Xiao Cheng Liang Fang

When Liu Zhengliang and Chen Junnan heard this, they knew they were screwed.

Chen Junnan hung up the phone and hurriedly said to the junior doctor, "Contact the Medical Affairs Department! Have them search through the public security system."

The junior doctor replied, "We already did. The number registered in the public security system belongs to his ex-wife, and it's out of service."

Chen Junnan was furious: "This is ridiculous! If the surgery gets delayed and the patient dies in the hospital, and then the family comes to cause trouble, whose responsibility would it be?"

Liu Zhengliang, being timid, shrank back at the situation. Chen Junnan turned around, pulled Liu Zhengliang outside the ward, and asked, "Without a family member's signature, would you dare to perform the surgery?"

Liu Zhengliang shook his head.

Chen Junnan nodded and said, "Fortune favors the bold. But without any fortune to gain, who would take unnecessary risks? Since this guy has no family, and this isn't even our department's responsibility, I think you should just drop it."

Meanwhile, Zhang Dexu was in the ward taking care of his daughter. While fetching water in the utility room, he overheard the news and learned that Neurosurgery had another major case. He immediately called Ai Chen, saying there was another emergency case and that Dr. Liu, who had just arrived in Neurosurgery and the Emergency Department, had already given up. Ai Chen thought this was perfect and immediately left the Funeral Association restaurant, got in his car, and headed to the Second Hospital, waiting right outside the ward.

Ai Chen smiled and said to Liu Zhengliang, "Since you arrived, my business has missed out on several opportunities. To be honest, I'm not here for business today. I just want to see if you can save this person."

Liu Zhengliang disliked Ai Chen's tone—it showed a lack of respect for life—but he had no retort. Once again, he ignored Ai Chen, turned back into the ward, picked up the unconscious Kang Sheng's hand, pressed the thumb onto the phone screen, and unlocked the phone. As he searched through the contacts, he said to Chen Junnan, "This patient's condition isn't particularly complicated. It's a straightforward surgery. It just doesn't feel right to give up on treatment simply because we can't reach the family. Let's try calling through his contacts to find his daughter. Legally speaking, only his daughter has the authority to sign."

After a few minutes of searching, Liu Zhengliang called "Little Treasure." A woman answered, but it wasn't his daughter. As soon as she picked up, she said, "What's up, bro? Miss me?" But when she heard that the patient was ill and needed a family member's signature, she hemmed and hawed before hanging up.

Next, he tried Kang Yun, thinking this must be the one. It turned out to be the patient's brother. The brother said he could come to sign, but only if Kang Sheng paid him. Liu Zhengliang explained that the patient was already unconscious and questioned how he could ask for money at a time like this, especially from his own brother. The brother on the phone complained about how Kang Sheng had taken most of their parents' money, schemed to drain them dry, and hadn't been in touch with his own brother's family for years. Now that they needed him, he asked, "After I sign, am I supposed to take care of him too? Our family has no idle hands." With that, he hung up.

Chen Junnan laughed in exasperation and remarked, "Birds of a feather flock together."

Liu Zhengliang called back and said, "If you won't come, that's fine, but at least tell me Kang Sheng's daughter's name." The brother said her name was Kang Yaxin. Liu Zhengliang scrolled from the top to the bottom of the contact list but couldn't find her. Chen Junnan said, "Having the name is enough. I'll go to the Medical Affairs Department and have them look it up." With that, he headed straight to the Medical Affairs Department.Before long, Chen Junnan sent Kang Yaxin's phone number via text message. Liu Zhengliang wanted to call but didn't know how to phrase it. He gathered Chen Junnan and Che Mingming to discuss how to make the call. Chen Junnan said, "What's so difficult about this?"

The call connected. Chen Junnan explained the situation and concluded, "Your father's condition is critical—he's barely clinging to life. The only solution now is for you to come sign the consent form so we can proceed with surgery. If you don't come, your father won't make it."

After listening to Chen Junnan's lengthy explanation, Kang Yaxin asked, "Finished?"

Chen Junnan replied, "Yes."

Kang Yaxin said, "Remove the tubes. The family is giving up treatment."

Chen Junnan was stunned. In all his years, he'd never encountered anything like this. He'd witnessed family conflicts escalating into arguments and even physical fights in hospitals, seen people whip out calculators in wards to settle accounts and divide assets—but never such emotionless words demanding tube removal. He was at a loss, completely thrown off by her response.

After a long pause, Chen Junnan managed to say, "At the very least, you need to come here and give us written confirmation. Otherwise, if anything unexpected happens, we could be held legally responsible."

Half an hour later, Kang Yaxin arrived. She went straight to the ward without glancing at her father. After hearing Liu Zhengliang explain the patient's condition, she directly took the critical condition notice and wrote: "Refuse surgery. Abandon treatment."

Seeing she was as unyielding as an uncrackable copper pea, Liu Zhengliang had no choice but to seek Dean Long's help. Dean Long ambled into the ward carrying a purple clay teapot. After exchanging pleasantries, he casually asked about Kang Yaxin's home, marital status, her child's school and academic performance. Gradually steering the conversation to family matters, he asked, "Do you utterly despise him?"

Kang Yaxin nodded.

Dean Long said, "But your father can't feel anything right now. If you truly hate him, you should let him wake up—let him see his lover has left him, that no one cares for him. Let him feel remorse and beg for forgiveness from you and your mother, only to be rejected. Making him suffer alone in isolation—that's true vengeance. As you said, he neglected you two for all these years. I'm not asking you to repay evil with kindness—'repay evil with kindness, then how repay kindness?' right? Once dead, he'd know nothing. Ultimately, you'd be the one left with regrets."

Kang Yaxin stubbornly insisted, "I'm fine. I'd be glad if he died."

Dean Long continued, "You shouldn't seek revenge this way. What terrible example would this set for the next generation? However flawed he was, he gave you life and raised you for over ten years. Helping him this once would settle the debt, wouldn't it? By any calculation, you still owe him. Of course, he owes you too—but these are two separate ledgers: one of gratitude, one of responsibility. He owes you on the gratitude ledger, but you still owe him on the responsibility ledger. However inadequate he was as a father, he did raise you. Clear this debt first—how you two relate afterward is between you. We outsiders can see this clearly."

Kang Yaxin argued, "But I have no money either. He squandered all his wealth, and now when he needs surgery, he remembers me. I'm a single mother, working alone to support my family on three thousand yuan a month. I can't afford his surgery."Liu Zhengliang said, "He feels quite guilty too, and was too embarrassed to contact you. We were the ones who found your number. As for the money, it's not a big issue—he has health insurance, and the condition is straightforward. The out-of-pocket portion should only be around five or six thousand yuan."

Kang Yaxin thought it over and finally agreed to the surgery.

The surgery was simple. Although there was significant blood loss, the patient's vital signs remained stable. A young nurse murmured softly while changing the patient's dressing, "Look, this old man still seems quite spirited." Che Mingming, assisting Liu Zhengliang nearby, remarked, "All that's left is this skin—nothing remains except his lively appearance."

During rounds the next day, when the patient's upper limbs were stimulated, defensive reflexes were already present. By the third or fourth day, he had regained full consciousness. Throughout these days, Kang Yaxin had been by his side, helping him turn over and pat his back, and fetching meals from the cafeteria every day. The elderly woman in the neighboring bed praised her, saying, "Your daughter is so filial. Your father may be old, but you can tell he was very handsome in his youth."

Kang Yaxin replied, "He was handsome, alright, but he was anything but reliable. Wherever he went, he attracted attention. If you ask around in Wanghua District, twenty or thirty years ago, this old man never went anywhere without stirring up some drama—he was never idle. My mother was so furious about it that, from what I can remember, there were constant fights and clashes at home. Our pots and pans never lasted a full year."

The patient's companion asked, "Why hasn't your mother come?"

Kang Yaxin said, "They're divorced. Why would she come?"

The companion said, "Even a day as husband and wife brings a hundred days of affection. In a situation like this, she should come visit."

Kang Yaxin replied, "Auntie, do you think I'm heartless? I take after my mother. My mother wishes he were dead."

At night, Kang Yaxin lay on her side by the hospital bed, watching her father. After a while, she murmured casually, "Why were you so heartless back then?"

The old man lay with his eyes closed, silent, but tears streamed from the corners of his eyes. Kang Yaxin thought her father was feeling remorseful.

During daytime rounds, Liu Zhengliang said, "Your daughter has forgiven you—how rare is that? Focus on recovering well, and you'll be discharged soon. In the future, cherish your relationship with your daughter. When you grow old, won't it be your own daughter who takes care of you?"

Only after Kang Yaxin went to fetch hot water did Kang Sheng say, "From now on, don't expect life to have any flavor."

Chen Junnan chuckled nearby. After Liu Zhengliang finished his rounds and stepped out, Chen remarked, "Did you see that? The old man isn't moved by his daughter letting go of grudges—he's lamenting that he won't be able to enjoy the colorful world anymore. This old man is forever young, a real old rascal. Even in this state, his heart is still dreaming, though he can't start over again."

Just as Liu Zhengliang stepped out of Kang Sheng's room, Zhang Dexu immediately came over to greet him. His daughter, Zhang Jiao, the fifteen-year-old girl injured in the car accident, had finally been taken off the ventilator the night before. Liu Zhengliang and Chen Junnan went to check on her. Zhang Jiao's limb strength was still weak, and though she was conscious, she could only speak one drawn-out word every two or three seconds.

Zhang Dexu was somewhat anxious and asked, "Dr. Liu, she won't stay like this forever, will she?"

Liu Zhengliang was pleased. The fact that the patient could open her mouth and speak indicated relatively minor permanent brain damage. Recovery would now depend on time. Liu Zhengliang said, "This is normal after surgery. She'll gradually recover."

Zhang Dexu asked, "How much will this affect her brain? She's not speaking smoothly now—can she recover to how she was before?"Chen Junnan said, "A full recovery is impossible. Your daughter's cranial injury was quite severe; she even had brain herniation. Let me give you an analogy—it's like dropping a phone on the ground. I wouldn't worry about the screen shattering, but I'd be afraid of damaging the motherboard. Her life will definitely be affected in the future. She might speak slower than other children, but that's still good—she's lucky to be alive."

Liu Zhengliang then asked, "Was the surgery for the fracture in her leg successful?"