Chapter 23 Hospitalized Tian Tian

As Mu Hongtao and his party of three left, Su Xiwan’s rented room instantly quieted down. The once lively room now felt particularly desolate.

Su Xiwan sat quietly, her gaze somewhat unfocused, her thoughts scattered like drifting willow catkins, in disarray. She pondered, how would the Mu family treat her if she truly was their child?

Would they be indifferent and neglectful like the Su family, leaving her to grow up in loneliness? Or would they provide the familial love she had longed for but never received, like she envied in others since childhood?

However, the now calmer Su Xiwan no longer felt the tension and worry she had moments ago. She was an adult now, and her longing for family was a thing of the past, dating back to before her junior high years.

If… if the Mu family treated her like the Su family did, she could leave just as easily. She had her own capabilities, her own life, and she believed she could thrive in any situation.

Just as Su Xiwan was lost in her thoughts, she heard a tapping sound on the balcony window. The sound, in the quiet room, was particularly clear, pulling her back from her tumultuous thoughts.

Looking up, Su Xiwan saw Little Flower, who had run out early in the morning after practice, tapping the window with its tiny beak. Full of vitality, excitement, and eagerness, Little Flower’s small body exuded energy.

Su Xiwan got up, opened the window, and Little Flower flew into her arms. Su Xiwan hugged the lively Little Flower, stroking its smooth feathers, and murmured:

“You little troublemaker, why did you run out so early in the morning?”

Su Xiwan sat on the only small sofa in the rented room, cradling Little Flower in her arms. Leaning against the sofa’s backrest, she caressed Little Flower’s feathers and softly said:

“Little Flower, it seems like I’ve found my family!”

At that moment, Little Flower seemed to sense Su Xiwan’s emotions. Comfortingly, it nuzzled Su Xiwan’s hand and let out a gentle chirp.

Just then, Su Xiwan’s phone rang abruptly, interrupting her thoughts. She picked up her phone from the table and saw it was a call from Teacher Zhang. Su Xiwan quickly answered:

“Hello, Teacher Zhang!”

“Xiwan, I’m at the hospital now, and you were right, Tian Tian… my child’s condition is very serious. The doctor suspects leukemia and has arranged for a bone marrow aspiration. The results are not out yet.”

Teacher Zhang’s voice trembled with obvious emotion as she struggled to control herself. She had thought the bruises on her son’s body were just from his mischief.

She never expected it to be such a serious illness. Teacher Zhang felt a deep sense of self-blame. As a teacher of a senior high school class, she cared more for her students than her own child. She thought, if only she had paid more attention and cared more for her child, maybe he wouldn’t be suffering like this.

Upon hearing Teacher Zhang’s words, Su Xiwan also felt uneasy. Faced with such a situation, she didn’t know how to comfort Teacher Zhang with words, so she could only gently say:

“Teacher Zhang, don’t worry. I’ll go to the hospital to see what’s wrong with Tian Tian!”

After hanging up the phone, Teacher Zhang realized she forgot to tell Su Xiwan which hospital they were at. As she was about to message Su Xiwan, she heard her son Tian Tian waking up:

“Mom, it hurts!”

The weak and tender voice pierced Teacher Zhang’s heart like a sharp blade. Hearing Tian Tian’s cry, Teacher Zhang forgot about messaging Su Xiwan and hurried to her son’s bedside, comforting him softly as she looked at his pale face.

Half an hour later, there were two soft knocks on the ward door. Teacher Zhang turned around to see Su Xiwan standing at the door with a gift.

It was then that Teacher Zhang realized she hadn’t told Su Xiwan the hospital’s location. She asked in surprise:

“Xiwan, how did you know we were at this hospital when I forgot to tell you the address?”

As Su Xiwan handed the gift she bought for Tian Tian, she smiled and said:

“Teacher Zhang, did you forget what I can do?”

Teacher Zhang, upon hearing Su Xiwan’s words, remembered Su Xiwan’s knowledge of feng shui. However, Su Xiwan was only eighteen this year, making it hard for Teacher Zhang to associate her with a feng shui master.

On the hospital bed, Tian Tian held the toy Su Xiwan had just given him, and he happily said, “Pretty sister, thank you for the gift. I really like it!”

Su Xiwan, bending down with a smile, gently stroked Tian Tian’s hair and softly said:

“Tian Tian is such a good boy!”

Su Xiwan straightened up and looked at Teacher Zhang. Although she was smiling, her smile held a mixture of heartache and worry for her child.

She knew that if it was indeed leukemia, the disease was not only difficult to treat and cure, but the child would also suffer a lot of pain during treatment.

As Su Xiwan looked at Teacher Zhang, she was about to offer some words of comfort when she heard Tian Tian cry out from beside her:

“Mom, my head hurts again!”

Hearing Tian Tian’s cry, Teacher Zhang’s heart ached, and she quickly went to his side and comforted him softly. Tian Tian had been complaining of pain for the past two days, sometimes toothache, sometimes headache. When they consulted the doctor, he said it was a common symptom of leukemia.

Like Tian Tian’s current headache, the doctor said that leukemia can cause anemia, and in an anemic state, it is easy to cause cerebral ischemia and hypoxia, which can stimulate vascular constriction, leading to headaches.

Seeing Tian Tian’s condition, Su Xiwan went to his other side, took out a pain-relieving talisman from her bag, and said to Teacher Zhang:

“Teacher Zhang, did you use the health talisman I gave you the other day?”

Teacher Zhang, upon hearing Su Xiwan’s words, remembered the health talisman Su Xiwan had given her. After parting ways with Su Xiwan that afternoon, she had taken Tian Tian home and then to the hospital.

After a series of tests, the doctor’s words about Tian Tian possibly having leukemia had left her flustered and distraught, and she had forgotten about the health talisman Su Xiwan had given her.

Thinking about it, Teacher Zhang got up, took her bag from the table next to her, and pulled out the health talisman Su Xiwan had given her that day.

Su Xiwan took the health talisman and placed it in Tian Tian’s pocket along with the pain-relieving talisman she had.

The moment she put them in, Tian Tian, who had been crying, suddenly stopped:

“Mom, I don’t hurt anymore!”

Teacher Zhang looked at this scene in astonishment. This event once again challenged her understanding. But seeing her son now happily playing with his toys, her tense heart finally relaxed. She looked at Su Xiwan with gratitude and said:

“Xiwan, thank you so much.”

If it weren’t for Su Xiwan’s reminder, she wouldn’t know when she would have taken Tian Tian to the hospital for a check-up. The doctor said the disease progresses quickly.

And now, thanks to the talismans Su Xiwan gave, Tian Tian’s pain had stopped so quickly. Even Teacher Zhang, who didn’t believe in feng shui, couldn’t help but be grateful to Su Xiwan. As long as her son wasn’t in pain, she was willing to do anything, to believe anything.