Chapter 121
Yan Lei’s Father and Yan Zhu now dared not make a sound.
They had expected that seeking medical treatment at a large hospital would be difficult and that they would be looked down upon as country folk in the provincial capital.
But the fact that the president of a large hospital in the provincial capital came to pick them up personally was completely beyond their comprehension.
What was it the branch secretary said before they came? He said the president of a provincial hospital held a higher rank than the secretary of the County Party Committee.
The president of the provincial hospital shook Yan Lei’s Fathers hand, being incredibly cordial: “Old comrade, rest assured, we will have the best specialists perform your surgery. Old comrade, how old are you this year?”
Upon asking, it turned out Yan Lei’s Father was two years younger than the president.
“Ah, haha, haha.” The president could only force a laugh. “You peasant brothers have worked hard. The nation’s food security relies on all of you.”
Yan Lei’s Father and Yan Zhu didn’t understand what he was saying, but they just followed along anyway.
They were assigned a single-patient room, with an extra bed for a companion. They would do various check-ups today, and the surgery was scheduled for tomorrow.
The president personally gave instructions on various matters.
After explaining that he could not eat or drink before the surgery, Qiao Wei added: “Not being able to eat or drink means you cannot consume anything at all. It doesn’t mean that if you can’t eat rice, you can eat pancakes, or if you can’t drink water, you can drink porridge. Not being able to eat or drink means nothing can enter your mouth, and there should be nothing in your stomach. Because if there is something in your stomach, it might reflux into your esophagus and trachea. That is what we call choking. If you choke while you are conscious, you can pound your chest and gag to get it out, and you will survive. But when you are under anesthesia, you are like a drunk person; if it refluxes into your esophagus and trachea, you will die on the operating table.”
With her explanation, Yan Lei’s Father and Yan Zhu suddenly realized: “That person, Director Li’s nephew, that year he was drinking and vomiting while lying down, and he choked himself to death!”
“Correct, that is exactly what I mean. So you cannot eat or drink anything.” Qiao Wei said, feeling relieved.
Yan Lei’s Father and Yan Zhu both nodded: “don’t worry.”
President Zhang finally showed a bit of genuine appreciation: “Comrade Qiao, this supplementary explanation is very apt.”
Qiao Wei said: “I also hope the hospital staff can consider the patients and their families level of understanding regarding this matter. What needs to be explained should be explained clearly. Otherwise, you might think the patient understands, but in reality, everyone is talking at cross-purposes.”
The president was genuinely curious: “Comrade Qiao, what is your relationship to the patient…?”
“This is my father-in-law.” Qiao Wei said.
The president suddenly understood. He had thought as much; this Comrade Qiao and this family didn’t seem to fit together at all. So that was the relationship.
He said: “Comrade Qiao’s spouse must be a very outstanding comrade.”
“He has been to the battlefield.” Qiao Wei said. “He is a regimental-level officer.”
The president nodded: “As I expected.”
Everything at the hospital was arranged. Yan Zhu would stay as a companion, and doctors and nurses would handle what needed to be done. The hospitalization procedures were completed, and the grain coupons and money were paid. The hospital would provide meals for Yan Lei’s Father; he would eat his last meal today, and after 10 PM, he could not eat anything anymore.
Qiao Wei then took Yan Lei’s Mother, Yan Zhu, and Yan Xiang to leave the hospital and return to the guesthouse to eat.
Yan Lei’s Mother tugged at her sleeve: “How about we just buy two pancakes.”
They had been eating at the guesthouse all day, and every meal required money and grain coupons. She felt pained by the cost.
Qiao Wei, however, said: “When you are away from home handling business, you must eat and sleep well, otherwise you will collapse first, and the business wont get done either.”
She added: “Please don’t worry about money. Yan Lei earns a salary, and I earn a salary too. Since you came out with me, I cannot treat you poorly in any way.”
Yan Lei’s Mother hurriedly said: “You don’t, you don’t.”
Yan Zhu said: “Mother, listen to Qiao Wei.”
After eating, Qiao Wei went to buy bath tickets and took everyone to the bathhouse.
Yan Lei’s Mother felt awkward: “No, let’s not go.”
It seemed like everyone in that bathhouse took everything off.
Qiao Wei said: “Mother, city people bathe frequently. In the middle of summer, if we don’t wash for several days, we will smell, and people will look down on us.”
Yan Lei’s Mother lowered her head and said nothing more.
Yan Zhu had never been to a city bathhouse either. In the countryside, they always boiled water and washed in a basin.
Qiao Wei told him how to find the locker by matching the number tag and how to store his clothes, and even broke off a piece of the soap she had brought and gave it to him.
Yan Xiang said: “Uncle, just ask me if you don’t know how. I know how to do it all.”
Everyone laughed.
Yan Lei’s Mother exclaimed in admiration: “City children know so much.”
Most of the guests in the guesthouse were male, so there was almost no one in the women’s bathhouse.
Even so, Yan Lei’s Mother was still terribly embarrassed.
Qiao Wei also broke off a piece of soap for her. She learned from Qiao Wei to lather up her towel, scrub her whole body, and after rinsing, she felt remarkably fresh.
After bathing, Yan Zhu returned to the hospital.
Qiao Wei prepared to take the dirty clothes to wash them, but Yan Lei’s Mother snatched them away: “don’t worry about it, I will wash them for you.”
During this tug-of-war, Qiao Wei smelled the odor on the dirty trousers she was holding.
It was unpleasant, but it was the same odor she had smelled last night when taking off her clothes to sleep.
Qiao Wei waited for Yan Lei’s Mother to finish washing the clothes, and when they were preparing to sleep at night, she decided to have a talk with her.
“Mother, I want to ask you something, please don’t be angry.” She said, “I see that your hair and body are clean, and you are a tidy person. But I always smell an odor on you. I want to ask you, is your underwear always dirty, and does your lower body often secrete something that looks like snot?”
Yan Lei’s Mothers face flushed bright red, and she lowered her head, not daring to look at anyone, muttering: “I, I wash very frequently… I really…”
“Mother, don’t be embarrassed.” Qiao Wei held her hand, “I used to write articles promoting medical science, and I have read a lot of materials. Let me tell you about some gynecological diseases that we women might get.”
“Gynecological diseases are called gynecological diseases because they are diseases that only women get. Similarly, those that men get are called andrological diseases. Because our body organs are different and our genders are different, that is why they have such names. You must understand, a gynecological disease is not a dirty disease; it is just a disease that women can get.”
Qiao Wei explained some gynecological knowledge to her.
She said: “Tomorrow, I will register you for an appointment, and let the doctor treat it.”
Yan Lei’s Mother was incredibly embarrassed: “How can I let others know about this.”
Qiao Wei said: “Not only do you have to let the doctor know, you have to let the doctor examine you.”
Yan Lei’s Mother could not accept this.
Qiao Wei said: “I will find you a female doctor. Mother, if you don’t get treated, do you want to be despised by people for having an odor on you for the rest of your life?”
Yan Lei’s Mother shed tears.
She had been despised for more than a day or two; her daughters-in-law also talked about her behind her back.
She asked: “Can it really be cured?”
Qiao Wei said: “Of course.”
Yan Lei’s Mother gritted her teeth: “Then I will treat it.”
The next day, Yan Lei’s Father was pushed into the operating room.
Qiao Wei told Yan Zhu and Yan Xiang to wait outside: “Big Brother, since it’s rare that we are at the provincial hospital, I will take Mother to get a check-up too.”
Yan Zhu now did whatever Qiao Wei said, nodding like a chicken pecking at rice: “You go, you go.”
Qiao Wei registered as Yan Lei’s Mother for gynecology, and the doctor was indeed a woman.
When it was time to take off her trousers, Yan Lei’s Mother was dying of embarrassment. Outside the curtain, Qiao Wei reached in and held her hand: “Mother, don’t be afraid, the doctor is a professional.”
The female doctor was quite kind and said: “Old lady, don’t be afraid, I have seen plenty of this. These are all common.”
Neither of them looked down on her or despised her. Yan Lei’s Mother didn’t know why, but tears just started falling.
The barefoot doctor in the village was a man, and none of the women felt comfortable asking a doctor to look at such problems.
In fact, Yan Lei’s Mother was not the only one in this situation. Many elderly women had an odor on them and were often despised by their younger relatives.
It was actually just a common gynecological disease; it was just that it hadnt been treated for many years, so the condition was relatively severe.
“Come here to irrigate every day, for five consecutive days; that is one course of treatment. I will give you medicine afterward for you to clean yourself regularly at home. You must also take the oral medication on time. Maam, rest assured, after a few washes, the odor will be gone.”
The doctor performed the first irrigation for her; it turned out that treatment was such a simple matter.
Yan Lei’s Mother shed tears again.
After the medicinal treatment, she felt clean and refreshed. Qiao Wei took her back to the operating room, but the surgery was not finished yet.
Qiao Wei took out some peach blossom cakes from her bag for everyone to eat.
Yan Zhu said: “You even went to buy peach blossom cakes.”
Yan Lei’s Mother was a bit curious about when Qiao Wei had gone to buy pastries.
Only Yan Xiang knew that the peach blossom cakes were packed in that luggage bag and brought from home to the hometown. But Mom had instructed him not to say anything, and Yan Xiang never undermined Mom, so he just ate silently.
With the president arranging the surgery, it was of course very smooth.
Yan Lei’s Father was pushed out with drainage tubes and a urinary catheter inserted, and he returned to the ward for monitoring.
At the same time, medication was used to treat inflammation and complications.
With his own son waiting on him, there was no need for Qiao Wei to worry.
When Yan Lei’s Father woke up and was stable, Qiao Wei took Yan Lei’s Mother back.
Yan Lei’s Mother still wanted to stay, but Qiao Wei said: “Too many people will affect other patients. People who stay in single rooms are very particular.”
Yan Lei’s Mother obediently listened and went back.
Back at the guesthouse, Yan Lei’s Mother made a decision.
She took out a small cloth bag tied with a string from the deepest part of her luggage: “Qiao Wei, take this.”
Looking at that thing, Qiao Wei vaguely guessed what it was.
She took it, opened it, and sure enough, it was money.
Qiao Wei was still a bit surprised.
Because in reality, everyone, including Yan Lei and Qiao Wei themselves, and including everyone in The Yan Household, tacitly assumed that all expenses were to be borne by Yan Lei and Qiao Wei.
Because this era was just like that.
When a man became successful, he not only had to take care of his parents, siblings, nephews, and nieces, but also had to support his relatives, his clan, his village, his maternal relatives village, and even the relatives and villagers of his married aunts and sisters…
At this time, human relationships were completely different from the future, where young people might cut off ties with their six relations and live independently.
At this time, the relationship that allowed one person to get help from another might just be “I am from the same village as your aunt (on your husbands side).”
This seemed inconceivable to later generations.
But Qiao Wei had already adapted to this world and understood the rules of this era very well.
So she was still a bit surprised that Yan Lei’s Mother took out money.
“Mother, what is this for?” She pushed the money back.
Yan Lei’s Mother pushed it back and forth with her: “With the hospitalization and surgery, it must cost a lot of money. This time we came out, the old man and I brought all our money, it is all here, you take it!”
Qiao Wei stopped pushing. She was a bit curious, so she counted it; it was 183 yuan in total, ignoring the change.
“Mother, I will not take this money. Yan Lei will bear the medical expenses, you don’t need to worry.” Qiao Wei still returned the money to her mother-in-law, “But I want to know, how is the 25 yuan that Yan Lei sends home every month distributed?”
25 yuan a month, that is 300 yuan a year. Country folk are really frugal with money, but Yan Lei’s Mother said this was all the money in the family.
Qiao Wei knew that the money sent back would definitely be distributed within the family, and she was just a bit curious now.
How was it distributed?!
