A chilling cold seeped in.
The hospital was small, and without needing to ask for directions, one could quickly find the consultation room by following the signs.
Hu Jiasheng went in and sat down. The doctor quickly reached a conclusion: "Eczema."
"Why did I get eczema?"
The doctor told him: it could be caused by a weakened immune system, or by contact with irritants or allergens. Stress and poor mood could also trigger it.
"Also, your living environment must be kept dry and hygienic, with plenty of ventilation. Dry your bedding frequently and disinfect the area. Your condition isn't severe. I'll prescribe some medication, and you'll be fine in a couple of days."
Hu Jiasheng thanked the doctor. Looking at the unabated rain outside, he tried to hail a taxi again.
This time, he wasn't as lucky. After calling for over half an hour, no driver accepted his request.
He opened his mobile news app and saw that the rainfall intensity had reached over 30 milliliters per minute. Many vehicles in the city were submerged, and public transportation was restricted.
It seemed he wouldn't be able to get a taxi today.
If he were anywhere else, Hu Jiasheng would have just waited.
But being in a hospital, especially such a gloomy one, he really didn't want to stay any longer.
Fortunately, his place wasn't too far from here, so he decided to walk back.
There was a shop at the hospital entrance, making it easy to buy an umbrella. Soaked to the bone, he bought an umbrella, which offered minimal protection. With his phone navigating, he waded through the water all the way back home.
Upon arriving home, he first took a shower, changed his clothes, and then tidied up the house.
After a thorough cleaning, he took his medication and forced himself to sleep.
He thought the rain would have stopped, or at least lessened, by the time he woke up. To his surprise, not only had it not stopped, but the news reported that due to inadequate drainage facilities, some houses in the old district had been flooded.
The fire department was urgently dispatched to rescue people, urging citizens to be cautious and avoid unnecessary outings.
Hu Jiasheng didn't have a habit of cooking for himself or snacking, which meant he had no food when he was trapped at home.
He drank some water to stave off hunger, idly browsed his phone for a while, and then decided to get his laptop out to continue working.
He worked until dark, when the rain finally began to subside slightly.
Having not eaten all day, and needing to disinfect his home urgently, he had to go out no matter what.
Knowing it would be difficult to get a taxi, he decided not to bother.
He changed into a pair of home shorts, grabbed his umbrella, and walked out.
There was a small supermarket not far from his apartment complex, but it only sold junk food.
He had to go further afield.
After walking for nearly an hour, he found a reasonably sized supermarket. He went in, selected an air purifier and some mite-killing and disinfecting sprays, bought some fresh fruits and vegetables, and carried two large bags back, wading through the water again.
The round trip took him over two hours, leaving him utterly exhausted.
He showered again, changed his clothes, tidied up the house, and then began preparing dinner.
Entering the kitchen, he discovered upon trying to operate the equipment that it was practically useless.
Perhaps because he hadn't paid the bill, the stove wouldn't ignite, rendering his groceries useless.
Fortunately, having grown up abroad, his palate was more Western. Lettuce leaves with bread and some milk would suffice to keep him from starving.
He managed to make do with this for dinner, and thus a tedious day passed.
The next day, he woke up to find the rain had lessened, and the city's water levels had dropped, but it was still impossible to work.
Moreover, Hu Jiasheng found that the medication prescribed by the doctor was not helping.
His body had been neither itchy nor painful yesterday, but today it had started to itch, and he had to go to the hospital again.
He certainly wouldn't go back to the small hospital.
The doctor's qualifications and medical skills were too poor, otherwise, he wouldn't have to make a second trip.
Before leaving, he searched for the Seventh People's Hospital, the closest to his home, and attempted to register online to avoid waiting too long.
As a result, all three consultation slots for dermatology, from eight in the morning until eleven, were fully booked.
The afternoon slots hadn't even been released yet.
He then searched for the Sixth and Fifth People's Hospitals.
It was indeed an era of widespread poor health; all consultation slots were fully booked.
He didn't want to waste his time.
If he couldn't get an appointment in the afternoon, his entire day would be wasted.
Fine, he'd go back to the hospital from yesterday.
Getting a taxi was quick today. The driver dropped him off at the hospital entrance for 17 yuan.
The same pickup location, the same distance, but the price was double that of yesterday.
It was then that Hu Jiasheng realized that this platform wasn't entirely fair and transparent.
It wasn't that he lacked legal awareness or didn't know how to protect his rights; he was simply too lazy to argue over such trivial matters.
He got out of the car, pretending to know nothing.
When he reached the consultation room, the doctor took one look.
"Are you taking any other medication? It was clearly eczema yesterday, but today you have allergic symptoms as well. Or did you eat something wrong?"
Hu Jiasheng was taking antidepressants. He didn't know if their ingredients might interact with the doctor's prescription, but he didn't want to tell the truth.
So, he said that he was indeed having an allergic reaction.
"You'll need an IV drip. Your whole body is affected, and the situation is quite serious. You'll need at least three days of infusions. I'll write you a prescription. Pay the fee and collect your medication from the pharmacy."
The doctor wrote the prescription. Hu Jiasheng took it and looked at it; the price wasn't high.
Two bottles of glucose, one bottle of Vitamin C, and one bottle of anti-allergy medication, totaling 38 yuan.
It was just the environment... well, so be it.
He went to pay. Standing at the pharmacy window, he watched the staff member, with a stern face, pick up a small red plastic basin and unceremoniously fill it with several vials of injection.
Then, she began to call out, "Hu Jiasheng."
Hu Jiasheng raised his hand.
She lowered her eyes, "Hu Jiasheng!"
"Here."
"Your medication!"
She handed him the plastic basin through the small opening in the window.
Hu Jiasheng gripped the edge of the plastic basin, utterly bewildered.
So, what was he supposed to do with these things now? Go back to the doctor?
Seeing that he wasn't moving, the woman, wearing a mask and glasses, looked up at him.
Noticing he was a handsome young man, her attitude softened slightly, but her words remained vague.
"Go find a nurse to give you the IV!"
"Where can I find a nurse?"
"There are nurses' stations on the first and second floors. Next!"
Two elderly people, trembling, were waiting behind him.
Hu Jiasheng didn't want to delay any further, so he stepped aside.
The hospital wasn't large anyway; he could just walk a bit more to find it.
Turning past the outpatient departments, he saw a corridor in front of him.
As soon as he walked past, a pungent smell of urine hit him.
Looking up, he saw it was indeed the restroom.
The washbasin at the entrance of the restroom was built to be as long as a wall, with seven or eight faucets installed side by side.
All the faucets were rusty, and some were not turned off completely, dripping water.
The basin was yellow and black, with a thick layer of grime accumulated in the corners and edges.
The sight alone made him feel physically uncomfortable.
Hu Jiasheng quickly averted his gaze and looked to the left.
In the corridor to the left, a row of blue benches was placed against the wall, with a dense line of elderly men and women sitting on them.
Each person had an IV drip in their arm.
So, they were all getting infusions here collectively.