On the train bound for the provincial capital, Li Shankui gazed out the window with a look of nervousness.
This was his first time traveling far from home, and his first time riding a train.
Previously, his only exposure to trains had been occasional mentions on the radio and glimpses of old-fashioned steam locomotives in open-air movies shown by the production brigade.
Once he actually boarded the train, Li Shankui found it quite comfortable, and it moved incredibly fast.
Li Yi, sitting beside him, couldn’t help but smile at his father’s wide-eyed, wide-world-first-time-ever look.
“Dad, what do you think of this train?”
“It’s good—faster than a horse-drawn carriage and more comfortable, too. It’s just a bit pricey!” Li Shankui replied honestly.
Zhou Yang smiled but said nothing. The journey from the city to the provincial capital was nearly 200 kilometers, and the fare was two yuan per ticket.
To be honest, the fare really wasn’t that expensive.
“Dad, let it be a little expensive—as long as it gets us to the provincial capital!” Li Yi said with a smile.
“Hmm! I wonder how much longer it’ll take to get there!”
“Another hour or so, and we’ll be there!”
Li Yi had asked the ticket agent when they bought the tickets; the trip from the city to the provincial capital takes about three and a half hours. They’d already been traveling for two hours, so with another hour and a half to go, they should definitely make it.
Li Shankui nodded, then looked at Li Yi and said, “Actually, we don’t necessarily have to go all the way to the provincial capital. We can just get checked out in the county town!”
“Dad, the conditions in the county are still a bit lacking, and the doctors aren’t up to par. If we go to a big hospital in the provincial capital, we can get you thoroughly checked out. If you’re sick, we’ll treat it; if you’re not, at least we’ll have peace of mind, right?”
“Ah, with this trip, your mother and I have worked for nothing today!” Li Shankui sighed.
“Heh, I’m still here. Your son can earn that much back in a single day—don’t worry about it!” Li Yi reassured his father.
“Mm-hmm!”
Then Li Shankui added, “If my condition isn’t looking good, don’t tell your mother when you get back. She’s a nervous sort—don’t scare her!”
Li Yi smiled and said, “Dad, I don’t think you’ll be in any trouble. Don’t worry!”
“Mm-hmm!”
After that, Li Shankui fell silent.
Watching his silent father, Li Yi’s heart grew heavy.
Their main purpose in coming to the provincial capital this time was to get his father treated. It wasn’t just Li Shankui who was anxious; Li Yi himself was under considerable pressure.
After all, in his previous life, his father had suddenly fallen gravely ill three years later, and after suffering for several months, he had passed away—the disease had progressed very rapidly.
Although Li Yi wasn’t a doctor, he knew his father wasn’t suffering from an ordinary illness.
Although this was three years earlier than before, Li Yi couldn’t guarantee that his father’s condition was definitely under control.
Besides, the doctor at the county hospital had said that his father’s lung function was indeed poor and required further examination.
To be honest, Li Yi was worried that this checkup might reveal some serious condition.
But he had no choice; he had to come. This might be his father’s only hope for survival.
…….
“Woo-woo…”
With a long whistle, the train slowly pulled into the platform.
The conductor then opened the doors and urged passengers to disembark.
Li Yi woke his half-asleep father, then quickly got off the train and followed the surging crowd out of the station.
Although the provincial capital’s train station looked just as dilapidated to Li Yi, in his father’s eyes it was grand and imposing; after exiting, he even stood in front of the station for quite a while.
Li Yi had already asked around about the hospitals in the provincial capital before arriving; currently, aside from the Provincial Medical University Affiliated Hospital, the Provincial Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital was also quite well-known.
After careful consideration, Li Yi decided to take his father to the affiliated hospital first.
The reason was quite simple: his father was suffering from an acute condition, and traditional Chinese medicine simply wasn’t very effective for such illnesses.
Moreover, traditional Chinese medicine takes a long time to take effect, so for now, Li Yi had no choice but to seek Western medical treatment.
As for the Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, he’d worry about that later!
However, glancing at the time, it was already 3:30 p.m., so it would definitely be too late to go there now.
So Li Yi decided to find a guesthouse near the affiliated hospital to stay the night and take his father there first thing in the morning.
The straight-line distance from the train station to the affiliated hospital wasn’t far, but since there were no taxis, Li Yi had no choice but to take the bus with his father.
This was Li Yi’s first time riding a bus in the provincial capital, so he hadn’t realized that buses now charged by the stop—five cents per stop, with the fare calculated based on the number of stops traveled.
It was a five-stop ride to the Affiliated Hospital, so the fare for one person was 25 cents.
To be honest, compared to the average person’s salary at the time, Li Yi thought the fare was a bit steep.
After getting off the bus, Li Yi asked a few passersby for directions and then led his father toward a state-run guesthouse nearby.
Upon entering, a young woman in her twenties greeted them.
“Comrades, are you here to check in?”
The young woman could tell at a glance that they were father and son, and that Li Shankui was clearly the head of the household, so she kept her eyes on him as she spoke.
However, Li Shankui was a bit nervous; he opened his mouth twice but ultimately couldn’t bring himself to say a word.
Li Yi immediately replied, “Yes, comrade, we’d like a room!”
“Comrade, please show me your letters of introduction!”
Li Yi immediately produced the letters of introduction issued by their village brigade and commune, then handed them to the young woman across from him.
After verifying that everything was in order, the young woman led the two men to check in.
With the letters of introduction in hand, the rest of the procedures were streamlined—they just had to pay.
Li Yi requested a double room, which cost 3 yuan per night.
While Li Yi considered this a very reasonable price, it made Li Shankui wince with pain.
After all, back in the county, three yuan could buy nearly 20 jin of top-quality white flour.
And now, to see that sum vanish in a single night—how could he not feel the sting?
Li Yi merely smiled at this and said nothing more; his father truly lacked worldly experience. In his simple mind, a three-yuan-a-night lodging fee was indeed very expensive.
But this was the provincial capital; with prices like these, they had no choice but to accept it.
After picking up the key and stowing their luggage, Li Yi led his father out of the guesthouse and walked into a state-run restaurant.
Compared to the state-run restaurants in Qingshan County, those in the provincial capital were not only much larger in size but also seemed to operate differently.
Since it was past lunchtime, the restaurant wasn’t very crowded—there were only two tables occupied.
When Li Yi and Li Shankui walked in, a middle-aged woman approached them and asked, “Comrades, if you’d like to eat, please go to the front to order!”
This alone put them leagues ahead of Liu Jingshan’s men.
The staff at the county’s state-run restaurant wouldn’t greet you with such courtesy; in fact, since they were all permanent employees, they sometimes treated ordinary people with utter contempt.
If you want to eat, you eat; if you don’t, they’re not begging you—there’s no question of service attitude whatsoever.
In comparison, the staff at these provincial state-run restaurants do a much better job in this regard.
After seating his father at a table, Li Yi immediately went to the front desk to order.
Since there were only two of them, Li Yi simply ordered three liang of shaomai and a cold dish…
…….