My Life with Narration

Chapter 572 - 563: No Matter Which Way You Go, You’re Still Moving Forward

Soon, Wang Xing and Da Qiang came back,

Wang Xing nodded at him, letting him know that everything was taken care of, while Da Qiang sighed, "Qingzi, we can’t do it tonight because we haven’t paid, so a lot of things aren’t prepared, and the chief surgeon is off duty. The earliest it can be done is tomorrow. The good news is my dad’s current condition is alright, so it’s not urgent."

Su Qing wasn’t surprised by this outcome. At this time, it was already late evening, plus it was the first day of the new year. There were only a few duty doctors in the hospital, and unless it was a special emergency, doctors wouldn’t be called back.

"Okay, contact the doctor and set it for tomorrow. In situations like this, it’s better to act early rather than late. Of course, I think you understand the risks involved. You and Auntie should think it over tonight. I asked Lao A to book a hotel room near the hospital for you. Take Auntie there to rest well tonight. We can’t enter the ICU in the evening anyway, so staying here is just pointless worry," said and then turned to Wang Xing and Qin Wei, and said:

"Hurry up, help Auntie pack her things and go rest!"

Hearing this, Wang Xing and Qin Wei quickly nodded.

"Right, right!"

"No problem."

With that, the two of them started helping to pack up the luggage.

"Oh, no need, let Auntie do it herself!" The woman hurriedly stopped them, but it was no use. The two young men quickly packed everything up.

"Lao A, you two take Auntie over first, and Da Qiang and I will go downstairs to see if there’s any other paperwork to do!" Su Qing said.

Wang Xing and Qin Wei quickly took Ding Qiang’s mother downstairs. Da Qiang saw the look in his eyes and knew he had something to say to him.

Once the group got in the elevator, Da Qiang said, "Qingzi... thanks!"

"No need to be polite, it’s nothing. But I noticed Auntie seems worried, probably because of the debt issue. Tonight, talk to her properly. And you too, don’t think too much right now. Talk with Auntie, comfort her a bit, and then come over to mine so us brothers can chat."

"Mm, I understand," said Ding Qiang heavily after a while of thought, and then they both went downstairs and soon sent Ding Qiang and his mother back to the hotel.

Su Qing first took Qin Wei back to his place, bought some drinks and snacks, while Wang Xing waited in the car downstairs at the hotel.

Upstairs in the hotel, Ding Qiang’s mother felt uneasy. The events of tonight seemed surreal to her. First, her son said he was going to get money, then brought back three youngsters, and in the end, they said they would pay for her husband’s surgery. No matter how she looked at it, it seemed unreliable.

"Son, be honest with Mom, is that classmate of yours a rich second-generation? And about the money he said... our family..."

To this, Da Qiang took a deep breath and said, "Mom, you don’t need to worry about the money. Qingzi is now worth over ten million. Even if he lends me hundreds of thousands, he won’t be in a hurry to ask for it back."

"I know, but borrowing money is borrowing money. Didn’t you tell him about your dad’s situation? The chances aren’t great. The construction site keeps stalling without compensating us. They just want to drag it out until we settle for less. Son, our family... needs to think about the future."

Ding Qiang’s mother said in a serious tone, her eyes red-rimmed. She had been thinking about this for a while but hadn’t dared to speak to her son about it.

Though her son was already an adult, he had just graduated a year ago. What could a kid his age do? He hadn’t even settled down yet, so the burden of the family was mostly on her. But seeing the situation today, she knew she had to be honest with her son.

If the money was given and, in the end, her husband wasn’t saved, her son would be left with a debt of hundreds of thousands.

As a woman of her age, what could she do? In the end, wouldn’t it still be her son who had to repay? She had to consider the family’s future now, mainly because the odds were just too small.

But Ding Qiang was no longer the naive young man he once was. How could he not understand this reasoning? But after much thought, he still felt he should bear this responsibility as a son.

"Mom, I understand what you are saying, but I really want to try. Even if the worst outcome happens, my dad wouldn’t blame me for being incapable. I’ll still be able to walk with my back straight. As for money, I’m still young. I’ll pay it back someday. If I lose this spirit, it feels like I’ll never be able to lift my head again in my life."

Hearing this, the woman couldn’t help but sigh, "Let me think about it. I’ll give you an answer tomorrow."

In the end, all Ding Qiang could do was nod, then tell his mom he’d go out for a while and wouldn’t be back to stay the night.

Not only did his mom need time to think, but he also needed time to consider.

This was the sadness of being poor; when the chance of success of a surgery was too low, and the cost too high, even if someone was willing to lend them money, they’d still hesitate because the loss from a failed surgery would be too great for them.

Ding Qiang went downstairs, got into Wang Xing’s car, and headed straight to Su Qing’s place. When the two arrived, they found Su Qing and Skinny Dog had already set up on the balcony, with a low table full of skewers, and two cases of beer beside it.

"Ah, only this much beer? Not enough for even me alone!" Wang Xing laughed loudly.

Su Qing rolled his eyes and looked at Ding Qiang with a smile, "What are you looking at? Come and sit!"

"Nothing, just admiring your nice place, heard from Lao A that you bought it?" Ding Qiang asked as he sat down.

Su Qing nodded, "Yeah, bought it. Thought this place would bring me luck, so I bought the one next door too. Don’t worry about the money. With my help, Lao A also made three hundred thousand. What’s there to be afraid of? If I can lend you money, I have the capability to help you earn it back. Got it? Alright, let’s drink!"

"Come, come!"

"Let’s have one!"

Seeing the three so enthusiastically, Ding Qiang seemed to be infected too, and a smile appeared on his face, "Come on, thanks to you guys today. I’ll start with a bottle."

The original group of five now only had four left, and it had been more than half a year since they’d gathered like this.

Half a year ago, when they met for San’er, everyone was more or less the same. Though nothing had changed drastically, they were all at least happy and carefree.

Back then, Ding Qiang’s father hadn’t had an accident yet, Wang Xing was still chasing after girls, Skinny Dog had just found a job and no girlfriend, and he hadn’t gotten rich, and his relationship with Shen Yi was just beginning.

Each had shown post-graduation changes distinct from when they were students, but it was limited.

But half a year later, Ding Qiang, who was once chubby, had slimmed down drastically, Skinny Dog had a girlfriend, Wang Xing had stopped chasing, and he had gotten rich.

The people were the same, but everyone seemed different, yet unchanged.

What stayed the same were the people; what changed was their outlook. Everyone had different thoughts, like Ding Qiang, who almost matured overnight.

"I’m not going south after the new year!"

At twelve-thirty in the evening, after finishing all the beer, Su Qing took out some red wine from home. Suddenly, Ding Qiang spoke.

"Why? Planning to stay and do something with me?" Su Qing asked, having come back from a round of puking in the bathroom, his gaze a bit blurred.

Ding Qiang shook his head with a smile, "A place I could pack up and leave anytime, a job someone could sleep in my stead, friends who would lose contact once apart. I feel like a part that can easily be replaced."

Hearing this, Wang Xing raised his glass, asking, "So where are you planning to go?"

Su Qing: "Move forward, of course, where else!"

Qin Wei: "But... where is forward?"

Su Qing: "Let me tell you all something, many people know, but they don’t want to believe it. Actually... no matter where you go, it’s all forward. Da Qiang, where do you plan to go?"

Ding Qiang: "Me? Stay in the small town, or maybe in Jiang City, so I’m closer to home. If my dad really doesn’t make it, I’ll focus on taking care of my mom. If he gets better, I’ll take better care of him. In a year, I only get to see them a few times, might as well stay back home.

Let me tell you, my little town is great. The cost of living is much lower than Jiang City, with a slow pace of life and cheap housing prices.

The town is small, so small that you can meet someone you know within five minutes on the main street, but it’s also very boring. Every restaurant and barbecue place feels incredibly familiar.

Last year there was an animated short that was really popular, about the story of a little pig demon. I actually realized it’s not Langlang Mountain that trapped me, but Langlang Mountain that sheltered a mediocre me.

I keep running to chase the self that people once had high hopes for. I hate running, but I hate the self that’s stopped even more."

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