Chapter 103: A Fever Calls for an Ambulance

Lu Kun had already received definite word: the application submitted by the senior officials of An Gui Province, asking for three years tax-free and five years at half tax, had been rejected without a doubt.

After all that effort, the best they had managed to win was a five-year half-tax concession.

An investment of fifteen million Hong Kong dollars had merely caused the higher-ups a little surprise; it still was nowhere near enough to pry open the door to a three-year tax-free, five-year half-tax policy for An Gui Province.

The senior officials of An Gui Province felt they had lost face.

They had pleaded poverty to the authorities above them again and again, begging for money, begging for policy, and yet this had been the result. No wonder they were still resentful.

In a fit of determination, the An Gui leadership simply mobilized every newspaper, periodical, Party daily, and entertainment broadsheet in the province to run free advertisements for the Hua Kun Chain Supermarket Group.

The propaganda department, usually a lazy little office with nothing much to do, suddenly had a chance to show off its real skills. Everyone seemed to have had a shot of adrenaline, and all kinds of praise began to flow automatically toward the Hua Kun Chain Supermarket Group.

The Hua Kun Group’s experiment in industry-agriculture integration, its work in leading the poor and struggling to prosperity, was especially written up at great length. Major publications all praised the Hua Kun Group as a conscientious enterprise.

Lately, quite a few local governments had even been taking the initiative to invite the Hua Kun Chain Supermarket Group to open branches, promising the most favorable policies.

In the past, such a thing would not even have dared to be imagined.

Amid wave after wave of praise, Gui-A County went the most overboard of all. Right in the center of Gui-A County People’s Square, they unfurled a huge banner that read: Hua Kun Supermarket, the Pride of Gui'an.

No need to guess; Liu Dexin must have had a hand in this.

Even the cover pages of the little comic pamphlets sold on the streets were filled with advertorials for Hua Kun Supermarket:

It emerged from the wild hills and forests of Gui'an, running all the way, struggling all the way, never willing to be defeated.

When it was still tiny, it already had a grand dream. It wanted to soar into the high skies and keep company with the stars.

It was not afraid to fall. It spread its wings and chased the sun.

It wanted to cross mountains, lakes, and seas, and walk beside beauty.

It had passed through valleys and summits, and encountered gates that nearly drove it to despair, yet it never admitted defeat. It strove to burst forth like a wildfire and ignite the future.

It was transforming. It sought rebirth from the ashes. It would break through the fog of night and grow stronger still...

The madness of the advertising did not stop there.

Liu Dexin’s antics were far from simple.

The primary and middle school students in Gui-A County had all suffered for it.

"Write an essay of no fewer than 600 words on the rise of Hua Kun Supermarket."
"The Hua Kun Group had grand dreams when it was still tiny; how can we afford to be salted fish? Relate this to the rise of Hua Kun Supermarket and write an essay of no fewer than XXX words, a reading response of XXX words, and so on..."

Primary and middle school students: "..."

...

Well now, when the leaders in Fengyang saw this, they thought Gui'an had done a splendid job with propaganda. So they copied the whole thing and brought it over.

A few days later, Fengyang People’s Square was also flying a banner that read: Hua Kun Supermarket, the Pride of Fengyang.

This move from the Fengyang leadership left the people in Gui'an’s propaganda department utterly depressed.

...

"Handle coordination on all fronts. If possible, invite a provincial leader from An Gui Province to come forward, hold a signing ceremony or something, and put on a good show," Lu Kun instructed Sun Bowen.

Shortly after returning, the first thing Lu Kun did was remove Stone from his post as head of the security department.

Stone was now the legal representative of the Tianxing Foundation, and in a little while he would be signing on behalf of the Tianxing Foundation with the Hua Kun camp at the signing ceremony. If he still served as Hua Kun’s security chief, it would be far too awkward.

As for the honorary adviser position at Hua Kun Chain Supermarket, Lu Kun let Stone keep that as a concurrent appointment.

"All right, Boss. I’ll contact them right away and try to get this done within a week," Sun Bowen replied briskly.

"Mm," Lu Kun answered softly, then hung up.

Holding the signing ceremony a few days later would be a good thing too. In a few more days, Li Erfu would also be coming to An Gui Province to inspect the market, and Lu Kun could just have him bring Stone along to show off.

Once the company matters were finally taken care of, Lu Kun at last had a little time to rest.

That night.

After dinner, the whole family bathed and went back to their rooms early to rest.

Around eleven o’clock at night, just after Liu had finished helping Lu Kun with some intimate business, the knock on the door sounded.

Lu Kun calmly took some tissue, wiped himself clean, pulled on his pants, and called out toward the door, "Big Girl, what is it?"

"Father, Mother, Second Girl seems to have a fever!" Big Girl said from outside, her voice thick with tears.

Lu Kun and his wife, Liu Liping, exchanged a glance and both quickened their pace as they dressed.

After a while, the two of them followed Big Girl to the girls’ bedroom.

The two girls had a bunk bed in their room, and since Second Girl was small, she slept on the top bunk. Lu Kun had no choice but to climb up there.

He touched the little girl’s forehead and found it indeed quite hot, though not terribly serious.

"It hurts," Second Girl said with a miserable face.

"Second Girl, I’ll give you two choices," Lu Kun said softly.

"Mm," Second Girl answered in a tiny voice.

"The first is that you get up right now, and I take you to the hospital. We’ll go to emergency, and they’ll give you a fever-reducing shot."

Lu Kun paused, then went on.

"The second is that you take some fever medicine first, and tomorrow morning at seven, when I get up, I’ll take you to get the shot."

"Go now," Second Girl said without hesitation.

"Go now?"

"Mm."

They waited for a good while.

Lu Kun: "Mm?"

Second Girl: "Mm."

"Then why are you still not getting up? Put your clothes on. I’ll take you to the hospital," Lu Kun said, the corner of his brow twitching.

"Call me an ambulance," Second Girl said weakly.

Lu Kun: "..."

"I’ll drive you there. No need for an ambulance," Lu Kun said, his mouth twitching in speechlessness.

"Call me an ambulance," Second Girl insisted. "I want an ambulance."

"With just a fever, you want to go by ambulance?" Lu Kun wiped the sweat from his forehead, embarrassed.

"Mm," Second Girl nodded lightly, clutching the corner of the blanket tightly with her small hand.

"Mm?"

"Mm."

...

With some helplessness, Lu Kun had no choice but to call 120 and have them send over an ambulance.

...

At the hospital.

The doctor asked, "Which one of you is the patient’s family member?"

"I am, I am. Doctor, how is the child now?" Lu Kun hurriedly stood up and asked.

The doctor said, "Luckily the ambulance arrived in time. If it had been any later, the fever would have gone down already!"

Lu Kun: "..."

Doctor, everyone else is made of fake leather, and only you are really something else.

...

After paying and collecting the medicine, Lu Kun took that unlucky little girl home.

Coming out, they had an ambulance to ride in; going back, they could only rely on their own two legs.

The wind was a little strong that night, so Lu Kun had no choice but to take off his own coat, carry Second Girl on his back, cover her with the coat, and trudge home step by step, each footfall deep and shallow in turn.