Novel All
Chapter 193
Chapter 193 - Who will be Strong for You?
After stepping out of Hong Yangwei's office, Jiang Hao's aunt had yet to return from handling the discharge paperwork.
Feeling the need for some fresh air, Jiang Hao descended the stairs, the hospital's oppressive atmosphere weighing heavily on him.
Reaching the garden, he found a spot on the grass and settled down to watch the constant stream of people bustling in and out of the hospital. A thought struck him: Most people tirelessly chase after money, often at the expense of their health. Then, they spend what they've earned on medical bills, only to be left with nothing in the end. What was it all for?
Lost in contemplation, Jiang Hao's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of sobbing.
“Wuuu ~ Wuuu…”
Listening intently, he noticed a young woman crouched nearby, buried in tears.
Moved by compassion, Jiang Hao approached and offered her a tissue from his pack.
“Don't cry, miss,” he said gently, then added with a reflective tone, “Life is tough for everyone. You've got to learn to be brave and strong on your own. If you're not brave, who will be strong for you?”
For a moment, Jiang Hao was transported back to his own past struggles.
His voice, deep and resonant, carried a magnetic quality that was almost soothing to listen to.
The girl, hearing his words, ceased her crying and slowly looked up at Jiang Hao.
He was taken aback by her appearance; her skin was pale as snow, her eyes brimming with tears, red and swollen, with streaks of sadness etched on her face, invoking an instinctive empathy.
Jiang Hao fluttered the tissue in his hand, and after a brief hesitation, the young lady accepted it.
“Thank you,” she murmured.
Jiang Hao nodded and inquired, “What's wrong?”
After a pause, she met his gaze, sensing his kindness, and began to share her story.
Her name was Lee Ya, and like Jiang Hao, she had just completed her college entrance exams. Coming from a single-parent household, they weren't well-off—in fact, quite the opposite. She had grown up with her father, making do with what little they had.
Just recently, his father was diagnosed with cancer, which dealt a heavy blow to their already struggling family.
Despite the challenges, she managed to scrape together twenty thousand yuan and brought her father here for treatment.
The doctor confirmed that he was eligible for interventional surgery, at least for now.
Once everything was in place, they were simply waiting for the surgery to proceed.
But, just an hour before the scheduled operation, the doctor urgently summoned Lee Ya outside.
He explained that due to their impoverished status, he couldn't risk administering medication during the interventional surgery.
The national subsidy for the poor was limited to three thousand RMB per month, and using medication off the books would breach this limit.
If he did so, he would face an investigation and potential punishment.
Thus, he was too afraid to administer any medication.
Even if Lee Ya purchased the medicine herself for her father, he still wouldn't dare use it.
After her desperate pleas went unanswered, Lee Ya left the doctor's office with a heavy heart.
She then inquired with other patients about how they handled similar situations.
To her astonishment, their responses were eerily consistent.
They all suggested the same thing: she hadn't offered a gift to the doctor.
Being upright individuals, she and her father were unaware of the custom of presenting gifts to doctors before surgery to ensure they took the procedure seriously.
Hearing this, she was both shocked and outraged.
It was then that she realized, even in this vast world, such corrupt practices still lurked in the shadows.