The 99th Divorce

Wen Fenglin chuckled a little and asked, “Will you help me get a cup of water please?”

Yu Lili got up quickly and went to get him a cup of warm water. She placed the cup on the table and carefully helped him sit up.

“I can do it on my own. Let me do it on my own.” Wen Fenglin waved her off and sat up. He stretched his hand forward to reach for the cup of water.

Yu Lili handed the cup over into his hand, but she didn’t release it fully. She kept her hand at the bottom to catch any stray droplets of water.

Fortunately, Wen Fenglin’s hands were still somewhat steady. After he had his drink, his smile faded away. “Don’t worry, it’s nothing serious. You should return to Ou Ming’s side. I’m going to sleep for a while.”

This abrupt change in topic was clearly meant to chase her off. Yu Lili caught the hint and nodded her head in agreement as she threw the cup away. As she was on her way back to Ou Ming’s room, she bumped into Ou Huojin and his wife. She acknowledged them and gave them a quick rundown on Wen Fenglin’s condition before continuing back to Ou Ming’s room.

The sky was starting to get dark, and it was the second day of the New Year. There weren’t many people present in the hospital. The surroundings were also a little empty.

When she pushed the door to Ou Ming’s room open, Ou Ming wasn’t on the bed. Yu Lili panicked, and called out, “Ou Ming?”

There was no reply from Ou Ming. What was heard instead was the sound of something dropping.

Yu Lili looked toward the direction that the sound came from. It was the en suite bathroom. She made her way over with quickened steps and pushed the bathroom door open, calling out, “Ou Ming!”

Ou Ming was standing by the washstand. His uninjured arm was feeling his way around. On the floor was a bottle of hand sanitizer that had dropped.

Hearing Yu Lili’s voice put a slight smile on Ou Ming’s face.

“What are you doing here? Washing your hands?” she asked.

“Using the toilet,” Ou Ming replied. With his hand still covered in soap suds, he reached out to touch Yu Lili.

Since he didn’t know where the toilet was, he had no choice but to stand at that spot and wash his hands. Since he had managed to identify his toothbrush, he brushed his teeth and rinsed his mouth. He hadn’t expected Yu Lili to return so quickly.

“Were you intending to urinate here?” Yu Lili couldn’t decide if she should laugh or cry. “This is the washstand. Here, let me help you.”

Ou Ming felt a little embarrassed and cleared his throat awkwardly. “Hold on, my clothes…”

Yu Lili looked down at his clothes and realized that his entire front was drenched. He was in a thin hospital robe without a coat. Looking like an overgrown kid who had sneaked out to play, Ou Ming was now at a loss of what to do.

When Yu Lili looked up at his face, his expression of embarrassment made her heart clench. She took off her down jacket and gently put it over his shoulders. “Let’s use the toilet first. We’ll change your clothes after.”

She hoped he hadn’t been holding his urgent bladder for too long, especially since he wasn’t able to find a solution until now.

Yu Lili supported him as she led him to the toilet. Just as she was about to help him remove his pants, Ou Ming pushed her hands away. His lips were in a tight line. “I’ll do it on my own. Turn around.”

Yu Lili’s eyes started to sting with tears. She grunted her OK and turned her back, not looking at him at all.

All Ou Ming could see was a sea of darkness. He bent down and reached his hand out to ascertain that it was indeed the toilet bowl in front of him before relieving himself. He remained completely unaware that Yu Lili had witnessed his choppy and confused actions from behind, and that her eyes were welling up with tears.

Yu Lili helped him move over to the washstand to wash his hands and proceeded to help him back to bed. Both of their actions were done gingerly and with extreme care. No one broke the silence first.

Upon returning from the bathroom, Yu Lili had Ou Ming sit on the bed while she went in search of a clean and dry set of clothes for him.