NOVPUB
Chapter 571: 561
"You, you’re awake?" Shen Yunfang muttered in disbelief. Although she hoped every day that Li Hongjun would awaken soon, as a woman who knew nothing about such matters, she had no idea how to make it happen.
The threats she had whispered in Li Hongjun’s ears was just that, threats. How could she possibly carry them out?
Now, seeing him wake up so unexpectedly, she was truly astonished beyond measure.
Li Hongjun had indeed awakened, but his mind was not clear because he had been in a coma for nearly a month. His brain was still foggy, and the few words he had just spoken were squeezed out with great effort due to his anger. At this moment, his spirit was low, and his eyes were about to close again.
"Hongjun, don’t close your eyes, don’t close your eyes. Do you want to scare me to death?" Shen Yunfang cried out in a panic, fearing that if she called out too slowly, he would fall asleep on his own and then never wake up.
"Tired..." Li Hongjun forced out another word, "Pain..." This was what he felt most profoundly at the moment.
It was only then that Shen Yunfang remembered she needed to find a doctor to come and check on Li Hongjun’s condition.
"Don’t fall asleep yet, just hold on for a bit, just a bit. I’m going to get a doctor," she said, already running to the door of the ward, and then she flew out like a shot.
Li Hongjun lay on his back in the hospital bed, unable to move his head at all, so he didn’t see his wife’s hurried exit. He was now using his extraordinary willpower to meet his wife’s request, for she had said to wait a while before closing his eyes again.
It truly wasn’t long before the corridor was filled with the sound of many messy footsteps.
Today, Dr. Wang was on duty. She had just been reading in her office when she saw the commander’s wife run in, flustered, saying that the commander had woken up.
She hurried over immediately.
When she arrived at Li Hongjun’s bedside, she indeed saw his eyes opened to a slit. "Commander Li, where do you feel uncomfortable?"
"Pain..." Li Hongjun could still only bounce out one word at a time, and he felt his energy was completely spent, ready to pass out at any moment.
"Where does it hurt? Is it a headache or pain elsewhere in the body?" Dr. Wang asked quickly.
"Everywhere..." Finally, Li Hongjun couldn’t hold on any longer. After saying another word, his eyelids closed again.
"Hongjun, Li Hongjun, wake up, what’s wrong with you? Doctor, what’s wrong with my husband?" Shen Yunfang was standing right in front of the bed and seeing Li Hongjun close his eyes again filled her with immense fear.
She feared Li Hongjun’s brief moment of clarity was but a dying flash, and she dreaded that from now on, he might never wake up again.
Dr. Wang, on the other hand, remained composed. Pulling out a small flashlight from his pocket, he flipped Li Hongjun’s eyelids, shone the light, and then said, "It’s fine, don’t worry. He’s just asleep. With his current condition, it’s best to let him rest well." Seeing Shen Yunfang’s face still fraught with anxiety, he slightly curved his lips into a smile for reassurance, "Don’t be afraid. With Captain Li’s condition, as long as he’s awake, there’s no danger to his life. Rest assured."
Assured by the professional, Shen Yunfang felt relieved. After showing Dr. Wang out, she spoke with a few of Li Hongjun’s comrades who had been alarmed by the incident at the door before finally closing it.
The next morning, when the doctors were back at work, Dr. Wang came with several nurses and handed over a form for Li Hongjun to have a brain CT scan and a series of other tests.
Shen Yunfang and Xiaohai were busy helping with the tests. More than two hours later, Li Hongjun was pushed back to the ward. He had not woken up during the process, which reignited Shen Yunfang’s anxiety. Dr. Wang had said he was just sleeping; how could he still be asleep after all that tossing and turning -- that was clearly not normal.
So after Li Hongjun was wheeled back into the ward, she went to the doctors’ office to seek answers agitatedly.
Dr. Wang, somewhat annoyed by her persistent questioning, couldn’t unleash his frustration upon seeing her genuinely worried face and eventually said with a huff, "You’re really odd. Weren’t you quite calm these past few days, going about as normal as if nothing had happened? Now that he’s awake, you’ve become more restless instead."
Shen Yunfang pursed her lips and said nothing; her anxiety had been the same over the past few days. When Li Hongjun had been in a coma, making a scene would have been of no help and would not have benefited the doctors’ efforts to save him. But now that Li Hongjun had woken up and then fallen back into unconsciousness, she couldn’t suppress her anxiety any longer. She wanted to be graceful, rational, but she truly couldn’t control herself.
"Alright, alright, I’ll hurry the results of the tests for you. Once there’s any news, I’ll let you know, okay? And let me tell you, Captain Li has been lying in bed for nearly a month. Although he’s been lying down, it’s still exhausting for him, so his current state is a natural self-protection and healing. He needs rest, and once he’s rested enough, he’ll naturally awaken. Just wait patiently," Dr. Wang explained patiently, having developed a good impression of Captain Li’s wife over these days.
"Is that so? Is that really the case? But sleeping alone won’t do, right? He hasn’t eaten for a month, and just by sleeping, he can’t recover completely, can he? Shouldn’t we wake him up first, let him eat something, and then let him sleep?" Shen Yunfang was somewhat stubborn; all she was really afraid of was Li Hongjun closing his eyes again.
"Go on, go prepare something to eat. I think your Captain Li is about to wake up from all your fussing," Dr. Wang tried to shoo her out, unable to handle her persistence any longer.
Shen Yunfang didn’t take offense at the attitude; instead, she clung to Dr. Wang further, inquiring about what Li Hongjun should eat at this time.
She knew that when patients who hadn’t eaten for many days begin to eat, liquid food is the best to start with, but even liquid foods vary, like soups, congees, and so on. In Li Hongjun’s current state, what would be the best and most nourishing? Unable to decide for herself, she could only seek advice from Dr. Wang.
Dr. Wang was nearly driven to laughter by her brazen approach. It seemed she would have to thoroughly appease her before being able to take leave today.
"Prepare some high-protein foods for him. Li Hongjun is very weak right now and needs to quickly replenish his strength. The nutrients that can rapidly restore energy are protein-based, along with easily digestible fats and sweets. Of course, given Li Hongjun’s current state, it’s still better to prepare some clear liquid food to start..."
"Dr. Wang, could you be more specific? What exactly should I prepare for him to eat?" Shen Yunfang nonchalantly picked up a pen and paper from Dr. Wang’s desk, ready to take notes.
Taking a deep breath, Dr. Wang said, "Rice water, lotus root starch, fruit juice, fat-free meat soup, or egg drop soup would all be suitable. Wait a day or two for his stomach to adjust, then you can introduce milk or soy milk. After two or three days, if there’s no discomfort, you can start giving him porridge..."
