exchange fate
Don't think you can easily get what you want. Perhaps everything you get is just bait that others have placed in advance.
In the end, I was too naive. I scorned the advice of those around me, which led me to become a victim of the devil.
Little did I know, the gifts bestowed by fate had already set a hidden price.
1
Early yesterday morning, a three-year-old vegetative patient was transferred to our hospital and immediately taken to the ICU for emergency treatment.
Everyone said that the child was very sinister; anyone who came into contact with her felt as if their spirit had been drained, so the entire night shift staff today were all listless.
I have been working in the hospital for many years, and I occasionally encounter situations like the one they described. Furthermore, being a staunch materialist, I didn't pay any attention to the strangeness of the little girl.
As the end of my shift approached, a colleague with whom I had a good relationship rushed into the duty room and said that there was someone performing a ritual in the ICU, eagerly urging me to go and watch the spectacle.
Sure enough, outside the ICU stood a weird man hunched over with a long beard and wearing a Taoist robe, holding a brass bell in his left hand and continuously shaking it, while pointing with his right hand, pacing back and forth with his eyes tightly closed and chanting solemnly.
Beside the Taoist stood three people: an elderly couple with graying hair and a middle-aged man with an imposing demeanor.
After a moment, the Taoist stopped his movements, and the sound of the bell abruptly ceased. At the same time, the deputy director and a group of doctors and nurses also came out of the ward.
The man became anxious and immediately stepped forward, clasping the hand of the deputy director and asking, "How is my daughter's condition?"
The deputy director responded with a relaxed tone, reassuring him, "Mr. Huang, you can rest assured. The little girl has been successfully rescued. Her will to survive is very strong. As long as you don't give up on her, she will definitely pull through!"
Before he could breathe a sigh of relief, the Taoist interjected, "Have you forgotten to recite scriptures for the child?"
The nurse behind the deputy director was surprised, as if realizing something, and hung her head, not daring to look at them.
The on-duty doctor stepped forward to explain, "Our department is short-handed, and we cannot meet every unnecessary demand of the patients, so the matter of playing music..."
The Taoist ignored the doctor's explanation and turned to the man, speaking in a stern tone, "Mr. Huang, listen carefully. The next fifteen days are the period of extreme Yin for your daughter. If you don't follow our instructions, if you can't endure it, you know the consequences better than I do."
The man, named Mr. Huang, was visibly shocked after hearing the Taoist's words, and hastily commanded the deputy director, "Have you heard what the master said? Get your staff to be more attentive!"
Unexpectedly, the hospital leadership was actually being bossed around by a patient's family member, and unable to retort, they could only vent their frustration on us nurses: "Starting today, one person will be specifically assigned to handle this matter."
With the ritual concluded, the onlookers dispersed, and the Taoist with the long beard passed through the crowd and walked into the elevator where we were hiding.
As he approached, there was a strong mixture of sweat and a bloody stench in the air!
In that brief moment, I and the Taoist locked eyes. Only when I approached did I see clearly that he had a sly look, a cold demeanor, and his beard was full of white hairs, and he was dressed very shabbily.
His temples and forehead were covered with countless sweat beads, but the hospital wasn't hot, so the fact that he was sweating so much must have been due to a performance just now.
He also glanced at me, sizing me up, and his eyes revealed a suspicion that made me shiver.
The Taoist opened and closed his mouth, saying something quietly to me, but just then, the elevator arrived, and a clamor came from inside the car, preventing me from hearing a word. He quickly averted his gaze, closed his lips tightly, and strode into the elevator.
A colleague told me that the little girl's name was Huang Tianjiao. She became a vegetative patient when she was just over a year old. Her father, Mr. Huang, is the CEO of a listed medical equipment company, and the hospitalization expenses alone cost over ten million yuan a year.
She had been in the previous hospital for two years. It was said that they transferred to our hospital because there were frequently so-called masters conducting rituals. The previous hospital thought that this would affect the other patients and their families, so they asked them to leave.
Indeed, some patients cannot be cured over a long period, and their families are easily swayed by superstitious tricks, ultimately ending up with both their money and their health lost. However, allowing a child to stay in the ICU year-round, I guess their family is definitely not the kind that just believes in feudal superstitions.
But she also said that Huang Tianjiao had a genetic disease, which was currently untreatable with medical technology. She was kept alive by oxygen in the ICU. Most families would have given up a long time ago, but their family was willing to spend a fortune to keep her alive. Why was that?
This point indeed aroused my curiosity.
The work-only WeChat group, which is usually quiet, was buzzing last night with everyone sharing strange events that occurred in the ICU upstairs in the middle of the night.
The peaceful patients suddenly started screaming after falling asleep, claiming that they heard someone barefoot running around the ward.
Another patient, who was in a coma, had a sudden cardiac arrest, and it was later discovered that the oxygen tube was deliberately jammed in the bed frame.
The most bizarre incident involved an elderly lady who, while reaching for a glass of water, unexpectedly touched a child's hand.
For me, the strange occurrences in the group were not as terrifying as the fact that I developed a stye! It wasn't prominent, but it was a red and white lump with a yellowish tint, hanging on my right eyelid, making me look unattractive and causing discomfort.
As I tried to remember why I got the stye, the only eerie thing that stood out was the brief eye contact with that Taoist priest yesterday, along with the sentence he said to me which I didn't hear.
Could this be supernatural? Did I get cursed for being inquisitive?
Looking at my haggard reflection in the mirror, with deep creases and this stye, I completely forgot about the hospital's strange occurrences and started plotting to use my recent salary to undergo a medical beauty procedure to rescue my collagen-depleted face!
After enduring a day with swollen eyelids, as soon as I lay down at home, a colleague sent some gossip.
【The hospital received several complaints today; the families of the patients collectively protested against letting Huang Tianjiao stay with other patients. They demanded that she be transferred to another hospital or be placed in a private ward.】
Before I could ask "Why," my phone screen displayed a message from the credit card center, reminding me that the repayment date was in two days.
【Several patients mentioned that they felt very uncomfortable yesterday after being forced to listen to scriptures being played by Huang. It's inauspicious for so many strange incidents to happen on the first day she arrived in the ward. To prevent a bigger issue, the leadership decided to move her into a vacant single room today.】
While my colleague continued to tell ghost stories eagerly, I didn't respond, but began thinking about my financial situation.
Assuming I wasn't interested in the topic, she shifted the conversation quickly.
【Today, I heard the head nurse saying that Huang's father wants to hire a nurse from the hospital to provide one-on-one care. None of the ICU nurses want to look after his daughter, so he decided to offer a reward for a fearless warrior.】
【Really? How much can he offer?】 I instinctively typed out the reply.
【Considering his status, at least a five-figure amount!】
【Why, do you want to earn the reward?】
I deliberately probed, only to receive a "Haha" and a message attached: 【Cut it out, I wouldn't dare go because it's creepy! I'm afraid I might earn money but not live long enough to spend it.】
I wondered how much I could earn if I took on Huang Tianjiao's one-on-one care, and if it could clear my credit card debt in one go.
As my thoughts wandered into fantasies, the bathroom door was almost violently slammed by the evening breeze, startling me! I left my phone behind and hurried to check and lock all the open doors.
As I secured the windows and was about to return to bed, I noticed a strange man in a yellow robe standing by the dim street light. His grotesque face flashed before my eyes. I quickly turned my gaze to get a better look.
The man held a brass bell in his left hand, while his right hand gestured like he was casting a spell. His mouth moved as if he were muttering to himself. Suddenly, he pointed in my direction, and a gust of wind amplified, making the window rattle loudly. Instinctively, I grabbed the curtain to shield myself, and my body involuntary shivered, causing me to break out in goosebumps.
Could the man downstairs be a Taoist priest performing rituals in the hospital? Why would he appear outside my home?
The chilling sensation seeped through the window crack, and a sense of foreboding began to creep over me. I wiped my eyes and unwittingly touched the inflamed stye, causing tears to stream down my cheeks.
When I pulled back the curtain to look at the electric pole by the roadside, the man had completely vanished.
Was it just my imagination? Why did I inexplicably see that Taoist?
The loud noise from the live stream on my phone brought me back to reality, seemingly without a change in the situation.
With the frenzied countdown rendering, I often bought unopened packages that seemed useful but were accumulating without being used. As a result, my credit card bill continued to grow.
I really wanted to buy the beauty device recommended by the live streamer, with its red light for anti-inflammatory and calming effects, radio frequency for skin rejuvenation and anti-aging, and the ability to stimulate collagen regeneration to fill in my wrinkles. Plus, tonight's order came with a pile of skincare products, all for just 4,999 yuan.
As the phone screen jumped to the payment page, it alerted me that my bank account balance was insufficient, prompting me to switch to another payment method. I decided that tomorrow I would apply to become Huang Tianjiao's one-on-one caregiver.
Originally posted 2024-04-02 16:00:35.