Chapter 46: Miraculous Resurrection

A sudden commotion erupted as four people hurried into the neighboring bed, number 516.

Tao Fei could no longer sleep. She reached out to pull the curtain at the bedside, but before she could let go, it was swiftly pulled aside with a rustle.

“Sorry, but I feel so stifled with the curtain closed. I like to see the view outside,” said a round-faced woman with a radiant smile. Cradling a bag of sugar-roasted chestnuts, she sat cross-legged on the hospital bed, telling the two men who had come in to quickly return to the ward. She also called out to her mother, who was busy stuffing various bags into a cabinet, to sit down and rest for a while before tidying up.

The aroma of the roasted chestnuts made Tao Fei involuntarily swallow. Strangely, ever since she had taken over this body, she no longer felt the pain from injections or minor wounds. The three-flavored wontons Tang Songyuan had brought her that morning were said to be delicious, but to her they tasted like nothing. It was as if this body were made of stone. Yet now, her stomach inexplicably rumbled with hunger.

Tao Fei turned her back to resist the tempting scent of the chestnuts.

“I’m Tao Fei, right? I’m Wu Xiuli,” said the woman.

“...”

Wu Xiuli looked to be in her early thirties.

“Hello.”

“Hello, hello,” Tao Fei replied.

Wu Xiuli took her eyes off the small card at Tao Fei’s bedside and smiled even more brightly.

“Tao Fei, are you here alone? Where’s your family?”

“...”

“The chubby guy who just went out is my husband. Isn’t he handsome?” Wu Xiuli said just as Nurse Li Ya entered, carrying a patient ID. Seeing the table at bed 516 covered with chestnut shells, she frowned.

“Wu Xiuli, your surgery has been scheduled. Please do not eat or drink anything after 5 p.m. today.”

“What? Surgery already? How can I have the strength for surgery without eating? Not even water? I’ll be dying of thirst!”

“Mom, what are you saying? When am I supposed to eat then?”

Wu Xiuli kept peeling chestnuts as she spoke, seemingly unconcerned about the upcoming surgery. Her mother, however, anxiously bombarded Nurse Li Ya with questions. Li Ya replied half-heartedly, hung the ID card and nameplate by the bed, glanced at Wu Xiuli who had opened a bag of spiced melon seeds, and gently reminded her that eating shelled snacks at the bedside was prohibited.

“We spend so much money to stay here, and we can’t even eat snacks? What kind of lousy hospital is this?” Wu Xiuli’s mother immediately blurted out angrily, and Wu Xiuli pouted in displeasure.

“I’m just kindly reminding you to keep the bed clean, especially after surgery; it’s important to keep things dry and sanitized. You’re free to eat if you want, but I’ll note the feeding instructions clearly for post-op care. If you’re worried, you can ask the attending physician.”

Though this was a high-end private hospital unaffordable to most, the patients came from all walks of life. Speaking too bluntly wouldn’t help; being too harsh could lead to complaints. Li Ya preferred to avoid trouble.

“That nurse looks like a fox spirit—definitely not a good person!”

“Mom, you can’t say that!”

“I’m good at reading people. I can tell what kind of person they are by looking at them…”

“You’re the best, Mom!”

The mother and daughter’s lively banter filled the room. Tao Fei quietly chuckled at their temperaments—they were so alike, as if cast from the same mold—and their chatter brightened the dull wait considerably.

“Tao Fei, what illness do you have? I have an ectopic pregnancy—I don’t know how it happened, but this time it’s outside the uterus.”

Wu Xiuli extended the paper bag of chestnuts toward Tao Fei.

“Probably uterine fibroids. It’s almost healed. I’m not hungry, thanks.”

Seeing Wu Xiuli’s vividly painted red nails, Tao Fei’s appetite vanished, and the chestnut aroma seemed to dissipate instantly.

“I heard that women who are unhappy tend to develop uterine fibroids. Are you introverted and prone to sulking? Life’s too short to dwell on worries! Whether you laugh or cry, it’s still a day gone by. If there’s a problem, crying won’t solve it.”

Wu Xiuli patted her plump hands on her lap. Seeing Tao Fei’s silence, the expression on her round face grew more certain of her diagnosis, and she looked to her mother for confirmation. Receiving a nod, they both laughed heartily.

Tao Fei certainly did not consider herself introverted. She was a top student and an active participant in the arts. Dancing, singing, playing piano, painting—her shelves were full of trophies and certificates.

Being rational did not mean being introverted.

Whether this version of Tao Fei was introverted or not was unknown, but she probably wasn’t one to brood. Love was the best tonic and beauty regimen for women. This Tao Fei had a devoted husband and a comfortable family life. How could she be unhappy? If anything affected her mood, it was probably the troublesome mother she had this morning. Such a mother was truly astonishing.

At lunchtime, Wu Xiuli’s husband returned carrying two large bags of food. Finding the hospital meals bland, they had taken out six boxes of fried, sautéed, and deep-fried dishes from a nearby restaurant. The three of them gathered around the small table over the bed, filling the room with enticing aromas.

“Tao Fei, aren’t you eating lunch? Want some?”

Tao Fei smiled and shook her head, somewhat uncomfortable with the strangers’ overbearing kindness.

“How can a patient skip meals? I hate being hungry. I eat four or five times a day. When I had my three babies, I could eat a whole chicken in one sitting, six or seven meals a day. It wore my mom out taking care of me during my confinement. Mom, have some chicken drumstick.”

Wu Xiuli took the drumstick her husband had just placed in her bowl and handed it to her mother.

“There’s no one like your own mother in the world. No matter how good a mother-in-law is, she’s not your real mom. I had three kids, and my mother-in-law never helped with my confinement. I know she disliked that all my kids were girls. So what if they’re girls? Daughters are their parents’ little cozy quilt. Anyway, I’ll treat my mom well for life, and when my daughters grow up, they’ll treat their grandmothers well. Sister, how old are your kids? What’s your mother-in-law like...”

“...”

Wu Xiuli continued criticizing her mother-in-law while eating; her husband kept his head down, not daring to argue.

Clearly, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationship was a timeless problem, with grievances to be found in every era.

Tao Fei licked her dry lips; she was genuinely a bit hungry. She had forgotten to drink water all morning, distracted by that nagging mother.

She planned to buy something from the cafeteria herself, but rummaging through the bedside drawer, she found no money at all. Even if she could pay by phone, she had no phone in the drawer either!

Where was her doting older husband now?

“Tao Fei, you must be hungry, right?”

Just as Tao Fei’s resentment toward her older husband Tang Songyuan was rising, he appeared before her.

“That’s your husband!” Wu Xiuli clicked her tongue, eyeing Tang Songyuan.