South to North: A Prison Guard at the Beginning

"Well, I'm going out for a while." At the Ma family, Ma Kui said as he looked at Wang Sufang who was cleaning up the dishes.

"What are you doing so late?" Wang Sufang wondered.

"It's nothing, I just ate a little too much. I'll take a walk to help digest the food." Ma Kui smiled and walked out of the house.

In fact, he was not going to digest the food, but to Yuan Mu's house. Yuan Mu winked at him before leaving, and Ma Kui understood, so he went to Yuan Mu's house.

"Old Ma is here, sit down!" Yuan Mu saw Ma Kui coming and pointed to the sofa beside him.

"Old Yuan, what do you want to talk to me about?" Ma Kui asked impatiently after sitting down.

Yuan Mu didn't mention it at the dinner table just now, which proved that this matter was not suitable to be discussed there. He was also quite curious.

"Come, have a cigarette first." Yuan Mu picked up the cigarette on the coffee table and handed one to Ma Kui.

Ma Kui lit up a cigarette, took a puff and then looked at Yuan Mu, waiting for his next words.

"It's like this, O'Ma, let me first say that I don't have any other intentions. We have been together for so many years, and I have seen something. I feel I need to talk to you about it." Yuan Mu said with a sigh.

"Look at you, why are you so serious? Just tell me if you have something to say. Are you short of money? If you are, I can ask your sister-in-law to give you some." Lao Ma said with a chuckle.

"Old Ma, I'm not kidding you." Yuan Mu said solemnly.

Lao Ma's smile faded and his expression became serious.

"What's the matter, Lao Yuan?"

"Regarding my sister-in-law, I have observed her before. Today, I feel that she seems to have a disease. Do you remember when we were in prison, there was a prisoner named Li Laosan?"

"Ah, remember, what does this have to do with your sister-in-law?" Ma Kui frowned.

"Lao Ma, I suggest you go to the hospital and find the doctor who treated my sister-in-law. I don't think her condition is a trivial matter."

Ma Kui immediately frowned, clenched his fists, and his heart beat suddenly accelerated, which meant that he was extremely uneasy at the moment. In fact, he had thought about similar situations a long time ago, but he had always avoided it and did not dare to believe it.

"You mean your sister-in-law has..." Ma Kui didn't say the next sentence.

"I'm just guessing, but it's okay for you to ask. If nothing goes wrong, we'll all be happy. If there really is something wrong, we'll just get it treated, right?" Yuan Mu comforted him.

When Ma Kui left Yuan Mu's house, his mind was filled with two words: cancer!

With Yuan Mu's reminder, combined with Wang Sufang's previous symptoms, her wife not only coughed, but sometimes fainted, but few people knew about this.

"Old Ma, why did you come back just now?" Wang Sufang asked as Ma Kui entered his house unknowingly.

Ma Kui finally reacted and forced a smile.

"Sufang, it's nothing, I just walked a little far."

"Then hurry up, wash your feet and go to bed, you still have work tomorrow."

"Hey, good."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The next morning, Ma Kui pushed the cart out of the house with Wang Xin as usual, but as soon as they left the alley, he asked Wang Xin to go to the unit to ask for leave for him.

"Uncle Ma, what are you doing?"

"Why do you care what I do? Go away quickly and don't forget to ask for leave for me!" Ma Kui waved his hand.

"If you don't want to say it, then forget it!" Wang Xin muttered to himself and rode away on his bike.

Ma Kui rode his bike towards the Railway Hospital. He wore a mask and a hat for fear that Dr. Shen would recognize him.

Because Ma Kui felt that Dr. Shen must know about Wang Sufang, but Wang Sufang didn't let Dr. Shen tell her.

The journey was smooth and he didn't meet Dr. Shen. He made an appointment and went directly to the doctor's room who treated his wife.

"Comrade, where do you feel uncomfortable?" the doctor looked at Ma Kui and asked.

Ma Kui took off his mask and hat, and the doctor recognized him because he was the one who accompanied Wang Sufang that day. Although he saw many patients a day, he was very familiar with Wang Sufang.

On the one hand, it was because Doctor Shen had asked him to take good care of Wang Sufang, and on the other hand, it was because of her illness.

"You are Wang Sufang's husband, right?"

"Yes, it's me, doctor. I came here today to ask you, what disease does my wife have?" Ma Kui asked impatiently.

The doctor hesitated for a moment. He had promised Wang Sufang not to tell anyone, but today her husband came to see him, and it would be better to let the family know about this disease.

"Doctor, just tell me, my wife's condition seems to be getting worse recently." Ma Kui said anxiously.

"Alas!" sighed the doctor.

"Okay, I'll tell you, but you have to be mentally prepared."

Ma Kui clenched his fists tightly, and a very bad thought arose in his mind.

"You tell me, I can bear it!"

"Your loved one has lung cancer, and it's already in the advanced stage."

“Boom!” As soon as the word “lung cancer” came out of his mouth, Ma Kui felt as if he was struck by lightning. His brain went blank with only the two words “lung cancer” in his mind.

"Comrade, comrade!" Seeing Ma Kui like this, the doctor hurriedly pushed him.

"Doctor, can we cure this disease?" Ma Kui asked with red eyes.

"I'm a doctor, and I have to be honest with you. With the level of medical care in our country, there is almost no hope, but we can extend her life."

"Then let me ask, what do you need to do?"

"It requires chemotherapy and medication, but the cost is huge and most families simply can't afford it. Your wife has concerns about this, so she begged me not to tell you."

Ma Kui walked out of the hospital as if he had lost his soul. The word "lung cancer" lingered in his mind, like a mountain pressing on his heart, making it difficult for him to breathe.

"Old Ma!" At this time, a voice came. Ma Kui turned around and saw Yuan Mu standing there holding the bicycle.

"Old Ma, what's going on?"

Ma Kui sighed deeply, then his nose felt sore and tears instantly welled up in his eyes. Men don't shed tears easily, but they will until they are sad. But at this moment, Ma Kui was already sad.

"Your sister-in-law has lung cancer, and it's already in the advanced stage."

Yuan Mu was not shocked at all because he had known it for a long time.

"Don't be discouraged, Lao Ma. There will always be a way."

"Well, what else can I do? I've already made up my mind. I'm going to resign in the next two days and take your sister-in-law to Kyoto. There's always a place where we can get treatment." Ma Kui's eyes were full of determination.

"Old Ma, if you leave like this, what will happen to Ma Jian and Ma Yan?"

"I will send Ma Jian back to the orphanage. I no longer have the ability to take care of him. As for Ma Yan, can I ask you for a favor?" There was a pleading look in Ma Kui's eyes.