"Yi, I'm going to be admitted to the hospital today. I need you to sort things out for me, and don't tell anyone."
This was another instruction from Ye George as they drove. In the past few days, so much had happened that each event seemed to push Cheng Yi's mental endurance to its limits. She barely had time to process it all and could only focus on dealing with the most immediate tasks.
The car drove straight from the Ye family village to a hospital renowned for its proctology department. Cheng Yi suspected that George had made all the arrangements in advance—how else could he have checked in so quickly upon arrival, with a colonoscopy scheduled for the next day? Cheng Yi busied herself with the admission paperwork, paid the deposit, talked with the doctor, and signed a myriad of pre-operative forms. The most important thing now was to keep a close eye on George and make sure he didn't sneak any food before the procedure. She never imagined that in a single day, she'd be handling a hospital admission, paying respects to ancestors, and visiting a sick relative.
"Not even water? The surgery's not until tomorrow, I've been walking around all morning without lunch—can't I at least have some afternoon tea?"
"Just hang in there. You can have some water tomorrow morning before the colonoscopy, be patient."
"I have to drink a litre in one go? In an hour? Couldn't I just spread it out over eight hours instead? Yi, that's not logical."
When this old rascal got started on his nonsense, it never ended, leaving Cheng Yi exhausted from trying to manage him.
The next day, George was wheeled into the operating room, as Cheng Yi waited outside, she finally understood why he only wanted her to look after him and didn't want anyone else involved. The doctor had first arranged a colonoscopy to assess the severity of his condition. George had to fast before the procedure, but when it came time to drink the required large amount of water, he stubbornly resisted. In the end, it took the doctor's stern threat of an injection to get him to comply. Letting others see a man of his age behaving like a child? His pride couldn't handle it.
Meanwhile, Cheng Yi received messages from her landlord that the demolition date for her apartment had been confirmed, she had to move out by the end of the month. Although she had been prepared for this possibility when she first moved in, the news still made her a bit sentimental. She had hoped to stay there longer. Overhearing this, George couldn't help but laugh.
"Yi, don't worry about a place to stay. Stick with me, and you'll always have a roof over your head."
Cheng Yi, too tired to respond, focused on reading the doctor's instructions. The colonoscopy results confirmed that surgery was necessary, and the date was set for two days later. Lately, Cheng Yi had been running herself ragged taking care of George. Aside from his occasional antics with medicine and injections, he spent most of his time on his phone playing games. But that morning, he suddenly became obsessed with cartoons, watching them with great enthusiasm. Surprisingly, when it came to fasting before surgery, George followed the rules without a single complaint.
The evening before the surgery, Ye Minglang sent Cheng Yi a text with only a few cryptic words: "Yi, come outside."
What does he mean by that? Cheng Yi still needed to go to the doctor's office to sign the consent forms. As soon as she stepped out of the ward, she saw the Big Boss in the corridor, looking serious, with a rather reluctant Minglang beside him. Instinctively, she checked her phone—had she forgotten to turn off the location sharing?
Feeling like a child caught misbehaving, she lowered her head and approached, bracing herself for the first round of sarcastic remarks.
"Out on a holiday, are you? And somehow ended up at the hospital?"
Was it the holiday excuse she used on her leave request that gave her away? Saying she was on holiday wasn't convincing enough?
But she had actually done some sightseeing—half a day at the Ye Family Ancient Village. Carefully assessing the situation, Cheng Yi wisely kept her head down and remained silent. Crossing the Big Boss wasn't something she was eager to do.
"What's the old man's condition?"
"The tests are done. Surgery's scheduled for tomorrow morning."
The Big Boss walked past Cheng Yi without a second glance and headed straight for the ward. Ye Minglang stayed put, shifting awkwardly. He leaned in and quietly complained to the already weary Cheng Yi.
"I've no idea why he insisted I come. I don't really belong here, do I?"
Cheng Yi, too tired to comfort him, gave him a little push.
"Listen to your brother—just go in."
Inside, George was happily playing a game on his phone. As soon as he heard the door, he swiftly dropped the phone and sat up straight, trying to look serious.
"What are you doing here?"
He shot a displeased look at Cheng Yi, as if to say, "Who else would have ratted me out?"
"She had nothing to do with it."
Luckily, the Big Boss had cleared Cheng Yi's name, otherwise, she'd never hear the end of George's nagging afterward.
"Is everything alright?"
What a ridiculous question—if everything were fine, why would they be here? Surely he didn't think the hospital had some amazing view? This father and son pair, so obsessed with saving face, could barely express concern without fearing they'd lose their dignity.
"Still alive."
George grumbled as he turned to look out the window. The two brothers, one afraid to stir up any more trouble and the other unsure what to say, stood there silently, also staring out of the window.
Cheng Yi fetched the doctor to explain the situation. When she returned, all three men were still gazing out of the window. The doctor, thinking there must be something happening outside, joined them in looking out, only to be thoroughly puzzled. Finally, it was the doctor who broke the silence.
"So, everyone's here then. The patient's surgery is scheduled for 8 a.m. tomorrow. No food tonight, and no water after 7 p.m. Could a family member come with me to the office to sign the consent form?"
The Big Boss started to follow the doctor, but George's defiant voice cut through the air.
"Not him. Let my younger son sign."
The Big Boss turned to glare at the old man, who insisted on defying him to the very end, then glanced at a bewildered Minglang, signalling for him to go with the doctor, leaving the other two to continue their window-gazing. After a long pause, the Big Boss quietly reminded his father:
"Get some rest tonight, be ready for tomorrow's surgery."
As if this reminder triggered something, George suddenly grabbed the water bottle by his bed and gulped it down, only to choke and spill it all over himself. Cheng Yi rushed over with tissues to help him wipe up the mess. The Big Boss, looking exasperated, couldn't resist a jab.
"Can't you drink a bit slower?"
"You don't know anything! Soon, I won't be able to drink anything."
"Can't you just deal with it?"
…
The two of them bickered back and forth, and meanwhile, Ye Minglang came rushing back into the ward, sweating profusely and struggling to get his words out. The room quickly descended into chaos. Cheng Yi, overwhelmed, couldn't even try to mediate and barely caught what Ye Minglang was saying. Finally, she snapped and shouted at the top of her lungs:
"Everyone, shut up!"
The room fell silent immediately. Even the usually mild-mannered Cheng Yi could command some respect when she raised her voice.
"What is it, Minglang?"
"I… I can't… write… I don't know how to write my name in Chinese."
Cheng Yi quickly took his phone and typed in the Chinese characters for him, then sent him off to deal with it. Watching Minglang dash out of the room, George couldn't help but comment.
"Ah, seems like the ones you adopt are better than the ones you raise yourself."
"This is a big deal, and you still kept it from me? You do remember I'm your son, right?"
"I'm just getting a haemorrhoid removed. Did I need to put out an announcement?"
"Don't push your luck!"
Seeing another round of bickering on the horizon, Cheng Yi decided to save her energy and found herself a seat in the corner. Minglang returned and sat next to her, watching the ongoing father-son spat with wide-eyed fascination. In the end, the patient won out and delivered his final order.
"Yi, you and that good-for-nothing son can go home now."
Then, pointing at Minglang as he tried to leave, George added,
"You, stay here and look after me!"
The Big Boss stormed out, his face like thunder. Cheng Yi hurried after him, offering a stream of soothing words.
"He's always like this. It's been a tough couple of days for him—medications, injections, fasting—you'll just have to cut him some slack."
Mingzhe stopped and turned to face her. She braced herself, ready to become the target of his frustration.
"You've had a tough few days, go home and get some rest. Come back tomorrow."
Surely, it was best not to stay, Cheng Yi quickly followed orders and returned home for some much-needed rest.