In the end, the compensation from the accident couldn’t escape a back-and-forth tug of war. Originally, the dump truck driver was responsible, so logically, the truck owner and the construction site should be held liable. But the dump truck driver was seriously injured and couldn’t pay the compensation, and when the truck owner saw the truck damage—along with the driver’s medical fees—and realised he would have to pay Wei Dong’s ongoing expenses as well, he threw a fit. Like smashing a pot just because it has a crack, he threw his hands up in the air and told them just to sue him.[1]

If one party is unwilling to cooperate, the follow up legal proceedings won’t be able to proceed smoothly, causing delay after delay. Wei Dong’s compensation would still be a while away.

Qin Youyou was incredibly anxious—after a month of hospital stay, the money in his account is getting less and less. He’d called the construction company several times to enquire, but they never gave an answer, only saying they were dealing with it. Qin Youyou could do nothing further. The excavator owner was quite good—he’d come over several times without empty hands, but he himself was out several million with his basically scrapped excavator, and was also dealing with the insurance company lawsuit. Truly, he had his hands full with his own suffering.

Qin Youyou didn’t dare tell Wei Dong about the daily expenses in detail, worried he would not want treatment if he knew.

It was unknown when he would be discharged, but Qin Youyou enquired about the rehabilitation that was still to come. The fees are charged according to what is needed that session, and it ranged from a few hundred to over a thousand yuan, and it would be a long-term process. It was likely Wei Dong wouldn’t be able to operate an excavator in the future because his waist could not sit for long periods of time, and at the very least, he wouldn’t be able to do any physical heavy work for a year or two. His mother’s fees for the sanitorium also had to be paid on time every time. Qin Youyou was almost certain that the money he made from working from home still wouldn’t be enough to cover all the expenses. What could be done? Delaying his rehabilitation would affect the rest of his life, so Qin Youyou would not delay it. Every time he thought about these things it caused him to go in to a panic. Despite never showing anything but smiles in front of Wei Dong, every time he turned the corner from the ward his face would turn to a frown and his entire body felt like the air was being sucked out of him.

After Wei Dong had stabilised, Qin Youyou started going home every day to cook. He bought fresh ingredients and prepared it before he brought it to the hospital. This not only saved money on buying the ready-made food, it also allowed for better nourishment, which made him feel better.

Now that his leg no longer needed to be suspended, Wei Dong’s activity while lying down increased significantly compared to before. His thigh still couldn’t get off the bed, but he attempted to strengthen his waist and lower back with exercises. However, seeing as most of the patients with fractures in the same ward would be discharged after a minimum of ten days or at most after a month, he couldn’t help but suffer in silence every day.

Initially Qin Youyou didn’t sense there was a problem, until one day he walked in to the ward with thermal food box and found Wei Dong standing on the floor, holding on to the edge of the bed for support. He was utterly stunned and rushed over to move him back to the bed.

“Ge what are you doing? If you need anything and I’m not here you can ask a nurse. What were you doing out of bed?!” he asked panicked.

Wei Dong’s forehead was drenched in sweat. “I wanted to see if I could stand up.”

When Qin Youyou heard this, he became anxious. “The doctor said it would take another two or three months before you can walk. Why are you in such a hurry? What if you cause another injury?”

Wei Dong glanced at him. “I want to be discharged.”

Qin Youyou stared blankly, but he instantly knew what Wei Dong meant.

After a long time, he wordlessly turned around and walked to the washroom to wash his hand. When he came out he set up a small table, took out the dishes from the thermal food box and arranged them neatly. He also took out glasses for water.

“Youyou,” Wei Dong called out to him.

Qin Youyou took a breath. He turned around and put down the glasses next to his hand. “We’ll do what the doctor says, Ge. We can’t just discharge you from the hospital.

Wei Dong wanted to say something but Qin Youyou interrupted him. “You don’t have to be worried about the money—I have found a way. I’m just telling you that the only thing you need to concern yourself with making sure you look after yourself and heal properly. Do you understand, Ge?”

Wei Dong blinked at him, not saying a word.

Qin Youyou lowered his eyes to look at the table. “Let’s eat first.”

Wei Dong understood clearly, that Qin Youyou had no choice but to ask Liu Jingwen for money. He had no relatives to ask, and his very nature kept people away. He couldn’t make more time or energy, so where else could he have found money from.

Wei Dong doesn’t know why he often keeps think of the time the two of them first me. At that time, the kid had nowhere else to go for help and went to that small park… But now he felt, all of a sudden, Qin Youyou being with him was pointless.

Nothing has changed for the better—it’s even worse right now. If his injuries don’t recover, he won’t be able to operate an excavator, he won’t be able to do manual labour—how could he not be a burden on Qin Youyou…

This thought gradually began to torment Wei Dong day and night. He thought of himself in the future, then thought about Qin Youyou, and it became increasingly difficult for him to remain calm with all of this churning in his heart.

Qin Youyou’s daily comforting and concerns for him were no longer effective. Even though Wei Dong smiled and did his treatment as required, Qin Youyou could feel the difference. He watched Wei Dong leaning against the hospital bed more and more staring blankly out the window, and he knew some of the things he had once tried so hard to hold on to were slowly slipping away.

When Wei Dong was uncomfortable, he didn’t tell him any longer. Besides not getting out of bed, everything else he could do by himself he did, to the point where he drank less water so that he wouldn’t need to pee as often. He tried not to bother Qin Youyou too much, and endured the pain and discomfort again and again. Qin Youyou looked into his eyes and his heart almost collapsed.

He asked Wei Dong with red eyes, “What’s happening, Ge? Are you upset?”

Wei Dong didn’t say anything. Eventually he held Wei Dong’s hand. “Have a rest, okay.”

Money, the reality of their situation that lay before them, it made both of them suffer in their hearts. The emotions that had supported them all along had instead become the least important thing. Qin Youyou was at a loss of what to do, but he tried to break Wei Dong’s bad spell. Wei Dong remained silent as the days went by.

Qin Youyou was agonised. When Wei Dong woke up and realised the severity of his injuries, even then he wasn’t as depressed as now. Qin Youyou didn’t know what to do. Wei Dong was so resigned and so quiet, even when Qin Youyou held his hand under the sheets he didn’t speak. Wei Dong held his hand back and the two of them would sit there in silence.

Qin Youyou tried his best to understand Wei Dong. None of the other bedridden patients in the ward had as a good a temper as him, and he knew that very well. Once when he got up in the middle of the night he found Wei Dong awake, leaning up against the bed and frowning at his own hand. Qin Youyou rubbed his eyes and went to take a look—the spot where the IV was situated was bulging, and his entire hand was shockingly swollen. Wei Dong’s expression showed he was in pain. Qin Youyou was so panicked he didn’t even bother asking a question before running out to find a nurse.

The nurse quickly came over and removed the needle. She reinserted it into his other hand and said that applying heat to the swollen hand would be fine and it was nothing to worry about. Then she urged them—next time it happens, call someone quicker.

Qin Youyou stood to the side and watched.

The nurse walked out and Wei Dong smiled weakly at him. “No big deal. You go back to sleep now.”

“Why didn’t you call me?” Qin Youyou asked him.

“I didn’t think it was a big deal. I was going to say something in the morning.”

“Ge, doesn’t it hurt?” Qin Youyou asked.

Wei Dong answered. “It doesn’t hurt.”

“If you’re in pain—”

Wei Dong raised his head. Qin Youyou was standing there with his lips trembling, tears streaming down his face, his eyes filled with a mixture anger and uncontrollable desolation.

Wei Dong stared at him.

Qin Youyou stared right back at him.

Nobody could say for certain what was going on in their hearts at that moment, but there was a sense of deep helplessness sitting between them.

After a long while, Qin Youyou turned his face away and walked in to the washroom.

Wei Dong lay back down and closed his eyes.

When Qin Youyou came out again, he was holding a hot towel in his hand. He double folded it and put it in a plastic bag. Wordlessly, he placed it on Wei Dong’s hand, taking great care in how he placed it. Wei Dong’s eyes looked at him.

There was only the small light next to the bedside on in the room, the faint light enveloping both of them.

Qin Youyou had washed his face but hadn’t wiped away the droplets. His eyelashes were damp and clumped together, hanging down.

He lowered his head as he carefully placed the towel, gently rubbing. Wei Dong looked at him.

In the late night in the ward, nobody spoke again.

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[1] 破罐破摔 it means to refuse to fix the fault, or like ‘throwing your hands up and giving up’ attitude. I had to rework the sentence slightly to make it work.