Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
“Mom, what’s wrong? Why are you crying? Did something happen?” Pei Ge’s relationship problem took a back seat as she worried over her mother.
Zhang Manhua uncomfortably avoided her questioning gaze and shook her head. “It’s nothing. I was just watching a drama and it affected me. Don’t worry over nothing.”
She naturally did not believe her explanation.
Had her mother quickly replied the moment she posed the question, she might have believed her lie, but she had not. Thus, right now, she did not believe a word her mother said.
“Mom, you’re lying.” She stared unblinkingly at her mother with a pair of eyes that seemed capable of seeing through the latter’s lie.
Suddenly, the health report Tang Xiaoyu was fussing over flashed through her mind.
Her eyes widened indefinitely as she eyed her mother in disbelief. With a trembling voice, she asked, “Mom, is… is there something wrong with the result of your medical exam?”
“… No. Don’t guess blindly; your mother here is very healthy.” Zhang Manhua nervously paused for a few seconds and then raised her head to give her a reassuring smile.
Pei Ge’s suspicion did not diminish in the least at her mother’s smile.
“Mom, where is your medical result? Let me take a look at it!” she demanded.
Zhang Manhua licked her lips and did her best to dissuade her daughter from looking at the report. “I’m really fine. Don’t worry over nothing.”
“Mom! I want to see your medical diagnosis now!” She looked at her mother solemnly.
After a long confrontation, Zhang Manhua still refused to pass the report to her.
Pei Ge’s blood turned cold at her mother’s behavior.
If mom really is fine, why won’t she let me see her health report?
“Mom, I am your daughter and you are my mother. You are the most important person to me. I don’t want to be the last one to know if something is happening to you.” Her eyes slowly moistened as she stared at her mother in earnest.
She was certain that something was wrong with her mother’s health now.
“Ge Ge… I…” She looked at her daughter, and tears silently rolled down her face.
At this, Pei Ge immediately panicked.
“Mom, what happened exactly? What is wrong with your health?” She held her mother’s hands and tried hard to stop her tears from falling.
However, other than crying, her mother could not make any other noises.
She sucked in a deep breath and asked softly, “Mom, where is your health report? Did you hide it in your bedroom?”
She nodded at her daughter’s question. She did plan to show it to her daughter but not right away. After all, she…
Pei Ge rushed into her mother’s bedroom at the latter’s nod.
The moment she entered the bedroom, she made a beeline for the vanity table’s right drawer.
She quickly spotted the medical report inside the drawer when she pulled it open.
Sucking in another deep breath, she slowly picked it up and carefully read its content.
When she spotted the ‘stage 2 gastric cancer’ diagnosis, she instantly froze.
Pak! The report then dropped to the floor.
“Impossible… How is this possible? There must be a mistake somewhere!” She hurriedly picked up the report from the floor.
Mom eats and drinks just fine. She even looks healthy, so how is it possible for her to have stage 2 stomach cancer?!
She carefully reread the report in a state of disbelief.
Twice, thrice… Even after reading it for the fourth time, she still could not believe that her mother had stomach cancer.
“Ge Ge, it’s real. The doctor confirmed it.” When her daughter did not come out after a long time, Zhang Manhua walked into her bedroom as well.
“It’s real. I have stage 2 stomach cancer.” She sniffled and forced a smile, trying to reassure her daughter, but it only made the latter feel like crying.
“No, Mom, there must be a mistake. You don’t even look sick. The hospital must have made a mistake.” She scrunched the report in her hand and looked at her mother imploringly.
“Ge Ge, it’s real. The hospital did not make a mistake.” Zhang Manhua sucked in a deep breath. Stopping in front of her daughter, she lightly hugged and consolingly patted her helpless-looking daughter.
Feeling the warmth permeating from her mother through the thin cloth, she could no longer hold back her tears.
“Mom… This is not real…” Beads of tears dripped endlessly like a dam from her eyes, soaking Zhang Manhua’s shoulder.
“My good daughter, all is fine. All is fine. It’s just stomach cancer. Everything will be fine. It will get better…” She lightly caressed her daughter’s back and said this comfortingly.
Zhang Manhua should be the one getting consoled here, but ironically, she ended up consoling the bawling Pei Ge.
Pei Ge could still not stop her tears even after crying for a long time, so the mother-daughter pair continued hugging each other in comfort.
“Ge Ge, don’t cry. Mom is fine; I’m really fine.” She kept comforting her.
“Mom, are you suffering a lot?” She sloppily wiped the tears off her face with her hands as she sniffled.
“I’m not. I don’t feel unwell anywhere, either. If the doctor didn’t confirm to me that I have stage 2 stomach cancer, I really wouldn’t think that I am sick.” She smiled and patted her daughter’s back.
She had originally been really afraid when she first learned of her condition, but after seeing her daughter cry her eyes out, her anxiety and fear totally vanished.
In lieu of the fear and anxiety she had felt earlier upon confirming her medical condition, she currently only had concern and worry for her daughter.
She was worried that her sickness would burden her daughter and that she would end up leaving her daughter, just like her husband did, in this world all by herself if she could not pull through. She could not imagine how devastated her daughter would be if that really happened.
“Ge Ge, Mom doesn’t feel unwell at all. I am totally fine, so don’t worry,” she reassured her again.
Seeing her mother’s smile, her heart regained its tranquility as her mind cleared up.
Pei Ge, this is not the time to cry. Calm down and buck up!
