CHAPTER 464: CHAPTER 464: DISCHARGED FROM THE HOSPITAL

By the time she woke up again, it was already the next day.

Seeing her awake, Jian Zhiqing hurried over to touch her forehead.

Thankfully, the fever had subsided.

"What’s wrong?" Qin Xiangnuan felt dizzy and nauseous again, her throat also uncomfortable.

"It’s okay," Jian Zhiqing comforted her, "You’ve had another fever."

Qin Xiangnuan’s face changed color. Could it be that what started as ordinary pneumonia had turned into the actual SARS?

"Don’t let your imagination run wild," Jian Zhiqing said with a relaxed smile, "I’ve checked for you, it’s just a contagion that caused a cold, but we might have to stay here a few more days."

Contagion? Qin Xiangnuan immediately turned her head to look over at Qin Xiangmei.

Qin Xiangmei was receiving an IV again. Only at this time was she quiet, listless and lacking strength, no longer yelling and making sarcastic remarks at others. But the word "contagion" instantly made Qin Xiangnuan feel upset.

After a while, the doctor came in. The nurses had already informed the doctor: first, it was Qin Xiangmei who spiked a fever, and within a few days, Qin Xiangnuan also started running a temperature.

The doctor was actually quite surprised; the names of the two patients sounded like sisters, yet both insisted they were not.

Qin Xiangnuan was so feverish that she was confused, trying to wake up but unable to open her eyes. She only felt as if someone was carrying her, a familiar scent, it was Jian Zhiqing’s. She breathed a sigh of relief and let her consciousness slowly sink.

When she woke up again, she had already been moved to another unfamiliar hospital room, not the original one.

She moved her eyes around, sizing up everything in the hospital room. Was this a new room? It was a bit larger than the one she had been in and seemed newer, but still the smell of disinfectant was strong, not pleasant at all. She had smelled too much of it lately, so much that it made her want to vomit.

"Awake?" Jian Zhiqing came over, touched her forehead, and the fever had gone down somewhat. He then picked up the thermometer left by the nurse and had Qin Xiangnuan place it under her arm, "The doctor said when you wake up, to take your temperature again. If the fever has gone down, you won’t need an injection tonight."

Qin Xiangnuan also felt much better. She sat up but felt a bit dizzy.

"We’ve changed rooms?" As soon as she woke up, she realized that her living space had changed drastically, it was tidy and of course, Qin Xiangmei was no longer there.

"Yes, we took a back door. This is a room for officials. Hospital rooms are in short supply; it wasn’t easy to free up one," otherwise he would have moved Qin Xiangnuan to a different room much earlier.

Jian Zhiqing sat down, poured a glass of water for Qin Xiangnuan, and offered her to drink some.

Qin Xiangnuan carefully took the glass and started to sip, while her eyes kept rolling around agilely. Now that her spirit was better, she also had the energy to think about things.

"What about Qin Xiangmei?" She put down the glass and asked about Qin Xiangmei, who she found so annoying she wanted to strangle her. It couldn’t be SARS, could it? No, Qin Xiangnuan knew that in her previous life, Qin Xiangmei had lived to a ripe old age, even though at the time of her death, Qin Xiangmei was still alive and well. It seems that even if she wasn’t blessed with a long life, she would live at least twice as long as she did in her previous life.

So, Qin Xiangmei wouldn’t get SARS, and of course, she wouldn’t die.

"I’m still on the IV, no issue," Jian Zhiqing lifted his wrist to check the time, only a few minutes left until he should take the thermometer, "We had you switch rooms to prevent cross-infection. A few more days of observation, and if everything’s fine, we can be discharged."

"I really want to be discharged soon," Qin Xiangnuan genuinely disliked the hospital, but then again, no one does.

"Don’t rush, just wait a bit longer," knowing Qin Xiangnuan was in a bad mood, Jian Zhiqing didn’t argue with her. He merely comforted and coddled her, accepting anything she said or complained about wholeheartedly. He checked the time once more, feeling it was about right, and finally took out the thermometer, 36.7 degrees, finally normal.

He also breathed a sigh of relief, deciding to wait until the doctor arrived to discuss it.

Once the IV bag was empty, the doctor came over, took another temperature measure, and seeing it was still normal, decided not to give any more injections.

Qin Xiangnuan was in good spirits, not resenting the doctor for isolating her with Qin Xiangmei which led to cross-infection. After all, nobody wants such things to happen. Everyone is busy dealing with SARS, especially medical personnel, they’re exhausted. This mistake is forgivable; it’s just a few more days of injections and hospital stay.

That night, she actually slept well, probably because of the absence of the restless Qin Xiangmei.

Fortunately for her, although she ran a fever, it wasn’t SARS, just a regular fever. But it still made everyone worried for her, until three days later, she had another blood draw. If the results came back clean, she could go home reassured.

Waiting for the results made her a bit anxious.

Finally, the results came, and it was about an hour’s wait.

Naturally, the doctor’s first words were congrats, his beaming face immediately putting Jian Zhiqing at ease. Such a smile, like that of Maitreya Buddha, should mean all is well.

"Congratulations, you can be discharged."

Finally, the doctor said those words, seeming as relieved as them.

"Thank you," Jian Zhiqing shook hands with the doctor, then turned around and gently scraped Qin Xiangnuan’s cheek.

"Let’s go, little girl, we’re going home."

The words ’going home’ gave Qin Xiangnuan a surreal feeling of being in a different world. She could finally return, feeling as if reborn. She never expected to be isolated like this, and though it wasn’t SARS, she truly experienced what it was like.

Jian Zhiqing got a mask and helped Qin Xiangnuan put it on, continuing to coddle her.

"In a bit, Brother Jian will take you to eat something delicious. You’ve gotten thinner lately," he sighed. After all, she’d been sick and in and out of the hospital for half a month, suffering through it all. She definitely needed to recover well.

Qin Xiangnuan’s eyes lit up, "What delicious food? Hotpot?"

"Who eats hotpot in the midst of summer?" Jian Zhiqing couldn’t help but laugh, "Plus, you’ve just been discharged. After eating just vegetables and tofu for a few days, you can’t gorge on meat and seafood, be careful with your stomach."

The mention of no hotpot made Qin Xiangnuan lose her appetite.

Who says hotpot can’t be enjoyed in summer? Ice cream in winter, hotpot in summer, that’s the ultimate enjoyment.

But even if she craved it, Jian Zhiqing wouldn’t agree. He did indeed take her to a decent restaurant where they ordered tofu soup, stir-fried tomato and eggs, and zucchini, and then that was it.