At this moment, the nurse pushed Li Dan out, and Feng Rongrong stepped forward to hold Li Dan's hand.
"Dandan, it's okay now, don't be scared. I'll be by your side," Feng Rongrong said, her face pale with lingering fear. Fortunately, Zhang Tianxing had handled it in time. If he had been a step slower, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
"Rongrong, don't cry. I'm fine. Tell the doctor, and let's go home." Li Dan's expression had returned to normal, with no sign of distress.
It was all over now. She didn't know how much the hospital would charge. Forget about sending money home; her living expenses alone would probably not be enough.
"Beautiful lady, how about this: I'll prescribe some medicine for you. Go home and rest. Remember, rest for a week. No strenuous exercise within a week," the doctor said, glancing at Li Dan.
Li Dan nodded, "Okay, thank you, doctor."
At this moment, Li Dan felt like crying without tears. Why did such a thing happen? Her health had always been good. Now, the hospital would incur a large expense.
After three hours of busyness, Zhang Tianxing and the other two returned home.
"You look after her. I'm going to rest," Zhang Tianxing said without even looking at Li Dan, heading straight to the bedroom to rest.
Seeing Zhang Tianxing's expression, Li Dan gritted her teeth in hatred. The good impression she had of Zhang Tianxing vanished without a trace.
"Rongrong, why is Zhang Tianxing so detestable? After coming back, he just went to sleep. I'm the patient," Li Dan said indignantly, her eyes wide.
Feng Rongrong stood up and moved a little farther away from Li Dan. "Alright, he's your savior. If Zhang Tianxing hadn't lent you his car to take you to the hospital, you would have reported directly to the King of Hell in your condition. You wouldn't have to live such a tiring life."
Li Dan felt a little sheepish. She suddenly thought of her medical expenses and became sad. "Rongrong, how much do you think this will cost? They had to perform surgery and do several examinations."
Feng Rongrong's small face was pale. "It's probably not going to be cheap. How about this, I'll ask Xu Dachuan to inquire. He deals with hospitals often."
"President Xu, I need your help with something. Li Dan went to the hospital tonight and had some examinations and a minor surgery. Could you find out how much it will cost? It's Saint Mary's Hospital."
"I'll give you an answer tomorrow. Send my regards to Li Dan," Xu Dachuan said, hanging up the phone directly.
It seemed Li Dan was in trouble this time. There was a common understanding among overseas students: you could have anything, but you absolutely couldn't be sick.
There was a joke among overseas students: a senior student once fainted and couldn't be woken up no matter how much they shouted. In the end, they had no choice but to say, "Let's take him to the hospital." The senior student immediately woke up, showing how sharp the scalpel in the hospital was.
In America, people generally relied on medical insurance. Even so, the cost of a single hospital stay was astonishing. It could be said exaggeratedly that in America, the freedom to visit doctors at will or have a private doctor was a luxury only the rich could afford.
...
The next morning, Xu Dachuan contacted a doctor at Saint Mary's Hospital. After inquiring about the expenses from the previous night, his eyes widened in shock.
Good heavens, Li Dan had spent over eight thousand US dollars in one night! As far as Xu Dachuan knew, Li Dan did not have medical insurance. In fact, few overseas students had medical insurance. Everyone lived a hard life.
"Feng Rongrong, I've found out. Li Dan's medical bill is over eight thousand. Try to stay positive. As long as you're alive, everything else can be worked out," Xu Dachuan said comfortingly.
"So much? Okay, I understand," Feng Rongrong said, hanging up the phone listlessly. Such a large medical bill could crush Li Dan. Li Dan now wished she could make one dollar do the work of two.
She didn't know how to tell Li Dan, fearing she couldn't bear the shock.
Li Dan was so intelligent and sharp. Seeing Feng Rongrong's absentminded expression, she understood most of it.
She looked at Feng Rongrong's eyes and asked casually, "Xu Dachuan told you, right? The medical bill is in the thousands? I'm mentally prepared."
"He hasn't told me yet. Does this President Xu still want to be president? He said he'd give me an answer today, but his phone hasn't rung yet. It's really something," Feng Rongrong complained about Xu Dachuan.
"Rongrong, you're not lying. When you lie, you look at your toes. You just looked at your toes. Sooner or later, I'll find out, right? The bill might even be sent to the school later. Tell me, how much is it? I can handle it."
"Then I'll tell you," Feng Rongrong said, looking at Li Dan with a conflicted expression.
"Quick, tell me," Li Dan said, giving Feng Rongrong an annoyed look.
"Over eight thousand," Feng Rongrong said, not daring to look Li Dan in the eye.
The room fell silent for a moment. After a while, Li Dan's voice rang out, "Only over eight thousand? That's acceptable. It's not ten thousand. It looks like I'll be busy for a while."
Li Dan was filled with worry. Over eight thousand US dollars was going to be a killer. She would have to find someone to borrow money from. She couldn't earn this much just by working part-time.
"I also need to inform those shops that I'll be busy for the next few days and can't go. I don't want to delay their business. Rongrong, you should go to class. I'll be fine here alone," Li Dan said, looking at Feng Rongrong.
Her illness was one thing, but she couldn't hold Feng Rongrong back. This was a crucial time for her studies. Feng Rongrong thought for a moment. "Okay, I'll go to class first. I'll come find you after class, and I'll bring you something delicious."
Li Dan nodded and watched Feng Rongrong leave.
Alone, far away in a foreign land, Li Dan felt a profound sense of loneliness this time. Everyone here was busy, and she was the only one lying in bed, alone.
She had tried to move earlier, and her abdomen immediately started to ache. It seemed even for a minor surgery like appendicitis, she needed to rest. Earning money during this period was out of the question.
Li Dan could only bury her face in the covers and cry inconsolably. What was she to do?
A girl's strength was merely a disguise. Even a rose with thorns needed someone to pick it.
Just as Li Dan was in despair, "Bang!" Zhang Tianxing suddenly kicked the door open with his feet, carrying two bowls in his hands.
Li Dan was startled, thinking there was an intruder in the room.
To her surprise, it was Zhang Tianxing. He was here to mock her again. No one could help her, and all the pain had to be borne alone.
Zhang Tianxing placed the bowls directly on the table. "There's millet porridge and scrambled eggs with tomatoes here. You can eat it yourself later. I'm going to school."