Fury Immortal Doctor

Chapter 1743 - 1746: Boss Ma's Wisdom on Life and Death

Seeing Boss Ma putting on his shoes while grinning, Shen Qiang sighed and said, "Brother Ma, you're really not taking yourself seriously. This isn't a minor illness; it needs treatment. The kids are still young, and you...""Enough, enough." Once Boss Ma finished putting on his shoes, he laughed and said, "Oh, you, stop with the nonsense. If I could choose a way to die, I'd pick dying on a pretty girl's belly. What about the kids being young? And all that stuff, sons and daughters will find their own fortune; who wants to be a horse or ox for them?"

"I gave each of them a house and ten million each. If they're capable, they'll do well and get to the top; if not, even if I left them billions, they'd squander it all in a few years and end up penniless."

"Brother Ma, can you be serious? Your wife is crying." Shen Qiang sighed.

Boss Ma chuckled, raised an eyebrow at Shen Qiang, and said, "Tsk tsk, didn't you always say, nothing is tastier than dumplings and more fun than a sister-in-law? If I'm gone, won't you get your chance?"

"Would I really say that?" Shen Qiang furrowed his brow and said, "Brother Ma, I understand that having late-stage colorectal cancer is a heavy blow, but you can't just give up because of it."

Boss Ma burst into laughter, "Qiangzi, that bastard Sun Kaiping called you, didn't he?"

Shen Qiang corrected him, "Let's talk business."

Boss Ma laughed, looked at Shen Qiang for about five seconds, then sat on the hospital bed, tossed a big apple to Shen Qiang, and said seriously, "Qiangzi, I understand why you're here. You're here to persuade me to have surgery and undergo treatment."

"But you haven't figured out one thing — while my eye power might not match yours, and I might not fare as well as you on Antique Street, your old brother here is actually quite smart."

"Now, the doctor says if I have surgery, there's a fifty percent chance I'll survive for five years. If I don't, I won't last six months."

Shen Qiang said, "That's the truth. As your attending doctor, I might even give you lower odds."

Boss Ma grinned, glanced outside the empty hospital room door with shifty eyes, and then said seriously, "Even if I undergo surgery, there's no guarantee I'll live for five years. Plus, I'd have to rely on a tube for bowel movements; I'd need to carry a waste bag everywhere."

"What would be the point then? I have a chance to be lively right now and chase after girls; why should I get a surgery, carry a waste bag, and suffer for five years, possibly not even making it? What's my age? What haven't I seen? Even if I die, it should be how I want it, with dignity."

"So don't bring it up. Dead or alive, I've walked through life just seeking enjoyment. If you truly can't bear it?"

Glancing outside again, Boss Ma laughed and raised an eyebrow, "Take brother to a club full of beautiful girls, a nourishing life spa or something. In the past, if your sister-in-law found out, she would fight with me. But given the situation now, she definitely won't."

Hearing that, Shen Qiang laughed and said, "You're sure you don't want the surgery?"

Boss Ma grinned, "No surgery, there's no point. If one can't live freely, what's the use of living 800 years? Old Zheng on Antique Street had the same illness as me; discovered it earlier but lived less than three years after surgery."

"Those three years, he dared not eat this or touch that, and in the end, he still died. Instead of living five years like that, I'd rather happily do whatever I want for two."

Upon hearing this, Shen Qiang raised his eyebrow helplessly.

Boss Ma's words sounded like he's recklessly giving up due to the illness, but on careful thought, a wonderful two years versus a miserable five might even lead Shen Qiang to choose the former.

"But your wife just wants what's best for you." Shen Qiang hesitated.

Boss Ma chuckled, raised an eyebrow, and said, "Brother, let me tell you, different positions lead to different perspectives. Your wife hopes I'll have surgery and get better. She thinks about all the hard work I've put in to earn money for the family over the years."

"So she feels that she and the kids should repay me, try to heal me, and even if it doesn't work, do their best; otherwise, their conscience won't be at ease."

"But," glancing at the hospital door, Boss Ma said, "You've surely heard 'a long illness has no filial children,' right? I have a daughter and a son. When they were little, made a mess everywhere, and I cleaned up without complaint."

"But imagine, if I'm bedridden, half-dead, relying on tubes for bowel movements and making a mess in the room, can they bear it? Maybe one day is fine, two days perhaps, but five years? Can they handle that?"

Shen Qiang stayed silent for a long time, then said, "You shouldn't give up on yourself just because of imagined scenarios."

"Oh, come on." Boss Ma frowned, "I thought on Antique Street, you and that bastard Sun Kaiping were the only sensible ones I could talk to, but you've become so worldly too? I've done everything that's needed; I've paved the kids' roads. What comes next, I can't control."

"Now I just want to manage myself, my own life. If it ever comes to it, leaving with dignity is always better than lying there helpless in filth."

Shen Qiang furrowed his brow and sighed, and memories of happy times with Boss Ma and Sun Kaiping came flooding back.

"Alright then, as long as you don't regret it."

On hearing this, Boss Ma smiled, "A person should have a sense of contract and accept loss. Treating illness is like picking treasures on Antique Street; everyone hopes to spend the least to buy the most valuable gem, but in reality, how many are that lucky?"

"Now, I have both a son and daughter, not much wealth compared to you, but able to eat what I want and drink what I want. A life's worth it. So, I'm definitely not having this surgery. If I'm meant to die in a well, I won't drown in a river. If I'm meant to die from this illness as a Ma, no treatment will help. So, whatever, I live each day happily."

Seeing the resolute and seemingly happy expression on Boss Ma's face, Shen Qiang chuckled and said, "Your idea sounds really unreliable, full of denial. But as a friend, I think I should support you in this moment, so how about this, why don't you try my herbal therapy?"

Boss Ma looked puzzled, and Shen Qiang laughed, "Not necessarily guaranteed, as it's a drug still under company research."

Boss Ma burst into laughter, "Heh, if I worried about that, I'd have opted for surgery long ago. No problem, I'll try your no-surgery treatment, but you know I'm a businessman. I know you own a pharmaceutical company, and if this drug works on me, you'll make big money, so..."

Boss Ma chuckled and raised an eyebrow, "Go comfort your sister-in-law, assure her to take the kids home, and then find a good place and take me out to see some ladies."