Du Heng understood they were worried about tuition fees.
Medical undergraduate programs, except for a few specialized ones, generally require five years of study. Furthermore, medical student employment is different than it was five years ago; many hospitals now recruit only those with at least a master's degree.
Calculating it this way, to complete her studies and get into a good hospital, she'd need five years for her undergraduate degree and three years for graduate studies—a total of eight years. The financial burden of this long duration is immense for a farming family. Moreover, fewer people were building houses in rural areas now, making it difficult for Du Ping to earn as much as before.
"This time, your uncle is on your side. Just apply for what you like."
"Thank you, Uncle."
Du Xuejing was happy, but Zhang Sumei was not.
Du Heng quickly said, "Sister-in-law, don't worry. Let Xuejing apply for what she wants. I'm here."
"Even with you, it's not possible. You only make a little over 4,000 yuan a month, and you still have to get married. We can't afford such a delay." Zhang Sumei was very reluctant.
Du Ping leaned back and silently took out a cigarette. "I asked someone to find me a job in the city. The salary is quite good. Let the child apply for whatever she likes."
"You..." Zhang Sumei was a bit agitated. Du Ping only knew some masonry; he had no other skills. For him to say he had a job now, it clearly meant nothing but hard labor.
Du Heng also grew anxious. Even though Du Ping was only forty, his health had suffered greatly a few years ago from the strain of paying for my schooling. How could he possibly handle such heavy labor now?
"Brother, I'm serious. I also found a part-time job that pays over ten thousand yuan a month. With my salary, I can afford Xuejing's tuition. And if the part-time job yields some results, the pay could reach 50,000 yuan."
Du Ping was stunned by Du Heng's words. "Really?"
"Of course, it's true."
Worried Du Ping wouldn't believe him, Du Heng pulled out the text message confirming the deposit he had received that morning and then showed his WhatsApp balance.
"Now do you believe me?"
"You haven't done anything illegal, have you?" Earning ten thousand yuan a month from a part-time job, more than his full-time one, seemed impossible to Du Ping, and his heart pounded with anxiety.
"I'm at the Health Clinic every day. What sort of illegal thing could I do? Don't worry."
Saying this, he transferred ten thousand yuan to Du Ping. "Brother, use this money to buy some sheep. It's much better for you to raise sheep at home than to go out and work."
Seeing the couple about to object, Du Heng quickly stood up and walked out, giving them no chance to ask questions. "Brother, just do as I say. I'll give you more money next month."
He went to the door, picked up the milk and eggs he had set aside, and left without looking back.
Returning to his small two-story building, Du Heng banked the fire in the stove and prepared for bed.
But his older brother, Du Ping, followed him.
"Xiao Heng, is what you said true?" Du Ping was still somewhat skeptical.
Du Heng could only reassure his brother once more.
Receiving Du Heng's firm confirmation, Du Ping fell silent for a long moment before choosing to trust his younger brother. "You're an educated man; I don't understand the things you do. Since you say it's true, I'm relieved. But I won't take this 10,000 yuan. You keep it; you'll need it when you're dating."
"Brother..."
"Listen to me. Your sister-in-law and I have some savings, so we don't need this money for now. You keep it. As for raising sheep, I've actually been thinking about it for a while. But it's slow work; you don't see any returns for two or three years, so I didn't dare start. I was really afraid that one day I wouldn't be able to afford Xuejing's tuition, or if you needed to get married, I wouldn't be able to provide the betrothal gifts. That would be a huge problem."
Saying this, Du Ping looked at Du Heng with relief and patted his brother's shoulder. "Now it's all good. I don't have that worry anymore. If one day I really can't afford her tuition, you can help me cover it."
Du Ping went back; he truly didn't accept the ten thousand yuan Du Heng had transferred.
Du Heng, sitting in his room, felt a mix of happiness, a pang of sorrow, and a touch of shame.
At his age, his older brother was still thinking of helping him with betrothal gifts. In that instant, his heart felt like it had been squeezed tightly.
As night deepened and all was quiet, the banked stove gradually grew cold. Feeling the chill, Du Heng drowsily pulled his neck into his collar and curled up more tightly.
"BANG, BANG, BANG! BANG, BANG, BANG!"
"Du Heng, Du Heng."
Half-asleep, Du Heng was startled awake by the violent pounding on the gate.
He hurriedly sat up, still somewhat dazed, listening to the continuous banging.
"Du Heng, Du Heng."
"Who is it?"
"It's me, Liang Lihai."
"Wait a moment."
Du Heng quickly dressed, his mind racing.
Liang Lihai was the Old Secretary's grandson, a few years older than him. Knocking on the gate this late at night... could it be that the Old Secretary was... failing?
"Brother Hai, what's wrong?" Du Heng opened the gate and stepped aside to let Liang Lihai into the courtyard.
"Du Heng, hurry to my house and take a look! My grandmother... I think she's not going to make it!" Liang Lihai's voice was rushed, filled with anxiety.
But Du Heng was taken aback. Grandmother? Not the Old Secretary?
"Du Heng, please, hurry and take a look!"
Liang Lihai's repeated urging snapped Du Heng back to reality. He dispensed with formalities, turned directly back into his room, grabbed his bag, and ran with Liang Lihai towards his house.
The door to his room and the courtyard gate were left wide open.
Just as the two of them rounded the corner and disappeared from view, Du Ping, with a coat thrown over his shoulders, also opened his door and came out.
He too had been awakened by the loud knocking.
Watching their departing figures, Du Ping said nothing, only silently helped Du Heng close his gate. Then, properly putting on the clothes he had draped over himself, he closed his own main door and also headed towards Liang Lihai's house.
Du Heng and Liang Lihai reached Liang Lihai's house as quickly as they could.
Upon entering the courtyard, they saw lights on in several rooms, yet it was eerily quiet.
Liang Lihai led Du Heng into a room where more than half the family members stood anxiously. When Du Heng entered, they all instinctively made way for him.
"Du Heng, my grandma was in terrible pain earlier. We gave her a pain-relief injection, and about ten minutes later, she suddenly fainted. Please, take a look quickly."
As Liang Lihai explained the situation, he ushered Du Heng further in.
Du Heng didn't ask why they hadn't sent her to the hospital.
At this stage, the family had likely already given up hope in their hearts. Calling him was merely seeking some measure of comfort.
Du Heng wasted no words, going directly to Madam Liang's side to begin his examination.
She had fainted. Her body was damp with sweat, her fingers and lips were pale, and her face had no color at all. When Du Heng pried open her mouth, he detected a fishy, fetid odor different from bad breath. Her tongue coating was thin and pale, and her pulse was thready and weak.
A sense of foreboding filled Du Heng's heart.
As he was thinking, a foul smell from her nasal cavity assaulted his nostrils, and Du Heng remembered that Madam Liang had previously undergone a colostomy, with the stoma located on the right side of her lower abdomen.
Du Heng lifted the clothing around the stoma; the surrounding area showed visible signs of infection and spreading inflammation.
"How many pain-relief injections has she had today?"
"This was the sixth one. The pain has been especially severe today; she couldn't bear it without them."
Du Heng glanced at the clock on the wall. The hour hand was still on eleven; it wasn't even midnight yet, and she had already received six injections.
The situation was very difficult for Du Heng. Could Madam Liang be revived? Yes. But what then? Her pulse and vital signs told the whole story. Even if she were revived, Madam Liang wouldn't last long. Moreover, once she regained consciousness, the already deteriorated wound would only bring her unending pain. In fact, after being revived, Madam Liang might very well die from the sheer agony.
Time didn't allow him to agonize over the decision. Liang Lihai's father suddenly entered and whispered, "Xiao Heng, come quickly and look at my father. He's struggling to breathe; he's not going to make it."
The Old Secretary?
Resigned, Du Heng had no choice but to go see the Old Secretary first.
The old couple weren't in the same room; one was in the east wing, the other in the west.
Du Heng quickly stepped into the Old Secretary's room. As he reached out to take his pulse, he realized something was wrong.
A thorough check confirmed it: the Old Secretary had already stopped breathing. There wasn't even a need for resuscitation.
Du Heng shook his head helplessly and said in a low voice, "Uncle, the Old Secretary... he's gone."
After speaking, he hurried back to Madam Liang's room.
Liang Lihai's father seemed to have been prepared for this. Though deeply saddened, he still followed Du Heng to his mother's room.
As soon as they entered, he instructed the others in the room to attend to his father's body, while he stayed with Du Heng.
Du Heng examined Madam Liang's vital signs once more and then shared his thoughts with Liang Lihai's father.
The decision of whether or not to revive her could only be made by him, her son.
"Revive her," Liang Lihai's father decided after a moment.