CHAPTER 355: 331 OUT-OF-TOWN MEDICAL TREATMENT

After explaining everything to Wang Lili, Du Heng saw her leave with a dark expression on her face.

He estimated that by tomorrow morning, this issue should be resolved.

For the rest of the time, Du Heng simply slacked off until he got off work, feeling no psychological burden at all.

Returning home, he briefly glanced at the almost-renovated house and then went to his older brother’s house next door.

Wang Shuqiu, who had been away on vacation, had finally returned, sporting a deep, reddish-black tan that looked rather comical.

He didn’t know what the small bag of cosmetics she had prepared before leaving was for. Perhaps they simply couldn’t block the highland’s ultraviolet rays.

At this moment, she was busy in the kitchen with her sister-in-law, chattering about what she had seen and heard on her travels.

Hearing noises in the courtyard, she looked up. She saw Du Heng entering from outside, and her conversation with her sister-in-law became a bit absent-minded.

Her sister-in-law, while picking vegetables, noticed everything and chuckled, "Alright, you don’t have to keep me company."

Her words made Wang Shuqiu’s face turn slightly red, but she still quietly murmured an "Mm," dropped the vegetables she was holding, and ran outside.

Du Heng didn’t pay attention to the kitchen when he entered and went straight to the living room. Not seeing anyone, he decided to sit down and rest for a while.

Suddenly, he heard familiar footsteps behind him. His heart stirred, and as he turned, a familiar figure rushed into his arms.

Smelling the familiar scent of the woman in his embrace, Du Heng was also a bit excited. "Didn’t you say you would be back the day after tomorrow? Why did you come back today?"

After an excited hug, Wang Shuqiu quickly pulled away. After all, this was her brother’s house, and she still felt a bit shy. "My mom is coming to Jinzhou tomorrow. We also had some things to take care of at home, so we came back early. I wanted to surprise you, so I didn’t call or come looking for you."

However, Du Heng held Wang Shuqiu tightly. "It’s quite a surprise! What if I’d had plans tonight and hadn’t come back?"

"Then I’d have been all alone in an empty house."

"Wow, you’ve become quite sharp-tongued after your trip."

As they joked, Du Yi came out of the inner room holding a pen. "Little Uncle, could you please keep your voices down? I still have homework to do." Having said his piece, he went back inside with his pencil.

"Hmph, that kid." Du Heng glared at his inconsiderate little nephew but let go of Wang Shuqiu.

"By the way, you just said your mother is coming to Jinzhou tomorrow. What for?"

"I don’t know; she didn’t say. But I’ll pick her up tomorrow, so I’ll find out then."

"That works too... How about this, I’ll go with you tomorrow."

Thinking his proposal would make Wang Shuqiu happy, Du Heng was surprised when she shook her head. "You don’t need to go. I’ll go first and see what she’s here for. Depending on the situation, if it’s nothing troublesome, we can all have dinner together in the evening. But if it involves my uncle and aunt, you should stay away."

Although following Wang Shuqiu’s advice seemed a little impolite, she made sense.

He could stand up to her uncle and aunt and disregard them, but he couldn’t do that to his future mother-in-law.

What if she made some demand? Would he agree or not?

As her mother’s own daughter, no matter how fiercely Wang Shuqiu argued with her or how strained their relationship became, they were still mother and daughter; there would be no deep-seated hatred between them.

If he, as the future son-in-law, dared to behave that way, it would only put Wang Shuqiu in a difficult position.

Her current suggestion seemed to be a viable solution.

It was just that doing so was somewhat lacking in etiquette, and he worried his future mother-in-law might disapprove.

But it didn’t matter; they could make up for it later.

Having reached this understanding, the two of them tactfully avoided the topic and began talking about Wang Shuqiu’s enjoyable experiences during her journey.

After a short while, the sound of shuffling footsteps and his older brother conversing with someone else came from the courtyard again.

Du Heng and Wang Shuqiu stopped chatting and got up to greet them.

As Du Heng lifted the door curtain, his older brother, Du Ping, entered with another man.

This person was none other than the Secretary of their brigade—Zhu Fanmin.

Zhu Fanmin was a man in his forties. He always carried himself with a straight back, and his voice was firm and resonant—traits possibly stemming from his military service in his youth.

However, during his time as a soldier, he had faced considerable ridicule from the villagers.

Because he had said he was going to be a soldier, but he was assigned to pig farming instead.

For his three years of compulsory military service, he raised pigs.

What amused people most was that after completing his compulsory service, he didn’t opt for demobilization but instead signed on as a volunteer soldier for another nine years.

Back then, he was the laughingstock of Duke Village. Everyone mocked him for having no prospects, claiming he’d gone off to the army just to raise pigs.

But when he actually stopped being a soldier and returned home, pulling out his demobilization pay to build a small villa and revealing savings amounting to tens of thousands, those who had previously laughed at him were suddenly all scrambling to be his matchmakers.

As for those who had called him worthless back then? Oh, the matchmakers would claim those were just shameless individuals spouting nonsense, and it had nothing to do with them.

Moreover, to this day, while Duke Village had seen several changes in its Director, he had remained steadfast in his position as Secretary.

Of course, he wasn’t the most formidable. There was someone even more so in Duke Village: the brigade’s accountant, who was a true permanent fixture.

It’s said that he started working at the age of twenty-eight and has been going strong until now, at fifty-five. Not a single Secretary or Director had ever managed to replace him.

Nobody in the village ever raised any objections to this. He was an amazing, yet very low-key, figure.

Du Heng gathered his thoughts and warmly invited the man into the house, pouring tea and offering cigarettes without putting on any airs despite his position as Dean.

Once everyone was seated, Du Ping spoke first, "Xiao Heng, the Secretary came to see you today."

Du Heng had anticipated this. Otherwise, with his older brother only raising those forty-something sheep, the Secretary wouldn’t need to visit in person for that. At most, the village head would have relayed a message, and that itself would have been considered showing great respect.

So, hearing Du Ping say this, Du Heng wasn’t surprised. "Secretary, if there was something you needed, a phone call would have sufficed. There was no need for you to make a trip in person."

Zhu Fanmin gently tapped the ash from his cigarette. "Actually, I came today specifically to consult you on a matter and get your advice."

"What matter has stumped the Secretary?"

"You know my younger brother, Zhu Fanzhong, right?"

Du Heng nodded doubtfully; he had thought Zhu Fanmin himself had encountered some problem. "I know. His daughter was the first student from our township to be admitted to Qingbei University. How could I not know that?"

Zhu Fanmin said with a slightly heavy tone, "It’s about this girl."

"Go on," Du Heng said, his expression unavoidably turning serious.

"The girl’s name is Zhu Minyan. She developed vitiligo this April and received treatment in the Capital for a while, but it recurred without much improvement. Also, during that time, a small lump began growing under her neck. At first, she didn’t pay much attention, as she was focused on treating the vitiligo. Unexpectedly, starting last month, the lump under her neck began to grow progressively larger. Upon examination at the hospital, the doctor said it was ’malignant lymphoma’."

Du Heng didn’t understand what Zhu Fanmin was getting at, so he could only follow along.

"A malignant tumor? What did the doctors say?"

"They said she needs to undergo radiotherapy and chemotherapy." Zhu Fanmin took a puff of his cigarette. "However, the treatment cost in the Capital is too high. It’s also inconvenient for Zhu Fanzhong and his wife to go there to take care of her, not to mention the significant expenses. So, they had no choice but to bring her back."

Du Heng frowned. "Bringing her back is understandable. If it’s just radiotherapy and chemotherapy, those treatments are largely the same everywhere."

"President Du, I came today to ask if the chemotherapy expenses for a girl in this situation can be reimbursed?"

Du Heng pondered for a moment. "It can be reimbursed, with a reimbursement ratio of about seventy percent."

Hearing Du Heng say this, Zhu Fanmin visibly relaxed a little. "That’s good, that’s good. As long as it can be reimbursed. Would we need you to handle a hospital transfer procedure? I’ve heard the District Hospital is very strict about approving transfers these days."

Du Heng understood. If the District Hospital proved obstructive, they hoped he could help arrange the transfer; this was probably the main reason for Zhu Fanmin’s visit. However, this was a favor Du Heng definitely couldn’t grant.

"You don’t need a transfer procedure. Just take the girl’s medical reports from the Capital and go directly to the Provincial Oncology Hospital. This kind of disease doesn’t need to go through the Health Clinic or the District Hospital. Reimbursement can be processed directly at the Provincial Oncology Hospital."

At this, Zhu Fanmin breathed an even bigger sigh of relief. "Thank you, President Du. We’ve troubled you."

"It’s no trouble at all. Please, feel free to come to me if you need anything," Du Heng replied politely.

"Well, you must be busy, so I’ll take my leave now." Zhu Fanmin, having gotten his answers, made to stand up.

Du Ping quickly urged him to stay, saying he should have a meal before leaving.

As the two were exchanging pleasantries, Du Heng suddenly remembered something and quickly asked, "Secretary, I wanted to ask, was the girl’s household registration transferred to the Capital when she started university last year?"

"Yes, that happened."

"In that case, is her medical insurance based in the Capital? She probably isn’t covered by the local Jinzhou insurance, right?"

Zhu Fanmin was a little stunned; he wasn’t really sure about this.

However, Du Heng knew her medical insurance must have been purchased through her school. As for back home, with her household registration gone and her spending the entire year in the Capital, she certainly wouldn’t be enrolled in Jinzhou’s medical insurance.

But if that was the case, then if the girl sought treatment in Jinzhou, it would be considered out-of-area medical treatment.

Zhu Fanmin asked blankly, "What’s the relevance of that?"

Du Heng sighed. "If the girl’s registered insurance location isn’t Jinzhou, she can’t get direct reimbursement here. Furthermore, choosing to forgo the superior medical facilities in the Capital to seek treatment in Jinzhou might not comply with the reimbursement procedures for out-of-area medical care."

Zhu Fanmin, who had just begun to relax, was dumbfounded. He seemed utterly bewildered. "You mean... it can’t be reimbursed? We’d have to pay for it all ourselves?"

Du Heng nodded. "I have a vague recollection that those are the rules, but I could be mistaken; my memory isn’t perfectly clear. You should go directly to the District Government Affairs Hall and inquire at the medical insurance office. They will know the detailed regulations."

The sense of relief vanished, instantly replaced by a heavy burden. Even Zhu Fanmin’s usually erect spine seemed to stoop slightly.

In the Zhu family, Zhu Fanmin had been the role model for the older generation, and this girl, Zhu Minyan, was the shining example for the current one.

Now, faced with the news that it couldn’t be reimbursed, he knew the cost of chemotherapy would be enough to bankrupt their several related families many times over. As her uncle, he couldn’t possibly stand idly by.

Thus, for a moment after Du Heng finished speaking, Zhu Fanmin struggled to accept the news, remaining utterly stunned.