On the road, Bai Daliang awoke, vomiting several times along the way. The blood from his wound, which had initially stopped, began to seep again. Bai Xue realized he had a concussion and instructed An Quanzi to drive the ox cart slower to minimize the jolts.
"Xiao Xue... Dad's fine! No need to go to the health clinic!" Bai Daliang said laboriously as he lay on the ox cart.
The pain emanating from the back of his head made his breathing rapid several times.
"Alright, Dad! Don't move! The wound on the back of your head is bleeding again!" Bai Xue calmed Bai Daliang, who was trying to get up.
"How could your third uncle be so... so cruel..." Bai Daliang said in pain, his face unseen, but full of misery and disappointment.
"Dad, don't think too much right now! Did you know that second uncle managed to collect ten yuan for us! You have a good brother indeed! We don't need third uncle, just treat him as a passerby from now on!" Bai Xue couldn't help but say this, even though she shouldn't stimulate him with such words.
"Xiao Xue, there's two yuan in my coat pocket!" Hearing that his second brother had given ten yuan, Bai Daliang knew it was borrowed from somewhere, so he told Bai Xue, "Let's just go to the health clinic to disinfect, don't spend second uncle's money! He must have borrowed it from somewhere! It needs to be repaid!"
"Alright!" Bai Xue was freezing, yet didn't dare show it, fearing Bai Daliang's worry, so she stubbornly quivered her jaw while agreeing to anything he said now, though once they reached the health clinic, it wouldn't be up to him.
"Daliang, you shouldn't talk now; once at the town clinic you'll be treated!" An Quanzi, leading the ox cart, said as he looked back.
They transported him to Pingyang Town's health clinic, which had a particularly old-fashioned feel, with red brick and wooden windows and blue-painted lower walls. They parked the ox cart at the clinic entrance, and seeing Bai Daliang's blood-soaked head, the old man at the door hurriedly ran inside to summon a doctor.
A woman in her forties emerged with two nurses. The clinic was sparsely staffed, as in these times, people who could endure avoided visiting a clinic due to a lack of money.
An Quanzi helped carry him inside, getting him to the operating room to treat Bai Daliang's wounds.
Standing outside the operating room, Bai Xue and An Quanzi were so cold that their hands and feet wouldn't respond, waiting all the while.
"Xiao Xue, there's hot water in the clinic. I'll get some for you, so you can warm up!" An Quanzi, seeing Bai Xue pale and shivering, couldn't bear it.
"But Uncle Quanzi, we didn't bring any cups or anything!" Bai Xue knew that in these times, one had to bring essentials when going out, such as a letter of introduction from the squad leader, dry food, and a kettle. Without food coupons, one couldn't eat at the State-Owned Restaurant, as provisions were very scarce.
"It's alright, the clinic has a cafeteria, I'll go check!" he said, turning to find hot water.
Seizing the moment with no one passing by, Bai Xue sneakily took out a loaf of bread from her supermarket space, quickly munching it down, though choking a bit, as she couldn't stomach coarse food like corn buns, which scratched her throat.
The supermarket also had a deli area, with roast chicken, duck, and pig head meat among various stews. Yet, all she could do was drool while gazing at them, knowing that if she took them out, the aroma would be strong, and in these times, where meat was hardly seen, eating roast chicken would certainly attract attention.
Only bread could be discreetly eaten, without too strong a scent, leaving no grease.
Just as she finished a loaf and her stomach felt a bit relieved, the operating room door opened.
"Miss, what's your relation to the injured comrade?" Bai Xue looked over at the voice, realizing it was the same female doctor from before, whose nurse had called her Doctor Zhao.
"Doctor, he's my dad. Is my dad alright?" Bai Xue used her sleeve to rub her mouth and face vigorously, asking with the innocence befitting her 15-year-old voice.
"Your dad's wound at the back is shallow, but requires stitches! There's also a slight concussion, so he shouldn't be moved and needs to be hospitalized! How did he get injured?" The nurse inside was treating Bai Daliang's wound as Doctor Zhao stepped out to inquire.
"It was… an accidental fall!" Bai Xue hesitated a bit, not speaking the truth.
Glancing at Bai Xue, Doctor Zhao didn't expose her lie and said, "Brought enough money? Pay the twenty yuan first, more or less will be refunded!" With that, she intended to return to the operating room.
"Um... Doctor, I only brought ten yuan when I came out, could I pay just ten yuan first?" Bai Xue called out to Doctor Zhao, touching her head apologetically. Evidently, in those days, entering a hospital meant burning money, as one labor point equated to five cents, and twenty yuan was worth over a month, nearly two months of labor points, meaning a family losing that many points would face a shortage at the year's grain split, becoming a household in deficit.
For the first time in two lifetimes she felt so embarrassed, never having owed anyone money, or lacking funds to spend precisely speaking.
Doctor Zhao scrutinized Bai Xue from head to toe, recalling the clothing of the person inside, knowing their family surely wasn't affluent. But being merely a doctor, able to heal, couldn't alleviate poverty, so she said:
"Ten yuan definitely isn't enough, quickly make arrangements. Your father needs hospitalization, costing at least over twenty yuan!"
She then returned to the operating room.
Bai Xue had no choice but to take the ten yuan given by second uncle to pay at the cashier, glancing around with helplessness, even though she possessed provisions unsure of how to act.
She then went back to the cashier, a young lady in her twenties at the clinic counter.
"Sister, can I ask you something?" Bai Xue leaned on the glass window, peering inside to speak with the nurse at the cashier.
"Go ahead, what's the matter?" The nurse coolly responded, but Bai Xue wasn't bothered.
"It's like this, my dad's injured and hospitalized, but the family's facing difficulties, unable to afford the medical expenses. Can we trade in food instead?" Bai Xue voiced her idea.
She really had no other options now. Her dad often mentioned things like the black market when talking about these times, but in the freezing cold, snow-covered land, where could she find a black market?
"Little sister, wait there, don't move!" Upon hearing Bai Xue wanting to trade food for medical fees, the nurse's eyes sparkled, standing up and heading out, reminding Bai Xue to stay put.
Bai Xue saw the expression on her face and understood how important food was to contemporary people. The nurse seemed interested in buying her supplies directly.
Not knowing what specific type of grain she had that elicited such an enthusiastic response.
Soon the nurse hurried out, approached Bai Xue, grasping her hand, said in a deliberately lowered voice, "Speak with me over there!" leading Bai Xue to a more secluded spot.
Bai Xue followed silently, waiting for the nurse to speak.
"Little sister, you said just now you wanted to trade food for medical fees? How much grain do you have? Sister will buy from you just the same! Sister will pay you!" The nurse, pulling Bai Xue to an isolated corner, asked.
"Sister, I have ten… ten jin of cornmeal, ten jin of sorghum rice. It's also our family's food supply, but since my dad's injured and the pillar of the family, we have no money for medical bills, so we can only bring food to trade!" Bai Xue said dejectedly, with her head down.