Chapter 62: Chapter 62: Parting in Life and Death?
The door was opened from the outside; Uncle Song looked at his son, who was still frowning in his sleep, and let out a deep sigh.
He had heard Song Jisheng borrowing money in low tones from everyone last night, but now it seemed it was not as successful as hoped.
He blamed himself for being useless, having lived for so many years, and now with his wife sick, it fell to his son to humble himself and beg for help.
Uncle Song held back tears in his eyes, sat next to Song Jisheng, and as he looked at his son\'s face, he felt, as if in a trance, that his son had grown up. He had become a man who could stand tall and firm, who would one day be the mainstay of their family, while he himself had grown old.
Uncle Song decided that later he would meet with a few old comrades to see if he could borrow some money from them.
He gently tucked in his son\'s blanket and saw the cellphone his son was still clutching in his sleep; he slowly pulled it from Song Jisheng\'s hand.
Just as he was about to lock the screen, he glanced at it, just for a moment, and saw the record of a recent transaction.
500,000!!!
This was undoubtedly a huge sum for an ordinary family.
He didn\'t know who his son had borrowed it from, but it seemed unlikely that his son had such wealthy friends...
At that moment, Uncle Song\'s mind was filled with the possibility that his son might have done something illegal to save his mother. If that were the case, he would rather go kneel and beg himself than see his son stray onto the wrong path.
"Jisheng, Jisheng, wake up."
Uncle Song shook his son\'s shoulder.
Song Jisheng opened his eyes groggily and, seeing it was his father, asked unclearly, "What happened?"
"The 500,000 in your phone, who transferred it to you? I\'m telling you, I\'d rather figure out a way myself than have you do something illegal!"
Looking at his father\'s stern face, Song Jisheng lit a cigarette and said slowly, "Dad, what are you talking about? The money is borrowed from Song Yun. I just made a phone call, and Song Yun said he had some spare cash and lent it to me first."
Song Yun???
Uncle Song\'s mind conjured up the sunny face of Song Yun, and tears streamed down.
People nowadays are very shrewd; it\'s all good when it comes to eating and drinking together, but when it comes to money, they turn their backs immediately.
That was also why Uncle Song hadn\'t asked his relatives for a loan, because there had been more than one or two instances where relatives had fallen out over such matters.
But Song Yun, the kid, had only graduated a few years ago and yet was willing to cough up so much money, which was testament to the fact that blood is thicker than water.
"Didn\'t Song Yun have a girlfriend? And it looked like they were about to get married soon. Isn\'t this money his betrothal gift..."
Uncle Song was somewhat worried.
"No, Yun said he broke up with his girlfriend."
Watching Uncle Song wanting to ask more, Song Jisheng snuffed out his cigarette and sighed, "Dad, I haven\'t slept all night. Instead of asking me these questions now when you have the time, you should immediately take my card and pay for Mom\'s hospitalization fees."
"Yes, yes, yes, then you continue to sleep; find something to eat when you wake up!"
Uncle Song slapped his leg, almost forgetting the urgent matter at hand, carefully closed the door to his son\'s room, and sprang up in the living room, his eyes filled with joy.
He wrapped his son\'s bank card in a handkerchief several times over and, without bothering to ride a bike, hailed a taxi and rushed to the hospital.
After adding more money to his wife\'s hospitalization account at the payment office, he went to the attending physician\'s office.
Having examined the scans for a long time, the doctor finally asked the other patients to leave and waited until only he and Uncle Song were left in the room. The doctor regretfully said, "Based on my many years of medical experience, there is a high probability that your wife\'s tumor is not benign..."
Upon hearing this, Uncle Song felt as if he had been struck by lightning, standing there dazed and unable to come to terms with the news.
"To be honest, look here, the location of this tumor is very tricky. Once operated on, there are only two outcomes: one is to remove the tumor and then test it to see if it\'s benign; the other is...since the tumor is right next to the major artery, it could very likely cause severe bleeding, and the patient... has a very high chance of not surviving the surgery."
"Then Doctor, do you have any good suggestions?"
Uncle Song restrained the pain in his heart and calmly asked.
He kept repeating to himself that he was the pillar of the family, and he must not fall before his wife was completely better. If he fell, the family would be finished.
"I\'m sorry, it\'s my lack of medical skills; I cannot make any promises to you. However, Magic Capital People\'s Hospital and Magic Capital Huachuang Private Hospital are the best in this field in Magic Capital. You could ask them."
After speaking, the doctor offered Uncle Song a cigarette, knowing that the man in front of him had already shouldered far too much. Not to mention the cost of the surgery, the subsequent chemotherapy, medication, and recovery would all be a bottomless pit.
"Then…" Uncle Song\'s hands were trembling as he held the cigarette, and with quivering lips, he asked, "Magic Capital People\'s Hospital and Huachuang Hospital, approximately how much would this surgery cost?"
"The total cost at Magic Capital People\'s Hospital, including the upcoming chemotherapy and initial medication, is conservatively estimated at around seven hundred thousand. Huachuang, being a private hospital with internationally renowned doctors, would cost significantly more, around three million.
But the higher price comes with benefits; if operated on at Huachuang, the patient\'s chances of survival are much higher."
"Okay... thank you. I will go back and think about it."
Uncle Song seemed soulless as he left the office. He didn\'t know how he managed to comfort his wife and return home.
It was only after Song Jisheng woke up and saw his father sitting blankly on the sofa that he managed to rouse him.
"Son... your mother\'s condition…" Uncle Song could no longer hold back and began to cry with his hands covering his face.
"Dad! What exactly happened?"
Song Jisheng asked anxiously. Although he already had a bad feeling, he clung to a sliver of hope until his father said it out loud.
"The doctor said your mother\'s tumor is next to the major artery, and their hospital can\'t operate; they suggested we go to either Magic Capital People\'s Hospital or Huachuang Private Hospital..."
Upon hearing this, Song Jisheng\'s mind became exceptionally clear.
Taking his mother\'s medical scans, he said, "While it\'s still early, I\'ll go to the People\'s Hospital to inquire first; as for Huachuang... consider it a second option."
It wasn\'t that he didn\'t want to give his mother the best medical care, but their family simply had no money left. To him, Huachuang Private Hospital was a place for the rich to receive treatment, not somewhere an ordinary family like his could afford.
But an hour later, Song Jisheng was in despair again. The answer given by the People\'s Hospital was not much different from the previous one, only slightly increasing the very low risk, yet it was still below 50%.