The old doctor called a young doctor to help him as he proceeded to take Xiaowang to check his eyes.
Xiaowang was always scared, holding Lin Lan tightly and refusing to let go. There was no other way to do things so Lin Lan had to go in with him.
After working for a long time, he finished the inspection. Finally, the doctor filled out the form and let her choose the glasses.
The old doctor suggested she take the cheapest one as it could be used anyways. The country folks don’t have much money; it was already a feat to be able to afford glasses.
In the end, he saw the country woman pondering and selecting, before she finally picked the best one— silver frames over crystal lenses with copper legs that cost more than 7 Yuan.
He couldn’t help but glance at Lin Lan— it’s rare for a country woman to have this kind of courage to spend money.
It’s a habit for Lin Lan to buy good things. She firmly believes in the saying that ‘you get what you pay for’. Since the days when she had financial independence, she had always insisted on buying good things instead of cheaper ones.
It was only when she paid the money did she find it really expensive. The total cost was more than 8 Yuan. Seeing a doctor in the country costs only a penny or two, so this was really expensive in comparison.
Lin Lan only felt the pain for a second but she paid the money happily.
After all, to see a doctor for a child, no matter how much money was spent, she chose the best and the most expensive glasses with special silver frames, crystal lenses and copper legs.
Those glasses were pretty good-looking anyway. If Xiaowang didn’t need to wear them in the future, they could be considered antique items instead of a waste.
It wasn’t possible to get the glasses in a day; they had to wait for three days.
Lin Lan was startled. It took her almost half a day to get everything done. To go back to the village and return was something she didn’t really want to do either.
She tried to bargain with the old doctor, “Doctor Liu, from dusk till dawn, we walked step by step from Shanzui Village, which is about 50 or 60 miles away. If we were to go back now, we would have to come again, but it’s not an easy journey. We can’t afford to live in the guest house and I don’t have any food stamps with me. Can I take it today? It doesn’t matter if it gets too late…”
The old doctor smiled and said, “Sister-in-law, I can’t rush this matter. Three days is already considered quite fast as these special lenses have to be sent here from the district hospital.”
Lin Lan had to give up.
She wondered how difficult it was for farmers to enter the city.
Let’s not mention the letter of introduction; obtaining food is also a problem. I only ate twice with the amount of food I brought, but it would turn bad after some time. To have a meal in the city means that I need food stamps, but how am I meant to obtain them as a country villager?
In the countryside, if you wanted food stamps, you could use the harvests to exchange them with the Harvest Control Office. There, they would only give the food stamps but not the money. But when we go out to eat, you’d have to pay with both food stamps and money. With all these exchanges, how do farmers even profit? How could anybody ever own that much grains and harvests? Those measly supplies wouldn’t even fill any stomachs.
But to make a second trip here made her very worried. Even now, both of her legs ached to no end.
I really want to know why changing a body can make me this squeamish!
Sigh, I really want to have a bicycle.