Xu You called over Lu Yan from the security department to help. Unexpectedly, he returned empty-handed.
“Doctor Xu, the director of the service station said Deputy Commander Li’s mother already took the formula a couple of days ago. She sold it and used the money to buy fruit candies for her eldest granddaughter.”
The light in Wang Lanyue’s eyes shattered.
“That’s my daughter’s lifeline. Does the Li family even care about the two of us?”
Wang Lanyue’s eyes widened in despair, tears streaming down her face.
“You shouldn’t cry during your postpartum recovery. Otherwise, when your daughter grows up, your eyesight might become poor. Don’t you want to see how beautiful your daughter will look when she gets married?”
Xu You handed Wang Lanyue the handkerchief from her pocket.
“Wipe your tears. Our little darling heard her mother crying and is pouting like she wants to cry too.”
At the mention of her daughter, Wang Lanyue bit her lip and stopped crying, though tears continued to fall silently.
Xu You wrote another note and asked the security officer to make another trip.
“Find Sister Zhang at the service station. I’ll make up the formula coupons in a few days.”
Wang Lanyue knew that the service station staff always followed the rules and required coupons.
“Will that really work?”
“Don’t worry. Sister Zhang’s eldest daughter was also born prematurely and started bleeding before her due date. I asked someone to get the head of obstetrics to help with the delivery.”
Sister Zhang’s eldest daughter wasn’t an employee of the service station, so technically she wasn’t allowed to receive treatment at the military hospital. But Xu You couldn’t bear to turn her away, so she asked Wang Shu for help, and Wang Shu even brought in her mentor, the head of obstetrics.
They simply had the required workplace documentation submitted afterward.
“How is that child now?”
“Healthy and chubby. She’s being raised very well.”
Wang Lanyue’s heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally relaxed.
“If other premature babies can be raised well, my little girl can make it too.”
“That’s exactly how you should think.”
Xu You let the boiled water cool down a little. Soon, the security officer returned with the formula.
Xu You prepared the formula and fed the baby one spoonful at a time.
Chen’s mother had clearly seen Xu You walking toward the inpatient department. She sat upstairs waiting and waiting, but Xu You never came to greet her, so she came downstairs herself.
“Xiao Xu, feeding a baby?”
Chen’s mother watched Xu You holding the baby with practiced ease and nodded with satisfaction.
Xu You frowned slightly.
“Wait for me at the door.”
Chen’s mother looked embarrassed. She hesitated outside for a moment before walking in.
“Xiao Xu, don’t you recognize me? I’m your boyfriend Chen Qingsong’s mother.”
“Take her out.”
Security officer Lu Yan grabbed Chen’s mother by the arm and dragged her out to the open space in front of the inpatient building.
Chen’s mother threw a fit and raised her hand to hit Lu Yan. He stepped aside, and she missed him and fell to the ground.
“This is outrageous! A young man is hitting an old woman!”
Chu Ying had already been hiding nearby, watching the spectacle. She rushed out and confronted Lu Yan.
“What are you doing? What’s your relationship with Xu You? Why are you helping Xu You bully my mother?”
Xu You put the baby back in the crib before walking to the doorway.
“If you want to smear me, you should at least look at where you are.”
“Madam can’t read, but Comrade Chu, as a people’s teacher, can’t you see the large characters posted on the wall?”
“Special Care Ward! No one except doctors and nurses is allowed to enter!”
Xu You immediately called for a nurse.
“Make sure you disinfect thoroughly. Premature babies and postpartum mothers are physically weak and vulnerable to infection. If something happens, even Battalion Commander Chen won’t be able to take responsibility.”
Chen’s mother had, of course, seen the large red characters. She simply thought that since she was Xu You’s future mother-in-law, she had the same right to enter as Xu You.
“Doctor Xu, how can you talk to my mother like that? Do you have any respect for my mother? For Qingsong?”
After scolding Xu You, Chu Ying ingratiatingly helped Chen’s mother up.
“And my mother isn’t illiterate. She’s even a teacher in our town—”
Slap!
Chen’s mother panicked and slapped Chu Ying across the face.
“How did our family end up with someone like you who loves bragging? I’m a country woman. Do you really think I can read?”
Chen’s mother could only pretend to be illiterate now.
She was afraid that Xu You would complain to Chen Qingsong. If that happened, Chen Qingsong would definitely send her back to work the fields.
Because she had worked as a substitute elementary school teacher for several years, the Red Guards had labeled her an intellectual and sent her to the countryside to farm every day. She had finally gotten the opportunity to come to the military base and absolutely refused to go back.
Chu Ying was stunned by the slap.
She had been trying to help her mother-in-law, yet her mother-in-law actually refused to appreciate it!
She was even trying to curry favor with the cold-faced Xu You!
That old hag!
That shameless woman trying to drive a wedge between us!
“Xiao Xu, blame me. I didn’t study properly in the literacy class, so I couldn’t even understand such an important warning. I almost made a serious mistake.”
Chen’s mother followed behind Xu You, flattering her.
“I came to find you because I actually have something important to ask. Your sister-in-law has been hospitalized for so many days, and she’s been jumping around energetically every day. When can she be discharged? Staying in the hospital costs money.”
Xu You glanced at Chu Ying.
Chu Ying hadn’t managed to hide the resentment in her eyes.
Xu You spoke slowly.
“Madam, didn’t you know? The attending physician already told Comrade Chu Ying that she could be discharged, but she said your family was worried about her and insisted on staying a few more days. The doctor even asked me to persuade her not to waste collective resources.”
“How would I know about that? Good for you, Chu Ying! You wasteful woman! A hospital bed costs fifty cents a day! The Li family must have been cursed for eight lifetimes to end up with a daughter-in-law like you!”
Chen’s mother dragged Chu Ying off to complete the discharge procedures.
“I almost believed your nonsense and thought the hospital was deliberately trying to squeeze more money out of my family…”
It was said that, in the end, Chu Ying had to pay the hospitalization fees herself.
By nightfall, all the medical staff had returned to the inpatient department, and Xu You also went back to the emergency department to hand over her shift with Dr. Pan.
Dr. Pan’s steps were slightly unsteady.
Xu You said considerately, “Doctor Pan, if you can’t hold up, don’t force yourself.”
Dr. Pan forced a smile.
“Mm. I’ll get some sleep when I have time tonight and be fully recharged.”
“All right. But there were only two emergency patients during the day. I’m afraid it’ll get busy tonight.”
When night came, Dr. Pan looked at the long line of patients and nearly ground his teeth to pieces.
“Xu You, you jinx!”
He only managed to sleep for two hours before dawn.
After three days of sleeping two hours a night and drawing blood all day, Dr. Pan finally couldn’t take it anymore and went looking for Xu You.
“Doctor Xu, cover my shift tonight. I’ll pay you double, just like last time.”
His daily wage was 2.5 yuan, so double pay meant 5 yuan.
His heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys all hurt at the thought of it.
Xu You moved her chair beside Dr. Pan and couldn’t help saying,
“Looks like you still value your life more than your money. I don’t even need double pay. Next time I have something to do, just switch shifts with me.”
“Really? That’s wonderful!”
After getting excited, Dr. Pan felt a little embarrassed.
“Then I’ll tell the logistics department that I shouldn’t have taken double pay last time either.”
Xu You glanced sideways at him.
“What are you thinking? I never told the logistics department.”
Dr. Pan chuckled.
“You little girl. I actually fell for your trick. This time, does that count as mutual help?”
“It does.”
The two exchanged glances and burst out laughing.
Dr. Pan walked away with his trembling hands behind his back.
“Tonight, I can finally get a good night’s sleep.”
The nurses on duty were also delighted, yawning one after another.
Xu You said, “Go get some sleep while you can.”
The nurses gratefully agreed.
“Call us if a patient comes in.”
“Okay.”
Xu You returned to her office and took a large, bright red apple out of her shoulder bag. She solemnly placed it on top of the medical chart.
“Please let the emergency department have a peaceful night.”
In the middle of the night, one of the nurses suddenly woke up. When she came out of the break room, she saw that the emergency department was deserted.
Not a single person was there.
Only the dim lights cast an eerie glow over everything.
“Doctor Xu—”
Xu You was lying on a camp bed, covered with a thin blanket.
“Did a patient come in?”
The nurse shook her head.
“No. I just woke up.”
“Then go back and get some proper sleep. A patient came in with diarrhea a little after nine, and no one has come since.”
The nurse obediently went back and slept until dawn.