Three tall Italian cypress trees stand majestically on the verdant meadows, the tallest of which in the center once soared proudly into the sky, but now only a dry stump remains.
The breeze blew, it danced gently, sprinkling a mottled shadow Bai Xianyong sat quietly on the bench alone, staring intently at the already dilapidated stump, his eyes showing deep sorrow.
He couldn't help but recall the good times he spent with Wang Guoxiang decades ago: the accidental collision in high school that made them form a deep teenage friendship, and the rebellion and challenge to fame, fortune and authority, made them resolutely decide to leave the bustling city of Taipei and go to the quiet city of Tainan to study. At that time, they were full of youth and vitality, full of endless longing and pursuit of a free life.
Then they met again at National Taiwan University and worked hand in hand, then Wang Guoxiang suffered from his first illness but was miraculously cured, and finally he studied in the United States and had a successful career.
However, fate was so cruel after all, taking away the most precious person in his life, tears slipped uncontrollably from Bai Xianyong's eyes, and the past years flashed in his mind like a movie, making him miss the good times spent with his deceased best friend very much.
It was a sunny morning, and Bai Xianyong hurriedly stepped on the steps of the large number of teaching buildings, holding a few heavy textbooks in his hands. Just around the corner, he accidentally collided with another male classmate who was also holding a textbook, and their books were instantly scattered on the ground.
"I'm sorry, I'm in too much of a hurry to go to class" Bai Xianyong immediately squatted down and quickly picked up the scattered books.
"It's okay, I'm a little negligent too. The male classmate responded with a smile, showing a shy expression, and then introduced himself in a deep voice: "My name is Wang Guoxiang."
In this way, on an ordinary morning, Bai Xianyong and Wang Guoxiang, two classmates and friends, met each other, and in the following days, they found that they had many common interests and pursuits - they were not keen on the qualification of prestigious schools, and they were more eager to be free and comfortable for the strict constraints of life.
After much thought and weighing, the two young people chose to continue their studies at Cheng Kung University in Tainan, pursuing their true passions.
There, they enjoyed a free and easy college career, away from the constraints of family and the pressure of family affection.
During the time when Bai Xianyong and Wang Guoxiang planned to transfer to National Taiwan University, a sudden illness completely upended their original life trajectory.
Bai Xianyong still clearly remembers the serious expression of the attending physician at that time and the diagnosis like a thunderbolt from the sky: "Wang Guoxiang suffers from aplastic anemia."
This condition is extremely rare, with only a 5% chance of cure. After learning the news, Bai Xianyong felt as if his heart had been hit with a heavy hammer, and it became extremely difficult to breathe.
He saw that his once energetic friend now had to rely on blood transfusions from the hospital to stay alive, and his whole person lost his luster, and he was full of helplessness and self-blame.
Faced with such a cruel truth, Bai Xianyong firmly decided to find famous doctors around the world for Wang Guoxiang, even if he needed to climb the Himalayan peaks, he did not hesitate.
At first, he could only use his spare time to visit Wang Guoxiang and accompany him through that difficult time, however, with the ups and downs of Wang Guoxiang's condition, Bai Xianyong resolutely decided to temporarily put aside all the affairs at hand and embarked on a journey to seek treatment all over the country.
After a lot of hardships, he finally found Xi Fu Chinese medicine, who has excellent medical skills. Under the careful care of traditional Chinese medicine and taking the prescription prepared by Dr. Xi, Wang Guoxiang's condition has undergone an amazing transformation, and his physical condition has gradually recovered, and he no longer needs to rely on blood transfusions to maintain his life.
So, a miracle really happened! Wang Guoxiang became one of the lucky 5%. A year later, the two of them were admitted to National Taiwan University at the same time, ushering in a new chapter in their lives.
Before leaving for the United States for further study, Wang Guoxiang affectionately said to Bai Xianyong: "We have overcome the biggest challenge in our lives together, and no matter what difficulties we encounter in the future, we will work together and never give up."
The years passed in a hurry, and time flashed by like a white horse. People never imagined that with the growth of age, the disease that had been defeated by them with hard sweat and painful tears would come back again after a full thirty years and ruthlessly extinguish the fire of Mr. Wang Guoxiang's life!
In the first few days, when Mr. Wang Guoxiang heard the frightening diagnosis of "aplastic anemia symptoms" again, he did not feel extreme panic in his heart.
As a humble and talented scientist, he has always maintained an optimistic attitude towards life and is as determined to devote himself to his research as ever.
Whenever he needed blood transfusion, he always politely refused the company of Mr. Bai Xianyong and did his best to maintain his dignity.
However, fate, the ruthless arbiter, did not give them any respite. The disease has become more and more violent, and the once effective Chinese medicine treatments can no longer prevent the disease from deteriorating.
Mr. Wang Guoxiang's body gradually became weak, and his eyes lost their former brilliance. Watching this once tall and sturdy friend gradually lose the vitality of his life, Mr. Bai Xianyong once again fell into deep despair.
However, no matter what single treatment method is used, Mr. Wang Guoxiang's condition still cannot be cured in the true sense. Finally, with a glimmer of hope, Mr. Bai Xianyong traveled to Hebei in Chinese mainland to seek medical help, where a middle-aged Chinese medicine practitioner was so confident in treating aplastic anemia that he even prescribed a unique set of herbs containing a variety of unknown herbs.
When Mr. Bai Xianyong returned to the United States with these pungent herbs and placed them in front of Mr. Wang Guoxiang, the two friends looked at each other and couldn't help but have a trace of doubt in their hearts.
After much deliberation, they finally chose to abandon the questionable herbal prescription.
In this way, Mr. Wang Guoxiang's physical condition deteriorated, and finally completely lost the vitality of life. Just as his birthday was approaching, Mr. Bai Xianyong proposed to go out for dinner to celebrate, but who would have thought that Mr. Wang Guoxiang would not even be able to climb the steps in front of the restaurant.
Looking at the scene of this former tall and mighty best friend struggling to climb the steps, Mr. Bai Xianyong's heart was as painful as a knife, and he was overwhelmed with grief.
Time flies, and on an ordinary day half a year later, Wang Guoxiang suddenly fell into a deep fainting and was rushed to a local hospital for rescue. At the moment of life and death, Bai Xianyong held his weak hand tightly, and after careful consideration, decided not to perform a painful electric shock resuscitation, but chose to silently pray in his heart that he could leave this world calmly and serenely.
The loss of life is always so cruel and unforgiving, leaving behind endless grief and loneliness.
Three months later, when Bai Xianyong re-entered their cozy cottage in Santa Barbara, the beautiful garden they had once tended together had become overgrown and dilapidated.
This is undoubtedly another deep nostalgia and remembrance of Wang Guoxiang's death.
During their years in the United States, Bai Xianyong and Wang Guoxiang have both made remarkable achievements. With his outstanding literary talent and unremitting efforts, Bai Xianyong has published two short stories that can be called masterpieces - "Grandma Jin" and "Admission to the Hospital", and finally realized his dream of being a writer and successfully entered the literary world.
He has held professorships at prestigious universities in Santa Barbara, California, and founded his own literary magazine, which has won numerous awards for his work.
Wang Guoxiang, on the other hand, focused his scientific research on the field of physics and devoted himself to the research and development of artificial satellites. As a humble and unobtrusive scientist, he rarely flaunts his achievements in public, yet the international recognition and reputation for his research is well documented.
He lived and worked in Los Angeles and lived a stressful and orderly life.
Although the two live hundreds of miles apart, their deep friendship has not been diminished by this. On holidays, Bai Xianyong would always drive to Los Angeles, and after meeting Wang Guoxiang, the two would travel together to visit the sights and monuments of the United States, enjoying the magnificent scenery of this vast land.
Those leisurely travel times became a rare and relaxing moment in their American life.
Most of the time, they are fully engaged in their careers and hard work.
However, no matter where they are, that sincere friendship is always hidden in each other's hearts and cannot be separated.