"Xiaoyu, I’m your brother, and I still have to sign the consent form for your surgery. I know you long for sight, but the eyes are no small matter. All these years, there has been no cure, how could Lu Mian possibly find a solution? Let’s just be honest and remove the eyeball; I don’t have to worry about you anymore..."
As Fu Yao was persuading him, his wife Weng Xia walked out.
"Lu Mian’s call? Is she still with that rich playboy?"
Fu Yu didn’t respond to her.
Weng Xia sighed quietly and then took out something from her pocket, "This surgery is going to cost a lot, right? I’ve gone through our bank book and cash at home, and this is all we have."
She laid five hundred yuan on the table with a reluctant air.
Fu Yao glared at his wife, "Didn’t I tell you to prepare the money for the surgery?"
"We still need money for daily expenses at home, your son and your daughter are in school, they all cost money..." Weng Xia retorted.
Fu Yao resented Weng Xia somewhat; she was too unsympathetic.
His brother, Fu Yu, had given all of the family inheritance to him, the elder brother. Over the years, he and his wife hadn’t really done much for Fu Yu, just one more set of bowls and chopsticks at home.
The money for this surgery was nothing compared to the inheritance they received.
Five hundred yuan wasn’t even enough for the anesthesia.
Fu Yu, on the other hand, didn’t mind these things. He had his own job, a stable income, and while it wasn’t much, it was enough to Discover more novels on NovelHub - your gateway to endless stories.
But the repair surgery Mianmian had arranged for him was likely quite expensive, just the specialist surgeon alone, not to mention the medication and follow-up care.
He decided he had better ask to be certain.
Fu Yu reached for his cane, his movements slow.
He was now blind; he couldn’t see anything. Previously he had merely been visually impaired, but over the past two years, it had progressively worsened until, over the past month, he had nearly lost his sight completely.
Overwhelmed by darkness, he had to submit to his fate: Enucleation.
At this moment, the news Mianmian brought was like a drought relief, and he was both startled and elated.
Fu Yu was in good spirits and got up to say goodbye.
Just then, his phone rang in his pocket, with the voice announcement stating the caller ID.
[Miss Shen: 152xxxxxxxx...]
Fu Yao and Weng Xia paused momentarily.
Under the curious gaze of the couple, Fu Yu took the call.
"Mr. Fu, has Miss Lu already told you the good news?"
"Yes, Mianmian told me."
"You’re in Lucheng now, right? I happen to be here for a performance. Give me your address and I’ll come to pick you up; let’s go to the hospital together."
Fu Yu was slow to react and instinctively gave the name of Fu Yao’s residential complex.
Shen Yixin spoke very gently, "Wait for me; I’ll be right there," and then hung up.
"Who is this Miss Shen... Xiaoyu, is she your sweetheart?" Fu Yao asked curiously.
"No, you’re mistaken," Fu Yu quickly denied.
Weng Xia patted Fu Yu, "We haven’t misunderstood. Second brother, focus on your surgery. Your sister-in-law has always been worrying about your marriage. Just a few days ago, there was a lady in our complex wanting to introduce her distant niece to you. The girl is a bit slow, but she’s physically able, can take care of herself and won’t have a problem bearing children..."
Fu Yu frowned; if he wasn’t a patient man, he would have already lost his temper with Weng Xia.
The contempt for him and for people with disabilities evident in Weng Xia’s words made Fu Yu very uncomfortable.
He leaned on his crutch and indifferently said the word "farewell" before leaving.
Weng Xia was still muttering dissatisfiedly behind him, "Not even a thank you, no appreciation for a good deed..."
Fu Yu had been waiting at the entrance of the residential complex for over ten minutes when Shen Yixin arrived by taxi.
She was still generous and appropriate in her demeanor, wearing a lace glove on her left hand to cover her scar, and she greeted Fu Yu warmly.
The Shen Family had previously suffered a great loss and had already withdrawn from the family rankings.
Fortunately, Shen Yihe and Shen Yixin had never relied much on their family before, as both had their own careers. They were not affected by the incident that befell the Shen Family.
The current state of the Shen Family might not match its past glory, but for Shen Yixin, it was actually a happier time.
Her parents would no longer pressure her into an arranged marriage on behalf of the family.
With one hand, Shen Yixin helped Fu Yu into the taxi. Both of them, one with a disabled hand and the other blind, looked quite pitiable together, but sitting side by side, they seemed to share a sense of empathy for each other.
Shen Yixin explained, "Xi Xi called me, saying that Miss Lu had obtained a miraculous medicine that could help you restore your eyesight and help repair my hand tissue. That’s why I’m accompanying you to the hospital."
"Miraculous medicine?"
"Miss Lu didn’t tell you?" Shen Yixin smiled apologetically, "It’s best to let Xi Xi or Miss Lu tell you personally. But what I can confirm is that I’ve benefited from your good fortune."
Fu Yu waved his hand dismissively, "Don’t say that, you’re the Shen Family daughter, what medicine can’t you buy..."
Shen Yixin paused, touching her left hand and letting out a self-deprecating laugh, "What Shen Family daughter? With my left hand gone, my parents still see me as useless..."
"..." Fu Yu took a breath and said apologetically, "I can understand how you feel. Sorry..."
The two of them took the taxi from Lucheng all the way to Jinjing Central Hospital.
While Fu Yu and Shen Yixin were waiting for the elevator, they happened to run into his attending physician, Du Changyi.
Du Changyi was leading a group of medical interns on rounds.
Of course, it was Du Changyi who first greeted Fu Yu, "Mr. Fu, have you made up your mind about coming to the hospital? I sincerely recommend that you have the surgery as soon as possible to avoid affecting your other organs..."
Fu Yu smiled at Du Changyi, "Dr. Du, thank you, I still want to give it a try."
"Try?" Du Changyi was puzzled, "What else do you want to try for? Medical miracles do happen, but not in cases like yours. Your eye socket area is getting increasingly painful, isn’t it? You can’t see anything, right? The longer you delay, the worse it’s going to get—there won’t be a miracle!"
Du Changyi was earnestly persuasive.
Fu Yu thanked him, "Dr. Du, my relatives have found a way to repair my eyeballs."
Du Changyi was stunned, feeling as though he had misheard.
"Mr. Fu, I hope you haven’t fallen for some charlatan..."
"Mr. Fu, I can tell you unequivocally that there is no way to repair your eyeballs at present. Removal is the only option! I’ve been in this profession for many years. Would I lie to you?"
Fu Yu lowered his eyes and said little else, merely stating calmly, "If people don’t fight for themselves, how can they be content?"
Shen Yixin looked up at Fu Yu; even though there was no light in his eyes, she understood his perseverance and stubbornness.
Fu Yu reminded her so much of herself.
Shen Yixin gave Du Changyi a slight smile and led Fu Yu into the elevator.
As Du Changyi watched the two of them leaving, he shook his head and sighed to the interns by his side.
"What’s the use? In the end, they’ll still have to come to me..."