50s: Starting with a storage ring

Chapter 532 Anne's House
On Saturday, October 9th, Sun Zhiwei left home wearing a loose tracksuit and sneakers.

He waited at the door for a while, and children would pass by from time to time and greet him, which he would respond to one by one.

Soon, Daisy, dressed in denim overalls, with her hair in a bun, came up to him carrying a large bag.

Sun Zhiwei could tell from her clothes that she was going to work today; her neat and tidy outfit was perfect for getting things done.

Sun Zhiwei took the large bag from her hand, and the two walked slowly, passing several blocks before arriving at a large house.

The house has only two floors, but it is quite large, with a large lawn in front of the door.

Unlike ordinary residences, this place is surrounded by a wall, and a sign hanging at the entrance reads: Anne Frank House.

Anne House was started more than a decade ago by Greta Mitchell Kelly, an elderly woman from 72nd Street.

She used all the property her husband left her before his death to build and maintain the orphanage.

Daisy rang the doorbell, and soon a middle-aged woman came to open the door. She was visibly pleased to see Daisy.

“Ms. Daisy, you’re here again.”

"Hello, Susan, this is Mr. James. How are the children today?"

“Mr. James, the children are all fine today, but Mrs. Kelly is not feeling well.”

"Really? Are you sick? Have you gone to the hospital to see a doctor?"

"She said it was a minor ailment and didn't want to go to the hospital. She's resting and working in the office now."

“Let’s go see Mrs. Kelly first,” Daisy said, then turned to Sun Zhiwei and said, “Mrs. Kelly is a very nice person. Let me introduce you to her.”

“Sure, it’s good to go see the old folks,” Sun Zhiwei said nonchalantly.

The three of them crossed the grass and entered the house. At this time, the children were having breakfast in the dining room. Instead of going to the dining room, Sun Zhiwei and his group went directly up the stairs from the entrance to the second floor.

Susan led them to the principal's office, knocked on the door, and then went downstairs. The children had a lot to do in the morning, and she didn't have time to spend with them.

Daisy led Sun Zhiwei into the office. The office wasn't big, but it was full of things. There was a row of filing cabinets along the wall, and in the middle was a horizontal desk piled with documents.

In the innermost part of the room, near the window, there was a single bed, and an old woman was leaning against the bed.

That was Mrs. Kelly. Although she wasn't in good spirits, her hair was still neatly combed.

Upon seeing them, Mrs. Kelly smiled and said to Daisy, "Thank you for coming to see the children, Daisy. Is this your boyfriend?"

“Madam, this is Mr. James from 77th Street. He also loves children, so I brought him here to see them.”

“Hello Mrs. Kelly, this is James. I rarely went back to New York in recent years and didn’t even know there was a ‘Anne’s House’ so close by. You are a kind person.”

Mrs. Kelly waved her hand and said, "I'm just doing what an ordinary person can do. Mr. James, thank you for coming to see the children."

"Daisy, could you please tell Mr. James about the situation at 'Anne's House'? I'm not feeling well today, so I can't receive you. I'm sorry."

Seeing that Mrs. Kelly was indeed feeling unwell, Daisy prepared to leave so that she could rest, and took Sun Zhiwei outside to talk.

Sun Zhiwei noticed that Mrs. Kelly seemed to have a fever. This couldn't be left unattended; a high fever in an elderly person could lead to serious problems. "Daisy, does Mrs. Kelly have a private doctor she knows? Just lying down won't help her recover; it might even worsen her condition, turning a minor ailment into a major one."

Upon hearing this, Daisy became nervous. She touched Mrs. Kelly's forehead and found that it was indeed very hot.

"Probably not. Let's take her to the clinic at the street corner." The medical standards of large hospitals in M ​​country may not be as good as those of small hospitals.

Especially in affluent areas, there are usually small hospitals formed by clusters of small clinics, with different doctors treating different illnesses and sharing medical equipment.

Of course, the cost is also much higher than that of public hospitals, but the key is that there is very little waiting time. Wealthy people prefer to go to small clinics and hospitals for minor illnesses.

Private doctors are also the first choice for many wealthy families, as they mostly offer home visits, which is even more considerate.

Sun Zhiwei picked up the dazed Mrs. Kelly and hurriedly followed Daisy downstairs.

Downstairs, they ran into Susan again. Daisy quickly explained things to Susan, and the two of them went out.

The clinic was just a street away; walking was faster than taking a car. Sun Zhiwei carried Mrs. Kelly and jogged for a bit, with Daisy quickly following behind.

As they passed the street corner, they attracted the attention of the police officers on the side of the road. Sun Zhiwei made Daisy stop and explain, while he ran away in a flash.

Soon after, Sun Zhiwei led Mrs. Kelly into a small hospital. Upon seeing this, the nurses at the hospital entrance quickly pushed over a hospital bed to take the patient.

After putting Mrs. Kelly down, Sun Zhiwei went to pay the bill, guided by another nurse.

In country M, money makes everything easier. For example, in this hospital, all the rooms are single rooms, and there are more nurses than patients.

Of course, the cost was also quite substantial. After paying, Sun Zhiwei was speechless as he looked at the bill.

The doctor's consultation fee is $150, the blood test is $100, and the flu test is $80, totaling $330, which is about 2300 yuan at the black market exchange rate.

If it's an emergency, the cost will be 50% higher, and insurance can reimburse about 6%. This is the initial cost of treating a cold, not including the cost of medication.

A special note here: don't call an ambulance for minor illnesses. An ambulance trip costs $1200, which is more than 8000 yuan at an exchange rate of 1:7.

At that time, the average American worker earned only $1000 a month, while the average worker in our family earned no more than 50 yuan a month.

Just like the nurses who took him to pay the bill, they themselves can't get treatment at this hospital. For minor illnesses, they buy their own medicine or get prescriptions from small clinics in the community.

It has to be said that you earn a lot of money in the United States, but you also spend a lot of money.

At home, you can support a family on 30 to 50 yuan a month, but here, you can't even afford to treat a cold for 1000 US dollars a month.

Whether New York is heaven or hell is not something that can be explained in a few words.

After Sun Zhiwei finished the admission procedures, Daisy entered the hospital gate, still seething with resentment. It seemed those two policemen were indeed difficult to deal with; thankfully, he had slipped away beforehand.

Now was the time not to provoke her, so Sun Zhiwei quickly handed the completed paperwork to Daisy and then volunteered to go back to 'Anne's House' to report the news and call for help.

The doctor has already made a preliminary diagnosis; it seems to be a fever caused by the flu, and it's not serious yet. Daisy can go take care of Mrs. Kelly for the time being, so it's not appropriate for him to stay in the ward.

(End of this chapter)