Chapter 5: Draw! Draw!

Tong Jun asked, "What's going on? I just heard you talking about money. Did you borrow money from that woman? Li Yi, you're really not being a good friend. If you need money, just tell me!"

"Stop talking nonsense. The medical expenses are almost six thousand. Do you have that much? Even if you sold all your street stall, you wouldn't have enough."

Tong Jun scratched his head, embarrassed. "I wish I could sell myself, but I doubt anyone would pay that much. Hehe! Damn, why are medical expenses so expensive? Can I even afford to get sick? If I get sick one day, just throw me into the Xiangjiang River, don't bother taking me to the hospital."

Li Yi wasn't in the mood for jokes. With his experience from two lifetimes, he knew that Dr. Wu wasn't just talking off the top of his head. If he couldn't come up with the money, the hospital might really kick him out.

And the current state of his family was unexpectedly dire. His biological father died early, and his mother, a young widow, never remarried. She raised Li Yi alone, following him wherever his studies took him, picking up trash, doing odd jobs, and doing any dirty or tiring work to finally send Li Yi to university. Now, the family couldn't even come up with sixty yuan, let alone six thousand.

What a pity for parents' love!

Li Yi sighed, thinking to himself, "I've been reborn, but what about the Li Yi of this era? Does he still exist? If so, isn't that a paradox?"

This thought flashed through his mind, but he quickly dismissed it. He was now this Li Yi, and the other Li Yi, whether he existed or not, had nothing to do with him.

"Fatso, go buy me some things. I need them urgently."

"What things?"

"Drawing paper, drawing pens, and drawing tools."

"Haha, I didn't know you learned how to draw!"

"Go quickly and come back! Here's the money. Remember, you must buy A2 engineering drawing paper, at least ten sheets. If there's enough money, buy more."

"Wait, let me write it down. A2, engineering drawing paper, got it! But what are you going to use all this for?"

"I have a plan."

"Damn, you're acting like Zhuge Liang again!"

Despite his complaints, Tong Jun was genuinely concerned about Li Yi. Seeing the seriousness in his words, he took the money and ran out.

Li Yi didn't idle either. He carefully read the article in the newspaper again.

The International Steel Industry Annual Summit will be held in Dujian City, Southern Province!

September 18th! Li Yi quickly calculated that there were only three days left until the opening, which should be just in time!

In his previous life, Li Yi studied mechanical engineering and had studied in Germany. After graduation, he worked for a famous foreign steel company, gaining extensive experience in foreign mechanical manufacturing technology. He originally planned to return to China to start his own mechanical manufacturing company, specializing in the research and development of various industry machinery. However, he had an accident shortly after returning to China.

With years of experience in this field, Li Yi knew that the machinery of this era was vastly different from that of twenty years later.

The golden finger of rebirth was now activated.

Li Yi lay in bed, carefully recalling the machinery and equipment related to steel that he had worked on in his previous life.

Three knocks on the door interrupted his thoughts. Xia Fei walked in.

The little girl looked very sad, her lips pouting high. As soon as she entered, she started complaining about Dr. Wu.

Li Yi didn't interrupt, just listened quietly, smiling at her.

"What, you don't agree with me? This Wu Youcai is just a Wu Yoncai! A disgrace to doctors!" Xia Fei sat on the bed next to Li Yi, her little feet swinging back and forth, as if she could kick Wu Youcai with each swing.

"You're flattering him. This isn't his fault. If he doesn't do it, someone else will. He just happened to be in the right place at the right time." Li Yi saw through it, speaking calmly.

Xia Fei, however, wasn't so calm. She continued to complain, eventually bringing it back to herself, saying she had chosen the wrong career and was foolish to intern at this broken hospital.

From her rambling, Li Yi saw a precious, golden heart.

Xia Fei finally vented her anger, took a deep breath, and pulled out a wad of bills from her pocket, placing it in Li Yi's hand. "I don't have much savings, but take it for now. Don't think it's too little." Afraid that Li Yi would refuse, she didn't give him a chance to speak, and left immediately.

The money was neatly stacked, rolled into a bundle, and tied with a rubber band and a red string. It still retained the warmth of a young girl's body.

Is this a sudden burst of good luck? Why have I met so many good people after being reborn?

It wasn't until after eleven o'clock at night that Tong Jun, out of breath, ran back, threw the things he bought onto Li Yi's bed, and lay down on the adjacent bed, shouting, "Damn, what kind of alien stuff is this? I ran around half the university city to find these papers and pens. Take a look, are they right? I have to say, if they're wrong, there's nothing I can do. I need to sleep, and the store owners need to sleep too! Besides, friends are for life, not for running errands."

Li Yi chuckled, opened the items, and looked them over. "Not bad! Fatso, hey... this lazy pig, he's already asleep?"

Tong Jun's loud snoring was already audible.

Fortunately, there were few patients, and there were many empty beds, so no one came to charge for the extra bed.

Li Yi slowly got out of bed, tiptoed, and with great effort, moved four small tables to the side of his bed, arranged them in a row, spread out the A2 engineering drawing paper, took out the drawing tools, and began to draw.

Drawing engineering equipment diagrams was not like doodling or sketching. It required deep professional knowledge, skilled drawing techniques, and precise proportion calculations. The drawing skills required were more rigorous, detailed, and required more patience than traditional painting.

In this era, when computers were still at the 486 stage, more complex drawings required a professional design institute and a team's sincere cooperation, working hard for days or even months to complete the task.

Although Li Yi had the advantage of being reborn, this was a practical operation that allowed no shortcuts or distractions. He had to calculate, draw, and repeatedly modify and redraw, stroke by stroke.

"Ah, I haven't touched a drawing pen since I became a boss, I'm rusty!"

He was fully engaged, working like a wound-up clock, driven by the reality and helplessness of life.

The rooster crowed, and Li Yi welcomed the first morning of his reborn life in a tense and busy work environment.

Li Yi showed no signs of stopping to rest, continuing to draw.

Tong Jun stretched, yawned, and got up. Seeing Li Yi's almost manic state of creation, he almost couldn't believe that this madman was the Li Yi he knew. "Hey, are you up early or didn't you sleep? When have you ever gotten up earlier than me? When have you ever gone to bed later than me? Is the sun rising in the west today?"

Li Yi said, "I've been sleeping for three days, how can I still be sleepy? Go buy breakfast, I'm hungry."

Tong Jun glanced over, scratching his chin in surprise. "Li Yi, what are you drawing? I can't make sense of it. You studied literature, why are you drawing this tower?"

Li Yi laughed. "It's not a tower, it's a reactor."

"Ha! You think you're great because you went to university? Do you dare to compare your muscle or appetite with me?"

Li Yi was chilled, put down his drawing pen, and bowed repeatedly. "Good brother, I admit defeat. Please, go buy some food, I'm really hungry."

Tong Jun's goal of tormenting Li Yi was achieved. He made a victory pose with his right hand, rubbed his belly contentedly, and went off.

Li Yi watched his back, his eyes full of admiration.

That Li Yi had a true friend!

That day, the hospital really stopped the medication. No one came to change the bandages or administer intravenous fluids, and no one even asked about it.

Li Yi was happy to be left alone and continued drawing.

At noon, Guo Xiaoling came over. Her fair face had dark circles under her eyes, clearly indicating she hadn't slept all night.

Seeing Li Yi drawing, she was also surprised. "I never knew you had this hobby." Guo Xiaoling, an outsider, couldn't understand what Li Yi was drawing.

Li Yi chuckled. "Sit down, I'm in the middle of creating, I can't entertain you."

"You!" If it weren't for the fact that he had saved her life, Guo Xiaoling would have left. As the campus beauty, when had she ever been snubbed by a boy? Besides, she had stayed up all night to help him raise money. Did he not appreciate her efforts?

Slap! Guo Xiaoling took out a wad of bills and slapped them on Li Yi's bed, saying irritably, "Here's three thousand. Pay the medical expenses first. I'll figure out the rest later."

"Ah!" Li Yi finally put down his pencil, looked up, and said, "You didn't sell yourself, did you?"

"Spit! Nonsense! I'd sell you before I'd sell myself."

"That's good. If you really did, don't sell yourself so cheaply. I can't bear it!"

"You..." Guo Xiaoling was so angry she felt like going crazy.

"Where did you get this money? I won't use money from an unknown source." Li Yi's expression turned serious.

"I talked to the counselor, he helped me raise it."

"Oh!" An image of a middle-aged man flashed through Li Yi's mind. Wang Haibo, around forty, a diligent intellectual. Normally, he didn't think much of Li Yi, but he didn't expect him to be so kind and helpful in a critical moment.

Li Yi sighed softly. "Thank him for me. I'll pay him back, with interest, in a while."

Guo Xiaoling naturally took this as a polite response. She didn't believe that Li Yi could repay the debt in a short time. In fact, Wang Haibo had also considered this, but as a conscientious teacher, he couldn't just let his student go.

"Wang Teacher had a fight with his wife over this money—it was meant for Wang Xiaoyue to buy a piano."

Wang Xiaoyue was Wang Haibo's daughter, sixteen years old, a high school student at the Normal University's附属中学 (affiliated high school). She loved music, could sing and dance, and was a very lovable little girl. Her biggest dream was to own a piano.

Li Yi fell silent. For Wang Haibo to make such a decision required great courage. He felt a deep respect and slowly said, "Good people will be rewarded." Then he continued to draw.

After paying the money, the hospital resumed changing the bandages and administering intravenous fluids.

Li Yi, with an IV drip in his left hand, continued to draw.

This frenzied drawing continued for three days. On the evening of September 17th, Li Yi solemnly signed his name on each drawing, then excitedly threw the drawing pen out the window, declaring it complete.

Li Yi's grand and magnificent career and future, after being reborn, would begin with these drawings.

Our exciting story will also unfold from here.

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