Chapter 2 Embarrassment

Chapter 2 Embarrassment

Chapter 2 Embarrassment
After hearing this, Zhou Ruonan hurried in and looked at Li's father with a worried look on her face.

Li Changle saw that his father's face was a little pale, and hurriedly comforted him: "Dad, it's okay, don't worry."

Father Li gave him a weak look and said, "You are so capable. You are the one who always talks about things!"

Li Changle was choked with speech, blaming him!

Doctor Xiang came over with a scalpel, alcohol, and a cupping jar, and handed a thick piece of wood to Father Li, "Bite it, I'll make a small incision to remove the poison."

"Ok!"

Father Li took it and bit it. Li Changle squatted down and held his leg to fix it. Doctor Xiang cut a cross on the wound, and dark red poisonous blood gushed out. He wiped off the poisonous blood, then tore a piece of straw paper soaked in alcohol, lit it and put it in the bamboo tube.

When the straw paper in the bamboo tube is almost burned out, turn the bamboo tube upside down on the wound and draw out the poisonous blood. Repeat this three times until the blood starts to turn red.

Li Changle felt his father's legs trembling. He looked up and saw that he was sweating in pain. His heart felt like it was being pricked by a needle. "Dad, relax. It's okay."

Father Li closed his eyes and ignored him, still regretting that he had not disciplined his son well, which had harmed both himself and others.

"The poisonous blood has been drawn out. There is serum in town. You will be fine after an injection." Doctor Xiang also comforted her. He took a few cotton swabs, dipped them in iodine and wiped the area around the wound. He opened a small paper bag and sprinkled the snake medicine on it.

At this time, the sound of a tractor approaching came from outside. Li Changle squatted in front of Li's father and said, "Dad, I'll carry you on the tractor to the town."

Father Li didn't want to go. "It costs money to go to the hospital. Doctor Xiang has already helped me extract the poisonous blood and applied snake medicine. It's okay if I don't go, right?"

"Dad, we have to go. The five-step snake is very venomous. We must go to the hospital to get serum. I still have some money. I'll go back and get it and wait for you at the intersection." After Zhou Ruonan said this, he turned around and ran out.

"Old Li, this is not the time to save money. We must go to Tuqiao Hospital to get serum to detoxify." Doctor Xiang said as he helped him onto Li Changle's back and told him to carry him and leave quickly without delay.

When I went out, I saw Li Changqing parked the tractor and came to meet him, "A Le, was Second Uncle really bitten by a five-step snake?"

"Yes! Go to the hospital immediately."

"I'll go up and answer it."

The two men worked together to get Li's father into the tractor's bed and made him sit against the bed board. Li Changqing then jumped down, released the brake, stepped on the clutch, and the tractor drove quickly towards the village entrance.

When they reached the intersection, Zhou Ruonan and Li's mother were standing there waiting with their two children.

"A Le, I only have sixty-two here. My eldest and second brothers have gone out to sea, and my two sisters-in-law haven't come back from fishing yet. When they come back, I'll go and call them to town."

Li Changle took the money and suddenly thought of a place to make money. He said to Li's mother, "Mother, come up and go with me. If the money is not enough, you can look after Dad in the hospital. I will come back and find a way to find money."

"Oh!" Li's mother hurriedly carried her things and sat next to Li Changqing. The tractor rumbled towards the town with black smoke.

Half an hour later, they were almost at the hospital. Li Changle noticed that his father seemed to be in great pain. He was afraid that it would be the same as in his previous life, and his voice trembled unconsciously.

"Dad, bear with it for a moment, the hospital will be here soon."

Father Li felt cold all over and didn't even have the strength to speak. Hearing his trembling voice, he forced himself to suppress the discomfort, opened his eyes and nodded at him.

After a while, Li Changqing parked the tractor in the courtyard outside the outpatient department and said, "Ah Le, go and call the doctor. I'll carry Uncle in."

"Oh!" Li Changle jumped off the tractor and ran into the hospital, rushing to the window with the emergency sign, "Help, doctor, help, my father was bitten by a five-step snake..."

A middle-aged male doctor turned around and asked, "Are you sure it was a five-step snake bite?"

"I'm sure. The village doctor checked it."

"Send the patient to the diagnosis room next door!" said the doctor as he came out and walked towards the next room.

Li Changle turned around and saw Li Changqing striding in with his father on his back, and Li's mother quickly following behind, "Ah Qing, this way."

The three of them brought Mr. Li into the clinic. After the doctor turned on the light, he confirmed that it was a five-step snake bite. "How long has it been since you bit me? When did the poisonous blood come out?"

Father Li said weakly, "About two and a half hours ago. Before coming here, the village doctor used a cupping jar to remove the poison from me and also applied snake medicine."

After hearing this, the doctor said to the two nurses who followed in, "Take them to the hospital for blood tests, and you wait to get the prescription and get the medicine."

"Okay, Doctor Lin!" The round-faced nurse came forward and pushed the examination bed, saying to the three people, "One of you will come with me to the inpatient department to have blood drawn, and one of you will stay to pay."

"A Le, I'll follow you!" Li Changqing took the pale-faced Li mother and followed the nurse.

Doctor Lin sat down at the desk, wrote a prescription and handed it to the nurse who stayed behind. He began to write a bill for treatment expenses, saying as he wrote: "Prepay the hospitalization fee of 300 yuan first..."

"Doctor Lin!" Li Changle took out the money he brought with him in a somewhat embarrassed manner, "I only brought 150 yuan. Don't worry, I will definitely make up the difference within two days."

Doctor Lin hesitated for a moment, rewrote the bill, tore it off and handed it to Li Changle, "Go and pay!"

"Thank you, Dr. Lin! I'll pay the money and go home to raise money right away."

Li Changle paid the money and looked around with the receipt, only to find out that they had gone to the second floor of the inpatient department behind the outpatient building. When he got there, he saw A Niang and Li Changqing standing outside the operating room, circling anxiously.

He walked over and handed her the bill and the remaining three dollars. "Mother, we still need 150 dollars for the hospital fee. You stay here and I'll go back to find the money." After Li's mother took it, she said unhappily, "Where are you going to find the money? Which of your friends will lend you money? Go back to the beach and find your eldest and second sisters-in-law. They have money."

Li Changqing also said: "A Le, I think what Second Aunt said is right. If my family hadn't just built a house..."

Mother Li hurriedly said, "Ah Qing, stop talking like that. Auntie knows that your family also owes a lot of money."

Li Changle knew that those friends were fine for eating and drinking, but if there was really something going on, it would be hard to find one who could help. Saying that they were going to borrow money was just an excuse.

Then he thought again, if he didn't find any valuable sea fish or pearls after he went in, he would still have to ask his two sisters-in-law for money, so he said, "Okay, I'll go back and find the eldest and second sisters-in-law."

……

Li Changle came out of the hospital and waited on the roadside for a while before a minibus heading that way came. He sat there for about half an hour, feeling worried, before it finally arrived.

Shatou Village is a small fishing village. It takes more than an hour to walk to the town. As it is too close to the sea and has little arable land, most villagers make a living by fishing.

The Li family lived at the foot of Yantou Mountain at the end of the village. There were five brothers and sisters in the family. The eldest sister, Li Changxi, married to Li'ao Village in the past of Panzhen.

The eldest brother Li Changping had two sons and one daughter after marriage. The second brother Li Changan had two daughters and one son. Both of them are helping on the boat. The younger brother Li Changhuan is still a soldier and has not yet retired.

Li Changle has two sons. The eldest is over six years old and the younger is over four years old.

There are four stone houses lined up in a row. After the three older brothers got married, they each got one, and the youngest lived with his parents.

Several members of the family were crowded into one room, and they had no money to buy land to build a new house.

Li's father used to drive a boat for the village. After he was assigned to work on his own, he used up all his family savings to buy a small fishing boat.

Small fishing boats cannot go to the open sea and can only fish near the coast, which is only enough to make a living in a year.

Li Changping and Li Changan went to their uncle's boat to help with the crew, while the women stayed at home to supplement the family income by scooping up seafood and weaving nets.

Good fortune never comes alone, and misfortune never comes alone. A few days ago, my old lady passed away and the family boat broke down.

After sending the old lady away, Mr. Li had intended to use the remaining money to repair his fishing boat, but now he was bitten by a five-step snake.

No wonder the old saying goes, a hemp rope breaks at the thinnest part, and bad luck only finds the unfortunate.

Li Changle got home with all sorts of thoughts in his mind. Seeing that no one was in the house, he took out his high rain boots and put them on. He also took out a pair of trousers and a headlamp from the cupboard, put them in an oilcloth bag, and then put them in the backpack.

Thinking about how I had drunk nothing last night, I would not be able to work on an empty stomach after going into the sea. I went straight to the kitchen at the back of the house and looked up at the beams.

I saw a rice basket hanging on the wooden fork tied to the beam with a rope.

He took it down and uncovered the gauze covering it, and saw two wheat cakes inside. He rolled them up and ate them in three or four mouthfuls with boiling water, until he was full.

Before going out, I went to find a flat-bladed knife, a large net bag, a scoop net, a wooden stick, and a net rope. I closed the door, turned right, and walked about ten meters to the stone steps at the foot of the mountain.

He took two steps at a time and walked up the narrow stone steps that were only wide enough for two people to pass side by side.

Facing the morning light, many mosquitoes are flying in front of my eyes. In the countryside near water sources, there are particularly many snakes and insects in summer. When walking at night, you can even see snakes sliding quickly into the grass.

Once you climb up Yantou Mountain, you’ll see the sea on the back of the mountain. Most of the mountains near the sea are not high, but very steep.

To get to the seaside from halfway up the mountain, one must pass through a military cave that was artificially dug before liberation and is now abandoned.

Half an hour later, he arrived in front of the cave and strode in. The place where no light could reach was dark and eerie. During the dog days of summer, many poisonous insects hid in there to cool off. It was here that Li's father was bitten.

Li Changle hit the ground with a stick, and a bang-bang sound echoed in the cave. From time to time, he could hear the sound of waves hitting the rocks.

After walking for about four or five minutes, we came out of the cave and saw villagers fishing in the sea walking towards the dock in the distance.

As he was coming down the mountain, a few women who had just returned from mining came towards him. When they saw him carrying the tools for mining, they all looked at each other at the same time.

A woman asked with a fake smile: "Ah Le, why are you walking this way so early in the morning? Are you going to fish in the sea?"

"Go see if there's anything good?"

After Li Changle finished speaking, he walked around a few people and walked forward. After he had gone a few steps, he heard laughter from behind.

"You still want to find good stuff at this hour? Others go to the beach when the tide is low, but he goes when the tide is almost high."

"Yes, there's a saying that goes, even eating shit can't keep up with hot food, that's what it means for people like him."

"Teacher Zhou is so unlucky that he found such a lazy guy."

"Mr. Li and his wife are also unlucky. They thought they gave birth to a lucky child, but they didn't know that he was a debt collector..."

(End of this chapter)