Lian Qiao: Just arrived in Anqing, my mom can be treated. Tomorrow I’ll go find the attending physician to communicate.
Ling Weiwei: Communicating with doctors is your specialty, it’ll definitely be fine.
Ling Weiwei: The eldest daughter is both pretty and kind [Thumbs Up]
Ling Weiwei: That’s right.
When Ling Weiwei typed these two characters, her chin must have been tilted up. Just like when she first met and tapped on Chen Khan’s desk, just like when she took off her high heels in the small diner. Righteous and self-assured, innocent and bright.
Lian Qiao changed her contact label to “Eldest Miss,” put down her phone, and lay flat on the accompanying hospital bed.
Don’t think about it. Just how thin a bottom-tier wallet could be was something the eldest daughter probably couldn’t even imagine in this lifetime. In Ling Weiwei’s world, “selling oneself” probably wasn’t an option.
Lian Qiao closed her eyes.
On Friday morning, Lian Qiao went to the inpatient billing counter to prepay 5,000 RMB, then found Director Zheng of Cardiothoracic Surgery.
Her mother had already been transferred from cardiology, and Director Zheng pulled up the medical record, getting straight to the point. “We recommend coronary artery bypass surgery. Done here in Anqing, the total cost will be around 80,000 to 100,000 RMB. With resident medical insurance reimbursement, out of pocket will be around 20,000 to 30,000.”
Lian Qiao asked, “Director Zheng, if my mom uses imported consumables and minimally invasive surgical techniques, will her recovery be better?”
Director Zheng turned away from the computer screen and glanced at her: “You’re a pharmaceutical representative, you should know that if you want that, you need to take her to Shanghai. The cardiothoracic surgery departments at Zhongshan and Ruijin are the top in the country, with lower complication rates than us, and recovery might be faster. But…” He raised a finger and began counting, “First, the high-speed rail takes over three hours, can you afford the risk of a myocardial infarction? Second, I cannot guarantee whether Shanghai’s Grade 3 Class A hospitals will accept her. Third, out-of-town medical insurance reimbursement proportions are much lower.”
“Based on your experience, about how much should I prepare?”
“Around 200,000,” Director Zheng said. “If you still need to live your own life, act within your capacity.”
“I’ll go prepare it,” Lian Qiao said. She had calculated her own out-of-pocket expenses to only be around 70,000 to 80,000, why did Director Zheng say 200,000?
“Try to have the surgery in August if possible. Your mother is a critical case, we can only stabilize her condition for now,” Director Zheng said.
Lian Qiao went to an ATM to withdraw 2,000 RMB in cash, leaving a balance of 11,000 on her card. When she returned to the ward, her eldest aunt was holding a thermos and heading to the water room, leaving her old military-green cross-body bag on the bedhead. Lian Qiao folded the 2,000 yuan twice and tucked it into the inner layer.
Her eldest aunt came back carrying the thermos.
Lian Qiao said, “I’ll feed her water, you go get lunch first, Auntie.”
Her eldest aunt reached into her cloth bag, fished out the 2,000 yuan, and neatly arranged it on the bedside table: “Lian Qiao, take this money back.”
“Auntie, caregiving is hard work, this is just a little something from me…”
“I won’t take it.” Her eldest aunt pulled her hand and pressed the money back into her palm. Those hands were warm and rough, bearing the coarse calluses left by life. “Taking care of her is what I should do. It’s not easy for you struggling in Shanghai either, and your mom’s illness costs money, keep it for yourself.”
“Don’t argue about it. Take the money back, whether your eldest aunt is good to you or not, you know well enough,” her mom said, leaning against the bedhead.
Lian Qiao put the money away, zipped up her eldest aunt’s military-green bag, and placed it on the bedhead: “Auntie, once mom gets better, I’ll bring you to Shanghai and take you to the Bund.”
Her eldest aunt waved her hand: “Who wants to go to the Bund.” But she smiled.
After noon, she started making phone calls. The Zhongshan Hospital switchboard transferred her to the cardiothoracic surgery administrative office, and she actually managed to get through on a Friday afternoon. As soon as she mentioned transfer, the other party immediately replied: “Bed availability is extremely tight. Talk again in two weeks.” She dialed again, but it remained a busy tone.
She stood at the end of the corridor, holding her phone tightly. Outside the window, the sound of cicadas merged into one, as if trying to boil the summer.
Her mother was napping in the ward, the numbers on the monitor jumping. The ticking sound and the cicada sounds overlapped, one short and crisp, the other long and steady.
She flipped through her contacts, but not a single person was close with Zhongshan. When she flipped to the Lingyue Medical Department number, her finger paused, but she didn’t dial. Wang Jianguo’s fingers tapped twice on his teacup lid. Don’t give anyone a handle to use against you.
Relying solely on herself, she might not make it through this time.
Lian Qiao’s fingertip hovered over the contact name “Ling Weiwei.”
,
Friday at 6:00 PM, Xintiandi Villa.
Ling Weiwei came down from the third floor, and Ling Zhengyang was already sitting on the dining room side near the window, facing the living room. On the dining table were Drunk Edamame and Chicken Gizzards, Steamed Star Garoupa, and Stir-fried White Amaranth with Bean Curd Sheets.
Aunt Zhang served a bowl of winter melon, dried scallop, and tiny shrimp clear soup, turned back to the kitchen, and pulled most of the sliding door shut.
Ling Weiwei sat next to Ling Zhengyang, scooping a bowl of soup, seven-tenths full: “Dad, my mentor teacher, her mom needs bypass surgery.” She pushed the soup bowl in front of her father. “Can you help make a phone call?”
Ling Zhengyang asked, “Male or female? What position?”
“Female, from Anqing, a frontline pharmaceutical representative.” Ling Weiwei picked up a chopstick of edamame, her tone brisk. “Her mom’s coronary artery is seventy-five percent blocked, and doing the surgery in Anqing is too risky. Lingyue has a partnership with Zhongshan’s cardiothoracic surgery department, you can just have Executive Secretary Wu ask about it.”
Ling Zhengyang put down his chopsticks: “Since when do you care about other people’s business?”
“Consider it extra credit for my internship.” Ling Weiwei scooped a bowl for herself, skimming the floating foam off the top of the soup. “Don’t mention to the company that I requested it, just say it’s an employee welfare benefit. No employee would ever hope to actually need bed welfare benefits, it won’t trigger any loophole exploitation.”
“Tell her to submit the application herself.”
“Dad, the one who’s sick is her mom.”
Ling Zhengyang picked up his bowl and took a sip of soup: “First send the patient information to Secretary Wu.”
“Thanks, Dad.” Ling Weiwei said no more. The edamame was sweet, soft, and tender, with a gentle aroma of Hua Diao wine. Yet she couldn’t taste anything.
Her father agreed, and Lian Qiao’s mother had hope for a transfer.
Ling Weiwei lowered her head to eat. When Lian Qiao walked out of Wang Jianguo’s office, she was clearly stressed to the absolute limit, yet she could still put on a normal front on her face. Now it was fine, if she managed to pull this off, Lian Qiao wouldn’t have to go begging anyone else anymore.
She extended this helping hand probably because Lian Qiao looked far too exhausted.
She didn’t want to see Lian Qiao begging people.
Though why did Lian Qiao strive so hard?
Ling Weiwei secretly flipped her phone over with her left hand and took a look, there were no new messages.
Of course there weren’t. Lian Qiao didn’t even know she had brought it up.
,
Lian Qiao didn’t make the voice call, finally pressing the lock screen.
Su Min tracked her straight to the hospital.
Carrying two bags of fruit, she exchanged greetings with the eldest aunt, sat down to chat about daily household matters with her mother for five minutes, and was promptly shooed out by her mother with a pat on the head.
At Jiangmao Dumplings in Anqing’s old town, two bowls of chicken broth dumplings had just been served when Su Min directly opened the transfer interface.
“My 50,000 RMB year-end bonus for June was issued and I haven’t touched it yet, you use it first.” She pushed her phone toward Lian Qiao. “Don’t talk to me about interest, and don’t think about cutting corners, Auntie’s surgery needs the best.”
“Zhongshan Hospital is indeed the best, capable of minimally invasive and total arterial bypass surgery, and they also have a cardiac intensive care center. Their surgical volume is ten times that of Anqing’s. The success rate exceeds ninety-nine percent,” Lian Qiao said. “Anqing only has ninety percent. I can’t afford to risk that ten percent, but I can scrape together the out-of-pocket portion.”
“You must keep your finances flexible.”
Lian Qiao looked at the balance on Su Min’s screen, the word “thanks” reached her lips, but she couldn’t force it out. Nine-year friends, Su Min had seen her when she first joined the company crouching in a hospital corridor crying, and she had also seen her plight when her bank card had only three digits left during her down payment. In front of her best friend, she didn’t need to put on a brave face.
“I’ll pay you back once I’m promoted.” She lowered her head and bit into a dumpling, the freshness and scalding heat of the chicken broth making her nose sting.
“No rush.” Su Min entered her verification code and password. “Once Auntie is discharged, I’m going to renovate that bedroom in Jiading and move in. Don’t complain that having an extra person makes things inconvenient then.”
Her phone made a ding-dong sound. 50,000 yuan arrived.
This money filled most of the gap, and combined with her own meager savings, it was barely enough to touch the threshold of Zhongshan Hospital.
She talked with directors every day about drug orders worth hundreds of thousands, yet when it came to her own money, tens of thousands could suffocate her. Su Min’s single year-end bonus helped her shoulder half of the crisis.
Lian Qiao lowered her head and silently bit into her dumplings. She was afraid that if she said one more word, her voice would break with sobs.
After finishing, Su Min went to explore the old town by herself, not making Lian Qiao accompany her.
She stood by the street, watching her back disappear into the alleyway. Su Min was always like this, helping people while purposely leaving them their full dignity.
,
Late at night, eleven o’clock, Xintiandi.
Ling Weiwei hung up Executive Secretary Wu’s call and tapped her fingertips lightly twice on the screen.
The bed in Zhongshan’s cardiothoracic surgery department was locked down, and specific plans would be provided next Wednesday. If it were relatives of the Ling and Xue families who fell ill, they would certainly be admitted the same day. For an employee, giving a schedule within three working days was already Secretary Wu’s operational limit.
She didn’t immediately tell Lian Qiao the news, to avoid anything going wrong midway.
When she brought it up with her father at dinner, she played it down, saying it was just an extra credit item for her internship, but only she knew her palms were slick with a thin layer of sweat. It was her first time using her family’s resources to help someone, she needed to keep her composure and only notify Lian Qiao once it landed.
But she couldn’t wait to see the look on Lian Qiao’s face when she received the notice. Would those eyes, which were always unfathomable and calm, light up?
Ling Weiwei couldn’t help the corners of her mouth curling upward, then hurriedly suppressed it. No rush, no rush, at the latest by next Wednesday, the notice would reach Lian Qiao.
She opened her chat box with Ling Qiao, deleting and editing in the input box, and finally just sent a photo of the pothos plant taken that afternoon with the caption: Your pothos is still alive.
As soon as she sent it, she flipped her phone face down on the table, her face burning, her whole body still feeling a bit warm.
“Did you change its water?” Lian Qiao sent a voice message back.