Chapter 154: So Pitiful
After a brief sleep, the tingling, soreness, and pain in his leg returned, and Zhou Qian finally opened his eyes.
At this moment, he was back in the hospital room, with the ceiling light that had been visible day and night recently above him. His hospital gown had clearly been changed, and it felt much dryer.
He sat there dazed for a moment, then seemed to notice something, so he turned his head slightly.
“Little Yu?”
On the side of the bed, Huai Yu was quietly sitting, still holding her large basket, staring at him without blinking.
Zhou Qian became a little nervous for a moment. “When did you get here?”
Huai Yu answered slowly, “I just arrived not long ago… is your prosthetic limb already installed?”
Zhou Qian instinctively moved his leg. The nerves connected to his right leg, where the mountain-climber vines had attached, were extremely sensitive. The slightest movement felt like ants biting at his bones, which made him freeze up in pain, and his expression twisted from the sudden discomfort.
After taking a few deep breaths, he turned to look at Huai Yu, only to find that she was rummaging through her basket as if looking for something.
Zhou Qian relaxed slightly and said, “It’s pretty much installed, but it’s not suitable to be exposed yet, so I have it covered with a support frame and quilt. I can’t show you right now.”
The real reason was that the claw-like attachment from the mountain-climber vine was horrifyingly grotesque as it fused with his flesh. He didn’t want Huai Yu to see it.
Luckily, Huai Yu didn’t seem interested in looking. Instead, she happily pulled a piece of candy from her basket.
“Open your mouth, ah~”
As she spoke, she tilted her head back, smiling brightly. Her pale skin, with a faint flush around her eyes and temples, made her eyes appear even bigger. Her expression was oddly pitiful.
Zhou Qian was silent for a moment, but still obediently opened his mouth. A cool, sweet piece of candy was placed inside.
It was icy and sweet.
He paused. “Rock candy?”
He couldn’t help but smile. “Haven’t had this in years.”
“Right!” Huai Yu hugged her basket tighter, giggling. “I spent so many points at the trading market just to buy this small amount… Brother Zhou Qian, I now have a full 10,000 contribution points!”
The little girl spoke with a lot of confidence. “Even if you don’t work in the future, I can still feed you and make sure you’re plump and healthy!”
“I still have vegetable seedlings and seeds. The uncle at the trading market also gave me a bag of sunflower seeds. In the future, we can plant vegetables and sunflowers together!”
“10,000?” Zhou Qian seemed a little stunned. After a moment, he pushed the rock candy around in his mouth and said nonchalantly, “So your secret is worth a lot, huh?”
Huai Yu hugged her basket and giggled silently, not saying anything.
She glanced at the time again. “It’s almost 3:30. Aren’t you going to go back?”
Huai Yu shook her head, her voice soft and obedient. “I want to stay with you a little longer… It’s so pitiful when no family is around when you’re getting your prosthetic.”
Zhou Qian chuckled helplessly, then sighed. “What’s pitiful about that? There are many people who wish they could still be alive. Now that I have a prosthetic, I’ll be pretty much like a normal person.”
“You should go back. Tomorrow, I’ll be able to walk normally again. In three days, I’ll be discharged and back home.”
“If you have time, you don’t need to come to the hospital every day. You can help tidy up the house.”
Huai Yu thought for a moment and nodded. “Alright then… I won’t come tomorrow.”
Zhou Qian nodded. “No need to come. It’s too tiring.”
After saying that, Huai Yu fell silent again, her gaze drifting away. For a moment, the hospital room was eerily quiet, and Zhou Qian felt slightly uncomfortable.
After a while, Huai Yu picked up her basket and slung it over her shoulder, smiling at him.
“Brother Zhou Qian, I’ll go back now!”
When the door to the hospital room closed, Zhou Qian let out a deep sigh, grimacing. “Hiss—”
The feeling of the neural fusion was unbearable.
Then, he suddenly became puzzled.
Why did she start calling him “Brother Zhou Qian” all of a sudden? What had she been up to?
Outside the room, Huai Yu slumped her shoulders, standing there in a daze. After a long while, she took a deep breath and went to the nurse station she had visited earlier.
“Sis, don’t tell my brother that I came early! I’ll treat you to some candy.”
The two nurses remembered the taste of the rock candy earlier and waved their hands. “No, no. That must be expensive. Keep it for yourself.”
“We won’t say anything. It’s not a big deal. Don’t worry, we’ll keep it a secret.”
The two nurses looked at her, and one of them made a motion with her hand as if zipping her lips. They noticed her slightly red eyes and nose, and they probably knew what was going on.
After all, many people think they can handle the pain from biological materials, but when the fusion progress reaches 15%, they often break down and cry uncontrollably.
Honestly, Zhou Qian managing to endure it was impressive. No wonder the doctors were bragging so much at the nurse station. Even they thought it was amazing!
The little girl had come so early, so she must have seen the kind of torture he went through. The siblings were really thoughtful of each other, and that was great.
Huai Yu smiled, her dark eyes filled with satisfaction and trust as she sweetly said, “Thank you, sis.”
The two nurses were so moved by her sweetness that they thought, “No wonder Captain Zhou works so hard. If we had a sister like her, we’d probably do anything for her.”
Huai Yu walked out of the hospital with quick steps and boarded the bus home. But inside Huai City Hospital, Zhou Qian quickly pressed the call button.
A nurse entered the room shortly after. “Is something wrong?”
Zhou Qian raised his head. His skin, which had been slightly dark, now appeared unnaturally pale, with bloodshot eyes that screamed exhaustion and weakness. He was clearly suffering.
But he looked at the nurse and asked softly, “Were you at the nurse station this afternoon?”
“Huh?” The nurse was puzzled for a moment, then nodded. “Yes, I was in charge of the private rooms today.”
“Then… Huai Yu, that very pale, very thin girl with the basket…”
He was describing her, but the nurse blinked. “I know. Your sister, right? She’s been bringing you meals for several days now. We all know her. What’s up?”
Zhou Qian paused. “When did she come to the hospital today?”
The nurse paused, then said, “It was pretty late, maybe around two or three in the afternoon? She came after you entered the ward.”
Exhausted and in pain, Zhou Qian didn’t detect any lie in the nurse’s words. Instead, he breathed a sigh of relief.
“It’s fine, thank you. I’m okay now.”
The nurse glanced at him and thought for a moment before asking, “Would you like the doctor to come and give you some glucose?”
“No need.” Zhou Qian shook his head to decline.
He had just had some, and it was an unexpectedly pure sweetness.
