Chapter 52 - A Price Paid In Advance (1)

Chapter 52 – A Price Paid in Advance (1)

The mountain trail wasn’t easy. It was a rugged path with bumps and peaks. It was tiring to push the wheelchair. Zhao Xi had pushed it for the entire day, and she was tired. Her hands were sore. To save herself some energy, she had turned the wheelchair and tied it to Ping An, occasionally trying to stabilize the wheelchair while the bear pulled it through.

Zhao Xi was lost in her thoughts, and since she wasn’t steering the wheelchair, she didn’t notice a sudden lightness in weight. She had wrapped Shen Fei in blankets, so he hadn’t even made a sound when he fell to the ground. Fortunately, the blankets were thick enough, so he wasn’t hurt. The blankets weren’t so lucky. One side had a dark, muddy patch on it. She helped him up, tried to wipe as much mud off as possible, and continued the journey.

After they reached home, she took the blanket off and washed it, and hung it outside to dry. When she entered the room, she found that he wasn’t reading as he always did. He was propped up on his back and gazing outside the window. His gaze was filled with envy and longing for the flying birds and the chattering squirrels in the tree.

She felt sorry for him. When the choice was between staying paralyzed or risking his life for an uncertain possibility of recovery, he had chosen the latter. Zhao Xi remembered the first time she met him; she had told him that his legs might never be able to recover. Her tone had been unsure then. Perhaps he took it to mean that there was still hope. He was too proud, he would choose to risk his life even if there was a tiny possibility, than depend lifelong on somebody else. He reminded her of a dragon. In the myths, a dragon could stay stranded for eternity, but death was kinder for them than imprisonment.

Zhao Xi through why anyone would choose death over a possibility of survival. But she hadn’t felt the hopelessness that Shen Fei did. Maybe if she had been injured, and fallen into a valley, been found by a stranger who had access to every part of her body, unable to protest or defend herself, if she had to depend on them for even the smallest possible task, then perhaps she would feel as despairing as he would. Perhaps she would have chosen death too.

Zhao Xi found that she admired Shen Fei’s quiet strength. He had accepted his predicament and had persevered. He had swallowed his pride and made the most out of the situation he had. He tried to do anything he could to help himself. He read medical texts, drank his medicine on time, and exercised and massaged himself as much as he could. He worked very hard on himself and didn’t let the helplessness get a hold of him.

His tenacity had affected Zhao Xi, too. She had abandoned the idea of trapping him here with her. She felt guilty planning to keep him here when he tried, with every fiber of his being, to get well somehow. She had diligently hunted for the brittle snake and dedicated herself to prepare for the next acupuncture to make him better.

“Shen Fei, do you still want to go through with the acupuncture today?” asked Zhao Xi. One acupuncture had already made him sweat profusely and cough up blood. After a tormenting night yesterday, he had finally seemed a little bit better today. She didn’t know if the procedure today would worsen his condition.

She had never performed Rupture Acupuncture on any human before. It was a very dangerous procedure. Some patients had agreed to do it, and then changed their minds the next day. She didn’t blame them. Shen Fei had been the first to consent and then go through with the process. Even when Zhao Xi had outlined the risks to his life, he had dared to undergo it. She had never come across any condition similar to his, so she had only learned from the books. However, the person in the book had died and that made Zhao Xi very anxious. She didn’t want Shen Fei to die of blood rupture too. He was so young, and full of endless knowledge and potential. She couldn’t bear it if he died.

“We don’t have to do it. We can always attempt it when you are better,” she suggested.

Shen Fei tore his gaze away from the window and looked at her, smiling sadly, “If we stop today, wouldn’t I have to endure everything all over again?” That was true. A single treatment lasted seven days. If they stopped now, they will have to repeat the process all over again, and there was no knowing how severe the next time would be.

“Your body is too weak right now, and it might be dangerous if we continue. We can wait until winter has passed. It will be easier to bear,” insisted Zhao Xi. It would be easier for him to heal once it was warm. She also guiltily felt that he would stay for a bit longer with her, if they waited. She knew that he would leave soon, after he was healed.

Shen Fei shook his head, and resolved, “No. It is pretty painful. Once is enough. Let’s just do it.”

Every needle struck a painful blow. It was indeed torture. The needles sometimes pierced through flesh and muscles till the bone. It was good that his legs hadn’t completely lost their sensation. They would still bruise and sting. Granted that they weren’t as sensitive as before, but they were still reacting to the stimulus. Whenever Zhao Xi placed the needles, Shen Fei’s calves would spasm. It was an indication that her method was correct, and his legs were healing. However, the method was very painful, and he might not be able to brave it a second time.