Chapter 8: Transferred to the Military Hospital

Even the doctor in the county hospital had no clue about Ning Xin’s condition.

This doctor couldn’t find anything after examining her, so he invited other doctors for a consultation. But this kind of situation was unheard of. In the end, they could only apologize to the family, “We have never encountered a case like this with the patient, so we’re sorry. Currently, we can only offer conservative treatment, which is to continue giving her glucose as long as she is not in life-threatening danger and observe her condition. But we cannot guarantee her safety. There is always risk. A person not eating or drinking, even with glucose, cannot maintain long-term health.”

After hearing the doctor’s words, Widow Ji could only come to one conclusion – the doctor had no way to treat her eldest daughter-in-law. They could only wait and see, and she might die at any time.

She couldn’t take it anymore. Though she was still holding her grandson, her willpower couldn’t hold on. Her vision went black, and she lost consciousness again.

“Careful.” The doctor called out in concern.

One of the doctors reacted quickly and caught the baby. Another supported Widow Ji. Qin Zhan, after all, was an outsider. He had been keeping his distance while the doctors examined Ning Xin. When he saw Widow Ji faint and the baby almost fall, he nearly broke out in a cold sweat.

“I’m fine. What about my daughter-in-law… is there still hope for her?” Fortunately, Widow Ji only fainted briefly. She woke up quickly after being helped up by the doctor.

The doctor was relieved to see her awake. They were worried the family might collapse emotionally because of their words. “We really can’t guarantee anything. Or, you could consider transferring the patient to a major city hospital or provincial hospital.”

This was the doctor’s subtle way of declining. They didn’t want to delay things for the patient with a situation they didn’t understand.

“Then… what should I do? Doctor, I have money, I have money to treat my eldest daughter-in-law…” Widow Ji had no way out. Her mind was in chaos. She looked at Qin Zhan. “Comrade Qin, what should I do? Comrade Qin, I… I want to treat my eldest daughter-in-law. I still have Aihua’s condolence payment. Even if it’s all spent, it’s fine.”

Life was more important than money. Although 2,000 yuan could raise her grandson and help him get married in the future, her grandson had already lost his dad. He couldn’t lose his mom too. Compared to the 2,000 yuan, she felt that having a mom was more important for the child.

Qin Zhan said, “Auntie, don’t worry. I’ll make a phone call to a doctor I know and see what they say. For now, we’ll follow the doctor’s advice here.”

Widow Ji had no idea what to do anymore, but she felt Qin Zhan’s suggestion made sense. “Alright, I’ll listen to you.”

Qin Zhan didn’t stay any longer and left the ward to make a phone call.

Military Base

Chen Zhengming was surprised to receive Qin Zhan’s call. “Weren’t you handling Ji Aihua’s matters? Is something going on with the Ji family now?”

Qin Zhan was at the post office making the call. He didn’t waste words and explained the whole situation. “Comrade Ning is currently in this condition. I need to trouble you to visit the military hospital and ask about this case. Time is tight. If there’s anything we can do to avoid delay, let’s do it. What do you think?”

Chen Zhengming didn’t expect something like this to happen after Qin Zhan went back. Ji Aihua had died to protect Qin Zhan, which already weighed heavily on him. If Ji Aihua’s wife ended up in danger too, even if it had nothing to do with Qin Zhan, he would definitely blame himself.

He knew that time was critical for a patient. Anyway, he could put aside his current tasks and go to the military hospital.

“I’ll head over right now. I’ll call you once I get there. Tell me the phone number there.”

“Okay…” Qin Zhan asked the staff and gave the number to Chen Zhengming, who wrote it down and immediately left for the military hospital.

The military base was not far from the military hospital. It took Chen Zhengming about 40 minutes by car.

Once he arrived, he went straight to a familiar doctor and described Ning Xin’s condition.

The doctor was also surprised by what he heard. The patient’s physiological functions were normal, but she had been unconscious for three days and still hadn’t woken up. She didn’t respond to shouting or pushing. What kind of condition was this?

Doctor: “Instructor Chen, can you contact Captain Qin now? I want to speak with him directly.” There were some things he had learned secondhand through Chen Zhengming, but he couldn’t be sure of the details.

Chen Zhengming: “No problem. Before I came, I told Qin Zhan in advance. He’s waiting at the post office. I’ll call him now.”

Doctor: “I’ll go with you.”

The hospital had a phone, so it was convenient to make the call. After the line connected, it was quickly passed to Qin Zhan.

“Hello?”

Instructor Chen Zhengming recognized his voice immediately after hearing just the greeting. He said, “Qin Zhan, I’m at the military hospital now. I’ve told Doctor Zheng everything. He wants to speak with you.”

Qin Zhan was, of course, familiar with Doctor Zheng. Not only was he a doctor, but also a military physician, the kind who goes on missions with the troops and holds a military rank. Because of that, most people in the military knew him.

“Captain Qin, this is Doctor Zheng. Can you explain the situation of the patient in more detail?”

“No problem…” Qin Zhan explained the events again. Though he hadn’t been personally caring for the patient in the ward, he had gone every day since she was admitted—three times a day—so he knew her condition best and didn’t miss anything. “Now the county hospital’s doctors have discussed the case and said they’ve never seen anything like this. What they can do for now is to keep the patient under observation. Doctor Zheng, do you have any suggestions?”

Doctor Zheng thought for a moment. “Another way to say ‘under observation’ is that they are just keeping her ready for emergency rescue. From what you described, the patient is basically waiting to die. The hospital can’t help, so the patient is waiting to die. Of course, I don’t have a solution at the moment either. But this is a rare case and deserves attention. If possible, can you transfer the patient to the military hospital? But be aware, during the transfer process, there could be accidents. You need to explain that to the family.”

Qin Zhan talked with Doctor Zheng for a while before hanging up the phone. Between the county hospital and the military hospital, everyone knew the military hospital was better in all aspects. The only concern was the journey from the county hospital to the military hospital.

This wasn’t a decision Qin Zhan could make on his own. When he came out of the post office, it was already past lunchtime. The state-run restaurant was out of food, so he went to the supply and marketing cooperative and bought two jin of small cakes and two jin of biscuits, then headed back to the county hospital.

In the county hospital ward, only Widow Ji was left. She sat beside the hospital bed, not daring to leave for even a moment. Her eyes kept glancing toward the door, and only when she saw Qin Zhan return did her eyes light up. She quickly stood up and said, “Comrade Qin…”

Qin Zhan handed her the things in his hand. “Auntie, have some food to fill your stomach first. I’ve already contacted the doctor at the military hospital…” He explained what Doctor Zheng had said and what the doctor had considered. “If Comrade Ning is just lying here waiting for the outcome, then going to the military hospital and waiting on the way is no different. The only concern is the possibility of an accident on the road. If an emergency rescue is needed, it can’t compare to being in the hospital.”

Even though Widow Ji was just a simple countryside woman who had never been farther than the county town, she still knew that the military hospital was better than the county hospital. She was not someone who hesitated and wavered. Besides, when someone is sick, it’s always better to get treatment earlier. There is no reason to delay.

People only try to endure when they can’t afford the medical bills.

Ning Xin also heard the conversation between Qin Zhan and Widow Ji. She didn’t know what her condition was, after all, in the original novel, the original owner died from childbirth. Since she had entered the book, she couldn’t guarantee that she would remain “alive” in this condition. Existing like this, neither alive nor dead, what difference did it make from being in a vegetative state?

The only difference was that a vegetative person had no consciousness and was in a deep sleep, while her soul was awake. That made it even more painful.

So rather than continue like this, she would rather go to the military hospital and give it a try. Even if she died on the way, she would accept her fate. She was someone who had already died once.

But what would Widow Ji say?

Widow Ji did not hesitate for long. “I’m willing to take my eldest daughter-in-law to the military hospital. Comrade Qin, if something happens to her on the way, then it’s just her bad luck. I’ve already done everything I can.”

Widow Ji’s decisiveness surprised Qin Zhan. He hadn’t expected a rural old woman to have such determination. “Alright, I’ll go make arrangements.”

Qin Zhan made arrangements quickly. He went to ask the county government for help. The county leaders were also willing to lend a hand. Officially, it was for the sake of supporting a martyr’s family. Privately, it was to do the Qin family and Qin Zhan a favor. So they immediately arranged a tractor and assigned one of the county hospital’s doctors to accompany them.

The doctor who was to go along was also very happy about this. Being able to visit the military hospital was a rare learning opportunity that many doctors could only dream of, even if just for a few days.

After everything was arranged by Qin Zhan, Widow Ji returned home once. When she came back, it was already late at night. With her were Second Brother Ji, Zhang Caihua, and several large bags of luggage.

The next day, the tractor took them and set out.