When she heard the bombshell news, Li Yaxian was completely stunned. How could her precious child have encephalitis? This disease can be fatal.
The last time I saw my baby, he was so lively and energetic. How could he have gotten encephalitis in such a short time?
She disregarded her own feelings of pity for her daughter and slapped her hard, making a loud noise.
"You good-for-nothing! How can you take care of a child like this? You take them to the hospital when they have a fever, but you let it drag on until they get encephalitis. Are you sick? What kind of mother are you? Is this how you act as a mother?"
"You can't even take care of a five-year-old child. What can you do? Useless thing, useless thing, sob sob... How did my darling get encephalitis? This kind of disease can kill people without effective medicine to help reduce fever. You brat, you're such a worry."
Li Yaxian slapped Gu Siqing a few more times, "Look at you, you couldn't take care of the child and sent him to me. I helped you look after him for a while, and you only realized it when the child was almost brain-damaged from the fever. What a tragedy! How could I have such a stupid daughter like you?"
Gu Siqing almost hated herself. She had been busy in the countryside lately, planting medicinal herbs and hadn't taken care of her child. She was a little careless and her child got encephalitis.
Bai Jiyuan had already been scolded by her in-laws at home, and was now being lectured by her own mother. Feeling depressed, she pouted pitifully and burst into tears.
Li Yaxian didn't mean to scold her; she was just too worried about her baby and said things without thinking. Why did she start crying?
After spending the entire night at the hospital taking care of the child without closing her eyes, she rushed to Liushu Village to ask her family for help in finding penicillin.
With three soldiers in her family, she really has no other choice.
The Gu family is in trouble now, but the old friendships still exist. Grandpa is highly respected and should ask his old comrades for help. They shouldn't refuse to give him face, and they should be able to spare him a penicillin, right?
Before she could even open her mouth, her mother launched into a tirade of abuse, which made her feel terrible.
It's all my fault for being careless. I thought it was just a common cold and fever, so I didn't pay much attention. I gave my child fever-reducing medicine and then went to tend to the medicinal herbs in the field. When I came back in the evening, my child was already feverish and unconscious, and I couldn't wake him up no matter what I did.
In the past, when I had a fever or a cold, I would get better immediately after taking antipyretics. This time it's different. My face is flushed, and physical cooling methods are no longer effective.
The fever still hadn't subsided by the second day, so they rushed the child to the county hospital for treatment, where the doctor immediately issued a critical condition notice.
She was so frightened that her legs went weak and she couldn't stand up. The doctor said that only penicillin could save her life.
Where would a rightist sent to the countryside for reform find penicillin?
Bai Jiyuan told her to go to Liushu Village to ask her family for help first, since her family had three upright and honest soldiers who would surely have some connections.
Penicillin is a military-grade drug, and the quantity is limited. Even if you ask, there might not be any available.
But her son had developed encephalitis from the fever, so they decided to try anything, even if it seemed hopeless, and suggested she go back to her parents' home to ask around, hoping there might be some hope.
"Mom! I'm only begging you because I have no other choice. Back then, the Bai family was labeled as rightists, and they told me to come here less often so as not to be seen and get into trouble."
“We have a hard time in Phoenix Village. We are the lowest in status. The villagers of Phoenix Village speak ill of us. You have a hard time in Willow Village. I don’t want my status to drag you down.”
"Silly child, why are you saying so many formal things? The Gu family's status isn't much better than your Bai family's now."
Gu Siqing shook her head. "No, no, no. The Gu family was sent to labor camps because there was insufficient evidence of treason. You are still soldiers, and no one dares to bully you. The Bai family is different. They have been labeled as rightists and have become objects of bullying by everyone."
"I had no choice but to come to you today. Please help me think of a way to get that penicillin, okay? Otherwise, Yu Chuan is doomed. He'll die, he'll die..."
"Don't make things difficult for me! What can a woman like me do?"
Li Yaxian looked helpless. What could she do? She had heard of penicillin in the Beijing compound; it was a foreign drug that was impossible to buy even with money—it was priceless unless you had a special connection…
In this rush, where is she supposed to find it?
Gu Sinian tugged at Su Ying's arm and whispered something in her ear.
"When I went into Grandma Su's room that day, I saw penicillin? There seemed to be two vials, and the expiration date was quite recent. Did you buy them?"
Su Ying covered her mouth with her hand to block out the sound of her voice. "That's right. When I was in Shanghai, I disguised myself and went to the black market. I heard people whispering and, out of curiosity, I went over to listen. I heard that a batch of penicillin had arrived. Each person could buy a maximum of two vials, one of which was a yellow croaker."
Gu Sinian asked in surprise, "So expensive?"
Gu Sinian swallowed hard in disbelief. Good heavens, what had he just heard? A single penicillin cost the price of a whole yellow croaker! This was outrageous!
"Of course it's expensive. It's imported from overseas all the way, and it's been through layers of shady dealings. It's already a blessing if it doesn't sell for an exorbitant price."
"I originally didn't have a chance to buy so much penicillin, but someone happened to be absent, and I picked up a dead rat. The shopkeeper saw that I really wanted it, so he sold it to me."
"I heard that although penicillin is available on the black market, it needs to be ordered three months in advance. Some people buy it but don't live to see it. Your nephew is lucky; I happen to have what he needs."
"Thank you. Yingying, you're truly a lucky star for the family."
"Actually, I have to thank your mother-in-law for leaving me such a large sum of money. Otherwise, how could I afford a yellow croaker and penicillin? Foreign products aren't cheap. I just had a sudden idea since I didn't need the money, so I bought two to tide me over. Who knows, I might not have enough when I need them..."
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