Song Xi found she had nowhere to go.
After much thought, she had no choice but to go to the hospital.
She paid the medical fees along the way. The eighty thousand yuan from Lou Yuming, plus a bit from her credit card, was just enough.
She might be busy with graduation matters later and feared she wouldn't have the time.
Song Xi still wanted to transfer her brother to another hospital, and this thought became even stronger after visiting Yun Ji and returning here.
So she went to inquire about the fees for transfer and subsequent treatment, and was so shocked she gaped.
It was an astronomical sum!
Even if she stayed by Lou Yuming's side for ten years, she wouldn't be able to get this much!
Song Xi suddenly felt dejected. The gap between people was truly unimaginable.
She returned to her brother's ward dejectedly, only to find a slightly overweight woman in her fifties standing at the door.
Before Song Xi could recognize her, the other woman spotted her and walked over excitedly.
"Xi Xi! Auntie has finally found you, do you still recognize me?"
Seeing the plump face, memories of being bullied and beaten as a child flooded back.
She coldly withdrew her hand. "Is there something you need?"
Qian Xiaoyu curled her lips and teased with an accent, "Oh, why so cold? When you and your brother lived with us as children, we raised you with good food and drink. You went to college and didn't even keep in touch, you ungrateful wretch!"
She smiled, but Song Xi remained expressionless.
Qian Xiaoyu said, "Do you remember when you had your period in your second year of high school and were in so much pain that you were dying? It was raining, and your uncle and I pulled a tricycle to take you to the hospital. Don't you remember?"
She remembered. They had dumped her at the hospital entrance and left. It was the nurse who saved her life.
"We paid for your university fees. You can't possibly forget that, can you?"
Yes, they had contributed a thousand yuan.
The compensation from her parents' fatal car accident was all pocketed by them, not a cent left. Song Xi was able to attend university thanks to the sponsorship of kind-hearted people and the scholarships she earned through her excellent grades.
As she spoke of these things, Qian Xiaoyu began to get emotional.
"Your parents died early. If it weren't for your uncle and me, you wouldn't have grown this big. So many years have passed, and you've become successful now. It's just a pity about your brother..."
Song Xi really didn't have time to listen to her emotional rambling. She coldly interrupted, "Just say what you want."
Qian Xiaoyu smiled broadly. "Your cousin is twenty-eight this year. A while ago, matchmaker Wang found him a marriage. That girl is sensible and obedient, and good at housework. Both families have agreed, but the girl wants eighty-eight thousand yuan in betrothal gifts. Your uncle and I are not well-off, so..."
As expected.
Song Xi directly shot back three words: "I don't have money."
Qian Xiaoyu's smile froze. "You can't say that. We helped you a lot when you were little. Have you not earned any money in the years you've been in college? Xi Xi, one cannot be ungrateful. Your parents would be heartbroken if they knew!"
"I still don't have money."
Song Xi stated with finality, her tone cold. "I'm even borrowing money for Yang Yang's medical expenses right now. And why should I pay the betrothal gift for your son's wedding?"
Qian Xiaoyu had initially thought this money would be easy to get. After all, the Song siblings had never defied them in the past. But who would have thought that after only a few years apart, she had become so sharp-tongued that it caught her off guard.
"Xi Xi! How can family talk like strangers? Can you bear to see your cousin remain a bachelor his whole life? Besides, if he gets married, she'll be your sister-in-law. She can help you look after Yang Yang later."
"I don't need that."
Song Xi said coldly, "Whether he gets married or not has nothing to do with me. Auntie, instead of looking for me for this betrothal gift, you might as well tell cousin to find a proper job. He's twenty-eight and still living at home, leeching off your parents. It's only right that he can't find a wife."
"You!"
Qian Xiaoyu was speechless, angered. "You ungrateful wretch, all our hard work for the Song family these past years has been wasted!"
"Say whatever you want." Song Xi turned to leave.
Qian Xiaoyu snatched the payment slip from her hand, glanced at it, and reprimanded, "This is called having no money? Good for you, you've even started fooling people!"
"I borrowed that. Give me back the slip!"
"Borrowed? Who would lend you a hundred thousand yuan at once! Spending so much money on Song Yang, a vegetative state patient. I think you've lost your mind. Come on, go and return the money for me!"