Dawn broke.
Guo Hengchang rose early, washed up, and sat down at the dining table.
His wife brought him breakfast and was surprised to see that her husband's complexion was much, much better than yesterday!
"Old Guo, you seem... a little different today?" his wife asked in amazement.
Guo Hengchang didn't answer. Instead, he stood up and, under his wife's astonished gaze, strode out into the courtyard. Facing the sun, he took a deep breath.
Although the breath still couldn't fill his entire chest, it was deeper and more powerful than any he had taken before.
The cool, crisp late-autumn air flowed through his nostrils and into his ravaged lungs.
In that moment, he felt as if he had been reborn.
He turned to his wife, a genuine, long-unseen smile spreading across his face.
"Honey, this medicine works."
...
Feng City First People's Hospital, in the high-end ward area on the top floor of the inpatient building.
