Shen Zhaozhao was unsure if it was because she’d eaten too much at night, but she was suddenly awakened by pain in the middle of the night: her lower abdomen felt as if it was being torn apart by knives.
When Shu Ran got up to use the bathroom, she heard faint, weak sounds coming from the next room. Concerned, she opened the door to check and found Shen Zhaozhao curled up into a ball, with large beads of cold sweat rolling down her forehead. Zhaozhao was in a daze, continuously crying out in pain.
Shu Ran was startled and hastily called out to her, "Zhaozhao? Zhaozhao, what’s wrong with you?"
She called for half a day, but the girl didn’t respond, just mumbling about the pain.
Shu Ran touched the girl’s forehead and found her whole body burning up. She rushed to shout towards the master bedroom, "Shen Mo, Shen Mo, get up quickly, your daughter is ill."
Daddy Zhaozhao ran out of the room without even having time to throw on clothes and immediately became anxious upon seeing his daughter’s state, "What’s wrong with this child? Why is she sweating so much?"
"What are you waiting for? Take her to the hospital now!" commanded Zhaozhao’s mother from the side.
"Ah!" Daddy Zhaozhao hurried forward to carry his daughter but got a glare from Zhaozhao’s mother, "Are you planning to go out dressed like that? Do you know how cold it is outside? Go back and get dressed right now. If you catch a cold, I can’t take care of both of you by myself."
"Look at me, I was so flustered. I’ll go change right now," Daddy Zhaozhao said as he hurried back to his room.
Zhaozhao’s mother also hurriedly put clothes on her daughter. Once Daddy Zhaozhao came back fully dressed, they carried their daughter and rushed to the hospital.
When Shen Zhaozhao woke up again, she found herself lying in the hospital.
The walls and beds were glaringly white; she even had an IV drip in her arm, and there was still a vague pain in her lower abdomen.
Her father and mother sat beside her, both heaving a sigh of relief upon seeing her awaken.
"What happened to me?" Shen Zhaozhao’s voice was a bit hoarse as she spoke.
"You scared your father and me to death, but thankfully, you’re okay. The doctor said it’s acute appendicitis; you’ll be fine once they’ve performed the surgery," Zhaozhao’s mother explained.
"Surgery?" Shen Zhaozhao was taken aback.
Wait, how could she need surgery just from getting a good night’s sleep?
"Don’t worry, it’s a very small surgery, the kind even interns can perform," Daddy Zhaozhao reassured her.
Alright then, if it had to be done, let surgery be it.
"Dad, I’m hungry!" Shen Zhaozhao stopped fretting over the surgery and looked pitifully at her father.
No matter what, eating was most important, not even surgery could disrupt her mealtime.
A troubled look flashed across Daddy Zhaozhao’s face as he said, "My dear, you’ve got to have surgery this afternoon. The doctor has instructed a 12-hour fast, so you’ll have to bear with it. Once the surgery is over and we’re back home, Dad will cook you something delicious."
To have surgery was one thing; to be forbidden from eating was another.
Was this not a bolt from the blue?
As if feeling that the blow wasn’t heavy enough, Zhaozhao’s mother continued, "It’s not just fasting before surgery, you’ll have to fast for 2–3 days after the surgery too. Who told you to be unable to control your own mouth? The doctor said this is all caused by improper diet." The girl had always been greedy since she was young, unable to resist good food, and now she’d brought trouble upon herself, hadn’t she?
Shen Zhaozhao instantly felt as if the sky had collapsed, saying weakly, "Between dying of pain and dying of hunger, I would rather choose the former."
"Don’t talk nonsense," Daddy Zhaozhao intervened, "No talk of dying. My daughter is fine. It’s just two or three days; we can bear with it. It will pass quickly."