After a full day of rain, the air was exceptionally fresh the next morning. The sun outside had dried up most of the puddles on the ground, leaving only a few damp patches that hadn’t fully dried yet.
The first thing Shen Zhiyi did after getting up was pull back the curtains and open the window.
“When you went to the hospital for your follow-up, did the doctor give you any instructions about precautions before certain tests?”
Shen Zhiyi was worried there might be blood tests that required fasting.
“I don’t think so.”
Pei Xu couldn’t quite remember either; he hadn’t been in the mood to listen to what the doctor had said at the time.
“Then let’s not eat at home. We’ll have lunch out after the checkup.”
Shen Zhiyi was afraid of getting sunburned, so she put on a baseball cap before heading out.
She applied sunscreen to her arms and legs.
Pei Xu didn’t know what she was doing; he could only hear what sounded like her rubbing something.
“Are you polishing your shoes?”
Shen Zhiyi paused her movements.
“I’m applying sunscreen.”
Was her skin that rough? Did it really sound like she was polishing shoes?
Shen Zhiyi touched her arm—it felt smooth and soft.
“Let me put some sunscreen on you too. The sun is pretty strong outside, and it’s easy to get sunburned.”
Shen Zhiyi squeezed a large dollop of sunscreen into her hand and rubbed it onto Pei Xu’s face, neck, and arms.
“Remember this sound now?”
“Mm.”
Pei Xu closed his eyes, letting Shen Zhiyi’s hands roam freely over his face.
“This is applying sunscreen, not polishing shoes!”
She was quite particular about it…
“This is the second time I’ve been out.”
Pei Xu held his white cane, feeling his way forward.
Because they were unfamiliar with the outside environment, they walked very slowly.
“When was the first time?”
“When Shuyuan came to chat with you.”
Shen Zhiyi noticed that the manhole cover ahead had been moved aside by someone, with no barriers or warning signs in sight. She quickly reached out and grabbed Pei Xu’s arm.
“The manhole cover ahead has been moved. Wait for me.”
Shen Zhiyi looked around but couldn’t find anything suitable to use.
In the end, she had to borrow a public trash can.
Shen Zhiyi took a wet wipe from her bag and cleaned her hands.
“Let’s go. Turn left to avoid this area.”
Shen Zhiyi held onto Pei Xu’s arm, letting go only after they had passed the hazardous section.
Pei Xu couldn’t see, so he was unaware of the strange looks from others.
But Shen Zhiyi, standing beside him, could see the gazes coming from all directions.
Some were sympathetic, some pitiful, some astonished…
Pitiful?
Shen Zhiyi never thought of Pei Xu as pitiful and had never felt sympathy for him.
Because such emotions often carried a sense of condescension from those in a superior position.
Shen Zhiyi believed Pei Xu didn’t need others’ sympathy or pity.
“It’s crowded here. Let me hold onto you.”
Shen Zhiyi linked her arm with Pei Xu’s and guided him forward.
“Such a beautiful girl, why is she with a blind man? I really don’t get it…”
“What’s there not to get? Even if I were blind, I wouldn’t be interested in someone like you.”
Shen Zhiyi didn’t know what came over her, but hearing the man’s words behind her, anger surged in her heart, and the words slipped out without a second thought.
“No wonder you’re with a blind man.”
“Stop calling him ‘blind man’ all the time. Can’t your shriveled, underdeveloped brain think of any other words?”
Shen Zhiyi shot the man a glare and led Pei Xu forward.
“Shen Zhiyi, don’t argue with others because of me.”
“He was being very rude.”
“Then just pretend you didn’t hear it. I’m not even angry, so why should you be?”
Shen Zhiyi stood beside Pei Xu, looking up at him.
“You really don’t mind at all?”
“I do mind. I’m not the Virgin Mary—how could I not mind?”
Seeing that Pei Xu still remembered what she had said earlier, Shen Zhiyi couldn’t help but laugh.
“If you mind, why did you tell me to pretend I didn’t hear it?”
Pei Xu didn’t offer an explanation, just smiled and tugged at the corner of his mouth.
When they arrived at the hospital, Shen Zhiyi took Pei Xu to the neurology department.
“Can you sense any light?”
The doctor waved a flashlight in front of Pei Xu’s eyes.
“No.”
“Have you been experiencing headaches recently?”
Pei Xu nodded.
“They occur more frequently when it rains. Usually, before falling asleep, I feel some discomfort in my head.”
The doctor noted everything Pei Xu said in the medical record.
“You’ll still need to get a head CT later to see if the location of the blood clot has shifted.”
“Doctor, I’d like to ask—for a case like Pei… my husband’s, is surgery not an option?”
“Surgery is possible, but the risks are very high. We’ve already conducted multiple joint consultations with ophthalmology professors, and for now, we still recommend conservative treatment.”
“Moreover, the cost of surgery would be very high, beyond what most people can afford. I’ve already discussed this with your husband.”
“No matter how high the cost, we still want to treat it.”
The doctor shook his head regretfully.
“Right now, it’s not about the cost of surgery. It’s that there are only a handful of doctors in the entire country capable of performing this type of surgery. For now, you can only hope that medical technology will see significant advancements in the coming years.”
Shen Zhiyi understood what the doctor was saying.
For now, only conservative treatment was possible—there were no other options.
“For those who have been blind for a long time, the position of the eyeballs may shift. If you want your husband to appear as normal as possible, you could consider early-stage eyeball correction. If there’s an opportunity for vision restoration surgery in the future, it would also reduce some of the suffering.”
“Alright, thank you, doctor.”
Shen Zhiyi had never imagined that hearing these words directly from the doctor would feel so heavy.
Her own mood was affected, let alone how Pei Xu must be feeling now.
“Are you hungry? I just looked it up—there’s a famous old restaurant nearby that serves excellent pan-fried buns. Should we go try it?”
Pei Xu thought she would comfort him, but instead, she asked if he was hungry.
“Aren’t you going to comfort me?”
“Do you need my comfort, Pei Xu?”
Shen Zhiyi took hold of Pei Xu’s wrist and led him to wait for the elevator.
“I thought you would comfort me.”
“I can comfort you, but people can’t live on comfort alone, right? If comforting you could heal your eyes, I’d be willing to stay awake for a week, whispering words of comfort in your ear every moment.”
Shen Zhiyi and Pei Xu walked to the pan-fried bun shop. It wasn’t mealtime yet, so the restaurant wasn’t very crowded.
Shen Zhiyi ordered one portion with shrimp filling and another with beef filling.
“Try the shrimp one first.”
She placed a shrimp-filled pan-fried bun on Pei Xu’s plate.
“It’s average.”
This was the first time Shen Zhiyi realized that Pei Xu didn’t find everything delicious.
“Now try the beef one.”
“It’s also pretty average—not as good as what you make.”
“Are you sure you’re not just trying to make me happy?”
Shen Zhiyi deliberately tasted it—the shrimp were plump and fresh, and overall the flavor was quite good.
Yet Pei Xu found it just average.
“No, it might be a matter of personal taste. I don’t think it’s as good as what you make.”
“But I’ve never made pan-fried buns at home…”
“I’m comparing it to the steamed buns you wrap.”
Shen Zhiyi understood then—Pei Xu probably didn’t care for overly oily food, or perhaps he preferred the soft, fluffy texture of steamed bun wrappers.