Love
in China
True
Story
 
I only Have Eyes
for You 2
I
only Have Eyes for You 1
2
Yanzi had been in a full-on
vegerable coma for two months. During
this time, with constant talk, gentle
touch and tender kiss, Zhang Jian did his
best to wake her up from deep sleep. Yet
for all his effort, he knew he was
failing. And gradually his will to battle
for Yanzi’s life, for their future, and
indeed for his own mortal existence melt
like ice and break like tiles.
Then one day, a story in a
magazine was like a ray of sunshine in a
stormy sky that renewed his hope. It was
a report about how a famous Hong Kong TV
presenter in a similar condition regained
his consciousness and eventually mobility
after bone replacement in head surgery
done by Dr. Ling at a Beijing hospital.
Taking the magazine with
him, he jumped onto the northbound train
to Beijing.
He failed, however, in his
attempt to see Dr. Ling. Eventually he
went down on his knees by a gate where he
learned Dr. Ling was most likely to go
through, holding a large sign that read
"Please save my Yanzi!"
Beijing in February was
still chilling cold. Zhang Jian’s head
bent against bitting wind, but he did not
move away from the spot, nor did he get
up from his knees. When night set in and
some people eventually found out that Dr
Ling went overseas and wasn’t expected
to return in a near future, he could not
even say a word in reply. He was totally
frozen.
He returned empty-handed to
Hunan. But his confidence in the bone
replacement miracle did not wane. When
two months later the local doctors all
gave up on Yanzi, he decided to bring her
home and take care of her himself. And he
began to save money for the surgery.
In the following two months,
he nursed Yanzi during the day while
worked as a motor taxi driver at night.
One early morning, when he spoke at Yanzi’s
ear about the events of the past, he
noticed her lips were dry, so he got a
wet cotton tip to apply water to them. As
he did so, he registered a motion on the
lips. He thought it must be his
imagination, and kept moistening her
lips. Yet her lips moved again,
accompanied by a swallow sound from her
throat.
Zhang Jian started to his
feet and was for a while gasped for air
in disbelieve. Then he burst in
exclamation, "Yanzi, my baby!"
He cried out and was wild with joy.
This time Yanzi's eyes moved
in response.
"Yanzi has waken
up!" He roared, and eventually
chocked with tears on the shoulder of
Yanzi’s mum who hurried in on hearting
the shout.
Over the next few weeks,
Yanzi made a fast progress. She no longer
needed feeding tube, drainage tube and
infusion line, and patch memories began
to emerge in her mind that previously was
like a gaping black hole. Zhang Jian
could clearly feel her eyes bore into him
with intensity, following him around, and
her sight became more serene and tender
by the day. When Zhang Jian read or spoke
to her, she would keep a tight grip on
his hand.
One day, Zhang Jian said to
her, "Yanzi, you remember me, don’t
you? Do you still love me? If you do,
raise two fingers; and if don’t, raise
one."
There was an unaccustomed
light in her eyes. With an effort, she
slowly raised her left hand, and, in a
deep sound gasped from her throat, two
fingers were stretched out.
Zhang Jian was rendered mute
and immobile. It was after a long while
that he was able to hold Yanzi’s hands
close to his heart, letting happy tears
dropping down silently.
Another year had passed, and
Chinese New Year 2004 was fast
approaching. On the New Year’s eve
Zhang Jian’s mother called. Yanzi
clearly recognised her
mother-in-law-to-be’s voice, and
signalled that she wanted to listen.
Her in-law-to-be wept on the
other end of the line, and kept saying
"My dear …… dearest daughter…"
Hearing that, tears streamed down from
Yanzi’s cheeks. As the past stories
slowly unfolded from the fragments, she
sounded a sharp scream that was full of
sorrow and agony.
Observing these, Zhang Jian
felt the surgery could not be delayed any
further to prolong that pain. But he
still had a long way to go before he
could save 40,000 yuans for the
operation.
Then one day, phone rang,
and he heard a familiar voice coming from
the receiver: "Ar Jian, How are you?
Haven’t seen you for four years …"
It surprised him greatly.
The voice was from Rong.
"I heard about you in
online chat room, and got your phone
number from a friend. I wish to do
something to help out," said she.
In the follow up calls, Rong
elaborated how she was going to help. She
would take care of Yanzi’s medical
bills, and if the surgery did not work,
she would pay for her nursing costs for
the rest of her life.
"Why do you want to do
that?" asked Zhang Jian.
"Because I want your
love, and want a life with you,"
replied she. "You’ve done enough
for her, now let me heal your
wounds."
That wasn’t what Zhang
Jian wanted to hear.
"But wait, don’t hang
up," Rong urged. "Listen to me,
Ar Jian, she needs that special medical
treatment. How are you going to provide
it for her?"
Zhang Jian chocked up.
"Ar Jian, please think
carefully, if you really love her, you
wouldn’t deny her an opportunity to a
possible recovery, would you?"
This time Zhang Jian fell
into a long silence. Finally he agreed to
meet and talk.
The day for the meeting
eventually came. Before leaving home,
Zhang Jian got a pan of warm water, and
gently washed Yanzi’s face and hands.
When he finished, he heard Yanzi
squeaking. Before he could figure out
what was going on, she rolled off the
wheelchair, and when reached the pan she
thrust a hand into it. After some
fuddling under the water, she produced a
silver ring and, with her shaking right
hand, placed it on her left middle
finger. Having done that, she emitted a
push of breath, grinning broadly at Zhang
Jian.
The scene struck a chord in
Zhang Jian’s heart. He brushed away a
tear at one point. It was an engagement
ring he gave to her at her 20th
birthday. After accident, she had
forgotten so many things, but did not
forget this ring.
He realised that without his
love, recovery to Yanzi might well be
pointless. Broken down altogether, he
held her in his arms. "… My daring
… daring … Yanzi …." thick
sobs chocked his words back, and it was
until relief came in a flow of tears, he
could then resume, "I won’t go
anywhere … I’m going nowhere …"
It was all beyond Rong. Just
who or what was there to press a healthy
young man to make a sacrifice for a near
vegetable girl? She decided to see it for
herself.
Once entered the room, she
was shocked to notice just how poor they
were. They almost had nothing, which made
Yanzi’s quality wheelchair stand out.
And she scanned the girl in
the wheelchair. With a piece of bone
missing from her skull, Yanzi’s face
was distorted beyond the recognition.
Sitting in front of her was Zhang Jian,
still young and still handsome, talking
to her while massaging her legs. As he
looked at that disfigured face, his eyes
were glistering with tenderness and
affection.
He never looked at Rong like
this, and at that flash moment, Rong
knew, he never would. He only had eyes
for one woman, whatever she became.
Realising her battle for his
heart had been lost, she wept soundlessly
as she walked out of Yanzi’s home.
And Zhang Jian walked into
the office of a local newspaper. He
wanted to place an advertisement to sell
ten years of his youthful labour in
exchange for the operation fees.
When the story spread
through the media, there were strong
responses both in Changde city, where
Yanzi and Zhang Jian lived, and Pei
County, where Zhang Jian’s parents
waited for the young couple to return. A
large number of people contacted the
newspaper to find out how to make a
donation.
With the help from many
quarters in the community, including a
hospital, Yanzi at last submitted to the
surgery.
On learning the news, the
students at a primary school near her
home crafted 5000 paper birds. They
believed once the number reached 10000,
Yanzi would be able to stand up, side by
side with her beloved Zhang Jian.
Zhang Jian
and Yanzi at home after her operation.
(The End)
(Reference: 唤醒生命的爱, 周瑜 亦清)
China
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