CHAPTER 75: CHAPTER 75: TEMPTING THE DOCTOR WITH RICE

But you can’t solve the problem with children like this! Bai Ruxue took out the milk powder that had been kept warm in the supermarket space and fed it to her brother.

The little guy, Bai Rufeng, had a bit of a fever reduction, wasn’t so hot to the touch anymore, but still had a low-grade fever, lacked energy, and slept a lot. Bai Ruxue fed him milk powder, but he didn’t drink much.

"Don’t worry! It’ll be fine once we’re at the hospital!" Zhang Yuan gently comforted the worried-looking Bai Ruxue.

It was close to three o’clock when they arrived at Chenxi County and went straight to the county hospital without stopping.

Once at the hospital, they found it wasn’t much better than Pingyang Town. There were only a few staff nurses on duty, and they didn’t see any patients.

Bai Ruxue followed the nurse to pay the fees. They admitted her brother to the hospital, fed him antipyretic medication, and gave him an injection. His fever had gone down to thirty-seven degrees, and there wasn’t much of a problem.

Zhang Yuan saw Secretary Guo out, realizing that because of the New Year, the supply and marketing cooperative and the state-owned restaurant were closed, so there was nothing to eat!

Luckily, Bai Ruxue had the supermarket. Zhang Yuan stuffed two packs of cigarettes and a few large buns for Secretary Guo.

They had a lot of good stuff, but there was no way to carry much since the crossbody bag Bai Ruxue carried was small. If they took out too many things, it would arouse suspicion.

"Secretary Guo, we’ll properly thank you once we’re back in Pingyang Town!" Zhang Yuan said as he and Secretary Guo reached the parking area.

"Alright! Don’t worry about me! Go back and check on the child quickly! Don’t you think I understand the situation now? Even during holidays, being able to eat these buns is already great! If there isn’t a car on the way back, send a telegram, and I’ll pick you up!" Guo Chong said gently, got into his car, waved his hand, and drove away.

Mayor Guo had instructed to take good care of the little one. The people up top were impressive.

Zhang Yuan saw Secretary Guo off and returned to the hospital.

Bai Xue looked at her sleeping brother. Pneumonia isn’t resolved just by reducing the fever, so Bai Ruxue went to ask the nurse about the doctor’s situation. They had been there for quite a while, and only one doctor on duty had come by to prescribe antipyretics, with the nurses administering the medication and injections.

"Nurse sister, when does the pediatric doctor start their shift? My brother’s condition needs a pediatrician’s check!" Bai Ruxue found a dozing nurse at the station and asked.

"Comrade, our pediatrician is on a rotational break and won’t be on duty until the day after tomorrow!" The little nurse, seeing Bai Ruxue as a pretty and cute young girl, unconsciously became more accommodating.

"But my brother can’t wait! Is there any way to get a doctor to take a look?" Bai Ruxue was anxious.

In future scenarios, a call would bring a doctor over, but how to do that now?

"This...I don’t even know if the doctor is home. I’ll give you her address, and you can try finding her yourself! I can’t leave here!" The nurse said as she picked up a pen to write.

At this moment, Zhang Yuan arrived, "Xiao Xue? What’s going on? How’s Xiao Feng?"

"Xiao Feng’s fever subsided, but I’m getting the pediatrician’s address. She’s on a break, so we need to get her to come here to check on him!"

"Okay! I’ll go find her! You stay here with the child!"

The little nurse, who was writing, looked up when she heard the voice and saw Zhang Yuan, making her eyes go wide, and her face turned red unconsciously.

But thinking of the baby in the ward, she suppressed her thoughts.

Although the person was tall and handsome, he was already married and had a child.

"Here you go! The doctor’s address!" The little nurse handed the note to Zhang Yuan.

Zhang Yuan took the note and was about to leave when Bai Ruxue called him back.

"Zhang Yuan! Let’s talk in the ward!" Bai Ruxue called Zhang Yuan, and they both returned to the ward.

There were four beds in the ward, but there were no other patients, so when they returned, only the little guy was sleeping.

Bai Ruxue found that the ward was too cold and not as warm as home, so she took a blanket from another bed to cover her brother.

Looking at her sleeping brother, his little face turned red again as if he had a relapse of fever.

"Zhang Yuan, take this five kilos of rice with you. You can’t approach the doctor empty-handed, especially during the New Year!" Bai Ruxue said, taking a five-kilo bag of rice from the supermarket, which she had previously packed in a cloth bag.

"Alright! Don’t worry too much, girl! I’ll be back soon!" Zhang Yuan said and walked out.

Bai Ruxue stood still for a while before she remembered something, then took a box of fragrance from the supermarket and walked out.

She took the same type of fragrance that was sold to Chen Qiyue.

When she got to the nurse station, she saw the little nurse from before still there.

"Nurse sister, this is for you!" Bai Ruxue handed the fragrance over.

"Huh? For me?" Nurse Xiao Lan was initially startled, then looked at the fragrance, immediately realizing the valuable item in Bai Ruxue’s hand, and her smile widened unconsciously.

"Yes! It’s tough to be on duty during the New Year. I’m counting on you to take care of my brother!" Bai Ruxue said, placing the fragrance in her hand.

She realized this little nurse was responsible for their ward and had been handling everything since they arrived.

And since her brother would be hospitalized for a few days, befriending this nurse wouldn’t hurt.

"Brother? You’re saying that little boy is your brother?" Nurse Xiao Lan asked, looking surprised.

"Yes! Is there a problem?" Bai Ruxue asked.

"No, no, I just thought—hahaha, I was wrong, sorry!" Xiao Lan laughed brightly.

"You thought he was my son?" Bai Ruxue asked amused.

"Yes! I thought you two were the child’s parents!"

"We’re not his parents, just his sister and brother-in-law!" Bai Ruxue had already noticed the way this little nurse looked at Zhang Yuan, and after realizing Zhang Yuan wasn’t the child’s father, that longing look became more apparent.

She had no intention of creating trouble for herself, so she added that remark.

The little nurse felt awkward upon hearing this, then waved the fragrance in her hand a bit, "Thank you for the gift!"

Bai Ruxue returned to the ward, closed the door, and stayed beside her brother.

Even though she had lived to thirty in her past life, she had no understanding of babies. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be using fragrance as a bribe for the little nurse.

This way, if any major or minor issues arise, asking for her help might be easier, right?

Dusk fell early in winter, and by four o’clock, it was already dark.

Zhang Yuan returned with the pediatrician.

Zhang Yuan had found the doctor just as she was about to eat, with guests at her door, including a few daughters and sons-in-law.

Initially, the doctor wasn’t thrilled, but after presenting the five kilos of rice, her face broke into a smile, and she got ready and came along with Zhang Yuan.

Such was the evidence of how precious food was in this era and its great allure.

"The child has pneumonia! There’s also an upper respiratory infection! Why wasn’t he brought sooner? It’s quite serious! Young people are unreliable! The child isn’t well cared for!" The doctor, holding a stethoscope, listened to Bai Rufeng’s chest, tapped on his abdomen and sides with special techniques, and used a flashlight to examine his eyes and earlobes, finally coming to a conclusion after a thorough check.

Evidently, the doctor also assumed Bai Ruxue and Zhang Yuan were the child’s parents.

In this era, it wasn’t unusual for people of Bai Ruxue’s age to marry early, and given her mature aura, it wasn’t impossible for someone to assume her to be seventeen or eighteen.