Chapter 4: I can’t control my lower body, I’m so annoyed
Li Wenjing has an old problem. Whenever she has a fever, her period will come early, and this time is no exception.
Anna brought a piece of cotton cloth. Gu Weiyi just pushed the door open to get an injection. Anna screamed and hid the cloth.
"Doctor, you have to stay away from it. This thing is unlucky, especially for you men," said Anna.
"What's this taboo again? Haven't I seen enough blood? Doesn't that mean I'm cursed every day?"
Anna stood by the window, shivering and refusing to take it out. Gu Weiyi urged her several times before she showed it to him.
"Sanitary napkins don't look like this. Do you have tampons?"
"There are no sanitary napkins in the village. We only have these. They are filled with plant ash. After use, we wash them and dry them outside."
"You can't give this to patients. It's a disposable item. You're going to be a doctor in the future, so be careful."
Gu Weiyi's tone became a little more stern, like a teacher in class. Anna bowed her head and apologized to him and Li Wenjing.
"Doctor Gu, don't worry about these things. These are women's affairs, and you don't understand them. It's good as long as it works." Li Wenjing said, reaching out to take the cloth tape, and he held her arm.
"I don't understand, and I've never used sanitary napkins. I just know that using them will worsen the infection, so don't use them."
Then he asked Anna: "Where can I buy sanitary napkins?"
"They're available in the supermarket in town, but they're quite expensive, a few hundred yuan a pack."
"Got it. I'll ask someone to go there."
"Forget it, Dr. Gu, let's save some money," Li Wenjing said, her voice gradually lowering, "I made your bed dirty..."
"It doesn't matter, just wash it off."
“It’s hard to wash off and it leaves marks.”
He laughed, "Isn't it all blood? What's the difference between the blood that comes out of your body? I'm the best at washing blood. Look at my shirt, it's been sprayed with blood, you can't tell."
Li Wenjing felt her throat was dry, so she took a sip of water without saying anything.
"Anna, there should be some medical pads. Use them on the patient first."
After that, he went out again. Looking out the window, he saw him talking to a local youth on the riverside path. The man shook his head like a rattle. He simply took off his white coat and, after a while, rode away on the back of his motorcycle.
Anna explained, "Women's blood is the dirtiest. Everyone is superstitious about it. Charles told him about it, but he refused to go. Charles had no choice but to go to the town himself."
"Is the town far?"
"It'll take more than half an hour to get there by motorcycle. If we go now, we won't be able to have lunch."
"I told him not to, but he still took it so seriously. He's really stubborn."
Anna smiled and said, "Charles is just like that. He's nice to everyone. If you don't let him be nice to you, he'll get anxious! He taught Ruth and me how to give injections, draw blood, and even how to write. He enrolled me in a medical school. Where can we find a doctor in our village, especially a female one? I didn't dare go, and my mother said I had to get married. But Charles told me I was smart and I would definitely learn. He and the priest spent several days trying to persuade my parents, but Ruth couldn't get along. Her parents just wouldn't agree, and they're getting married next year."
Li Wenjing looked at the girl in front of her, who was about seventeen or eighteen years old and had skin like black pearls. She smiled and asked her, "Are you going to school?"
"I'm going to China next year. I can't afford to study anywhere else. Charles enrolled me in this. I don't know the whole story."
"Very good." Li Wenjing was happy for her, but couldn't help thinking of Ruth and sighed softly.
Nowadays people say that studying is not as good as learning manicure. Studying is useless. If you can't find a job, the diploma is just a piece of waste paper. Otherwise, she would not have come to Kenya.
Li Wenjing lay down again, not asleep, staring at the blue shirt on the hanger. It was spotless, not a single stain of blood. She felt like he was lying to her. Her head was still dizzy. She had vomited once, and her body was sweltering with sweat. She couldn't eat or sleep. She felt like a corpse lying in his bed, a piece of flesh slowly rotting. Suddenly, the wind chimes above her head rang, bringing with them the scent of life. She opened her eyes, and the sound of a motorcycle engine filled her ears.
He knocked on the door and walked in. There were several packs of sanitary napkins on the bedside table, both for daytime and nighttime use.
"I still have patients. The clinic is just outside the door. If you want to find me, just ring the bell hard and I will hear you." He shook the wind chimes on the mosquito net twice.
"Thank you, it's really troublesome for you."
"I didn't think of it. I packed so much stuff in Mombasa that I didn't even buy menstrual products. Sorry, they never told me about this. I guess it's a taboo here," he said. "I only just learned that women here can't stay in the same room with men during their period. They have to go to a separate room and wait until their period is over before leaving."
"In China, many women in rural areas can't afford sanitary napkins. My mother used sanitary belts with ash inside to absorb blood. Later, when I went to school, I was terrified of my period every month. I only had enough money to buy one pack a month. When it ran out, I would stuff toilet paper inside to absorb the blood. I've been able to get through it for many years without any infection. There's really no need to worry about me."
"I don't care about what happened in the past. At least now you are my patient. I have to be responsible for you. Don't think it's a bother for me. Just tell me what you want or where you feel uncomfortable. This is the doctor's job."
Li Wenjing was silent for a while, then took the handbag from the bedside table and said to him, "I'll give you the money."
"No, it's included in the medical expenses."
Gu Weiyi was afraid that she would force the money on him like Zhang Zhaochuan gave him cigarettes, so he hurried out.
"Brother Oxford is a nice guy. He gave up his room to you and came to sleep with us. He is also very polite." Zhang Zhaochuan said.
The two of them surveyed the site over the past two days, and the three of them met in the living room for a small meeting. Each of them had a laptop in front of them, and they clicked the mouse as they talked, the light from the screen sliding across their faces.
Zhao Haoran said, "Don't make big promises yet. Wait until he gives us a few thousand or tens of thousands of dollars for medical expenses, and then we'll behave ourselves. Outside, Chinese people always try to rip off other Chinese people."
Zhang Zhaochuan said, "Young man, Oxford brother is so educated, and he's French. How can such a noble client be interested in our money?"
All three of them laughed.
"Wenjing, what do you think? Brother Oxford is a good person, right?"
Li Wenjing smiled and nodded, "It's so good that it's a bit troublesome."
Then, Li Wenjing asked them about the site. Engineer Zhang showed her the photos. The plain grass was very flat and the location was good, at the intersection of a rural road. It happened to be market day, and many people were leading cattle and sheep to exchange small commodities.
Li Wenjing said, "I have to go check it out tomorrow. The soil quality, geology, and wind speed are all related to the structure, and photos can't show it."
"Are you feeling better now? A girl is working so hard."
"Why do you keep calling me a girl?" Li Wenjing said. "Besides the hospital I praised, the slum renovation work in Mombasa isn't finished yet. I've been sick these past few days and haven't done anything at all. If I don't do anything soon, the dean and the director will say I'm spoiled and send me back home!"
"He's joking! Seriously, the salary in Kenya is high, but it's hard work. It would be great to have the chance to return home!"
"I won't go back. You are the only ones allowed to earn money to support the family. Can't I earn more? I'm going to work!"
She set her computer on Gu Weiyi's desk and worked. She replaced the flower arrangement in the glass vase with a bouquet of small yellow daisies and sorted through the scattered books on her desk. She worked late into the night, the photo always with her: a chubby boy leaning against the arms of a Chinese woman. Engineering students are short on adjectives; it's hard to describe them. The only word is "beautiful." If anything, she looked a bit like Lin Daiyu.
I got up early the next morning, took two pills, and went to the venue under the scorching sun.
After measuring the soil quality, the sunlight shining into her eyes made her feel a little breathless. She sat down under a tree to rest. A paint-chipped Citroen stopped in front of her and Gu Weiyi opened the door and walked out.
"Why don't you stay in your room to recuperate? Get in the car and go back."
Li Wenjing forced a smile and said, "Boss, I'm working for you."
"There's no rush in these few days." Li Wenjing didn't get in the car, so he got out and handed her a bottle of water.
"Is the car repaired?"
"My brother just hand-welded the engine and fixed it for me."
"I'm sorry for leaving you on the road that day."
"You really did me wrong. If you had let me get on the bus earlier, I wouldn't have to wait all night for a doctor! I waited on the road for a long time and no bus came. I even walked to town and my shoes were worn out."
"Hi! Brother Oxford!" Seeing Gu Weiyi coming, Zhang Zhaochuan also went under the tree and took out a cigarette box and handed it to Gu Weiyi.
Gu Weiyi shook his head and said that he didn't smoke.
"Do Chinese people always offer cigarettes to each other when they meet? Is it a social etiquette?"
"When we're working on a project, at the dinner table, we just have cigarettes and alcohol, and that's basic respect," Zhang Zhaochuan said. "How did you meet?"
"Want to know?"
He suddenly laughed, put his arm around Zhang Zhaochuan's shoulders, and rubbed his face against his twice, which frightened Zhang Zhaochuan so much that he stood there in a daze, unable to react for a long time.
"Le bisou, the kiss on the cheek."
Zhang Zhaochuan smiled awkwardly and walked away. He walked too fast and accidentally tripped over his shoelaces.
Gu Weiyi asked, "Is it too open for you? Are all Chinese people conservative?"
"What's so conservative about that? Eating, drinking, and health care, don't miss out on anything."
“What is health care?”
"Just check it yourself, why are you always asking me?"
This guy never knows how to read the atmosphere. Li Wenjing ignored him and buried her head in writing her work notes.
As they were about to leave, Gu Weiyi asked Zhang Zhaochuan, "What is health preservation? Besides smoking, do Chinese people do this when they meet?"
Zhang Zhaochuan and Zhao Haoran laughed so hard that they couldn't straighten their backs.
"Brother Oxford, you want to go to the health center? Really, this village is so boring." Zhang Zhaochuan said with a smile, "I have a wife, I can't go with you. She'll beat me to death. It's better for Xiao Zhao to accompany you."
"No, I won't go either. I have a girlfriend in China too. She will fly over to see me soon."
Gu Weiyi looked at Li Wenjing again. She didn't say anything and glared at him. He quickly turned his eyes away.
Zhang Gong smiled and said, "Next time, ask Mr. Wu from the next team to come. He knows everything and has all the services you could want. He also has all the services you couldn't even imagine, including all-inclusive packages for Southeast Asia..."
"I can't control my lower body, it's so annoying, but I'm not afraid of getting sick," said Li Wenjing.
The topic ended there, blown away by the wind. The two stopped laughing, packed up their things and went back, calling Li Wenjing to get in the car.
She was angry, and Gu Weiyi didn't dare to ask any more questions. He drove silently and looked in the rearview mirror to see their car following behind.
Li Wenjing broke out in cold sweat along the way. When she returned to the village church, she fell on the bed and couldn't get up. She started vomiting again, as if she wanted to vomit out her entire stomach and even all the internal organs in her body.
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