Zhang Dexu carried the bedding on his back, Dou Liping held the washbasin and other toiletries, and Zhang Jiao slowly walked with the support of the two. Zhang Dexu had intended to express a long string of gratitude, but Liu Zhengliang stopped him.
Liu Zhengliang pointed at the nurses in the hall who were already wearing protective suits and said, "Hurry home, don’t linger in the hospital. Many people from Fushun work away from home, and with the New Year festivities, if any patient has returned from outside, it’s just too risky."
Zhang Dexu took a few steps forward, then suddenly stopped, turned back, and pulled his daughter along to bow deeply to Liu Zhengliang. From a distance, he called out, "Dr. Liu, don’t forget to return my bracelet when you come back."
Liu Zhengliang wasn’t tired from his night shift. Unlike previous years, there were no mischievous children brought to the emergency room by their parents with eye injuries from setting off firecrackers, no burn victims from fires, and no injuries from drunken falls. The newly appointed mayor gave a speech on television, which was simultaneously livestreamed on internet platforms. The mayor said, "Everyone, stay quietly at home. Don’t go out wandering aimlessly. Roads are blocked everywhere, and you can’t go anywhere. Don’t go out to set off firecrackers, go ice skating, or go skiing. You might think those places are less crowded and there’s no risk of infection. But let me tell you, our best doctors have all gone to Hubei. Only the emergency department is left here, and we can’t perform any major surgeries. If you really get your eyes injured from firecrackers, fall and get hurt, or break a bone, there are hardly any doctors left in the hospital to take care of you. Don’t cause trouble for the doctors. Even if it’s just for your own sake, stay honest at home and don’t go visiting."
The entire city complied, with everyone staying quietly at home. This allowed Liu Zhengliang to spend a rare full night lying on the small bed in his office.
But he couldn’t sleep.
Upon returning home, Liu Zhengliang began packing his luggage. His mother, who was the "Minister of Information" on Gongnong Street—knowing all the gossip about who was getting divorced or whose wife was flirting with whom—immediately guessed the reason for her son’s unusual behavior.
Liu Zhengliang’s mother said, "Let me tell you, don’t you dare show off and sign up to go to Wuhan. Don’t say I didn’t warn you—if you dare to go, I won’t acknowledge you as my son."
Liu Zhengliang smiled bitterly and said, "I’ve already signed up."
His mother froze for a few seconds upon hearing this, then tears immediately streamed down her face as she scolded, "Our family doesn’t need to show off. Our family doesn’t need heroes. Your eldest uncle, my own brother, sacrificed his life back then in the Cat Ear Cave. Your grandmother talked about her eldest son until the day she died. She never saw her son again and cried secretly when no one was around, from the age of forty until she was eighty. But at least she had two other sons and two daughters—no matter how much she cried, there were still people to mourn her and send her off. I only have you, one son. If you die, what will I do? Our family doesn’t need the title of martyr’s family—we’ve carried it for decades. No one can say our family hasn’t done our part when the nation faces calamity. But we can’t have our family bearing the burden every single time something happens. I don’t agree to you going, and you’re not allowed to play the hero. During the SARS year, how many doctors died? They were just throwing lives into the fray to gain experience and lessons. To put it bluntly, whoever goes early becomes cannon fodder. Don’t you know that? Even I, with my junior high school education, know this. You’ve read so many books—how can you not understand? How can you bear to make your mother spend the rest of her life crying, a white-haired person sending off a black-haired one?"Liu Zhengliang's mother snatched his suitcase and threw it into the bedside cabinet, then plopped down on the bed, refusing to let him take it no matter what.
With no other choice, Liu Zhengliang had to pacify his mother first. In the dead of night, while his parents were sound asleep, he stuffed a toothbrush and razor into a plastic bag and slipped out stealthily.
Early the next morning, when Liu Zhengliang's mother woke up and checked his room, she immediately flew into a panic. Calling her son went unanswered. Liu Zhengliang's grandfather said, "Just let the boy go. If a man doesn't step up at a time like this but hides at home, he'll never be able to hold his head high."
His mother, no longer the meek daughter-in-law, retorted loudly, "He's my son, and I have the right to manage him. No one else has any say."
She felt she had to seek Ai Chen's help. She knew her son—grown men don't always listen to their mothers—but this girl was someone her son would surely heed. However, she didn't have Ai Chen's number, so she rushed to the Funeral Association early in the morning and knocked on the door. But who holds funerals on the second day of the Lunar New Year? Services were postponed, so no one was on duty. After knocking for a while with no answer, she thought of finding Ai San. Ai San's number was easy to get from acquaintances, and once she obtained Ai Chen's contact, she called and asked her to stop Liu Zhengliang.
Ai Chen thought to herself, "How can I stop him? The very reason I like this man is because he's decisive." But since her future mother-in-law asked for help, she couldn't refuse, so she went to Liu Zhengliang's house to discuss a plan. Ai Chen suggested, "Aunt, why not pack his luggage? I'll drive you to catch up with the convoy. They're probably heading to Taoxian Airport to fly out."
His mother asked, "Why bring the luggage?"
Ai Chen explained, "He's already left. Can you really drag him back now? If not, at least make sure he has his luggage. What if he has no clean clothes, catches a fever or cold, and his immunity drops? Wouldn't that be even more dangerous?"
Seeing the logic in this, Liu Zhengliang's mother quickly retrieved the suitcase and tossed it into the car trunk. The two women got on the highway straight to Shenyang. Upon entering the airport terminal, they saw hundreds of doctors gathered in formation, with provincial leaders giving a send-off speech.
Surrounded by journalists with cameras and videos, dozens of leaders tearfully seeing them off, Liu Zhengliang's mother realized there was no pulling her son back. Her once resolute steps suddenly turned unsteady, as if treading on cotton.
Spotting her son in the crowd, she hurriedly pushed the suitcase over to him, not waiting for the leaders to finish speaking. Who cared about leaders at a time like this? Every extra second with her son was a gain. She handed him the suitcase, gave him a light punch, wanted to hug him but feared being laughed at. After gazing at his grinning face for a moment, she pursed her lips, turned, and walked away. She wanted to say something but held back out of stubbornness. Raised in a generation from dysfunctional families, inept at expressing emotions, she nonetheless felt deeply.Liu Zhengliang gazed at Ai Chen from afar, and she was looking back at him from a distance. Just as the team leader announced they were preparing to enter the airport for boarding, Liu Zhengliang whispered to Li Qingcheng beside him, "Do you think it'd be okay if I said 'Wait for me to come back and marry you' right now?"
Li Qingcheng whispered back, "Don't you dare shout that! In movies, anyone who yells that kind of line ends up not coming back - they always get taken out by the final bullet."
Che Mingming nudged Li Qingcheng with his shoulder and said, "What's your problem? They're already in a relationship."
Li Qingcheng chuckled softly, "Even with a goalkeeper, goals still get scored."
Just then, a Liaoning TV reporter finished interviewing the doctors and finally spotted a family member seeing someone off. This was an opportunity to stick the microphone in front of them for a few questions. Come on, tell us how you're feeling right now.
Liu Zhengliang's mother immediately transformed, saying, "I feel extremely honored that my son was selected by the organization to join the medical support team for Hubei. Our family fully supports him and won't let him have any worries on the front lines. Our entire family strongly supports him and hopes he can achieve great things in Wuhan, delivering a satisfactory result to the nation."
Ai Chen stood by, utterly astonished. She never imagined that within Liu Zhengliang's mother's modest intellect resided two completely different language systems - one for everyday squabbles and another for formal, lofty declarations.
When Liu Zhengliang's mother returned to the passenger seat of the car, Ai Chen remarked, "Auntie, you spoke really well during that interview. That was at the level of a division-level cadre."
Only then did the dam of emotions break for Liu Zhengliang's mother, who wept, "Anyone can spout pretty words, but he's my own son - I can't bear to let him go."
The car gradually disappeared into the distance, and the plane vanished beyond the horizon.
In the sky, just as his phone had its last bit of signal, Liu Zhengliang received a reply from Wang Hao: "I'm handling COVID complications at Tongji Hospital. Where have you been assigned?"
Liu Zhengliang replied with three words: "Thunder God Mountain."
Chapter 19
First and foremost, my sincere gratitude to Dr. Zhou Yun of Shanghai Huashan Hospital, Professor Du Liangjie of China Rehabilitation Research Center, former Professor Zhang Jun of Cancer Hospital Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, and former Dr. Wang Hao of Union Hospital for their assistance in designing and correcting the medical cases in this work.
Secondly, as a fiction writer without formal medical training, I have only designed this work's narrative style, character relationships, and personalities. However, my descriptions of the medical system contained numerous errors. After extensive dramatic conflict design, they differed significantly from real medical environments. Thanks to the review, corrections, and suggestions from multiple doctors, the vast majority of medical issues have been resolved. Still, for the sake of dramatic conflict and literary beauty, some scenarios that don't align with reality but at least conform to science have been retained.
Thirdly, all medical cases in this novel come from real events, not personal invention. The reflections on healthcare system issues in this book are drawn from the works of Professor Wen Tiejun of Renmin University of China and Professor Li Ling of Peking University. I have merely integrated their ideas into the story.
In modern society, social division of labor has become increasingly specialized. Therefore, contemporary writers should not expect to independently construct the complex ideologies and vast knowledge of an entire real world.
To convey the most profound truths in the most accessible language - this is the creative ambition of this modern writer.
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