It was nearly ten o’clock by the time Gu Qingchi woke up the next morning. The curtains were drawn, but they didn’t block out much light. The room was brightly lit by the sun.
He slowly sat up. He could still feel some pain from the wound on his leg.
Gu Qingchi usually took his time making his way down the stairs, but, today, he took a rare trip on the elevator. Mrs. Gu saw him getting off the elevator and anxiously stood up to help him.
“Why did you walk down by yourself? Where’s the wheelchair from yesterday? You should use it.”
Gu Qingchi seemed to be in good shape today. He was in high spirits.
“I took the elevator, so it’s okay.”
Mr. Gu and Gu Xie hadn’t gone to work today, both of them sitting in the living room with their laptops in front of them. If there wasn’t anything majorly important at the company, most of their work could be done at home. Upon seeing Gu Qingchi, Mr. Gu got up and went to the kitchen to warm up breakfast for him.
Gu Xie paused for a moment and glanced at Gu Qingchi. Once he confirmed that there was nothing wrong, he got up and poured him a glass of milk before returning to his typing.
They all acted as if nothing had happened, as if the incident yesterday was just an ordinary injury. They took care of him, but they didn’t ask too many questions.
Upon finishing his meal, Gu Qingchi began to drink his milk in small sips. Mrs. Gu then spoke up, seemingly inadvertently.
“Good boy, have you taken your medicine today? Is your prescription still sertraline?”
Mrs. Gu gently petted the cat in her arms, not looking at Gu Qingchi. No matter how they tried to hide it from her, she was still going to notice the empty pill organizers that were cleared out every once in a while.
The room seemed to go quiet all of a sudden, and the atmosphere froze. This had always been a sensitive topic for the family. Gu Qingchi didn’t like to mention it, so they wouldn’t bring it up. They would simply count the pills in the pill organizer every now and then to check whether he had taken his pills and whether he had taken the right amount.
AD
If the numbers didn’t add up, they would be riddled with anxiety for quite a while.
Xie Luyu had emphasized several times to them that the medicine should not be stopped nor should it be taken indiscriminately back when they first reunited with Gu Qingchi. He said that they needed to keep an eye on him and make sure he took his medicine on time.
Xie Luyu was well-versed in this regard. He explained the reasons and gave many examples. In the beginning, Mr. Gu couldn’t even sleep at night due to nerves. Fortunately, Gu Qingchi had a habit of throwing out his pill boxes. Mr. Gu would count the pill boxes and infer the number of pills he’d taken. It was only then that he was able to relax.
“You can’t stop taking your medicine. You have to get it refilled right away.”
Gu Qingchi stood up, raring to go.
“We should go now.”
Gu Qingchi’s doctor had emphasized many times to him that he shouldn’t stop taking his medicine. He didn’t like to take his medicine. He always felt out of sorts after taking his medicine. Sometimes, he’d feel like he was getting better and not take his medicine. Sometimes, he would forget.
He thought of it as whatever when it came to himself, but he found it to be a very serious matter when it came to Mrs. Gu.
It didn’t even matter that she wasn’t depressed.
Mrs. Gu froze for a moment. She shot Mr. Gu a look.
Mr. Gu covered for her.
“Have you forgotten? I picked up your medicine yesterday.”
Mrs. Gu proceeded to act as if she’d just remembered.
“Oh! I remember now. If you hadn’t told me, I would’ve forgotten about it.”
Mrs. Gu waited for Gu Qingchi to sit down. She then tried to bring the topic back on course.
“How’s my good boy been feeling lately? If you don’t feel good, why don’t we talk to the doctor and see if we can switch to a different prescription? Mood stabilizers might also be able to help. I used to take them.”
Gu Qingchi didn’t feel so repulsed by this topic after such an interruption.
“I feel alright. I think this prescription is okay. I don’t feel sleepy or uncomfortable after taking it. I’ve also got mood stabilizers already. I’m taking olanzapine.”
In all honesty, the medicine he was currently taking wasn’t great either, but, compared to other types of drugs, sertraline had relatively minor side effects for Gu Qingchi.
He’s tried other prescriptions, but they always made him feel dazed and muddleheaded. He’d often go through the entire day without any awareness of what was going on, so he asked the doctor to switch his prescription. In the end, they landed on sertraline. He didn’t struggle much with sertraline’s other side effects, but he did struggle with getting up in the morning. It would take him a very long time to wake up.
Mrs. Gu listened carefully and nodded. Mrs. Gu then spoke.
“Mom’s medicine is with Dad. How about you hand your medicine over to Dad too? Dad will remind us to take our medicine, and we can take our medicine together.”
Mrs. Gu had hardly concealed her motives at all, as if she were coaxing a child.
Gu Qingchi knew what Mrs. Gu was trying to do. It was nothing more than an attempt to keep an eye on him while he took his medicine.
He glanced at Mr. Gu and hesitantly nodded.
He’d put all his effort into crawling out of that place, and, now that someone was willing to give him a hand, he had no reason not to grab on tight.
He would take his medicine, even if it made him uncomfortable, even if it made him groggy all day long. He would live well, eat well, do whatever made him happy. He’d live well. He wouldn’t go to high places. He would try his best to ignore anything sharp.
If he took his medicine, he would be fine.
⁂
Mr. Gu dumped Mrs. Gu’s medicine. He replaced it with vitamins and calcium tablets.
Gu Qingchi’s medicine was then cut into pieces. Mr. Gu put them back into the box, one by one, counting the pills as he went.
“He’s got enough medicine for another half a month.”
Mr. Gu spoke to Mrs. Gu, who was sitting on the edge of the bed.
“We should make some congee every night from now on since this medicine isn’t good for the stomach.”
Mrs. Gu hummed in response.
“I’ll keep an eye on him when he takes his medicine. I’ll watch him take his medicine every day.”
It wasn’t long before Mrs. Gu spoke up again.
“Say, do you think he did that because he forgot to take his medicine?”
Mr. Gu turned to look at Mrs. Gu.
The two of them looked at each other. They both knew exactly what she was referring to.
Mr. Gu carefully put the medicine back in his desk drawer.
“He won’t be forgetting again.”
Translator’s Note:
Many of the commenters under this chapter were talking about their own medications and their side effects. Lots of them mentioned their medication causing them to feel really sleepy or gain weight. It was interesting to read some first hand accounts.
On another note, there have been many comments on this novel relating to Gu Qingchi, both on JJWXC and here on CG. So many people related to his difficulties and shared their own experiences with depression and I just want you to know that things can get better. Gu Qingchi’s been doing better and better, and we can too! I’m rooting for you always.
It was nearly ten o’clock by the time Gu Qingchi woke up the next morning. The curtains were drawn, but they didn’t block out much light. The room was brightly lit by the sun.
He slowly sat up. He could still feel some pain from the wound on his leg.
Gu Qingchi usually took his time making his way down the stairs, but, today, he took a rare trip on the elevator. Mrs. Gu saw him getting off the elevator and anxiously stood up to help him.
“Why did you walk down by yourself? Where’s the wheelchair from yesterday? You should use it.”
Gu Qingchi seemed to be in good shape today. He was in high spirits.
“I took the elevator, so it’s okay.”
Mr. Gu and Gu Xie hadn’t gone to work today, both of them sitting in the living room with their laptops in front of them. If there wasn’t anything majorly important at the company, most of their work could be done at home. Upon seeing Gu Qingchi, Mr. Gu got up and went to the kitchen to warm up breakfast for him.
Gu Xie paused for a moment and glanced at Gu Qingchi. Once he confirmed that there was nothing wrong, he got up and poured him a glass of milk before returning to his typing.
They all acted as if nothing had happened, as if the incident yesterday was just an ordinary injury. They took care of him, but they didn’t ask too many questions.
Upon finishing his meal, Gu Qingchi began to drink his milk in small sips. Mrs. Gu then spoke up, seemingly inadvertently.
“Good boy, have you taken your medicine today? Is your prescription still sertraline?”
Mrs. Gu gently petted the cat in her arms, not looking at Gu Qingchi. No matter how they tried to hide it from her, she was still going to notice the empty pill organizers that were cleared out every once in a while.
The room seemed to go quiet all of a sudden, and the atmosphere froze. This had always been a sensitive topic for the family. Gu Qingchi didn’t like to mention it, so they wouldn’t bring it up. They would simply count the pills in the pill organizer every now and then to check whether he had taken his pills and whether he had taken the right amount.
AD
If the numbers didn’t add up, they would be riddled with anxiety for quite a while.
Xie Luyu had emphasized several times to them that the medicine should not be stopped nor should it be taken indiscriminately back when they first reunited with Gu Qingchi. He said that they needed to keep an eye on him and make sure he took his medicine on time.
Xie Luyu was well-versed in this regard. He explained the reasons and gave many examples. In the beginning, Mr. Gu couldn’t even sleep at night due to nerves. Fortunately, Gu Qingchi had a habit of throwing out his pill boxes. Mr. Gu would count the pill boxes and infer the number of pills he’d taken. It was only then that he was able to relax.
“You can’t stop taking your medicine. You have to get it refilled right away.”
Gu Qingchi stood up, raring to go.
“We should go now.”
Gu Qingchi’s doctor had emphasized many times to him that he shouldn’t stop taking his medicine. He didn’t like to take his medicine. He always felt out of sorts after taking his medicine. Sometimes, he’d feel like he was getting better and not take his medicine. Sometimes, he would forget.
He thought of it as whatever when it came to himself, but he found it to be a very serious matter when it came to Mrs. Gu.
It didn’t even matter that she wasn’t depressed.
Mrs. Gu froze for a moment. She shot Mr. Gu a look.
Mr. Gu covered for her.
“Have you forgotten? I picked up your medicine yesterday.”
Mrs. Gu proceeded to act as if she’d just remembered.
“Oh! I remember now. If you hadn’t told me, I would’ve forgotten about it.”
Mrs. Gu waited for Gu Qingchi to sit down. She then tried to bring the topic back on course.
“How’s my good boy been feeling lately? If you don’t feel good, why don’t we talk to the doctor and see if we can switch to a different prescription? Mood stabilizers might also be able to help. I used to take them.”
Gu Qingchi didn’t feel so repulsed by this topic after such an interruption.
“I feel alright. I think this prescription is okay. I don’t feel sleepy or uncomfortable after taking it. I’ve also got mood stabilizers already. I’m taking olanzapine.”
In all honesty, the medicine he was currently taking wasn’t great either, but, compared to other types of drugs, sertraline had relatively minor side effects for Gu Qingchi.
He’s tried other prescriptions, but they always made him feel dazed and muddleheaded. He’d often go through the entire day without any awareness of what was going on, so he asked the doctor to switch his prescription. In the end, they landed on sertraline. He didn’t struggle much with sertraline’s other side effects, but he did struggle with getting up in the morning. It would take him a very long time to wake up.
Mrs. Gu listened carefully and nodded. Mrs. Gu then spoke.
“Mom’s medicine is with Dad. How about you hand your medicine over to Dad too? Dad will remind us to take our medicine, and we can take our medicine together.”
Mrs. Gu had hardly concealed her motives at all, as if she were coaxing a child.
Gu Qingchi knew what Mrs. Gu was trying to do. It was nothing more than an attempt to keep an eye on him while he took his medicine.
He glanced at Mr. Gu and hesitantly nodded.
He’d put all his effort into crawling out of that place, and, now that someone was willing to give him a hand, he had no reason not to grab on tight.
He would take his medicine, even if it made him uncomfortable, even if it made him groggy all day long. He would live well, eat well, do whatever made him happy. He’d live well. He wouldn’t go to high places. He would try his best to ignore anything sharp.
If he took his medicine, he would be fine.
⁂
Mr. Gu dumped Mrs. Gu’s medicine. He replaced it with vitamins and calcium tablets.
Gu Qingchi’s medicine was then cut into pieces. Mr. Gu put them back into the box, one by one, counting the pills as he went.
“He’s got enough medicine for another half a month.”
Mr. Gu spoke to Mrs. Gu, who was sitting on the edge of the bed.
“We should make some congee every night from now on since this medicine isn’t good for the stomach.”
Mrs. Gu hummed in response.
“I’ll keep an eye on him when he takes his medicine. I’ll watch him take his medicine every day.”
It wasn’t long before Mrs. Gu spoke up again.
“Say, do you think he did that because he forgot to take his medicine?”
Mr. Gu turned to look at Mrs. Gu.
The two of them looked at each other. They both knew exactly what she was referring to.
Mr. Gu carefully put the medicine back in his desk drawer.
“He won’t be forgetting again.”
Translator’s Note:
Many of the commenters under this chapter were talking about their own medications and their side effects. Lots of them mentioned their medication causing them to feel really sleepy or gain weight. It was interesting to read some first hand accounts.
On another note, there have been many comments on this novel relating to Gu Qingchi, both on JJWXC and here on CG. So many people related to his difficulties and shared their own experiences with depression and I just want you to know that things can get better. Gu Qingchi’s been doing better and better, and we can too! I’m rooting for you always.
