thefictionvixens Chapter 72 Hope and Obstacles
Chapter 72 Hope and Obstacles
When Director Wang arrived at Xiehe Hospital, it was already evening. She walked hurriedly, her face showing obvious worry. As soon as she entered the ward area, she saw Lin Gang sitting on the bench outside the emergency room as if he had lost his soul, while Wang Cuihua silently shed tears beside him.
"Lin Gang! Cuihua!" Director Wang strode over. "How's Xiaoyan? I rushed over as soon as I got the letter!"
Lin Gang suddenly raised his head, as if he had seen his pillar of support. He quickly stood up, his eyes still red: "Director Wang! You've arrived... Xiao Yan has recovered a bit and is under observation inside." His voice was hoarse as he told Director Wang everything about the doctor's advice regarding Tetralogy of Fallot, the inability to perform surgery in China, and the possibility of trying in Hong Kong.
Director Wang listened, her brows furrowing deeper and deeper. As someone within the system, she was acutely aware of the current situation. The country was going through a difficult period, with extremely tense relations with overseas countries and sharp ideological clashes. At such a time, for an ordinary resident to apply for an official letter of introduction on the grounds of "going to capitalist Hong Kong for medical treatment" was simply absurd. Leaving aside the enormous, unimaginable expenses, the mere hurdle of "political correctness" was absolutely insurmountable. Which department would dare to make that exception?
But seeing the faint glimmer of hope rekindled in Lin Gang and Wang Cuihua's bloodshot eyes, seeing them grasp at their last straw, she couldn't bear to utter the words about policies and difficulties. She could only sigh and reassure them, "Don't worry, don't panic. Xiao Yan is more stable now, isn't that a good thing? Going to Hong Kong… it's not that simple. Not only is it incredibly expensive, but the procedures are extremely complicated. So, you two focus on taking care of Xiao Yan, and… you also think about ways to raise the money. I… I'll go to the district office and see if there's any way, ask about policies, and see if there's any possibility."
Mr. and Mrs. Lin were extremely grateful, as if Director Wang was their only savior.
Director Wang left the hospital with a heavy heart.
---
Meanwhile, Uncle Yan Fugui returned to the courtyard house. As soon as he entered the gate, he was surrounded by Liu Haizhong, Auntie San, and a group of neighbors who were still awake and waiting for the news.
"Old Yan, how's it going?"
"Was Lin Yan saved?"
"Oh my god, you looked so scary this afternoon! Your lips were all purple!"
Yan Fugui pushed up his glasses, sighed heavily, and repeated the diagnosis from the Peking Union Medical College Hospital doctor and his words, "It can't be treated in China unless you go to Hong Kong."
A collective sigh immediately filled the courtyard.
Tetralogy of Fallot? Never even heard of it!
"Sigh, this illness sounds so strange, no wonder I've been so sickly."
"Go to Hong Kong? How much money would that cost? Even mountains of gold and silver wouldn't be enough!"
"Exactly! And Hong Kong isn't a place you can just go anywhere. It's a bourgeois area! How are we supposed to get there? Swim over?"
Almost no one believed that Lin Yan could be cured, and the idea of going to Hong Kong was considered a pipe dream.
The next morning, Director Wang went to the district office and found the leader in charge of this matter. She explained Lin Yan's situation in detail—the child she had watched grow up in the hospital, how critical his condition was, how Peking Union Medical College Hospital had made an authoritative diagnosis and clearly stated that surgery was not possible in China, and the family's grief and determination to even sell their house and land to raise funds.
The district leader listened and expressed his sympathy: "Old Wang, what you've said is truly heartbreaking. Such a young child, getting such a disease...sigh."
However, the moment the topic of obtaining a letter of introduction for travel to Hong Kong came up, the leader's expression turned serious and troubled: "Old Wang, I understand your feelings. But... you know the policy. We don't have any formal channels with the Hong Kong British authorities right now, and private exchanges are strictly controlled. Private travel abroad, especially to Hong Kong, is almost impossible. Reasons? No matter how good the reasons are, it won't work! This door absolutely cannot be opened! Today he can go for medical treatment, but tomorrow, won't someone be able to go visit relatives, or even run away and never come back? You and I are both well aware of the political risks involved. I can't help you, Old Wang, I really can't help you."
No matter how much Director Wang pleaded, even hinting that all subsequent responsibilities would be borne by the family with just a letter of introduction, the leaders firmly shook their heads. The policy was ironclad, leaving no room for compromise.
Director Wang left the district government office with a heavy heart, knowing that this path was completely blocked.
That evening, she went to the hospital again and told Mr. and Mrs. Lin Gang about the unfortunate outcome.
As Lin Gang listened, all color drained from his face, revealing an expression of utter despair, a desperate gait driven to the brink of despair. He remained silent for a long time before, as if making a difficult decision, he spoke in a hoarse voice to Director Wang:
"Director Wang... thank you so much for going to such lengths for our family's sake, even making the special trip to the district... I know I've put you in a difficult position." He bowed deeply first, then raised his head, his eyes filled with an almost frantic determination: "The letter of introduction can't go to Hong Kong... I accept that! But, Director Wang, please help us one last time!"
He grabbed Director Wang's arm as if grasping at his last hope: "Please, please think of a way to help us get three... just three letters of introduction to Guangzhou! That's all! I've made up my mind, I'll sell my job at the food factory! I'll sell everything I own to scrape together some money! I'll take Xiaoyan and Cuihua to Guangzhou first! Once we're in Guangzhou, it's close to Hong Kong, then I'll figure out... ask around, find a way... even... even if it means smuggling them over! I can't just watch my brother die like this, Director Wang!"
Director Wang was startled by his words: "Lin Gang! What nonsense are you spouting! Smuggling is illegal!"
"I know it's illegal! But I have no other choice!" Lin Gang was almost in tears. "If there were any righteous path, would I have taken this crooked road? Director Wang, I beg you! Just send the letter to Guangzhou! Whether we live or die in Guangzhou is our own fate! We would never dare to involve you in the slightest!"
Director Wang looked at the man driven to desperation, then at Wang Cuihua weeping uncontrollably behind him, and finally at the young man on the brink of life and death in the ward. He was torn between his own conscience and his inner turmoil. The letter of introduction to Guangzhou, while requiring caution, was, after all, within China, where policies were relatively more lenient and there was more room for maneuver. Perhaps this was the only thing he could do to help them.
She gritted her teeth and lowered her voice: "Lin Gang, you said those words! I can only try my best to get you a letter of introduction to Guangzhou! But once you get to Guangzhou, no matter what happens—whether you find a way to go to Hong Kong, or…or think of some other inappropriate method—it has nothing to do with me or the neighborhood committee! You must guarantee that! Otherwise, I'd rather watch you suffer now than issue this letter!"
Lin Gang immediately raised his hand and swore excitedly, "Director Wang! Don't worry! I, Lin Gang, swear to God! Once we're out there, we'll handle everything ourselves! If anything goes wrong, we absolutely won't implicate you! If I'm lying, may I be struck by lightning!" He then apologized repeatedly, "I'm so sorry, Director Wang, for putting you in such a difficult position... I'm truly sorry..."
Director Wang waved wearily, her emotions extremely complex: "Alright... stop talking... wait for my news. Take good care of Xiaoyan." She turned and left the hospital, her back looking somewhat heavy under the lamplight. She knew that she was taking a huge risk with this step, but the lingering sympathy in her heart and the regret for a young life ultimately outweighed her absolute adherence to the rules.
After three days at Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Lin Yan's "condition" remained in a "stable but extremely fragile" state under the control of medication. The doctor repeatedly warned him not to overexert himself or get stimulated, as he might not be so lucky next time it flared up.
For the next three days, he had Wang Cuihua stay at the hospital to look after Lin Yan, while he himself, like a tireless mule, began to work hard to get to the south.
His first stop was the food factory where he worked. Although he hadn't been there long, he was a hard worker, honest, and eager to learn, so the workshop foreman and the senior workers all liked him. More importantly, he had a permanent worker position, which was a highly coveted job in those days.
He found the workshop director, who then connected him with the factory leader in charge of personnel. The leader, surnamed Zhao, was a sensible man.
"Lin Gang? You're selling your government job?" Director Zhao exclaimed in surprise, putting down his pen and leaning forward. "Have you thought this through? This is a secure, permanent job—so many people would kill for it! You're doing so well; what insurmountable problem has befallen your family?"
Lin Gang's eyes instantly reddened. The honest man bent over, his voice choked with sobs: "Director Zhao... I know... I know this job is good, and the leaders are good to me... but... but my brother... he's dying!" He raised his bloodshot eyes and spoke haltingly, filled with despair, about the diagnosis from Peking Union Medical College Hospital, the terrifying Tetralogy of Fallot, the inoperable diagnosis in China, and the only faint hope—to go south to find a glimmer of hope.
"...The experts at Peking Union Medical College Hospital said that perhaps...perhaps a big hospital in Guangzhou, or a clinic that used to be run by foreigners, might have another way...even if it's just to let him live a few more years? My parents died early, leaving only my brother and me to depend on each other...I can't just watch him die, Director Zhao!" He slammed his fist on his thigh. "The money from selling my job is my brother's lifeline! I...I have no other choice!"
Director Zhao fell silent, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the table. He understood this despair. A formal worker's position, privately transferred on the black market, would fetch seven or eight hundred yuan, and people would be scrambling for it, or even more. The factory would buy it back according to regulations, at a lower price, but it would still be a huge sum.
"Sigh!" Director Zhao sighed heavily. "Such deep brotherhood...it's rare! But...the procedures..." He hesitated for a moment. "Here's the arrangement: the factory will treat you as a worker in special hardship, giving you the highest standard of severance pay. Adding it to your salary this month, I'll round it up to eight hundred yuan! But for this money, you have to sign a statement voluntarily relinquishing your permanent position, severing all ties with the factory, and not saying to anyone that you 'sold' it, understand?"
"Understood! Understood! Thank you, Director Zhao! Thank you so much! You're such a kind person!" Lin Gang was moved to tears, bowing repeatedly. Eight hundred yuan! Far exceeding his expectations!
The procedures were processed remarkably quickly; with Director Zhao's intervention, the finance department expedited the process. Eight thick stacks of unpaid bills, wrapped in a manila envelope, were tucked into my pocket, weighing heavily on my heart.
Immediately afterwards, Lin Gang ran back to the subdistrict office and found Director Wang.
"Director Wang..." His voice was hoarse, his face showing exhaustion and determination after running around, "I'll have to trouble you again with the letter of introduction. Also... about my house... those two rooms in the east wing of the front yard... I'd like to sell them to the local authorities."
Looking at his travel-worn appearance, Director Wang felt a pang of sadness: "Lin Gang, are you... are you really sure? You only recently finished tidying up that house..."
"I've made up my mind, Director Wang." Lin Gang's eyes were firm. "I don't know when I'll be back, or how much it will cost... The house will be useless if it's empty. It's better to sell it to the neighborhood committee; that way, we can raise more money for their life-saving efforts. Please have someone take a look. We didn't skimp on the renovations."
Director Wang sighed and called his clerk to go with him to assess the front yard of No. 95. The east wing was indeed different from before: the exterior walls had been repainted, the floor inside was paved with bricks, and a small two-story attic had been partitioned off, with two additional small bedrooms. Most remarkably, it had even built its own simple flush toilet, eliminating the need to use the public toilet in the yard! In those days, this was considered the best condition in a large, crowded courtyard.
After the clerk finished his assessment, he returned and whispered to Director Wang, "Director, the Lin family's house is really well-maintained, both neat and practical. At the current price, it's worth at least this much..." He gestured.
Finally, after a brief discussion by the neighborhood committee, and considering the Lin family's special circumstances, it was decided to purchase the two rooms for 750 yuan. Adding the 800 yuan from selling their jobs, the total came to 1550 yuan! Another heavy bag of cash.
Director Wang handed Lin Gang the three letters of introduction for Guangzhou and the money, repeatedly instructing him with a complex expression: "Lin Gang, take this... Once you get to the south, be careful in everything you do."
"Oh! Thank you, Director Wang! Your kindness is immense..." Lin Gang's voice choked up again.
During this time, neighbors from the courtyard also came to visit them at the hospital. When asked, Lin Gang and Wang Cuihua gave the same answer, looking utterly defeated and desperate: "Go to Hong Kong? Sigh... It's impossible to go. There's no way, and the policy doesn't allow it... We've given up on that idea... Let's just stay at Peking Union Medical College Hospital and see how it goes, one day at a time..." They successfully created the illusion in front of their neighbors that "the trip to Hong Kong is completely hopeless, and they can only helplessly accept their fate."
They never returned to the courtyard house. Almost all their belongings remained untouched; they only took their identification documents, money, and a few personal items (which Wang Cuihua secretly retrieved at night). To the neighbors, the Lin brothers were either still struggling in the hospital or had already given up hope and gone home to await their deaths.
On the day of their departure, it was still dark. Lin Gang and Wang Cuihua, supporting the barely breathing Lin Yan, and with the help of a tricycle driver, quietly left Peking Union Medical College Hospital and headed straight for Beijing Railway Station.
Armed with a letter of introduction and certificate stamped with red seals from the street office and hospital, Lin Gang easily purchased three sleeper tickets to Guangzhou. It was truly a desperate gamble; this huge sum of money represented their only hope.
On the platform, the train whistle roared. Lin Gang carefully helped Lin Yan, while Wang Cuihua carried simple luggage. The three of them silently boarded the train heading south.
As the train slowly started moving and the familiar cityscape gradually receded, Lin Gang and Wang Cuihua exchanged a glance, and beneath their feigned exhaustion, a hint of relief and relief that their plan had gone smoothly was revealed.
Lin Yan leaned against the lower bunk, closing his eyes to rest, his consciousness subtly stirring. He was burning his bridges, cutting off all escape routes, all for a wider horizon. The train roared south, carrying a meticulously woven story, heading towards its true destination.