Chapter 553: Spend Lots of Money
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
“Furthermore, the person who takes care of Officer Shi must update the military doctor of his condition in detail. I have noted down Officer Shi’s condition for this week. I will tell you right now. In the future, I will have to trouble Madam Qi to come to the army once a week.” Qiao Nan smiled brightly, looking as if she was glad that she no longer needed to take on such a troublesome task.
“Madam Qi must be from Ping Cheng. It’s just nice that Comrade Qiu is in the army. Both of you can take care of Officer Shi. You are his relatives, and most importantly, it is convenient for you. With both of you staying by his side to take care of him, Shi Qing and I can focus on our studies.”
“Every, every week?” Qi Minlan was stunned. She glanced at Qiu Chenxi.
Qiu Chenxi shook her head quietly, suggesting that she did not know the details of Shi Peng’s condition as well.
After Shi Peng returned to the army, aside from asking him for help, she had not been in contact with him. She had no idea of his condition.
Qi Minlan took a deep breath and looked at Qiao Nan with suspicion. “Is it that troublesome? As an outsider, you know much more than me. We will decide what to do in the future later. For now, since you know the details, you should come along with us so that you can update the military doctor. You can demonstrate it once. I will then know what to do in the future.”
Her brother’s health condition had always been like this. It was a recurring problem and it seemed like he could not get better.
If not for her brother’s health, he would not have been stuck in his current position and had no hopes for promotion. Because of him, she could not be the wife of the chief of the army, and neither could she be the sister of the chief of the army.
All along, her brother was alone in the army. There was nobody beside him who cared about his health.
If her brother’s illness required such frequent follow-ups and updates, why did she not hear of it in the past? She did not believe Qiao Nan’s words!
“That’s good. Let’s go together,” Qiao Nan replied with a smile. She did not seem to be caught off guard. “Officer Shi, Shi Qing, let’s go.”
Shi Qing knitted her eyebrows. Qiao Nan had cooked up the whole story. How were they supposed to continue with the lie when they visited the military doctor? Given her auntie’s character, she would stir up more trouble if she found out the truth.
Shi Peng pinched Shi Qing’s hands, hinting at her to ease her worry.
“Military doctor, Officer Shi is here for his follow-up. Previously, you wanted me to observe his condition for a week, so I will update you now.” As soon as they reached the sickbay, Qiao Nan was the first to speak up. While she was speaking, she looked toward Qi Minlan as if asking her to listen carefully and take note of what she was doing so that she would be able to do it in the future. “This week, Officer Shi felt weaker. If he spends a long time under the sun, he will feel dizzy. He cannot stand for prolonged periods of time, and he needs to drink lukewarm water. Occasionally, he will suffer from night sweats and cold sweats. Given these circumstances, what should we pay attention to?”
“Hmm…” The military doctor hesitated for a few seconds.
Given the reaction of the military doctor, Qiu Chenxi and Qi Minlan had misunderstood that Shi Peng’s condition had worsened. Meanwhile, he was thinking hard as to what medicine he should prescribe for Shi Peng.
“Military doctor, you said that since the operation, Officer Shi’s wound has not completely healed. Although the conditions in the army are harsh, Officer Shi has relatives in Ping Cheng. Should we give him some tonics? You don’t have to worry. If there is a need to give him ginseng or velvet antler, Madam Qi and Qiu Chenxi are able to afford them. Their family is well-to-do. The most important thing is that you must find a way to make sure that Officer Shi can recover. As for any other treatments, we will do our best to cooperate.”
Qi Minlan and Qiu Chenxi turned green at Qiao Nan’s words.
Ginseng, velvet antler—they were familiar with these tonics and the Qiu family had a stock of them. But these tonics were expensive!
In particular, for Shi Peng’s condition, it would definitely be insufficient to take these tonics once or twice. If he had to take these tonics for a long period of time, he would be a bottomless pit. The Qiu family might be well-to-do, but they could not afford to spend so much money on him.
“By the way, I heard that bird’s nest is very nutritious. It is not only good for women but men as well. It seems that blood bird’s nest is the best?”
“Yes.” Qiao Nan led the military doctor by the nose. Whatever Qiao Nan said, he would go along with her. “But the blood bird’s nest is expensive. The price is several times that of ordinary bird’s nest. I heard that the price is still going up.”
“Oh, it doesn’t matter. As long as Officer Shi can recover, money will not be a problem. Is that right, Madam Qi?” Qiao Nan said generously. After all, she would not be the one who spent the money.
Qi Minlan kept her mouth shut, almost choking on her own saliva.
Money would not be a problem?
Money was the biggest problem!
She did not even get to eat ordinary bird’s nest frequently, let alone blood bird’s nest. It was too expensive. It was only a small piece, and when it was cooked, it would only amount to a small bowl, yet it was close to a hundred dollars. Eating bird’s nest was tantamount to eating banknotes!
She did not even bear to spend the money on herself, let alone for her brother. Was Qiao Nan crazy?
Qiu Chenxi did not know about Shi Peng’s health condition, but she knew that those tonics that Qiao Nan mentioned were very expensive. Take for instance the ginseng. Those that were harvested after many years and had a resemblance to the shape of the human body could be astoundingly expensive.
Shi Peng was the only relative that the Qiu family had in the army.
In the unlikely event that Shi Peng’s health deteriorated and he needed to have these expensive tonics, it would cost the Qiu family a bomb. For a moment, Qiu Chenxi’s heart ached for those nutritious foods that she never had in her entire life. There was no way that the Qiu family would spend the money on an outsider.
Qi Minlan and Qiu Chenxi had never thought of getting the money they spent on Shi Peng from the Shi family. That was because the Shi family was not well-to-do. They had spent a huge sum of money on Shi Peng’s hospital fees. Besides, there was no way they could save up money as Shi Peng needed to go to the hospital frequently.
Therefore, the Qiu family had no ways of getting whatever money they spent on Shi Peng back from the Shi family.
Qi Minlan and Qiu Chenxi looked sulky.
After a long while, Qi Minlan said, “It is not easy to get these tonics. If my brother really needs them, we must definitely get them. Qing Qing, Chenxi and you can stay in the army camp to take good care of your dad. I will go back first to think of ways to get these tonics. Since we are getting them, we must get those of good quality so as to ensure that your dad has enough nourishment to recover as quickly as possible. But you should know that aside from money, it takes time to look for the tonics that are of good quality. They are also rare in quantity. Hence, it will possibly take a longer time. I will inform you as soon as I have good news. Chenxi, you must behave yourself. Don’t create trouble for your uncle. You must take good care of him, do you understand?”