"Xu Qinghe, it’s you, why have you come?" Deng Juan called out his name immediately, even though he rarely visited. But Ji Shan continually reminded her of how hard their family had it and insisted on helping them, so it was difficult for Deng Juan to forget even if she wanted to.
"Third sister-in-law, we’ve come to see Dad," Xu Qinghe also noticed that the place was too crowded, so he stood in the living room.
It wasn’t until Deng Juan entered the room that she saw Ji Ying kneeling beside the bed, crying as if she were made of tears, with her son and daughter squatting beside her.
"Ji Ying, you’ve come; Dad will be so happy," Deng Juan said with a smile on her face, enthusiastically adding, "I’m cooking right now. You all can have a meal in a while."
As she spoke, Deng Juan turned around and walked out, dragging Ji Shuyuan with her, her face beaming with joy, she asked, "All these things, did your aunt bring them?"
"Yes," nodded Ji Shuyuan.
Deng Juan’s smile deepened, her curiosity piqued as she asked, "Has your aunt’s family struck it rich?"
She hadn’t looked closely at the things they had brought just now, but even a rough estimate put their value at nearly seventy or eighty yuan, including a whole box of chili sauce that wasn’t cheap!
Previously, it was one thing for Ji Ying to visit alone, bringing humble offerings each time and secretly giving money to the old man, but Deng Juan was well aware—whenever Ji Ying returned home, didn’t the old man always slyly slip some money back to her?
Moreover, this time with the old man being sick and borrowing money from everywhere, neither the old man nor Ji Shan wanted to tell Ji Ying, claiming her life was tough enough already.
This had long been a sore point for Deng Juan, who felt that she didn’t benefit at all from the old man living with them, and now they were turning to her to foot the bill!
The few hundred yuan she had managed to save was about to be gone—why should an in-law, the younger aunt, act as if oblivious?
Was Ji Ying’s life difficult, as if their own life was a bed of roses?
"Uh..." Ji Shuyuan hesitated for a moment.
Watching him stand there foolishly, Deng Juan gave Ji Shuyuan five yuan and instructed, "Go buy a pound of meat, some peanuts, and a few more vegetables."
"Okay," Ji Shuyuan took the money and went out to shop for groceries.
Convinced that Ji Ying’s family must have made a fair amount of money, Deng Juan was pleased and went to cook some more food.
Deng Juan, watching Ji Shuyuan’s retreating figure, suddenly stopped him.
Ji Shuyuan paused, turned back to look at Deng Juan, and though silent, his eyes seemed to ask, "Is there something else?"
"Call your father back," Deng Juan instructed.
Ji Shuyuan said, then paused again.
"Why are you still standing there, not hurrying up to go?" Deng Juan glared at Ji Shuyuan.
Ji Shuyuan silently walked outside.
Ji Ying’s emotions gradually calmed down; Ji Xinghua felt better, his stomach no longer hurting, and leaning against a pillow, half-sitting on the bed, he took a sip of water and managed to speak a few words, saying, "Yingying, why has the whole family come? I’m fine, just an old ailment, nothing serious."
"Dad, I’ve heard everything from Shuyuan. Let’s go through with the surgery so you won’t have to endure the pain anymore," Ji Ying said, her heart aching sharply at the thought of his half a month of suffering.
"Don’t listen to Shuyuan’s nonsense, what surgery," Ji Xinghua said sternly, "I am old. Why bother with all that? Do you want to see me die in the hospital?"
"Tsk tsk tsk," at the mention of the word "die", Ji Ying felt her heart tremble uncontrollably.