"Nurse, excuse me! The heart patient who was rushed in this morning—what room is she in?"
Doug Feng had just arrived at the municipal hospital, but he had no idea which room Auntie Liang was in. With no other option, he headed to the central information desk.
"Are you a family member?" the nurse asked politely.
"Doug? You're here too?"
Before he could respond, a familiar voice called out. It was Zhu Sis—Liang Yanzhu—who had just come down to pay the hospital bills.
"Perfect timing," Doug said with a smile. "Saves me the trouble of asking around."
She was holding her insurance card and a pile of documents. Her eyes were red-rimmed, and dark circles hung under them. Doug felt a sharp pang in his chest at the sight.
"How's Auntie Liang?" he asked, stepping closer. Seeing Zhu Sis in this state made him want to pull her into his arms and protect her from the whole world.
"She's stable now—out of danger," she said, forcing a smile, but her voice quivered with emotion. "But… what about your exams? Shouldn't you be in school?"
"I finished early this morning. There's nothing until the English test at 1:30. I figured I'd come check in on her."
"Come on, I'll take you up. Your mom's there too—thank goodness for her. I honestly don't know what I would've done on my own."
She wiped at her eyes and led Doug to the fifth floor.
"Doug? You're here already?" Mrs. Zhao, Doug's mother, was by Auntie Liang's bedside when they arrived. "You done with exams?"
"Yep. Just thought I'd come see how she's doing. Is she okay now?"
Lying in bed, Auntie Liang looked pale and frail, fast asleep. Doug's heart sank a little.
"She's stable for now," Mrs. Zhao said with a sigh. "But heart problems… you know how it is."
She turned to Zhu Sis and added seriously, "Yanzhu, you've got to stop fighting with your mom. Her heart's fragile—you know that. One argument could be fatal."
"I know, Auntie Zhao," Zhu Sis whispered, her eyes already turning red again. "I won't argue with her anymore. I promise."
Tears rolled down her cheeks—big, fat drops of guilt and sadness.
So that's what happened, Doug thought. Her heart condition flared up because of an argument.
"Don't be too hard on yourself, child," Mrs. Zhao said gently. "These things happen. What did the doctor say?"
"They said she's safe for now," Zhu Sis replied, her voice trembling. "But to truly fix the problem, she needs a heart stent surgery—soon."
Doug's brows furrowed. "A heart stent? That's expensive, right?"
Mrs. Zhao's face tightened at the mention. "That's not cheap. Old Wang from the office had one done last year—cost more than a hundred thousand."
"Yeah," Zhu Sis said with a heavy nod. "Just one stent is twenty or thirty thousand. If we go with imported materials, it's even more. The doctor said she'll probably need at least three. After insurance, it's still close to a hundred grand… But we… we just don't have that kind of money."
She broke down completely, tears streaming down her face.
"Hey, don't cry," Doug said softly. "It's okay. Everything's gonna be alright."
He didn't know how to comfort her, but in his head, a plan was forming. Money? If that was the only problem, then it wasn't a problem at all. Once he cashed in his lottery ticket, he'd have more than enough to cover everything.
"Let's not worry about the money right now," Mrs. Zhao said after a pause. "If it comes to it, we'll help out. You can gather the rest."
"No, Auntie Zhao, I couldn't—your family isn't exactly wealthy either." She looked at Doug and added, "He just took his college entrance exams. You need that money for his tuition."
"Let me worry about that," Mrs. Zhao said firmly. "Doug's college plans can wait. Treating your mom is more important. Just tell me how much you still need—we're family, not strangers."
Doug nodded. That was his mom—always ready to help. With the bond between their families, she wouldn't think twice.
"Auntie Zhao, I don't even know how to thank you. You've always looked after us…"
Doug clenched his fists. He had to redeem that lottery ticket today. He had to.
"Yanzhu! Yanzhu, how's Auntie doing?"
The hospital room door burst open, and a man's voice rang out.
"Yang Weicheng! This is a hospital—keep your voice down," Zhu Sis scolded.
Doug turned to see a man at the door carrying a fruit basket. That must be Yang Weicheng—her boyfriend.
"Right, right, sorry! How is she? I got here as soon as I could. Something came up at the office…" He awkwardly set the basket down, unsure of what to do with himself.
"No need for you to come," Zhu Sis said coldly. "Really."
Clearly not in the mood to deal with him, she turned to Doug instead. "You've still got an exam this afternoon, right? You should head back. Mom's stable now. Focus on your test."
"Alright. I'll come by again tonight."
Seeing that Auntie Liang was no longer in danger, Doug didn't argue. He wasn't much help here anyway.
"Bye, Mom. Don't overwork yourself," he said, giving Mrs. Zhao a quick hug before heading out.
Auntie Liang's condition couldn't wait—he had to redeem that ticket ASAP. But with everything going on, how could he slip away?
He grabbed a bite on the way back and made it to school just after 1 PM—just in time for the final exam: English.
"Doug Feng!"
A sharp voice called his name the second he stepped onto campus.