"Then we'll call her Xiaoxiao from now on, the 'xiao' from smile," Susu said, surprised that Shu Yan wouldn't even name the child herself, how could she be so heartless.
Xiao Anjing agreed.
Qin Tianyi stood in the hospital room, looking around, and asked curiously, "Anjing, why are you the only one taking care of Xiaoxiao? Didn't the people from the orphanage help you?"
Xiao Anjing said helplessly, "The orphanage is a charitable institution. Since Xiaoxiao has this illness, and they found me, the adoptive parent, they definitely wouldn't be responsible anymore. They can't afford it either. Who would be willing to bear these enormous medical expenses?"
Qin Tianyi asked in confusion, "Aren't all the children in the orphanage orphans? What happens if they can't find an adoptive parent?"
Susu answered for Xiao Anjing, "Then they can only receive basic treatment and wait to die."
Xiao Anjing also asked curiously, "What basic treatment?"
Susu said with a wry smile, "It's taking fever reducers for a fever, cold medicine for a cold, and if it's really serious, sending them to the hospital for IV fluids. Anyway, they can't afford good medicine."
Xiao Anjing said as if he suddenly understood, "No wonder when I rushed over last night, Xiaoxiao only got a regular anti-inflammatory and fever-reducing shot, but her temperature wouldn't come down. I asked the doctor why, and he said the children in the orphanage have limited medical expenses. I paid for the medical fees first, and only then did she get the right medicine."
"The medical conditions for children in orphanages now are better than when I was there. When I was a child in the orphanage, all the children there had to endure their illnesses on their own. If they survived, they were fine. If they didn't..." Susu couldn't continue, "You two young masters wouldn't understand."
Qin Tianyi listened and felt a pang in his heart, an unspeakable pain for her. He frowned and asked Xiao Anjing, "Are you sure it's leukemia? The medical conditions here are so poor, could it be a misdiagnosis?"
"It's not certain yet. According to the people at the orphanage, Xiaoxiao started having nosebleeds a month ago and had a low-grade fever, intermittently. Ordinary medicine didn't work. They sent her to the township hospital. After a blood test here, several indicators that are clear signs of leukemia were very low. The doctors here preliminarily diagnosed it as leukemia, but there's also a possibility of misdiagnosis," Xiao Anjing said with distress. "I plan to transfer her to a hospital in Lancheng as soon as possible. Now that Shu Yan is in custody, I can only find other people from the Shu family to take care of this child."
Susu finished feeding the small bowl of rice paste, put down the bowl, looked at Xiao Anjing, and asked worriedly, "You plan to hand Xiaoxiao over to the Shu family. Will they accept Xiaoxiao?"
"But I'm a single man, how can I raise a child? This child is their Shu family's bloodline after all. They can't just watch her die from illness, can they?" Xiao Anjing had this worry before. Jia Nanfang couldn't accept the child when Shu Yan first gave birth.
But the Shu family still has Shu Zhongze. He could only try with a sliver of hope.
The three of them fell into silence for a moment, but Xiaoxiao opened her arms, babbling and wanting to be held.
Xiaoxiao looked very weak. Susu held her tightly, comforting her, "You've eaten enough, right? After eating, we'll go to sleep."
Saying that, she kissed her forehead and gently laid her down flat.
Susu watched the child close her eyes and fall asleep, then looked at Qin Tianyi and said, "Why don't we quickly transfer Xiaoxiao to the best hospital in Lancheng? It's most important to diagnose and treat her first. As for whether to hand the child over to the Shu family, we can discuss that after the diagnosis, okay?"
Qin Tianyi looked at Susu, resting his chin on one hand, and said, "Alright, we can only do this for now. Actually, besides handing the child over to the Shu family, there's another way, which is to try to find the child's biological father."
Xiao Anjing said disdainfully, "That man and Shu Yan had a one-night stand. A man who can sleep with a strange woman so casually on the street, what kind of fatherly love and responsibility can you expect from him?"
Susu felt that both Tianyi and Xiao Anjing made sense, but if the Shu family didn't recognize the child, finding the child's biological father was indeed a way.
"We'll try our best to find a good home for the child. Whether it's the Shu family or the child's biological father, we can only hand the child over to someone who genuinely cares for her."
Xiao Anjing nodded and said, "It's important to treat the child first."
He had watched her grow up bit by bit since her birth. At that time, although he only sympathized with Shu Yan and took care of them, he had unknowingly developed feelings for Xiaoxiao.
So he agreed with Susu's statement, that no matter what, they should treat the child first.
That day, they completed the transfer procedures for Xiaoxiao and admitted her to the hematology department of the best children's hospital in Lancheng.
Xiao Anjing had stayed up all night, so Qin Tianyi told him to go back and rest.
He and Susu accompanied Xiaoxiao through all the admission examinations. Some of the results would only be available the next day.
Qin Tianyi also hired a caregiver for Xiaoxiao. After they finished everything, it was already dusk when they left the hospital.
"You haven't eaten much all day, let's fill your stomach first. I'll treat you to a good meal," Qin Tianyi said, putting his arm around Susu as they walked towards the car parked at the hospital entrance.
Susu's mind was filled with Xiaoxiao's angelic face and her pitiful little eyes. She smiled and said, "You're the one who's hungry, you want me to accompany you to eat."
Qin Tianyi didn't deny it and said, "Then will you accompany me?"
"You're so kind-hearted, of course, I'll accompany you to eat well."
"That's more like it." Qin Tianyi remotely opened the car door and let her get in first.
After Qin Tianyi started the car, Susu said leisurely, "I hope the previous hospital was a misdiagnosis. Xiaoxiao must not be seriously ill."
"Don't think too much about it. Even if it's leukemia, the chance of recovery is very high," Qin Tianyi comforted her. "We've done what we should, and we've thought of everything we shouldn't have. If something really happens to her, it's not your fault."
Susu let out a long sigh and said, "You're right. Let's wait for the test results tomorrow. But if Xiaoxiao's biological father is unreliable, and the Shu family is unwilling to accept her, can we..." She still couldn't say it.
Qin Tianyi had already seen her thoughts and said them for her, "You want to adopt this child?"
"I'm afraid that if this child becomes an orphan again, can we adopt her? Doesn't Little Star need a sister?"
"But have you thought about it? This child's biological mother is Shu Yan. If she finds out her background when she grows up, she'll hate us. If it weren't for us, her mother wouldn't have been arrested." Qin Tianyi was naturally a little reluctant. They were still young and could have daughters of their own.
Susu believed in the inherent goodness of people and said, "No, if you stay close to red, you'll become red; if you stay close to ink, you'll become black. As long as we teach her well, she won't be unreasonable when she grows up."
"Perhaps, but don't underestimate Shu Yan's genes in her."
Susu nodded, "You have a point." She then leaned back against the seat wearily, looking at the busy intersection ahead, and said no more.