After getting out of the car, Shen Xuyue immediately squatted down: "Mingyue, get on, I'll carry you."
Zhao Mingyue covered her mouth and nose with her hand, glanced around, and said somewhat embarrassedly, "Forget it, I can walk by myself."
Shen Xuyue said, "I'll carry you to the infirmary; that will be faster."
Shen Xuyue waited quietly, but Zhao Mingyue didn't dare to go up. At school, she didn't dare to be as carefree as she was on the bus. Although the school didn't oppose dating, it didn't encourage it either. Some schools even had a policy of assigning couples to remote areas, deliberately breaking up couples. As a result, many college couples broke up before graduation so that the school could assign them to cities.
Although Zhao Mingyue didn't care much about the school's job assignment, she didn't want Shen Xuyue to be implicated. Being in a relationship is one thing, but being in a high-profile relationship is another.
"No need, I can walk, let's go." Zhao Mingyue had already walked ahead. Shen Xuyue knew she was embarrassed, so he picked up his things and followed her.
The head of the clinic was a young woman. She took Zhao Mingyue's temperature, which was already 39°C. The doctor said, "It's a high fever. She needs an injection."
Shen Xuyue comforted Zhao Mingyue, saying, "Mingyue, go back to sleep after the injection, cover yourself with a blanket, sweat it out, and you'll feel better tomorrow."
Zhao Mingyue nodded: "Okay."
A moment later, Shen Xuyue heard the sound of a medicine bottle hitting the trash can. The bottle hadn't gone in; it had bounced off the trash can and rolled to his feet. He looked at it and saw it was a bottle of penicillin. The female doctor was already approaching with a syringe: "Young man, could you please step aside for a moment? You're about to get an injection."
Shen Xuyue looked at her: "Why did you give her penicillin when she had a fever?"
The female doctor was taken aback by the question: "What's wrong with penicillin? It's the best antibiotic."
Shen Xuyue said, "No matter how good it is, it's not for fever. Penicillin is for killing bacteria and fighting infection. Besides, you're giving someone penicillin without even doing a skin test, and you just give it to them directly?"
The female doctor's face immediately darkened: "I hardly ever do skin tests here, and I've never seen anyone have any problems. I'm a doctor, and you should listen to me when you come here."
Shen Xuyue's face darkened further: "Where did you learn your medical skills? I've never studied medicine, and I know that penicillin can't be administered directly. If there's an allergic reaction, it can be fatal. Are you just going to treat people's lives like this?"
The female doctor's face flushed red: "What business is it of yours where I learned it? If you're so capable, why aren't you treating patients here, instead of making me treat you?"
Shen Xuyue reached out to help Zhao Mingyue: "Mingyue, let's go outside and take a look. Don't think that just because you're wearing a white coat you're a doctor. Let me give you a piece of advice: if you don't know something, don't pretend to know it. Go and learn properly, instead of treating human lives like dirt here."
Zhao Mingyue looked at Shen Xuyue, then stood up, and the two picked up their things to leave. The female doctor objected: "I've already prepared the medicine, and you're just leaving? Fine, pay me first."
Shen Xuyue turned to look at the female doctor: "I didn't give you any injections, why should I pay? Besides, medical care here is free." The school clinic provides free medical care.
"You think it's okay to waste money just because it's free? This medicine was prepared for you, and you didn't want it yourselves. Do you expect me to pay for it? You're wasting national resources! And you're a college student? Is this the kind of quality you have?" The female doctor persisted, even flattering them.
Zhao Mingyue was so feverish that she was drowsy and had no energy to argue with her, so she sat back down in her chair. Just then, an older man carrying a long-handled broom poked his head in and asked, "What's wrong?" He looked like a sanitation worker.
The female doctor said, "They wanted injections, so I gave them to them, but then they refused, wanting to waste the medicine."
Shen Xuyue was both amused and exasperated: "It's not that we don't want to give it, but she gives penicillin to people with fevers without even doing a skin test. We don't trust her, and when we wanted to leave, she thought we were being unreasonable."
The old man glanced at the female doctor and said softly, "Didn't I tell you last time that penicillin can easily cause allergies? If you encounter someone who has never been given penicillin before, you must do a skin test first."
The female doctor immediately stopped shouting: "I don't know where the skin test medication is; I can't find it right now."
The old man turned to look at Zhao Mingyue and asked, "How high is her fever?"
The female doctor said, "39℃, that's a high fever."
The old man turned to Zhao Mingyue and asked gently, "Are there any other symptoms?"
Zhao Mingyue said, "I just feel dizzy, thirsty, dry eyes, and like my nose is on fire."
The old man then asked, "Did you often get injections before?"
“Very few, I’ve hardly had any injections in the last two years,” Zhao Mingyue said, shaking her head.
The old man turned to the female doctor and said, "Give her an injection of Analgin."
The female doctor glared at Shen Xuyue resentfully, then turned to find the medicine, muttering, "What should we do with this medicine? Just throw it away?"
The old man said, "It's no longer needed; it's already been exposed to the air, so we can only squeeze it out and discard it. The fever reducers are Analgin and Metamizole, while penicillin is an anti-inflammatory and antibacterial drug; they can't be mixed up. Her fever was caused by a cold, so penicillin wouldn't have been effective." His voice remained gentle and unhurried, yet his tone carried an unquestionable authority.
Although the female doctor was unhappy, she did not refute anything.
Seeing the female doctor being scolded like a grandson by an elderly cleaner without saying a word, Shen Xuyue said to the old man, "Thank you, sir."
The old man turned his head, looked at the broom by the door, seemed to remember something, sighed, waved to Chen Xuyue, and turned to leave.
Zhao Mingyue knew that this old man was most likely a former doctor who had been persecuted and had not yet been able to resume his work.
When Zhao Mingyue received the injection, she inevitably suffered a bit of pain. The female doctor was ruthless and quick, plunging the needle into Zhao Mingyue's muscle in one go. Zhao Mingyue, feeling like she was at the mercy of the doctor, had no choice but to grit her teeth and endure it.
After receiving the injection, Zhao Mingyue grimaced and limped out of the infirmary. Shen Xuyue greeted her with concern: "Did the injection hurt a lot?"
"Yeah, a little bit. I won't come next time. I'll just go back and get some sleep." Zhao Mingyue said with a wry smile.
Shen Xuyue knew that the other party might be deliberately bullying Mingyue, but he also knew that he wouldn't be able to say anything if he went to confront them directly. He could only say indignantly, "What kind of situation is this? People who know how to treat illnesses are sweeping the floor, and people who should be sweeping the floor are giving injections with syringes. It's a complete mess."
Zhao Mingyue said anxiously, "Don't shout so loudly. These things are only temporary. Things will get better soon."
Shen Xuyue said, "Then I'll take you back. Go back and get some rest. Don't rush to study. Wait until you're better. Health is the foundation of everything."
Okay, I understand.
Shen Xuyue escorted Zhao Mingyue to the dormitory. After much persuasion with the dormitory supervisor, she finally agreed to let him in. When everyone saw them return, they all gathered around to greet them. Upon hearing that Zhao Mingyue was sick, they all reached out to touch her forehead with concern: "Xiao Zhao, go upstairs and lie down. Don't come down. We'll prepare food and water for you."
After taking care of Zhao Mingyue and giving her her medicine, Shen Xuyue opened the net bag that Aunt Fang had given him and looked inside. Inside were some beef jerky, raisins, hawthorn berries, and two cans of luncheon meat. He grabbed some beef jerky and a can of luncheon meat, and then placed the whole net bag on Zhao Mingyue's table: "Mingyue, these are snacks that Aunt Fang brought for us. I've put them on your table so you can eat with everyone."
Zhao Mingyue was already huddled under the covers: "Just leave us a little, take the rest back with you."
"I know, I took it." Shen Xuyue said goodbye to Zhao Mingyue's roommates and then left.
Zhao Mingyue's illness came on quickly and went away just as fast. Fortunately, she was young and had a good constitution, so she recovered the next day. However, she was still not in good spirits. Zhao Mingyue insisted on not going to the clinic for injections anymore, letting her body recover slowly on its own. Shen Xuyue was concerned about her health, so he rode his bicycle over the next day at noon and brought her apples and pears.
Zhao Mingyue felt sorry for him, saying, "I'm fine now, I'm all better. My roommates are very concerned about me. You should rest at noon so you'll have the energy to study in the afternoon. Don't come tonight either, just focus on your studies. I'll take care of myself. See you on the weekend!"
Shen Xuyue said, "I need to come and see for myself to feel at ease. The fever has gone down, right?" As he spoke, he reached out and touched Zhao Mingyue's forehead.
Zhao Mingyue shook her head: "The fever is gone, I was fine this morning. I still have a runny nose, but it's nothing serious."
Shen Xuyue said, "Then let's go get some more medicine."
"No need, I'll let it get better on its own. Once I recover from this cold, I'll have antibodies and won't catch a cold easily next time," Zhao Mingyue said. "By the way, you didn't even look at the things in the net bag Aunt Fang gave you, did you?"
Shen Xuyue said, "I saw it. I took some beef jerky and a can of luncheon meat."
Zhao Mingyue took out a wad of banknotes, grain coupons, and cloth coupons from her pocket and handed them to him: "Aunt Fang put these in the net bag. What does she need money and coupons for?"
Shen Xuyue looked at the money and tickets: "They're probably for us, in case we don't have enough to eat and wear."
"Here, take this." Zhao Mingyue handed the item to Shen Xuyue.
Shen Xuyue said, "Take this, just in case."
Zhao Mingyue shook her head: "I don't want it, Aunt Fang gave it to you. If I need it, I can just borrow it from you."
Shen Xuyue looked at her and then nodded: "Okay, I'll take it first. No need to say you're borrowing it, just ask me for it."
Two days later, both of their schools received a letter of commendation. The school wrote a notice on a large red paper and posted it on the bulletin board. In an instant, Shen Xuyue and Zhao Mingyue became famous at school, and their two dormitories also became famous overnight.
Zhao Mingyue's reputation was clearly more widespread because, as a girl, she dared to go into the water to save someone, a fact that earned her the admiration of many men. Zhao Mingyue noticed that her classmates were looking at her with a strange, almost disdainful, gaze.
Zhao Mingyue didn't take it seriously. The matter had already been done, and so far the response was quite good. At least she could add a few points to her conduct score, and it would also be a highlight in her file.
Soon after, a Beijing newspaper published a short article about a student visiting a doctor, lamenting how an incompetent doctor prescribed medication haphazardly, while a skilled but unqualified doctor simply swept the floor nearby. Although the article didn't explicitly criticize this phenomenon, it expressed a profound sense of helplessness, reflecting a sentiment shared by many at the time. The article was signed anonymously. It ended with a sentence: "The author is requested to contact this newspaper as soon as possible to collect payment." It seems the writer didn't include an address and probably didn't have high hopes for publication.
Over the weekend, Shen Xuyue brought the newspaper to show Zhao Mingyue. After reading it, Zhao Mingyue asked, "Did you write this?"
Shen Xuyue nodded: "Yes."
When Zhao Mingyue saw the last sentence of the article, she said, "Didn't you leave your address? They told you to contact the newspaper to collect your payment."
Shen Xuyue smiled and said, "Yes, I'll go back and write it now. I thought this kind of thing might not be published, so I didn't dare to leave my name. I didn't expect it to be published. This shows that our society is getting better and better. We can finally speak normally from now on."
"Yes, life will get better and better."
Shen Xuyue then remembered something else: "When I first arrived, I saw a notice over there about the X Province Hometown Association. Did you see it?"
Zhao Mingyue shook her head: "Not yet. A fellow townsman association?" She thought of Bian Hongyu, her fellow townsman.
“Yes, are you going? It would be nice to meet some fellow townsmen. No water is more beautiful than the water of our hometown, and no people are closer than those from our hometown.” Shen Xuyue sighed, “I also want to attend the hometown association meeting, but unfortunately I’m in my own hometown, and there are fellow townsmen everywhere.”
Zhao Mingyue thought for a moment, "Then I'll go take a look." Surely not everyone is as materialistic as Bian Hongyu. This is also a way to expand one's network. These students from previous years will become the backbone of society, especially those who were able to get into Beijing; their future development will generally be quite good. "Will you come with me?"
"It seems to be next Saturday night. I'll come over then and take you for a walk." Shen Xuyue had been working in the countryside in Moon Bay for many years and still had a deep affection for that land.
"good."
On Saturday afternoon, Shen Xuyue came over after class. He had dinner with Zhao Mingyue and then went to attend the hometown association meeting. The meeting place was on the grass on the west side of the library, which was the meeting place for the English Corner on Thursday. The lighting was a bit dim, but it wasn't a blind date event, so it didn't matter.
When Zhao Mingyue arrived, a desk had already been set up, and two men were sitting behind it. When they saw them, they said, "Hello, classmates, are you here to attend the X Province Hometown Association?" Their accents sounded like those of X Province.
Zhao Mingyue nodded: "Yes, you're all from X province?"
"Yes. My name is..." The other person introduced himself first, then handed over a pen, "Sign your name, and leave your hometown, department, class, and dormitory number. It will be convenient for us fellow townsmen to contact each other if we have any activities in the future."
Zhao Mingyue took the pen and wrote down her information. A boy with a buzz cut and glasses took the pen and paper Zhao Mingyue handed back, glanced at the name, and said, "Hey, aren't you the Zhao Mingyue from the commendation letter last time?"
Zhao Mingyue paused for a moment, then nodded: "Yes, it's me."
The other person extended their hand: "Hello, hello! It's such an honor. You are the pride of our X province."
Another person with slightly longer hair looked at Shen Xuyue and said, "Hey, classmate, write down your information too."
Shen Xuyue smiled and waved his hand: "I'm not from X province, but I was sent to work in the countryside in Jinan before, so I guess you could call me a fellow townsman."
"That's really fate! Let me exchange my contact information with you, let's be friends." The other party enthusiastically asked Shen Xuyue to exchange his information.
Shen Xuyue hesitated for a moment and said, "I'm not from your school, is that okay?"
Once the other party heard that he wasn't from their school, they stopped insisting.
It seemed there weren't many people from X Province at the Normal University; Zhao Mingyue and her companion had been there for over ten minutes without seeing a second group. They had already started chatting with the two people in charge, who were also freshmen from this batch, but they were both quite old. One of them had been teaching at the university for five years and was in the mathematics department, while the other was in the Chinese literature department—the one with the flat-top glasses.
A fellow student from our hometown who majored in mathematics said, "Could it be just the three of us?"
Zhao Mingyue said, "I've met another one. She's from the Department of Political Science and Law, and she's a girl. I don't know if she'll come."
Just then, Bian Hongyu and a girl came over. When they saw Zhao Mingyue and Shen Xuyue, they looked at them with slight surprise, but then they returned to normal and greeted Shen Xuyue with a smile: "What a coincidence, we've run into you again. This isn't your hometown association meeting, is it?"
Shen Xuyue chuckled: "No, it doesn't count. I came with my partner."
The girl who came with her looked at Shen Xuyue and Zhao Mingyue with surprise: "You two know each other?"
Bian Hongyu said, "It just so happened that we came all the way here on the train."
"That's quite a coincidence." This girl was also from the provincial capital; her name was Hu Yu, and she was in the foreign languages department. Zhao Mingyue looked at Hu Yu curiously, full of suspicion. She hadn't even taken the foreign language exam last year. Did the foreign languages department even recruit students? And through what channels did they recruit her?
A little while later, two men arrived. These were probably all the students from X province from their university, making a total of seven people. Zhao Mingyue was well-known for her rescue, so everyone knew her. Shen Xuyue was also mentioned; he was on the commendation list, and it turned out they were the two who had rescued him together. After learning that Shen Xuyue was from Tsinghua University, everyone insisted he leave his contact information. After all, he was a local from Beijing, and they could ask him for help if needed. The person in charge copied everyone's contact information into seven copies on the spot and gave one to each person.
Everyone chatted for a while, and then went their separate ways. Shen Xuyue and Zhao Mingyue didn't go back to the library to read either. Instead, they sat on a bench on campus and chatted. Beijing in March already had a hint of spring in it, unlike the biting cold of winter. It was nice to sit outside for a while at night.
Zhao Mingyue laughed and said, "I originally thought that by making some friends, I could ask someone for help if I encountered any difficulties in the future. But it turns out they're more interested in you. I hope they won't all come to you for help with everything."
Shen Xuyue smiled and said, "It shouldn't be that bad. If they really come looking for us, there's nothing we can do but try our best."
"Don't agree to everything; learn to say no." Shen Xuyue has the common characteristics of people of this generation: too honest and warm-hearted. If people ask him for help with everything, big or small, it can indeed be quite troublesome.
“Okay, I know.” Shen Xuyue suddenly said with emotion, “Mingyue, sometimes I feel that you are as innocent as a little girl, but sometimes I feel that you are also a very mature and sensible woman, understanding and knowledgeable about human relationships.”
Zhao Mingyue's heart skipped a beat, but she said, "Really?"
Shen Xuyue quietly took her hand in his: "I think so. It's fine this way, you don't need to think about changing anything." A woman who can blend innocence and maturity has a fatal attraction for men.
Zhao Mingyue secretly breathed a sigh of relief. To be honest, this matter had been weighing on her mind, making her feel uneasy. She always felt that her weathered soul was not good enough for him, and that she was deceiving him. Now, hearing him say this, she was filled with mixed emotions. So be it.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com