Qin Huai Ru was horrified at the implications. She thought, "What will happen to my Bang Geng if he's disfigured? How will he live his life?"
She quickly knelt down before the doctor and pleaded, "Doctor, I beg you, please cure him! He's only eight years old! If his nose is damaged, his life will be ruined!"
The doctor helped Qin Huai Ru up and said, "Ma'am, please stand up. We will do our best, but it's a comminuted fracture. The nasal septum is entirely cartilage, and there are too many uncertainties!"
“呜呜！！”
“Alright, don’t cry. This surgery isn’t cheap. Quickly go pay the fees, and we’ll begin the operation.”
Qin Huai Ru had no money. The aunties who had brought Bang Geng to the hospital all turned and left when they heard the doctor mention surgery fees.
“Doctor, doctor, save my child first! I’ll go home and get the money!”
As Qin Huai Ru knelt down pleading with the doctor, Yi Zhong Hai and Jia Dong Xu arrived at the hospital.
"Qin Huai Ru, how is Bang Geng?"
Seeing Jia Dong Xu and Yi Zhong Hai, Qin Huai Ru knew what to do. She collapsed to the ground and told them, “Wuwu, Dong Xu, Yi Da Ye, the doctor said Bang Geng’s nose is a comminuted fracture. It will affect his life."
Yi Zhong Hai frowned. A simple bump had caused such a severe injury!
Qin Huai Ru’s tears flowed like a broken string of pearls. She explained, “Yi Da Ye, I didn’t know! I was washing clothes after breakfast. Bang Geng was playing in the yard. I only realized he had hit the door after I heard him crying!”
Jia Dong Xu knew his precious son was about to be disfigured and blamed Qin Huai Ru.
Knowing that Yi Zhong Hai was present, he couldn't raise his hand but still shouted, "Qin Huai Ru, you're a good-for-nothing! You can't even watch a child properly! What use are you?"
“Alright, Dong Xu, stop blaming her. The damage is done. What’s the point of arguing now?”
Yi Zhong Hai’s words silenced Jia Dong Xu. Then they heard Qin Huai Ru say, "Dong Xu, the doctor said this isn't a minor surgery. We need to pay the surgery and hospital fees."
Jia Dong Xu had no money. When they left, Jia Zhang Shi was clutching her pension money at home, crying. Jia Dong Xu was so annoyed by her crying that he didn't even think about surgery fees.
Just then, Yi Zhong Hai offered to see the doctor, so Jia Dong Xu followed him.
When Yi Zhong Hai arrived, he brought a hundred yuan from home. He intended to give it secretly to Qin Huai Ru so she could buy some delicious food for his precious grandson to supplement his nutrition while he was in the hospital. He saw Jia Dong Xu looking at him with a troubled expression.
He sighed, “Ai, Dong Xu, I brought a hundred yuan. Go pay the surgery fees first. You should also go home quickly and ask your mother for some money. Otherwise, if we delay Bang Geng's treatment, it will be bad.”
People in this era were terrified at the thought of surgery. In their minds, surgery meant something serious, and the costs were beyond the reach of ordinary people.
Now that they heard Yi Zhong Hai had agreed to pay the surgery fees, Jia Zhang Shi nodded quickly, “Ai, alright, Shi Fu, I’ll go back now!”
After Jia Dong Xu left, Yi Zhong Hai asked Qin Huai Ru, “What happened? Explain to me why Bang Geng went to He Yu Cheng's room?”
There was no need for Qin Huai Ru to hide anything from Yi Zhong Hai, so she told him what had happened. She explained that Jia Zhang Shi had said in front of Bang Geng that He Yu Cheng's family had money, and they had been eating fish and meat every day. She said that he should take those things to their family. Bang Geng had listened to Jia Zhang Shi’s words and went to He Yu Cheng’s house to steal while He Yu Cheng was at work.
“Ai, that old fool, Jia Zhang Shi! She’s useless! If anything happens to Bang Geng, I won't let her off the hook! I will tell Dong Xu to send her to the countryside.”
Qin Huai Ru was eager for Jia Zhang Shi to go to the countryside. If that old woman wasn’t around, their family life would be so much more harmonious!
With a sigh, Qin Huai Ru heard Yi Zhong Hai say, “You have to watch Bang Geng carefully in the courtyard from now on. Wang Zhu Ren came to the courtyard today. There’s a courtyard meeting tonight. I think my time as Yi Da Ye is coming to an end.”
Without Yi Zhong Hai's protection, their family wouldn’t be able to survive. Seeing that no one was around, Qin Huai Ru took Yi Zhong Hai's hand and cried, “Yi Da Ye, you can’t ignore us! If you do, we'll starve to death!”
Yi Zhong Hai patted Qin Huai Ru’s hand and said seriously, “Okay, Bang Geng is like my own son. How could I ignore you? Don’t worry, I’ll talk to Sha Zhu later and ask him to continue bringing you food. As for He Yu Cheng, don't provoke him. When I get my hands on something against him, I’ll take action and get him kicked out of the courtyard!”
Qin Huai Ru nodded repeatedly.
The surgery lasted for more than three hours. Bang Geng was finally wheeled out of the operating room. Jia Zhang Shi, Jia Dong Xu, Qin Huai Ru, and Yi Zhong Hai had been waiting outside the operating room.
The doctor came out and said, “We have reattached the child’s nose, but because of the comminuted fracture, we had to sew up dozens of stitches to secure the broken bones. We’ll have to see how the child recovers. The parents should also pay attention to his diet and rest. He should avoid vigorous exercise or bumping his nose. He's a child, so he's playful and doesn’t stay still, and even when he sleeps, he's restless. If he gets hit again, it will be very troublesome.”
His nose had been repaired, but dozens of stitches had been sewn into it. What was the difference between that and disfigurement?
Qin Huai Ru and Jia Zhang Shi immediately started crying. Jia Dong Xu and Yi Zhong Hai also smoked cigarette after cigarette. Both thought of Bang Geng as their own son, and the love a father has for his child is innate.
They stayed at the hospital with Bang Geng until evening. Seeing him crying, Yi Zhong Hai said, "Lao Sao Zi, there's a courtyard meeting tonight. You stay at the hospital with Bang Geng. Let Dong Xu and Huai Ru come back to the courtyard with me. Dong Xu can attend the courtyard meeting, and then Huai Ru can make dinner and bring it to you."
Bang Geng had just woken up and asked how he got hurt. He told them he had listened to Jia Zhang Shi and wanted to take all the things from He Yu Cheng’s house. He said he didn’t deserve to eat those things, the money, the meat.
Yi Zhong Hai was really fed up with Jia Zhang Shi! She was useless! If she stayed in the courtyard and made a scene in front of the street cadres, they might call the police. In that case, it would be Bang Geng who would suffer. He was only seven or eight years old. Yi Zhong Hai didn’t think he could withstand police interrogation. To avoid trouble, it was better for the old woman to stay in the hospital.
That afternoon, with money and tickets in hand, He Yu Cheng used his multiple bodies to act separately, buying what he needed. He went to a deserted area and put everything in his cave-like dimension.
He spent over 200 yuan that afternoon, replacing all the household items. He also bought two sets of clothes for himself, which cost him about 30 yuan.
He Yu Cheng only brought out essential items. He would replace the furniture once the room was refurbished.
He Yu Cheng was only sixteen, but he was organized and efficient. There were so many refugees in the city, but it was as if he knew everything about them, assigning each person to their most suitable role. Sometimes, a casual idea of his would save them a lot of work. He had only been working at the street office for a few days, but his colleagues all liked him.
He Yu Cheng scoffed at the idea of the courtyard choosing a new Yi Da Ye. He knew that except for Yi Zhong Hai, no one else could keep the courtyard peaceful. Firstly, no one could handle the Jia family, and secondly, no one could handle the deaf old woman. Thirdly, there was He Yu Zhu. Ever since He Da Qing left the capital, Yi Zhong Hai had constantly brainwashed He Yu Zhu, turning him into a yes-man. If they fought, they couldn’t beat him. If they scolded him, he wouldn’t listen. That was probably the source of Yi Zhong Hai’s confidence.