The Withered Tree Always Welcomes Spring chapter 64

Chen Xian was quite busy on his end. Every time, it was well past midnight when he called Shen Jixue, and every time Shen Jixue could tell he had been drinking.

“It’s so late, I’m embarrassed to call the nurse.” Chen Xian sighed heavily. He wanted to ask about Shen Jixue’s situation, but he didn’t have time during the day, and by night the nurses were already asleep.

Shen Jixue understood Chen Xian’s concern. “You can ask me directly, no need to go through the nurse.”

Chen Xian chuckled softly over the phone. “Ask you? I’m afraid you won’t tell me the truth.”

Chen Xian’s voice was low and slightly slurred, indicating he had been drinking, quite a lot. Shen Jixue knew his tolerance, and to get Chen Xian to this semi-conscious state, he must have had quite a bit.

“Why did you drink so much?”

Chen Xian’s inhaling was particularly noticeable, “I have no choice. I’m not good at talking, so I have to give Wu Bie some help. He handles negotiations, and all I can do is drink. Those bosses are used to drinking at the table. If they’re not convinced, they won’t easily agree to cooperate with us.”

Shen Jixue felt heavy-hearted. He knew he couldn’t persuade Chen Xian, and he had no reason to. He couldn’t do anything now; he could only wait and be even better to Chen Xian in the future.

“In a few days, I have to meet a boss surnamed Qiu who’s in the coal business. I’ll visit his mine. There might be no signal there for a few days. If I don’t call, just go to bed early. It’ll be over soon, a few more bosses to meet, then I’ll be back.”

Shen Jixue was about to say something when he heard Wu Bie snoring in his sleep, so he held back.

“You should rest early and not drink so much.”

Chen Xian had many things to ask Shen Jixue, but he was really tired. His eyelids were heavy, and even his consciousness was numb from the alcohol. Without hanging up the phone, he fell asleep.

After hearing Chen Xian’s breathing over the phone, Shen Jixue reluctantly hung up.

In the darkness, Lin Qiao’s voice suddenly sounded, “Aren’t you going to tell him about your surgery tomorrow?”

Shen Jixue tucked his phone under his pillow. He wanted to tell him, but Chen Xian was too busy. Even if he told him, Chen Xian couldn’t help, and it might distract him. Right now, he needed to focus. After a successful surgery, he could share his joy with Chen Xian.

“I’ll wait until after the surgery. He’s been busy lately.”

Lin Qiao turned over, propped her head on her arm, and looked at Shen Jixue sitting on the bed. She couldn’t figure out Shen Jixue’s relationship with this man named Chen Xian. They weren’t relatives or friends.

“If I were in your shoes, I’d probably feel uneasy about undergoing surgery alone,” Lin Qiao said softly. Despite having nursing care, they only attended to his meals, not his emotional needs.

If this had been before, he would have been really scared, but he had experienced so much alone, with nothing to lose and nothing to fear. Now he just hoped to see Chen Xian sooner.

…..

Before the second surgery, the caregiver wanted Shen Jixue to call Chen Xian, but unfortunately, Chen Xian didn’t pick up, and Shen Jixue inexplicably felt relieved.

“Forget it, Chen Xian is busy. I’ll call him after the surgery. Jie, if you have something to do, go ahead. I have a doctor here.”

For Shen Jixue, this surgery was like an exam. If he achieved good results, he would have the courage to tell Chen Xian. If the surgery failed, even if it wasn’t his fault, he would blame himself. He didn’t want to fail; Chen Xian was trying hard, so he had to work hard too.

The surgery went smoothly, so smoothly that Shen Jixue felt like he had just slept. After the anesthesia wore off, he was still a little confused, and it took a while to understand the doctor’s instructions.

His eyes had to be medicated repeatedly, and he had to monitor his recovery. He also reminded him to pay attention to personal hygiene recently.

Shen Jixue accepted them one by one, feeling unreal. He wanted to touch his eyes with his hands, but he was afraid of any mishaps.

Just seven days? After seven days, will he be able to see?

This time, work negotiations took nearly half a month. After signing the last contract, Chen Xian suddenly felt much lighter. He had never done such things before; he only knew to bury himself in work. Now he had to socialize and bow to people, which brought extra pressure.

As the car drove into the provincial capital and caught a signal, Chen Xian immediately called Shen Jixue. These days in the mountains, he had been unable to contact Shen Jixue. He thought Shen Jixue should have had the surgery by now and felt guilty for not being able to accompany him during the surgery. He hadn’t even called Shen Jixue before the surgery.

“Hello?” The phone connected quickly, and Shen Jixue’s calm voice came through, “Chen Xian? Have you come out of the mountains?”

Shen Jixue’s tone was calm, and Chen Xian wasn’t sure if he had finished the surgery. “Xiao Shen? Have you had your surgery? I just came out of the mountains. I was going to call you, but the coal mine’s location was too remote, and that little mountain village didn’t even have a decent landline.”

Shen Jixue chuckled softly. “You told me early, I knew. You must have been busy, but you would call me after your work.”

Hearing Shen Jixue’s cheerful voice, Chen Xian’s hanging heart settled a little. “How do you feel?”

“I’m still in the recovery stage, haven’t removed the gauze yet, but the doctor said it went quite well.”

Shen Jixue’s casual tone surprised Chen Xian. He had thought this surgery wouldn’t be easy. “You…”

Chen Xian had many questions to ask, but didn’t know where to start. “Does it hurt?”

The other end of the phone went silent. It definitely hurt, especially after the anesthesia wore off. Compared to regaining sight, these were trivial matters. Yet, of all things, Chen Xian didn’t ask anything else, but instead asked this.

“Is everything done? Are you on your way back?”

“Yeah, everything’s done.” Originally, they had planned to rest for a day and leave early the next morning to head back, but Chen Xian suddenly didn’t want to waste any more time on the road. “Once we get to the station, we’ll switch directly to the bus heading back.”

After hanging up the phone, Chen Xian turned around and saw Wu Bie looking at him with a resentful expression. He awkwardly smiled.

“Xiao Shen’s surgery is done. He’s alone…”

Wu Bie rolled his eyes. Chen Xian was divorced, yet here he was, looking like he wanted to rush back home to reunite with his wife. Didn’t he have any sense of being a single man?

“Shen Jixue really keeps things hidden. He only told you after the surgery.”

“We’re in the mountains, he couldn’t contact us.”

Indeed, there was no way to contact them in the mountains. But he only admitted it when Chen Xian asked. He had undergone major surgery and still maintained such composure. Such a person must have a lot of self-control and would certainly be extraordinary in the future.

That wasn’t the point. Why did they have to rush back just because Xiao Shen called? Did anyone ask for Wu Bie’s opinion?

“We’ve been busy dealing with everything. After finally settling everything, can’t we take a day to relax and reward ourselves? Just consider it a treat.”

If it weren’t for worrying about Shen Jixue, Chen Xian wouldn’t be in such a hurry to go back. “He’s alone now.”

“His surgery’s done. Why are you in such a rush to go back? Are you a miracle worker? Will his bandages come off the moment you get back?”

Chen Xian knew Wu Bie was just being moody. He spoke gently, “I missed the surgery, couldn’t even call him before. I should go back soon after.”

With Chen Xian’s character, even if he forced him to have fun, his heart wouldn’t be in it. Thinking about how Xiao Shen had undergone surgery alone was indeed pitiful. He was blind and waiting was also very agonizing.

“Forget it, let’s go back. It’s annoying to see you hesitating.” Wu Bie scolded, “Others are married and can’t fool around, you’re divorced and still finding things to do.”

Chen Xian smiled shyly, without retorting. Then he heard Wu Bie ask again, “Hey, what are you going to do if Xiao Shen’s eyes are cured?”

Chen Xian rubbed his eyes. He hadn’t thought about what Xiao Shen wanted. If Xiao Shen wanted to stay, he would naturally welcome it. He had gotten used to his presence, as if he had a companion. If Xiao Shen wanted to leave… Xiao Shen had always said he liked him. Once his eyes were cured and he could really see him, maybe Xiao Shen’s thoughts would change.

“No plans.”

“No plans?” Wu Bie was shocked. He gritted his teeth, “You can’t let that Xiao Shen run away. Make sure he pays back the money!”

Speaking of which, Wu Bie jumped up from his seat. He leaned against Chen Xian’s forehead and said fiercely, “Don’t let that kid fool you. I think he said he likes you just so you’ll willingly give him money to fix his eyes.”

Chen Xian smiled bitterly and couldn’t argue with him. “Don’t talk nonsense.”

“Am I talking nonsense? Are you saying you think that Xiao Shen really likes you?”

Chen Xian hesitated. He didn’t know, but he knew one thing: Xiao Shen wasn’t that kind of person.

In these days during this work trip, in his sober nights, Wu Bie often heard Chen Xian talking to Shen Jixue on the phone, although they were just trivial matters, but to report everything in detail was ambiguous.

“You don’t have feelings for that kid, do you?” Having known Chen Xian for so many years, Wu Bie didn’t think he liked men.

Chen Xian turned to look out the window and answered ambiguously, “I’ll go check the tickets later. It’s best to leave today… we must leave today.”

He knew that Shen Jixue was so calm because he had no one to rely on, so he couldn’t be emotional; he had to remain rational at all times. The more he thought about it, the worse he felt. He was always like this, able to take care of one thing but neglecting another.

He really wanted… to see how Xiao Shen would react when he could see him, what his reaction would be.