Chapter 6: The Disabled Person’s Bathroom Problem

Chapter 6: Toilet Issues for the Disabled

When Xu Moxing woke up, there was no one else next to him.

His phone was placed within easy reach; he fished it out and glanced at it—7:30 in the morning.

He lay there in a daze for a while, then tried to prop himself up into a sitting position, wondering how to maneuver himself into the wheelchair.

He heard movement in the living room, and soon the bedroom door opened.

Su Lichen walked out, wearing an apron Xu Moxing had never seen before.

"You awake? Don't move, I'll take care of it."

"What time do you need to leave? I can figure out how to do it myself."

"I hired a part-time caregiver; he'll come over during the day to look after you."

"I can manage, no need to waste money."

Xu Moxing, ever the penny-pincher, immediately worried about the cost.

His car accident was a senseless accident, and the state already paid for the hospital expenses.

But because the person who lashed out at society had committed suicide, and so many died—with a lot more people worse off than him—Xu Moxing had to cover his own rehab costs.

"You've just been discharged; you need to take it easy. Your leg can't put any weight on it right now, and we can't have any accidents. We'll talk when the doctor says you can put partial weight on it during your follow-up."

"Alright."

Xu Moxing didn't argue further. He figured once he learned how to transfer to the wheelchair on his own, he'd tell A Li to cancel the caregiver.

They had breakfast together.

Xu Moxing was still fretting about the expense. "How about having the caregiver come at noon? Save a few hours, save a few bucks."

"What about going to the bathroom from morning till noon? Can you hold it?"

"..."

Xu Moxing's face turned bright red. In his memory, they had never lived together before.

Sure, they had done *that* plenty of times, but they weren't close enough for him to let the other guy smell what he left in the bathroom...

When Su Lichen first helped him with going to the bathroom, Xu Moxing was terribly awkward. Especially during the hospital stay, when he could only go to the bathroom in bed...

That was a special situation; he had to put up with the embarrassment.

After discharge, when Su Lichen carried him to the bathroom yesterday, Xu Moxing was done but waited until the smell faded before calling Su Lichen back in.

But Su Lichen figured it out...

He came in and helped anyway.

"Don't be shy. We've known each other for years. Sometimes when I'm in a rush in the morning and taking a dump, you'd come in and brush your teeth."

"Stop it, I'm so embarrassed."

...

Remembering this, Xu Moxing felt he really needed to quickly learn how to get in and out of bed and use the toilet on his own!

Seeing such a shy lover, Su Lichen felt playful and wanted to tease him.

"Baby, you're blushing."

Teased like that, Xu Moxing snapped out of his shyness and rolled his eyes at him.

"Go to work already."

"Hahaha..."

It was just about time. Su Lichen got dressed, picked up his briefcase, and prepared to leave.

Xu Moxing, sitting in the wheelchair, gazed at his lover and sighed, "I feel like 27-year-old you is really charming."

Su Lichen was amused by his smitten look.

He kept brainwashing himself: Mo has amnesia now, they are lovers, it's okay to give him a kiss—it'll make him happy.

A happy patient helps with recovery. Hmm, he's not taking advantage of Mo.

Su Lichen leaned in and kissed him. "Take care of yourself at home. Don't open the door unless someone knocks."

"Mm, take care on the road."

Xu Moxing wheeled to the door to see him off. After closing it, he decided to secretly start training himself in wheelchair transfer skills.

He'd be in the wheelchair for at least two or three months—how could he keep paying for a caregiver? That cost a fortune!

Plus, the doctor told him to do rehab exercises. He can't put weight on his legs, but he also can't keep them completely still; he needs to exercise his muscles and joints, or it'll affect recovery.

Xu Moxing wheeled himself around. Actually, Su Lichen had already modified the house last night.

For instance, he'd installed a lower hook for the showerhead in the bathroom so Xu Moxing could reach it from the wheelchair.

Fortunately, the switch was low enough that Xu Moxing could reach it by raising his hand while sitting, so no further modification was needed—otherwise it would have been a hassle.

All the thresholds in the house had installed ramps so Xu Moxing could go anywhere.

Xu Moxing pulled out his phone, opened a short video app, and searched: "How to get in and out of bed alone in a wheelchair? How to go to the bathroom alone?"

After watching several tutorials and getting the idea, he started practicing.

It looked easy on video, but doing it himself was hard—he almost fell.

Xu Moxing decided to wait until the caregiver arrived before continuing to practice. If he fell now with no one in the room, it would be tough.

Once he calmed down, he thought of Su Lichen again.

Last night during their chat, Xu Moxing asked him when he'd go back to work.

"In a few days, after you've adjusted a bit more."

"No, just go. I'll be fine."

"I'm not in a rush."

"There's nothing to do, and staying home means getting my pay deducted. It's hard to earn money, go to work. I'll be okay by myself."

Xu Moxing hated to let the money go.

"Alright, fine, you're the boss. I'll go to work tomorrow then."

Since Xu Moxing had said so, Su Lichen didn't insist. After all, he had taken such a long leave just to take care of Xu Moxing.

"Can I ask what your job is?"

"Something in the auto business."

Both of Su Lichen's parents were in high-tech fields, and they believed this industry had sustainable prospects. Plus, they had some connections of their own, so Su Lichen pursued the same path.

For now, Su Lichen was striking out on his own, without yet relying on his family's network.

"Sounds impressive. If performance is good, you must earn a lot, right? You're amazing! What about me? Should I go into finance?"

Recalling his own major, Xu Moxing asked.

"Mm... auditing, with frequent business trips. But you didn't really enjoy that kind of life."

Xu Moxing nodded. "No wonder I lost so much weight. Quitting was definitely the right move!"

Su Lichen gave Xu Moxing a complicated look.

Xu Moxing was now quite good at letting things go, but after starting work, he had become increasingly less so.

Sunk costs shouldn't factor into big decisions—everyone knows that. But how many can truly practice it?

When giving advice to someone else, the words come out effortlessly, rational, clear, and without effort.

But when you're in the situation yourself, the time, money, and emotions invested, the reluctance, the attachment, and the wishful thinking about the future form a huge net that tightly wraps around you.

If you don't keep at it, who knows if things will turn around?

Real silver linings exist, but more often than not, it's—

Hills and streams repeat, and I fear there's no way out—no way, no way, still no way.

The former is survivor bias; the latter is the silent majority.

Everyone is ordinary, each with their own limitations, trapped in their own mental cage.

Xu Moxing had been exactly like that back then: wanting to give up but unwilling, hesitating, and drained by internal conflict.