Chapter 13 - Are You Boosting Hospital Performance Here?

Lu Ming let out a sigh. Fractures in old age posed the most significant challenges. As individuals aged, their capacity for self-healing diminished. While a young person might recover from a bone injury in a hundred days, an old person might require a thousand. Some might even lose their mobility for the rest of their lives.

“Please go and register, and I’ll arrange for the old woman to have an X-ray to assess the extent of her fracture,” Lu Ming instructed Qinxue.

“Sure, sure,” Qinxue nodded repeatedly, leaving Song Juying in Lu Ming’s care with relief.

“Oh, by the way, please fetch a wheelchair first,” said Lu Ming.

Song Juying had previously injured her back, so strenuous activities or extended walking were not advisable. Qinxue promptly fetched a shared wheelchair and left.

Once Qinxue left, Song Juying, cradling her fractured arm, furrowed her brow and inquired, “Doctor, how much will this checkup cost?”

“The last time I had treatment for my back injury, it cost me over 3,000 yuan.”

“Oh, that’s quite a sum! It was 3,000 yuan!” Said Lu Ming.

Faced with Song Juying’s concerns, Lu Ming could only console her, “Let’s not worry about the finances right now. Your health is most important.”

“Your recovery is our primary focus.”

Nevertheless, Song Juying remained steadfast and insisted, “If you need to prescribe any medication later, please opt for more economical options for me.”

“And also…”

Between Song Juying’s constant complaints, Lu Ming conducted a series of X-ray examinations. In the end, they determined it was a forearm fracture, fortunately not too severe—just broken into two pieces without any dangerous small bone fragments. After resetting it, all that was needed was to apply a cast. However, there was a wound on Song Juying’s palm from when she fell and inadvertently cut her hand on a piece of broken glass.

Lu Ming recommended a tetanus shot, as old women like Song Juying had weaker immune systems, increasing the risk of infection with such a substantial wound. Furthermore, it could also elevate the risk of a stroke.

“How much does this shot cost?” Song Juying inquired.

“Not much, just around 30 yuan,” Lu Ming responded.

“How much?” She asked again.

“30 yuan?”

“This is causing trouble!”

“I won’t take it. It’s too costly.”

Song Juying shook her head repeatedly, declining the tetanus shot.

“Grandmother!”

“It’s not like the old days. 30 yuan isn’t much. I have to pay 79 yuan for an eyebrow pencil!”

“Getting the tetanus shot is for your well-being, too,” said Lu Ming.

Qinxue interjected, “What?”

“You have to pay 79 yuan for a pencil?”

“What is special in that pencil? Why is it expensive?”

“How many vegetables do we need to sell to earn 79 yuan?”

“We toil diligently, tirelessly cultivating and planting crops, and it takes us several months to earn such a huge sum.”

“And someone sells a pencil for 79 yuan? What sort of effort did they put into it?”

Song Juying couldn’t fathom what kind of labor could justify the price of such a pencil.

“Oh, Grandma, that’s not the point.”@@novelbin@@

“Just go ahead and get the tetanus shot.”

In the end, with Qinxue’s firm persuasion, Song Juying reluctantly received the tetanus shot, still looking pained. This time, the medical costs amounted to 1,312 yuan, adding to the previous 3,088 yuan, resulting in a total expenditure of 4,400 yuan. Song Juying couldn’t help but feel distressed and silently resolved to be more economical in the future.

Five hours later, an ambulance returned to Mingren Hospital. An unconscious Song Juying was carefully brought out of the vehicle. Lu Ming, having received the notification, arrived at the emergency room entrance. When he saw Song Juying, he couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. What kind of trouble had this old woman gotten herself into this time?

“What happened again?” Lu Ming inquired, looking at Song Juying’s granddaughter, Qinxue.

Qinxue, visibly anxious, was perspiring, and her lips trembled slightly, on the verge of tears.

“Don’t cry. What’s troubling you?” Lu Ming tried to console her.

However, the consolation seemed insufficient, and as soon as he comforted her, Qinxue burst into tears. Onlookers passing by immediately turned their heads to see what was happening.

“Don’t cry. Let’s discuss this calmly,” Lu Ming said, concerned that others might misunderstand the situation.

He quickly had a nurse offer her support and guided her to an examination room.

“The old woman has no major issues. She’s simply experiencing heatstroke. Wipe away your tears and tell me what happened.”

After examining Song Juying, which revealed she was fine, Lu Ming approached Qinxue to hear the full story.

Qinxue dabbed her tears with a tissue and explained, “After leaving the hospital, I wanted to take a taxi to bring Grandma home, but she thought it was too expensive and insisted on taking the bus.”

“I thought, well, let’s take the bus, no big deal. But when we reached the bus stop, and I tried to swipe the card for her, Grandma realized she had forgotten her senior citizen card and couldn’t ride for free.”

“An air-conditioned bus costs 3 yuan now, and when Grandma heard that, she dragged me off the bus and refused to travel in it. She insisted on walking home.”

“We walked 8 kilometers under the blazing sun, and my sunscreen has completely evaporated. I can’t take it anymore! I want school to start soon!”

As Qinxue became more agitated, tears of frustration flowed from her eyes.

“So, your grandmother suffered heatstroke halfway, and then you called for medical assistance?” Lu Ming inquired, a mix of amusement and exasperation in his voice. Was it truly worth it? To save a few yuan, they ended up paying a much higher price.

“Um,” Lu Ming continued, “you should talk to your parents and communicate with your grandmother. Otherwise, she might become a frequent visitor to the hospital, which isn’t a sustainable solution.”

Qinxue nodded, indicating her understanding. With the assistance of the hospital’s medical staff, Song Juying recovered from the heatstroke. After a brief rest, she was discharged from the hospital. The expenses for this visit amounted to 500 yuan, making the total expenditure 4,900 yuan.

In the evening, just as Lu Ming was changing into his regular attire and preparing to leave work, two familiar figures emerged from an ambulance. This time, when Qinxue saw Lu Ming, she was too embarrassed even to look up. Lu Ming, on the other hand, couldn’t help but glance at Song Juying on the stretcher being wheeled down.

This old woman… Here she is again… Is she becoming a regular visitor to the hospital just to boost our performance?