There was a time when Gao Yuan felt that his life was over.
The disease came so suddenly that he didn't have any room to recover. He stayed in the hospital for more than half a year and underwent two operations. But the doctor said to his parents in a very normal tone that this child might never be able to stand up again in his lifetime.
Gao Yuan pretended to sleep when he heard this. His parents thought he didn't hear it, but they didn't know that he was gritting his teeth to hold back the tears that were about to burst out.
One year, Gao Yuan was only fifteen years old and still in the third grade of junior high school.
He missed the high school entrance exam due to illness and watched his former classmates go to high school while he stayed in the hospital day after day.
Gao Yuan's mentality collapsed, but he didn't lose his temper. He just cried every day.
Fortunately, he had a pair of loving parents. They did not blame each other, but gave Gao Yuan all their love and encouragement, which helped him get through those dark years.
Gao Yuan took two years off from school and went through constant treatment and rehabilitation. He went to major hospitals in Beijing and Shanghai, and was also defrauded by some messy Putian-affiliated hospitals.
The sequelae of myelitis is that his lower limbs became soft and weak. Fortunately, the lesion was located relatively low and did not affect the function of his hands, nor did he become completely incontinent.
Unlike the complete spinal cord injury caused by accidental injury, Gao Yuan still has some feeling in his legs. At first, he could not stand up and had to rely on a wheelchair to move around, let alone walk. After three years of rehabilitation, his upper limb strength increased a lot. Finally one day, he stood up with the support of two crutches and without protective gear on his legs.
This made him ecstatic, like seeing a ray of light in the darkness.
It took a long time from standing to walking, and Gao Yuan's progress was remarkable.
He was already a young man of eighteen or nineteen, and his physical fitness was at its peak. He worked very hard to practice standing and strengthen his lower limb muscles, and never slacked off. Finally, after Gao Yuan’s nineteenth birthday, a miracle happened to him. He was predicted by the doctor that he would never be able to stand again, but now he could walk slowly on the ground with crutches.
Gao Yuan is a person with a strong character. One manifestation of this is that he persists in rehabilitation, and the other is that he never gives up on his studies.
His parents were only in their early forties when he fell ill. Many people advised them to have another child because Gao Yuan's illness might affect his future marriage and childbearing, but Gao's parents did not agree.
Having another child at the age of over 40 is too risky and financially stressful, and Gao Yuan needs someone to take care of him. After discussing it, the couple decided to just let it go and raise Gao Yuan well. The child is still young and has a long way to go in life. No one says that a bad leg will ruin your life.
Therefore, with the encouragement of his parents, Gao Yuan returned to junior high school at the age of seventeen to continue his studies, and was admitted to a regular high school in the high school entrance examination a few months later. Three years later, when he was twenty years old, he was admitted to the School of Public Administration of an undergraduate college in Qiantang to study his major.
Gao Yuan set a goal for himself early on: after graduation, he would take the exam for a civil servant position specially recruited by the Disabled Persons' Federation for the disabled. So during his four years of college life, he joined the party, actively participated in various activities, did charity work, joined a wheelchair club, and minored in psychology, leading a fulfilling and sunny life.
However, when the night was quiet, Gao Yuan would feel a little confused.
He had never been in a relationship, and with his two sick legs and crutches, he had no confidence in front of girls.
Gao Yuande was a handsome boy. A girl in college had expressed her affection for him, but he couldn't tell whether she was expressing her affection out of sympathy or curiosity, so he never responded.
Dad once asked him tactfully, but he wasn't hard yet, so he got red in the face and refused to answer the question.
His mother had told him explicitly and implicitly that he could date but not to get involved with healthy girls, because such a relationship would most likely end in failure and the other party would not agree, and Gao Yuan would definitely be the one who got hurt in the end.
Parents always have a lot to think about when they have a disabled child. Gao's parents naturally hope that Gao Yuan can get married. It doesn't matter if he has children or not, as long as he has someone to support him and move forward together.
Their ideas are very realistic, almost cruel. They hope that the woman has a minor disability. If she is healthy, they are afraid that she will run away. If she is severely disabled... Gao Yuan is already severely disabled, and he cannot afford to marry another severely disabled person.
Gao Yuan understood his parents' thoughts, but he never expressed his opinion.
He really lacks confidence in love and marriage. All his attention in recent years has been focused on studies and rehabilitation. Although he can take care of himself completely, he has never been attracted to any girl.
Sometimes, he would yearn for love, and sometimes he would feel that with his current state, he would be a burden to anyone and it is not impossible for him to live alone for the rest of his life.
Gao Yuan, 24, graduated from university and began preparing for the Disabled Persons' Federation exam, putting everything else aside.
He is very clear-headed. What he needs now is not a girlfriend, but a stable job that allows him to support himself and not make his parents worry anymore.
In order to increase his chances of getting a job, Gao Yuan signed up for a one-week elementary sign language training course, with classes held from 2pm to 4pm every day at the Qiantang School for the Blind and Deaf.
The first time Gao Yuan went to the school for the blind and deaf, the sun was scorching hot, the school was on summer vacation, and there was no one around.
He arrived very early, it was not even 1 o'clock yet. Gao Yuan did not use a wheelchair. After getting out of the taxi, he walked to school alone with two crutches.
His arms were very strong, so such a journey was not a problem for him. Although his legs were not very strong, at least he could move. As for the way others looked at him, it was nothing, as he had long been used to it.
Gao Yuan walked downstairs to the teaching building and looked up at the stairs.
The training was on the third floor, and he had inquired before, but there was no elevator in the teaching building. His mother wanted to accompany him, but Gao Yuan disagreed. He had to attend classes every day during the training, and he would have to go out by himself when he got a job. How could he be bothered by a few flights of stairs
Gao Yuan encouraged himself, and used his crutches to step onto the first step. After stabilizing himself, he stepped up first with his more agile left leg, and then lifted his right leg with force. This meant he had reached a step.
His left leg has better touch and muscle strength than his right leg, so when he walks, his body's center of gravity inevitably falls on his left leg. Over the years, this has caused a slight difference between his left and right shoulders. It's a mild scoliosis, which is not easy to find if you don't pay attention. It is more obvious when he takes off his clothes and takes a shower. This is also one of the reasons why he doesn't fall in love.
Gao Yuan has a steady personality, doesn't talk much, and is very down-to-earth. He gets along well with his healthy classmates and friends, and is not shy about talking about his physical disability. He even tells them about his illness.
Deep down in his heart, he knows that he is different from others. He buries his inferiority complex very deep and will not let others see it easily.
The weather was very hot and there was no air conditioning in the public areas of the teaching building. Gao Yuan was already sweating after climbing from the first floor to the second floor.
There seemed to be no one in the teaching building. The only sound was the tapping of his crutches on the ground. Just as Gao Yuan was standing on the second-floor platform to take a breath and prepare to continue his struggle to the third floor, a person appeared in his sight.
It was a very young girl, with short hair, wearing a light pink dress, with a slim figure and a beautiful face. She appeared in Gao Yuan's sight, only seven or eight meters away from him.
Gao Yuan was a slow mover, so even if he found the girl had stopped and was looking at him with wide eyes, he couldn't run away. He couldn't hide the crutches under his armpits, and his legs were even more helpless, so he just lowered his head and didn't look at her. He once again used his crutches to support himself on the steps and stepped up with his left leg with difficulty.
To his surprise, the girl did not leave. She walked over to him and followed him up the two steps.
Gao Yuanxin was so embarrassed.
Chapter 82 Extra 1: Gao Yuan & Luo Xiaomei Gao Yuan & Luo Xiaomei…
He does not need such company; he can walk up the stairs by himself without falling.
After walking up two more steps, the girl still followed him, not speaking, not helping him, just standing half a meter away from him, tilting her head to look at him. Gao Yuan couldn't stand it anymore, so he turned to her and said, "Thank you, I can walk by myself, go and do your work."
The girl blinked her big eyes, a smile broke out on her face, she pointed at herself, pointed at her ears, and shook her hands. Gao Yuan looked at her in surprise. This beautiful girl turned out to be deaf
Gao Yuan thought that she didn't know what he said, and there was no point in saying anything more, so he simply lowered his head, supported himself with his crutches, and continued to walk up the stairs attentively.
The girl stayed by his side patiently the whole time. Gao Yuan breathed a sigh of relief after climbing to the third floor. He looked up at the corridor, thought for a moment, took out his cell phone from his trouser pocket, and typed to the girl while leaning on his crutches: Where is the toilet
After reading it, the girl smiled and made a "follow me" gesture to him. Gao Yuan just followed her into the depths of the corridor.
Leaving the steps, they walked together on the flat road. Gao Yuan found that the girl was quite tall, and he couldn't help but straighten his back, trying to stand straighter and appear taller.
He fell ill when he was in the growth spurt during puberty, and the disease affected his height. Gao Yuan is not as tall as his father, only 1.75 meters. He looks even shorter when he walks, and is not much taller than girls.
The girl took Gao Yuan to the men's bathroom door, and Gao Yuan nodded to her: "Thank you."
He went into the bathroom, thinking that he would go back to the classroom after using the toilet, and did not come out halfway.
In such hot weather, Gao Yuan climbed several more flights of stairs and felt very thirsty. He didn't dare to drink water. Going to the toilet was too troublesome. He went there now while no one was around. If there were too many people, he would inevitably be seen, which would not be a pleasant feeling.
After using the toilet, Gao Yuan walked out of the bathroom and was surprised to find a girl waiting at the door. Seeing him, she held up her cell phone in front of him: OK, you can talk to me, I can read lips, I am a Chinese teacher here, my last name is Luo.
Gao Yuan: “…”
His lips were very dry and his heart was beating very fast for some reason.
He said to the girl: "I... am taking a sign language training course, my last name is Gao."
The girl looked at his face seriously, then nodded, waved at him with a smile, and pointed in a certain direction in the corridor. Gao Yuan understood that she wanted to take him to the classroom.
Gao Yuan sat in the classroom, leaning against the wall, with his two crutches resting on the wall.
He touched his legs. The touch and pressure of his left leg was very obvious, but that of his right leg was not. He could not feel much on his right leg when he touched it.
It was still early and there was no one in the classroom, but the girl had not left yet. She turned on the air conditioner, picked up the broom and swept the floor again, then wrung out a rag to wipe the blackboard, tables and chairs.
The classroom became cooler and cooler. Gao Yuan sat quietly in his seat, not playing with his cell phone, watching the girl clean the room skillfully.
After she cleaned the classroom, some students came in one after another. The girl dusted her hands, put all the sanitary utensils in place, waved to Gao Yuan, smiled, and left the classroom.
Gao Yuan watched her figure disappear at the classroom door and felt disappointed. He thought, he didn't even ask her for her contact information.
The next sign language class was taught by a middle-aged female teacher with good hearing. Gao Yuan studied very hard and never left the classroom from beginning to end.
He thought he would never see a girl again, but unexpectedly, during the class break, the girl slipped in and quietly placed a bottle of iced green tea drink on Gao Yuan's desk.
Gao Yuan looked up at her blankly, but before he could say thank you, she smiled and ran away.
That night, Gao Yuan lay in bed with his mind full of the image of a girl. Thinking about her playful short hair, gentle eyes, and sweet smile, he stayed awake until midnight and could not fall asleep.
The next day, Gao Yuan went to the school for the blind and deaf early again, but he didn't meet a girl.
On the third and fourth day, he didn't meet a girl.
It wasn't until the fifth day that Gao Yuan finally reached her by climbing the stairs.
She was not wearing a dress, but a T-shirt and jeans, which made her look younger and cuter. Gao Yuan saw her from a distance and waved to her. The girl also saw him and walked past with a smile.
Gao Yuan held crutches under his arms, raised both hands, and gestured to her the sign language he had just learned in the past few days: OK, my name is Gao Yuan, what's your name? Can we add WeChat
The girl tilted her head: "?"
Gao Yuan had already taken out his cell phone and was looking at her expectantly.
The girl took out her cell phone and typed: My name is Luo Xiaomei, sorry, I won’t add you on WeChat.
Gao Yuan: “…”
For the first time in his life, he took the initiative to ask a girl for her WeChat ID, but was rejected.
On the last day of the training, Luo Xiaomei came into the classroom during the break and chatted with the female teacher in sign language. Gao Yuan sat in the corner and watched her. Luo Xiaomei also looked at him when she left after the conversation, still smiling. Gao Yuan's heart was pounding, and he quickly lowered his head and dared not look at her again.
Later, he left the school for the blind and deaf to continue preparing for the exam, and lost contact with Luo Xiaomei.
A few months later, Gao Yuan took the civil service exam for the first time and failed.
He was very frustrated. He had worked so hard for so long but failed the exam. He felt so sorry for his parents. His parents comforted him and told him to try again next time. According to Gao Yuan's physical condition and the major he studied, it was basically impossible for him to find a job outside. Taking the civil service exam was the best way out.
He didn't know how to relieve the depression in his heart, and he opened WeChat, but couldn't find anyone to talk to.
As if possessed by a ghost, he opened the chat box of a sign language teacher, thought for a long time, sent a greeting, and after waiting for the teacher's reply, Gao Yuan said: Teacher, there is a deaf girl who often comes to your classroom during class. Do you have her WeChat
In this way, Gao Yuan got Luo Xiaomei's WeChat business card, and he directly sent a friend request:
Hello, Teacher Luo, I am Gao Yuan, do you remember me
Gao Yuan and Luo Xiaomei started chatting online, but it was online chatting, not online romance.
He told Luo Xiaomei that he failed the exam for the Disabled Persons' Federation. Luo Xiaomei comforted him and told him to try harder next time and not to be discouraged.
Gao Yuan stayed at home every day and seldom went out except to go to the hospital for rehabilitation. He chatted with Luo Xiaomei almost every night, and he found all the topics. Luo Xiaomei was very restrained at first, and he could feel her vigilance. Gradually, the two became familiar with each other and had more and more topics to talk about.
They would share the books they had read recently and their impressions after reading them, as well as the movies they had watched recently, talk about interesting things in each other's lives, and occasionally play games together.
Gao Yuan's exam preparation life was monotonous and boring, while Luo Xiaomei's life was much richer as she went to work and came home every day. She told Gao Yuan that some students in her class were very naughty and always made her angry. It would be great if these students were as obedient as her brother. Her brother was also deaf and had been very quiet since childhood, but his academic performance was not very good. She thought he was stupid.
Gao Yuan laughed and said that his brother would be angry if he knew that he was saying bad things about him.
Luo Xiaomei said no, her younger brother is a very cute boy and she would introduce them to each other when she has the chance.
They told each other about their families and experiences. Luo Xiaomei told Gao Yuan that her deafness was hereditary, as her father and brother were both born deaf, and the deafness might be passed on to the next generation, so she had not thought about falling in love and getting married for the time being.
Gao Yuan felt that she was rejecting him in disguise, and she could understand his feelings for her.
He really didn't have the confidence to pursue Luo Xiaomei. She was a teacher with a tenure and had been working for a year, while he was still an unemployed young man with a bad leg. How could he be qualified to date a girl
Gao Yuan thought that he had to work harder and pass the civil service exam.
Chapter 82 Extra 1: Gao Yuan & Luo Xiaomei Gao Yuan & Luo Xiaomei…
He would have income and could take Luo Xiaomei out to see movies and have dinner. He had been practicing sign language with the teaching video, and he could try to communicate with Luo Xiaomei using sign language later. He wanted to let her know that she was the first girl who had moved his heart.
However, Gao Yuan's second experience in taking the civil service exam ended in failure.
One day when the results came out, he hid in his room and cried secretly.
He was already 25 years old, and had been disabled for ten years due to illness. He was not young anymore, but he had never earned a penny. He had spent almost all his savings in his early years to treat his illness. He had only gradually recovered in recent years, but he could not find a job and could not pass the exam to get the position he wanted. This was a huge blow, so big that Gao Yuan felt that what was the meaning of living? The diploma he had worked so hard to get was not wanted by anyone in the job market because of his two weak legs.
Luo Xiaomei noticed Gao Yuan's depression on WeChat and sent him several messages, but Gao Yuan didn't reply. After a moment of silence, Luo Xiaomei said -
Luo Xiaomei: Gao Yuan, please come out. I’ll treat you to a meal. Don’t be unhappy.
In Gao Yuan's understanding, this was his first date with Luo Xiaomei. Of course, Luo Xiaomei didn't think so. Later, she said that she just wanted to encourage Gao Yuan. She felt that he was so pitiful. He failed the exam twice and was as stupid as her brother.
The next day, Gao Yuan put on new clothes, blew his hair dry, cheered himself up, and went out in a wheelchair.
He didn't use crutches, and didn't know how much he would have to walk that day. He was afraid that he wouldn't be able to hold on, so Luo Xiaomei saw him in a wheelchair for the first time.
They went to the mall and had a hotpot meal. Luo Xiaomei said she would treat her and refused to let Gao Yuan pay. Gao Yuan felt embarrassed, so after the meal he went to a bookstore on the first floor of the mall and picked out a set of books as a gift for Luo Xiaomei and insisted that she accept it.
Gao Yuan's sign language skills are not good enough. When they communicate face to face, Luo Xiaomei can understand almost everything he says. Most of her answers are typed on her phone, and only simple sentences are expressed in sign language, which Gao Yuan can barely understand.
He felt the positive nature of Luo Xiaomei, a deaf-mute girl with a gentle personality and a sunny attitude. She would not complain about the world and was very open about her deafness. She also advised Gao Yuan not to mind his physical disability too much, work hard, and everything would be fine.
From that day on, Gao Yuan would ask Luo Xiaomei out every two or three weeks. They would eat together, watch movies, and go to bookstores. Sometimes Gao Yuan would pay, and sometimes Luo Xiaomei would pay.
Luo Xiaomei was the warmest light in Gao Yuan's boring exam preparation life. He read books, recited and practiced questions desperately, thinking that he must pass the exam.
His sign language skills improved day by day. Later, he could use sign language to express his ideas when communicating with Luo Xiaomei, and he could also understand what Luo Xiaomei said.
Gao Yuan took the civil service exam for the third time when he was almost 26 years old. This time, he finally got a clerk position in the District Disabled Persons’ Federation, and ranked first in both the written test and the interview. On the day the results came out, Gao Yuan once again cried secretly in his room, but this time it was because he was too happy.
He thought that he finally had a job and could support himself without being a burden to his parents.
He finally had the right to say to Luo Xiaomei what he had always wanted to say.
Gao Yuan and Luo Xiaomei have known each other for two years. They had no contact for half a year, chatted online for more than half a year, and finally "made an appointment" for nearly a year. Gao Yuan's feelings were beyond words, but Luo Xiaomei rejected him every time. Gao Yuan knew that they both had concerns, all kinds of concerns.
He told his mother that he liked a deaf-mute girl, and he liked her very much. He couldn't figure out her attitude, whether she cared about his legs or whether her deafness was hereditary. Anyway, he hinted at her several times, but she didn't respond.
The mother said, "Yuan, if you really like her, you should pursue her boldly. You don't have to have children. I just hope we can find someone who likes each other."
It was a full-moon night. Gao Yuan and Luo Xiaomei went for a walk in the park. He walked slowly with the help of crutches, and Luo Xiaomei stayed by his side.
She had grown her hair short and it fell softly on her shoulders. Her face was still pretty and charming. Gao Yuan looked at her secretly. As he was walking, his crutch suddenly tilted and he staggered. Luo Xiaomei quickly grabbed his arm and prevented him from falling.
At this moment, Gao Yuanyi held her hand. Luo Xiaomei was surprised and realized that this man's "wrestling" was fake. Oh, are all men so bad
Gao Yuan's palms were hot, with a little sweat and rough calluses from using crutches for so long. His eyes were dark and bright, and he stared at Luo Xiaomei deeply, with his five fingers clenched, and he did not let go of her hand no matter how she struggled.
He said in a hoarse voice: "Xiaomei, I like you, please be my girlfriend."
On Luo Xiaomei's 25th birthday, Gao Yuan visited his future father-in-law for the first time.
He climbed to the fourth floor with crutches, walking slowly and carefully. Luo Xiaomei was always by his side to protect him.
In her, Gao Yuan met her parents and younger brother.
Both Luo's father and mother are easy to get along with, but Luo Xiaomei has a "stupid" brother... Gao Yuan didn't expect that he would be a tall and handsome boy, only in his early twenties, with fair skin and very thin. He sat quietly on the small bed in the living room, as if secretly observing him.
Gao Yuan looked at him, and he immediately looked away, blinking his eyelashes, looking very shy.
Gao Yuan sat on the dining chair and signed to him: Okay, my name is Gao Yuan, are you Xiaomei’s younger brother Luo Jingyu
The boy looked at him for a while, raised his hand and replied in sign language: Yes, okay, I am Luo Jingyu, you can call me Xiaoyu.
At first, Luo Mingsong and Yan Yajuan both thought that their daughter’s partner, a hearing man, was unreliable, especially since the man had a bad leg. But after getting to know him better, they both fell in love with Gao Yuan and thought he was a very real and reliable person, so they accepted him as a member of the family.
Later, after two years of dating, Gao Yuan and Luo Xiaomei bought a house, got married, and started their own little family.
And then... it was four years after we got married.
One day in mid-January, Gao Yuan was waiting at the door of the delivery room in a wheelchair. Surrounded by his parents, his brother-in-law Luo Jingyu and his girlfriend Zhan Xi, all of them were looking forward to the birth of Gao Yuan and Luo Xiaomei's baby.
After an unknown amount of time, a nurse came out with a small cart. After looking around, she asked, "Who are the relatives of Luo Xiaomei's baby?"
Gao Yuan suppressed his excitement and turned in his wheelchair: "It's me, I'm Luo Xiaomei's husband."
"Congratulations, both mother and child are safe, it's a boy, 6.5 jin, very healthy." The nurse hesitated, "But... the baby still needs further hearing tests, that is... we..."
Gao Yuan laughed: "I know, you didn't pass the initial screening, right? It's okay, it doesn't matter, we all know that, it really doesn't matter."
The nurse was relieved: "Well, we will do another hearing test tomorrow. You can take the baby back to the ward today. The mother will be out soon."
Gao Yuan finally had the chance to see the baby in the stroller. He was sleeping, with thick black hair, eyes closed, and a wrinkled face. He looked so small.
He reached out to touch his son's hand. The boy moved his fingers. Gao Yuan's eyes became wet and he said in a very soft voice, "Baby, don't be afraid. Mom and Dad will accompany you until you grow up."
Luo Jingyu had been standing by and watching this scene. Her gaze fell on the baby in the stroller, and an unknown emotion filled her eyes.
The person next to him held his hand. He turned to look at her. Zhan Xi was smiling at him and said, "The baby is very cute."
Luo Jingyu nodded, turned her gaze back, and sighed imperceptibly.
Extra 1 Gao Yuan & Luo Xiaomei