“Alright, alright, thank you for taking him to the hospital. I’ll tell him right away.”
Uncle Zhang said, “You’re welcome. I’ll hang up now.”
Zhou Jinbei suddenly thought of another crucial issue.
“Uncle Zhang, do you have money for medical expenses? Should I transfer some to you?”
“No, no. We’ll talk about it when Ah Zhong gets back.”
After hanging up, Zhou Jinbei went to push Ah Zhong.
“Wake up, wake up! Zhong Jiaming, Zhong Jiaming? Wake up!”
Unfortunately, the medicine had just taken effect, and coupled with his fatigue, Ah Zhong was sleeping very soundly. She couldn’t wake him up at all.
Zhou Jinbei thought, even if she woke him up, what could he do in his current state?
Sighing, she found Ah Zhong’s suitcase, opened it, and rummaged through it.
She successfully found his wallet.
Taking out his ID, she used her phone to pinpoint an address.
She decided to go back in his stead to check on his father.
Since her work was busy here and she couldn't leave, she would act as his assistant and go home to take care of his father.
Zhou Jinbei left him a note, held it down with her phone, grabbed the car keys, and set off.
After more than four hours on the highway, plus the winding roads within the city, it took her over six hours to reach Ah Zhong’s doorstep.
It was past three in the morning, and the streets were as quiet as could be.
Fortunately, the rain had stopped, and visibility was clear.
Zhou Jinbei knocked on the neighbor’s door.
Aunt Zhang was woken up by her and came out to tell her that the person was now at the County People’s Hospital.
Zhou Jinbei drove to the county hospital again.
When she had hurried to inquire on the upper floors, he had already been brought out of the operating room.
Under anesthesia, Father Zhong was still unconscious.
Zhou Jinbei chatted with Uncle Zhang, asking about the situation.
Uncle Zhang said.
“The leg injury isn’t serious. The bone at the previous spot broke again and was reset. But there might be problems elsewhere.”
“What problems?”
She came to set the bone, how could they identify other problems?
Uncle Zhang said.
“Before the surgery, the doctor did some routine checks and found that he… I can’t really explain it.”
“How about this. Wait until tomorrow morning when the specialist orthopedic surgeon arrives. Take the report to them and ask.”
She had a sleepless night.
Zhou Jinbei looked at the report filled with medical terms. At eight in the morning, she finally entered the Chief of Surgery’s office.
The Chief of Surgery looked at it, then asked her to find the Chief of Internal Medicine.
The Chief of Internal Medicine looked at it and analyzed it with her.
“We preliminarily suspect heart failure or myocardial ischemia.”
“The patient should normally have symptoms like chest tightness, shortness of breath, dizziness, and fatigue. Did the family not notice anything at all?”
Zhou Jinbei was stunned.
How could it be so serious?
He had only broken his leg, how did it get connected to his heart?
She didn’t trust the medical standards in a small town. After returning to the ward, she immediately called her friends in Nancheng.
She asked them to reserve a hospital bed for her at Nancheng Central Hospital and to help her with the transfer procedures.
The reason she didn’t contact Zhan Beijue was due to her concerns.
The previous incident of pregnancy and miscarriage had been too embarrassing.
Since it had already passed quietly, she didn’t want anyone to find out.
Otherwise, if he and Ah Zhong couldn’t end up together, others would also feel awkward.
Zhou Jinbei rarely asked for favors. Since this was a rare occasion, her friends naturally agreed.
Soon, she returned to the ward with breakfast and told Uncle Zhang that she was going to transfer him.
She also said it was Ah Zhong’s idea.
“That’s good. It’s true that the son has become successful and settled down in a big city. It’s convenient for him to go over.”
“Ah Zhong is filial. It’s only right to go to a better hospital.”
Zhou Jinbei asked him how much he spent yesterday and gave him the money.
Uncle Zhang said it wasn’t urgent.
After some polite refusal, he finally accepted the money.
Zhou Jinbei asked him to go back first and thanked him for his hard work. As he was leaving, she transferred another 10,000 yuan to him.
“I don’t know how much it costs to repair a sheep pen, so let’s add each other on WeChat. If it’s not enough, tell me.”
“Please work hard to find a few people to help with the repairs, and also take care of his lambs. Thank you, Uncle Zhang.”
Uncle Zhang felt a bit embarrassed by her gratitude.
“We’ve been neighbors for so many years. Ah, Old Zhong is also a good person and has helped us a lot. Why are you being so polite?”
“We’re not farming anymore anyway, and we’re mostly free most of the time. We don’t need money. I’ll just help him with the repairs.”
“How can I accept that? This is Jiaming’s intention. Please accept it, otherwise he’ll feel uneasy.”
After seeing Uncle Zhang off.
In Jincheng, Ah Zhong’s fever had subsided somewhat, and he groggily woke up.
The first thing he did was check the time.
He wondered if he would be late for work.
He grabbed his phone and saw a note underneath.
“Dad had another accident, and Zhou Jinbei went to take care of him.”
His heart sank, and he felt like his head was no longer dizzy.
Ah Zhong sat up and quickly called Zhou Jinbei.
Zhou Jinbei only explained the simple facts.
“The spot that was broken last time was reset. I think the medical conditions in the small county are not good, so I’m planning to transfer him to Nancheng.”
“It’s mainly for convenience to take care of him in Nancheng, so you don’t need to come over.”
Ah Zhong didn’t have any objections to her arrangements.
He just felt that since they were no longer together, it was too much trouble for her.
“What trouble? I’m abandoning my work in Jincheng to come here, and you’re handling everything on your own. It’s actually no different.”
“Regardless, my brother is the one paying the salary. I’m just passing the time. If you want to thank someone, thank him.”
Ah Zhong was speechless by her words and could only agree.
“Then call me when you arrive in Nancheng. Thank you for your hard work during this time.”
In the afternoon, an ambulance came to pick him up.
Zhou Jinbei found a designated driver to drive the car back to Ah Zhong.
The two of them started their long-distance relationship again.
Upon arriving at the Nancheng hospital, after a short rest, Zhou Jinbei scheduled various examinations for him.
Father Zhong found it strange.
“I only broke my leg, and there’s nothing else wrong with me. Why are you doing so many tests? It’s such a waste of money.”
Zhou Jinbei lied to him.
“A classmate of mine has a father who is the director of this department. Since we have these instruments, it would be a waste not to use them. Aren’t you silly? They’re not charging us.”
Ah Zhong still felt a bit embarrassed.
“You’re working too hard, a young girl like you, taking care of an old man like me here.”
In fact, there were indeed many inconvenient aspects.
But who else could he be but Ah Zhong’s father?
She had left a very good impression when she visited his home before, and Zhou Jinbei was willing to treat him like her own father, so she didn’t dwell on many things.
The next day, the test results came out.
The county hospital had not misdiagnosed. Father Zhong did indeed suffer from heart failure.
The doctor pointed to the CT scan and explained it to her. He classified heart failure into left-sided heart failure, right-sided heart failure, and global heart failure.
He also divided the heart function into Class I, II, III, and IV according to the severity of heart failure.
“So, is his condition left-sided, right-sided, or global? And to what class has it worsened?”
The doctor said.
“His symptoms have likely been present for quite some time, but he didn’t pay enough attention. Now…”