At this moment, even the air seemed a little stagnant.
In this silent atmosphere, Wang He already had a premonition of some very directional and precise answer.
"Mr. Cao, what disease does my wife have?"
With a hoarse voice, he asked again.
"Mr. Wang, are you ready?"
Cao Weidong did not answer in a hurry, but looked at the gray-haired old man and asked again seriously.
He knows the answer.
Yes, through questioning, he had confirmed that the strange disease that Wang He's wife had was what he had guessed.
But he knew how cruel his answer would be to Wang He.
He was also not sure whether it was better to tell the old man the cruel answer directly or to let him have false hope in his heart.
Wang He said decisively.
"I'm ready. After all these years, what else is there that I'm not ready for? No, let's wait..."
After just a few seconds, he changed his mind again and said with some lack of confidence.
"Wait, let's wait a little longer, Mr. Cao, I don't know if you have a cigarette. I want to smoke a cigarette. I heard that smoking can make people calm down."
"some."
Cao Weidong took out a box of Zhonghua from his pocket, handed over a cigarette, and helped light the fire.
It was obviously Wang He's first time smoking.
He put the cigarette in his mouth awkwardly and took a deep breath.
Suddenly a puff of white smoke exploded in his mouth, and then he choked unsurprisingly. He squatted like a shrimp and coughed violently, with tears and runny nose coming down.
After a long pause, Wang He straightened up, threw away the cigarette that was almost burned to the butt, and shook his head with a wry smile.
"I didn't expect that cigarettes are so difficult to smoke. I really don't understand why so many people like to smoke."
"Maybe it's to relieve some emotions."
Cao Weidong answered according to Wang He's mood.
"Yeah, this reminds me of a lot of forgotten things."
Wang He started to ramble.
He talked a lot about himself and his wife.
It's very plain and trivial. In fact, it doesn't matter. It's a story about two people struggling to move forward in the storm and supporting each other.
But this is the most precious memory for Wang He.
"If it hadn't been for her support over the years, I might not have been able to persevere. Frankly speaking, she suffered a lot with me. I saw it all, but I didn't expect that she would get sick when I saw that I was about to live a good life.
.”
"First, I had no strength in my hands and feet and liked to lie down. Later, it became difficult to hold chopsticks when eating. Now, almost half of my body cannot move... We have been to many hospitals during this period.
I also went to many doctors, but no one knew what disease my wife had..."
"Mr. Cao, tell me, what is this disease? Is there any way to save it?"
Wang He raised his head and looked at Cao Weidong, with prayer in his eyes.
Cao Weidong met Wang He's gaze and said.
"She has ALS."
"ALS?"
"You can understand that this is a chronic disease, a problem occurs inside the body, and the symptoms are similar to your wife's."
"Is there any hope?"
Wang He grabbed Cao Weidong's hand.
Cao Weidong shook his head and told everything he knew frankly.
"You should know the story of people hiding illnesses and avoiding medical treatment. Bian Que commented on Marquis Huan's illness at that time - [The disease is in the bone marrow, where the command belongs, and there is nothing that can be done]."
"When your wife's condition worsens, her muscles will become weaker and weaker, to the point where she can't move, speak, or swallow, as if she's frozen. That's why this disease is called ALS."
"Don't talk about China, there is no treatment even abroad."
This is also one of the world's terminal diseases. In the 1930s and 1940s, there were statistics and reports in the United States.
Wang He asked again.
"How much longer does my wife have?"
"As far as I know, the entire development time from the onset to the end of the disease is about 5 to 10 years."
Wang He held Cao Weidong's hand firmly.
"grateful!"
Cao Weidong nodded and said nothing, but he could clearly feel that the old man's hands had been shaking.
.......
After leaving the courtyard, a few people had a simple meal on the roadside and then walked aimlessly.
Wang Kongwen sighed.
"I didn't expect that this kind of disease still exists in the world. It's a pity for Mr. Wang. These older generations have come out of the storm and everything has been getting better."
"I heard that he is still one of the best professors at the film school and has the potential to continue to rise."
Cao Weidong said with emotion.
"No matter how much potential you have, it's useless. This is fate. Life is like a journey against the odds, and you and I are also travelers."
It's a pity indeed, but this is the truth of life.
As he said that, Cao Weidong looked up.
It was just evening at this time, and a waning moon rose in the sky, echoing the setting sun.
And he found that he had unknowingly arrived near the courtyard where he originally lived.
"You guys go back first, I'll go to the courtyard to take a look."
Cao Weidong touched the key in his pocket and gave instructions to Wang Kongwen and Xu Aiguo.
The two of them agreed and went home respectively, while Cao Weidong walked to the courtyard.
But when he arrived at the courtyard and walked to the courtyard gate, he smelled the aroma of food from a distance.
Cao Weidong's heart moved, he pushed open the courtyard door and walked in.
.......
Silly Zhu came back early.
I deliberately rushed before Qin Huairu got off work.
He opened the door to his room, took out a low table, fired up the stove, and set up an iron pot.
The food you brought from the canteen is a little cold, just add some oil and stir-fry it again.
After putting the food on the plate, there was still some base oil in the pot. In order not to waste it, Shazhu poured the peanuts bought from the tavern into it and briefly stir-fried it twice.
Suddenly a scent of fragrance came out and wafted in the courtyard.
Silly Zhu happily put the peanuts on the plate and poured the wine into the cup.
Just like that, the simple wine and food are ready.
He sat down at the low table and ate happily.
Xu Damao smelled it almost immediately. When he saw Silly Zhu, he was obviously stunned for a moment.
"Silly Zhu, why did you come out?"
"Well, thanks to my friends, I got out of the security department."
Xu Damao's eyes fell on the food and wine, rolled his eyes, and moved over.
"The relationship is great, Silly Zhu. Let's have a drink today and treat it as congratulations on your coming out."
Silly Zhu looked at Xu Damao seriously.
"roll!"
Simply and neatly.
Xu Damao's face turned green with anger, and he stood aside in a sullen manner.
After a while, Yan Jiecheng and Yu Li were attracted by the scent and walked out. When they saw Silly Zhu, they both had a look of embarrassment on their faces.
In order to lighten the atmosphere, Yan Jiecheng walked over with an awkward smile.
"Silly Zhu, congratulations on your coming back. Come to my place, I will ask the chef to cook some food and treat you to some good wine..."
Silly Zhu also glanced at him.
"You get out too!"
Yan Jiecheng's face turned pale with anger, and he stood with Xu Damao, with an expression of gnashing teeth on his face.
Snap.
The door of the courtyard opened and Qin Huairu came back pushing her bicycle.