"There’s nothing we can do about it. If he isn't on IV, he can avoid it," Li Guizhen said, not fully understanding.
"My dad’s hospital has private rooms," Wei Jing finally brought it up.
"Jiajia’s just a child. He doesn’t need such a fancy room, and the cost must be high, right?" Li Guizhen finally understood. She thought to herself, kids from wealthy families really are different.
"Brother, I’m fine. Thank you for your concern," Yang Jiabo said. He knew about the private rooms Wei Jing mentioned, they were hard to get without connections, and the cost was significant. His illness required at least half a month of hospitalization, and they simply couldn’t afford it.
Wei Jing hesitated, wanting to say more but ultimately stayed silent. In the end, he did not mention the transfer to another hospital. He just stared at Yang Jiabo’s pale, sickly face.
"Big brother, it's time for us to go back," Wei Feng tugged at his arm.
"Alright," Wei Jing nodded.
Before they left, Yang Jiabo said, "You'd better not come here in the future. After all, this is the infectious disease department. When I am discharged from the hospital, you can come to visit me at home."
Wei Jing nodded, telling Yang Jiabo to rest well and recover soon. After that, Wei Jing and Wei Feng never camr again.
In the first few days of hospitalization, when his condition was more severe, Yang Jiabo stayed obediently in the hospital. But as he started feeling better and regained some strength, he would pester Li Guizhen to go home as soon as the IV was removed. Seeing that he was improving, and feeling worn out herself from staying in the hospital, Li Guizhen agreed. Every day, they would arrive at the hospital early, finish the IV drip, collect the medication, and then head home.
Yang Jiabo was tormented by the illness. The baby fat on his body disappeared at a visible rate, and by the time he was discharged after half a month, he had turned into a skinny, frail shadow of his former self. His hands were covered in bruises, a frightening sight. His veins were thin, making it hard for the nurses to insert the IV needle, and his skin bruised easily, making the marks look even worse. At this point, Yang Jiabo looked particularly pitiful, and the elders in the Yang family were heartbroken.
But it would be naive to think that being discharged meant the end of his suffering. The doctor prescribed half a month of injections and a pile of medications. For the next two weeks, Yang Jiabo had to go to the hospital every day for injections. Whether it was due to the injections or the nurses’ technique, the experience was excruciating, his buttocks and thighs were sore and painful, making him walk with a limp. The thought of enduring this for half a month filled Yang Jiabo with despair.
And that wasn’t all. In addition to the seven or eight medications prescribed by the hospital, the elders at home had also gathered various folk remedies. Some were relatively normal, while others were bizarre. Someone told Grandma Yang that Yang Jiabo’s illness was caused by a fright and that he needed to "calm his nerves." So, Grandma Yang boiled a gold ring in water and made him drink it.
Grandpa Zhang brought something called qingxiang dan, a type of fungus that grows on old qingxiang trees. It resembled Ganoderma lucidium, a well-known medicinal mushroom, and was believed to have similar health benefits. Every day, a small piece was cut off and boiled for Yang Jiabo to drink. The resulting tea had a mild, woody fragrance, making it somewhat tolerable compared to other remedies.
[清香胆 (qīng xiāng dǎn): A type of fungus similar to lingzhi, believed to have medicinal properties. It’s often used in traditional Chinese medicine.
However, the remedy Li Guizhen found was a bit difficult to describe. Someone had told her to stew carp with sweet rice wine, claiming it could cure hepatitis. The carp, cooked without any seasoning, had its fishy smell intensified by the wine, creating a bizarre and revolting dish. It was a true dark culinary nightmare. Just the smell of it made Yang Jiabo, who had been feeling somewhat better, vomit immediately.
Do you think the folk remedies ended there? No. Yang Jiabo overheard someone suggesting to Li Guizhen that she try feeding him newborn mice. Fortunately, even Li Guizhen found the idea disgusting and didn’t let him try it.
The only rational one was his father. After all, he was an educated man and had served in the military, so he was more supportive of the hospital's treatment. Yang Jiabo's eyes were filled with tears. Fortunately, his father was there, otherwise if he continued like this, he would probably have to stay in the hospital.
"Brother, I’m so pitiful," Yang Jiabo whined, hugging Wei Jing, who had come to visit. He needed comfort.
"What’s wrong?" Wei Jing, who was slightly taller, reached out and patted his head. Yang Jiabo’s hair was dry and yellowish, a sign of malnutrition.
"You have no idea how insane those folk remedies are…" Yang Jiabo couldn’t help but complain. The illness had reduced him to a whiny little kid, both physically and mentally.
"It’s like that?" Wei Jing was also shocked. The creativity of the masses was boundless, and so was their imagination. "Just listen to the doctors. They’re the professionals, after all."
"Hahaha, how did the baby mice taste? Did you really eat them?" Wei Feng, the mischievous kid, couldn’t stop laughing, clearly enjoying Yang Jiabo’s misery. But before he could finish, his brother gave him a hard knock on the head.
Wei Jing: "Jiajia, when are you going back to school?"
"I don’t know. This is an infectious disease, so I’ll have to wait until I’m fully recovered." Even if he wanted to go, the teacher would send him home to rest.
"Then you should have a good rest at home. What do you want to eat? I’ll bring it next time," Wei Jing said, already accustomed to feeding Yang Jiabo.
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