You Rong stayed at the hospital until his grandmother woke up that night. Just as You Rong was about to breathe a sigh of relief, the attending doctor approached him. "You're the patient's family, right? Come to the office with me."
You Rong followed the doctor to his office.
The doctor said, "The elderly lady had surgery a year ago and had a stent placed in her heart. This time, she unilaterally stopped taking her medication, which led to her fainting. It's important to remember that patients with coronary heart disease still need to take their medication continuously. We recommend hospitalization for a period to prevent further incidents."
You Rong said without hesitation, "Okay! I'll listen to you, doctor. Please arrange for my grandmother to be hospitalized!"
The doctor nodded. "Then you can go out for now. Remember, the elderly lady must not be overworked. She needs plenty of rest."
"Alright, I understand. Thank you, doctor."
Leaving the doctor's office, You Rong returned to the outside of the ward. He looked at his grandmother lying on the hospital bed, his young face full of worry.
His grandmother must have stopped her medication without permission because she was worried that he, already working part-time to support himself, would not be able to afford her medical expenses.
The cost of hospitalization, rent, and their daily expenses…
You Rong felt as if he were shouldering a mountain, so heavy that he could barely breathe.
You Rong's brow furrowed slightly, and the thought of giving up his studies flashed through his mind…
After standing there for a long time, You Rong took out his phone and scrolled through it, finally deciding to call Brother Wang at the bar.
"Yes, Brother Wang, it's me… Thank you for your concern, Brother Wang. My grandmother is fine now. I wanted to ask for a few more days of leave. Also… I know I shouldn't ask this, but could you advance me two months' salary? I really need the money right now… Brother Wang, thank you!"
After hanging up the phone, the advanced salary allowed him to take a breather and temporarily relieve some pressure.
You Rong looked at the ward again with renewed determination. His grandmother was his only family, and he would never let anything happen to her!
For the next two days, You Rong spent almost all his time at the hospital taking care of his grandmother. Lin Qinghe also came to the hospital during these days, hiding outside to take a few glances and then asking the doctor about You Rong's grandmother's condition. She was afraid of running into You Rong and bothering him.
Lin Qinghe came to the hospital as usual. As soon as she reached the ward, she ran into You Rong and, startled, quickly turned and hid in the stairwell.
Seeing that You Rong was talking to a nurse and didn't notice her at all, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.
The nurse said with difficulty, "Young man, how about this… I'm still busy right now and really can't get away. I can't help you. You can wait for a while, and when I'm less busy, I'll go to the ward to help your grandmother take a bath."
You Rong said gratefully, "Okay, thank you."
You Rong turned and left. The nurse watched his retreating figure, sighed, and said to another nurse, "This young man comes from a poor background, and he's lame in his left leg. His grandmother is ill, and he's the only one taking care of her. No other family members have ever appeared. He can't afford a caregiver either. He still has to come to us for help when the elderly lady needs a bath…"
The other nurse also said with great pity, "Alas, we'll help if we can. A caregiver costs several hundred a day. I see him surviving on steamed buns for his three meals a day. He's definitely unwilling to spend money on himself."
"That's true…"
Lin Qinghe heard their conversation clearly. After thinking for a moment, she took advantage of You Rong's departure from the hospital at noon, likely to go home to get clean clothes, and sneaked into his grandmother's ward.
As soon as she entered, she met Granny Lin's eyes. Lin Qinghe nervously explained, "Um, hello, Grandma… I'm a family member from the next ward, staying with a patient. I was a bit bored, so I came to visit, hehe…"
Granny Lin smiled kindly. "There's just this old woman in the ward. Young lady, if you don't mind, I'll chat with you for a while."
Lin Qinghe's eyes lit up. She walked to Granny Lin's bedside and sat down. "I don't mind! I don't mind! You seem very kind, and you remind me of my own grandmother. I'm so happy to be able to chat with you!"
"Is that so? That's nice… You're such a pretty young lady. If you had come earlier, you would have met my grandson. My grandson is about your age, and he's very handsome. He's also a top student at Nanjing University! If only he hadn't had an accident while working…"
Granny Lin paused, her eyes filled with concern for You Rong.
"Seeing how beautiful you are, Grandma, your grandson must have inherited your looks. I don't even need to see him to know he must be very handsome!"
Granny Lin was flattered by Lin Qinghe's words and beamed, pulling her along and talking incessantly about You Rong.
Lin Qinghe didn't forget her main purpose. She found an opportune moment and said, "Grandma, the weather is so hot, and I see you're sweating. I'm in your ward and have nothing to do. It's inconvenient for you to be alone, so let me help you take a bath and wash your hair?"
Granny Lin hesitated. "This… will it be too much trouble for you?"
She knew You Rong had asked the nurses to help her, and she felt very bad about it. After all, the nurses had their own jobs, and she was causing them too much trouble.
Lin Qinghe shook her head vigorously. "No! It's not trouble at all! While washing your hair, I can chat with you too."
"Alright then, young lady. Thank you for your trouble."
Lin Qinghe helped Granny Lin to the bathroom, carefully washed her hair and bathed her, and found a towel to dry her hair.
Looking at Granny Lin, who was refreshed, Lin Qinghe thought that You Rong would be back soon and quickly said, "Granny Lin, I need to go back and check on my family. Please rest well, and I'll come back tomorrow to chat with you!"
Granny Lin smiled kindly. "Okay, you hurry back. You're taking up your time."
"Not at all. Please lie down and rest. I'm leaving now."
As soon as Lin Qinghe walked out of the ward, You Rong returned.
You Rong saw that Granny Lin was refreshed and asked with a faint smile, "Grandma, did the nurse who was busy earlier come and give you a bath?"
"No, it was a family member from the next ward, a young girl about your age, who came to chat with me and helped me wash up."
"A family member from the next ward?" You Rong frowned slightly.
"That's right. She's a very beautiful young girl with a good temper and seems very kind. After washing me, she even washed my clothes, hung them out to dry, and dried my hair before she left."
You Rong mused for a moment and said, "Grandma, did she say which ward her family was in? I'll go and thank her."
Granny Lin realized belatedly, "Oh, yes! I forgot to ask which ward her family was in. But it doesn't matter. She said she'll come to chat with me again tomorrow, so you should be able to meet her then."
Hearing Granny Lin say this, You Rong didn't think much of it. He planned to thank the person in person when she came tomorrow.