After hesitating for a moment, he finally shrank back in embarrassment.
The doctor, fully aware of the patient's family's anxiety and helplessness, replied in a tone both professional and compassionate: "It's still timely, so treatment is possible, but it requires surgery and a period of hospitalization for recovery. The cost will likely be high, around 70 or 80 yuan."
This statement is both an optimistic outlook on the future and a direct statement of real economic pressures.
In that era of material scarcity, hospitalization was undoubtedly a luxury for many families, especially for rural families with meager incomes like Sun Fu and Qin Huixin. Faced with such high medical expenses, it was undoubtedly adding insult to injury, and they fell into deep worry.
As expected, a layer of gloom suddenly fell on the couple's faces.
After a year of hard work, the savings were very few. Most of the more than 30 yuan in hand came from Xu Qinghe's generous help yesterday. Thinking of Xu Qinghe, a young woman who was alone in the outside world, life was already difficult and she might not be well off. Where would the rest of the expenses come from?
Before anyone else could speak, Xu Qinghe smiled brightly and took the initiative to say, "It's okay, doctor. Please arrange the surgery as soon as possible. I'll go and settle the bill right away."
The doctor then noticed Xu Qinghe standing nearby. She was dressed simply without too many decorations, but her words and actions revealed a firmness and confidence beyond her age, which formed a sharp contrast with the couple who seemed a little cramped and had inferiority in their eyes.
The doctor was silent for a moment, then turned to look at Qin Huixin and his wife. After all, this was a major matter concerning their son, and the decision-making power should be returned to them.
Xu Qinghe turned around and soothed her with warm words: "Cousin, saving people is the most important thing. I have money on me, don't worry."
Qin Huixin's eyes were slightly red, and her heart was filled with indescribable gratitude.
They originally thought that Xu Qinghe's willingness to lend them money and her rushing over to help in the early morning was already a great favor, but they didn't expect that she had also considered the cost of surgery and hospitalization in advance. This deep friendship made them feel both heavy and warm. For a moment, they didn't know how to express their gratitude except to say thank you.
"Doctor, please arrange the surgery as soon as possible. We agree to the treatment!"
As the eldest son and the family's pillar, Sun Hongqi's health was directly linked to the family's future. Therefore, given a glimmer of hope, even if it meant owing an immeasurable debt of gratitude to Xu Qinghe, they chose treatment without hesitation, because nothing was more important to them than their son's health.
As for debts, I can only find ways to repay them slowly in the future.
The doctor nodded and then instructed two nurses to carefully carry the patient into the operating room.
"Aunt, the operation may take several hours. I'm here, so you can rest assured and take a rest."
The couple was embarrassed to leave, but after Xu Qinghe's repeated persuasion, and mentioning that their cousin would still need their care when he woke up, they reluctantly agreed to take a short rest.
Xu Qinghe went ahead and headed to the payment office. Fortunately, she had just received a manuscript fee from Director Li recently, so paying this fee did not bring too much burden to her.
On the way back, Xu Qinghe unexpectedly met an old acquaintance, the female doctor she met on the day she and Yin Yunjie got their marriage certificate.
"Ah, what a coincidence, comrade!"
The female doctor took the initiative to greet her, and Xu Qinghe smiled back, saying, "Yes, sister, we really are destined to meet."
As he spoke, he deftly pulled out a handful of exquisitely wrapped candies from his pocket. The colorful wrappers shone warmly in the sunlight. He gently handed them to the female doctor, a gentle smile playing on his lips. "I promised to treat you to wedding candy, and now I've fulfilled my promise."
There was a flash of unexpected surprise in the female doctor's eyes. Xu Qinghe actually remembered a joke that he had just said casually. This delicacy and sincerity made her feel warm, and her good impression grew quietly in her heart.
"Oh, look at you, you still remember such a small thing so clearly after such a long time!"
There was a hint of anger in the words, but more of it was the feeling of being remembered.
If she hadn't seen with her own eyes the scene where Xu Qinghe had just paid the bill, she would almost think that Xu Qinghe had come here specially just to fulfill his promise about the wedding candy.
"Happy events, of course, must be remembered deeply, so that we can share more joy!"
Xu Qinghe's words were like a spring breeze, gently blowing through the heart, making people feel warm and comfortable.
The two walked side by side, their steps unconsciously in sync, as if they were old friends.
In a relaxed and pleasant atmosphere, they introduced themselves to each other. Xu Qinghe then learned that this smiling female doctor was named Wang Cuilan. She had silently dedicated ten years of her youth to this hospital. Her face was filled with love and dedication to her work.
When Xu Qinghe announced his name, Wang Cuilan's face instantly showed a mixture of surprise and delight.
"Your real name is Xu Qinghe?"
Xu Qinghe nodded slightly, with doubt in his eyes, looking at the other person in confusion.
"Oh, by the way, I remember the last time you came to treat your wound, I specifically wrote down your name. No wonder I always felt like I'd heard it somewhere before. It turned out to be you!"
Wang Cuilan's hearty laughter echoed in the corridor. Seeing Xu Qinghe's confused expression, she continued, "You're from Fengtai Village, right? I think I've read about you somewhere."
Xu Qinghe nodded again in confirmation, and Wang Cuilan's smile widened. "That's right! I saw your report in the newspaper. You're truly admirable! Thanks to you, not only is the supply of vegetables in our city plentiful, but the prices have also become more affordable!"
Her words were full of sincere admiration.
"Oh, I should have guessed it was you. That morning, your dashing soldier came with you in full uniform, and I mistakenly thought you were siblings! Back then, I thought you were something special, but I never thought you were so capable!"
Wang Cuilan usually doesn't talk much, but today she seemed to have opened up and started to talk a lot. She praised Xu Qinghe highly and asked her curiously how she came up with those clever ideas to improve her life. She even lamented that her abilities were better than those of the educated young people from big cities.
The hospital was particularly quiet at this time. Wang Cuilan had no urgent work on hand, so she simply accompanied Xu Qinghe outside the operating room and chatted about family matters.
The topic inadvertently turned to the news Xu Qinghe had reported, and Wang Cuilan suddenly realized and asked, "The person who had the surgery was your relative, right? Was the condition serious?"
"It's my cousin. He broke his leg when he went hunting in the mountains."
Xu Qinghe explained softly.
In that era of material scarcity, although game was publicly owned, a few pheasants and rabbits were occasionally caught.
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