My mom is waiting for treatment, and you're summoning me to be a hero?

Earth.

The lobby on the first floor of the hospital.

The morning sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting a warm yellow glow on the floor.

There was a long queue in front of the registration window.

The cleaning lady pushed her cart past the other end of the corridor, the wheels making a soft scraping sound as they rolled over the floor tiles.

Everything was so ordinary.

Just like any ordinary morning.

But in the rest area in the corner of the lobby, two people stood out from the hurried crowd around them.

Zhou Xiaomei is sitting in a wheelchair.

She was wearing a hospital gown with a faded knitted cardigan over it.

His face was a sickly pale.

The cheekbones protrude from under the skin, the eye sockets are deep-set, and the lips are dry and chapped.

She covered her head, which had been completely shaved off due to chemotherapy, with a woolen hat.

But she sat very upright.

He stood with his back straight, chin slightly raised, and eyes fixed on the direction of the hall entrance.

There was stubbornness and obstinacy in his eyes.

There is also a kind of stubbornness that no one can persuade.

The nurse stood to the side, holding a blood pressure monitor and a logbook, her face full of embarrassment.

"Auntie, you have surgery in a few hours, you really need to go back to your ward to rest. You need to fast and abstain from water before the surgery, and you also need to have final examinations. What's the point of you sitting here?"

"I know, I'll wait a little longer."

Zhou Xiaomei spoke, her voice a little hoarse, but her tone was very steady.

The nurse opened her mouth, then swallowed her words back.

She turned to look at the middle-aged man next to her, her eyes pleading for help.

Lin Feng was standing next to his wife at this moment.

His back was slightly hunched, and there were obvious dark circles under his eyes. His beard hadn't been shaved for several days, and a messy layer of stubble had sprouted up.

He held onto the back of his wife's chair with one hand and clutched the old cell phone with the other.

Catching the nurse's gaze, he forced a somewhat apologetic smile.

"Wait a little longer, we'll be right back."

His voice was very gentle.

The nurse sighed, shook her head, and left.

Lin Feng lowered his head and looked at his phone screen.

The screen had long since gone dark, but he was still staring at it.

It was as if glancing at it a little longer would bring Lin Mo a message.

On a nearby chair, an elderly woman waiting to pick up her medicine took off her reading glasses and glanced in this direction.

Her daughter, standing next to her, pointed in Lin Feng and Zhou Xiaomei's direction and whispered, "...That's the one, the one whose son ran away. He borrowed money from relatives, disappeared, and ran off with the money too. I heard he was a college student..."

The old lady shook her head.

"These young people nowadays, tsk tsk."

On the other side of the bench, two middle-aged women huddled together and whispered:

"That's right. I heard from the nurses at the station that they almost raised enough money for the surgery, but then their son suddenly disappeared. Poor man, he stays here every day, and sleeps on that broken chair at night."

"What a tragedy! It would have been better to have no son at all."

"Who can argue with that? If you ask me, they're definitely running away because they're afraid of taking responsibility. This kind of illness is a bottomless pit; who wants to fill it?"

"Shh, keep your voice down, don't let them hear..."

"What did you hear? I'm telling the truth. If that kid dares to come back, I'll walk out upside down."

Lin Feng's ears twitched.

He heard it.

Every word was clearly audible.

But he didn't turn around or argue; he just gripped his phone even tighter.

Zhou Xiaomei heard it too.

Her fingers trembled slightly, but she remained fixed on the direction of the hall entrance.

The sounds continued.

Like flies, buzzing, buzzing.

The noise echoed through the once quiet hospital lobby.

Some people started to agree.

Someone let out a mocking laugh.

Some people shook their heads and sighed, muttering that the world is going to the dogs.

The noise in the lobby on the first floor was getting louder and more annoying.

Just then, the automatic door at the entrance of the hall opened with a soft click.

A gust of cold wind blew in from outside.

There was a person standing at the door.

A long, black cloak that almost reached his ankles.

The hood of the cloak covered most of his face, revealing only the outline of his chin.

He just stood there at the door.

Sunlight streamed in from behind him, casting a long shadow.

Zhou Xiaomei was the first to spot the figure.

She immediately widened her eyes and covered her mouth, unable to utter a word for a moment.

Lin Feng noticed something was wrong with his wife and followed her gaze to see a familiar face standing there.

"Xiao Mo! Is that you!?"

Lin Feng's words silenced the entire hall.

Everyone who was just talking shut up.

The woman who had suggested walking out upside down froze, her expression as if she were in a daze.

Lin Mo lifted his hood.

His gaze swept past the stunned people.

Overlook the mocking expressions that hadn't yet been withdrawn.

past that old lady who was just clicking her tongue.

The woman, dressed in a hospital gown, was sitting in a wheelchair in the corner; she was so thin she was almost unrecognizable.

Zhou Xiaomei braced herself against the back of the chair, trying to stand up.

Lin Feng grabbed her and supported her, his own hands trembling.

Seeing this, Lin Mo rushed over as well.

He walked through the hall, through the crowd that automatically parted to the sides, through the deathly silence.

His boots stomped on the floor, making clear, distinct footsteps.

step.

Two steps.

Three steps.

He stopped in front of Zhou Xiaomei.

Then, to everyone's astonishment, he knelt down on one knee.

Hold your mother's hand.

Those withered, needle-covered hands.

Those hands that had held his hand countless times as he walked home from school.

Her hands were shaking.

His hands were shaking.

Lin Mo lowered his head and remained silent for a long time.

Sunlight streamed in through the glass window.

It landed on his black cloak, and on his and his mother's clasped hands.

a long time.

He raised his head.

His eyes were red, but there were no tears.

He took a deep breath and spoke, his voice so hoarse it was almost inaudible: "Mom, I'm back."

Zhou Xiaomei's tears welled up immediately.

She raised her other hand and tremblingly reached out towards his face.

That hand was cold, and the fingertips were rough.

But Lin Mo remained motionless as she touched him, just like every time when they were children.

"it is good."

Her voice choked with emotion, but she smiled.

"It's good that you're back."

Lin Feng stood to the side, his lips pressed tightly together, unable to utter a single word.

He simply patted his son's shoulder hard, then turned his head away, looking at the blinding sunlight outside the window.

No one speaks.

The entire hall was so quiet that only the occasional mechanical sound from the vending machines could be heard.

Those who were just talking about it now all had their heads down.

Some pretended to look at their phones.

Some left in a hurry.

Some stood still.

His facial expression was extremely complex.

But Lin Mo didn't even glance at them.

He simply stood up silently and went around to the back of the wheelchair.

"Come on, Mom, let's go back to the ward."

Zhou Xiaomei nodded emphatically.

"Yes, Mom will rest well. The medicine you gave her is very effective. The doctor said I'm in great shape now, and the surgery has a 90% success rate..."

As Zhou Xiaomei spoke, she recounted the events of the past few days.

She just kept holding his hand, as if afraid he would disappear again.

The wheels of the wheelchair rolled on the floor, making a slight sound.

Lin Feng stood beside his wife, one hand on her shoulder and the other holding his phone.

The phone had long since gone dark, but his thumb kept stroking the screen.

They walked through the corridor.

Pass through the nurses' station.

Passing through the curious gazes peeking out from the crack in the door.

"That's...whose kid is back? Didn't they say he ran off with the money?"

"I've said it before, you can't believe these rumors. Raymond Lam and Chow Hiu-mei are both good people, how could their son do such a thing?"

"Let me tell you, I've never believed that kind of talk. Think about it, if his son really ran away with the money, where would they get the money for hospitalization and surgery?"

"So it seems that Raymond Lam and Zhou Xiaomei aren't mentally ill after all; their son really has come back."

"Those people who spread rumors are bastards. The family is perfectly fine."

……