Chapter 16 - A Neat and Tidy Family, Not Even the Dog Was Left Behind
Chapter 16: A Neat and Tidy Family, Not Even the Dog Was Left Behind
Lu Ming was sleeping in the hospital dormitory when his phone suddenly vibrated vigorously.
“Hello, this is Lu Ming,” Lu Ming groggily answered the phone.
“Dr. Lu, there’s a significant emergency!” The voice of a nurse on emergency duty came through the phone.
Upon hearing the words “significant emergency,” Lu Ming snapped awake instantly.
“What’s the situation? Is there a patient in need of urgent care?” Asked Lu Ming.
Lu Ming turned on the speakerphone and placed the phone on the bed while getting dressed and staying in communication.
“A whole family of over a dozen people is suspected of food poisoning. Even ambulances can’t reach them!”
“The city’s emergency dispatch center has already sent several ambulances from other hospitals to pick them up.”
When Lu Ming heard this, he knew it was a major crisis. Over a dozen people with food poisoning, and there might be one or two who couldn’t be saved!
After getting dressed, washing his face, and regaining his composure, Lu Ming quickly headed to the emergency room. Just as he arrived at the entrance of the emergency room, two ambulances returned. Two old individuals were brought down from the ambulances. Lu Ming rubbed his eyes, thinking he might not be fully awake.
But when he took a closer look… Oh, my goodness! Wasn’t this the old woman, Song Juying?!
Unbelievable. She was the one with food poisoning?!
Lu Ming instantly understood that there must be an unusual reason behind this food poisoning incident!
But right now, there was no time to investigate the cause. Saving lives was the top priority. Based on the observation of Song Juying’s symptoms and a series of tests conducted, they ultimately confirmed that the old woman did indeed have food poisoning. And it was gastroenteritis-type food poisoning.
Food poisoning typically occurs when bacteria or bacterial toxins contaminate the food consumed by the patient or when the food contains toxins, resulting in illness.
Gastroenteritis-type food poisoning is more common in the hot summer and autumn when bacteria are more likely to grow and multiply in food. The characteristic symptoms include nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and diarrhea, which are indicative of acute gastroenteritis.
Lu Ming had a rough idea of why Song Juying had suffered from food poisoning.
“Dr. Lu, should we perform gastric lavage?” A nurse nearby asked.
Lu Ming nodded, “No need. The situation is relatively mild, not very severe.”
“Patients are likely experiencing frequent diarrhea, so let’s start them on sugar-salt IV drips,” Lu Ming quickly formulated a treatment plan.
The two old individuals were immediately taken to receive IV drips. Before long, the other ambulances that had arrived with Song Juying’s family members also gradually brought them to Mingren Hospital. After assessing the condition of everyone, Lu Ming breathed a sigh of relief. Their conditions were mostly similar to that of the old woman. They just needed some IV fluids and medication.
Two hours later, it was morning. Qinxue woke up in her hospital bed. At that moment, the door to the ward opened, and she saw Lu Ming walking in.
“Oh, you’re awake,” Lu Ming said as he approached Qinxue’s bed.
“Dr. Lu…” “We… meet again,” Qinxue said, feeling extremely awkward about being a frequent visitor to the hospital.
Lu Ming smiled and then began to check Qinxue’s recovery.
After a moment, Lu Ming said, “Hmm, you’re recovering well. Your body is just a bit weak. Rest for half a day, and you should be fine.”
He asked, “So, what mischievous things did the old woman do this time? She managed to get the entire family into the hospital again.”
Qinxue, with a mixture of frustration and helplessness, replied, “I don’t know what my grandmother did this time.”
Lu Ming nodded and said, “I’ll check your family’s condition.”
With that, Lu Ming left the ward to assess the recovery of Song Juying, Qin Kebang, and the others.
“Mom!” “You have to tell me, did you secretly do something again?” “It led to all of us getting food poisoning.”
Lu Ming arrived at Song Juying’s ward only to find Qin Kebang, Qin Kesuang, and Qin Kejing there, all while questioning the old woman. It was evident that they were quite convinced that their grandmother had done something behind their backs. Song Juying seemed to realize her wrongdoing and ignored her children.
“Mom! If you don’t speak up, we won’t care for you anymore!” Qin Kesuang exclaimed angrily.
“Alright, alright, I’ll talk!” “Is it not enough that I’m speaking now?”
Under their pressure, Song Juying finally confessed the truth. As it turned out, she had noticed a large bowl of rice thrown into the garbage can and felt it was a waste. So, she retrieved it, washed it clean, and cooked it together with the rest of the rice.
“So, you’re saying that we ended up eating spoiled rice mixed in with our regular rice?” Qin Kebang was left dumbfounded, temporarily at a loss for words.
“I see now. I was wondering where that garbage can rice had gone!” Qin Kesuang suddenly realized where the spoiled rice had gone.
“Mom! How could you do this?”
Qin Kejing was furious. The adults might be able to handle it, but there were children in the house! Children’s constitutions couldn’t compare to adults, and if something happened to the kids, what would they do?
“Mom, you were wrong!” “Can you just admit that you were wrong?”
Song Juying impatiently offered her apology.
Outside the room, Lu Ming, who now understood the truth, couldn’t help but feel amused and exasperated. The way the old woman had handled things was truly extraordinary! She was trying to send the whole family to meet their ancestors!
Lu Ming shook his head slightly. Frugality and thriftiness were traditional virtues, but sometimes, being overly frugal could lead to awkward situations, such as this one. The entire family ended up with food poisoning, and thousands of dollars were spent on medical bills, this time alone, not to mention the previous incidents.
To save money, they spent tens of thousands of dollars on medical bills! Was it worth it?
Meanwhile, in the countryside, while Song Juying and the others were receiving treatment, Dahuang, who had drunk the pot-cleaning water, also began experiencing symptoms of food poisoning, including diarrhea.
Dahuang lay on the ground in a critical condition.
Dahuang: “Is nobody going to take care of me? Did you all forget about me?”
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