Chapter 748 - 347: Giving Him a Hand, Fame Spreads Far

Chapter 748: Chapter 347: Giving Him a Hand, Fame Spreads Far

"Put on your helmet. Six bucks to the Second Hospital."

The price isn’t expensive.

It’s about four bucks cheaper than a taxi.

Li Jingsheng usually pays around ten bucks for a taxi, or eight if the driver doesn’t take a detour.

Sitting on the back seat, he quickly headed toward the Second Hospital.

"Brother, you must be making quite a bit of money in a day, right?"

"Just barely enough to get by. If there was any other way, who would want to do this? Even though I’m earning money through honest labor, not stealing, not robbing, not hurting anyone, I’m always on edge like a thief."

The motorbike driver’s breath smelled a bit, so Li Jingsheng turned his face to the other side, putting some distance between them.

Thankfully, the bike was moving fast, and the rushing air minimized the impact.

"Is it illegal to run a motorbike like this?"

Li Jingsheng was a bit confused.

"No problem if you don’t get caught, but if you do, it’s bad! They have all sorts of excuses to squeeze money out of you. The city management cracks down, the transport management does too, and if I get caught, I’ll just hand over the bike, forget it."

The motorbike driver poured out his grievances.

The lower you are, the tougher life gets. There’s so much bitterness.

A lot of society’s dark sides are invisible to the average person unless they’re in the industry.

"Do you have to pay a big fine if you get caught?"

"A lot. Towing fees, parking management fees, plus the fines, it’s more expensive than buying a new bike. You haven’t seen the impound lot, it’s full of all kinds of seized motorbikes and electric bikes. I guess many folks just give up on them. When I took mine back, the parking fee was six hundred bucks, towing was two hundred, and after pleading, saying I have a paralyzed wife and a kid in sixth grade, their leader didn’t fine me.

Otherwise, I’d have to pay even more fines.

If caught by the transport management, I’ve heard the minimum fine is two thousand."

The fines for illegal operation are said to be pretty hefty.

Li Jingsheng felt this motorbike driver has it tough.

He’s making a meager income and still has a child and a paralyzed wife to support.

"How much do you usually earn in a month, brother?"

Li Jingsheng was moved. This driver looked honest and faithful, not abandoning his paralyzed wife, fulfilling his duty to raise his child, which speaks well of his character.

His clinic has always wanted to hire a security guard, especially since they launched a nighttime medicine delivery service; security has become an issue.

Hiring a security guard could significantly improve the clinic’s safety.

Old Street of South City is a mixed bag, full of all sorts of people.

"When it’s good, I can make two or three thousand, when it’s bad, just a thousand or even a few hundred bucks. Winter or rainy days, no running. It’s too cold in winter, folks don’t want to ride a motorbike. On rainy days, even raincoats don’t work. Customers prefer taxis."

Earning only a few hundred a month, it’s hard to imagine how his family survives in a first-tier city like Jiangli City.

If you have a bit of money, a meal can cost several hundred.

"Why not find a more stable job?"

Li Jingsheng tentatively asked.

"No choice, my wife is bedridden, needs care for everything. If I go to work, I’d only be back at night, who would take care of her? Running a motorbike is tough and pays less, but it’s flexible. I can go back anytime if needed. Heard delivering meals pays more, seven or eight thousand a month, sometimes over ten thousand, so I tried it too.

But when customers rush you, with too many orders, it was overwhelming.

Got bad reviews easily, made less than the fines in a day."

It seems this brother tried his best to earn more to improve his family conditions.

But with limited abilities and the need to care for his wife and kid, there just wasn’t a suitable job.

"Three thousand a month, and you can still care for your wife. Would you take this job?"

Li Jingsheng asked him.

"Can’t find one! These days, bosses are shrewd, pay you three thousand a month, and you have to earn them six thousand, even ten thousand. I have no skills except some brute force. Did mostly labor on construction sites, at best six or seven thousand a month."

The motorbike driver spoke of his past glory days.

His highest income was six or seven thousand a month, working the toughest jobs on construction sites.

As a laborer, usually moving bricks, carrying cement, and other chores.

"Fair enough. Are you renting now or do you have your own house?"

"Do I look like I can afford a house? Renting, three hundred bucks a month. Just behind the Sunshine Clinic, in an old house from decades ago."

"Where are you originally from, brother?"

"A small mountain village in Beihe County. We moved to the city with my wife and kid for her medical treatment. She needs to go to the People’s Hospital at least once a week. But housing there is too expensive, can’t afford it. My kid can’t get into a school there either, then a kind person showed us this area with cheaper housing, so we came here.

The first two years were hard to get used to.

Our toughest time, we had only seventy bucks left, three of us, bought a bag of noodles to eat for two days."

The brother’s voice changed as he recounted the hardest days.

For anyone, the days they remember are either the hardest or the most beautiful ones.

"What’s your wife’s illness?"

"It’s just high blood pressure, back then we didn’t know, didn’t take medication for control. Because we heard that once you start high blood pressure meds, you have to take them for life. Tried a folk remedy, and one day while working with me on a construction site, she suddenly fainted. At the hospital, we found out it was a stroke. After saving her life, now she’s paralyzed and even speaking isn’t clear.

Needs care for everything."

The elder brother spoke about this matter, still filled with remorse.

Hypertension is a very common disease, and if you don’t control your blood pressure carefully, it can easily lead to serious problems.

Brain strokes, paralysis, and such are the most common.

"Even if you have to take blood pressure medicine for a lifetime, it actually doesn’t cost much. It’s admirable that you didn’t abandon your wife, worked hard to earn money, and took care of her. Very few men can be as good as you are."

Li Jingsheng sighed slightly.

After working in the hospital for so many years, he had seen every kind of patient.

Many didn’t take it seriously before they got sick. Doctors pleaded with them to take medicine or receive treatment, but they didn’t listen.

Something happened, and then they felt regret.

The blood pressure medicine itself doesn’t cost much, the only difficult part is remembering to take it on time every day, and monitoring blood pressure regularly.

Nowadays, even in remote rural areas, with the prevalence of village doctors, monitoring blood pressure has become not much of a challenge.

"Alas, what can you do? Since she married me, she hasn’t had a single day of comfort. When we just got married, I said I would take her to the city, work hard, and buy a big house for her. Who would have thought, just when our financial situation improved a little, this happened to her. Every time I think of her working with me on the construction site, gritting her teeth to carry things, covered in cement, my heart hurts terribly.

As long as there’s the slightest chance, I’ll try to cure her."

The affection between this couple, through hardship and adversity, is truly enviable.

If Li Jingsheng’s ex-girlfriend hadn’t left, she could have enjoyed these days with him now.

When a woman’s dedication touches the man’s heart, most men remain compassionate and remember their wife’s sacrifices.

"Is the place you’re renting now right behind Sunshine Clinic?"

"Yes! I’m quite lucky today, the moment I came out to look for work, I met you."

The man was pleased to have found a passenger.

Six yuan might not mean much to Li Jingsheng, but for this struggling brother from the lower rungs of society, it could well be a meal ticket for a family of three.

"If I offer you a job as a security guard at Sunshine Clinic, you can watch the entrance and take the time to go home and care for your wife. The monthly pay is three thousand yuan, with full insurance and housing fund. Would you be willing?"

Li Jingsheng was willing to help this man, but only within his capabilities.

There are too many people suffering in the world.

Many poor people seem pitiful and deserve sympathy, but they have their own reasons for their situations.

Some are lazy, others are stubbornly set in their ways and don’t move with the times, yet others are ignorant, always thinking they’re smarter than others, dreaming of getting rich overnight.

They aim too high and achieve nothing, unwilling to do the solid work right in front of them.

Eventually, they know nothing and envy others for earning more.

Offering this brother three thousand yuan a month to be a security guard, and allowing him to take time off to care for his wife, is already a great favor.

"Even a fool would be happy with such a good offer. Sunshine Clinic is the best in the area, why would they want someone like me!"

The motorcycle taxi driver shook his head, showing a lack of confidence.

"If you’re willing, bring your ID card and temporary residence permit tomorrow, and come to Sunshine Clinic at 7:30 in the morning."

Li Jingsheng said to him.

"Really? Do you know the boss of Sunshine Clinic?"

"I am the boss of Sunshine Clinic, just come find me tomorrow morning."

Li Jingsheng said with a smile.

"Ah... don’t scare me!"

The man lost control of the handlebars, causing the vehicle to shake violently.

"Brother, it’s not me scaring you; it’s you scaring me. If we fall and get injured, I wouldn’t be able to work."

Li Jingsheng was frightened to the point of breaking out in a cold sweat.

"Sorry, sorry, I just got too excited. I never thought you would be the boss of Sunshine Clinic, you look so young."

He said, turning his head reflexively to look at Li Jingsheng.

"Focus on driving, if you want to size me up, wait until we get to the entrance of the Second Hospital, then you can take a good look."

Li Jingsheng thought this brother’s awareness of traffic safety was too poor.

If there was a crash or something, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Fortunately, it was still quite early, and there weren’t too many vehicles on the road yet.

After 7:30, during the rush hour, the road would be cramped with vehicles.

"Are you really the boss of Sunshine Clinic?"

"Do I have a reason to lie to you?"

"Hehe, I just can’t believe the boss of Sunshine Clinic would ride my motorcycle taxi. You’re surnamed Li, right?"

"That’s right, my name is Li Jingsheng."

"Yes, yes, yes, Dr. Li Jingsheng. A fellow motorcycle taxi driver broke his hand last month. Treatment at a big hospital cost over seven thousand yuan. But at your Sunshine Clinic, he was healed for just a few hundred yuan. The doctor who treated him was Li Jingsheng. Every time he chats during his downtime, he praises how brilliant your medical skills are. You really only needed a few seconds to set his broken bone?"

Once the motorcycle driver realized the person sitting behind him was indeed the boss of Sunshine Clinic, he became exceedingly chatty.

"It depends on the situation. Some uncomplicated cases might only take a few seconds, but the entire treatment process is certainly more than that."

Li Jingsheng’s reputation for treating bone injuries had indeed become quite well-known.