’s doing chores, but she ignores me when it comes to money, hiding things from me and not telling the truth. Either she treats me the same as everyone else, or she simply doesn’t consider me family at all. That way, I won’t have to go out and worry about this and that for you.”
Yaping remained silent.
"Li Yaping, you really don't plan to talk to me, do you? You're determined to spend your whole life with your parents, aren't you? What did I do to make you angry? I rushed to your dad's place as soon as I got off work, and before I could even have a sip of water, your mom wanted me to keep watch. I'm a working person who gets paid too! She knows how to care for you, but why don't you care about me? Does she treat me like her child? She treats me like a lowly maid in your household! And I even went around asking about your dad's illness! I was just being presumptuous. You really don't want to hear what I found out? If you don't want to hear it, I'm going to sleep." Lijuan pulled the covers over herself and turned over.
"What?" Yaping asked.
"You want to hear this? I thought you were really determined to never talk to me again! Sister Cai told me that the best way to treat cancer now is to combine traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine. You take Chinese medicine to maintain your body's immune system while using Western medicine to control cancer cells. That's how her mother was treated for breast cancer, and it worked very well. She said that Chinese medicine is two-thirds cheaper than some of the most effective Western medicines, and the results are just as good. Why don't you ask Dr. Tan about it?"
Yaping didn't answer, but her heart was stirred.
"Also, the second round of chemotherapy is about to begin. Have you thought about how to raise the money?"
How do we raise the funds?
“Sell your parents’ house in Mudanjiang! They’ll live here anyway, and they won’t be able to leave. Since you’re determined to fight to the bitter end, they shouldn’t go back. They can stay here with us and stay at Guanhua’s place. Sell that house; even if it’s not worth much, you should still get 50,000 or 60,000 yuan.”
Yaping remained silent, but a sense of joy began to stir within him.
“I’ve noticed that when it comes to money, you have more clever ideas than anyone else,” Yaping’s tone became noticeably lighter.
“Which member of your family can do anything productive? All you do is talk behind people’s backs. Why don’t you use that time to think about something useful?” Lijuan reached her hand under Yaping’s blanket.
Yaping tried to stop him, saying, "I'm so tired! Let's get some rest! I'm really sleepy right now."
Lijuan turned over to sleep and angrily turned off the light.
Yaping discussed with her mother: "My father's second phase of treatment is about to begin, which will cost a lot of money. I think we should sell the house in Mudanjiang first. Anyway, you and Dad will be living with us in the future. If you get tired of living here, you can go to my sister's place for entertainment. There are no relatives left in Mudanjiang, so it's fine not to go back."
Yaping's mother lowered her head and remained silent for a long time before finally saying, "Was it Lijuan's idea? I'm a little worried. What if your father can't be saved? He'll be gone, the house will be gone, where will I go?"
"Mom! What are you saying! You can't possibly live alone all by yourself in the future, you'll definitely come with us!"
“Lijuan would definitely disagree, and I’m not used to it either. I can’t live with you guys.”
"Then you and your sister?"
“My daughter is married and has her own mother-in-law to take care of. What am I supposed to do there?”
"So what are your thoughts? Are you just going to give up on treatment?"
"I'm actually quite hesitant. It's not that I'm heartless, but why does your dad's illness seem like a black swamp? You're throwing money into it and getting no results?"
“Mom! How are we supposed to tell Dad? He seems fine now, in good spirits, and very confident. If you suddenly tell him we're not going to treat him anymore, he'll either think he's close to death, or he'll realize we're not planning to keep him to save money. Wouldn't that just make him die? I can't bring myself to say that.”
"Sigh! I mean, one has to accept one's fate. I'm just afraid of losing both my money and my family."
"Then what do you suggest we do?"
“Didn’t we raise 200,000 yuan? 100,000 of that is ours. Let’s pay back the money to Lijuan’s family, pay back most of your sister’s money, borrow some more, and scrape together 70,000 or 80,000 yuan.”
Ya Ping relayed his mother's words to Li Juan. Li Juan sneered, "Hmph! Didn't you say your mother was so virtuous? Didn't you say your mother cared so much about her family? How come she refuses everything when it comes to her own interests? Li Ya Ping, don't always think of your family as crystal clear, so noble and great. Actually, people are essentially animals, selfish. I don't see any difference between your mother and my mother. It's just that your mother wears a veil, hiding it more subtly. I don't agree with her plan. The reason is that my mother's contribution is for earning interest. If she withdraws in less than a year, who will bear the loss? Do you think we'll just contribute when your family asks, and withdraw when your family wants? Even borrowing from a bank isn't that easy, is it? No way! I can't bring myself to tell my mother. However, I think your mother is more realistic than you. It's you who's being idealistic, willing to risk everything to save your father. Your mother doesn't care, so why are you in such a hurry? The most realistic approach is—to live one day at a time!"
“Lijuan! Reason and emotion are separate. Rationally, I’m conflicted. I’m afraid the money will be wasted. Emotionally, as long as my father has a breath left, I can’t let him lie there waiting to die! Don’t blame me. If I were truly so cold-blooded, refusing to help my own father, I wouldn’t be worthy of your love. Besides, yesterday my father told me about an old lady Professor Tan treated who, thanks to proper treatment, has survived for seven years and is still very healthy. This shows that my father has a strong will to live; he doesn’t realize how close death is to him. He’s not even sixty yet. Not even sixty! If he could live a few more years, until he’s 65, I wouldn’t be so heartbroken. What do you think?”