Chapter 117: A Mouth Full of Lies
The screams in the corridor hadn't subsided when more and more people gathered around.
The nurses were the first to react and rushed over to check on the situation.
The woman was curled up on the stair landing, clutching her knees and groaning.
His trouser legs were stained red with blood, and his face was full of pain; he was practically screaming for his parents.
The little boy sat on the steps nearby, a cut on his forehead, blood dripping down his cheek, crying his heart out.
"Quickly, bring the emergency stretcher over!"
As the head nurse gave instructions, she knelt down to check the woman's injuries, but was suddenly pushed away.
"Don't touch me!"
The woman's voice was filled with hatred, and her eyes swept fiercely towards Wang Yingying at the door of the ward.
"It's all your fault! If you hadn't scared me, I wouldn't have fallen like that in my panic! You have to pay for my medical expenses!"
Wang Yingying stood at the door, arms crossed, and sneered: "You fell because you were running too fast and weren't watching where you were going. What does that have to do with us? Besides, who was it that barged into the ward and harassed the patient first, and even threatened to cause trouble at the door? Now you've fallen and want to blame us? What kind of logic is that?"
People around them started talking about it.
One of the family members who heard the commotion outside the ward couldn't help but speak up: "I heard it clearly at the door. This woman was yelling and shouting in the ward. The doctor tried to reason with her, but she wouldn't listen. Now she's fallen and is blaming others?"
“We tried to stop her from entering the ward, but she insisted on forcing her way in. Now that something has happened, she’s trying to extort money from us. There’s no way she can do that!”
"Yeah, do you really think we didn't hear anything? With a parent like you, even the best child would be ruined."
Seeing that no one was on her side, the woman cried even harder and simply lay on the ground refusing to get up.
"I don't care! It's all your fault! My family is poor and can't afford the medical bills. If you don't pay for them, I'll just lie here and not leave!"
As she spoke, she reached out to pull the little boy next to her.
"Son, don't get up either. Let's stay here today and let everyone see how the doctors in this hospital bully ordinary people!"
The little boy was already terrified, and when his mother pulled him like that, he cried even harder.
He struggled to get away: "Mother, it hurts... I want to find Father..."
"Stop crying!" the woman snapped impatiently, then turned to the nurses who had gathered around and started yelling, "Call the doctor right now! Get that Ning Tang from earlier over here! If she doesn't settle my medical bills, I'll go to the hospital director's office and make a scene, and make sure she can't work as a doctor anymore!"
The head nurse frowned, unable to bear it any longer: "Family member, your most important thing right now is to treat your injuries. Your knee looks badly injured, possibly fractured, and the child's forehead also needs stitches. Any further delay could be dangerous. As for the medical expenses, we can discuss them slowly, but you can't cause trouble here and disturb the other patients."
"Discuss? How can we discuss it? I have no money!" The woman retorted, looking like she had nothing to lose.
"Either you make Ning Tang pay my medical bills, or I'll stay here indefinitely! I'm not going to survive anyway, so I might as well let everyone see what this hospital is really like!"
Just then, Xu Qiaofeng returned carrying a bag of milk candy.
As soon as he reached the entrance of the corridor, he saw a group of people gathered around him.
I could also hear the woman's voice throwing a tantrum, and my heart tightened. I quickly squeezed in.
Seeing the woman on the ground and the little boy crying incessantly, and then looking at Wang Yingying standing at the door of the ward, he instantly understood what was going on, and his face immediately darkened.
"What happened?" Xu Qiaofeng walked to Wang Yingying's side and asked in a low voice, his eyes coldly fixed on the woman on the ground.
Wang Yingying sighed and briefly recounted what had just happened.
Xu Qiaofeng's expression grew increasingly grim as he listened, his eyes filled with coldness as he looked at the woman.
"You barged into my wife's hospital room and harassed her, and now you've fallen and are trying to blame us? Let me tell you, we won't pay a single penny of her medical bills. If you cause any more trouble here, I'll call the police right now!"
The woman was already a little scared when she saw Xu Qiaofeng return, but when she thought of her injuries and medical expenses, she forced herself to shout.
"Go ahead and call the police! Do you think I'm afraid of you? Even if the police come, I'll still say that you two ganged up on me and that's why I fell! If you don't pay my medical bills, I'll go out into the street and shout it out so everyone knows how wicked you are!"
Xu Qiaofeng was too lazy to waste words with her and turned around to call the security department.
Seeing this, the woman quickly got up to try and interrupt him, but because her knees hurt terribly, she staggered and almost fell as soon as she stood up.
The head nurse quickly stepped forward to support her: "Don't get agitated! Let's talk this out. Calling the police won't solve anything. We need to treat your injuries first."
People around them also tried to mediate.
"Yes, the most important thing for you right now is to get medical treatment. If you really have a fracture and delay treatment, you'll have trouble walking later."
"Why don't you have your family send some money over first, and we can figure out the medical expenses later? We can't just stay here forever."
The woman, after listening to everyone's advice, began to waver.
She knew that if she really broke her bone, she definitely couldn't leave it untreated.
But when I think about the situation at home, I can't help but feel scared.
“My husband is just a farmer; he’s lucky if he can make ends meet all year round. We don’t have any money at all… If I told him I fell and would have to pay a lot for medical expenses, he would definitely beat me to death…”
Seeing that her attitude had softened, Xu Qiaofeng didn't want to make a big fuss, after all, this was a hospital and Ning Tang needed to rest.
He was silent for a moment, then said to the head nurse, "Let's get them, mother and child, treated first. As for the medical expenses, let her family come over to discuss it."
“If her family is really in trouble, they should contact the police directly to handle it. I don’t want her to harass my wife anymore.”
The head nurse nodded and quickly had the woman and the little boy lifted onto the gurney and taken to the emergency room.
Xu Qiaofeng watched their departing figures, his brows furrowing even more deeply.
He knew that this woman wouldn't give up so easily, and there would likely be more trouble later.
Back in the ward, Ning Tang was leaning against the headboard waiting for him.
Upon seeing him return, Ning Tang quickly asked, "What happened outside? I think I just heard that woman's voice."
Xu Qiaofeng walked over, placed the milk candy on the bedside table, reached out and touched her forehead, and said softly.
"It's nothing serious. She just ran too fast and fell. She's been taken to the hospital for treatment. Don't worry, I've already spoken to the head nurse and told them to keep that woman away from here."
Ning Tang nodded, but still felt uneasy: "I have a feeling that she won't let it go so easily."
"Don't worry, I'm here." Xu Qiaofeng held her hand, his eyes firm. "No matter what she wants to do, I won't let her hurt you and the child."
Ning Tang looked at him, feeling a warmth in her heart, nodded, and said nothing more.
Xu Qiaofeng sat on the edge of the bed, peeled a milk candy for her, and held it to her lips: "Try it and see if it's the kind you want to eat."
Ning Tang put the milk candy in her mouth, and the sweet taste spread in her mouth, which made her feel a little better.
Looking at her, Xu Qiaofeng couldn't help but smile.
He was already planning in his mind that once Ning Tang recovered, he would immediately take everyone home to get away from this place, as it was considered very unlucky.
——
The next morning, Xu Qiaofeng went to buy breakfast for Ning Tang.
As soon as I arrived at the hospital entrance, I saw a familiar figure.
His heart sank, and he quickly hid behind a nearby tree to take a closer look.
The person was wearing an old gray coat, had some gray hair, and was more hunched over than before; it was Ning's mother.
The woman who adopted Ning Tang but continued to abuse her.
Xu Qiaofeng was filled with doubt.
He remembered that Ning's mother had been sent down to the Northwest because she was a capitalist. How could she suddenly appear here?
And judging from her appearance, she doesn't seem to be doing well.
Xu Qiaofeng did not rush forward, but quietly followed behind Ning's mother.
Ning's mother walked slowly along the roadside, stopping every now and then to look around, as if searching for something.
After walking for about ten minutes, she came to a secluded alley. She looked around and, seeing no one, took out a brick from her pocket. After hesitating for a moment, she suddenly smashed it down on her knee!
Bang--
With a muffled thud, Ning's mother staggered and almost fell.
His face turned pale instantly, and his forehead was covered in a thick layer of cold sweat.
She gritted her teeth, enduring the pain, threw the brick aside, and slowly sat down on the ground, clutching her knee and groaning.
Xu Qiaofeng hid at the alley entrance, watching this scene with a tense expression.
He simply couldn't understand why Ning's mother would treat him like this. Was she trying to deliberately get hurt so she could extort money from him?
Just then, Ning's mother took out a piece of paper from her pocket and looked at the address on it.
Then she struggled to her feet and limped out of the alley. Xu Qiaofeng quickly followed, wanting to see where she was going.
Ning's mother walked very slowly, wincing in pain with every step, her forehead covered in cold sweat.
After walking for about half an hour, she arrived at the entrance of a small hospital. After hesitating for a moment, she went inside.
Xu Qiaofeng followed behind and discovered that it was an unlicensed clinic.
A middle-aged man wearing a white lab coat with dirty cuffs was sitting behind a wooden table with peeling paint.
Holding a stethoscope, he casually tapped the table.
He doesn't look like a legitimate doctor at all.
Ning's mother limped to the table, and before the man could speak, she clutched her knee and squatted down, a pained expression on her face.
"Doctor, please take a look at me quickly! I just fell and hurt my knee terribly; I'm afraid it's broken!"
The man glanced at her, put down his stethoscope, and pressed his hand on her knee.
Ning's mother immediately screamed in pain, cold sweat streaming down her face: "Ouch! Right here! It hurts so much!"
The man withdrew his hand, frowned, and said, "Judging from this, it looks like a fracture. If you want treatment, you'll have to pay a five-dollar deposit first, then I'll put on a splint and prescribe some medicine. If you don't want treatment, then leave now and don't delay my business."
When Ning's mother heard about the five-yuan deposit, a hint of hesitation flashed in her eyes, but she quickly put on a pitiful look.
"Doctor, I don't have that much money on me... Could you treat me first, and I'll have my daughter bring the money later? My daughter is a doctor at a big hospital in the city, her name is Ning Tang, you must have heard of her! She has tons of food coupons and meat coupons, she won't have to worry about not having money to treat me."
The man paused for a moment when he heard the name Ning Tang, then shook his head.
He began to suspect that Ning's mother was deliberately trying to cause trouble.
"Never heard of it. There are plenty of doctors in big hospitals in the city, how could I possibly know them all? If you can't afford it, I can't treat you."
Ning's mother became anxious and quickly said, "You really haven't heard of her? My daughter is a key doctor at a major hospital; many leaders seek her medical treatment!"
"She earns several dozen yuan a month, why would she be short of five yuan? I just happened to come from the Northwest and my money was stolen on the way, otherwise why would I be haggling with you?"
Xu Qiaofeng listened outside the door, a cold smile playing on his lips.
He had long known that Ning's mother never told the truth. Her claim that the money had been stolen was clearly an attempt to get something for nothing and ruin Ning Tang's reputation.
The man clearly didn't believe Ning's mother's words and waved his hand impatiently: "Don't give me this nonsense. If you don't have money, then get out of here. I have other patients to see!"
Seeing the man's resolute attitude, Ning's mother gritted her teeth, as if she had made up her mind.
She took out a small cloth bag wrapped in a handkerchief from her pocket, carefully opened it, and inside were a few crumpled bills, which added up to less than a dollar.
She handed the cloth bag to the man, her posture extremely humble: "Doctor, this is all the money I have. Please take it first, and I'll definitely have my daughter bring the rest. If my knee isn't treated, I'll never be able to stand up again. Please, have mercy and help me!"
The man looked at the few small bills, his face darkening further: "With so little money, it's not even enough to buy medicine. How can I treat you?"
Seeing that the man was unmoved, Ning's mother suddenly thought of something and quickly said, "Doctor, I don't need you to prescribe any medicine for me. Just give me a medical record proving that my kneecap is fractured and that I need long-term treatment. I can't go back to the Northwest to suffer anymore."
"As long as I have this case, I can stay in the city. My daughter will definitely send you money, food coupons, and meat coupons, so you can benefit from it too!"
The man's eyes lit up when he heard the words "medical record," but he still hesitated.
"I am responsible for writing medical records. If someone finds out, I will have to close my clinic."
Ning's mother quickly said, "Don't worry, no one will check! I just want to use my medical records to apply to stay in the city. As long as I can stay, I definitely won't implicate you."
"My daughter is a doctor at a big hospital and knows a lot of people. She might be able to pull some strings for you and turn your clinic into a legitimate hospital, so you won't have to worry about being investigated anymore!"
The man was somewhat tempted by Ning's mother's words. He had been running this illegal clinic for several years, always living in fear of being discovered.
If we can use Ning's mother's connections to turn the clinic into a legitimate hospital, then we won't have to worry about it anymore.
He was silent for a moment, then said to Ning's mother, "I can issue the medical record, but you have to pay me a ten-yuan deposit first. I'll give you the medical record after your daughter brings the rest of the money."
When Ning's mother heard that a deposit of ten yuan was required, her face immediately fell: "Doctor, I really don't have that much money... Could you lower the amount a bit? When my daughter comes, I'll definitely have her make you pay more."
The man shook his head: "No, at least ten yuan, not a penny less. If you can't come up with it, then get out of here and don't waste my time."
Seeing the man's resolute attitude, Ning's mother knew that further bargaining was useless, so she could only grit her teeth and take out the ten yuan she had hidden under the insole of her shoe!
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