Chapter 227: Rural Absurd Past Events Chapter 227: Pay First, Then Depart

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Protagonist:

Li Xiulan

Wang Xiaohua was originally doing practice papers in the room when he heard his mother's urgent shouts; he immediately got up and went outside to see what was happening.

Although he had no good impression of his father, when he saw his father passed out unconscious, his heart still gave a jolt, and he immediately panicked.

"Hurry up and take him to the hospital!"

Wang Xiaohua shouted busily.

Li Xiulan nodded repeatedly:

"Okay, okay, then hurry and take him to Zhong Jianguo's place to have a look; if that really won't work, send him to the Town Health Center!"

But Wang Xiaohua said:

"How much time would that waste? The situation is urgent; better to call the emergency number right away and have the hospital come pick him up directly!"

Li Xiulan was a bit bewildered; her first reaction was:

"What's the emergency number? I don't know!"

Her second reaction was:

"Would that cost a lot of money?"

Years of poverty and frugality had long since formed a subconscious habit in Li Xiulan: whatever the matter, she had to ask first how much money it would cost.

Wang Xiaohua did not answer her question, because he didn't know the exact cost either, but he was very certain that his father's current state required getting to the hospital as fast as possible — a difference of a few minutes could mean life or death.

So he hurriedly took his father's mobile phone and dialed 120, the emergency number.

The Town Health Center had an ambulance; it would take only twenty-odd minutes to get here.

That would save a lot of time compared to finding a vehicle ourselves and then taking him to the hospital.

And if we found a vehicle ourselves and took him to the hospital, if the condition was too severe the Town Health Center couldn't handle it, we'd still have to call an ambulance to transfer him to the County Hospital or the City Hospital — bigger hospitals like that.

So we might as well just call the ambulance directly.

When Wang Xiaohua considered the problem, he clearly put his father's life first, not how much money would be spent.

Before long, the ambulance arrived at the Village Entrance of Shangou Village.

The ambulance couldn't enter the village, and even if it did it wouldn't know exactly where Wang Xiaohua's home was; it would be faster to take the person out ourselves.

So Wang Xiaohua decided to carry his father on his back to the Village Entrance.

Wang Xiaohua was smaller than his father and weighed thirty or forty jin less, but he still gritted his teeth and hoisted his father onto his back.

He didn't let his mother do it, because the waist injury she got when she was young had started to ache on and off in recent years as she aged, and she could no longer bear his father's weight.

Panting heavily all the way, Wang Xiaohua gritted his teeth and persisted, and with great difficulty finally delivered his father to the Village Entrance and placed him on the ambulance.

However, the ambulance did not start immediately.

An ambulance worker came over and said to Wang Xiaohua and Li Xiulan:

"Please pay the road fee first."

Both Wang Xiaohua and Li Xiulan were stunned.

"How much is the road fee?"

"One hundred."

Li Xiulan immediately became unhappy:

"Why so expensive? Taking a bus to town costs only two yuan in bus fare!"

That ambulance worker had a cold face:

"Then you go take a bus."

Li Xiulan was huffing with anger, very unconvinced:

"You people simply have no conscience!"

But Wang Xiaohua hurriedly said:

"Can one hundred yuan get us directly to the County City Hospital?"

The ambulance worker nodded and said:

"Deal!"

Wang Xiaohua then said:

"Then let's go, straight to the County People's Hospital!"

Wang Xiaohua thought: the Town's medical conditions are that poor, plus this ambulance worker's attitude — clearly the Town Health Center is unreliable; better to go straight to the County People's Hospital, that would be more secure.

This hundred yuan probably had to be spent whether we liked it or not; after all, going back to find someone else to take us to the County City would waste a lot of time.

And his father's current condition — that was racing against the Grim Reaper for every second.

But Li Xiulan hesitated a bit:

"Xiaohua, one hundred yuan is too expensive; why don't we find someone with a motorcycle to carry your father to town, and if that really won't work, transfer to a vehicle to the County City?"

Wang Xiaohua said:

"That would delay a lot of time; a life is more important, don't save small money and spend big money!"

Wang Xiaohua hurriedly said to the ambulance worker:

"Hurry up and set off!"

The ambulance worker still didn't set off, but held out his hand for money:

"Pay first, then depart."

Wang Xiaohua hurriedly urged Li Xiulan:

"Mom, give him the money!"

Li Xiulan was somewhat unwilling, but in the end she still listened to Wang Xiaohua's suggestion and gave the ambulance personnel one hundred yuan.

Only then did the ambulance start up and drive quickly toward the town.

When they were nearly at the town, the driver asked:

"Take the expressway or the national highway? The expressway gets to the county town in twenty minutes; the national highway takes about forty minutes, but the expressway requires you to pay the toll."

"Take the expressway!"

Wang Xiaohua said without a moment's hesitation.

Li Xiulan, however, was still worrying about the money:

"Will the expressway toll be very expensive?"

The driver said:

"Not expensive, just twelve yuan."

Only then did Li Xiulan let out an "oh."

Toward Li Xiulan's attitude, Wang Xiaohua felt somewhat at a loss whether to cry or laugh, even somewhat angry and speechless.

He truly could not understand — clearly a life was at stake, why was his mother still considering saving money at every turn.

Perhaps it was a mindset habit formed by many years of poverty.

Or perhaps his mother fundamentally did not care about his father's life or death at all?

After all, his mother had little affection for his father to speak of; hatred might outweigh love.

As for the real situation, probably only his mother herself knew clearly in her heart.

Soon, the ambulance arrived at the County People's Hospital.

Wang Zhanggen was carried off the ambulance on a stretcher by medical staff and sent to the emergency room.

The emergency doctors immediately arranged treatment for Wang Zhanggen.

Wang Xiaohua and Li Xiulan sat outside, waiting with faces full of exhaustion.

The atmosphere was somewhat heavy.

At this time, a nurse walked over holding a payment slip.

"Wang Zhanggen's family member, please go pay the fee first!"

Wang Xiaohua hurriedly received the payment slip, glanced at the itemized list, and immediately felt shocked — there were drug costs, medical equipment costs, diagnosis costs, more than a dozen or twenty kinds of fees altogether, adding up to several thousand yuan.

And there was one item he could least understand.

"Why is there still an ambulance fee? Didn't we already give money when they came?"

Facing Wang Xiaohua's question, the nurse did not find it surprising, merely replying in a perfunctory tone:

"When you came, that was the fee for the dispatch personnel; this now is the hospital's collected fee."

"Isn't that duplicate charging?"

Although Wang Xiaohua did not value money as heavily as Li Xiulan, such duplicate charging, being treated as a sucker to be fleeced, still made him very displeased; he had to ask clearly.

The nurse, however, rolled her eyes:

"What does this kid understand? The fee given to the dispatch personnel was a tip; this now is the formal charge. Besides, you say you gave the dispatch personnel fee — where is the evidence? Produce the evidence!"

Wang Xiaohua was instantly stunned speechless.

Only then did he realize that the one hundred yuan the ambulance personnel had demanded from them upon arrival was an irregular collection.

But at the time he had not asked the ambulance personnel for a receipt; now if the other party denied it, he certainly could do nothing about it.

"Don't argue with me here over this bit of small change; the money doesn't go into my pocket, the hospital just has this regulation, arguing with me is useless! You hurry up and pay, your dad had a sudden cerebral infarction, must get treatment immediately, otherwise there will be danger to his life at any moment!"

The nurse's tone softened, persuading in a gentle, polite manner.

Wang Xiaohua had no choice; Li Xiulan at the side also did not know what to say.

In the end they could only compromise and hurry to pay.

After all, a life is most important.

……