Today, my father, my husband Tyler, and I visited the Drum Tower, the Bell Tower, and the Wild Goose Pagoda.

The Drum Tower and Bell Tower are the only ancient buildings that stand in the center of Xi’an. Surrounding them are modern, tall, and brightly colored buildings—Xi’an is a city of contrasting colors. There’s a photo from 1960 showing the Bell Tower surrounded by stylish old buildings—quadrangle dwellings with grey brick walls and dark black roofs. Unfortunately, they are no longer there. Taxi drivers told me that they didn’t feel any regret about the disappearance of the old houses but suggested visiting other well-preserved ancient buildings for sightseeing. They view things from an economic and business perspective, and it’s the price of development.

The Wild Goose Pagoda is a wooden tower. We paid extra money to climb up the narrow, dim, and sloping wooden stairs to the top. The climb wasn’t particularly worth it, except for the opportunity to take photos of the city through small windows. It was extremely hot and crowded.

In front of the pagoda, there are musical fountains that are truly remarkable and worth seeing. It’s amazing how the designers make the water dance to the music! I enjoyed walking in the vast parks surrounding the fountains and pagoda—they were peaceful, clean, and expansive. If I were a high school student, I would enroll myself in one of the universities in Xi’an. On weekends, I would stroll in the parks with my boyfriend, hand in hand, enjoying old-fashioned ice lollies, discussing our dreams, window shopping for cute crafts, sitting under a weeping willow tree, savoring the gentle breeze, listening to stories about Chinese cultural history, and watching the dancing fountains. Everything would be perfect and romantic!

My son developed a high fever in the middle of the night. He woke up crying and trembling. My parents and mother-in-law suggested taking him to the hospital, and I was terrified because he had never been so sick before!

The hotel assisted us in finding a taxi, and within ten minutes, we arrived at the hospital. After paying and receiving a name card for my son, we carried him to the second floor, where three people were waiting ahead of us. The doctor was elderly and typed on the computer so slowly that she had to check the keyboard before each keystroke. I wondered why the hospital didn’t assign a nurse to assist her. My son was burning up and shaking, and my worry turned into frustration with the slow doctor.

Fortunately, another doctor appeared and directed us to the next room, where she insisted on checking my son’s temperature. I had to pay 10 RMB to rent a thermometer from a nurse. My son didn’t like the thermometer and refused to let me use it on him. I had to insist, and he cried with a raspy throat. My heart broke. The result was 39.7 degrees Celsius (103.46 degrees Fahrenheit). The doctor immediately prescribed medication and requested a blood test on the first floor.

After 40 minutes, we received the blood test results and returned to the doctor. The doctor who initially examined us had finished her shift, and a new doctor took over the case. She didn’t explain the blood test results but asked to recheck my son’s temperature. Seeing that it was still high, she prescribed another medication and advised us to wait for two hours until the temperature dropped below 38 degrees Celsius (100.4 degrees Fahrenheit).

Raising a child is incredibly challenging!

Fortunately, my son’s temperature eventually subsided, and we returned to the hotel. The manager kindly pressed the elevator button for me and offered assistance if I needed anything, which warmed my heart.

We had to cancel the appointment for the next day’s Terra-Cotta Warrior’s visit. Only if my son recovered, I didn’t need to visit any place anymore.