No. 003 The Beautiful Dream Torn Apart
At first, when I heard that uncle was going to mortgage our house to pay off my debts, I resented him deeply.
But later, all I felt was sympathy.
To think of money first when a loved one is in trouble, you can only feel sorry for such a person.
I once heard a saying: In this world, what’s sadder than being looked down upon is being pitied.
“Okay, I’ll be there in five minutes.”
In the parallel world I came from, Mom didn’t pass away until my senior year of high school.
Since even the news is identical in this world, such things should logically be the same.
It’s worth mentioning that my father didn’t call to tell me about Mom’s critical condition back then. He just told me to study hard before leaving that morning. I was still wondering why he came home so late on February 6th.
What is it like to know the exact time of your loved one’s death but be powerless to do anything?
To make matters worse, my mother was a nurse.
“Fifth Hospital.”
After rushing out in my school uniform, I hailed a taxi.
The sunlight outside was a bit harsh.
The February air had already begun to warm up.
This body had perfect vision because it hadn’t been strained, which felt strange to someone who used to be nearsighted.
Fifth Hospital wasn’t far from our house. It would only take less than ten minutes to walk there, but at this moment, for both my sister and my own feelings, I had to get to the hospital as quickly as possible.
“Keep the change.”
Looking at the meter showing 7.5 yuan and the 1 yuan fuel surcharge notice next to it, I threw down a 10 yuan bill and got out of the car.
Indeed, I was afraid.
I was afraid that in this world, Mom would leave me early.
I was afraid that Mom’s illness would develop complications because I was a girl.
I was even more afraid that everything was just a dream.
Aplastic anemia, a type of chronic leukemia. People with this disease experience various complications due to impaired blood production. Their immunity is also significantly weakened due to insufficient white blood cells and platelets, making them susceptible to infections. In severe cases, it can even induce other cancers.
My sister had been to Mom’s ward several times. Following the body’s memory, I climbed to the third floor of the hospital, only to be told by the nurses at the nurse’s station that Mom had been taken to the operating room.
Surgery?
I never remembered Mom having any surgery scheduled for today. Why didn’t Dad tell me back then?
This was a blank period in both my and my sister’s memories.
Knowing my sister, she probably wouldn’t come after what uncle said.
Yes, my sister was fragile. She was afraid to face such things, especially after her recent poor exam results. She was very resistant to seeing Mom.
“Rather than visiting Mom looking like I can’t do anything, I might as well die.” – That was what my sister thought.
But since I was using my sister’s body now, I had to make sure I didn’t disappoint her. Otherwise, her sacrifice would be in vain.
If this was my cursed fate, then I would change it with my own hands!
I ran to the waiting area outside the operating room on the fifth floor and saw Dad sitting on a chair with his head down. Several relatives, including my uncle, were trying to comfort him.
I walked over to them.
“Dad.”
My soft voice echoed through the empty waiting area.
Dad, sitting on the chair, lifted his head.
It was the face that had only ever appeared in my dreams countless times.
After Dad passed away, I graduated from college and faced countless rejections while job hunting. I wandered the streets countless times, enduring the disdainful gazes of others, bowing and scraping just to survive and repay the millions in debt.
While my classmates were either throwing tantrums in their parents’ arms because they couldn’t find jobs or becoming shut-ins, I was still on the streets, forcing a smile at every passerby, handing out flyers, and introducing them to the promotional activities of the new company I had found.
Those passersby looked at me with pity, mockery, and disdain.
Now, the person who had passed away, the one I thought of first whenever I was tired or exhausted, was right in front of me.
“…”
Under my affectionate gaze, Dad stood up from the chair.
And then he slapped me hard.
“Slap!”
The slap echoed through the entire waiting area, instantly driving back the tears welling up in my eyes.
It also attracted the attention of many patients’ families nearby.
Caught completely off guard, I was dazed from the blow, my ears ringing.
“You still have the nerve to show up?”
Dad’s face was flushed, the veins on his forehead throbbing. Seeing him raise his hand again, a relative quickly pulled him back. “Alright, alright, calm down, calm down.”
“Get out of my sight!”
Held back by the relative, Dad struggled and pointed at me, almost shouting, “Why are you here? Are you trying to be the death of your mother with your grades?”
“Alright, alright, Xiaoyao is just worried about her mother. Don’t be angry.”
“Worried? She just wants Li Yuehan dead!”
In my blurry vision, Dad broke free from the relative’s grip and, ignoring everyone’s stares, kicked me. I didn’t dodge, letting him kick me to the cold floor.
“You cry! What good is crying? Will your mother get better if you cry? Will your grades improve if you cry? Do you want us dead before you’re satisfied?”
His scolding attracted everyone’s attention in the waiting area.
Even two passing nurses pointed at us from the hallway.
“I’m sorry.”
I covered my swollen left cheek and slowly stood up from the ground.
“What good is sorry?”
Dad kicked me again without hesitation. “Thud!” This time, I was kicked under the table, my head hitting the corner with a loud “bang.” Blood immediately flowed down my forehead.
“Xiaoyao!”
A relative couldn’t bear it anymore and ran over to help me up. “Quick! Doctor!”
“No need.”
I pushed the relative away and stood up from the ground for the second time.
“It’s all my fault. If this can appease Dad…”
Courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self-control, indomitable spirit, the five tenets of Taekwondo.
Haha…
Hahaha…
Yi Yao, I finally understood how you felt.
So, different genders and different pasts could lead to such drastically different outcomes.
So, academic performance was such an important thing in Dad’s eyes.
My father, in that other world, had never hit me or scolded me. He would always comfort and encourage me when I made mistakes.
“Go away.”
“What are you doing here?”
“How many times have I told you? Don’t do anything unrelated to studying. Are you deaf?”
“Get back to your room. You’re not going anywhere tonight.”
As if to reinforce the point, all the memories of being scolded by Dad from my sister’s past surfaced one after another.
Something seemed to shatter in my heart.
Perhaps my apology had calmed Dad down a bit. He snorted coldly and turned away, ignoring me. The relative who had helped me up earlier took me for a simple bleeding control and disinfection. When we returned, the light under the “Surgery in Progress” sign on the operating room door had just gone out.
Dad, with a haggard face, rushed over. “Doctor, how is she?”
“The surgery went smoothly. The patient is very weak and needs to rest. You should all go back for now.”
As I watched, several nurses pushed the bed Mom was on out of the operating room.
“But don’t let your guard down. We only removed the affected organs. There’s still a risk of infection, so be prepared.”
The doctor pushed his glasses up his nose, his eyes filled with sympathy as he looked at Dad.
Sunlight streamed in from outside, reflecting a faint rainbow on his glasses.
By “prepared,” the doctor meant Dad should be prepared for the cost of emergency treatment.
I knew our savings were running low. Dad could still borrow 200,000 yuan from these relatives to extend Mom’s life for another three years. After that, we would have no choice but to give up treatment because we couldn’t afford the hospitalization fees.
“Oh… Okay, as long as she’s alright.”
Dad’s expression was a mix of relief that Mom was safe and worry about the money.
“You all go back first. I’ll stay with Xiao Yuehan.”
Dad walked past me without even glancing my way.
“Dad.”
I called out to him.
“I’m sorry.”
My apology was met with a cold snort.
“Give me some time, I will become someone you can be proud of.”
“Get lost. I’ll burn incense and pray to Buddha if your grades can even reach the top ten in your class.”
Dad scoffed and walked towards Mom’s ward.
“Fine, next month’s monthly exam, if I don’t get first place in the grade, I’ll leave this house.”
Since I had already said this much, I might as well go all out.
For me now, grades weren’t the hardest part. The real problem was money…
“Please take good care of Mom.”
My voice didn’t seem to reach Dad’s ears because he had already disappeared from my sight before I finished speaking.
“Alright, alright, let’s go back.”
The relatives walked past me.
“Hahaha, first place in the grade? Did she hit her head or something?”
“My son studies every day at home, and he’s only second in his class. Her? First place in the grade? Don’t make me laugh.”
“See, having a daughter brings misfortune even to the relatives.”
“That’s right. Even if she’s going to get married eventually, at least good grades are something to brag about. She’s already a girl, and her grades are terrible. What’s the use of raising her?”
“Shh, keep it down. The nurses here might report you for gender discrimination…”
The faces of the relatives who used to be so kind to me merged with the faces of these people before me.
So strange, so silent.
Silent and cold.
Was this the world Yi Yao lived in?
A world devoid of hope, devoid of warmth, a world shrouded in darkness.
Trying to suppress the turmoil in my heart, I took a deep breath and turned towards the stairs.
Words were useless now.
My sister’s grades were indeed terrible.
They did nothing wrong, said nothing wrong.
I just had to prove them wrong with actions.
Biting my lip to hold back tears, I reached the second floor of the hospital and saw a familiar figure smoking listlessly.
“Hua She.”
I walked over. “What happened?”
Hua She was someone “Yi Yao” knew in this world, a member of their little gang, the “Black Dragon Society.” He got his nickname because people said his face had a snake-like quality, and he liked to wear floral shirts.
“Sister-in-law.”
Seeing me, Hua She quickly put out his cigarette. “Lao Liang got beaten up.”
Lao Liang, Liang Zhenyi, a member of the Black Dragon Society, a student in Class 1, Grade 9 at No. 2 Middle School in Upper Capital City, and also my roommate in another timeline.
“What happened?”
I was surprised to see Liang Zhenyi here. I never imagined that this honest and simple guy would have been in this kind of group fifteen years ago.
“Come with me.”
Without another word, Hua She beckoned me to follow him into a ward.
Several boys were squatting in the room. Seeing me, they all greeted me with “Sister-in-law.”
The person on the bed had a cast on his right leg and a worried expression.
“We were playing at the internet cafe just now, and Lao(Old or Senior) Liang got into an argument with some guys sitting next to him. They beat him up like this.” Perhaps noticing my unpleasant expression, Hua She explained, “We can’t get through to Long Ge’s phone, so we brought him here first.”
I remained silent.
“If those bastards weren’t in a big group, I wouldn’t be afraid of them.”
Lao Liang on the bed said indignantly.
“What’s so great about ganging up on someone? If it were any other day, they’d be kneeling at Long Ge’s feet, calling him ‘Dad’!”
“A bunch of snot-nosed brats, pah!”
“Playing a game, they think they’re hotshots. In the end, they still resort to using steel pipes. If they were in the game, I could take them all out with one hit.”
“…”
Their incessant complaining finally made me take out my phone and hand it to him.
Liang Zhenyi looked up at me in confusion. “What for?”
“Take a selfie, post it on your QQ space or WeChat Moments, and ask your friends to like it. Or go confront those guys face to face.” I said calmly, “What’s the use of complaining here? Let everyone know that you’re just a coward who hides behind others and talks big.”
Liang Zhenyi seemed taken aback by my words. He stared at me for a long while. “A selfie? What do you take me for?”
I retrieved my phone and stood up from the bed.
“I take you as my brother, that’s why I call you a coward.”
