"Oh dear! Grandpa! Qiqi, what are you all thinking? Do you think I'm that kind of person?!"
He scratched his head, his expression becoming unusually serious. His gaze swept over everyone, finally settling on Zhao Damei.
"What I wanted to say was that Uncle Liang just said that if I changed my mind, Da Mei and I would break up. I... I just want to make my stance clear now, in front of everyone!"
"I, Zhang Guoqiang, will never change my mind! My feelings for Da Mei will never change in this lifetime! Heaven and earth bear witness!"
In this reserved era, especially in front of so many people, these words are absolutely a bold and passionate declaration, incredibly cheesy!
Sure enough, the room fell silent for a second as soon as he finished speaking.
The ward was quiet for a moment, then Zhou Qiqi was the first to burst out laughing, followed by Deng Cuixiang and Zhu Yingying who also smiled.
Deng Cuixiang, in particular, nudged Zhao Damei with her shoulder, pulling her into Zhang Guoqiang's arms, her eyes full of mockery.
Zhao Damei was so embarrassed that her face turned bright red, her toenails curled up, and she wished she could disappear into the ground. She didn't even dare to lift her head.
She could only let Zhao Damei bump her into Zhang Guoqiang's arms, where Zhang Guoqiang gently embraced her.
My heart felt like a jar of honey had been spilled, sweet and warm.
Just then, there was a knock on the door of the ward.
Zhao Damei quickly wiped her face with the back of her hand, sniffed, and said, "It must be the neurosurgeon who's here."
She quickly walked over and opened the door.
The person who came in was indeed a doctor in his forties. He was wearing a military uniform underneath a faded white coat, and a stethoscope was hanging around his neck.
He briefly inquired about the old man's condition, and Zhou Qiqi quickly recounted what she had seen at the cliff edge, emphasizing that the old man might have been caught on a tree branch and, while swinging, had hit his head on a rock on the cliff face.
Zhao Damei added from the side, her voice tinged with lingering fear:
"Yes, then she fainted and wouldn't respond no matter how I called her until she just woke up."
As the doctor listened, he carefully examined the old man's head injury. The nurses in the emergency department had already treated the external wound and bandaged it properly.
He lifted the old man's eyelids to look at his pupils and then performed some simple nerve reflex tests.
"Old man, how can you be so careless about yourself?"
The doctor's tone was reproachful, but even more so, it was full of concern.
“The ER doctor said that when your daughter was brought in, she was so anxious that she almost knelt down before us. You can’t scare a child like that.”
He naturally assumed Zhao Damei was his daughter, and then asked the old man...
"How are you feeling now? Are you dizzy or nauseous?"
Old Ye was unusually clear-headed at this moment, and shook his head: "Much better, doctor, I'm not dizzy or nauseous anymore."
The doctor nodded, picked up the medical record from the emergency room, glanced at it, and frowned slightly.
"It says here that the family reported the elderly person was sometimes lucid and sometimes confused. How long has this been going on?"
Zhao Damei quickly replied:
“It’s been two years. His only son… who is my wife, passed away two years ago. The old man was too traumatized and has been like this ever since.”
The doctor then realized that Zhao Damei was his daughter-in-law. He paused for a moment, then asked,
"Has it never been systematically checked?"
A blush of embarrassment rose on Zhao Damei's face, and she whispered:
“When I was treating my husband’s illness, we emptied our savings. Later, we went to the town clinic to ask, and the doctor there said that my father-in-law’s illness was difficult to treat, would cost a lot of money, and might not even be cured. My father-in-law… refused to continue treatment, and that’s how it has dragged on until now.”
The doctor sighed, indicating his understanding:
"Sigh, this situation is indeed troublesome. There are many causes of impaired consciousness, such as cerebrovascular and neurological issues... If we really want to investigate, there are many tests, and the cost is indeed a burden."
But then he changed the subject and said,
"However, your family situation is special. The main breadwinner has disappeared, leaving you as a widow and orphan, and the old man is also getting old. I can try to mention it to the nursing home and see if they can reduce some of your fees. Would you like to take a look and see if you want to investigate?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhang Guoqiang, who was standing next to him, became anxious and immediately stepped forward, loudly stating his position:
"Doctor! Investigate! Now that we're at our military hospital, make sure the old man gets a thorough checkup! Just write the prescriptions, I'll cover the medical expenses!"
As if afraid people wouldn't believe him, he added, "Master Zhou just gave me a bonus, I have money!"
Zhao Damei immediately shook her head, her attitude resolute:
"No way! We've only just started dating, how can I let you pay for this?"
Zhang Guoqiang still wanted to persuade him.
"You've only been working at the stall for a short time, and you have a large family to support. Where did you get so much money?"
Zhou Qiqi understood Zhao Damei's temperament and knew she was independent and strong-willed, so she chimed in:
"Brother Guoqiang, just let Sister Damei pay for it herself."
She turned to Zhao Damei and said...
“Sister Mei, since you’re here, let the doctor give the old man a thorough check-up. Don’t just check his head, check his whole body carefully. The old man is getting old, so we want to put his mind at ease. If you don’t have the money right now, I have some here for you to use.”
Zhao Damei looked at Zhou Qiqi gratefully and nodded heavily: "Oh! Thank you, Qiqi!"
The doctor didn't say anything more, took out the prescription, and explained as he wrote:
"Alright, since you're both willing to do this, let's get a thorough checkup. Don't worry, I'll start with a cranial X-ray. You can take the form and pay the fees first, then take the old man to the examination department. If it's a full-body checkup, I'll see if I can add a few more tests..."
Since the old man needed to undergo a check-up, Zhou Qiqi and the others couldn't stay there any longer, so they said goodbye.
I've already told Zhao Damei that I'll let her know as soon as I have any news.
Anyway, Zhou Qiqi is staying in a ward on the third floor.
Seeing that the old man was in good spirits and spoke clearly, Zhou Qiqi felt that there shouldn't be any major problems.
Unexpectedly, the next morning, Zhou Qiqi had just gotten up and was being fed eggs by Shen Huaichuan when Zhao Damei came running over, covered in sweat, calling out...
"Qiqi, something terrible has happened!"
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