Chapter 57 – 56: Falling Ill
“Oh my God, this… isn’t this Xiao Han?” Old Liu was startled. He hastened to shout, “Help, help, save a life, save a life!!”
Late at night, outside was a piercing cold wind, and snow flying all around. Many people were warming themselves by the fire at ho or hiding under the blankets watching TV.
Old Liu’s voice was drowned out by the whirling snow. He never expected such a thing to happen. It practically broke him. He scrambled to his feet, not bothering to grab a flashlight, and quickly ran towards the Xiao family’s front door.
Bang bang bang!
Old Liu knocked on the door vigorously, yelling, “Xiao i, sothing terrible has happened, your son has fainted. Open the door, quick.”
Creak…
The door opened instantly, and Mother Xiao hurriedly asked, “What’s going on? What happened to Xiao Han?”
“He… he’s passed out, you need to co see!” Old Liu led Mother Xiao quickly over.
Xiao Han lay on the icy cent ground, already covered in snowflakes. After kneeling for hours, he couldn’t hold on any longer. His body heavily fell, and soon he was blanketed by the swirling snow.
“Xiao Han, Xiao Han!” Mother Xiao was startled, and she imdiately panicked. She hurriedly helped Xiao Han up, then said excitedly, “Co on, wake up, wake up.”
“Let’s get him back inside to warm up,” Old Liu said urgently. “He’s nearly frozen solid.”
Mother Xiao quickly picked up Xiao Han, who was six feet tall and over a hundred and fifty pounds. Mother Xiao, frail and barely ninety pounds herself, had to lift soone heavier than herself. Clearly a daunting task but, Mother Xiao struggled to pick up Xiao Han and quickly moved into the house.
The room was warm. Mother Xiao placed Xiao Han on the bed and covered him with a comforter.
“What should I do?” Mother Xiao was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan.
Getting angry was one thing, but Xiao Han was her only son, her only hope.
“Ah, it’s all your fault,” Old Liu was anxious too. “Why did you have to get into a fight with him? He’s just a kid, bound to make mistakes. Now look, he’s almost frozen.”
Mother Xiao quickly brought hot water and wiped Xiao Han’s hands and feet with a hot towel, trying to warm him.
But Xiao Han did not show the slightest response. If not for a faint breath from his nostrils, one might have thought he was dead.
“It’s no good; I have to take him to the hospital!” Mother Xiao was frantic. If anything happened to Xiao Han, she’d have nothing to look forward to. Xiao Han was her hope, her only son. If her son died, she wouldn’t be able to go on.
“How are you going to get to the hospital in the middle of the night?” Old Liu said quickly.
“Find a way, find a way!” Mother Xiao was very anxious inside, but she knew that panicking was useless. She had to find a way. For so many years, she had been through storms alone. They never defeated her before, and at this mont, she couldn’t fall. If she fell, what would happen to her son?
“What about, I go call a car?” Old Liu said in haste.
“No, Uncle Liu, it’s hard to get a cab now. I’ll carry him out,” Mother Xiao said urgently.
In Fuxing Community, this place was a ghost town for taxis; even if you went out to call one, they’d likely not be willing to co. Besides, how long would that take? Therefore, Mother Xiao decided to carry Xiao Han on her own and if she saw a taxi on the way, she’d quickly hail it.
“Fine, fine, I’ll go with you, it’s good to have soone along,” Old Liu nodded quickly.
Afterward, Mother Xiao, with great effort, hoisted Xiao Han up while Old Liu wrapped a coat around Xiao Han. Mother Xiao moved out quickly.
No sooner had she stepped outside than a bone-chilling gust of wind hit. Mother Xiao knew she was facing a formidable challenge, a tough battle. So, she swiftly walked out and quickly left ho.
Outside, the piercing wind howled, and snow whirled around. Xiao Han’s body weighed heavily on her slender back.
Old Liu was beside her, holding the light, with the torch shining outwards.
Mother Xiao moved quickly, her pace fast. Old Liu shook off the snow and led the way. The streetlights in Fuxing Community were old and many were broken, making the road very dark. Without a light, it could be dangerous. Many things were out of repair and the road was pitted with holes – one misstep could lead to a fall.
Carrying Xiao Han, Mother Xiao still moved at a brisk pace. Panting, she may seem a weak woman usually, but at this ti, an endless potential burst forth from her frail body.
Old Liu was walking warmly now, he said quickly, “Xiao i, should we rest a bit?”
“No,” Mother Xiao shook her head. “We need to get to the hospital quickly. I feel Xiao Han’s body is very hot. He must have a fever. We need to hurry to the hospital.”
Carrying Xiao Han, mother and son were connected at heart. She could feel the changes in Xiao Han’s body, the scorching heat, a real piercing pain. It was as if needles were pricking her own heart. At this mont, Mother Xiao indeed had so regrets. She regretted the way she had treated her son; after all, he was her own flesh and blood. How could she have been so harsh?
Thinking about it now brought her to tears.
Old Liu quickened his pace; he needed to shine the flashlight on the path ahead.
Mother Xiao moved quickly, and within five minutes they had left Fuxing Community, swiftly heading outwards. It took great effort to reach the main road, but there were few cars on the road and hardly any taxis.
“izi, there are no cars here,” Old Liu squinted his eyes against the wind and snow.
“Walk, just keep walking!” Mother Xiao was exasperated. Hesitating at the edge of the road, she continued to stride quickly forward, bent over.
In the midst of the snowstorm, Mother Xiao carried Xiao Han all the way toward the nearest hospital.
Over half an hour later, she finally saw the hospital’s sign. Although she was drenched in sweat and her strength was drained, she had no choice but to quicken her pace and move faster. After entering the hospital, Mother Xiao let out a thunderous roar, “Doctor, save my son!!!”
The entire hospital lobby was deserted. A few on-duty doctors were chatting in the duty room.
A roar startled them, and several heads peeked out.
“Whose turn is it to see the patient?” a female doctor asked curiously.
“Who knows?” another male doctor shrugged.
“It’s Old Hu’s turn!” the female doctor said hurriedly. “He seems to have gone for a ward round.”
“Then let’s wait for him,” the male doctor smiled, closed the duty room door, and continued chatting.
Thud…
At that mont, Mother Xiao’s vision went dark, and she collapsed heavily to the ground.
“Oh dear, izi, izi, what’s happened to you?” Old Liu was imdiately anxious.
“Doctor Liu, Doctor Liu,” the nurse hurriedly pushed open the duty room door and said, “It’s not good, the patient and her family mber have fainted. You guys hurry and take a look!”
“What’s all this noise?” the female doctor with wavy hair glanced at the nurse with irritation and said, “It’s not like anyone’s going to die, what’s the rush?”
“But…” the nurse bowed her head.
“Alright alright, go on now!” the female doctor glared at her and said, “Wait for Doctor Hu to co down to see the patient, or call him if you want.”
“Oh!” the nurse nodded.
There were only two nurses on duty at the nursing station. The other nurse stepped forward to rescue Mother Xiao, doing her best to administer first aid with her limited knowledge. Soon, Mother Xiao regained consciousness, her breath flitting, and said, “Doctor, save… save my son.”
After uttering those words, Mother Xiao fainted again.
Five minutes later, Doctor Hu ca downstairs unhurriedly. Only then did he begin to diagnose Xiao Han.
“This is bad, 40.5 degrees!” Doctor Hu suddenly froze.
“We must reduce the fever imdiately!” the nurse panicked upon hearing this.
“Let them go and register first,” Doctor Hu spoke. “Also, they need to make a deposit of three thousand yuan for hospitalization. This disease is tricky; prolonged freezing has destroyed the body’s immune tissues. If it had been any later, he would probably have been sent straight to the morgue.”
“Uncle, you’re a family mber, right?” the nurse asked.
“Yes, neighbor!” Old Liu hastily nodded.
“Go and register, then pay the money,” the nurse said urgently.
“Alright,” Old Liu nodded.
At the night shift paynt center, Old Liu shakily took out just over a thousand yuan hidden in his clothing. The billing doctor glanced at him and said, “Old man, you need to pay three thousand one hundred and five yuan.”
“I don’t have that much, I’ll pay tomorrow,” Old Liu quickly said.
“Uh…” the billing doctor paused for a mont and said, “That won’t work. You have to pay now, otherwise we can’t admit the patient.”
“Miss, it’s a matter of life and death!” Old Liu was distraught.
“What life and death?” the female billing doctor raised her eyebrows and said, “It’s just a persistent fever, no one’s dying. Hurry up and get the money, otherwise I can’t process this.”
“You!” Old Liu imdiately beca furious. “Call your leader here! I’ve never seen anyone handle things like you do!”
“Enough, don’t get stubborn with ,” the female billing doctor replied irritably, and then said, “People like you co in every day. I’ve dealt with many tougher than you. No use, money is what matters!”
Upon hearing this, Old Liu was even more enraged.
However, Old Liu had weathered many storms and knew that it was no use to keep arguing with such people. After all, Xiao Han was still waiting for life-saving help. With no other choice, Old Liu hurriedly made a call to the factory.
After the call, the people of Fuxing Community were all aware of the situation, and dozens of them donated money on the spot, raising over a thousand yuan. Auntie Zhang, the Residents’ Committee chairperson, braved the snowstorm and ca to the hospital in person with the donations. Only then was the money handed over.
“What happened?” Auntie Zhang asked hurriedly.
“Ah, it’s a long story…” Old Liu quickly recounted the events.
Upon hearing the story, Auntie Zhang sighed and said, “Xiao Han is such a good kid; he got second place in the city-wide exam this ti. Such an excellent achievent he has. I hope nothing happens to him, or how could izi ever go on living?”
[Wishing everyone a Happy New Year and family happiness. This is the first ti for the New Year asking for rewards.]
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