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Chapter 243: Chapter 233 Hospitalization
"Then what will you do?" Dashuan was still thinking about Yunfang not having eaten yet.
"I’m not hungry, you don’t need to worry about me." Actually, she was thinking that she had all sorts of delicious things in her space; she could just take them out and eat once these people left, but she wasn’t hungry at the moment.
"That won’t do, your belly is so big now, you can’t just skip meals." Dashuan’s wife disagreed.
"I’m really not hungry, how about this: you guys go eat, and just bring me back something afterwards," Shen Yunfang conceded as she saw their disapproving faces. "Also, Brother Dashuan, could you look around nearby to see if there’s a hostel? You guys should stay for the night, and then go home tomorrow morning."
After it was confirmed she needed to stay in the hospital, Uncle Yougen had muttered that he would rush back to Gaijiatun overnight. She knew that Uncle Yougen was worried about spending extra money staying in the city for a night.
"No need, why spend the money? I’ll head back in a bit, and by dawn, I should be home. I can rest once I’m at home," Uncle Yougen waved his hands insistently. Staying in the city for a night would cost a fortune.
Last year, he and the team leader had come to the city for some business and didn’t make it back in time, so they stayed overnight. Even staying at a big truck inn had cost them dearly. Now Yunfang was talking about finding a hotel, which would be even more expensive.
Shen Yougen, like most people now, believed in being frugal and spending money where it was needed. In situations like this, enduring a little hardship in the dark could save money; why waste it? The money saved could be put to better use.
But Shen Yunfang didn’t see it that way. Traveling back at this time wasn’t just about whether it was hard or not; it was also unsafe in the dark, and it wasn’t unheard of for someone to drive into a ditch in the middle of the night.
"Uncle, you should stay the night. Traveling in the dark is too harsh and the roads are slippery and dangerous. Besides, Brother Dashuan will need to leave tomorrow morning, and there’s nothing around here. It’s very inconvenient. At the very least, we need to buy some essentials before leaving. If you go tonight, Brother Dashuan will have to walk back tomorrow, which would be too tough." Shen Yunfang made up some reasons.
"Really, Uncle Yougen, just stay for the night. I’ll stay with Yunfang at the hospital, and Dashuan will need to stay at a hotel anyway. It won’t cost much more for you to stay with him, so why endure the hardship?" Dashuan’s wife also urged.
The doctor had arranged a four-person room for Shen Yunfang, but right now, she was the only one in there. The other three beds were empty. As long as no one else came in, Dashuan’s wife could rest there tonight, which would be both money-saving and convenient.
Seeing that everyone else felt this way, Shen Yougen’s heart agreed it made sense, and he nodded his consent.
Afterward, Dashuan and Shen Yougen went out together to look for food, and Dashuan’s wife refused to go, insisting on staying with Yunfang in the hospital to wait.
Half an hour later, Dashuan came back alone, his cotton jacket bulging.
"What’s that for?" Dashuan’s wife was puzzled.
Dashuan grinned and took out several large steamed buns from his chest, "It’s cold, I was afraid the buns would get cold on the way, so I kept them close to stay warm."
"Silly," Dashuan’s wife glared at her husband but her eyes were full of warmth.
"Hurry up and eat before they get cold. I’m going to get some hot water for you." He said and picked up the large tea jar he had brought and went out again.
"Hey, this man, I hadn’t even asked him anything, and he’s already run off," Dashuan’s wife said, half-annoyed, half-amused, wanting to give him a couple of good nudges.
"What’s the rush, just ask him when he gets back," Shen Yunfang took the white steamed bun Dashuan’s wife handed her and bit into it, "Sister-in-law, you eat too. It’s been empty since noon, and your stomach must be empty as well."
With a sigh, Dashuan’s wife took a warm steamed bun and took a big bite without any hesitation; she was indeed hungry.
By the time Dashuan came back with water, the two women had already wolfed down more than half of a steamed bun.
After drinking a few sips of hot water to help it go down, Dashuan’s wife finally started to ask about other matters.
"Where’s Uncle Yougen?"
Two people had gone out, but only one returned. She hoped Uncle Yougen hadn’t really rushed back to Gaijiatun in the deep of the night.
"When we went out to look for something to eat just now, we happened to see a hostel. We went in to ask if they had any space, and it turned out they did, so we booked two beds on the spot. After buying the buns and coming back, I told Uncle Yougen to go rest straight away. There wasn’t much use in him coming here anyway," Dashuan explained.
The hostel had rooms with shared beds, some with six and some with eight beds per room, which were a bit pricier than a big communal sleeping area but cheaper than a standard room. They booked two beds as soon as they heard the availability.
Shen Yunfang and the other woman both breathed a sigh of relief, glad that there was no need to travel late at night.
"Why did you just buy steamed buns and not get any vegetables or anything?" Dashuan’s wife sounded a bit resentful.
On a regular day, having white flour buns would already be considered a decent meal, but Yunfang was pregnant and in poor health. It was a time when she needed more nutrition, but her husband hadn’t thought to bring back any vegetables or the like.
"The buns are fine. I can’t really eat much right now anyway," Shen Yunfang wasn’t bothered by the simplicity; she truly didn’t have an appetite. If she really wanted something to eat, there were plenty of options in her space. She would never shortchange herself.
"No, we walked around a big area and couldn’t find any places selling food. We had to ask around before we could buy some from the hospital cafeteria to make do. At this hour, there wasn’t much left in the cafeteria," Dashuan said feeling wronged. There simply wasn’t anywhere to buy food; it wasn’t that he was being stingy.
After a brief chat in the hospital, Shen Yunfang and Dashuan’s wife each had two large steamed buns. The rest were put outside the window by Dashuan’s wife to freeze. Seeing nothing else of concern, Dashuan finally went back to the hostel to rest.
The two women in the hospital were also tired. After Dashuan left, they lay down in their beds and fell asleep without saying much more.
The next morning, Dashuan came to bring breakfast for the two women, and after making sure there was nothing more he could do, he prepared to return home with Uncle Yougen.
At home, his mother was alone taking care of two kids, feeding two pigs and a bunch of old chickens, and had to look after Yunfang’s house as well. She surely couldn’t manage on her own; he had to go back and help out.
As for the necessities for the hospital stay, Shen Yunfang had prepared them well in advance, ready for child delivery.
After seeing off Dashuan and Uncle Yougen, a nurse came to inform Shen Yunfang that she needed to pay the hospital deposit. Once the paperwork was completed, the doctor would be able to conduct her examination.
Dashuan’s wife took the money, and after inquiring along the way, she finally managed to make the payment. She had never dealt with such situations before and was quite out of her element. Coupled with the arrogance of city folks, Dashuan’s wife had faced her fair share of disdainful looks. Hence, completing the process smoothly was an achievement in itself.
While Dashuan’s wife was paying the bill, the head of the gynecology department came to give Shen Yunfang a check-up in the ward.
The head was a woman in her forties, with a kind and caring appearance, instantly seen as a good person.
She spoke softly and inquired in detail about Shen Yunfang’s symptoms. After listening, she instructed Shen Yunfang to lie flat on the bed, took an object of some kind, and listened to her belly with it. She pressed on Yunfang’s abdomen with her hands and asked if it hurt. Finally, she advised Shen Yunfang not to eat lunch because they planned to draw some blood for tests in the afternoon.
