Li He asked, "Is anyone in his family sick?"
The old lady replied, "Probably his wife. I think it's something wrong with her lungs. Outsiders don't know the specifics. There hasn't been anyone at home for seven or eight days. Are you his relative?"
"I'm his relative. Auntie, do you know which hospital it is?" Li He still had to go take a look since he was already here.
The old lady pointed, "I think it's the Second Hospital. Go take a look. Turn left two streets after you leave."
"Thank you," Li He said as he brought the boy downstairs.
He didn't drive and decided to stop here. It would be best to walk and warm his body. The Second Hospital wasn't far from here. It was the hospital where he sent Li Aijun last time.
When he reached the entrance of the hospital, he thought that he couldn't go empty-handed, so he bought two bags of oatmeal and two catties of oranges. The oranges were dry and shriveled.
It was nearing the end of the year, and there were many people in the hospital. People walked around, and the snowflakes brought in by their feet formed puddles on the ground.
Since he knew it was a lung disease, he went straight to the inpatient department and followed the sign to the respiratory department.
The entire third floor was a long corridor with wards on both sides. Li He grabbed a few nurses and asked, "Do you know where Xiang's family is?"
They all shook their heads.
The boy said, "I'll look for him."
He stretched his head and looked around the wards. After a while, he said excitedly, "Master, you're here."
A middle-aged man wearing a black coat and black-rimmed glasses came out of the ward. He looked tired and haggard. He asked the boy in surprise, "Why are you here?"
The boy pointed at Li He, "I came with the boss."
Li He stretched out his hand, "Hello, Comrade Xiang. I'm Li He."
He shook Xiang's hand, and it felt cold. There wasn't a trace of warmth.
"Oh, hello, Comrade Li He. So the printing factory is yours."
Li He said, "I'm sorry. You've been helping me all this time, and I haven't even shown my face. I'm sorry."
"You're welcome. It's a bit messy here. Let's sit on the chairs in the corridor."
Li He replied, "No need. We're here to see sister-in-law. I heard that she's sick."
"This …" Direction was very troubled. "She has pneumonia."
Li He smiled. "You can't just kick me out like this, right?"
Bacterial pneumonia was the most common form of adult pneumonia, but it was not an infectious disease and would not cause infection, so he did not take it seriously. However, it was hard to say for children with low immunity. Even if it was an adult cold, children had to stay away from it.
"Then, please come in." Li He was invited to go in.
There were six beds in the ward, and all of them were occupied. Next to them were family members.
Xiang's wife was on a bed inside. She was afraid that people would hate her because of her lung disease, so there was a white curtain in the middle as a partition.
The woman's face was withered and yellow, but her facial features were delicate. When she saw that Li He had brought a gift, she forced a smile and said, "Since you're friends with Old Fang, there's no need to be so polite."
She was a little grateful, but her relatives and friends rarely came because of her illness. Even if they came, they would stand far away, afraid that they would be infected immediately. How could they be like Li He, who was standing at the head of the bed and talking freely?
Li He saw that her breathing was very strong, so he thought that it was not a big deal. "Did the doctor say when you'll be discharged?"
Xiang Shaolong tugged at his wife's pillow and said, "Soon."
However, the woman said, "How is it soon? I've been staying here for half a month, and there's still no definite news."
Li He said, "It's fine. It's not a big illness. I'll definitely recover."
After chatting for a while, the woman said, "If there's anything, you guys can go out and talk. I'll lie down for a while."
She had good eyesight, and she knew that he might not have come just to see her.
Xiang covered her with the blanket again. Just as he brought Li He out of the ward, a nurse called out to him.
"The patient's family, it's time to pay the bill."
Xiang's expression turned awkward, and he said in a low voice, "I know, I know."
The few of them smoked in the leeward of the corridor downstairs. Li He said, "It seems like you're under a lot of pressure. If there's anything you need help with, just let me know."
Xiang sighed and said, "No, no, thank you. It's pretty good. It's just that I can't help your factory anymore. I really can't leave this place, and I've even sent the child to my sister's place to help take care of him. "
Li He asked, "Sister-in-law, don't you have a job?"
"Yes, but I haven't been going since I got sick."
"Isn't there a bill? Why are they urging you to pay? " Li He couldn't help but ask. Usually, when someone with a job got sick, all they had to do was go to the unit and take a three-page bill or a cheque and press it on the hospital. All the hospital fees and medical expenses would be exempted from the unit's bill. They didn't have to pay for it, and if they didn't have a job, the unit would cover half of the medical expenses. Those who had to pay the hospital fees were usually from other places to see a doctor.
Therefore, some people were lazy and didn't want to work, so they found an excuse to get sick. They couldn't find the cause of a headache or fever, so they went to the hospital to rest.
However, it also depended on the economic situation of the unit. It was normal for the unit to be so poor that it couldn't be reported for a few years. Furthermore, the hospital could only treat minor illnesses, and most of them were at the same level as the current community hospitals.
"Antibiotics are a must," Xiang said helplessly.
Li He asked, "How much does it cost?"
He also understood that antibiotics were a type of medicine that required a certain amount of them. They were considered scarce, and even if they were reimbursed, doctors would always use cheaper drugs. If they wanted to use good drugs, they would have to have connections or money.
Xiang shook his head and said, "Why am I telling you all this? Think of a way, you'll be able to get through it."
The kid suddenly said, "I've also saved some money here. I'll give it to you for emergencies."
Xiang rubbed his head in amusement, "You only have a few big bucks, keep it for yourself."
He was also touched.
Li He said, "Master Fang, can I discuss something with you?"
Xiang said, "Go ahead."
"Here's what I think. Right now, sister-in-law is sick, and you're delaying your work. You're not well-off, but the more you're not well-off, the more you'll delay sister-in-law's treatment, right? I still want to ask you to return to the printing factory and be the director of the printing factory. I'll give you 500 yuan a month. I can pay you half a year's salary in advance. "Li He didn't think that this was taking advantage of others. If he directly borrowed money, it would be a little pitiful. The relationship between the two of them wasn't to this extent. After all, this was the first time they had met.
"I appreciate your good intentions, but it's just a little difficult right now." Xiang thought about it and still couldn't let go of his iron rice bowl. How could the research unit have a hundred and sixty-seven yuan a month? He could borrow some from his relatives and friends now and slowly pay it back in the future. It wasn't a wise move to throw away his rice bowl just because of the 500 yuan in front of him.
Li He smiled and said, "Master Fang, you've misunderstood. I don't mean for you to resign. I want you to be seconded from your unit. As long as you agree, I'll handle all the procedures."
"You're a private unit, right? This secondment won't be easy." Hearing about the secondment, it would be a lie to say that Xiang wasn't tempted.
Li He smiled and said, "To tell you the truth, I still have a furniture factory under my name. This is a collective enterprise, so it won't be a problem."
He was also worried right now. The furniture factory, shoe factory, tape factory, electrical store, clothing store, property, and restaurant in his hands couldn't be effectively integrated because he couldn't even register a company. He wasn't very willing to integrate it under the name of Hong Kong's Grand Corporation.
"You trust me so much, what if I lose money?"
Li He asked, "Can you believe that I'll lose money?"
"Alright, I'll do it." Xiang Xiang laughed after saying that. He also knew that it was impossible for him to lose money. Many units had to rely on their connections to look for a state-owned printing factory. As soon as the factory started operating, there would be a long line of people looking for him to contact for business.
Li He took out 1,000 yuan from his pocket and handed it to Xiang Xiang. He said, "Take this first. I'll get the kid to send the rest to you in the afternoon. Also, I suggest that you find a caregiver for Sister-in-law. A caregiver is more attentive than you, so you can free up some time, right? "
"That's not the rule." Xiang Xiang hurriedly pushed him away.
Li He said, "The earlier you take the medicine, the earlier Sister-in-law will recover. Alright, that's it. I'll give you the money first. Even if you're tied up, you won't be able to run away."
Li He was quite satisfied with Xiang Xiang's character, but he was a little too picky like an intellectual.
"Alright, thank you. Go and settle the procedures. I won't go back on my word." Fang Yan thought of her wife's condition and eventually accepted it.
"Alright, go up then. Sister-in-law will be anxious if she doesn't see you." Li He pushed Xiang Xiang upstairs.
Then, he lit up another cigarette at the bottom of the stairs.
"Comrade, smoking is prohibited in the hospital."
Li He was busy lighting the cigarette, and the soft voice sounded very familiar.
He looked up and saw a nurse looking at him with a stern expression.
He looked at the nurse, who had a round face and thin arched brows, and finally remembered.
The last time he sent Li Aijun to the hospital, he had been scolded by this nurse for smoking in the corridor.
After not seeing her for a few years, this nurse had become rounder. Her belly was bulging, and she no longer looked as light and bony as before.
Li He really wanted to ask, "How did you grow like that?"
"Time is a butcher's knife." Li He couldn't help but sigh after flattening a mountain peak, wilting cucumbers, and crippling chrysanthemums. He left with the kid with the cigarette in his mouth.
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