Chapter 28: Military Hospital
Yesterday
When they reached the riverbank, Grandpa's second son, Ye Zhibo, had already brought the boat over.
There were quite a few small boats like this in Nanzhu Village, enough to seat five or six people without any problem.
Su He carried Su Zhaohua onto the boat, and Ye Chuanxiu followed them.
Xiao Nanhua, holding a piece of milk candy, trailed along behind them.
Third Sister, Su Rui, was already on the boat, and the eldest and second sisters also came aboard.
Ye Zhibo asked, "Are you heading to the city?"
Su He nodded, "I'm afraid the town's hospital won't be enough."
Ye Zhibo nodded and was silent for a moment before asking, "But once you get to the other side, how will you go to the city? Will you carry him all the way?"
Su He shook his head, "I've arranged for Heixing to pull the cart over. We'll ride the cart after crossing the river."
There was no other choice; the village had no vehicles, not even a tractor.
In those days, it was rare to see tractors even in Zhangshu Town; mostly, they were owned by state units.
Private ownership was unheard of.
Ye Zhibo quickly ferried them across the river. To their surprise, they saw Heixing dragging the cart and swimming over as well, even faster than the boat.
The cart, tangled with some water plants, did indeed make it across and onto the shore.
Ye Zhibo praised, "You're the only one in our village who can train a buffalo like this, He Yazi!"
Su He nodded without saying much. It must have been his good karma he had accumulated that he had someone like Heizi and Heixing.
Ye Chuanxiu wiped the cart dry, and Su He had the eldest and second sisters spread out the quilts and placed Su Zhaohua on them.
Su He said, "I didn't lock my house. Uncle Zhibo, could you close the door for me and let my grandparents know we're going to the city?"
Ye Zhibo agreed, and Su He led Heixing forward.
The cart wasn't very big, and with Father Su Zhaohua lying on it, there wasn't much room left.
Su He let Ye Chuanxiu get on the cart to look after Su Zhaohua.
He then had Xiao Nanhua sit on Heixing's back. When they left, he had taken a straw hat, which he now placed on Xiao Nanhua to prevent heatstroke.
Although it was already past five o'clock, the sky was still bright.
The sun, though less intense than at noon, was still quite strong.
Ye Chuanxiu also wore a straw hat, but the three sisters had forgotten theirs.
Su He gave his own hat to Ye Chuanxiu to shade Su Zhaohua.
He was already ill and couldn't afford to loose water.
Su Zhaohua was so feverish that he couldn't even speak.
Su He walked alongside Heixing and told his three sisters, "Take turns resting on the cart. Heixing is only a year old and can't bear too much weight if we want to keep a good pace. This journey is long."
The three sisters understood and didn't argue.
The eldest sister let the second sister go first, and the third sister, Su Rui, didn't say anything.
Su Rong sat for a while, then got down voluntarily to let the third sister, Su Rui, sit for a bit.
Then it was the eldest sister, Su Mei's, turn.
Su Mei looked at Su He, who was sweating profusely, and said with concern, "Why don't I take over for a while? It's just one road, I won't get lost. You've been walking all day, from home to the city and back again. You've been at it for so long. Why don't you come up and rest?"
As she spoke, Su Mei was about to get down to let Su He sit.
At this moment, Su Rong remembered that this was the third time her brother had taken this road today! She had been reassured by Su He's calm demeanor earlier, but now she realized that he must be exhausted. Despite their age, it gave her a sense of security. Such a brother was truly the pillar of their family!
Su He quickly declined, "No need. I'm not tired at all. Besides, you can't handle Heixing. If the cart wobbles, Dad will feel uncomfortable! And Dad will definitely need to stay in the hospital, so you all need to rest well. Tonight, you might have to take care of him!"
Hearing this, Su Mei didn't say anything anymore. The three of them took turns resting on the cart, knowing they might need to take care of Su Zhaohua that night.
As for Su He, he remained silent, but his three sisters probably guessed that as the family's son, Su He would have to go out and find a way to raise money. They had no idea how much the hospital stay would cost, but it was clear that the family's current funds wouldn't be enough.
Halfway through their journey, Chief He's jeep caught up with them and stopped in front.
Chief He got out and asked in surprise, "What's going on?"
Su He explained, "My dad is a forest ranger. He got cut by metal at the forestry station and now it's infected. I need to get him to the hospital immediately!"
Chief He understood the situation and quickly said, "Alright, carry your dad onto my jeep. I'll take you to the hospital!"
This was no time for formalities. Su He had helped Chief He before, so it was only fair for him to return the favor.
Su He nodded, "Alright!"
He carried Su Zhaohua onto his back and called Ye Chuanxiu to get in the jeep. There wasn't room for anyone else.
Su He told Ye Chuanxiu to bring Xiao Nanhua along and then said to Su Mei, "We'll go ahead to the city hospital, probably the People's Hospital. You follow with the buffalo cart."
At this point, there was no time to dawdle. After a quick word, Su He prepared to leave for the city.
But Chief He said, "I'll take you to the military hospital. My wife just transferred there, and it will be more convenient. Come to the military hospital!"
Su He nodded. Going to the military hospital was the best option, given its superior medical facilities and environment. Most people couldn't get in without connections and had to go to the People's Hospital instead.
In the jeep, there wasn't much conversation. Chief He had a lot he wanted to discuss with this young man, but with his father seriously ill, it wasn't the right time.
Naturally, the jeep was much faster than the buffalo cart! Despite taking a detour, the jeep still caught up with them.
At the military hospital, Chief He contacted his wife and helped arrange the admission procedures. A department head came to examine Su Zhaohua personally. This was the advantage of having connections—ordinarily, minor injuries would be checked by junior doctors first, and only when necessary would senior doctors be called in. Junior doctors needed cases to build their skills, and not every doctor could become experienced right away. But with connections, senior doctors could be involved from the start.
Su He handled the paperwork, initially depositing 100 yuan, with another 200-plus yuan on hand for additional expenses. He was already thinking about how to raise more money.
In the consultation room, he saw the doctor's grave expression: "Let's clean the wound first. It wasn't properly cleaned before, and there's dirt inside."
This was the main cause of the infection, with the hot weather being another significant factor.
The doctor took out his tools and began to cut open the wound. Even in his unconscious state, Su Zhaohua winced in pain.
"Hold him down, don't let him move."
Chapter 28: Military Hospital
Yesterday
When they reached the riverbank, Grandpa's second son, Ye Zhibo, had already brought the boat over.
There were quite a few small boats like this in Nanzhu Village, enough to seat five or six people without any problem.
Su He carried Su Zhaohua onto the boat, and Ye Chuanxiu followed them.
Xiao Nanhua, holding a piece of milk candy, trailed along behind them.
Third Sister, Su Rui, was already on the boat, and the eldest and second sisters also came aboard.
Ye Zhibo asked, "Are you heading to the city?"
Su He nodded, "I'm afraid the town's hospital won't be enough."
Ye Zhibo nodded and was silent for a moment before asking, "But once you get to the other side, how will you go to the city? Will you carry him all the way?"
Su He shook his head, "I've arranged for Heixing to pull the cart over. We'll ride the cart after crossing the river."
There was no other choice; the village had no vehicles, not even a tractor.
In those days, it was rare to see tractors even in Zhangshu Town; mostly, they were owned by state units.
Private ownership was unheard of.
Ye Zhibo quickly ferried them across the river. To their surprise, they saw Heixing dragging the cart and swimming over as well, even faster than the boat.
The cart, tangled with some water plants, did indeed make it across and onto the shore.
Ye Zhibo praised, "You're the only one in our village who can train a buffalo like this, He Yazi!"
Su He nodded without saying much. It must have been his good karma he had accumulated that he had someone like Heizi and Heixing.
Ye Chuanxiu wiped the cart dry, and Su He had the eldest and second sisters spread out the quilts and placed Su Zhaohua on them.
Su He said, "I didn't lock my house. Uncle Zhibo, could you close the door for me and let my grandparents know we're going to the city?"
Ye Zhibo agreed, and Su He led Heixing forward.
The cart wasn't very big, and with Father Su Zhaohua lying on it, there wasn't much room left.
Su He let Ye Chuanxiu get on the cart to look after Su Zhaohua.
He then had Xiao Nanhua sit on Heixing's back. When they left, he had taken a straw hat, which he now placed on Xiao Nanhua to prevent heatstroke.
Although it was already past five o'clock, the sky was still bright.
The sun, though less intense than at noon, was still quite strong.
Ye Chuanxiu also wore a straw hat, but the three sisters had forgotten theirs.
Su He gave his own hat to Ye Chuanxiu to shade Su Zhaohua.
He was already ill and couldn't afford to loose water.
Su Zhaohua was so feverish that he couldn't even speak.
Su He walked alongside Heixing and told his three sisters, "Take turns resting on the cart. Heixing is only a year old and can't bear too much weight if we want to keep a good pace. This journey is long."
The three sisters understood and didn't argue.
The eldest sister let the second sister go first, and the third sister, Su Rui, didn't say anything.
Su Rong sat for a while, then got down voluntarily to let the third sister, Su Rui, sit for a bit.
Then it was the eldest sister, Su Mei's, turn.
Su Mei looked at Su He, who was sweating profusely, and said with concern, "Why don't I take over for a while? It's just one road, I won't get lost. You've been walking all day, from home to the city and back again. You've been at it for so long. Why don't you come up and rest?"
As she spoke, Su Mei was about to get down to let Su He sit.
At this moment, Su Rong remembered that this was the third time her brother had taken this road today! She had been reassured by Su He's calm demeanor earlier, but now she realized that he must be exhausted. Despite their age, it gave her a sense of security. Such a brother was truly the pillar of their family!
Su He quickly declined, "No need. I'm not tired at all. Besides, you can't handle Heixing. If the cart wobbles, Dad will feel uncomfortable! And Dad will definitely need to stay in the hospital, so you all need to rest well. Tonight, you might have to take care of him!"
Hearing this, Su Mei didn't say anything anymore. The three of them took turns resting on the cart, knowing they might need to take care of Su Zhaohua that night.
As for Su He, he remained silent, but his three sisters probably guessed that as the family's son, Su He would have to go out and find a way to raise money. They had no idea how much the hospital stay would cost, but it was clear that the family's current funds wouldn't be enough.
Halfway through their journey, Chief He's jeep caught up with them and stopped in front.
Chief He got out and asked in surprise, "What's going on?"
Su He explained, "My dad is a forest ranger. He got cut by metal at the forestry station and now it's infected. I need to get him to the hospital immediately!"
Chief He understood the situation and quickly said, "Alright, carry your dad onto my jeep. I'll take you to the hospital!"
This was no time for formalities. Su He had helped Chief He before, so it was only fair for him to return the favor.
Su He nodded, "Alright!"
He carried Su Zhaohua onto his back and called Ye Chuanxiu to get in the jeep. There wasn't room for anyone else.
Su He told Ye Chuanxiu to bring Xiao Nanhua along and then said to Su Mei, "We'll go ahead to the city hospital, probably the People's Hospital. You follow with the buffalo cart."
At this point, there was no time to dawdle. After a quick word, Su He prepared to leave for the city.
But Chief He said, "I'll take you to the military hospital. My wife just transferred there, and it will be more convenient. Come to the military hospital!"
Su He nodded. Going to the military hospital was the best option, given its superior medical facilities and environment. Most people couldn't get in without connections and had to go to the People's Hospital instead.
In the jeep, there wasn't much conversation. Chief He had a lot he wanted to discuss with this young man, but with his father seriously ill, it wasn't the right time.
Naturally, the jeep was much faster than the buffalo cart! Despite taking a detour, the jeep still caught up with them.
At the military hospital, Chief He contacted his wife and helped arrange the admission procedures. A department head came to examine Su Zhaohua personally. This was the advantage of having connections—ordinarily, minor injuries would be checked by junior doctors first, and only when necessary would senior doctors be called in. Junior doctors needed cases to build their skills, and not every doctor could become experienced right away. But with connections, senior doctors could be involved from the start.
Su He handled the paperwork, initially depositing 100 yuan, with another 200-plus yuan on hand for additional expenses. He was already thinking about how to raise more money.
In the consultation room, he saw the doctor's grave expression: "Let's clean the wound first. It wasn't properly cleaned before, and there's dirt inside."
This was the main cause of the infection, with the hot weather being another significant factor.
The doctor took out his tools and began to cut open the wound. Even in his unconscious state, Su Zhaohua winced in pain.
"Hold him down, don't let him move."
