"What shows did she act in?" Zhang Shuping asked.
"Some Northern Show." Du Mengen answered honestly, "That TV series is so outdated, only people from my momâs generation have seen it."
Nothing can outlast time. The temporary glamour of a star inevitably fades.
"My mom said she was really beautiful when she played the lead role," Du Mengen said. "The problem is, I canât find the source to watch that series."
A truly beautiful person, who could be openly praised by Teacher Duâs wife, must be more than just physically beautiful. This sick Aunt Min had a remarkable demeanor, very polite, and treated everyone courteously. Despite having a serious illness, she always had a smile on her face.
Standing behind the teacher and holding the medical records, Xie Wanying opened the file and saw the patientâs diagnosis: ovarian cancer, with a total hysterectomy and appendectomy. This was the patientâs second time being admitted, mainly for a follow-up examination and some nutritional injections.
Ovarian cancer generally has a poor prognosis; even those who havenât studied medicine know this.
The patientâs optimistic strength had, in a way, pushed Death Godâs shadow far away. Xie Wanying remembered again what Teacher Du said, that the patient is the primary force for the possibility of miracles clinically.
"Hello, Doctor Du. I see youâve brought a new little assistant." Aunt Min joked while casually chatting with her attending physician, glancing at the new young doctorâs face behind Du Haiwei, "Is this a new student?"
"Yes." Du Haiwei, not known for humor, could only respond with a nod, then noticed the patientâs eyes were focused on Student Xieâs face behind him, questioning, "Do you know her?"
"Wellâ" Aunt Min seemed hesitant for a moment, then shook her head, "No. You havenât brought her before, Doctor Du, how could I know her."
The patientâs reasoning was sound, and the doctors did not suspect otherwise. Du Haiwei continued to check the patientâs condition and adjusted the patientâs treatment plan for the day, advising, "Donât be too impatient."
Everything about this patient is good, but sometimes sheâs overly enthusiastic, resulting in her wanting to exercise shortly after being told by the doctors to rest more.
Aunt Min nodded vigorously, not daring to oppose the advice after being educated by the attending physician.
Rounding finished. In the morning, as usual, they assisted the teachers in surgery, and by noon, they returned patients to the ward.
The nurse came and said that the patient in Bed No.6 was looking for a doctor. Since the teacher wasnât available, Xie Wanying went to the ward to see what the patient needed.
Walking into the ward, Aunt Min from Bed No.6 waved at her and called out, "Thatâs right; itâs you Iâm looking for."
The patient was looking for her, not her teacher? Xie Wanying carried her doubts over, recalling how the patient had looked at her strangely that morning.
"I later heard them say your last name is Xie; coincidentally, I know someone who reportedly married a comrade with the last name Xie, who used to work as a transport driver in the production team," Aunt Min said.
"My dadâs last name is Xie, and he was a transport driver," Xie Wanying confirmed, sensing that the other party recognized her family.
"Whatâs your momâs name?" Aunt Min asked.
"Sun Rongfang." Xie Wanying wrote down her motherâs name for her.
"Thatâs the name." Aunt Min acknowledged as she nodded at the name written.
"Auntie, do you know my mom?" Xie Wanying was quite surprised by thisâher mom, who knew a big TV celebrity, had never mentioned it. Thinking back, her mother never chased after stars and hardly watched TV at home, being busy working and raising children with no time for entertainment, so she might truly not know a big star existed.