Chinese Medicine: Starting with Daily Intelligence

Chapter 581: Chapter 581: Touching

It was noon.

There were no more patients.

Li Xu stood up and washed his hands and face, trying to wake himself up.

The bleak morning had left him feeling somewhat depressed and sullen.

He had even made plans to call Hu Qiming after work and have him take him out for a drink.

Just as he was taking off his white coat, ready to leave.

Suddenly, the door creaked open again.

A woman stood at the door, covered in sweat and panting, and said to Li Xu, "Excuse me... Are you off duty, Doctor...?"

"Could I bother you for a few minutes?"

Li Xu looked at the woman. ’Isn’t this the same woman from earlier?’

’Why is she back?’

"Yes, it’s fine. I haven’t left yet."

Li Xu subconsciously asked, "Has... has the family member arrived?"

After asking the question, Li Xu shook his head. ’I must be an idiot. What a dumb question to ask...’

Earlier this morning, the woman in front of him had already said that the patient’s only family member was back in their hometown—an elderly person in their eighties.

’There’s no way they could be here.’

But to his surprise, the woman quickly said, "They’re here, they’re here."

Li Xu was a little surprised. "That was fast, wasn’t it?"

"Well... then let’s get the signature quickly and proceed with the examination."

"I’ll call them and see if I can get them to stay for some overtime."

"Right, where’s the family member? Come on in."

"Sign it quickly."

"Here’s the informed consent form, this is the condition notification form..."

The woman didn’t call anyone over.

Instead, she quickly pulled out two small, red booklets from her bag and placed them solemnly on the desk in front of Li Xu.

THUMP.

Then, she looked at Li Xu with red-rimmed eyes. "Doctor... Now... like this... can I sign?"

Those words struck Li Xu’s mind like a bolt of lightning.

Because...

Printed on the two booklets were two words.

"Marriage Certificate."

Li Xu understood instantly.

He felt as if someone had suddenly clutched his heart.

It felt like every cell in his body was trembling, and even his scalp was tingling. It was a feeling that touched the deepest, most vulnerable part of his soul...

He didn’t even know why, but Li Xu felt a sting in his nose. He was losing his composure.

To be able to sign the examination consent forms for her terminally ill boyfriend with an uncertain future, this girl had, at this very moment, resolutely chosen to register their marriage.

In this realistic and materialistic society, in an age where it’s "every man for himself when disaster strikes," this scene was more moving than any fairy tale.

For a moment, Li Xu even found himself envying the man for having found such a good woman.

’With a wife like that, what more could a husband ask for?’

Li Xu’s heart was in turmoil, trembling, and he couldn’t calm down for the longest time.

「A moment later.」

Li Xu took a deep breath, composed himself, and nodded. "Yes... Of course, you can..."

"This is... the most qualified signature of all."

The girl’s tears immediately gushed out, like beads from a broken string, splashing onto the thin informed consent form before her.

The paper was soaked by her tears, blurring the black printed words. But in her eyes, this consent form was as solemn and sacred as the marriage certificate they had just signed at the Civil Affairs Bureau.

She gave Li Xu a deep bow, then took out a bag of beautifully wrapped red candy from her purse and handed it to him.

Her voice was choked with sobs, yet it carried a hint of newlywed joy:

"Doctor... please have some wedding candy."

That single sentence was like a feather, gently brushing against the softest spot in Li Xu’s heart.

He couldn’t hold it in any longer.

Tears welled up in his eyes. He quickly turned his back to the girl, wiped them away with the back of his hand, and whispered, "Thank you."

The girl, meanwhile, wiped her own tears. Her hands, which had previously trembled with fear, were still shaking, yet she raised them with determination and gripped the pen tightly.

’She never expected...’

’...that she would have to fulfill a wife’s duty so soon.’

’And she certainly never expected...’

’...that the first "contract" she had the right to sign as a wife would be an informed consent form that held her husband’s life in the balance...’

Thinking of this, the girl actually smiled through her tears. It was a smile filled with bitterness and helplessness, but even more so with a resolute bravery.

Li Xu watched the girl sign the papers with great concentration.

She signed very slowly, reading every word carefully, as if engraving each one into her heart.

This was her way of fulfilling her first and most important duty as a wife.

"Doctor... I’ve signed it."

The girl put down the pen and handed the signed form to Li Xu.

Li Xu looked at the woman, nodded, and said in a gentle tone, "Okay, you two can go over now."

"I’ve already called the pathology department. Someone is waiting for you, so you can go straight there."

The woman smiled and nodded, her expression one of relief, as if a great weight had been lifted. "Okay, thank you so much, Doctor."

Li Xu smiled and said from the bottom of his heart, "You’re welcome. And... I wish you... a long and happy life together, and a speedy recovery."

The woman turned, looking at Li Xu with tears of joy and gratitude in her eyes.

"Thank you."

With that, she took the form and hurried away. Her figure was frail, but her departing back exuded an unshakable strength.

Li Xu sat down, his mind filled with the touching moment when the girl had taken out her marriage certificate.

He picked up the bag of wedding candy, opened it, unwrapped a piece, and popped it into his mouth.

It was a liquor-filled chocolate.

It was very sweet.

The silky chocolate melted on his tongue, followed by a rich, alcoholic aroma.

It was very warm.

And there was the intoxicating haze of liquor.

Li Xu took a deep breath, leaned back in his chair, and seemed to have an epiphany.

’Perhaps... a hospital is indeed full of sorrow and separation, brimming with the bleakness and helplessness of the human condition... But... isn’t this also the most beautiful place on earth?’

’Because it’s filled with so much genuine emotion, so much of the brilliant light of humanity, refined to its purest form in the face of life and death.’

’That’s a treasure you can’t see anywhere else.’

’Bitterness and sweetness have always gone hand in hand.’

’Just like this liquor-filled chocolate, the bitterness on the outside envelops the sweetness and passion within.’

Li Xu’s thoughts also turned to Song Sisi.

They had been together day and night for over a year.

Their feelings for each other were strong.

They had talked about buying a house before, but they still hadn’t gotten around to it.

’We need to act on that soon.’

「...」

In the afternoon, Li Xu continued seeing patients.

Although he was still busy, and although he still had to face all sorts of illnesses and worried faces, Li Xu’s mood was no longer as heavy as it had been that morning.

The girl had given him a strange sort of strength.

He took a moment to call Song Sisi.

He asked her how the house hunting was going.

"I’ve found a few properties I like. Are you free? We could go look at them together."

"Hmm, how about the day after tomorrow?"

"Okay... Oh, by the way, Xiao Yu said she wants to come along to learn a thing or two, to prepare for buying her own house in the future. You don’t mind, do you?"

"Of course I don’t mind. The more the merrier."

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