Fire fighting

"Bebe, why are you here?"

"Brother Yan Qing, my father accidentally ran into a utility pole while driving a bus, so I followed him to see the doctor."

Yan Qing sighed, and pulled him to the seat in the ward: "Is your father okay?"

"He scratched his arm and bled a little. The doctor is prescribing medicine for him," Beibei said innocently and childishly, "Brother Yan Qing, how is your illness?"

"I'm fine, I'm in good health." Yan Qing patted his chest and searched for some potato chips, "Beibei, you eat."

"Thank you brother." Beibei looked at the snacks as if they were looking at gold, tore open the opening, grabbed a handful and stuffed them into his mouth.

"How are you doing recently? Is everything okay in school?" Yan Qing asked again.

Beibei nodded her head: "The teacher is very good, and the classmates are also very good, but the back desk is not so good, he keeps kicking my stool in class..."

When Bei Bei opened his mouth, it was like a dam releasing the flood. He talked a lot, from last month to today, from the students in the next class to the latest exam.

No matter how plain the content is, Yan Qing has been listening carefully, occasionally interjecting a few words to make Beibei laugh out loud. These words remind Yan Qing of when he was in school, and he can’t remember how long he hasn’t returned campus.

Those poems that were disliked in the past do have a flavor when I think of them now.

The mathematical problems that could not be solved back then will definitely be overcome if given another chance.

The setting sun hangs in the sky, revealing the night in the near future.

Beibei said that she was tired, and took a few sips of the water Yan Qing gave her: "Brother Yan Qing, I have to go, Dad should be well soon, I have to go home with him."

He jumped off the chair, and Yan Qing sent him to the door. Before leaving, Beibei took out a handful of candy from his pocket and put it in Yan Qing's hand.

"Brother, it's for you."

Yan Qing held it in both hands, a little at a loss: "This is?"

"When grandma was still alive, she said that my brother's family conditions were not good, and she asked me to bring something every time I came to the hospital." Beibei pursed her lips, "This is my favorite candy, very sweet, a little Not sour either."

Yan Qing seemed to have been electrocuted, and his body went numb.

In Beibei's eyes, candy is the most luxurious thing in the world.

"Thank you, Beibei, my brother likes this brand of candy the most." Yan Qing accepted it, smiled, and didn't tell him the truth that he couldn't eat candy.

Just as Beibei was about to leave, Yan Qing seemed to have thought of something and asked him to wait for a while.

He trotted to the bedside, opened the drawer, and took out a painting.

Beibei took it in a daze, took a closer look, and shouted: "It's grandma!"

Yan Qing finished the painting that he promised to give to the grandma in the next bed, but he couldn't hand it over to grandma, so he had to give it to Beibei.

"Brother, you draw really well. Every time I go to grandma's house, she looks like this." Beibei smiled like a flower.

Yan Qing patted him on the shoulder: "As long as you like it."

"I like it! I will put it next to the portrait of grandma," Beibei held the painting in her arms, "Brother Yan Qing, when you recover from illness, you can come to my house as a guest. I live in the old house on Wencheng Road in Jiangbei , not far from the hospital."

The familiar address surprised Yan Qing: "I live there too!"

Wencheng's old house is an urban village in Linjiang, Lucheng. Most of the houses are old and dilapidated. There are many laid-off workers and retired elderly.

Yan Qing was born there.

"I didn't expect us to be half-neighbors," Yan Qing added, "I'll go play with you when I'm discharged from the hospital."

Beibei nodded cheerfully.

Yan Qing sent him to the nurse's desk, watched him leave and beckoned. Just as he was about to go to the ward, he heard the uncle on the side talking on the phone, saying that today's examination results came out, and there was a shadow on the liver. It could be a tumor.

Yan Qing paused, and he also did the same check, but it was done yesterday.

Why haven't there been any results yet?

He stood where he was, and Wen Yi happened to come to the nurse's desk, patted Yan Qing on the back, and said, "Why are you standing here? You won't be drawing today?"

Yan Qing shook his head: "My arms are a little sore, so I won't draw."

Wen Yi continued to be busy with the work in hand, rummaging for things on the table, but her mouth didn't stop: "Then go back and rest for a while, I'll bring you something to eat in the evening."

"Okay." Yan Qing raised a smiling face, but the smile was too stiff, and his cheeks were a little sore.

He didn't move, put his hands on the nurse's desk, and pretended to call casually: "By the way, sister Wen Yi."

"What's wrong?" Wen Yi looked up.

Yan Qing put away his smile and asked flatly, "Has my test result come out?"

Wen Yi's rummaging hand stopped instantly.

Yan Qing already knew the answer to this question.

"Out, out," Wen Yi swallowed, "It's still the same, nothing happened."

Her eyes were dodged, at least she didn't dare to look at Yan Qing.

Yan Qing also noticed something strange, since he vomited blood in the toilet last time, he had been vaguely aware of it.

"Sister Wen Yi, can you show me the report?"

"Don't look, it's really no problem." Wen Yi waved her hand, as if to drive him away.

There was chattering in the noisy porch, and if you didn't listen carefully, you couldn't hear it clearly, but Wen Yi still heard Yan Qing's whispers.

"Patients have the right to know."

Wen Yi's heart tightened, her breathing trembled slightly: "Go back to your room first, and I'll tell you when I'm done."

Yan Qing agreed, the long corridor back to the ward was soaked by the setting sun, shining with golden spots, he walked very slowly, each step was heavy, he actually hoped that the result could come down later, the later the better, as if as long as he didn’t accept When you get the notice, you won't get sick.

This disease will not get better, it will only get worse, Yan Qing knew it from the first day of hospitalization.

He thought a lot, and then withdrew his thoughts. Not long after, Wen Yi pushed the door open and entered the room with yesterday's report in her hand.

She stood at the door, not having the courage to approach Yan Qing.

"Yan Qing, I have two things here, which one do you want to hear first?"

"Sister Wen Yi, you're still playing tricks," Yan Qing smiled, "Let's listen to the test results first."

Wen Yi has always been carefree, but today she is serious and serious: "Actually, the result came out last night. I'm sorry, I haven't dared to show it to you. I was afraid you would be afraid, so I want to hide it from you and treat you secretly. It’s only a moment to be able to hide it for a while.”

Yan Qing pretended to be relaxed: "Sister Wen Yi, tell me, I'm not afraid."

Wen Yi took a deep breath: "The osteosarcoma on your right extremity has spread, and the medicine has not suppressed it, and some of it is suspected to have metastasized. The chest X-ray shows a little shadow in the lungs."

Yan Qing didn't respond.

"Don't worry, there is still a cure," Wen Yi answered so quickly that her voice was a little trembling, "The doctor advises you to have an operation, otherwise it will be futile to continue living here. There is a solution, he lets you choose for yourself, surgery or discharge from the hospital for recuperation.”

Before Yan Qing opened his mouth, Wen Yi tried to persuade him: "As long as you finish the operation, take medicine on time, and receive intravenous drip, and the lungs don't spread, you will definitely get better."

Yan Qing didn't seem to be as shocked as he imagined, nor was he overly emotional. He sat obediently, with his hands on his knees, and there were dots of paint on the back of his hands.

Wen Yi's nasal cavity was sour: "As long as you agree, my sister will find a doctor to arrange surgery for you tomorrow, okay?"

Surgery, as expected, surgery to remove tumors is not unheard of, but Wen Yi's attitude is obviously wrong.

Yan Qing opened his mouth lightly, and asked calmly: "What surgery?"

Wen Yi didn't want to say it, but she had to say it in front of her. She looked at Yan Qing's dew-like eyes, which were clear and bright.

She kept her voice low for a long time, and said the answer with a bitterness in her mouth, her voice seemed to be squeezed out of her throat, aggrieved and desperate.

"Amputation."

The room was quiet for a moment, strangely quiet.

Wen Yi's eyes were blurred, she turned her head aside.

Yan Qing didn't seem to care, and patted his right arm: "Is it here?"

Wen Yi let out a "huh".

"How long can you live if you have surgery?"

Yan Qing asked very calmly, as if he was not the one who had the problem.

Wen Yi replied: "The doctor said about a year."

Yan Qing smiled: "It seems to be quite long."

Wen Yi braced herself up and tried not to let the tears fall: "So, you just take an anesthetic, get a good night's sleep, and then my sister will feed you. You can eat whatever you want. Money is not a problem, there is a fee. The government will bear it for you, and the follow-up medicine will be deducted from my sister's salary, as long as you agree to the operation, you don't have to worry about the rest."

The wind in April is warm, but it feels a little cold on the hand, Yan Qing's left hand is reluctant to let go of his right arm, he caresses, every inch of skin is so smooth.

His heart was empty and he had no emotions. He only said one sentence, which was soft, slow, and firm.

"Sister Wen Yi, you know I like painting the most."

After listening, Wen Yi burst into tears.

"Thank you, Sister Wen Yi, but I still have a few customers' paintings that I haven't given away. I have to keep my right hand." Yan Qing stood up and pulled out the suitcase from the side. "This bed is reserved for those who need it." I'll go through the discharge procedures in a while."

He didn't stay for a second, as if he wanted to leave here a long time ago.

Wen Yi wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes: "If you don't have the operation, the situation will only get worse, maybe even this month..."

She was a little anxious, and it was only when she said this that she realized that she had made a mistake.

Yan Qing understood, he pressed his most cherished drawing board at the bottom of the box, and stuffed the bed sheets and pillows inside.

While tidying up, he said, "I know I don't have much time. Even if I have to leave, I want to leave in one piece."

Wen Yi looked at the back of his tidying up, feeling like a mess in her heart, she knew that Yan Qing was not without hope, but had given up hope.

After a long silence, she persuaded again: "Wait a minute, I'll go to the hospital to apply again, even if you don't have the operation, you still have to stay in the hospital."

"It's really unnecessary," Yan Qing said, "I've lived here for too long, and I want to go home and have a look."

Wen Yi couldn't speak anymore.

Yan Qing asked again: "By the way, you just said that there are two things, what about the second one?"

Compared with the first one, the second one seemed insignificant. Wen Yi collected herself and told him: "Xiang Rong is here, and he said he wants to see you."

But she didn't expect that Yan Qing could survive the first event with a blank face, but was stunned by the second event.

"He's at the nurse's desk, do you want to see him?"

"It's gone, you just say that I resigned and I'm not in the hospital anymore."

Wen Yi sighed: "Yan Qing, you may not remember. When you first met Xiang Rong, Moments were posted every day, and every Xiang Rong gave you likes. I heard from Jiang Ce that Xiang Rong used to I never look at the circle of friends, and I don’t always hold my mobile phone to chat with people, you are the first.”

Yan Qing acted as if he didn't hear it, and he didn't stop working.

Wen Yi continued.

"Xiang Rong saw a psychiatrist a few days ago. I didn't know that Xiang Rong's knot was because of his sister. Coincidentally, his sister went to the same middle school as you. If his sister is still alive, she should be the same age as you now. Yes. Xiang Rong has seen a lot of psychiatrists, but the effect is minimal. Even if Jiang Ce plays tricks in front of him every day, he doesn’t smile very much, but Jiang Ce said that since you appeared, Xiang Rong has started to laugh. You gave him He has to look at each of the paintings before going to bed.

"He comes to bring you meals every day. He must really want to see you. I know you are also enduring it, but I don't understand. You obviously want to see him, and you obviously want to be like him before. Why do you always run away? Let him be at the end Wouldn't it be good to spend more time with you? What are you afraid of?"

Yan Qing's movements slowed down, but did not stop. He even rubbed the paint on the back of his hands during the tidying process, looking absent-minded.

"Sister Wen Yi, do you understand this feeling? You grew up alone, and one day there was an extra person in your life. He rescued you from the fire and took you to fulfill your wishes again and again. You suddenly relied on You fell in love with him and opened up to him, but you were very conflicted and entangled, because you realized early on that the other person was not your fellow traveler, and you mistakenly thought that you had a common destination and could enjoy the same scenery, so when you are not far away When there is a fork in the road, you have to slow down, want to talk to him more, want to see him a few more times, after all, this time you know that you will not be on the way again."

Wen Yi couldn't calm down, she held on to the door, feeling lost in her heart.

She couldn't persuade Yan Qing, and only asked at the end: "Since you have made your decision, I won't say more, I will tell Xiang Rong that you have left, but you have to remember, you can't be careless when you go back, you have to be careful." Eat well, take your medicine well, I will go to your house to see you when I am fine, and if you are not feeling well, you must call me."

"Don't worry, I've written it all down." Yan Qing replied.

Wen Yi stopped bothering, and left the room after drying the corners of her eyes.

Yan Qing cleaned up for a while and stopped for a while. When he stopped, he stood quietly by the window, looking at the pedestrians on the long street like flowing water.Spring is already halfway through, and I left in a hurry, as if there was nothing left, and I was about to be replaced by Xia.

He feels that time is so fast and the world is wonderful.

There are not many things, one suitcase is enough, Yan Qing went through the discharge procedures, carefully stuffed the painkillers prescribed by the doctor into his pocket, took off his hospital clothes, and changed into a yellow sweater. Labeled as a patient, he became the freest child again.

He walked to the elevator entrance, did not leave directly, but quietly hid behind the wall, and his sneaky appearance even attracted the attention of passers-by. He laughed dryly, poked his head out of the wall, and cautiously looked at the nurse's desk not far away. go.

The boy whom I haven't seen for a long time is wearing a black jacket, just like the first time I met him. He is tall and straight, but his silhouette looks lonely. He is lowering his head and holding a mobile phone, as if sending a message to someone. The boy's eyebrows are condensed, and he looks Preoccupied.

Yan Qing was content to see Xiang Rong for the last time.

He was just about to leave when a message suddenly came from his cell phone.

Yan Qing saw that the person who sent the message was Xiang Rong. He hadn't heard from Xiang Rong for a long time, and he also realized that the boy not far away who was frowning typing was actually himself.

"Yan Qing, I'm sorry."

"I was wrong last time, can you forgive me?"

"I didn't say those words on purpose, I just got hot on my head."

"I brought you some sweet-scented osmanthus cakes, which are not made of white sugar. Come and taste them, okay?"

Finally, he added an emoji of a puppy apologizing.

Xiang Rong never spoke much.

But this time...

Yan Qing raised his eyes and looked at Xiang Rong's aggrieved expression, feeling a dull pain in his heart.

He didn't reply, and locked the screen with all his heart. The result of such a clean break is better than endless breaks.

"I'm sorry." He said silently, and walked out with the suitcase.

As night fell, bonfires were lit in the city.

Yan Qing walked out of the hospital gate slowly, the wind bulged his coat, sweeping the warmth of his whole body.

"Brother Xiang Rong, goodbye."

The author has something to say:

Xiang Rong: "If you can't catch up with your wife, you will never give up."