When Chen Jianguo awoke, the effects of anesthesia had not completely worn off.
He opened his eyes, and the first thing he saw was the ceiling.
He wanted to turn his head, but his neck was very stiff, as if something was holding it in place. He tried to move his gaze away from the ceiling, inching little by little. The first thing he saw was the IV stand, with three bags of fluid hanging on it—one transparent, one slightly yellow, and one milky white. Next was the monitor, its green waveform jumping on the black screen, accompanied by a crisp "beep" with each heartbeat. Further over, there was a chair with someone sitting on it.
His wife.
Sister Li was sitting in the chair, her head leaned against the wall, asleep. Her hair was a bit tousled, and there was a red imprint on her face from her sleeve, with a thermos cup clutched in her hand.
