The Third Psychiatric Rehabilitation Center was built twenty-three years ago and was one of the earliest private psychiatric treatment facilities in Jiujiang.
The name alone made it clear that this was not a proper psychiatric hospital — it was merely a rehabilitation and convalescence center.
The center had three ward buildings. The first ward charged considerably less than a regular hospital, though the living conditions were abysmal. The second ward cost about a fifth more than a standard hospital, with dedicated caregivers and on-call doctors. The third ward served only a select few patients, with fees several times that of an ordinary ward.
From the notes left behind by the director, it was clear that the center had been a completely different place when it first opened. Back then, the third ward had not been a sealed-off restricted zone — it had been the most expensive and best-appointed area in the entire facility.
It operated this way for roughly three months before the center received a special patient.
The director had recorded the scene in meticulous detail. In his mind, that day should have been the turning point.
A car bearing out-of-province plates pulled into the hospital grounds. Two men dragged a finely featured, naturally beautiful pregnant woman from the back seat.
The director received them personally. After questioning, he learned that the woman suffered from a severe mental illness.
Citing concerns for the safety of the pregnant woman, the director refused the admission.
The man was unfazed. He produced a sum equivalent to ten times the cost of the most expensive ward and told the director he would prepay six months' fees in full.
Looking at the cash on the desk, the director and several doctors were tempted. After the center opened, the ordinary wards had been packed to capacity, while most of the rooms in the third ward sat empty. After all, most patients who could afford it still chose to receive treatment at proper hospitals.
At the urging of his doctors, the director processed the pregnant woman's admission and placed her in Room Three of the third ward.
Once the woman was settled, the man left his phone number with the staff, claiming to be her husband. However, when the director asked to see their marriage certificate, the man could not produce it.
Money had changed hands, and the matter was settled. Even if the director had wanted to reverse his decision, it was too late. All he could do was take good care of the woman.
After examination, the doctors confirmed that the pregnant woman did indeed suffer from a mental illness — a textbook case of bipolar disorder. She never communicated with anyone. Sometimes she would cry alone; other times she would fly into violent rages, smashing everything in sight, even hurting herself.
To protect her, the staff wrapped all the furniture in Room Three with thick cotton padding.
The woman's condition was highly unstable. Because she was pregnant, most medications could not be used. The doctors could only take turns providing psychological counseling.
Three months passed like this. As her due date approached, the director brought in several nurses to watch over the ward around the clock.
Whether it was the imminent birth awakening the madwoman's maternal instinct, or the doctors' treatments finally taking effect, the pregnant woman stopped her episodes. For the most part, she no longer allowed anyone near her — she would simply sit on the low hospital bed, rubbing her belly, talking to herself.
Four months later, the baby was born, and the woman's condition improved markedly.
The director and the center's doctors all breathed a sigh of relief. That very day they called the woman's husband, but after several attempts, no one answered.
A sense of unease settled over them. They made a point of verifying the man's identification documents, only to discover that every single one was forged.
After deliberating, the director and the doctors decided that once the prepaid funds ran out and the man still hadn't shown up, they would contact the police. Considering the woman's condition, they chose not to tell her.
The pregnant woman remained unaware of the news. After her child was born, it seemed as though she had found hope for life once more. She began actively cooperating with her treatment and would occasionally ask about her husband's whereabouts. She believed that once she recovered, he would come to take her home.
But she waited a full six months. The prepaid hospital fees were entirely exhausted, and the man had vanished without a trace, never to appear again.
Dissenting voices gradually arose within the hospital. Some of the doctors and nurses suggested sending the woman away — caring for both a mother and a child was exhausting and thankless work.