A century of poverty

Chapter 121 At stake

A short while later, Su Kai ran back, his face pale: "Something's wrong! My fourth brother is in trouble! Let's go!"

My head buzzed, my heart pounded, and I jumped up and ran home without thinking. When I opened the shop door and went inside, I saw Zhiqiang lying in a pool of blood, the door leading to the yard open. Beside him were broken beer bottles, the beer spilled on the ground mixing with the blood, flowing far away.

I ran over and hugged Zhiqiang's head, calling out, "Zhiqiang! Zhiqiang! What's wrong? Say something! Wake up, open your eyes and look!"

Then someone shouted, "Go! Drive there! Get to the hospital right away!"

People hurriedly lifted Zhiqiang into the car, and I still held his head, saying, "Zhiqiang! You know what? We're taking you to the hospital, you'll be fine in a little while, don't worry!"

At this moment, Zhiqiang slightly opened his eyes, then closed them again.

Upon arriving at the emergency room, the on-duty doctor examined the patient and said, "The patient's injuries are serious." He wrote out a form for medical examinations: "Go get those done." He added, "The patient needs to be hospitalized; go and complete the admission procedures."

I didn't know what the instrument was checking; I only had a piece of paper in my hand that I couldn't understand.

More than two hours have passed since I arrived at the inpatient department. The medical staff couldn't say anything, and patients were leaving one by one without a treatment plan or any clear explanation.

Find them and ask, just to reassure them, don't worry, wait a moment...

Judging from the cuts on his clothes, Zhiqiang had about five knife wounds: two on his abdomen and three on his shoulder.

The family members were extremely anxious.

After pacing around the corridor a few times, Su Zhiyu, the eldest sister from her uncle's family, called her classmate: "My fourth brother is seriously injured and in critical condition. He's been waiting at your hospital for hours, but no one has organized a rescue. Where are you?!"

The person who answered her call was Dr. An Pingmin, a surgeon at the hospital: "I'm at home, friends are coming over for a visit, I'm entertaining guests."

Su Zhiyu: "You need to come back to the hospital right away. If this keeps dragging on, won't he die?"

An Pingmin: "I'll go right away! You guys wait."

Twenty minutes later, An Pingmin arrived at the hospital operating room. He instructed the medical staff, "Quickly organize a rescue!"

"This patient's injuries are severe; there is no need for further treatment!"

"If it's unsuccessful, we'll take responsibility; it's better not to have surgery."

Medical staff expressed differing opinions.

An Pingmin: "Alright, the credit goes to everyone. If we can't save them, it's my fault. They told me, 'This has nothing to do with you. Follow me!'"

The nurse brought in two bags of blood. The blood bags were ice-cold, just taken out of the refrigerator, and were still oozing steam, forming droplets that flowed out in streaks.

Su Zhijuan said to me, "Warm it up in your arms." She handed me a bag and took one for herself.

I honestly lifted my cotton coat and placed the icy blood bag under my armpit. I immediately felt the chill, like a knife piercing my heart, unbearable. I gritted my teeth and endured it. After more than ten minutes, my left side became numb and cold, and when I touched the blood bag with my right hand, it was still cold.

I glanced at Su Zhijuan: she was sliding the blood bag between her elbows with one hand. She probably saw how pitiful I looked, suffering from the icy cold and feeling utterly helpless.

He said, "If you can't stand it, just take it out."

I took out the blood bag that I had kept close to my armpit for more than ten minutes. It had hurt me badly but hadn't done anything useful. Little did I know that this cold had planted the seeds for a serious recurrence of rheumatism on the left side of my body.

More than an hour into the surgery, the operating room door opened, and a nurse peeked in and called out, "Patient's family, go get the plasma, 400cc."

At that moment, I squatted helplessly against the wall opposite the operating room. Zhiqiang and I hadn't slept for days and nights. I felt powerless and empty, and I was numb.

After receiving the blood plasma form, I swayed a few times and quickly leaned against the wall.

I said to Su Lixin, the daughter of my second brother-in-law Su Zhiru, who was sitting next to me, "Lixin, would you mind going to get the blood plasma for your fourth aunt?"

Su Lixin was on winter break from university. She said, "Okay!" and took the order, going downstairs. She returned a short while later, delivering two bags of blood plasma to the operating room door.

At this moment, a doctor in a white coat came to inform us: "The patient's family owes money and needs to pay a deposit."

I was completely at a loss. I had just brought all the money from home, and now that it's dark, where am I supposed to find any more money?

At that moment, Su Zhijuan, Su Zhichun, and Su Lei came into my view. Yes, wasn't that the money bag Su Zhichun was carrying—the one used to spend money during the day and collect money over the next few days?

I mustered my courage and went to their side: "Sister, use the money in your pocket to pay me back first. I'll find the money tomorrow. It's dark right now, where am I supposed to find the money?"

Su Zhichun said coldly, "No! This money cannot be touched."

The hospital just asked for payment, and my siblings and I were all there; we witnessed it all.

I was really worried and wondering who I could borrow money from at this time.

Third Brother Su Zhiguang said, "I have two thousand here, I'll hand it over first."

I took the money, but before I could even say thank you.

Third Brother: "Hurry up and hand it in."

Finally, the operating room door opened, the hospital bed was wheeled out, and we went to greet it.

Dr. An: "The surgery was a great success; we performed beyond our usual standard!"

Together we pushed Zhiqiang back to his ward; it was already past 11 p.m.

The elder brother and the two brothers arrived. Seeing that Zhiqiang had been saved, they breathed a sigh of relief and went back at dawn.

"Your life is saved. There are still 48 hours of critical period. Contact us anytime if there are any problems," the nurse told her, then hung up the IV drip and left.

Seeing that everything was alright, everyone went home.

Su Zhijuan stayed with me. She spread the cut-up pieces of her sweater on the straw mat on the empty bed and lay down to rest. I sat on the stool, looking at Zhiqiang's face.

Just moments ago, this person was full of life, but in the blink of an eye, they collapsed here, their body riddled with tubes, looking extremely weak, with their cheekbones showing.

More than ten hours later, an extremely weak voice uttered, "Water, water..."

I picked up the cup to pour water.

Su Zhijuan: "No, you can't give him water. Use a cotton swab to dab some water on his lips."

Twenty-four hours later, Su Zhiyu and Su Zhihua (the eldest daughter of the third uncle) came to visit again. Seeing that everything was alright, they were both relieved.

When we got back, I saw him outside and said, "Thank you so much, Zhiyu! Your fourth brother was saved from death."

Su Zhiyu: "No need for thanks! We're family. But this was really close. Dr. An said that since the hospital was closed for the Spring Festival, he was the one who gathered everyone here. This surgery was an exceptional effort; in our hospital, it's normal if we can't save him. His abdominal cavity was full of blood, so they had to insert their fingers into a vein to stop the bleeding. Fourth Brother suffered several internal injuries and lost 3500cc of blood, resulting in hemorrhagic shock. He'll need to recover for a while. Take good care of him! We're leaving now; we'll come back to see him another day!"

Zhiqiang is past the "danger period" but is still in the hospital bed, and I can't leave. I wonder how things are at home.

I started to worry about my children and home.

"Dad! Dad! How are you?" Su Long came to his father's bedside.

Zhiqiang opened his eyes and whispered, "Dad's all better now. Who did you come with?"

Su Long turned to look at the doorway.

It was Li Zhengfang, Zhou Ping, and several other neighbors. I quickly went up to them and said, "You're all so busy, yet you still came to visit us in the hospital, and you've even spent money on us!"

The group put down the fruit, and Li Zhengfang's third sister, who was in the lead, said, "What's all the fuss about? No matter how busy you are, you still have to come and see, right? With such a big thing happening, who wouldn't be worried!"

I handed over a plastic stool and gestured to the side of the bed: "Sit here, let's all sit and talk!"

Li Zhengfang: "No, don't sit down. Go home and check on things. Your second brother is looking after the shop. Your sister-in-law says the stove in the shop is hard to heat, and the water and beer might freeze!"

Me: "Oh—you're so busy with this, you don't even care about your family!"

Li Zhengfang earnestly said, "He's alright now. Go back and visit him when you have time. Here, this is a key your second sister-in-law asked me to give you." As she spoke, she handed me a key tied with an old red cloth.

"We're going back." The group walked outside.

I agreed and got up to see him off. We went to the corridor, but hadn't even left the hospital entrance yet.

Just then, my eldest and second eldest brothers arrived.

Upon entering the ward and seeing that Zhiqiang was in much better spirits, his older brother exclaimed happily, "You're recovering quite quickly!"

The patient in the next bed said, "He can lift himself up and get back up easily; he doesn't seem sick, of course he'll recover quickly!"

Just then, a doctor in a white coat came in and put down a form. "Bed three is out of bills, go pay."

After she left, I said, "How come you're out of money so quickly!"

The elder brother said, "I've gathered some, you can hand it in first!" He then pulled a handful of things out from inside his cotton coat.

I happily took the money and went to pay the fee.

After returning, he said, "Those people who came earlier told me to go back."

"Can't Su Long stay here tonight? He can't be discharged yet."

Big Brother: "Go back, we'll stay here. When you come back, I'll take Su Long to my house."

I felt relieved: "Okay then!"