259 Queue
After Zeng Li only accepted the money, he said, “There’s no need to check. How can I not believe you?! During this period of time, you’ve spent money to buy and cook Xiao Sheng’s meals every day. How much are the labor fee and grocery fees? I should pay for this.”
Yu Bing took note of the grocery fees. They were friends, so the labor fees definitely couldn’t be calculated. After removing the portion that she should bear, Xiao Sheng owed her 8.58 yuan.
Initially, she had planned to ask Zeng Li for money, but when she thought about how Xiao Sheng had saved Zeng Li and how Zeng Li had also helped Xiao Li, it didn’t seem appropriate for her to ask Zeng Li for this money again. Hence, she rejected him. “No need. It’s not much money.”
Yu Bing looked calm on the surface, but she comforted herself by telling herself to treat it as buying Xiao Li a shirt.
Zeng Li looked at Yu Bing in surprise and suspicion. After all, it was rare to see a miser like her be so generous.
Before Zeng Li went out today, he specifically borrowed the car that the army had given him. Hence, after they left the hospital, they didn’t have to squeeze into the bus anymore. They drove all the way to the entrance of the Military Affiliated Hospital.
After Zeng Li brought them out of the car, he introduced as they walked. “My sister said that Dr. Min is the best in the ophthalmology department. His success rate for the cornea transplant is more than 99%. My sister has already helped us inform him in advance. We can just go to the department to look for him.”
After saying that, Zeng Li talked about the award this doctor had received, how influential his research was, and most importantly, his success rate for this difficult surgery.
The few of them nodded repeatedly when they heard the introduction. They didn’t understand, but he sounded quite impressive, so they nodded!
After Dr. Min saw Xiao Li, his conclusion was that there was a cornea perforation and a cornea transplant had to be done. Xiao Li was nine years old now, so this surgery had to be done as soon as possible, preferably before she turned ten years old.
When Xiao Sheng heard this, he hurriedly asked, “Doctor Min, if we sign up now, what position in line will we be?”
After Doctor Min found out about the circumstances yesterday, he had already roughly determined Xiao Li’s situation. He had also checked the number of people queuing up for the cornea transplant in advance. When Xiao Sheng asked, he replied, “Number five.”
Yu Bing had heard that fewer people donated corneas than other organs, so the number five didn’t seem that far back in line, but in reality, it might take a long time. “Doctor Min, how long do people usually have to wait?”
Dr. Min shook his head. “There’s no way to tell. If it’s fast, it might take a year. If it’s slow, it might take a few years.”
This answer made everyone’s hearts heavy.
In the end, Dr. Min taught Xiao Sheng a massage technique and prescribed some pre-transplant surgery medicine to slow down the lesions in Xiao Li’s eyes and buy more time for post-transplant surgery.
After they left the hospital, the atmosphere in the car was a little gloomy. Xiao Sheng looked at Zeng Li and said, “Zeng Li, please help me pay more attention to the follow-up. If I can speed things up by paying more money, I can accept it.”
Zeng Li patted Xiao Sheng’s shoulder. “I understand. Don’t worry.”
Xiao Li couldn’t see, but she could feel that everyone was very worried because of her matter, so she smiled and comforted everyone. “It’s okay. I can’t see, but I can cook, wash clothes, and do anything. It’s no different from being able to see.”
Although Xiao Li hid it very well, from their occasional interactions, Yu Bing knew how much she yearned to see. She was clearly the person who needed to be comforted the most now, but she still smiled and comforted everyone, as if nothing was wrong.
Yu Bing felt a lump in her throat. After taking a deep breath, she smiled and said, “Let’s not scare ourselves. Although the earlier the surgery is done the better, obeying the doctor’s instructions and delaying the lesion to the greatest extent is equivalent to extending the surgery time. Therefore, the most important thing now is to remain hopeful and take precautions!”
Xiao Sheng understood why Yu Bing said this, so he smiled and echoed, “That’s right. Do what we can first. We’re going back tomorrow, so I’ll treat you guys to a meal at the state-owned restaurant tonight. Zeng Li, it wasn’t easy for us to come here, so we have to eat your hometown’s most special dishes.”
Zeng Li became excited when he heard about food. “No problem. Leave the ordering to me. I’ll definitely let you guys experience the charisma of this city’s food!”
Everyone chatted and laughed as they changed the topic. After dinner, Zeng Li sent them to buy train tickets.
After this trip to S City, Yu Bing and Xiao Sheng really became friends with Zeng Li, so they bid farewell reluctantly.