Chapter 143: Father’s Illness
By the time they left the state-run restaurant, it was already 11 o’clock!
Watching Liu Jingshan express his endless gratitude, both Tang Xue and Li Shankui felt that today’s events had been nothing short of surreal.
They had just eaten their fill at the state-run restaurant—at least seven or eight pounds of top-quality beef and lamb alone, not to mention plenty of vegetables, glass noodles, tofu, and the like.
If they’d paid for this meal out of their own pockets, it would have cost at least five or six yuan—maybe even more.
But with Li Yi, not only did they spend nothing, but when they left, the restaurant manager even cheerfully saw them off.
“Son, are we really not paying anything?” Li Shankui asked in surprise.
“Didn’t you see? There’s no need to pay!” Li Yi said with a smile.
“But… but we’re eating here for free. Isn’t that a bit unfair?” Li Shankui said.
But Li Yi just smiled and said, “Dad, do you think the state-run restaurant lost money on this?”
“Hmm! They’re definitely losing money. That’s several pounds of meat!” Li Shankui nodded.
Li Yi then turned to Tang Xue and asked again, “Honey, do you think the restaurant lost money too?”
But Tang Xue shook her head and said, “I don’t think they’re losing money!”
Li Shankui looked at his daughter-in-law and asked, “Why wouldn’t they be losing money?”
“Dad, did you enjoy the hot pot lamb we just had?” Tang Xue asked with a smile.
“Do I even need to ask? Of course it was delicious. I’ve never had beef or lamb this good in my life!” Li Shankui replied honestly.
“There you go. With a dish like that, Director Liu will surely get through his current difficulties. Once the boss is happy, he might even give them a bonus. Compared to that, what’s this meal?” Tang Xue said.
Li Shankui thought for a moment, then nodded and said, “You’re right. In that case, we can enjoy this meal with a clear conscience!”
However, Li Yi smiled and said, “It’s not just that. Now that you’ve tasted this hot pot, barring any surprises, the state-run restaurant will likely list this dish as a new menu item in a few days. With this new dish on the menu, their revenue is bound to skyrocket.”
“If Liu Jingshan were a bit more ambitious and brought out that specialty grilled meat as well, I guarantee the state-run restaurant’s revenue this year might even double.”
“Are there really that many wealthy people in our county?” Li Shankui asked in surprise.
“Heh, there have always been wealthy people; it’s just that sometimes they don’t want to show it off!” Li Yi said casually.
“Don’t flaunt your wealth,” Tang Xue added.
“Hmm!”
Actually, Li Yi had originally planned to start a Korean barbecue business on his own. He believed that with his foresight and a sufficient amount of capital, he could definitely make this culinary concept a success.
In just a few years at most, he could build a restaurant chain on par with Haidilao.
But considering it was only 1980 now, and it would take several more years before the economy fully opened up—with the restaurant industry’s true boom not arriving until the 1990s—Li Yi didn’t have time to wait a whole decade.
So Liu Jingshan was the one who ended up benefiting!
He was confident that with these two culinary delights on the menu, his small state-run restaurant would skyrocket to success—a fitting way to repay the kindness he’d received during his time there.
The bright red mule cart headed west along the state-run restaurant for about twenty minutes before finally spotting the massive sign for the county hospital.
They parked the cart in the hospital’s back yard, which was designated for mule and horse-drawn vehicles, unhitched the big red mule, and tied it to a large poplar tree.
After that, Li Yi gathered some fresh grass for it, then led his father and wife toward the clinic up ahead.
“Xiao Yi, are we really going in to see the doctor? Maybe we shouldn’t?”
Standing at the hospital entrance, Li Shankui actually felt a little scared.
Li Yi smiled and said, “We’re already here—what’s the big deal?”
“I’m not sick…”
“If you’re not sick, why are you coughing nonstop day after day? Besides, even if you’re not sick, just treat this as a checkup. I hope everything turns out fine for you!” Li Yi said.
He knew his father had passed away three years later. Although he hadn’t gone for a checkup at the time, based on his second older sister’s description and his father’s lifelong habit of heavy smoking, Li Yi deduced it was most likely lung cancer.
Otherwise, the condition of a typical illness wouldn’t have deteriorated so rapidly.
So, after settling things at home, Li Yi decided to take him for a thorough checkup.
If the county hospital couldn’t diagnose it, he would take him to the city, to the provincial capital, or even to Beijing.
In short, he couldn’t let this happen to him at such a young age…
Knowing he couldn’t outargue his son, Li Shankui could only sigh and follow Li Yi inside.
At that time, the hospital still followed the previous policy: no registration was required, and payment was only required for prescriptions or IV drips.
He led his father to the internal medicine clinic and knocked on the examination room door!
“Come in!”
Pushing open the door, Li Yi saw an elderly doctor in his sixties sitting inside, with a young man in his twenties reading a book beside him.
The elderly doctor pointed to a small stool across from his desk and said, “That’s for the patient. Sit down!”
Li Shankui glanced at Li Yi, then sat down on the small stool with a resigned look on his face.
“Comrade, where does it hurt?”
Li Shankui opened his mouth to say, “I’m not feeling any discomfort…”
Before he could finish, Li Yi interrupted him: “Doctor, my father often coughs involuntarily. It used to be fine, but lately it’s been getting more and more frequent, so I’m worried there might be a problem with his lungs!”
The elderly doctor glanced at Li Shankui’s slightly deformed fingers and yellowed teeth, and asked immediately, “Does your father smoke a lot?”
“Yeah, he’s practically never without a cigarette!”
The elderly doctor nodded and said, “I see.”
He then took out his stethoscope and began the examination.
After a basic examination, the old doctor frowned and said, “Old comrade, tell me—do you usually experience chest pain, tightness in the chest, shortness of breath, or frequent coughing up of phlegm?”
Li Shankui thought for a moment and replied, “I do feel tightness in my chest, and I do get short of breath and cough up phlegm, but it doesn’t hurt!”
“Have you ever coughed up blood?”
“Blood? No… no…”
The senior doctor then glanced at Li Yi and said, “Your father’s lungs are indeed in poor condition; there are many abnormal sounds. Based on my preliminary assessment, there appears to be a lesion. Therefore, I recommend that, if possible, you take him to a major hospital in the provincial capital for further examination!”
Li Yi hurriedly asked, “What kind of further examination? A chest CT scan?”
“You know what a CT scan is?”
“Yeah!”
The senior doctor continued, “I hear the CT scanners at the major hospitals in the provincial capital were just recently installed. If it’s possible, you should definitely get one done—your father’s condition might be a bit tricky!”
This made Li Shankui a bit anxious, and he hurriedly asked, “Doctor, just tell me—what exactly is wrong with me?”
The senior doctor replied immediately, “Our facilities are limited, and so is my expertise. I can’t give a definitive diagnosis, but you really should quit smoking!”
Li Shankui pressed, “What exactly is wrong with me? Why can’t you diagnose it?”
Li Yi already had an answer in mind. He said right away, “Dad, listen to the doctor. I’ll take you to a big hospital in a couple of days!”
“Well…”
Li Yi then turned to the senior doctor and said, “Thank you. I’ll take my father to the provincial capital as soon as possible!”
“Hmm, don’t worry too much. Your father’s lung function is still decent; it shouldn’t be too serious,” the senior doctor said.
“Let’s hope so!”
After that, Li Yi led his father and Tang Xue out.