Chapter 34
He Jingyan had a high fever of 39.8 degrees Celsius. The doctor on duty first gave him a shot to reduce the fever, then prescribed an IV drip.
Ye Qingzhi’s heart ached as she looked at his flushed little face, his forehead covered in beads of sweat.
This child usually didn’t talk much and always worked silently. He didn’t even say when he was feeling unwell. She didn’t know how long he had been suffering.
“Are you thirsty? Can you sit up? I’ll go get you some water,” Ye Qingzhi said. Seeing him sweating so much, she guessed he must be thirsty and asked gently, looking down at him.
Seeing that he didn’t say anything, Ye Qingzhi took it as a yes. She gently placed him on a chair, preparing to go find a nurse to get some hot water. But her hand was suddenly held tightly by a small hand.
“I’m not thirsty.”
Ye Qingzhi saw the doctor coming over with the IV drip and thought he was afraid of needles. She smiled and stroked his head. “Do you need to go to the toilet? You should probably go first. It’ll be a hassle later with the needle in your hand.”
He Jingyan glanced at the IV drip and nodded.
“Doctor, I’ll take the child to the toilet first. We’ll be right back,” Ye Qingzhi said, helping him into the restroom.
An eight-year-old child, though he might seem not to understand, actually understood quite a lot, especially a precocious child like He Jingyan. So Ye Qingzhi just stood guard at the door.
By the time the IV drip was set up, it was already past three in the morning. Ye Qingzhi touched his forehead. The fever-reducing shot had worked well, and his temperature had already dropped a lot.
“Jingyan, you stay here with the drip. I’m going back to get some things. I’ll be right back. If you need anything, just call the nurse over there, okay?” Ye Qingzhi asked in a low voice.
He Jingyan nodded. “It’s fine. I can manage.”
Ye Qingzhi was worried. She went to the nurse again. “Doctor, my son is on an IV drip over there. Could you please help me keep an eye on him? I’m going home to get some things. I’ll be right back.”
Cao Liya nodded quickly. “Okay, I’m here. Don’t worry. You don’t have to be in such a hurry.”
“Thank you,” Ye Qingzhi said. She felt that this young nurse had a pretty good impression of her. “Do you know me?”
“We’ve met once, at the bathhouse,” Cao Liya said with a faint smile.
Hearing this, Ye Qingzhi’s face flushed slightly. She smiled and nodded. “Then I’ll have to trouble you. I’ll be back soon.”
It was a little over a mile from the hospital to the family compound. It was dark and snowing heavily. If it weren’t for being in the military camp, where all evil was repelled, Ye Qingzhi would have been really scared to walk alone so late at night.
“Who’s there? Not sleeping so late?” The young soldier on duty asked, seeing the light from a flashlight.
Ye Qingzhi was startled by the sudden voice. She clutched her pounding heart. “I’m a military wife. My child has a high fever and is getting an IV at the hospital. I’m going home to get some things.”
“Oh, then you should hurry. Do you need help?” The young soldier asked, seeing that Ye Qingzhi was alone and guessing that her husband must be on a mission.
“Thank you, no need to trouble you. If I really need help, I’ll find you,” Ye Qingzhi said, nodding at him and running off.
Looking at Ye Qingzhi’s back, the young soldier felt he had seen her somewhere before. Then he slapped his forehead. Wasn’t this Regiment Commander He’s wife? He had seen her at the main gate when she first arrived at the base. And because of her, he had to wash someone’s smelly socks for a month.
It was no secret that Regiment Commander He was on a mission. He hadn’t expected it was his child who had a high fever. He would pay more attention later and see if he could help in any way.
Meanwhile, Ye Qingzhi had already returned home. Although her voice was soft, she still woke up Ye Anmin, or rather, he hadn’t been asleep.
“Mama, how’s big brother?” Ye Anmin asked in a low voice, sitting up in bed.
“He got a fever-reducing shot, and the fever has gone down. He’s on an IV drip now. It’s fine. You should go to sleep and watch your younger brothers. I’ll just get some things and go,” Ye Qingzhi said, stroking Ye Anmin’s head and then his forehead. He didn’t have a fever.
She made a large bowl of brown sugar water and poured it into a military canteen, took a blanket and a dry towel, and after thinking for a moment, also took some biscuits and nougat.
“Anmin, are you still awake? Go to sleep. Your big brother is really fine. I’m going to the hospital now,” Ye Qingzhi said softly, then turned and hurried to the hospital.
The IV drip was only one-third done. Ye Qingzhi first checked his hand to make sure the needle hadn’t come out. She tucked a dry towel into He Jingyan’s back to prevent the sweat-soaked undershirt from sticking to him uncomfortably.
“Have some hot water first. I brought biscuits and nougat. You must be hungry. Have some to fill your stomach,” Ye Qingzhi said, opening the canteen to feed him.
“I’ll do it myself.” The needle was in his left hand, so He Jingyan could hold things himself.
Ye Qingzhi had filled it a bit too full. Worried that he couldn’t hold it with one hand, she supported it from below.
“Do you want a biscuit or nougat?” The biscuits were the salty milk biscuits she had bought in town last time. Ye Qingzhi hadn’t been used to them at first, but now she found them very fragrant to chew on.
“Nougat,” He Jingyan said. He didn’t feel hungry, or rather, he had no appetite. But he was afraid Ye Qingzhi would worry, so he asked for a piece of nougat.
Ye Qingzhi touched his forehead again. It was still a little hot, but not as burning as before. A little relieved, she had him stand up, put half the blanket on the stool, and covered him with the other half, and also covered him with a piece of clothing.
“Are you cold?” It was minus twenty degrees outside. Although the hospital had heating, it was at most two or three degrees above zero.
“It’s alright. I’m not very cold,” He Jingyan said. He felt he could bear it.
She touched He Jingyan’s hand. It was a little cold, especially the one with the IV drip. In the future, there would be warmers for IV tubes, so the fluid wouldn’t be so cold when it entered the body. But there were no such conditions now.
Looking at the few coals in the brazier, she was inexperienced. She had forgotten to bring charcoal when she went home just now.
She glanced at the dozing young nurse, grabbed a handful of candy, and walked to the nurse’s station.
“Thank you for helping me look after him just now. My name is Ye Qingzhi. I don’t know how to address you,” Ye Qingzhi said, stuffing the candy into the young nurse’s hand.
“I can’t accept it,” Cao Liya quickly refused, pulling her hand back. “It’s my duty to look after patients. There’s no need to thank me. Um, my name is Cao Liya.”
“Take it. It’s just a few pieces of candy for a new sister I’ve met. Are you the only nurse on duty at night? What time do you get off?” Ye Qingzhi asked curiously.
“There’s only one doctor and one nurse on duty in the outpatient department. We start at twelve at night and get off at seven in the morning,” Cao Liya said. Unable to refuse, she had no choice but to take the candy and put it in her pocket, her face red, and she whispered a thank you.
Ye Qingzhi looked at Cao Liya carefully. She had a round face, round eyes, and a shy little expression, which was very cute. It was just that she had a lot of pimples on her face, which might be related to her staying up late.
“It must be hard to work the night shift, right? You should put more charcoal in this stove. Otherwise, it’s so cold to sit here,” Ye Qingzhi said, glancing at He Jingyan. He was leaning against her, resting with a small blanket. The posture didn’t look very comfortable. She was about to go over and hold him.
“We take turns on the night shift. We’re used to it. Is there any charcoal left in your brazier? If not, I have some here,” Cao Liya said, glancing at Ye Qingzhi’s face. Her skin was so good, so fair and tender. She was also beautiful. You couldn’t tell she had had children at all. Her sister had not lost to her in vain.
Unexpectedly, she had brought it up herself. Ye Qingzhi quickly thanked her. “Thank you. I’ll consider it a loan from you. I’ll return it tomorrow.”
Ye Qingzhi scooped a ladle of charcoal and poured half of it into the brazier. She blew on it gently, and the surroundings immediately warmed up a lot.
She had He Jingyan lie on his side on her lap to rest, one arm supporting his head, and the other holding his wrist with the IV drip.
Perhaps because of the medicine, He Jingyan was so sleepy his eyes could hardly stay open. So he obediently followed Ye Qingzhi’s arrangement and fell asleep in her arms in no time.
Ye Qingzhi was also sleepy, but she had to keep an eye on the IV drip, afraid that she would fall asleep and not notice, which would be bad if the blood flowed back.
After about half an hour, the first bottle of fluid was almost empty. Ye Qingzhi called Cao Liya to help change it.
“Nurse Cao, Nurse Cao?” Ye Qingzhi called several times, but Nurse Cao seemed to have fallen asleep and didn’t react at all. Instead, He Jingyan in her arms was woken up by her.
Seeing his dazed and confused look, Ye Qingzhi gently patted his arm. “It’s fine. It’s time to change the medicine. You sit up for a while. I’ll go call the nurse.”
When Ye Qingzhi helped He Jingyan sit up, the arm that had been supporting his head couldn’t be lifted for a moment.
With a soft hiss, Ye Qingzhi rubbed her arm and went to find Cao Liya.
She pushed Cao Liya. Seeing her look at her in confusion, she quickly said, “My son’s IV drip is finished. Please help me change it.”
“Hmm? Oh, I’m sorry. I fell asleep. I’ll go and change it right away,” Cao Liya said, clearing her throat and immediately running to change the IV drip.
Although the second bottle was small, the drip was slower than the first. Overall, the time should be about the same.
After sitting down, Ye Qingzhi gestured for He Jingyan to continue to lie down and sleep, but he refused.
“I’m not sleepy anymore. I want to sit and rest for a while,” He Jingyan said, his eyes lowered, his gaze on Ye Qingzhi’s arm.
Unable to refuse him, Ye Qingzhi could only sit to his left and continue to hold his wrist.
“You should rest for a while. I’m not sleepy. I can watch the IV drip myself,” He Jingyan said, seeing Ye Qingzhi’s tired face, his tone a little worried.
“I’m not sleepy. You should close your eyes and sleep for a while. When you’re sick, you need to rest more to get better quickly,” Ye Qingzhi said. She had already passed that sleepy stage and was not sleepy at all now.
He Jingyan stole a glance at Ye Qingzhi, wanting to ask her why she was so good to him.
If she was pretending, why did she pretend so well?
And could she pretend for a lifetime?
Ye Qingzhi had no idea that He Jingyan had so many thoughts. After the IV drip was finished, she found Cao Liya to remove the needle and took his temperature again. It was now 36.8 degrees. His temperature had dropped, and he would be fine after taking some medicine.
“Alright, go home and take your medicine on time. You don’t have to come back for another shot,” Cao Liya said, looking at the little adult-like He Jingyan and deliberately teasing him.
“Hurry up and thank Sister Cao,” Ye Qingzhi said, patting He Jingyan’s back.
“Thank you, Sister Cao,” He Jingyan said obediently.
Cao Liya quickly waved her hand. “It’s my duty. There’s no need to thank me specially. It’s getting late. You should go back and rest.”
“I still have to say thank you. Then we’ll be going now. How should I return the charcoal to you? Should I send it here directly or to your home?” Ye Qingzhi didn’t want to take advantage of others.
“No need, no need. That’s provided by the hospital. You don’t have to return it to me,” Cao Liya said, waving her hand again.
Because of the shortage of resources, although the hospital had heating, it was mainly for the intensive care unit and the first-class wards. Other wards were provided with braziers, in which charcoal or coal was burned.
Since it was provided by the hospital, Ye Qingzhi naturally did not have to return it. She thanked Cao Liya again and took He Jingyan home.
“Mama~” Hearing the noise, Ye Anmin sat up, rubbing his eyes.
This child must not have slept soundly. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have woken up with just a little noise.
“It’s still early. Don’t get up. Jingyan, you should hurry up and take off your clothes and get into the quilt. Don’t go to school today,” Ye Qingzhi said, then to Ye Anmin, “Anmin, Ma is going to sleep for a while. There are steamed buns and dumplings on the windowsill by the back door. You can steam whatever you want to eat later. Also, heat up the tofu I made yesterday. After you’ve eaten, you and Anjie can go to school and ask for leave for your big brother.”
“Okay, Mama, you should go to sleep. I’m here,” Ye Anmin immediately nodded.
The heated brick bed was still warm. Ye Qingzhi took off her clothes and pants and got into the quilt. With a comfortable sigh, she fell asleep in no time. When she woke up again, it was already past ten. From the noise, it seemed that the few children were all at home.
It seemed the school was closed today. That was good. Going to school in such cold weather could really freeze a person.
“Qingzhi, Qingzhi, I heard your Jingyan has a fever,” Yang Xiaorou’s voice came from far to near.
She didn’t see Ye Qingzhi in the living room, so she asked Ye Anmin, “Where are your ma and your big brother? Are they still at the hospital?”
“They came back in the morning. My ma and my big brother are both sleeping in the room,” Ye Anmin said, moving a stool for Yang Xiaorou to sit on and also pouring her some hot water.
“Don’t bother.” Looking at the sensible Ye Anmin and thinking of her own son, Yang Xiaorou couldn’t help but feel a little disgusted.
On second thought, there was a reason why these few children were so sensible. Thinking of why they were so sensible, she would rather her child not be sensible.
“Then I’ve come at a bad time. Have you had breakfast? How about you come to my house for lunch? You can just bring some back for your ma and your big brother,” Yang Xiaorou said, thinking this was a great idea.
“No need, Auntie Xiaorou. We’ve already had breakfast. I can make lunch,” Ye Anmin said. Seeing Yang Xiaorou’s disapproving look, he immediately said, “Back home, when Mama was tired from working in the fields, my brother and I would mostly cook.”
“You can cook?” Yang Xiaorou’s heart ached for them even more.
If they had a father, how could the two children have learned to cook at such a young age?
Although the two little brothers could cook, Yang Xiaorou still wanted to take them back to her own house for lunch.
Hearing the noise outside, Ye Qingzhi quickly shouted, “Xiaorou, is that you?”
“It’s me.” Yang Xiaorou knocked on the door. After getting Ye Qingzhi’s permission, she went in.
This was her first time in Ye Qingzhi’s bedroom. The heated brick bed was against the wall of the kitchen. There were two boxes at the head of the bed, which could both store things and serve as bedside tables. At the foot of the bed was a wardrobe for underwear and quilts.
On the wall of the outer room was a chest of drawers. Opposite the heated brick bed was a large wardrobe, and there were also two stools. There was nothing else.
“Qingzhi, is Jingyan alright?” Yang Xiaorou asked with concern, seeing the dark circles under Ye Qingzhi’s eyes.
“It’s fine. After the shot, the fever has gone down,” Ye Qingzhi said, getting dressed. “I can make lunch myself. You don’t have to worry.”
Hearing this, Yang Xiaorou stopped worrying. Worried about disturbing Ye Qingzhi’s rest, she chatted for a few more sentences and then left.
She had originally thought that it would be fine after the fever went down, but after lunch, He Jingyan’s temperature rose again. Ye Qingzhi wiped the sweat from his forehead, dressed him, and carried him to the hospital again.
38.9 degrees. A little better than in the early morning, but still a high fever.
“What do we do now? Does he need another fever-reducing shot?” Ye Qingzhi asked anxiously.
“It’s fine. We’ll give him another fever-reducing shot, and then he can come back for an IV drip after dinner,” the doctor said, quickly writing a prescription and telling Ye Qingzhi to take He Jingyan for a shot.
When they arrived at the injection room, Cao Liya was no longer there. She had been replaced by a nurse with a melon-seed-shaped face, fair skin, and pretty features.
“Hello, doctor. Please give my son a shot,” Ye Qingzhi said, handing her the prescription the doctor had written.
“What doctor? I’m a nurse. Don’t get it wrong. Really, can’t you tell the difference between a doctor and a nurse?” Cao Liyan said with a frown, not very pleased.
Ye Qingzhi also frowned. Was this nurse crazy? How could she find fault with this?
“I’m sorry, nurse. Please give my son a shot.” For the sake of her child, she would endure it.
“What’s the hurry?” Cao Liyan glanced at the prescription and got up to prepare the medicine.
Ye Qingzhi was a little confused. Then she thought of Cao Liya, who had a good impression of her. Could this nurse also know her? Or had she heard rumors about her, and bad ones at that?
When He Jingyan was getting the shot, Ye Qingzhi got straight to the point. “Comrade nurse, you seem to have a big opinion of me. Do you know me?”
Cao Liyan’s eyes widened. She had not expected Ye Qingzhi to be so direct.
“I don’t know you. Alright, sit there for ten minutes. If you’re fine, you can go back,” Cao Liyan said, her tone still not very good, but not as aggressive as before.