Chapter 316: The Problem is Extremely Complicated
Chapter 316: The Problem is Extremely Complicated
"Oh, okay." An Ran comes out from the back of the car, helps Little Mint and Doll settle into the back seat together, and then sits in the passenger seat beside Zhan Lian.
"Go ahead. You won’t scratch it now. The road’s wide enough."
She also helps Zhan Lian adjust the rearview mirror, staring at it intently, worried he might accidentally scratch the car.
In reality, though, it’s the end of the world. Who cares if the car gets scratched or not?
By the time they return to District 4 from the hospital in District 3, it’s already noon. Zhan Lian drives straight to Gaoping Dormitory. Little Mint is dozing in the back seat, and she doesn’t wake up until An Ran nudges her when the car stops.
Zhan Lian pulls a bag of noodles from the trunk, then produces a portable gasoline stove from somewhere. He moves it to the next room and starts cooking the noodles.
An Ran takes Doll out of the car seat in the front and lays Little Mint down with Doll in the room. She covers Doll’s belly with a thin blanket before turning and heading to the next room to help Zhan Lian with the noodles.
The room next door is the one where Zhan Lian massaged An Ran’s sore muscles with medicinal oil the previous night. There’s not much in the room, not even a proper bed, just a wooden frame, and a small table with a half-burnt candle from last night still on it.
Zhan Lian stands next to the portable stove, his sunglasses resting on his collar. He fills a small stainless steel pot with water from a nearby bucket, lights the stove, and begins boiling the water.
When he sees An Ran enter, he hands her the bag of noodles and asks, "What were the results of today’s examination?"
"The doctor said they couldn’t tell whether the thing in Little Mint’s belly is a fetus or a cyst. Her blood coagulation function isn’t very good, and her platelet count is low. Surgery would be risky, and there could be heavy bleeding."
An Ran lowers her eyes, tears open the noodle package in her hand, sighs, and a delicate look appears on her clean brows.
Zhan Lian, standing opposite her, notices her frown. He raises his eyes briefly, then moves his hands as if to do something, but ultimately doesn’t.
He turns around, takes out three disposable paper bowls from a plastic storage box on the bed frame, then grabs three pairs of disposable chopsticks. He neatly places them next to the stove and asks, "So what are you going to do?"
"I..." An Ran raises her head and looks at Zhan Lian, feeling embarrassed. "I don’t know what to do either. Little Mint is still very naive. Surgery has risks, but not having surgery also has risks. The cyst could be malignant, or it could just be a benign one. I’m not even sure if this is a fetus. Sigh..."
It’s truly a dilemma. An Ran sighs deeply, continuing, "Doctor Zhao said that if it’s a fetus, we shouldn’t perform surgery yet. But I think that if we have to let this child be born, it would be cruel to both Little Mint and Doll. Of course, my opinion isn’t final. We’ll have to ask Little Mint herself."
Doctor Zhao explained it clearly. It’s not that Little Mint can’t undergo surgery—it’s just that the equipment and the doctor’s technical expertise aren’t enough for a safe procedure.
So now, the problem is enormous, and everything depends on Little Mint’s decision.