I Will Never Submit to Miss Grim Reaper - Chapter 129

Chapter 129: I Have Once Crossed Mountains and Seas

According to the doctor’s description, the main reason for Ouyang Xue’s fainting this time is anemia. Prolonged bleeding from gastric ulcers, combined with inadequate rest due to staying up late, resulted in a weakened constitution, insufficient oxygen supply, and eventually fainting.

Normally, if an individual experiences weakness, pale lips, dizziness, and similar symptoms, it would raise alarms. They would either rest at home or go to the hospital for an examination. Unfortunately, Ouyang Xue, who had been suffering from a cold and fever these days, thought these symptoms were caused by the cold and fever and didn’t pay much attention. As a result, the bleeding in her stomach increased, and her body couldn’t handle it anymore.

“We’ve received quite a few similar cases at our hospital.”

While preparing a room for Ouyang Xue, the doctor chatted with me, “Most of them are young people who work relentlessly, thinking they can handle any health issue on their own. They delay seeking help, and it turns into a big problem.”

“Actually, your boss’s condition is relatively good. She just has a common gastric ulcer. After a few days in the hospital and proper rest, there shouldn’t be much of a problem.”

“Last year, our hospital received a woman with cervical cancer. It was in the early stages, and the chances of cure were very high. We made an exception for her, providing radiotherapy, surgery, and combined medication. She could have been fine. However, she didn’t come for a few days after the treatment started. We thought she went to another hospital. After six months, she was suddenly brought in for an emergency, and upon examination, the cancer had progressed to the advanced stage. I scolded her, asking why she didn’t continue the treatment back then.”

“The young woman sadly said that staying in the hospital for a few days would cost tens of thousands, and she didn’t have that much money at the time. She wanted to earn some money first before seeking treatment. She has saved over twenty thousand now and wanted to know if there’s still hope… I truly, I don’t know how to express my feelings about these young people. Although I understand that some people are not aware of these things, a few thousand or tens of thousands of yuan can be truly fatal for them. At that time, I regretted not saying a few more words, like suggesting she take out a loan, prioritizing getting well. It might not have deteriorated to that extent.”

“Young lady, I’ve talked to your boss before. I advised her to take care, rest well, eat on time, as she has a constitution that’s particularly prone to catching cold viruses. If she catches a cold, she should stop working immediately and rest. But now… when I heard the address you gave for the ambulance, I knew what happened. Even before the café opened, she used to be busy from morning till night. She came in for a checkup a couple of times back then.”

“If you have a good relationship with her, I suggest you persuade her. This can’t go on like this. Although gastric ulcers are a minor illness, if left unattended, it turns into gastric bleeding. There’s a wound there, and who knows when it might turn into a malignant transformation in the future… Do you understand what I mean?”

After helping Ouyang Xue understand some of the hospitalization-related documents and hearing the doctor’s advice and complaints, I temporarily entered a four-person ward with Ouyang Xue under the doctor’s request and took on the role of a bedside companion.

The four-person ward already had three occupants, seemingly similar patients to Ouyang Xue, all young men. However, among the three, only one had a peer playing with a phone beside his bed, while the other two beds were empty.

Keywords: hospital, ward, young people, males, loneliness.

I feel… if I hadn’t encountered Miss Grim Reaper, I might end up like them one day.

During the time when I lost my job, the income from novel royalties was insufficient to cover my daily expenses and rent. Before finding a new job, the only thing I could do was take on some part-time jobs or increase the word count of my novels to earn more royalties.

At that time, I often heard people advising not to push myself too hard, not to ruin my health. However, there was no choice. Everyone knows the logic, but in that situation, I had to work harder to earn money, or else I would be kicked out by the landlord and have nothing to eat.

What can you do? Some people might be like me, growing up without parents or having irresponsible parents who, despite not having a job themselves, still ask their children for money. In such situations, you can’t rely on having a stable family.

Unemployed, with no way out, any step back is death, but you can’t retreat; you can only move forward.

When you say your legs are injured and it’s best to stop and rest, can you stop? You can’t. Ouyang Xue’s desperate struggle reminded me of my past, and I understand her helplessness.

“Hmm?”

In the ward, the young man in the bed opposite Ouyang Xue’s, who seemed to be sleeping, and the one closer to us noticed Ouyang Xue’s arrival along with me. The young man, who looked only in his twenties, shifted his attention away from his phone screen, stared at me for a few seconds, and whispered, “Is she your mother?”

“No.”

I shook my head. I was about to explain that Ouyang Xue is my manager, but then I realized I didn’t really need to explain to this stranger. I didn’t say anything and just smiled lightly.

“This is my brother…”

The young man across from me didn’t seem to mind at all, gesturing with his thumb towards the person lying behind him, “Drinking with others, socializing, got drunk, alcohol poisoning…”

Seeing that everyone around was sleeping, I casually responded with an “Oh,” indicating that I understood.

Men, socializing, drinking, and the culture around the drinking table, I can understand, but I don’t like it.

“You look really beautiful and adorable in this outfit, truly.”

As if wanting to encourage me, the young man spoke with a sincere tone, “I’ve seen anime characters with a similar style as yours, like Rem, and characters from the Touhou series, such as Izayoi Sakuya. But you’re cuter than them. You appear too young, haha.”

“Hehe…”

At this moment, the young man on the bed across from us seemed to have awakened. He looked around, took the hanging bottle from the bedside, yawned, and walked towards the bathroom.

It was evident that this was a mixed-gender ward.

I have some knowledge of the hospital’s admission system. Nowadays, most hospitals have mixed-gender wards. Unless you have connections and inform the doctor in advance, or if there’s no shortage of beds, the hospital might arrange a same-gender room for you during admission.

However, in most cases… we lack doctors, nurses, experienced physicians, clinical directors, and even surgeons… not to mention the shortage of hospitals, wards, and medical equipment.

Staying in a hospital ward is already quite good; without a reservation, you might even end up sleeping in the hallway. When nature calls, you have to go to the bathroom at the end of the corridor.

“Thank you.”

Although I wasn’t in the mood for conversation at the moment, considering the young man beside the bed across from us initiated the conversation, I replied out of courtesy, “This is my work uniform. Our manager fell ill, and I didn’t have time to change.”

“Understandable, understandable.”

The young man nodded repeatedly, “It suits you very well, really too cute.”

Ah… I also think it’s quite cute, just that I can’t see it myself.

I took out my phone and checked the time.

It was close to half-past five.

At this time, it was already the peak hours for customer traffic in the fast-food restaurant. I took out my phone and hesitated for a while among the numerous groups with 99+ notifications, then opened my own novel group.

?Ice Spirit: Haha, this is so much fun. The entire team is participating in the café rescue operation.?

?Ice Spirit: Photo 2022051051934.jpg?

?Physics Duck: Damn, Kirito, Maple, and Kamen Rider as café assistants, this is too hilarious.?

?Agave: Is this even allowed? You guys don’t have work permits; be careful of being reported.?

To my surprise, this group of people, led by someone I don’t know, directly participated in the “construction work” of the café in the morning and noon. Some helped the cleaning robot with sanitation, some helped groom the cat, and some introduced the services and recommended dishes to the new customers.

From the photos sent by Ice Spirit, I could see—Kill Kirito, dressed in Kirito’s outfit and carrying a light sword, was frantically using a comb to groom the cat. Two people in Kamen Rider suits were standing at the entrance with the security guard, gesturing customers to enter with a “Dragon Brother invites you to eat” look. There were even quite a few girls wearing sailor suit Lolita outfits cleaning up fallen leaves outside the store.

In just over an hour, the coconut trees outside the café were planted. Due to the machine cutting a lot of weeds, there were also many piles of garbage from installing supports, and many unfamiliar people were helping with the cleanup.

What are they doing…

I quickly scrolled through the messages in the reader group—

?Kill Kirito: It’s okay, we’re just helping with sanitation and doing some miscellaneous work. We’re not directly involved in serving customers, not in contact with customers. Even if someone comes to check, it’s fine.?

?Maple: The cat is super cute!?

?Ice Spirit: I originally thought that Nuo’er was the iconic maid of the café, but if you look closely, Miss Xiamo is really beautiful!?

?Ice Spirit: Nuo’er is noticed more because of her short stature, like a little loli. Xiamo is that almost perfect girl. Her face and voice give me a fantasy novel kind of feeling, very dreamlike.?

?Physics Duck: Xiamo has super strong leadership skills. I feel like she could be the café manager without any problem.?

What? Miss Grim Reaper… Is Yin Xiamo leading the café?

After reading the group messages, I pondered for a moment and called Yin Xiamo.

“Hello? Nuo’er? Is our café manager okay?”

The phone was answered after only one ring. I knew it was the feature of the mobile app made by Ouyang Xue, the programmer. In the café, each maid had received a cat-ear headphone with a microphone. This app could directly connect to the customer ordering system in the cafe. Maids could also connect with each other, enabling conversation. If a call came in during work, the signal would be routed to the headphones. Answering required just a tap on the phone to free up hands for speaking through the microphone.

“Probably nothing serious.”

Sitting by Ouyang Xue’s bedside, I glanced at the instruments beeping continuously, saying, “Stomach bleeding stopped, fever subsided, just needs a few days of hospital stay.”

“That’s good. I knew she would be fine.”

Yin Xiamo seemed to be walking and talking on the side. I could distinctly hear the sound of her small shoes touching the floor. “Leave it to me here. If Ouyang Xue wakes up, tell her that Xiamo is at the café, and she shouldn’t worry. Take good care of yourself.”

“Are you sure it’s okay?”

“Nuo’er, you know me.”

Perhaps sensing my uncertainty, Yin Xiamo seemed a bit disgruntled, saying, “Don’t talk about commanding a small café staff. Back in the day, the God Wars were much more lively. Dragons, orcs, the Legion of Heavenly Calamity… With hundreds of thousands or even millions of people, I could manage everything in an orderly manner. Moreover…”

Following that, Ai Luodi’s voice came through, “Alright, alright, you two stop being so dramatic. Table 28, Xiamo, is already 5 minutes overdue. Are you sure you’re not going to check on it?”

“I’ll go right away!”

“Well then, don’t overthink it. Take care of Ouyang Xue.”

“Okay.”

“Cough, cough, cough…”

I don’t know if I was too loud on my end, but as soon as I put down the phone, I saw Ouyang Xue on the hospital bed coughing softly, gradually waking up.

“Is it during the peak dining hours?”

After waking up, Ouyang Xue’s first words were directed at me by the bedside. She spoke with a mix of weakness and urgency, “Nuo’er, why are you here? You are the signature maid of the café. You…”

“It’s okay, Sister Ouyang. Xiamo can handle it.”

I quickly approached, saying, “You just focus on recovering.”

“Mmm…”

Perhaps realizing something herself, Ouyang Xue’s emotions suddenly became a bit downcast. She lowered her head and sighed softly.

“I’ve been busy for so long, and in the end… I still haven’t achieved anything…”

“Just like back then…”

“……”

……