The programmer and his woman

We walked through the busy streets near the hospital and came to a seemingly ordinary barber shop full of life. Inside the shop, warm yellow lights sprinkled on the wooden floor, creating a warm and peaceful atmosphere. The barber was a middle-aged man with skillful and powerful techniques, and always had a faint smile on his face, as if he could comfort every customer who walked into the shop.

I turned to the barber and told him our request. He was stunned for a moment, as if he didn't hear what I said clearly, and then looked at Xiaoxia and me in confusion, as if waiting for us to confirm again.

I held Xiaoxia's hand tightly, giving her firm strength. She raised her head, looked at the barber with eyes full of tears, and nodded slightly. The barber seemed to understand something, he took a deep breath, then picked up the clippers in his hand and began to slowly but firmly cut Xiaoxia's long hair strand by strand.

As her hair fell, I felt Xiaoxia's nervousness and anxiety. I held her hand tightly, trying to convey my strength and courage to her.

However, when Xiaoxia saw her bald self in the mirror, she couldn't hold back her tears. She looked at the hair that had accompanied her through countless days and nights, now scattered on the ground, as if it had taken away some of her memories and courage. Her tears fell like beads that had broken off the string, filling the whole room with a sad atmosphere.

I hugged her tightly and tried to comfort her. I knew that this was the release of the sadness and pain she had accumulated for a long time. Her crying became louder and louder, and more and more sorrowful. Her crying moved everyone in the room, and I couldn't help but shed tears.

That night, Xiaoxia's words were full of deepness and determination. She had obviously done a lot of research and preparation for the upcoming surgery. We sat in the quiet night, and she spoke slowly, as if she had exhausted all her strength in every word. She thanked fate for allowing her to meet me, and her heartfelt gratitude shocked me deeply. At the same time, she expressed her expectation for a longer future, hoping that we could stay together like this forever.

Her words, like a sad elegy and a parting confession, made me feel panic. At that moment, I deeply felt the impermanence and fragility of life, and also understood her cherishment of life and the depth of her feelings for us.

That night, Xiaoxia gave herself to me completely. Her actions touched and frightened me. She made me unable to imagine how I would face such a loss if she really left. But she gently told me that going on the operating table meant taking off all her clothes, and she wanted to leave her purest self to me before that. Her words made me feel extremely heartbroken, but also made me cherish every moment with her even more.

On that special night, our hearts became more closely connected. No matter what the future holds, I will always remember Xiaoxia that night, that brave and determined woman, and her deep feelings and expectations for me.

I understood her feelings and agreed to her request. It was a warm and unforgettable night. We slept in each other's arms until a ray of morning sunshine woke us up. I knew the time had come for Xiaoxia to face it alone.

I watched Xiaoxia being pushed into the operating room, my heart filled with indescribable tension and fear. The slowly closing door seemed to separate the two worlds. I didn't know what was waiting for Xiaoxia behind the door, nor did I know when the door would open again. I stood there, my heart seemed to be pressed by a huge stone, sinking to the bottom of the abyss.

When the doctor handed me the surgical risk notice, my shaking hands could barely hold the thin paper. General anesthesia, ventilator, these cold words, behind them are the huge risks that surgery may bring. The notice clearly stated "the risk of death during surgery cannot be ruled out", these few short words pierced my heart like a sharp knife.

I know very well that Xiaoxia has no relatives around her at the moment, and I am her only support. I must be brave, not only to believe in myself, but also to believe in Xiaoxia. She is my lover and an important person in my life. I can't let her face this alone. So, I took a deep breath and signed my name on the notice. At that moment, I felt as if I had signed a love contract, a contract that promised to protect her for the rest of her life.

During the long wait, I recalled every moment of my acquaintance and love with Xiaoxia. The way she called me brother and every happy moment we spent together all appeared before my eyes. Time passed by minute by minute, and every second seemed like torture. During this long wait, suddenly, the lights in the operating room changed, and I knew the operation was over.

My heart instantly rose to my throat, and the nurse pushed Xiaoxia out. Seeing her lying there with her eyes closed, motionless, I was so nervous that I almost suffocated. I anxiously asked the doctor about Xiaoxia's condition. The attending doctor patted my shoulder gently and told me in a gentle tone: "Don't worry, the operation was successful. Your friend is still under the anesthetic and will wake up soon."

Hearing this, the stone in my heart finally fell to the ground. I held Xiaoxia's hand tightly, as if to pass on my courage and strength to her.

I pushed the medical cart with the nurse and walked carefully towards Xiaoxia's ward. Along the way, the corridor was quiet, with only the sound of our footsteps echoing in the empty corridor. When we walked into the ward, the originally quiet ward immediately became lively. When the patients heard that Xiaoxia had surgery today, they all gathered around and asked about her condition with concern.

"How was the operation?" an elderly patient asked first, his eyes full of anticipation.

"The doctor said it was a success," I answered, trying to make my voice sound calm and firm. After hearing my answer, my fellow patients showed relieved expressions, as if they also saw the victory and joy of their own successful surgery.

At this time, the nurse began to instruct everyone: "Come and help, we have to lift the patient to the bed." Hearing the nurse's instructions, I and a few young men immediately took action. We divided the work and cooperated, some lifted the head, some lifted the buttocks, and some lifted the feet. Everyone was very careful, for fear of hurting the patient.

I was in charge of the middle position, and when I gently picked her up, I felt that she was completely naked under the sheet during the operation. This sudden discovery made me a little embarrassed, but I also understood that this was a necessary step in the operation and I could not change it.

We carried her in tacit understanding, step by step, towards the bed. However, when I put her down, I accidentally dropped the bed sheet. At that moment, Xiaoxia's body was exposed in the sun, like a goddess. But in this scene, I had no mood to appreciate it, and was more nervous and embarrassed.

I hurriedly picked up the bed sheet and quickly covered Xiaoxia with it. At this time, the guys who came to help also realized this embarrassing scene. They all showed slightly embarrassed expressions and hurried out of the ward.

The ward finally regained its tranquility, as if the previous tension and noise were swallowed up by an invisible force. After a long coma, Xiaoxia gradually opened her eyes. Her eyes, once bright but now slightly tired, shone with a desire for life and hope for the future. I gently held her hand and told her the good news of the successful operation. Tears quietly slid down her eyes. They were tears of joy, and also a feeling for the difficulties we had overcome together.

The next day, sunlight shone through the window into the ward, bringing a touch of warmth to this space filled with the smell of disinfectant. The attending doctor came to Xiaoxia's ward for inspection as usual, and I took the opportunity to ask about my doubts. I told him that I heard that some patients who had car accidents had almost recovered their faces on the day of surgery, and although my girlfriend's surgery was also successful, I wanted to know how long it would take for her to return to normal. The doctor patiently explained that everyone's situation is different, and the facial nerve damage of the patient in the car accident is physical, which is different from your friend's situation. But her herpes has been punctured through surgery, and as long as she follows the doctor's instructions for follow-up treatment, I believe she will recover soon.

Although the doctor's words made me feel a little relieved, I still felt worried. I looked at Xiaoxia's pale and haggard face, and I felt guilty and remorseful. I decided to do my best to create a better recovery environment for her. So I started thinking about how to solve our current dilemma.

When I paid the bills, I found that the surgery and hospitalization fees had used up all the money on my card. I realized that I couldn't live in that dark and damp basement anymore, and I needed to find a better place for Xiaoxia. However, the reality was that I had no money. Just when I felt desperate, my former colleague, Manager Cai, contacted me.

Manager Cai asked me if I had free time on the phone. I told him that I was really busy recently, but when I heard him mention that there was an outsourcing project to be done, I immediately changed my mind. I eagerly asked how much the outsourcing project would pay, and when I heard that he would pay about 20,000 yuan, I agreed without hesitation. I told him that I was in urgent need of money, and as long as he could prepay part of the money, I would start working immediately.

After hanging up the phone, I checked the work requirements sent by Manager Cai. Although the time limit for this outsourcing project was very tight, it was not a difficult task for me. I sighed that there is always a way out! I immediately called Manager Cai back, told him that I accepted the outsourcing, and asked him to transfer part of the payment to my account tomorrow.

After I got the job, I felt a little relieved. I planned to use the money to rent a comfortable house for Xiaoxia to live in, and then consider other things.

When I got on the bus back, I felt as if I was being pulled by an invisible force. My heart was filled with worry about Xiaoxia, and I couldn't calm down.

The scenery outside the car window passed by quickly, but my eyes seemed to have lost focus and could not focus on any point. I just kept thinking about Xiaoxia, hoping that she would get better soon, share her joys and sorrows with me again, and let me see her full of energy and hope again.

I was so lost in my thoughts that I completely forgot how much time had passed. I don't know how long it had been before a woman's voice broke my thoughts. She gently patted my shoulder and said with a smile, "Young man, I see you've been standing here for a long time. If you don't want to sit down, can you let me sit for a while?"

I suddenly came to my senses and found that I had been standing next to an empty seat, and the older sister was looking at me expectantly. I smiled awkwardly and quickly gave up my seat for her to sit down. Sitting next to her, I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself down.

This is the first time I really feel that my care for a person has exceeded my cognition. Xiaoxia's existence has been deeply engraved in my heart, and every subtle change of her can affect my emotions. I know that I have fallen deeply in love with her.

When I opened the slightly old basement door, a musty smell hit me, accompanied by dust, as if whispering about the long and terrible loneliness here in the past few days. My eyes fell on the paper cranes on the ground. They lay there quietly, as if waiting for something. Tomorrow, I will leave here and move to a new place to start a new life. And today, I want to use this last time to complete the obsession in my heart.

I put down the bag on my shoulder, sat on the bed, and continued to fold paper cranes. However, my tired body and the pressure on my mind gradually made me feel powerless. When I folded more than 200 paper cranes, I only folded half of the paper cranes in my hand, and I fell asleep unconsciously.

When I woke up, it was already the next morning. I looked at the paper cranes all over the floor and bed, and an inexplicable feeling welled up in my heart. It was time to say goodbye to them. Today I would go out to find a new place to live. However, these paper cranes, these symbols of my blessing for Xiaoxia, how should I give them to her?

I found an iron basin and carefully lit the paper cranes one by one. Looking at the dancing flames and burning paper cranes, I seemed to see the hope being ignited one by one. They turned into ashes, carrying my blessings and expectations for Xiaoxia, and flew into the vast sky.

Although I know that my time is limited and I cannot fulfill the promise of the thousand paper cranes, I believe that these eight hundred paper cranes can fly far away with my expectations and blessings and convey them to Xiaoxia.

After finishing all this, I set out on a journey to find a new place to live. After a lot of searching, I finally found a partitioned room facing the sun. Although the room was a bit shabby and the bed was simply made of thick wooden boards, the ventilation and lighting were good. More importantly, there was a cozy kitchenette and a balcony where I could see the outside world. For me, who was currently short of money, this was already a pretty good choice.

After tidying up the room and preparing all the necessities of life, I couldn't wait to get on the bus to the hospital. The moment I saw Xiaoxia, all the fatigue and hardship disappeared. I supported her out of the hospital gate and returned to our new home together.

The next morning, the long-lost morning sun shone through the window and filled the whole house. The golden sunlight shone on our faces, bringing a touch of warmth and hope. Xiaoxia opened her sleepy eyes, looked at me, and smiled sweetly.

At that moment, I seemed to be frozen. That long-lost smile was as warm and bright as the rising sun. "Xiaoxia, smile again." I shouted excitedly, revealing the joy that was hard to conceal in my voice.

Xiaoxia was startled by my sudden action, but she smiled again as I asked. When the corners of her mouth curled up slightly, I felt as if my heart also curled up with her mouth. This feeling is a wonderful experience I have never had in my life. It is as wonderful as seeing a beautiful flower slowly blooming in front of my eyes. Time seemed to become slow and quiet at this moment. It seemed that the whole world was left with only this blooming flower and the two of us leaning on each other. I screamed with excitement.

Xiaoxia also picked up the mirror and looked at her face. She smiled happily as she saw herself gradually regaining her vitality. At that moment, our smiles intertwined and formed the most beautiful picture.

After careful observation, we found that Xiaoxia's face was not completely restored to its past perfection, but only about 80% restored. This is just like the more than 800 paper cranes. Perhaps this is the clever arrangement of fate, allowing us to see another kind of beauty in regret.

Although Xiaoxia's face has not fully recovered, her beauty has not diminished. On the contrary, this beauty that has been tempered and baptized has become more profound and moving in my heart. She is still so beautiful, but with more tenacity and courage. This beauty has become more dazzling in my heart.

I looked at her deeply, my heart was full of gratitude and love. I knew that no matter how her face changed, her position in my heart would never change, she was the most important person in my life.