What’s so special about a “white lotus”? Never seen one before?
Without a second thought, Wei Nan grabbed Wei Jing’s hand, her face lighting up with delight as she asked, “Really? Grandma told you I was in the hospital? What did she say exactly, sis? Did she tell you to help me pay the hospital fees?
Then don’t wait until after work, give me the money now, and I’ll take it over to Dr. Ling myself.”
She paused for a moment, then asked eagerly, “Sister, what about the injection fees? Are you giving me that too? Dr. Ling said the injection fees have to be paid first. Only after that can she help me apply for the quota.”
As soon as Wei Nan mentioned the hospital fees, Wei Jing’s expression changed.
Grandma Wang had indeed brought up the medical and nutrition injection fees when she got home, but she had done so while scolding.
She said bluntly that Wei Nan was a spendthrift, always causing trouble, and would waste all the family’s money. She had scolded for a full half hour and then issued orders that no one in the family was allowed to visit Wei Nan in the hospital, everything had to wait until she was discharged.
But no one had expected Wei Nan to come out so soon. Not only that, she even ran to the factory office to make a complaint!
Wei Jing tried to pull her hand free, but Wei Nan clearly had no intention of letting go.
When Wei Nan even mentioned the nutrition injection fees, Wei Jing couldn’t hold it in anymore. She forcefully shook her hand free and stepped back two paces, awkwardly saying, “Um… we can talk about the money later.”
“How can it be ‘later’? Didn’t I come here today to talk about the money? How can you not pay when I’m in the hospital?”
At this, Wei Nan lowered her head, looking aggrieved.
She stared at her hand that had been tossed aside, her expression wounded.
Then she looked up at Wei Jing again, disappointment and unwillingness in her eyes, confirming once more, “Sister, you’re not giving me the money? Didn’t Grandma say she’s been keeping the money Mom and Dad sent home for us? We can get it when we need it.
I’m this sick now, isn’t this exactly the time we need it?”
Wei Jing seemed stunned by this relentless questioning, unable to reply for a long moment.
It took her quite a while to even realize where she was and who was sitting around them.
She tried to calm herself, then looked at Wei Nan with an apologetic expression and quietly explained, “Wei Nan, don’t be mad at Grandma, it’s really just that…”
She gave a wry smile, glanced at her father, and didn’t continue speaking. Instead, she sighed toward Wei Nan and said magnanimously, “Sigh, I know it’s not easy for you either. But what can we do? Our family is just too poor!
No matter what, we are family, how can family be so calculative?
We can’t go against what the elders want; that would be heartless. We just have to endure.”
The meaning was clear: Wang Sanhua refused to pay, and as a granddaughter, she had to obey the elders and not go against them.
As for seeing the doctor or getting injections… if it could be endured, then endure it; if there’s no money, then don’t go.
Wei Nan blinked a few times but didn’t argue.
She seemed not to have fully understood Wei Jing’s words and turned to Wei Shuangquan instead.
She asked, “Second Uncle, my sister won’t give me the money, what about you? You’re my second uncle, aren’t you going to care whether I live or die?
And when I was in the hospital, didn’t Grandma say she’d give me the money from home? Where’s the money? Did she give it to you? Give it to me quickly; the hospital fees still need to be paid!”
“Money, money, money… all you think about is money! Not caring if you live or die… you dead now? You’re not even dead, what do you want money for, a coffin?!”
From the moment he entered the room, Wei Shuangquan had obviously been holding in his anger. Hearing Wei Nan dare to ask him about it, he could no longer hold back and shouted out.
“Wei Shuangquan, what kind of words are those?!”
Wang Qiuping slammed the teacup she was holding onto the table and shouted sharply to stop him.
She could tell that the Wei family didn’t treat Wei Nan as a human being at all.
Six years without seeing her, and the first thing they do is curse her to death? Is this what an uncle says?
They’re not relatives, they’re enemies!
Tang Xiangyang also heard Wei Shuangquan’s words and was clearly angry.
He didn’t scold anyone but pointed to the empty seats nearby with a stern face and said, “Both of you, come sit here! The factory is busy; I don’t have time to listen to your idle chatter. Let’s get straight to business!”
Wei Shuangquan flinched at being scolded by the union chairperson.
He flinched, glanced nervously at the two leaders, and shrank back toward the wall.
He regretted it.
Earlier, that little brat had so infuriated him that he forgot where he was and lost control for a moment. Normally, Wei Shuangquan wouldn’t even dare speak loudly in front of the leaders.
Following Tang Xiangyang’s instructions, he and Wei Jing sat down in their chairs. Tang Xiangyang then had someone call Accountant Qiao over.
Without any more fuss, Tang Xiangyang had Wei Nan’s request repeated and then instructed Wei Shuangquan to sign the IOU.
Wei Shuangquan was completely stunned!
He knew Wei Nan had come to the factory office to cause trouble, but he thought it would only be over medical expenses. After all, he knew both his brother and sister-in-law were dead, so Wei Nan realistically couldn’t claim reimbursement for her treatment.
Following Grandma’s instructions at noon, he had resolved not to pay. If the leaders insisted, he had even thought ahead, he would take Wei Nan’s current apartment as collateral. Spending just a few dozen yuan on medicine in exchange for a whole apartment seemed like a good deal.
After all, he didn’t want it, and Wei Nan couldn’t even afford the monthly ten-yuan rent. The factory would eventually reclaim it anyway. Giving it to him would at least solve her problem while benefiting him.
Wei Shuangquan’s plan seemed solid; before coming, he had even asked his daughter for ten yuan and tucked it into his pocket.
But he never imagined that Wei Nan would come asking for the four hundred yuan!
How… how could she even think of that!
“I don’t have the money! I won’t sign!”
Wei Shuangquan suddenly leapt up from his chair as if he had seen some monstrous flood.
He stumbled backward several steps, knocking the chair to the ground with a loud crash.
Tang Xiangyang and Wang Qiuping’s faces immediately grew even sterner.
Wei Jing also hurriedly stood up, alarmed.
She hurried over, set the fallen chair upright, and then turned to the two leaders with an apologetic expression.
“Factory Director, Chairwoman, sorry. Please don’t blame my father, he didn’t mean it. It’s just…”
She glanced at Wei Nan and, in an even lower voice, added, “He was just startled by my sister’s demands.”
Then she looked at Wei Nan with a tone full of helplessness and restraint. “Xiao Nan, you weren’t home before, so you didn’t know the situation on many matters, and I don’t blame you. But you shouldn’t bring family issues here to trouble the factory!
The factory is so busy now, it’s the end of the year, and the Factory Director and Chairwoman practically have to guard the workshops twenty-four hours a day!
For you to take up their work time over trivial family matters is really very inconsiderate.”
“Alright, since you’re sensible, let your father sign quickly. Once that’s done, we can adjourn and let the leaders continue their work. If your father won’t sign, you can sign yourself.”
Wei Nan, unwilling to waste words, just pointed at the IOU.
Wei Jing’s expression visibly twisted.
But her reaction was quick; she immediately controlled herself and switched to a look of grievance.
“Xiao Nan, when the house was bought, it was my eldest uncle who confidently said he’d pay. He said that, to make Grandma more comfortable, as a son he should provide!
Everyone knew that, it was his filial duty. How come, when it comes to you, it suddenly becomes that we owe your uncle?”
By the last sentence, a mist of tears clouded Wei Jing’s big eyes. She seemed to be struggling to hold them back, but her voice inevitably carried the sound of crying, looking so pitiful that anyone would feel a pang of sympathy.
But Wei Nan wasn’t moved at all. On the contrary, she felt goosebumps rise all over. She rubbed her arm, leaned back with disgust, wishing to get as far away from that woman as possible.
Then she asked, “So, you admit that the house was bought with my father’s money? If you won’t pay me back, then return the house.
A house bought by my father naturally belongs to him. Now he’s gone, the heirs are me and my sister.
He allowed you to live there because I wasn’t home. Now that I’m back, I need it, so the house must be returned to me.
As for anything else he supposedly said, I don’t know. If you feel wronged, go ask him in the afterlife.”
When she said this, Wei Jing and Wei Shuangquan both widened their eyes in disbelief.
They clearly never expected Wei Nan to say something like that.
Wang Qiuping and Tang Xiangyang exchanged a glance, and both saw the barely concealed amusement in the other’s eyes. Obviously, they had been entertained by Wei Nan’s words.
“Xiao Nan! You…”
Wei Jing started to speak, but was impatiently cut off by Wei Nan. She turned to Tang Xiangyang and said, “Factory Director Tang, I’ve changed my mind. My uncle clearly doesn’t want to pay back the money, so I want the factory to intervene and help me reclaim the house.”
“No! That’s my house, nobody can take it!” Wei Shuangquan shouted loudly from the side.
At this moment, he no longer cared about the leaders and glared fiercely at Wei Nan. “How dare you! You disrespectful brat, how dare you! I’ll strike you down if you come near me!”
“Wei Shuangquan!” Tang Xiangyang immediately became furious.
He sprang to his feet, pointed at Wei Shuangquan, and shouted, “Strike who? Let’s see you strike someone! Don’t get it wrong, you’re an employee of the textile factory, not a street thug!
Opening your mouth to threaten people, who are you scaring? Say one more word and I’ll have you sent to the police station immediately!
People like you, who can cause social harm at any moment, have no place in this factory!”
Wei Jing panicked, pushing her father aside and hurriedly trying to explain, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, Factory Director, don’t be angry. My father—”
“Enough!” Tang Xiangyang cut her off with a hand. Then he pointed at the IOU. “Either he signs, or he leaves. I remember he’s still an apprentice. People like him aren’t worth keeping here. Let him settle this month’s wages and go home.”
“No, no, we’ll sign, we’ll sign!”
Now Wei Jing was genuinely frantic. She dared not argue further, grabbing the IOU and shoving it into Wei Shuangquan’s hand.
But when money was involved, Wei Shuangquan no longer felt fear. He pushed outward relentlessly. “I won’t sign! I don’t have that much money! I need to save some for my son’s tuition! I can’t pay it back!
Your father only makes twenty-some yuan a month. If he paid it all, how long would it take? Since you’re so filial, pay together with him. You’ll be done quickly.”
Accountant Qiao, clearly disgusted earlier by the antics of this father and daughter, now egged him on from the side.
“Sign quickly! I’ve got a ton of other things to do. Sign and go!” Tang Xiangyang, visibly annoyed, stood at the meeting room door with a stern expression.
Wei Jing gritted her teeth hard, her delicate face twisting slightly with strain. She grabbed the IOU, signed it herself, and shoved the pen into Wei Shuangquan’s hand, staring coldly at him.
Under everyone’s watchful eyes, Wei Shuangquan reluctantly signed his name.