Techniques and Dao

Chapter 56 Birthday Gift
I am a girl, and I am seven years old this year. Because I have a few freckles on my nose, everyone likes to call me: Little Strawberry.

I'm sick. Very sick.

A year ago, my parents started taking me to the hospital frequently. The constant tests, blood draws, and injections terrified me; I cried every time it hurt!
I remember one time when we came back from the hospital, my mother held my hand and cried all the way home. My father is a policeman, and he's always been very brave, but he cried too. My mother picked me up, crying and stroking my head, saying she couldn't bear to part with me.

My mother's tears were warm. When she kissed me, her tears wiped onto my lips and tasted salty.

For the past six months, I've had a persistent fever. I'd have a high fever all night long, and my whole body felt terrible. My body was covered in small red spots, and my hands and feet ached. Then I'd go to the hospital for IV drips, stay in bed for several days, and finally manage to go home, only to have to rush back to the hospital again soon after.

Every time I go to the hospital, I see many children my age carrying schoolbags, being led or carried to school by their parents, grandparents, or maternal grandparents.

I want to go too. I remember in my first year of kindergarten, I met a lot of friends. We ate together and took naps together. The teachers and aunties were very kind to me. Because I had freckles on my nose, everyone called me "Little Strawberry".

I love eating strawberries, I love this bright red fruit. I was so happy back then. Every time they called me Little Strawberry, I would giggle.

Later, when I was admitted to the hospital, my mother told me that she had asked someone to help me get a bed in advance and that I could move in immediately.

The doctors were always very polite when they came, but several times when I left the ward, I saw them shaking their heads. After a short stay, the hospital told my mother that I couldn't stay any longer, so I moved out.

I once overheard the adults in the next bed talking, saying that such a big hospital wouldn't treat people who couldn't be cured. They were afraid that people would die in the hospital, ruining its reputation.

So I moved to a hospital on a lower floor. The elevators and lights weren't as nice as the big hospital I used to be. But the doctors and nurses at this smaller hospital were all very kind to me.

I hate having blood drawn and injections; I'm terrified of pain. But because I had to have blood drawn every day, I gradually got used to it. My mom would cry when she saw me having blood drawn, so I would smile and say to her:
"Mommy, it doesn't hurt at all! Little Strawberry isn't scared at all!"

The doctors and nurses praised me for being brave, and I was so happy. Soon, all the patients on the floor knew me and called me Little Strawberry.

I heard my parents say that my hospital stay would cost a lot of money. I know they work hard to earn money, and my dad often works overtime and travels for work, so he rarely has time to come to the hospital to be with me. My mom rushes over every day after get off work. Then she takes out the boxed lunch she cooked the day before from her bag, heats it up in the microwave in the hallway, and sits by my bedside to eat while telling me stories.

My mother placed a thick book in the cabinet next to my hospital bed. She said it was called the Bible. The Bible has many stories, mostly about foreigners. My mother would read it to me occasionally, but I didn't really enjoy it. Although I'm a girl, my favorite book is *Journey to the West*. Everyone else likes Sun Wukong, but I like Princess Iron Fan and Red Boy. I also like Laozi (the Supreme Lord Lao). I think this old man is incredibly powerful. Sun Wukong is invincible, but his golden cudgel was made by this old man, and his fiery eyes were forged in Laozi's alchemy furnace.

Don't you think Lao Tzu is super cool?
I believe in gods and immortals, who live in heaven. Although my hospital room is on a high floor, the gods must live somewhere else.

But Mom didn't believe me. She said the sky is the atmosphere, and beyond that is the vacuum of outer space. The stars we see are from very, very far away, round planets like Earth and the Moon, or even huge burning flames. Surrounding our Earth are the Moon and countless artificial satellites. If there really are gods, why don't we see all those airplanes and spaceships flying around in the sky? I told her that the gods used to live in the sky, but because humans needed to go there for important things, the gods moved away. Just like how the old residents moved away before the new hospital building was built.

The gods have simply moved to a place we can't go. But when people encounter disasters, the gods will surely come to our aid.

My mother smiled. I could tell she still didn't believe it, but although she didn't believe in our gods, she did believe in foreign gods. Every Sunday morning she would come a little late, saying she was going to church for worship, and every night she would pray for me, hoping I would recover my health.

I asked what prayer was, and she said it was telling what you want to say to the God in heaven, and that God is called God. I asked if God lived in a church? So you had to go see Him every week. She said God doesn't live in a church, but there are pastors in churches who can listen to our confessions, repent for our wrongdoings and sins, on God's behalf.

I didn't understand, so I asked my mother if we had done bad things and therefore had to constantly repent. My mother said that everyone is born with sin. We don't become sinners because we commit sins; we sin because we are sinners. Living in this world is about atonement.

I was terrified. I couldn't remember what I had done wrong. I asked, "Mom, if I get sick and die now, will I not have enough time to atone for the sins I've carried? Am I a criminal?"

My mother cried and said I was a good child and had done nothing wrong.

I still couldn't understand what she was saying.

I always wanted to know what disease I had, and I often asked the other children in the ward.

Oh, I forgot to mention. There are other beds in the ward, but every patient who comes in is discharged quickly, so I feel like my illness is more serious than theirs.

I asked the nurses what was wrong, and they all said it was a cold. But I've had colds before, and I was back to my old self, running around in the park, in just two or three days. But now, my strength is waning day by day.

Every one or two weeks, the nurses would give me an IV drip, injecting some yellow liquid. It hurt a lot when the liquid went in, and when the needle was pulled out afterward, some of it would splash onto my skin. If I didn't wipe it off in time, it would cause small cuts that were also very painful.

I want to go home. Every time my grandparents come to visit, they cry. I tell them not to cry, to take me home, or even just to go for a walk in the park. I haven't been out to play in so long. But they say no, and the hospital won't let me leave either, saying there are germs outside and I could easily catch other diseases.

I'm very unhappy. I'm already like this, why should I worry about other illnesses?

My parents told me they sold their house to buy medicine. They're borrowing money everywhere, and my mom is seeking help online, but they've run out of money from kind people. My parents look so worried, and I'm very sad too.

As the IV drip became more and more frequent, my body felt heavier and heavier. Walking became difficult, and I needed to rest for half a day just to get out of bed. Then I started losing my hair. At first, it was just a few strands falling out, but later it was clumps falling, faster than autumn leaves. Before long, I had very little hair left on my head. My mother thought it looked sparse and unsightly and asked if I wanted to shave it all off.

I heard that my baby hair was shaved off when I was a baby, and that it grew back thicker each time it was shaved. So I agreed. After I shaved it all off, my mom bought me a little red hat. Wearing the hat, I looked even more like a rosy strawberry.

I've been wanting to go downstairs for a while now. I can see a green space outside the window, and it's been so long since I've walked on the grass.

I forgot to mention that although I'm young, I'm incredibly good with computers. I can learn computer program code even faster than I can read. Adults are amazed, but I'm equally surprised that they find it so complicated. So, as soon as I felt a little better, I enjoyed tinkering with all sorts of electronic gadgets.

That day, while the nurse at the nurses' station was getting a glass of water, I ran to her computer and operated it for a few seconds before it locked. Unable to access the information, the nurse asked another nurse for help, and I took the opportunity to sneak out of the building and take the elevator to the lobby on the first floor.

The lobby was packed, so I tried my best not to attract attention. But there was a security guard at the entrance; if I was caught, I'd be sent back. I started looking for other exits from the building.

A little girl in a floral dress stood in the center of the lobby; she looked about my age. She was carrying a pretty little pink bag.

I went over and asked her what her name was. She looked at me in surprise, probably because I had no hair. I touched my bald head sheepishly and said with a smile, "It's cooler this way!"

The girl was about to speak when her mother rushed over and scolded her. I remember her saying, "Didn't I tell you not to talk to other people? There are many patients in the hospital; be careful not to get infected!"

I quickly said, "Auntie, my illness isn't contagious. The doctor told me that I have lymphocytic leukemia, which isn't contagious, so don't be afraid, Auntie! I just want someone to play with me for a while."

The aunt glared at me, picked up the little girl, and walked away without looking back. I was scared and sad, afraid that I would never find another child willing to play with me.

On the other side of the lobby, there's a narrow emergency exit. Once, my mother was in a hurry to bring me to the hospital, and that's the door we used. It's not far from that patch of grass once you walk out.

When I found the passageway from memory, I discovered a little boy sitting on a bench. His head was wrapped in thick white gauze, making it look like he was carrying a volleyball on his head, which made me laugh out loud.

He saw me and asked, "Who are you?"

"I live upstairs. And who are you?"

"My name is Chen Ming. Why are you in the hospital?"

"My name is Little Strawberry, and I'm sick. I've been staying here for several months. What's wrong with you?"

"He hit his head on the glass and needed several stitches."

"Ouch! It must hurt a lot! Where are your family members?"

"My mom went to get my medicine. How old are you?"

“I’m seven years old, how about you?” I asked.

“I’m nine years old,” he said.

“You’re older than me! You shouldn’t be so naughty. You should listen to your elders.” I scolded him.

He smiled mischievously and said, "I'm going to do big things in the future."

What do you want to be when you grow up?

"I love football and want to participate in the World Cup and win a gold medal! So I can't sit all day, I have to keep exercising! Ouch, ouch, ouch!" He jumped around so excitedly that he accidentally touched his newly stitched wound.

This looks so funny. I haven't laughed so happily in a long time, and I feel like my illness has suddenly gotten much better.

He said, "You're very beautiful. Do you live here?"

"I live on the fifth floor."

"It must be boring staying in the hospital, right? What do you usually do?"

"Nothing much. Sometimes I listen to Brave and Hope's music."

"Hey? Those two groups with lots of cute guys and girls? My dad's the boss of their agency. He usually works in Chengdu, but my mom and I live here. How about I ask my dad to get us tickets next time so we can go to their concert together?"

"Great! That's wonderful!" I jumped up excitedly.

I hope you get better soon. Can I come see you again?

"Thank you!" I was so happy. No boy had ever complimented me on my looks before. And I didn't even have any hair. Even if he was lying to me, I was still happy.

"Okay, I got it! Little Strawberry, we'll be good friends, right?"

"We're already good friends!"

"It's a deal then, we'll be good friends when we grow up!"

“My illness is very serious. I overheard the doctor talking to my father, and he said that he might not be long before he goes to heaven.”

He was deeply saddened to hear this: "Are you afraid of dying?"

"I'm scared. Because I'm scared, I want to live happily every single day of the rest of my life."

After a while, he looked up and said, "You will live a very, very long time. When you grow up, you must come to the World Cup to cheer for me!"

"Yeah! Don't underestimate me just because I'm a girl, I love computers. If I grow up, I'm going to write a program that will make the whole world cheer for you."

Just then, his mother came over, but seeing him with me, she didn't scold him. As he was leaving, he turned back and said, "Little Strawberry, I'll come see you in a few days! You must get well soon!"

I nodded vigorously and waved at him.

Although he was eventually taken back to his ward by the security guard, he made a new friend. His name is Chen Ming.

Then, my illness suddenly worsened. I had a high fever all night long, difficulty breathing, and needle-like pain all over my body.

I asked my mom if I would die. I told her I had promised a boy I would grow up with him, and I was so afraid I would die. My mom, with red and swollen eyes, said no. I'm so beautiful, God wouldn't let me go to heaven so early.

Then she told me that before I was born, she had an older brother. He was hit by a cement mixer truck when he was four years old. She had already lost one child, had a difficult childbirth with me, and couldn't have any more babies. She said God is merciful and would never be so cruel.

I once saw on TV that deceased people leave behind many healthy things, like their eyes. I told my mom that I wanted to give my eyes to someone else. That way, I could see the world that others see.

The mother just cried. The doctor and nurses standing nearby also cried.

I have a fever every day and can't wake up. I keep having dreams; sometimes I wake up in the daytime, sometimes in the night. In my hazy state, I find myself wearing a breathing mask. Every time I fall into a deep sleep, I don't know if I'll wake up again.

That day, when I opened my eyes, I saw my mother lying on a recliner next to my hospital bed. I had tubes in my nose and needles in my arm. I was thirsty and scared.

"Mother……"

My throat was hoarse, and I tried to speak, but she couldn't hear me. I didn't have the strength to call out to her anymore.

Maybe I'm going to die soon. After I die, will I be treated like a bad person, as my mother said? And what about that boy named Chen Ming? He said he'd come to see me these past few days; did he fail to find a ward?
The sky outside the window was such a beautiful, deep blue! Birds were flying around, and I longed to go out and see the world. But my consciousness began to fade, and my breathing became increasingly labored. The once bright sky was gradually darkening.

Just then, a light flashed outside the window, and suddenly a young man dressed in light blue ancient costume appeared in mid-air. He looked at me quietly without saying a word.

Are they filming a movie? But there's no balcony outside the window. I try to sit up, but I don't have the strength.

The young man opened the window and stepped into the ward. He asked, "Little girl, what's your name?"

"Little Strawberry..." I spoke so softly that I couldn't even hear myself, and I don't know if the boy heard me.

"Oh, your name is Little Strawberry. You really look like a strawberry!" the boy laughed. "You seem to be sick?"

"Hmm. It hurts. Maybe I'll die and go to heaven."

"Silly child. Your journey has just begun. If you're in such a hurry to go to heaven, heaven may not necessarily want you." The young man said, taking out a delicate little wooden box from his pocket, taking out a colorful candy from the box, and casually placing the box on the bedside table.

"Take this medicine."

"The doctor said... I can't eat candy just because I want it..."

"It's okay, I've taken it before." The young man lifted my back and took off his mask. "This medicine dissolves in your mouth."

"My birthday is coming up soon. Little brother, can this be considered a present?"

"Yes, it's a birthday present."

"are we friends?"

"You remind me of a friend of mine, so let's be friends too!" The young man smiled, his sparkling eyes narrowing into slits.

My lips were dry and cracked. I tried to open my mouth; the candy had a medicinal taste and a strange, indescribable aroma. I often drink Chinese medicine, which is usually very bitter, but this was different. The candy melted instantly in my mouth, turning into a cool vapor that slid down into my stomach.

Suddenly, the pain stopped, and I felt much more energetic. The blurry, flashing stars that had been before disappeared. I felt so strong I could almost stand up.

The boy asked, "Little Strawberry, what was your real name?"

"My name is Zhang Jia."

Do you know a woman named Weiyu?

I thought about it for a moment, but I had absolutely no recollection of the name, so I shook my head.

Do you have an older sister?

"No, I'm the only child in my family."

The young man looked somewhat disappointed, nodded, and sighed softly.

"Hey bro, what's your name?" I asked hurriedly.

"It's alright. You don't need to remember me."

"I feel much better now, the pain is gone. Did you come to save me? You can fly, are you the angel Mommy talked about? Were you sent by God?"

He laughed so hard he almost fell over when he heard that.

“I’m not sent by God, nor am I an angel. Maybe they’re all working abroad and have too many people to help, so they didn’t have time to come and help you.”

Suddenly, something occurred to me, and I screamed excitedly.

"Ah! I know, you're a deity!"

The sound was so loud that it echoed in the empty ward, startling him so much that he quickly covered my lips and said, "Shh! Shh! Be quiet! I'm not a god! It'll be bad if we attract attention."

Then he opened the window, stepped gently over the window frame, and turned his head.

"Little Strawberry, grow up well. Live healthily, live to be a hundred years old. Then you can help more people who are facing difficulties like you."

I nodded excitedly. Then I remembered to call my mom to see too. I quickly patted the edge of the bed: "Mom! Mom! Wake up! Look what I told you, there are fairies! There really are flying fairies in the world!"

My mother was probably too tired, because it took me a long time to wake her up and she looked at me in surprise.

I pointed out the window and said, "A flying fairy prince!"

"Where?" Mom rubbed her bloodshot eyes.

I pointed out the window, but all I saw was the same blue sky and white clouds as before.

"He came! A fairy came!" I pointed to the wooden box by the bedside. "The fairy brother even gave me candy!"

When Mom saw that I was in such good spirits, tears welled up in her eyes, and then Dad also came into the ward.

The mother's expression was a mixture of sadness and excitement. She exclaimed, "Yongren, look! Little Strawberry is awake!" She rushed out to call the doctor, but as she left, her shoulder bumped into a little boy who was walking in. The boy, with a white bandage wrapped around his head, was crouching on the ground, wailing in pain.

"Oh dear! I'm so sorry." The mother bowed deeply to the little boy, apologizing profusely.

Behind the boy was a young mother, who was holding a fruit basket. She said, "It's alright, it's alright. This child has been asking to see Little Strawberry all day long since he went back last time. He said he made new friends here. We came today since we had some free time. We asked the nurse for a long time, and it turns out that this little Zhang is Little Strawberry."

The mother greeted them, saying, "Thank you! I'm so sorry, I have to rush to find a doctor." She ran off quickly, and her voice echoed down the corridor: "Doctor! Doctor! My daughter is awake, please come quickly!"

The boy named Chen Ming was clutching his head, tears welling in his eyes from the pain. When he saw me, he tried desperately to force a smile, making a face that looked like he was grinning, which made me laugh too.

The boy named Chen Ming said, "Little Strawberry, I said I would come to see you!"

I was so happy, but for some reason, tears soaked my blanket and clothes.

I know that there are so many people here who care about me and are reluctant to let me go.

I will live on strongly for them. I'm not afraid of injections or medicine. When I grow up, I will take my mother to travel everywhere and cook delicious food for her so that she will never have to eat boxed lunches every day like she does now. I will learn to earn money and buy back the house we sold.

And then there's him, this boy who's two years older than me. He seems like a man of his word, and we're sure to become good friends.

My mom told me today is my birthday, and I've grown up again! I want to grow up slowly with Chen Ming in the future.

Downstairs is that vast green space.

"That... um... I accidentally lost it on the way."

"We didn't sleep all night because of this, and I only got a short rest. How could you have lost it?"

"It's just a small box, and it got lost so easily. What a pity."

"How about we look around the neighborhood again?"

"Never mind. If it fell on the road, the cleaners will probably sweep it up."

"I'm out of exquisite jade, so I can't refine another one! What should I do?"

"You know what this situation is like... sigh!"

"Actually, if you had said you wanted to use it to save someone, I wouldn't have blamed you."

"You already know, so why are you asking me?"

"You'll have to deal with the ferocious beast Chaos later on yourself. You have to finish what you started, even if it hurts."

"Hey! Hey! Hey! At this rate, can't we even have a proper conversation?!"

The sky was a clear, deep blue, and the leaves swayed in the breeze. The cicadas had already woken up early; as soon as the sun peeked out, they couldn't wait to burst into song.

Everything was so vibrant and full of life.

Life is so beautiful, so what reason is there not to love this world?

Despite facing the unknown, Hanamori, who had just saved a life, felt as if she were bathed in a spring breeze.

Hua Sheng was unaware that at this very moment, he had ignited the fuse that would set off a catastrophe in the future.

(End of this chapter)