Chapter 1345
Behind the Scenes of the Medical Examination: Joys and Sorrows
Six large trucks, two for each residential area. Li Long had called Xu Chengjun before the trucks arrived, so Xu Chengjun had already announced it over the loudspeaker while the trucks were leading the way, and most of the people who wanted to get a physical examination had already come to the roadside in front of the residential area.
Some people were also hurrying over here.
After the truck arrived at its destination, it turned around. The driver got out and asked people to help lower the rear cargo bed, and then he called people to get back in the truck.
Although they were traveling in a large truck, the company was offering free medical checkups and a meal, so most people expressed their understanding and gratitude. They were all laughing and joking with each other when they got on the truck.
Although the standard of living in rural areas was not as high as in the city at this time, the overall lifestyle was still relatively relaxed, especially in teams like Team 4, which were relatively wealthy, had a good standard of living, and good neighborly relations. In official terms, they were full of revolutionary optimism.
Liang Shuangcheng was in charge of the eastern residential area. He noticed that not many people were getting on the bus, only about 20 per bus. After everyone was on the bus, he told the driver to drive around the residential area and call out to see if he could get more people.
Ma Jinbao was sitting at home when his son and daughter-in-law urged him to go out quickly, saying that the neighbors who wanted to have their medical checkups had already left and gotten into their cars.
“I’ve already made it clear that I won’t go unless Li Long invites me.” Although Ma Jinbao had already put on his clothes for going out, he still maintained his composure and said slowly, “I can guarantee that there are already reporters waiting for me at the hospital.”
If too few people go, Li Long will lose face. Even if he brings a whole truckload, he'll definitely come back to invite those who didn't get on.
Don't be skeptical; this village has at least 300 people. If fewer than that, how will he explain it to the TV station?
Seeing that they couldn't persuade Ma Jinbao, the couple simply gave up, exchanged a glance, and hurried out. Just then, Liang Shuangcheng drove by, and the two of them shouted to stop the car, then climbed up somewhat awkwardly.
The Ma family isn't well-liked, mainly because they're not very ethical. Ma Jinbao is one example, but his son, Ma Yong, is quite selfish and doesn't participate in anything in the village. When they have problems, they call on neighbors for help, but when others have problems, they avoid them.
He never went to the village's weddings or funerals on his own initiative. Even if someone invited him, he would make up many excuses, and eventually no one invited him anymore.
Birds of a feather flock together, and Ma Yong's wife is also quite annoying. She doesn't grow her own vegetables well and often steals vegetables from other people's plots. Normally, if she were to openly ask others for some vegetables, they would give them to her out of politeness.
But this wife of hers steals, and not only that, she wastes them. She picks the best tomatoes and peppers from other people's vegetable gardens, and throws away the less desirable ones.
He's argued and fought with other people's wives over this, and even been caught red-handed in the field, but he just won't change his ways and keeps doing the same thing despite being told to.
So when the two people were clinging to the back of the truck bed and trying to climb onto the truck, no one came over to lend a hand.
However, these two were used to it; after boarding, they squeezed and jostled to secure a seat for themselves. Liang Shuangcheng called out from the front, asking if everyone was seated. Ma Yong also loudly said that his father hadn't gotten on yet.
“Go call your dad. Time waits for no one. The medical check-up has a set time limit.” Liang Shuangcheng also disliked the Ma family and shouted loudly, “Hurry up. If you don’t want to come, then forget it.”
Ma Yong shouted towards his own yard, telling his father to come over quickly.
When Ma Jinbao heard someone calling him, he sat up abruptly. He went to the door, but when he heard it was his son's voice, he shrank back inside.
Liang Shuangcheng, sitting in the passenger seat, waited until no one got out before telling the driver to start the journey.
I won't indulge them.
When the six vehicles met at Weigou Bridge, Liang Shuangcheng asked each driver to report the number of people. He calculated that there were 148 people in the six vehicles, which was less than half of the entire village.
If we exclude those who have already left by car, then roughly half of the villagers went.
Some elderly people were unwilling to go, even though Xu Chengjun said that militiamen would be sent to patrol the various residential areas. But some people were worried about losing their belongings, so they didn't leave. Others had their children on holiday and went out to play or visit relatives, while still others had work to do in the fields. In short, there were various reasons.
Liang Shuangcheng didn't care too much. Li Long had said before that he could recruit as many people as he could, and it was all voluntary.
The convoy set off for Shicheng No. 2 Hospital. At this time, Li Long had already driven Liang Donglou and the others to Shicheng.
Gu Xiaoxia drove Sister Yang and Mingming and Haohao to the hospital first.
The hospital had designated personnel in charge. After arriving and clarifying the details, they began distributing medical examination forms. The forms were standard, with a few additional items that Li Long had specifically requested. The first person to arrive completed the forms first.
This saves time.
While the fourth team was still on their way, those who had driven there and several factory workers had already arrived and started queuing. When Li Long arrived with the Liang family, he saw a long queue for blood collection and immediately led them to other services.
Having participated in numerous mass health checkups, Li Long is highly experienced and not rigid. He goes wherever there are fewer people, so although they arrived late, they were the first to complete their checkups.
Some results may take a while to come out, but results for chest X-rays, ultrasounds, and electrocardiograms are available immediately.
So after taking the Liang family for a medical check-up, Li Long and the doctors at the hospital worked together to persuade Liang Donglou.
The doctor first explained the situation: "Sir, the chest X-ray shows some problems with your lungs. We recommend further examination."
Liang Donglou was a heavy smoker, so it was no surprise that he had lung problems. When the doctor suggested further tests, Liang Donglou nonchalantly replied, "I know my body. Smoking too much damages the lungs, but it shouldn't be a serious problem. I'll just try to smoke less in the future."
Li Long said very seriously, "Uncle, this is more serious than you think. Since we're at the hospital, let's listen to the doctor and get a thorough check-up. We'll deal with any issues promptly. Although you know some medical principles, traditional experience is sometimes not as intuitive as scientific methods."
Liang Donglou was actually quite a strong-willed person. He could speak politely to Li Long for two reasons: firstly, Li Long was successful, and secondly, Li Long was not his nephew, so he couldn't speak to him like he did to Liang Wenyu.
But Liang Donglou wasn't so willing to listen to Li Long's current way of speaking.
Li Long understood what was going on, so he stopped trying to persuade her and instead called over Chen Xiuzhu, her sister-in-law Liang Yuemei, and Liang Wenyu, explaining the situation to Liang Donglou in front of him.
Liang Donglou was slightly angry, but before he could get angry, Chen Xiuzhu had already impatiently arranged for him to be hospitalized.
Her husband, as the pillar of the family, absolutely cannot have any problems. Her son is of marriageable age and still unmarried, which is also a big issue; she doesn't want anything to happen to her family.
Liang Yuemei also earnestly advised her father to get a checkup as soon as possible, as this kind of thing couldn't be delayed.
With his mother and elder sister in front of him, Liang Wenyu also chimed in with encouragement. Li Jianguo, who had just finished his medical examination, came over and, after learning about the situation, also advised Liang Donglou not to be willful, as this was no laughing matter.
Surrounded by so many relatives, even if Liang Donglou was willful and opinionated, there was nothing he could do. He didn't want to make a fool of himself in public, so he had no choice but to go with the doctor for a check-up.
So Li Long gracefully withdrew from the meeting and went to check on the other people's medical examination reports.
Because the results are still pending, the report will be given to the doctor after the examination, and Li Long will take it back in a couple of days after the final results are compiled.
However, everyone who was supposed to get the results already knew to some extent. Regardless of whether the person in question knew or not, Li Long summoned the heads of several places: Xu Chengjun from the fourth team, Sister Yang from the factory, and Yushanjiang from the herdsmen's side.
As he looked through the documents, he informed the person in charge of any issues he found, and the person in charge then notified the individual.
Ultimately, whether or not those with symptoms go to see a doctor is up to them. Li Long is only responsible for providing free medical checkups; he cannot cure all diseases.
After listening, Xu Chengjun said with some surprise, "So many people in our team have problems? I need to write this down and talk to them when I get home. Minor illnesses are fine, but some serious problems need to be treated as soon as possible."
There are about 10 people in the team with relatively obvious problems, such as cholecystitis, gallstones, kidney cysts, kidney stones, lung shadows, nodules, etc.
Li Long thought that once the blood and liver function tests came back, he estimated that even more people would have problems.
It's always better to detect it early than to delay.
After the leaders dispersed, Xu Chengjun came over to Li Long and whispered, "A lot of people in the team didn't come. Do you think I should call them back? I think this physical examination is still very necessary. I never expected that I would have cholecystitis."
I used to think that when I felt unwell, it was just from working too hard and that I could rest. Who would have thought it was actually an illness?
Li Long shook his head and said, "No more arrangements. It's rare for the hospital to spare a day off to organize these people to give us physical examinations. They're not just sitting around waiting for us; they can't possibly spare another day."
The patrolling militia can come and inspect on weekdays; I'll arrange that. As for the others, forget it.
Xu Chengjun didn't say anything more. He knew that Li Long had already done enough. These medical examinations alone would cost several thousand yuan. Although Li Long was rich, not everyone was willing to spend their money on others.
He also knew that some people in the team wanted to come for a physical examination, like Ma Jinbao, but they were too proud to come and wanted to be invited.
Isn't this insane? People are giving you benefits, and you're expected to accept them?
Ma Jinbao is like an ant on a hot plate at home, pacing around the yard, and every now and then he goes to the gate to see if a car will turn back to pick him up.
However, it was quiet outside the settlement; the loudest sound was the bleating of hungry sheep in their own sheepfolds.
He figured if Li Long came to invite him, or even if he sent someone to his house specifically to invite him, he would go along with it, so he didn't plan to herd sheep today.
It's the middle of summer, and we haven't prepared any hay or fodder. We don't even have any feed like sugar dregs at home, so it's inevitable that the sheep will go hungry.
His heart grew colder and colder, knowing that the car might not come back. Enraged, Ma Jinbao grabbed a whip and went to the sheepfold, lashing it wildly.
The sheep weren't going to tolerate him. When they got angry, two of the leaders jumped over the wall of the sheepfold, and the rest of the sheep followed suit.
Ma Jinbao is rather lazy. The walls of the sheepfold are not high to begin with, and some are even made of branches. The sheep are usually quite docile, but when they get really anxious, they can do anything.
A few sheep wandered into the vegetable garden and started grazing there.
More sheep rushed out of the gate and ran out, following the route Ma Jinbao usually took when herding sheep, and ran out of the residential area into the fields.
Ma Jinbao was both angry and anxious. Wearing his leather shoes, he rushed out to chase after them. When he left the yard, he turned around and saw the sheep running around in the vegetable garden. Helpless, he ran back and, with great effort, got the sheep back into the sheepfold.
When he came out of the sheepfold, his leather shoes were covered in sheep droppings, so he had to change into the cloth shoes he usually wore while herding sheep before running out of the settlement with his sheep whip in hand.
The vegetable garden is a complete mess. A bunch of chili peppers have been kicked over, half of the tomato trellis has fallen, the eggplants have been eaten in a mess, and many bean vines have been torn off. It's a huge loss.
Ma Jinbao wasn't worried about his sheep eating other people's crops; he was worried that some people had scattered poisoned wheat in their fields, and if his sheep ate it, they would surely be poisoned.
I'm so reluctant to part with it.
As he ran, he cursed Li Long under his breath. If it weren't for Li Long's actions, he wouldn't be in such a sorry state now.
The militiamen patrolling the settlement first saw the Ma family's sheep dash out like madmen, and then saw Ma Jinbao running out to chase after them at an extraordinary speed, cursing and swearing. They were stunned for a moment, and then laughed.
The Ma family wasn't well-liked, and the two militiamen wouldn't help him chase the sheep, so Ma Jinbao didn't call for anyone to stop him. Although he knew this would definitely become a topic of conversation and a laughing stock, he couldn't care less at this point.
By the time Ma Jinbao found his 20-odd sheep on the alkali stalks, he was exhausted and out of breath. Fortunately, the sheep hadn't wandered into someone else's field; they were just grazing on the reeds by the ditch amidst the ruins. When they saw Ma Jinbao approaching, they hurriedly continued running forward, clearly afraid of being whipped.
At Shicheng No. 2 Hospital, Li Long and representatives from the hospital were being interviewed by a television station. He spoke casually about his original intention in organizing this physical examination, which was to enable the people of his hometown to enjoy modern medical services.
The Second Hospital cooperated very well, so Li Long didn't hold back his praise and gave them a good compliment.
The representative from the Second Hospital was all smiles, wondering if they should inquire privately after the interview whether the young man was married. If he wasn't, there were plenty of beautiful doctors and nurses at the hospital; introducing him to them wouldn't be a bad idea.
The TV reporter knew how to steer the conversation toward the main theme, and Li Long, who was frequently interviewed, knew how to cooperate, so the interview went very smoothly.
Afterwards, the hospital representative wanted to talk to Li Long again. Others had already finished their physical examinations, so as soon as Li Long was done, they pulled him over to ask about the dinner arrangements.
Li Long had those who had finished their medical examinations stay in the same car and follow the driver. He had already made arrangements: some people would eat in Shicheng, and others in Ma County.
There's no other way; there aren't that many state-owned and privately-owned restaurants available right now, and we can't accommodate so many people all at once, so we have to split them up.
Moreover, private restaurants hadn't been operating for very long at that time, and they didn't yet have the service awareness that we have today. You just came and ordered, and the place was a mixed bag; some restaurants and people would treat customers differently and arbitrarily raise prices.
Of course, when Li Long and his group bring a dozen or twenty people into a restaurant, no restaurant dares to cause trouble; they just have to wait a bit while they eat.
Li Long, along with his family, including the Liang family of three, arrived at a restaurant on the edge of the old street.
Liang Donglou's further examination will be tomorrow, so he plans to go home today and Liang Wenyu will bring him over tomorrow.
Li Long was quite happy that his family members, including his parents, were all in good health. Especially his mother, Du Chunfang, who was considered the weakest in the family, but after the examination, the electrocardiogram, ultrasound, and chest X-ray were all normal.
Of all these people, Li Long's physique was naturally the best; the doctors at the hospital even joked that his physique was comparable to that of an athlete.
Li Jianguo, the eldest brother, has lipomas, and a doctor noticed his breath and said it might indicate stomach problems. Since the current physical exam doesn't include gastroscopy, Li Long suggests coming here tomorrow for a gastroscopy to get a better feel for the situation.
Li Jianguo didn't refuse. Everyone understands the principles of this kind of thing; it's just a matter of how to implement them. Since Liang Donglou had already agreed to come for further examination, Li Jianguo had nothing to be afraid of.
It was rare for the two families' elders to have a meal together, and they chatted quite well after getting in the car.
Chen Xiuzhu held Du Chunfang's hand and said with a smile that she had several good sons, and Li Long was so successful that she could finally enjoy a peaceful retirement.
Du Chunfang loved hearing others praise her youngest son, and she would grin from ear to ear while praising him herself.
Since it's just family eating together, it's definitely not just noodles. And because the two families are together, Li Long took the initiative and ordered several dishes: braised chicken, braised fish, beef with potatoes, and seasonal vegetables.
Mingming and Haohao were a little hungry, so Li Qiang took them outside to play for a while, and then Li Long ordered some candied potatoes, which were their favorite dish.
At that time, sweet potatoes were not yet widely available, and most people didn't know how to make things like candied bananas. Restaurants mainly served candied potatoes.
Because they had requested expedited service, the food was prepared and served quickly. Gu Xiaoxia then went to call Li Qiang, Mingming, and Haohao back to eat.
Liang Wenyu continued to ask Li Long about drip irrigation for cotton planting, feeling that it had great potential.
Li Long also told him frankly that this is the general trend in the future, but at present, it cannot be popularized because the cost of drip irrigation tape is too high.
Moreover, the project that was secured for him is unlikely to be obtained by others; it will only be possible to discuss it again when similar projects are widely implemented in the country in a few years.
Liang Wenyu had no choice but to abandon that idea and instead inquire about the high-horsepower tractor.
Upon hearing this, Li Qingxia smiled and told him that there were still several high-horsepower tractors at the purchasing station, which had just been delivered and were all very new.
Before Liang Wenyu could speak, Liang Donglou hurriedly waved his hand: "We can't afford that thing. I heard Xiaolong say that one costs hundreds of thousands. We are already very satisfied with this Dongfanghong 75. We shouldn't aim too high and take it one step at a time."
Liang Wenyu actually had that thought, but after his father spoke up, he dared not say anything more.
After all, what his father said was true. Even if he sold everything he could in the house, he still couldn't afford a high-horsepower tractor worth more than 20 yuan.
Moreover, this Dongfanghong 75 aircraft was actually donated by the Li family, and the money hasn't been fully paid yet.
Overall, the two families ate and chatted together, creating a lively and enjoyable atmosphere, and everyone was very happy.
Liang Donglou then asked Li Qiang what he planned to study for the college entrance examination.
Li Qiang scratched his head and said embarrassedly that he hadn't thought about it yet, and might want to take the medical exam.
Liang Donglou smiled and said, "Medicine is not easy to learn. There is too much knowledge involved, it is too complex, and it is too profound."
Li Qiang didn't know how to respond, but Li Long laughed and said, "I've heard people say there's a popular theory these days: learn Western medicine first, establish yourself at your workplace, and then learn traditional Chinese medicine, practicing medicine while conducting research. I don't know if it's true or not."
Liang Donglou nodded and said, "That's true, but to be honest, it's really hard to cross between the two systems. If you have to accept one system and then learn the other, some of your ideas will change. People are very prone to preconceived notions, so it's not easy to do that."
Li Long smiled and said it was just hearsay and shouldn't be taken seriously.
After dinner, Li Long took the Liang family home and then reminded his older brother to remember to see a doctor for his stomach ailment the next day.
He believed that even if his elder brother didn't go, his sister-in-law would urge him to go.
Fortunately, there's no worry about the farm work now, as the people from our hometown have basically taken over all the tasks, big and small. The wheat is almost ripe, and a few people are eager to try harvesting it with the combine harvester.
After the physical examination, on Monday, Li Long took Liu Gaolou, who had rested enough, to pack canned food and sugar. After seeing him off, he drove to the team.
He wanted to see how the team members would react.
First, we went to Old Ma's House. Among the elderly people at Old Ma's House, apart from Yang Laoliu, most of them had some age-related illnesses, such as cholecystitis or kidney cysts.
However, these illnesses are not considered serious by the elderly; when they feel pain or discomfort, they can simply endure it and it will pass.
Li Long's idea was to prepare some targeted medications so that he could take some anti-inflammatory or antibiotic medications when he felt unwell, which would at least make him feel better.
Since Sunday was only for physical examinations and not for treatment, Li Long wanted to take the men from Lao Ma's place to the Second Hospital to develop a treatment plan based on the examination results. Whether it was medication or injections, the goal was to get them better.
When he arrived, he heard Yang Laoliu, who was about to go herd sheep, bragging to the others: "Look, look, these people used to say that I had bad legs, but now they know, apart from my bad legs, I'm fine in every other way. You guys have good legs, but none of you can swim properly."
Li Long laughed when he heard this. This was exactly the kind of thing that the sharp-tongued Yang Laoliu would do. His tendency to show off was getting worse and worse.
So after getting out of the car, Li Long said, "Old Yang, do you want us to take a look at your leg?"
When Old Man Yang saw Li Long arrive, he hurriedly waved his hand and said, "Don't look, don't look! Even though it looks like I have a problem with my legs, I can actually run faster than them! You should worry about them more. I'm going to herd the cattle and sheep!"
I heard that Ma Jinbao's sheep went mad yesterday. I need to be careful today and stay away from him so as not to infect our cattle and sheep!
After Yang Laoliu left, Uncle Luo said to Li Long, "Don't listen to Lao Yang's nonsense. We're all fine. Besides, everyone gets sick at their age. We're already doing well enough. Don't worry about us; we know what we're doing."
Li Long said, "We can't say that. Let's wait for the medical examination results to come back in the next day or two and see what the results are. If there are no problems with the analyzed items, we'll go to the hospital to see each person individually and get the medicine prescribed so that we won't be helpless when we feel unwell."
If there are still problems on the medical examination report, then we should treat whatever is wrong and not avoid seeking medical help.
Uncle Luo knew he couldn't go against Li Long's wishes, so he agreed.
Li Long asked about Ma Jinbao again, and Uncle Luo told Li Long what he had heard. Li Long curled his lip and said that the old guy was showing off his love for Ma Jinbao and deserved to be tormented.
Uncle Luo agreed wholeheartedly, saying that after what happened yesterday, Ma Jinbao even came to Old Ma's place wanting some sugar residue to make feed, but Yang Laoliu kicked him out.
"Old Yang's words were harsh, so we'd rather throw away the sugar crumbs than give them to him," said Uncle Luo. "Ma Jinbao was both angry and anxious, but there was nothing he could do. To be honest, a scoundrel like that shouldn't be allowed to stay in Team 4."
Li Long couldn't answer that, but Uncle Luo and the others could, since they had been there since the village was founded, and Ma Jinbao was around the same time.
After leaving the old horse ship, Li Long went to his elder brother's house.
The old woman was sitting in the yard chopping pig feed, and Li Qiang was helping her.
Li Juan hasn't started her vacation yet, but I heard it will be soon.
Li Long walked over and asked, "Did my older brother and sister-in-law go to the hospital?"
Du Chunfang nodded and said, "They left without eating breakfast this morning, saying they would come back after doing some inspections. It's already past noon and they still haven't arrived. I don't know if they've prepared any food for them."
Li Long said, "We definitely need to prepare. I reckon my brother and sister-in-law won't want to eat out, so they'll come back early."
As they were talking, Li Junfeng brought over a basin of fish. He greeted Li Long and said that his father had caught the fish that morning. He had heard that Uncle Jianguo and the others had gone to the hospital, and since it was inconvenient to cook here, he brought some over.
Li Long didn't stand on ceremony. Looking at the basin full of peeled crucian carp, he said with a smile, "Perfect! Steamed rice and stewed fish. We haven't eaten like this for a few days. This time, we can eat our fill."
Li Long then asked how Li Junfeng's parents' medical check-up went. Li Junfeng said they were fine, and after chatting for a while, he left.
Li Long washed the rice and was about to steam it when several people walked to the door.
Li Long glanced around and immediately recognized them as the group of people who hadn't gone for their physical exams yesterday. Some were elderly, some were young, and they were looking this way from the entrance without going inside.
What are they planning to do?
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The China Literature Awards Ceremony has been announced, but unfortunately I can't attend; I can only watch others participate. (End of Chapter)