Pastoral Daily Life
chapter-8

Plant name: Large-leaved golden pothos

Plant needs: None

Plant viability: High

Near the main entrance on the ground floor of the inpatient department, Lu Lingxi did not touch the leaves of the golden pothos as usual, but deliberately stood a little farther away to conduct a mental scan. As with the chlorophytum last night, the golden pothos within three metres behind him not only appeared clearly in his mind, but also on the white panel. Lu Lingxi excitedly circled the lobby, and as pots of golden pothos appeared in his mind, the joy of the panel upgrade finally became real.

After testing all the golden pothos, Lu Lingxi was about to return to the ward when two staff members dressed in hospital logistics style uniforms stopped in front of the pot of golden pothos not far away.

“Lao Wang, look at this plant, do you think it looks better than the other pots?”

“It seems to be a bit, it feels taller than the other pots.”

“Not only is it taller, but the colour looks better than the others too. Look at these green leaves, the markings on them are clearly distinguishable. How can the other pots compare?”

“It does look different, but why? We water and look after them the same.”

“I wonder too, I thought it was a bit different last time, but the difference wasn’t so obvious then.”

The golden pothos they were talking about was the same one that Lu Lingxi had watered. Lu Lingxi didn’t listen any further when he heard this. It was really not his illusion, whether it was the golden pothos or the chlorophytum on the windowsill, the ones he had taken care of seemed to grow better. He remembered that the last time he watered the garden with Elder Zhang, the old man had jokingly mentioned that the pansies in the flower beds that Lu Lingxi had fertilised were blooming particularly well, while the others were a little less so. Lu Lingxi didn’t see the difference after looking at them for a long time and it was hard to tell whether what Elder Zhang said was true or just an encouragement to him. Now with the addition of this pot of golden pothos, there seems to be no more doubt about this issue. Lu Lingxi was sure that it was all connected to the white panel.

Lu Lingxi walked all the way back to the ward deep in thought when the attending doctor, Chen Zhu, stopped him in the corridor.

“Xiao Lu, come here for a moment.”

“Dr. Chen?”

He obediently followed the doctor into the office, and Chen Zhu fished out Lu Lingxi’s yesterday examination report from the pile of documents on his desk and gently pointed it out to him.

“Xiao Lu, your examination report is out. Except for the problem of amnesia, you have recovered well, and according to your health condition, you can almost be discharged. You should discuss it with your mother to see if you should be discharged now or stay for a few more days to continue checking the problem of amnesia.”

As soon as Chen Zhu said that, Lu Lingxi replied, “Dr. Chen, I want to be discharged.”

“Discharged?” Chen Zhu pondered for a moment, “Discharge is fine, but Xiao Lu, you’d better discuss it with your mother.”

According to Lu Lingxi’s examination report, Lu Lingxi’s health fully met the requirements for discharge. Under normal circumstances, the hospital would not stop a patient from requesting to be discharged, but Lu Lingxi’s situation was different. After all, Lu Lingxi had just turned 18 and was still a child in Chen Zhu’s eyes, so it was best for his parents to decide whether he should be discharged or not.

Lu Lingxi knew Chen Zhu’s concerns, but he still wanted to insist.

“Dr. Chen, my body is fine, and my amnesia does not affect my life, you see…”

Lu Lingxi’s eyes were pleading; he himself knew his condition, memory loss was not a problem at all. But Wang Shuxiu has always only listened to doctors. If Dr. Chen mentioned amnesia, Wang Shuxiu would definitely keep him in the hospital for a few more days. When he was in the Lu family, he had never thought about hospital fees or medical expenses, and the Lu family was not short of money at all. But this time when he was hospitalised, he watched Wang Shuxiu work so hard and realised the importance of money for the first time. He was really fine and didn’t want Wang Shuxiu to spend more money than necessary.

Chen Zhu also knew some things about Lu Lingxi’s situation. It seemed that the Lu family’s conditions were not too good, and the burden of being hospitalised for a long time was indeed a bit heavy. Thinking of this, Chen Zhu sighed in his heart and compromised, “Then let’s discharge you. But…” Chen Zhu found a sticky note and left Lu Lingxi his phone number, instructing, “Call me immediately if anything happens to your health. Or if you remember something one day, give me a call as well.”

“Thank you.” Lu Lingxi was pleasantly surprised, his eyes shining brightly as he looked at Chen Zhu.

Looking at him, Chen Zhu couldn’t help but smile and joked, “I promise to discharge you from the hospital, don’t turn against me when your mother comes over and scolds me for being irresponsible.”

“It won’t happen,” Lu Lingxi hurriedly said, feeling a little embarrassed. He still remembered the time when he first woke up from a coma and Wang Shuxiu grabbed Chen Zhu and cursed the hospital for cheating them out of money.

Chen Zhu smiled: “I’m just kidding. Xiao Lu, go and pack up, you are about to be discharged from the hospital.”

“En. Thank you.”

Coming out of the office, Lu Lingxi briskly walked back to his ward, finally ready to be discharged. Perhaps because his memories of hospitals before were not good Lu Lingxi subconsciously did not like the hospital very much and had a vague feeling of depression. He was greatly relieved to be discharged this time. In his heart, discharge from hospital did not only mean physical recovery, but also a farewell to his past life. It also represented a new life for him, a fresh start.

Lu Lingxi didn’t delay and started packing his things as soon as he returned to his ward. He had been in the hospital for so many days and had accumulated a lot of bits and pieces. He finished packing early, so that Wang Shuxiu would not have to worry about it when she arrived.

As soon as Lu Lingxi started packing his things, the other family members in the ward noticed it.

Sister Tian was the first to ask, “Xiao Lu, are you going to be discharged from the hospital?”

Lu Lingxi nodded, “Dr. Chen said that I’ve almost recovered and can be discharged.”

“Aiyo, that’s a good thing!” Sister Tian was even happier than Lu Lingxi, putting down whatever she was doing and ready to help Lu Lingxi pack.

“No need to bother, Sister Tian, I can do it alone,” Lu Lingxi hastily refused.

Sister Tian ignored him, “I’ll do it, you’re a young man, how can you know how to pack these things? By the way, Xiao Lu, did you tell your mother?”

Lu Lingxi shook his head. It was still early; if he told Wang Shuxiu, Wang Shuxiu would definitely rush over. It would be better to say it later; it would still allow her to sleep a little longer while he packed his things.

When Sister Tian saw Lu Lingxi shaking his head, she thought he didn’t have a mobile phone. She was about to say that Lu Lingxi could take her mobile phone to make a call, but then she suddenly understood. Sister Tian liked Lu Lingxi from the bottom of her heart. Although Wang Shuxiu couldn’t have a proper man, it was worth having such a son, she thought.

Lu Lingxi, together with Sister Tian and with the help of the others in the ward, quickly packed up his things. If he hadn’t been a complete stranger to Fengcheng, unable to find his way home, he would have asked Wang Shuxiu not to come and would have been fine on his own.

s

After putting his packed things together neatly, Lu Lingxi saw that it was almost the usual time for Wang Shuxiu to come. He borrowed Sister Tian’s mobile phone to send a text message to Wang Shuxiu who quickly called him back.

“Why are you being discharged from the hospital suddenly? What did the doctor say?” The news was so unexpected that Wang Shuxiu was worried that Lu Lingxi had secretly managed to get out of the hospital without telling her and the doctor.

“The results of yesterday’s examination came out, and Dr. Chen said I was recovering well enough to be discharged,” Lu Lingxi patiently explained, knowing what Wang Shuxiu was worried about.

Once she heard that it was the doctor’s advice, Wang Shuxiu calmed down. She was afraid that Lu Lingxi would still remember Lu Yishui’s nonsense words from last time and would refuse to be hospitalised for fear that his family would not have enough money. When she heard that Lu Lingxi had already packed his things and gone through the discharge procedures, Wang Shuxiu’s voice grew louder.

“Just wait for me to do these things, you don’t have to worry about it! Don’t worry about anything, I’ll be there soon.”

Lu Lingxi hung up the phone. Sister Tian looked at him and smiled, “Your mother said that, right? I told you not to worry about these things, your mother is there to do them.”

Lu Lingxi laughed in embarrassment.

Sister Tian said this, but in her heart she couldn’t help but envy Wang Shuxiu. Lu Lingxi was such a sensible child, so much so that it was heartbreaking. No matter what Lu Lingxi was like before he lost his memory, she felt that judging by Lu Lingxi’s nature he was definitely not a bad kid before he lost his memory.

Sister Tian remembered one thing and said with concern, “Xiao Lu, what are you going to do after you leave the hospital?” Without waiting for Lu Lingxi’s answer, she said straight away, “At your age, you should study. If you want to study, ask Brother Li to run around and find a place for you to re-study your first year of senior middle school. You’ll be just two years older than an average student, it’s nothing.”

Sister Tian heard Wang Shuxiu talk about Lu Lingxi dropping out of school after graduating from junior middle school and felt a bit sorry for him. She was worried that Lu Lingxi would feel embarrassed to be a freshman at eighteen or something, and thought about comforting him in advance.

Lu Lingxi smiled gratefully, but still shook his head. “Thank you, I don’t plan to study anymore, I want to find a job.”

Although Lu Lingxi had stayed at home before, he had a fair understanding of the outside world through the internet. Three years of senior middle school plus four years of university, seven years of tuition fees and living expenses added up to be a very heavy burden for Wang Shuxiu. Without taking into account the current financial situation of the family, being able to study was one thing that Lu Lingxi longed for more than anything else. All his memories of school were stuck in the third grade of primary school. The wide school yard, his lively classmates, the pleasant sound of the after-class bell and the class teacher with her gentle smile. After the car accident, he was forced to withdraw from school. At first a few of his best friends came to see him with the class teacher, but after a while no one came to see him anymore. They all forgot about him, but he could never forget his primary school life.

The night before the operation, his father had also promised to send him to study abroad. Being able to study seemed to be a kind of obsession for him to some extent, but when he thought of how hard Wang Shuxiu worked, Lu Lingxi gave up this idea. In fact, it was the same whether he studied or not; he hadn’t been to school much anyway, so he might not be able to adapt if he really went back to school. Besides, he was fine the way he was. Lu Lingxi had already thought about it; when he was discharged from hospital, he would find a job in a gardening shop. He could not only use the panel to take care of flowers and plants but also collect plant hearts, and at the same time earn money to support himself so that Wang Shuxiu didn’t have to work so hard.

Hearing that Lu Lingxi did not intend to go to school, Sister Tian couldn’t help but persuade, “Xiao Lu, you are still young and don’t know what this society is like. What kind of job can you find if you don’t go to school? It’s completely different from when you come out of school, so don’t be confused.”

s

Lu Lingxi knew that Sister Tian was being kind, but he had already made up his mind and just smiled without saying anything.

Sister Tian sighed in her heart and didn’t persuade Lu Lingxi any further, but thought that she would have to talk to Wang Shuxiu later so as to not disadvantage the child.

In a short while, the sound of Wang Shuxiu’s footsteps came from the corridor. Since Lu Lingxi was about to leave the hospital, Wang Shuxiu had bought a lot of fruits at the entrance of the hospital. The people in the ward had been taking care of Lu Lingxi for a long time, especially Sister Tian, so Wang Shuxiu wanted to do something for her.

“Come on, eat the fruit.” Wang Shuxiu carried several bags in her hands, and put a bag on every bed.

“What are you doing, Sister!” Sister Tian took her hand and wouldn’t let go.

Wang Shuxiu insisted, “Xiao Xi is going to be discharged from the hospital, I have nothing else to give. A little fruit is not worth anything, thank you all for this time.”

Her expression was so sincere that Sister Tian took the fruit after pushing it back twice. While Lu Lingxi was washing apples in the washroom, Sister Tian mentioned to Wang Shuxiu about Lu Lingxi’s going to school.

As soon as she heard that she could find someone to get Lu Lingxi back to school, Wang Shuxiu immediately became happy. Both she and Lu Yishui were not well educated, so all their hopes were pinned on Lu Lingxi. Lu Lingxi did not like to study in the past. She had scolded him a lot but had no choice but to agree with Lu Lingxi dropping out of school early. Now that there was a chance to go back to school, Wang Shuxiu thought about the changes in Lu Lingxi after the accident and simply said, “Yes, he must go.”

Sister Tian reminded her, “I’m afraid Xiao Lu is not willing to go.”

Wang Shuxiu waved her hand, “Little bastard still wants to turn the world upside down but he has to listen to me on this matter.” If it was before, Wang Shuxiu was not confident that she could control Lu Lingxi, but after the accident Lu Lingxi behaved too obediently and Wang Shuxiu felt that she could still make the decision on this matter, so she directly agreed.