Since it wasn't unexpected, Xu Xiaoya wasn't particularly sad.
The doctor came in for the routine checkup.
"Will there be another surgery?" Xu's mother asked.
The doctor hesitated for a moment. It wasn't customary to speak so plainly in front of a patient. But Xu Xiaoya said calmly, "You can say it here, it's okay."
The doctor glanced at the old man. He had his eyes closed and appeared to be asleep. The doctor then lowered his voice and said, "Theoretically, there could be one last major surgery. However, the chances of success are less than twenty percent, and the cost exceeds one hundred thousand. Typically, we do not recommend it."
Xu Xiaoya asked, "Have there been successful cases in the past?"
