After dismissively sending off the doctor named Gao Quanhai, Lin Jie said to the surprised Lin Miao, "I don't know why I can speak German. Anyway, as soon as that old man spoke, I understood and replied naturally, just like I'm talking with you."
Lin Miao tilted her head and thought for a moment, then suddenly said: "Brother, I think it's the memory of that heart. Maybe the original owner of the heart was a German, so now you can speak German."
"I've heard that some people experience changes in personality or behavior after receiving organ transplants due to the influence of the organ's memory!"
"Maybe that's the reason!"
Lin Jie couldn't think of any other explanations, yawned broadly, and soon fell into a deep sleep again.
In his slumber, he had a series of intermittent and bizarre dreams.
He dreamt of himself jumping and playing on the grass, as carefree as a child.
He dreamt of himself playing the piano!
He dreamt of himself giving a spirited speech in a packed conference room of hundreds!
He dreamt of himself performing surgery on someone...
He kept dreaming, with one blurred and distorted scene after another flashing by.
Aside from some familiar scenes, he also dreamed about many strange scenes that felt as if he had personally experienced them.
These dreams made Lin Jie feel exhausted, extremely tired, and he wanted to open his eyes and escape from the strange dreams but couldn't...
"Who are you? Where is this?"
A voice suddenly arose, pulling Lin Jie out of his chaotic dreams.
This voice sounded directly in Lin Jie's mind, clear and indescribably gentle and pleasant, like a light spring breeze stirring wind chimes on the windowsill.
Lin Jie's vision was pitch black, unable to see anyone.
He wanted to respond but couldn't open his mouth, wanted to move his hands but felt an unusual heaviness that prevented any movement. Anxiously, he could only silently respond: "I'm Lin Jie, can you hear me? This is the special care ward of Binhai Tongren Hospital!"
"Binhai? This is China?"
"How am I here? I should already be dead?"
Getting an unexpected response, Lin Jie was very happy and continued to silently respond: "This is China, Binhai is one of China's largest cities. This is a hospital, and your ability to speak means you're not dead; the doctors saved you."
"Really? I feel strange!"
"So tired, so tired, I want to sleep..."
The sentence abruptly ended.
Lin Jie anxiously shouted, "Hey, you can't sleep, really can't! I've heard that critically ill or seriously injured people shouldn't sleep, they must stay awake!"
"Hey... hey..."
"Can you hear me? Hang in there!"
Seeing no response, Lin Jie became thoroughly anxious and suddenly opened his eyes.
The abrupt brightness made him close his eyes again!
Lin Jie slowly opened his eyes and, after adjusting to the light, realized he was still in the same ward, on the same bed, and only the doctor named Gao Quanhai was in the room; Miaomiao wasn't there.
Where was the person he had spoken to?
Lin Jie scanned the ward again, finding only him and Gao Quanhai, no third person.
Noticing his odd behavior, Gao Quanhai softly said, "Your sister Lin Miao went home to handle some things. Are you feeling any discomfort? If you need anything personal, I can ask a nurse to help you!"
Lin Jie said a bit eagerly, "I heard a woman's voice just now!"
"She said she thought she was dead, felt very tired, and fell asleep. I told her not to sleep, but no matter how I called, there was no response."
Gao Quanhai just chuckled and said, "Lin Jie, that was your hallucination. It's just the two of us in the room; how could there be a woman's voice?"
"But that's normal, no need to worry!"
"It's a side effect of the anesthetic, which makes you dream a lot, hallucinate, and sometimes blur the lines between reality, dream, and illusion. It'll resolve when the anesthetic wears off."
Lin Jie nodded dazedly, realizing it was all a side effect of the anesthetic.
Just then, he heard Gao Quanhai continue, "I have a few medical papers in German here; I was wondering if you could translate them. I'll pay you two hundred yuan per paper..."
Lin Jie soon fell asleep again, but this time, he remembered the number two hundred.
When he woke up again, he saw Miaomiao leaning her head on her arms, staring at him.
As soon as he moved, Lin Miao noticed, grabbed his hand, and said cheerfully, "Brother, with Xiaoxiao's help, we found a buyer for the house and signed the contract. We sold it for two million two hundred thousand yuan; we'll get the money in a few days."
"Sister Xiaoxiao said the buyer expects our community to be redeveloped, which is why the price was high. Now, brother, your surgery and follow-up treatment costs are all settled."
Lin Jie held Lin Miao's hand in return, saying, "Once brother recovers, I'll work hard to buy you a bigger house!"
Turning his head, he saw a stack of papers on the bedside, and laughed: "Miaomiao, I've just found a money-earning job now!"
Lin Jie also wanted to test whether he could still speak German, so he quickly picked up a paper.
The densely packed text appeared in his view, and the meaning in Chinese instantly surfaced in his mind: "A study on treating severe chronic heart failure with low-dose spironolactone..."
He was overjoyed and started looking for paper and pen, only to find that Gao Quanhai had thoughtfully left a voice recorder.
Lin Jie translated while reading the papers; there were six in total, each paper with five thousand words, and he took over half an hour to translate one paper.
This left Lin Miao astounded and somewhat incredulous: "Brother, you just read through a paper and earned two hundred yuan for each one; wouldn't that be twelve hundred for six?"
Lin Jie proudly said: "This isn't just reading; it's translation, mental work; It's difficult for those who don't know how but easy for those who do."
He suddenly had an idea: "Miaomiao, I could work as a professional translator, translating German materials or documents for others. This job isn't tiring, can be done at home, and won't interfere with managing the shop."
Upon hearing this, Lin Miao hesitated and said, "Brother, there's something I haven't told you, don't get mad when you hear it!"
"You're my sister; even if I get mad at myself, I wouldn't get mad at you. Go ahead, what is it?" Lin Jie said generously.
"I transferred the shop!"
Lin Miao softly explained: "The doctor said that the first six months after your discharge are crucial, and you shouldn't be fatigued or catch a cold. So, I transferred the shop."
Afraid that Lin Jie would worry about their future livelihood, Lin Miao quickly added: "Brother, don't worry! Money from selling the house will cover hospital expenses with a lot left over."
"Master said that when I return to work, my salary will be raised to two hundred yuan a day. Plus bonuses and tips, we'll earn at least six thousand a month, enough for us both."
Looking at the thin and small Lin Miao, Lin Jie's eyes welled up, feeling an urge to cry.
Just then, the door to the ward was pushed open with a bang, and a well-dressed, slightly plump middle-aged woman walked in.
She walked straight to the bedside, looking down at Lin Jie and Lin Miao, and said coldly, "You two siblings are both here, so we can settle some accounts properly."
"I'm Han Xuemei, and the heart beating in your chest was originally meant for my brother!"
"It didn't come from nowhere; we spent a considerable amount shipping it from the United States on an emergency basis."
"The surgeon who operated on you was also a cardiac surgeon expert we paid handsomely to bring from Germany."
Han Xuemei pulled some papers from her delicate handbag and said, "Here's the expense list, totaling three million one hundred and twenty thousand yuan, but considering your circumstances, let's round it to three million!"
Hearing this, Lin Jie and Lin Miao looked at each other, somewhat at a loss.
How was there another staggering expense besides the hospital surgery cost?