Chapter 36 Hospital
The next day, while the sky was still overcast, She Hongmei rode her bicycle with She Ning and Chen Yuzhen to the town. To get to the city, they needed to take a bus from the town, and they caught the earliest one.
They arrived early, and there weren't many people on the bus. There were still plenty of empty seats, so She Ning chose to sit in the front row.
"Mom, I can do it. You can go to the store." After helping Chen Yuzhen sit down in the seat by the window, She Ning hurriedly said to She Hongmei, who had followed her into the car to help.
“A-Ning is right, you should go back quickly,” Chen Yuzhen also advised.
Although it was still early, She Hongmei needed to buy fresh ingredients and prepare and cook the dishes at the shop. If she lingered here any longer, she would be late to open the shop.
"Mom, I'll be leaving soon." After covering Chen Yuzhen's legs with the small blanket, She Hongmei said, and then took out a red plastic bag containing something from the cloth bag hanging on her side.
"Ah Ning, you get carsick, take this and eat it." She placed the red plastic bag on She Ning's lap, took out an orange for her, looked up at She Ning with her brows furrowed and her face full of worry, smiled heartily, and patted the top of She Ning's head.
"Don't frown, little one. Mom knows what's going on and won't be late. You watch over Grandma, I'll be right back."
After saying that, she turned around and went to find the ticket seller on the bus. "Ah Ling, to the city, two people."
"Okay, six cents." The ticket seller, Ah Ling, was a young girl with two braids, bright eyes, and a smile on her face. She was collecting money at the back of the bus.
Upon seeing that it was She Hongmei, her smile became even brighter. "Aunt Hongmei, it's you! Are you taking Grandma Yuzhen to the city for her follow-up appointment again today?"
Yuan Lingling always took the earliest bus, and She Hongmei had also chosen this bus most of the time to go to the city in the past two years. So the two became quite familiar with each other.
“I’m not going today, my daughter will go with me.” She handed her the money for their tickets and stuffed a small bag of peanut candy that She Ning had made at home into her pocket. She Hongmei pointed out the seats where She Ning and Chen Yuzhen were sitting.
"My daughter, Aning, gets carsick, and it's her first time taking the bus to the city. Could you please take care of her along the way?"
"Aunt Hongmei, you're too kind. It's just a small favor, I can't accept your things." Yuan Lingling took the money for the ticket, quickly tore off the ticket stub and gave it to her, then took out the candy to return to her.
“It’s just something we made ourselves, it’s not worth much.” She Hongmei held her hand, pretending to be angry and glaring at her. “You’re calling me auntie, can’t you even give your niece something?”
"Don't think I don't know, you definitely didn't eat breakfast before going on the bus today. Take this candy if you get hungry." Patting the back of her hand, She Hongmei said with concern.
Yuan Lingling smiled shyly, "Then I won't be polite, thank you Aunt Hongmei."
Her bus was too early, and she lived far away. She was always in a rush to get to work and didn't have time to eat breakfast. She often went out hungry. After She Hongmei found out about this, She Hongmei would give her something to eat whenever they were on the same bus.
It's worthless, but it carries a lot of sentiment.
"Auntie, don't worry, I'll take good care of Aning and Grandma Yuzhen." Yuan Lingling felt a warmth in her heart and patted her chest confidently as she spoke.
"Then thank you in advance, Auntie," She Hongmei replied with a smile.
Back with She Ning, She Hongmei gave her some instructions and then arranged everything before getting off the bus. She pushed the bicycle downstairs and waited for the bus to depart before riding away on her bicycle.
She Ning leaned past Chen Yuzhen and pressed her face against the car window. Only when the car had driven far away and She Hongmei was completely out of sight did she turn her gaze away and return to her seat.
Unlike the bus the school chartered last time, this bus had a milder smell. She Ning had taken motion sickness medicine early on, so her motion sickness wasn't as severe as last time.
Because of the recent rain and the impact of heavy trucks, the road to the city was quite bumpy. She Ning held onto the arm of the person next to her and braced her feet under the chair in front of her to keep her balance. It was not good for her grandmother to be too tiring.
The hard plastic seats were a bit hard, and since the elderly people's bodies are more fragile, they put something under them, but it was still very hard.
Yuan Lingling had been paying close attention to She Ning's situation the whole way. Seeing this, she immediately took out a cushion that she had made from scraps of old clothes and cotton and gave it to She Ning.
When they arrived at the station, they not only helped Chen Yuzhen get off the bus, but also found a pedicab for She Ning and repeatedly told the driver to ride slowly and carefully.
"Sister Aning, Grandma Yuzhen, I'll be staying at the station for about two hours. If you need any help, you can come find me," Yuan Lingling said to She Ning and the others, standing next to the tricycle.
"Thank you for your help along the way, Ah Ling." Chen Yuzhen held her hand, a kind smile on her face, and said with concern, "Come visit us whenever you have time. Your Aunt Hongmei's cooking skills are excellent now."
"Thank you, Sister Ling." Sitting on the tricycle, She Ning looked up at her and thanked her.
"Yes, yes, I will." Yuan Lingling replied to Grandma She. She met She Ning's serious eyes and reached out to pinch her cheek. "You're welcome, little sister Ning."
The hospital was a bit far from where they got off the bus. The roads in the city were wider and cleaner than those in the town. Thanks to Yuan Lingling's instructions, She Ning, who was sitting in the back of the tricycle, didn't feel any bumps along the way.
Upon arriving at the hospital, She Ning helped Chen Yuzhen to a seat in the lobby, while she went to the information desk.
There are two nurses on duty at the triage desk.
"Hello, nurse, I'd like to see Dr. Zheng Ningyu." She Ning told her the name of the doctor that She Hongmei had asked her to see. This Dr. Zheng had been treating her grandmother before.
"Hello, what can I do for you, Dr. Zheng?" one of the nurses asked.
She Ning told Chen Yuzhen about her regular check-up appointments.
"Little sister, please wait a moment." Upon hearing this, the nurse lowered her head to make a phone call. After hanging up, she walked out of the reception desk and told She Ning to follow her.
She Ning told her to wait a moment, then ran back to the hall and helped Chen Yuzhen over.
I followed the nurse for a while, and finally stopped in front of a room.
"Dr. Zheng, a patient is looking for you," the nurse said gently, knocking on the door.
"Come in," Dr. Zheng replied without looking up from her eyes, as she was looking down at the patient's medical record.
The nurse pushed open the door, stepped aside to let She Ning and the others into the examination room, and then closed the door before leaving.
"Grandma She, how have you been feeling lately?" After the person entered the room, Dr. Zheng put down the medical records in her hand, pulled out a chair next to her, helped Chen Yuzhen sit down, and then asked.
"It's great. I'm eating and sleeping well, and now I can even walk for more than ten minutes after getting up," Chen Yuzhen said happily.
Dr. Zheng adjusted her glasses and carefully inquired about Chen Yuzhen's recent condition. Then she asked Chen Yuzhen to extend her wrist so she could take her pulse, examine her tongue, measure her blood pressure, and conduct various examinations on Chen Yuzhen.
She Ning stood to one side, lending a hand from time to time.
Withdrawing her hand from Chen Yuzhen's calf muscles, Dr. Zheng sat back down. As she wrote on the medical record, she said, "Your condition has improved significantly since your last visit. Keep it up, and go for walks more in the mornings and evenings. However, your blood pressure is still a bit high, so you can't stop taking your blood pressure medication."
"Have you finished your medication?" she asked, looking up.
"There's still a day or two's worth of medicine left." She Ning took out the medicine bottle from the bag next to her and showed it to her.
"After you finish this in the next couple of days, you can start a new one. I'll still prescribe four courses of medication for you." Dr. Zheng looked away from the bottle and added details to the prescription.
"You must be Aning. Go outside to pay and get your medicine first. I'll give your grandma acupuncture." Dr. Zheng smiled and said considerately as he handed the prescription to Aning.
"If you can't find the payment counter, ask the nurses at the information desk."
She Ning nodded, took the prescription, opened the door and went out, then turned around and closed the door.
"Your granddaughter seems quite composed; she's a smart child," Dr. Zheng said as he helped Chen Yuzhen into a small cubicle inside the examination room.
Just as She Hongmei had said, she could tell at a glance that she was She Ning.
“He’s a good child,” Chen Yuzhen replied with a smile.
After leaving the consultation room, She Ning headed straight for the payment counter in the lobby. She had roughly observed the layout of the hospital when she entered, and she remembered the location of the payment counter.
There were quite a few people queuing at the payment counter. She Ning stood at the end of the line and waited for a while before it was her turn. She then handed over the prescription.
"Hello, that's 22.5 yuan in total." The staff at the payment window took the prescription, quickly calculated it, and then said.
22.5 yuan, and that's the price after the medical treatment for martyrs. Without the treatment, it would be impossible to afford medicine.
She Ning took out the money from her pocket, counted it, and handed it to her. After the nurse took the money, a large bag of medicine was handed out through a small window, containing many different kinds of medicine.
After picking up the medicine, She Ning returned to the clinic. The door was closed, and she could see no one inside through the window in the door panel. Realizing that Dr. Zheng hadn't finished the acupuncture yet, she stood by the door with the medicine and waited.
Only after hearing a noise inside did She Ning knock on the door, and after receiving permission, she pushed the door open and went in.
It was a bit late after the follow-up appointment, so She Ning planned to take Chen Yuzhen out for a meal in the city before heading back. She had brought money so she could treat her grandmother to something nice.
After asking a local, she led Chen Yuzhen to a shop in an alley.
"Hello, two servings of boat congee and two servings of char siu rice noodle rolls, please." She Ning washed the chopsticks and cups with hot water, and then poured a cup of tea for each of them.
The shop is incredibly popular. The rice noodle rolls are steamed in bamboo baskets, giving them a subtle bamboo aroma. The char siu is sweet and savory, and paired with the tender rice noodle rolls, it's absolutely delicious!
The boat congee has a thick and smooth texture. The fish slices in the congee are tender, the char siu is sweet, the peanuts are crunchy, and the squid is chewy. One bite gives you a unique taste and rich flavor.
It truly deserves its reputation as one of the signature traditional delicacies of Yangyang City, and it remains a must-order dish for those who enjoy morning tea in later generations.
After finishing their meal, She Ning asked the owner to pack two portions to take home before she and Chen Yuzhen went to catch the shuttle bus home.
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