I Can Hear the Heart's Voice of Traditional Chinese Medicine-Chapter 426 - 175: In This World, There Is Only One Illness—Poverty (Part 2)

Chapter 426: Chapter 175: In This World, There Is Only One Illness—Poverty (Part 2)

"My dad told me not to get treated anymore, not to end up losing both the person and the money, getting into debt, and ruining a lifetime, just let him die. But I’ve already lost my mom, if I don’t even have a family member left, what’s the point of living?"

"Sometimes I think, instead of living so painfully, it might be better to just go with my dad."

"Both my dad and I are honest people. If we die, we should go to heaven, not hell. Maybe, up there, there aren’t as many worries and the pain of illness."

At this point, Li Chengyuan’s eyes reddened: "I used to often watch documentaries online. Although I was touched at the time, as the situation hadn’t happened to me, the feeling wasn’t deep. I just thought those people were really pitiful, but within a few days, I would forget completely.

But now, I suddenly feel that the most powerless thing in the world is when I’ve exhausted all my efforts yet can’t do anything.

I’ve always been living hard, hoping through hard work, life would show new light. But in reality, nothing has changed.

Tomorrow I will still be repeating yesterday’s life, and the most suffocating thing is, I can even see what I look like at the end of the road."

Li Chengyuan bitterly smiled: "I had a friend who said something to me before."

"What did he say?"

"The most powerless place in the world, he asked me, where is the most powerless place in the world?" Li Chengyuan said.

Liu Shao asked: "Where?"

Li Chengyuan looked at him: "I asked him the same thing, and he told me, if you think life is unfortunate, then, try staying in a hospital for one day."

Back then, when I heard this sentence, I didn’t quite understand. Until he told me about a show called "ER Stories," then I understood a bit more.

The entire documentary is actually filled with helpless stories, where one in particular makes you feel there’s nothing you can do but sigh.

A man took his father to see a doctor, and while his father was waiting for treatment, all he had in his pocket was a hundred bucks. His base salary was just two thousand yuan.

At the consultation desk, the man kept asking the doctor what should be done, as his father was the only one he could rely on. The doctor sensed his helplessness and did everything he could to help him.

Later, he took all his hopes, pleading to the heavens to help his father, but unfortunately, those hopes fell short, as the heavens took him away.

When signing, the man’s hand was trembling. He even asked the doctor: ’Is there a chance it’s "false death"?’ but only received a negative answer.

Someone said: "Shouldn’t saving people come first, before discussing payment? Aren’t doctors too cold-blooded?"

But doctors aren’t gods; they’re just ordinary people doing their jobs. Also, most doctors are already giving their all without reservation.

Moreover, the hospital isn’t the doctor’s—they can’t make that decision."

"Now, looking at myself, how am I any different from the man in the story?" Li Chengyuan said this as he couldn’t help but bite his lip.

"Only when you go to a hospital do you know what despair is, there are truly too many human sufferings there."

Liu Shao sighed: "When I was hospitalized, because I liked wandering around, I met an old brother who worked in the mines for many years and got cancer. When diagnosed, he actually was still salvageable.

But, after thinking for a long time, the old brother chose to give up treatment because he knew that even if he got cured, he would lose his working ability.

When leaving the hospital, the old brother said a sentence to me: ’Treating this disease could very well lead to a broken family and ruined people; without treatment, people perish, but at least the family is still there.’

He didn’t want to stop living; after all, there are so many beautiful things in the world that he has lived half his life but hasn’t yet seen.

But behind him, he still has his family. Sometimes, knowing there isn’t much hope, giving up is the only thing they can do, appearing as the hopeful thing.

I remember a phrase: ’Sometimes, the prayer heard outside the walls of an operation room may be more than in a church.’

Actually, the helplessness of life is just like that. So, you often see those who’ve experienced life and death, all they seek is ordinary peace."

"Who wouldn’t agree?"

Li Chengyuan looked up at the ceiling: "Some people hate materialistic people, but reality keeps teaching many people that you have to be a bit more down-to-earth, a bit more materialistic, that’s life.

So, the only thing I can do is work a little harder, accumulate a little more. I hope I won’t ever need it, only that when needed, I’ll feel a little less powerless."

Liu Shao raised his hand to pat Li Chengyuan’s shoulder: "Even if you don’t accept it, even if you resist, nothing changes. Life is just that real, that cruel. You’ve been my old friend for a while, you should know my state before, I was actually ready to give up, until I met Dr. Lu, I regained hope for life."

He said, patting his chest again: "As you’ve seen, ever since I took the medicine prescribed by Dr. Lu, my body has truly gotten better day by day. I believe your uncle can do it too, at least he might live a normal life."

"Brother Liu, thank you." Li Chengyuan looked at Liu Shao gratefully.

"No need to thank me."

Liu Shao smiled slightly: "If anyone should be thanked, it’s you guys I should thank. If it weren’t for you all pushing me in the live broadcast room day in and day out to keep going, I would’ve given up treatment long ago. With my situation, I’d be buried beneath a pile of dirt by now, and where would’ve the chance to meet Dr. Lu come from?"

Li Chengyuan said nothing then. He, as a fan, witnessed Liu Shao’s condition. It’s not an exaggeration to say, if it weren’t for these people comforting him day and night, Liu Shao might have really given up treatment and done nothing to save himself. He wouldn’t have gone to the Health Center for treatment.

Li Chengyuan turned to look at his aging father, took his father’s hand and said: "Dad, Brother Liu is right, Dr. Lu is really amazing, plus the cost of a month’s worth of Chinese medicine isn’t high, with insurance it might just be a few hundred yuan, and now insurance allows for out-of-town settlement. You don’t need to worry about the expenses. No matter what, let’s let Dr. Lu take a look first. I have no other family left, you can’t just leave me to live alone in this world."

Old Li was silent, after a long while, suddenly his eyes reddened: "Chengyuan, it’s your dad who’s dragging you down!"

"If I didn’t get sick, your life should have been good; although the salary isn’t high, you still have over a hundred thousand in savings, maybe you could even marry a wife then, but now..."

At this moment, Old Li was deeply immersed in self-blame.

Li Chengyuan, with a complex expression, opened his mouth: "Dad, how can this be blamed on you?"

"If anyone’s to blame, it’s my inability to earn money, which is why I can’t even provide the money for your treatment."

"Son, it’s not your fault."

"Dad, let’s try one last time, if Dr. Lu’s medicine doesn’t help, then I’ll listen to you, we won’t see any more doctors, okay?" 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

...

Watching the father and son blaming themselves back and forth, Liu Shao took a deep breath, but didn’t know how to comfort them. Having been through it himself, he knew just how painful and difficult it was, a bitter feeling in his heart that couldn’t be put into words.

"Number 18, Li XX, please go to the Chinese Medicine Consultation Room for your appointment."

Hearing the sudden call for his number, Liu Shao came back to his senses, stood up, and gently patted Li Chengyuan and his father’s shoulders: "It’s our turn, let’s go together, coincidentally, I’m number 19."

Only then did Li Chengyuan hear his father’s name come from the speaker, and while supporting Old Li together, they headed toward the consultation room with Liu Shao.