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Chapter 388: Chapter 378 I’m Just Disheartened
The doctor had a good impression of Li Hongjun’s decisiveness; such parents were truly rare.
So, he personally escorted them to pay the fees, and in no time, Jiajia had her injection. He then instructed the nurses to closely monitor the patient’s reaction that night, as whether the treatment would be effective would be seen the next morning.
Only after the injection was completed did Li Hongjun remember that the old Mr. Li was still sitting in the hallway downstairs.
When Li Xianglian found out he had come with Mr. Li, she fell silent, harboring resentments in her heart toward her family for not offering help in her most desperate time.
On the contrary, Li Jianjun stood up and said, "Let’s go, I’ll come with you to check on the old man." He would always remember the scene when he kneeled to his mother-in-law to borrow money. He also clearly remembered every word she had used to scold him and his wife.
He had no complaints about not borrowing the money, but he was truly disheartened by his mother-in-law’s kicking someone when they were down. Li Jianjun wiped his face, convincing himself that all the years he had devoted to his in-laws had been in vain, like feeding a dog; they should not expect him to show them any filial piety in the future.
He used to address Mr. Li as "Dad," but now he had stopped, only calling him "the old man."
Li Hongjun felt it, and Li Xianglian heard it.
Walking down the hospital corridor, Li Hongjun chose his words carefully, "Brother-in-law, don’t hold onto any grudges. You should be clear about how my mom is after all these years..."
"Hongjun, don’t say anymore, I know it all, I understand it all, I am just disheartened. But I can tell right from wrong, Dad probably isn’t aware of what’s going on, it’s just that I can’t get over this feeling inside," Liu Jianjun blew his nose, "We are siblings, and there’s no need for pretense between us. If you ever need anything in the future, just give me a shout."
Li Hongjun was at a loss for words, so he just patted his brother-in-law’s back as a gesture of comfort.
He thought about how, with his mother’s behavior, it was possible that all her children might eventually cut ties with her, leaving only her youngest son who truly belonged to her.
When the two men reached the first floor, they saw Mr. Li sitting on a long bench, stretching his neck and looking in their direction.
Seeing them coming together, Mr. Li didn’t wait for them to approach before asking with concern, "Jianjun, how’s Jiajia? Why is she still in the hospital? When can she go home?"
Both could tell he genuinely cared for the child, and Liu Jianjun managed a wry smile, "She’s nearly recovered."
Li Hongjun changed the subject, "What did the doctor say about your injury?"
"It’s nothing. The doctor said some pus had formed inside, so he squeezed it out, and it’s mostly taken care of. He told me to come back in a couple of days to change the dressing," Mr. Li said, moving his injured leg and grimacing in pain.
Seeing him like that, Li Hongjun said nothing and turned to enter the doctor’s office.
"Hey, kid, what are you doing going back in there? Let’s hurry home," Mr. Li said with some urgency, seeing his son go to the doctor again. The doctor had said he needed to take medication and get injections, which would cost a fortune; they couldn’t just blindly follow the doctor’s advice.
After communicating with the doctor who had treated Mr. Li’s wound, Li Hongjun learned that his father’s leg was indeed infected and quite seriously, necessitating anti-inflammatory treatment.
The doctor gave two suggestions: one was to administer penicillin intravenously for two days, which would be absorbed well by the body and accelerate wound healing. Alternatively, if that was inconvenient, the doctor could prescribe oral anti-inflammatory medication to take home, advising diligent observation. If the wound showed signs of festering, the medicine could be ground into a powder and sprinkled on the wound for good anti-inflammatory effects.
After thinking it over, Li Hongjun asked the doctor to prescribe a day’s worth of anti-inflammatory injections and some oral anti-inflammatory medication; if it didn’t improve at home, he would treat it himself.
When Li Hongjun came out with the doctor’s prescription, Mr. Li was still talking to Liu Jianjun about Jiajia.
"Hey, kid, you don’t have to listen to the doctor. They can make a good situation sound bad (The doctor in the office was speechless; what had he done to deserve this?). I have a strong body, just a bit of medication when I get home will do," Mr. Li called after his son.
Li Hongjun didn’t listen at all and went straight to pay the fees.
He returned shortly after, handed the slip to the doctor, and took old man Li to the ward.
"What’s this for? Why do I have to stay here?" Old man Li was somewhat at a loss. He had been to the hospital only a few times in his life and had never been admitted before. He had an innate fear of this place.
"It’s too late now; we can’t go back. It’s just right for you to get the antibiotic injection tonight, and another set in the morning should be nearly enough. I’ll prescribe some antibiotics for you to take back home." Li Hongjun helped old man Li onto the hospital bed.
Seeing the young nurse coming with a bottle of medicine and a syringe, he got scared.
Watching the nurse finish giving the injection to his dad, he asked the nurse to keep a close watch on the old man; then he followed his brother-in-law upstairs.
Li Xianglian quietly told them that Jiajia’s fever had gone down as they entered the ward. Their relieved expressions moved both men deeply.
Seeing that there wasn’t much to do here for the moment, Li Hongjun quietly left the ward to get two servings of food from the hospital cafeteria, delivering one to old Mr. Li first.
Old Mr. Li still had the IV in his hand and was pleased to see his son bringing back food, but he still said out of habit, "Why waste money like this? You could have just bought two buns to tide us over until we go home tomorrow." Looking at the fried chayote with eggs and green beans stewed with pork bones in front of him, old man Li swallowed hard.
"Need to go to the bathroom? If you want to go, I can help you," Li Hongjun asked with a straight face.
Old man Li hadn’t thought about it until then, but upon being asked, it seemed like he did need to go.
So Li Hongjun took the IV bag in one hand and helped old man Li to the bathroom. After returning and settling him back in, he arranged the food, "Can you eat by yourself?"
"What are you going to do, aren’t you going to eat?" Old man Li looked up at him suspiciously.
"I’m going to bring some food to my sister and brother-in-law," Li Hongjun handed the chopsticks to old man Li.
"Right, you should, go ahead. Don’t worry about me here," old man Li nodded eagerly.
So Li Hongjun took the remaining serving of food upstairs and ate it with his sister and brother-in-law.
The couple hadn’t been able to eat or drink these past few days; now, seeing the child’s condition improving, their mood was better, and they had an appetite. The three of them cleaned up the two large plates of food.
After eating, Li Hongjun cleaned up and went downstairs. There was a vacant bed there, where he could rest.
But in the middle of the night, Liu Jianjun suddenly ran down to find Li Hongjun, "Hongjun, Jiajia has a fever again." Having said that, the grown man couldn’t hold back his tears anymore.
Li Hongjun, who had been lying down fully clothed, sat up upon hearing someone pushing the door open.
"Let’s go, let’s have a look."
"Hey, what’s happening here? Can you explain clearly?" Old man Li was also woken up by the noise. He saw his son-in-law come in and say something, and then his son followed him out. Ah, his own legs couldn’t move; this was really making him anxious.
Li Hongjun and Jianjun quickly made their way to Jiajia’s room. Apart from Li Xianglian, who was crying in the room, there was also the doctor who had been giving Jiajia injections.
"Doctor, what’s going on?"
