Chapter 8: Life
"Xiaohui, there's no need to worry. The doctor said that your illness is just a minor one, and you'll be discharged soon."
Huang Shujun smiled and spoke incessantly to Su Hao, afraid that he would have wild thoughts.
"That's right!" Luo Shengrong quickly nodded.
"The doctor also said that your exhaustion over the years caused your illness. So, during this period, you can't read anymore. You need to rest properly."
"That's right!"
"To ensure that you recover peacefully, our family has moved to the hospital for this period. And since you can't read during this time, we'll be here with you to keep you company and talk."
"That's right!"
...
Su Hao listened attentively, pretending not to know about his condition, and nodded, promising his parents that he would take good care of himself and not think about anything during this time.
Then, he took some time to search online for "pancreatic cancer."
Pancreatic cancer is known as the "king of cancer"...
Upon reading this, Su Hao suddenly understood. It meant that there was no hope for him anymore. From the perspective of modern medicine, this was a terminal illness, and the chances of surviving for more than nine months were slim.
As Su Hao calmed down and pondered the current situation, he realized that the universe and the stars were mysterious, and so was life itself. Human understanding of life is still at a shallow level, and most diseases cannot be cured, with unknown causes.
Moreover, his understanding of the human body was superficial, with almost no knowledge about his own body. The knowledge he pursued over the years leaned towards the natural sciences, neglecting the fundamentals of humanity—life. Even in his creation, the "Light of the Universe," there was no category for "medicine."
Silently, Su Hao entered the Space of the Pinball and added a new section behind many categories, naming it "Medicine." After a moment's thought, he deleted it and changed it to "Life."
At the end of medicine lies life.
Illness is a strong signal sent by the body, a cry for help from the organs and cells within, unable to withstand the devastation and seeking assistance. It is an attempt to save life.
So, what is life? Flesh, cells, chromosomes, nucleic acids, proteins?
Unknown. All that is known is that life is a miracle among the countless years of the universe.
The meaning of life has surpassed the understanding of humans as mere beings of life. Why does life begin? Why does it end? What is the purpose of living? These questions cannot be answered definitively. Moreover, a normal person would never think about such questions.
But as Su Hao lay in the hospital bed, staring at the section on "Life," he was immersed in deep thought for the first time.
Are these questions truly unanswerable?
A strong desire to explore suddenly surged in Su Hao's heart.
...
The next day, Su Hao casually said, "Mom, I want to read books on medicine. Can you get me a computer?"
"No!" Without hesitation, Huang Shujun immediately refused. In her eyes, her precious son fell ill precisely because he was too immersed in studying and had exhausted his body.
At this moment, Luo Chaoxin raised his hand beside her and said, "Mom, if my brother wants to read, I want to read too."
Huang Shujun was instantly furious. She picked up Luo Chaoxin and started hitting him, saying, "Reading, reading! What are you reading? Luo Chaoxin, listen up, if you don't rank in the top twenty in your class, I'll break your legs. Do you hear me? Go play from now on. If I catch you reading or doing homework, you'll regret it."
Suddenly, happiness came so abruptly. It was like heaven. Luo Chaoxin forgot to cry even after being hit.
Helplessly scratching his head, Su Hao turned to his father, Luo Shengrong, and tried, "Dad, I just want to read books. Can you help me get a computer?"
Before Luo Shengrong could say anything, Huang Shujun immediately raised her voice and said, "No, I said no!"
After speaking, she glared at Luo Shengrong.
Luo Shengrong, who had softened his heart, hardened it again. With a firm tone, he said, "That's right!"
Then Huang Shujun continued to babble, explaining why he shouldn't read books and how they are detrimental to health, making Su Hao feel dizzy.
Finally, they resorted to a different approach.
Su Hao, with a smile on his face, said, "Mom, you don't have to lie to me anymore. I already knew. I have cancer, right? I only have less than nine months left, don't I?"
Huang Shujun and Luo Shengrong were shocked, while Luo Chaoxin seemed to have a vague understanding, imitating his parents and widening his eyes.
At this moment, Huang Shujun couldn't help but shed tears like raindrops, and Luo Shengrong quickly hugged his wife.
Huang Shujun suddenly thought of something and struggled out of Luo Shengrong's embrace. Pointing at her husband, she angrily said, "Luo Shengrong, tell me, did you, this bastard, tell Xiaohui?"
Luo Shengrong was taken aback and immediately shook his head, denying, "It wasn't me, it wasn't me!"
"If it wasn't you, then who was it?"
Luo Shengrong's eyes turned, and he happened to see Luo Chaoxin looking confused. He immediately pointed at Luo Chaoxin and defended himself, "Maybe it was Xiaoxin who said it!"
With burning eyes, Huang Shujun looked at Luo Chaoxin and asked, "Luo Chaoxin? Did you say it?"
Luo Chaoxin looked baffled. Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing?
At this moment, Su Hao found it amusing and said, "No need to guess. Nobody told me; I secretly looked it up when you weren't paying attention."
Huang Shujun stopped and cautiously asked, "Xiaohui, are you... not upset?"
"Nonsense!" Su Hao sighed, "Of course, I'm upset, but what can being upset do? It won't change the reality."
Suddenly, a brief silence fell over the ward, and no one spoke.
Seeing that the atmosphere was wrong, tears started to fall from Huang Shujun's eyes again. Su Hao comforted her, "Don't worry, I will cooperate with the treatment positively, and I won't strain my body too much. I promise to only read for a short time each day."
Huang Shujun hesitated, and Su Hao continued, "And Mom, don't you remember? Your son is a genius. Let me study my illness myself. Maybe I can find a way to treat it."
Luo Shengrong clenched his fist, and the gloom on his face dispersed. "Makes sense!"
Su Hao seized the opportunity and said, "Not only does it make sense, but there's a saying that seeking help from others is not as good as seeking help from oneself. I'll take control of my own life. Believe me,
it might actually work."
Finally, Huang Shujun was convinced and agreed to get Su Hao a computer and buy some medical research and life science books from the bookstore.
The condition was that he could only use it for no more than four hours a day. After four hours, it would be taken away.
But for Su Hao, such conditions were as good as no restrictions at all. He just needed to obtain the computer and import all the knowledge on life medicine into the Space of the Pinball, where he could access it freely.
With Su Hao's matter settled, Huang Shujun shifted her gaze to Luo Chaoxin.
"Xiaoxin, tomorrow Mom will take you to enroll in extracurricular classes. You should learn art, piano, dance, taekwondo, swimming, table tennis... Make sure to keep yourself physically fit, understood?"
Luo Chaoxin felt like he had fallen from heaven to hell.
*Translated by begs*