Chapter 89: Getting an IV Drip

Chapter 89: Chapter 89: Getting an IV Drip

What should have been a thirty-minute ride took Deng Yuyuan a mere fifteen minutes as she fiercely pedaled the rest of the way to their destination.

"Usually, big hospitals like this have payphones," the older man said. "You go register first, ask the nurse where the phone booth is, and then call your family to come over and help."

"It’s fine. I can manage with the child alone; my family isn’t in Beijing," Deng Yuyuan replied. She pulled a one-yuan bill from her pocket and placed it on the tricycle, then turned and stepped down, holding Tuantuan and her woven basket.

"No, no, absolutely not. We were just helping out on the way. Why give us so much?" The older couple hurriedly tried to shove the money back to her. But afraid that pushing back and forth would make Tuantuan uncomfortable, the woman simply held the money flat in her palm, urging Deng Yuyuan to take it back.

"If the neighbors found out I took advantage of a young woman in need and greedily pocketed a whole yuan just for helping her take her child to the hospital, I wouldn’t have the face to see anyone," the older woman added.

Deng Yuyuan shook her head. "I can’t let good people like you go unrewarded. Please, accept it. If it weren’t for your help, who knows how much more my child would have suffered on the way here."

"Then I’ll shamelessly accept it," the older woman decided. "I’ll stay and help you keep an eye on the child. That way, someone can run to pay the fees and get the medicine while the other watches her. I’ll have my old man head back first to let our family know we’re safe, and I’ll stay here."

"It’s fine," the older man said. "I’ll park the cart nearby and come back to help."

His wife pinched him and whispered in his ear, "What are you going to help with? You’re a grown man. Standing around will just make the poor girl nervous and uncomfortable! I can see she’s quite strong herself; you being here will just be awkward for her. Go on, get out of here." She then pulled away and raised her voice. "You need to hurry back and unload those goods at home! We don’t need you here!"

Possessing extraordinary hearing, Deng Yuyuan pretended she hadn’t heard a thing. She moved the clothes covering Tuantuan and felt that the fabric was a bit damp. The little toddler was whimpering and crying silently, her two small hands pinching her mouth tightly shut like a little duck. She was feeling nauseous again.

Deng Yuyuan felt slightly relieved. When one truly needed to vomit, it was uncontrollable. This meant Tuantuan’s condition hadn’t worsened. Spotting a trash can nearby, she took Tuantuan over to throw up once, wiped her mouth clean, and helped her rinse her mouth before finally entering the hospital with the older woman.

After the front desk nurse did a brief check on the child, she registered them and directed Deng Yuyuan inside to line up at Room 3. Two patients later, it was Deng Yuyuan’s turn.

The doctor in a white coat sounded a bit blunt due to his busy schedule. As he felt the child’s forehead and stomach, he asked rapidly, "When did you get back and from where? Did she drink the local water?"

Deng Yuyuan briefly explained her daughter’s condition.

The doctor glanced up at her outfit, then couldn’t resist taking a few more looks. It had been a long time since he’d seen a young woman cover herself up like a bank robber hiding from the light of day. "I have two treatment plans. The first one works fast, but the medication is a bit strong for a two-year-old, though it costs less. The second requires a longer treatment period and costs more, but the medication is milder."

"Doctor, the second one is fine," Deng Yuyuan smiled shyly. "I was afraid of pickpockets on the road, so I dressed a bit plainly."

"Alright." The doctor quickly wrote a prescription. The child needed an IV drip today, and calamine lotion for the rash. At Deng Yuyuan’s request, he also prescribed three bottles of moisturizing lotion to apply to Tuantuan’s body.

"After the IV drip, we’ll see if her condition improves. If not, come back to me for more medication. If the rash hasn’t faded by tomorrow, take her to the dermatology department. You mentioned this is her first time getting a rash and she has no medical history of it, but if we don’t treat it thoroughly now, it’s prone to recurring later.

"Don’t rush to feed her anything rich when you get back. Letting her skip a couple of meals and just drink some rice water is better than anything else." The doctor handed her the prescription. "Go to the window to pay the fee first, then get the medicine and go to the infusion room."

Tuantuan licked her lips sheepishly and whispered, "But Tuantuan doesn’t have the strength to fight... that IV drip right now. Tuantuan is so tired." She made a little fist to show her mother. Sure enough, her tiny fist was soft and weak.

Deng Yuyuan wondered how to explain to Tuantuan that getting an IV drip wasn’t the kind of physical fighting she was thinking of.

The doctor was amused. "Little one, you don’t need to use any strength for an IV drip, but one of your hands might hurt a little bit. Brave kids won’t move even a single inch no matter how much it hurts. Are you a brave kid?"

Tuantuan couldn’t nod right now; moving her head made her dizzy. So she just said, "Tuantuan is."

"Then you’re amazing! I believe in you!"

The older woman went to pay the fees while Deng Yuyuan held Tuantuan and waited in the infusion hall. Although Tuantuan was feeling unwell, being praised had noticeably lifted her spirits, and she poked her mother’s arm from time to time.

It wasn’t until the cold iodine was swabbed on the back of her hand and the nurse approached her with a needle that Tuantuan’s big eyes began to look a bit dazed. A sharp sting pierced the back of her hand. Tears welled up in Tuantuan’s eyes. She opened her mouth wide, gathering her breath to wail loudly—

"Tuantuan is indeed the bravest baby. You didn’t cry at all. What a good girl," Deng Yuyuan praised.

Tuantuan snapped her mouth shut, silently swallowing all her bitterness and pain alone.

"Boo-hoo, Mommy, please don’t praise me like this next time. I don’t want to be a brave kid anymore," Tuantuan thought tearfully.

To prevent her from moving, Tuantuan’s entire left hand was taped to a small cardboard splint. Once the initial pain faded, she leaned against a makeshift pillow Deng Yuyuan had made from her clothes, feeling drowsy.

The older woman hadn’t left; she insisted on staying until Tuantuan’s IV drip was finished. "Don’t think that staying with a child on an IV drip is simple," the woman remarked. "Nature calls, and a child needs constant watching. It’s one thing if they’re older, but for a child this small, how can they be left without an adult by their side?" After she spoke, she looked at Deng Yuyuan with confusion. "Is there something wrong with your face?"

Deng Yuyuan took off her face mask and hat, letting her smooth, long hair cascade down like a waterfall. "No. It’s just that when I’m traveling out here, I look young, which makes people think I’m an easy target."

The older woman’s eyes lit up, and she nodded in agreement. "More than just an easy target. I’ve never seen such a beautiful girl."

"Mhm!" Tuantuan let out a soft murmur and proudly raised her head. "She’s Tuantuan’s mommy!"

"Oh, little Tuantuan, you look much more energetic now. Sit nicely and don’t move around, okay?" the woman looked at her, beaming with joy. "Look at her, you’ve raised her so well. She’s so adorably chubby," she said, turning to praise Deng Yuyuan.

"It’s lunchtime. Player, please go buy food," the AI system chimed in.

"The doctor said Tuantuan doesn’t need to eat lunch," Deng Yuyuan muttered.

"The doctor didn’t say you didn’t have to eat. Tuantuan is fine now, so don’t blame yourself too much," the AI added.

Deng Yuyuan curled her lip, wanting to retort that she wasn’t blaming herself at all.

"Don’t look down, or your tears will fall to the ground."

Deng Yuyuan really couldn’t stand this AI customer service anymore.

She lowered her voice and asked the older woman what she wanted for lunch, offering to go buy it. The woman told her to just get whatever, as she wasn’t a picky eater and would be fine with whatever Deng Yuyuan was having.

On second thought, Deng Yuyuan leaned in and asked softly, "Ma’am, do you happen to know any place we can stay overnight that doesn’t require a letter of introduction?"