Multiples of tens of thousands of yuan had already been paid over. Qin Youyou hadn’t expected it to disappear that quickly—when he received the payment reminder, he got a fright and immediately went to the bank to withdraw the money to pay the bill, scared the hospital would cut off Wei Dong’s medication.

For the consecutive surgeries—of which there were several—each on sat on a minimum of several tens of thousands. Qin Youyou had no objections to the doctor’s medications or treatment plans—so long as it was to help Wei Dong, he would lower his head and sign his name. He couldn’t worry about such things now—money could be slowly earned back, but he must hold on to this person as tightly as he can. Even if they were left without a single cent[1], he wouldn’t let go, not even an inch.

The ICU stay lasted seven days. When Wei Dong was discharged from there, nearly all the savings that Wei Dong had accumulated over all the years, as well as all the money Qin Youyou had earned from working all over, were half used up. Qin Youyou looked at the endless list of expenses, his heart sinking further and further as his palms broke out in a cold sweat.

Money is incredibly useful. By constantly pouring it in, it was able to pull Wei Dong back from the brink and give him life. And while Qin Youyou was extremely relieved, he knew the reality of what was coming next would be harsh. Even though Wei Dong had been transferred to an ordinary ward, the severity of his bone and internal injuries would leave him bedridden for a period of time. The day of his discharge from the hospital was a long way off, and he didn’t know how much longer their savings would hold out.

Qin Youyou needed money, and he needed a lot of it. He could live off bread and water with no problem, but he would not hold up Wei Dong’s recovery. Even once his injuries had healed, his rehabilitation would be a long journey, and the expenses would simply be a bottomless pit.

Qin Youyou had already started thinking of ways to make extra money, but he also needed to be around 24 hours a day to be a caregiver—there was simply no time to take on an extra job.

Qin Youyou thought they first needed get through this period. Wei Dong needed someone with him at all times, and even if he was worried, he would first need to wait for the situation to stabilise before making further plans.

He checked the urine bag that was hanging from the bedside, then went to the washroom to get a basin of hot water, closed the curtain and began to wipe down Wei Dong’s body.

The wounds were still horrifying. Qin Youyou carefully avoided the injured areas, wiping his face, neck, chest down to his feet. Wei Dong’s leg needed to be suspended, and he would massage it every now and again, carefully checking the blood circulation.

Qin Youyou endured the stinging in his nose, ever so happy he could finally touch Wei Dong again. A living, warm Wei Dong. After so many days, not being able to see or touch him, worrying if he would survive, his heart truly couldn’t bear to go through it a second time.

After he’d sorted out everything he needed to, he checked the IV, sat down next to the bed on a stool. He took a cup and used a cotton swab to wipe across Wei Dong’s lips then put the cup to the side.

Finally, he could take a good look at the person in front of him. For the past few days, this has been his favourite time—sitting next to Wei Dong and gently holding his hands while he gazed at him.

Finding a silver lining in misfortune is something only people who have experienced it before are able do. Nobody can turn back the flow of time to avoid that misfortune, but Qin Youyou was incomparably grateful for the great fortune of Wei Dong was still alive, and the great fortune of Wei Dong still having a long life ahead of him. Qin Youyou’s heart was filled with immense gratitude.

After the nasogastric tube was removed, Wei Dong was able to have a liquid diet. Qin Youyou felt that Wei Dong’s looked a bit better since he’d been moved out of the ICU, and his complexion a bit brighter. The past few days he hadn’t left, but now that Wei Dong’s condition was a bit better, he wanted to go home and buy ingredients to make something to bring him. He didn’t think the hospital’s meals were good enough—Wei Dong needed nourishment so he could heal. Qin Youyou mulled it over, his head filled with meal planning.

After an unknown period of time, Wei Dong frowned slightly and took a breath. Qin Youyou instantly snapped to attention and quickly went over.

“Ge?”

Wei Dong opened his eyes a fraction, then closed them again. After a few seconds he opened them again.

“How do you feel? Do you want some water?” Qin Youyou whispered.

Wei Dong slowly breathed in, his voice incredibly hoarse. “… Hurts.”

“Oh,” Qin Youyou quickly and carefully grabbed his hand. “Where does it hurt, Ge?”

“Leg…”

Of course Wei Dong’s leg was hurting—it was only two days ago he had his surgery and it was bound to be painful. Qin Youyou’s heart pained terribly, but to speak truthfully, when Wei Dong said his leg hurts, Qin Youyou’s heart had a mixture of joy in it too because it meant that he had feeling in his leg. It was just as the doctor had said; his spinal cord and nerves for his lower body had not been damaged.

Qin Youyou didn’t dare touch the site of the surgery, so he carefully massaged his two calves instead. “I’ll give you a massage, Ge, to improve your blood’s circulation. You’ll have to bear it for a few more days, then it will start to get better, and as the days go by it will be even better.”

Wei Dong’s expression was drained, but as he looked at him, the corner of his mouth lifted slightly.

Lying down all the time will be too uncomfortable, but Wei Dong hadn’t felt it too much when he was sedated. Now that he’s awake for longer periods of time, he is suffering. Right now, he was even incapable of rolling over. Qin Youyou went to buy two soft pillows and every now and again he would prop him on his side to change his position.

Spending your days in excruciating and constant pain, forced to just endure it is exhausting. Wei Dong’s face turned pale from pain but he didn’t say anything. Qin Youyou knew he would tolerate a lot, but the doctor had already refused to increase the dose of pain medication. He could do nothing but just endure it.

After he’d been fed lunch, Wei Dong was tired but he couldn’t sleep because of the pain. Qin Youyou stood next the side and massaged him, telling him jokes and stories.

Wei Dong had barely escaped death. From when he was unconscious to when he woke up, he still didn’t know what Qin Youyou had gone through during that time. He just looked at this kid in front of him, staring at him and brimming with hope. Even though he was thinner and haggard, he still smiled with his eyes shining brightly, a torrent of words spilling from his mouth even though he was a bit distracted.

Qin Youyou truly didn’t feel tired, he actually felt like his body had boundless energy. Every day Wei Dong was a little better than the day before, and that lifted his spirits, allowing him to breathe easier. Tired? Money? Compared to Wei Dong, all of that is so insignificant. He has no demands, and he doesn’t ask for much—he only wants Wei Dong to be well.

Normally after lumbar spine surgery the patient should get out of bed and move around as soon as possible, which is different from the conservative treatment. But Wei Dong’s leg is broken so he can’t move, which means Qin Youyou needs to assist him every day for an unknown amount of time, helping to raise his feet and lift his legs. Wei Dong hated the pain and didn’t want to do the exercises, so Qin Youyou would coax and beg him, muttering more than the patient himself.

“Can’t I… Just recover like this?” Wei Dong watched as Qin Youyou held and lifted his leg again, feeling helpless and also wanting to laugh.

“Nope. The doctor said you have to do proper exercise to recover muscle.”

Wei Dong was worried he’d struggle too much, so he quickly used his own strength to lift his leg up. Qin Youyou exercised him a little bit longer, then went over to the leg that had been operated on. “Ge, you need to be careful with this side. Don’t use too much force. I’ll help you and you can slowly get a feeling for it.”

After a set of exercises, Qin Youyou was exhausted and drenched in sweat, and Wei Dong wasn’t faring much better. Not only was he exhausted, but he was also in pain.

Qin Youyou didn’t even pause to take a breather—he went straight to the washroom to get hot water to wipe his body. Wei Dong spoke up. “Youyou, take a break.”

Qin Youyou shook his head. “No, it feels terrible to be covered in sweat. You can just roll over a bit and I’ll wipe your back, otherwise you’ll be more likely to get bedsores.”

Wei Dong looked at him.

Qin Youyou repeated. “You have to get used to rolling over by yourself, Ge. It’s not that I’m not willing to roll you over.”

“I know,” Wei Dong said.

Qin Youyou glanced at him. “Then roll over quickly. Any activity will strengthen you and promote your recovery. Quickly, roll over, don’t be lazy.”

Wei Dong laughed. He wrapped his right hand on the left side of the bed, grinding his teeth as he moved over. Qin Youyou quickly lifted up the hospital gown and wiped down his back. After wiping him down he used a pillow to prop him, then went over to the other side. “Lie like this for a little longer. Lying down flat is too uncomfortable.”

Wei Dong gave a “hmm” and reached out to touch Qin Youyou’s chin.

“You’ve lost weight.”

Qin Youyou looked around. Fortunately, he was accustomed to pulling the curtains closed each time so other people couldn’t see in.

“It’s okay,” he smiled and took Wei Dong’s hand to sneakily kiss it before letting go. “It’s only a little bit of weight. When you get better you can fatten me up.”

Wei Dong looked at him, his gaze tender. After a while he quietly asked, “Can it be okay?”

Qin Youyou stared at him. “What does that mean?”

Wei Dong used his arm to cushion his face and whispered. “I did some research on my phone yesterday. With the way my spine was damaged, it may not be able to recover…”

Qin Youyou looked at him.

Wei Dong sighed faintly. “I’m scared that…”

Qin Youyou paused for a second. “Ge, the doctor said your surgery was very successful, and it was fortunate that you did not injure the nerves. If you did, you wouldn’t have had leg pain, nor would you be tired after doing some exercises. Look, your feet can still move!” As he spoke, he rubbed Wei Dong’s suspended foot. Wei Dong immediately felt the tickle, but he still didn’t smile.

“But I…” he spoke quietly. “I don’t even feel the need to pee anymore. When I have to poop I have to use that… suppository… I checked on my phone and it’s said that this kind of injury can cause loss of bladder and bowl control…”

Wei Dong’s eyes visibly dimmed. Qin Youyou suddenly realised he’d probably been worried about this issue for quite a while, but he refused to show it in case he added more pressure on to the mental load Qin Youyou was already carrying.

Qin Youyou impatiently stared at him. “Ge… How can you be so foolish? The reason you don’t feel like peeing is because you have a urinary catheter. The pee flows out, so you can’t hold it in. As for pooping…”

Qin Youyou lowered his head to the side and spoke quietly. “That’s because you’ve been sedentary for a while, so the constipation is normal. What does it matter if you need to use it? Use it if you need to. You are recovering from an injury so don’t worry about these things. Wait until you are healed. There will be no difference from before, and you’ll be able to use the toilet like before.”

Wei Dong stared at him for an age. His mouth eventually curled. “Truly?”

“Truly,” Qin Youyou held his fingers, then lowered his head to kiss him. Looking up he spoke, “I’ve never lied to you, Ge. If there’s something on your mind that you don’t understand just ask me, don’t keep it inside. Otherwise, you’ll scare yourself.”

“I wasn’t scared,” Wei Dong gripped his hand. “I was only scared of burdening you.”

Qin Youyou’s eyes reddened, but he looked at Wei Dong with a bright expression and a smile. “In which case you should exercise well. Don’t be lazy. When you’re better, you won’t be scared of burdening me.”

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[1] 山穷水尽 lit. mountain and river exhausted, meaning at the end of the line/nowhere else to go