Chapter 19 pale yellow ginkgo

After dialing his home phone number, I couldn't help but my heart beat faster. It was his wife who answered the phone. I immediately said my name and asked eagerly, "How is it? Is it better?" His wife said: "He wants to talk to you by himself!" So I heard his wife put down the phone and help him walk to the phone.Why didn't their family move the phone to his pillow?Ah, that would bother him too much... but he doesn't have to move over Answer my call! He and I are friends of the general manager, and we rolled in the same class from junior high school to high school. We experienced unforgettable teenage years together, and stepped into the threshold of youth together... For the next 30 years, we have rarely been together. Keeping in touch, I didn't realize until now that a relationship like this is invaluable in life.

He was an excellent gymnast when he was in middle school, and he was able to dive somersaults from the 10-meter platform from the beginning... When he was in college, he won the championship in the municipal sports meeting; and throughout his youth I've always been a sports moron; however, now he's been diagnosed with bone cancer, and I'm exceptionally healthy... Over the years, as long as it does not happen to themselves or their relatives, people may not be discolored by cancer. Moreover, the early death of middle-aged intellectuals has become a topic that is not new; The story, the report about the untimely death of a certain middle-aged intellectual, if there is no new feature, people will probably lose interest in reading it.Even in the high-rise building where I live, there are quite a few people who died of cancer in recent years, whether familiar or half-baked or raw. I can only sigh lightly at the passing of you, which is actually almost numb; however, they It’s not the same, we have spent so long together in our youth, and in our life memories, we have so many similar details... His diagnosis of bone cancer has become one of the hardest facts for me to admit...

Not his lover or other relatives, but himself, half a month ago, calmly reported the news to me on the phone.He knew that I must be eager to visit him right away, and I guess I would definitely bring him some things that people often bring to patients, such as fruits, canned food, supplements, etc., or a bouquet of flowers... He told He will not take the initiative to inform me, ordinary colleagues, friends, and old classmates. When people know, whether they come to visit him or not, and what gifts they are willing to send to the hospital during the visit, he will take it at his discretion; but for me, he The attitude is very clear: of course we should go to see him, but not to the hospital, he is now in the hospital from Monday to Friday, mainly for radiation treatment, but on Saturday and Sunday he goes home to rest, he wants me to On weekends, I went to meet him at his home, which is twice as far away from my residence as compared to the hospital; and he told me to bring him something to watch to relieve his boredom.When Saturday came, of course I went to his house right away.I brought him a big bag of books, newspapers and magazines that I thought would make him happy and bored, including my new collection of short stories.I went with my partner.My lover originally insisted on taking a lot of supplements, but later I made her understand that he and I are not in ordinary friendship, so we must "avoid common customs".We gave his wife 600 yuan, and asked her to buy him some food that can assist in treatment and take care of the body according to actual needs, not according to the general "regularity of visiting patients".They accepted it very readily, and there was no polite scene of thanking them.That day, he leaned on the bed and chatted with me for more than an hour with great interest. His wife said that he was in such good spirits for the first time after being admitted to the hospital!

He himself told me that after finding out the bone cancer growing on his pelvis, he was determined to have an operation to "remove a quarter of his body"! However, the doctor further verified that the tumor on his bone was not the original one. , but moved from his liver!In this way, no operation can be performed, and the liver must be treated!He laughed and said, "Strange! I've never done anything bad!" I just laughed and joked with him in front of him, but my heart was very sad; it's not just that he didn't do anything bad!In his ordinary post, he has done so many small and tedious good deeds for decades, which is well-known in their unit!

He said he didn't want me to visit him all the time, but he wanted me to call his house at least once a week.Middle school classmates sometimes call me to talk about his situation, and they always say things that are forced to be optimistic but actually make me more frightened.So when I called this Saturday, I was very nervous.Especially I know that he and his family may always have to force auspicious words to others, but they must be outspoken to me... I heard his voice on the phone: "Hey, hello... Let me ask you, what does the fruit of the ginkgo tree look like?" I said: "Did someone introduce you to the folk prescription? Ginkgo is ginkgo! It has a thin shell on the outside, which is silvery white, so it is called Ginkgo... Ginkgo is slightly poisonous, so you can't eat too much! However, for For special patients, maybe it can play the role of 'fighting poison with poison'?...Who introduced you to the folk prescription? Actually, you really might as well try it?"

He asked me over there: "Where did you see the ginkgo? When the fruit of the ginkgo bears fruit, is the flesh white?" I was a little confused: "Of course I have seen it! Didn't I write about it in the novel? In the novel "The Comedian and Me", didn't I write about the ginkgo tree in Wuta Temple? There are two good trees there. The thick and strong ginkgo trees happen to be one male and one female, so every autumn, they are covered with ginkgoes, and when they are ripe, they will automatically fall to the ground...Why, is this important to your folk prescription?"

He said seriously over there: "I remember that the fruit of ginkgo is the same as walnut. It is covered with a layer of pulp. When it is ripe, it should be light yellow, not directly silvery white...Peel it off. After the outer pulp, there is a silvery white core, peel off the core, and the kernel inside is soft and light green... right?" I asked: "Does your folk remedy have to use the outer layer of fruit pulp?" He said: "I didn't talk about the folk prescription, I was talking about the description in your novel. When you wrote the article, you said: On the ginkgo tree, the golden leaves are covered with plump ginkgo... like silver beads; this is not accurate. Ah! The fruit of ginkgo should be light yellow when ripe! You should describe it accurately..."

It turned out that he was seriously criticizing the description of ginkgo in my novel! After I finally figured it out, an indescribable feeling rolled over my body like a heat wave... Those youthful years we spent together, suddenly condensed, overlapped, radiated and burst into my soul... A friend who is terminally ill, what he cares about at the moment is how my novel can convey Every detail was handled flawlessly! I was speechless for a while, and I just prayed silently in my heart: a person with such a sincere and kind heart should enjoy his life!And the pale yellow ginkgo fruit will forever be imbedded in my heart, showing me that life is inherently terminated, but selfless love for others leads to eternity!