“You bunch of freeloading little bastards cursed by heaven! You shameless little slut — how dare you call the police on your brothers Eryou and Sanyou? See if I don’t beat you to death!”
The shrill scream startled the sleepy young nurse at the station so badly that she nearly jumped into the air.
Old Madam Xu stormed into the hospital room and immediately tried to hit Xu Duoduo. Xu Ergen and Zhou Rong hurried forward to block her.
“And you dare stop me? What did I give birth to you for, you worthless bastard? Move aside! You little fox spirit — all this trouble comes from the useless girls you gave birth to. Hurry up and go to the police station to bring Eryou and Sanyou back!”
Old Madam Xu began throwing her weight around in the hospital, chasing after Xu Ergen and Zhou Rong while trying to hit them.
“What are you doing? This is a hospital, not your home! If you keep this up, I’m calling security!” the frightened nurse snapped angrily.
“Old woman, stop already.” Old Xu hurriedly held Old Madam Xu back before turning toward the nurse. “Comrade, the child’s grandmother is just anxious. Please don’t call security. We won’t fight anymore.”
As a security guard himself, Old Xu knew very well that being thrown out would be the mildest consequence.
“Enough. This is a hospital. Don’t make things worse,” he whispered to his wife.
“Duoduo, are you alright?” the nurse asked.
Unlike Old Xu and his wife, she had no intention of indulging them.
“I’m alright, Nurse Sister. Thank you for worrying about me. They’re my grandparents.”
Xu Duoduo immediately began acting weak and pitiful again.
“Duoduo’s injuries are extremely serious. If you keep screaming and fighting here, you’re no different from murderers yourselves. I’ll call the police to arrest you too!”
After threatening them, the nurse stormed out of the room.
“Second Son, your family is in the wrong here,” Old Xu began once the nurse left. “How could you call the police? How could you let them arrest Eryou and Sanyou? We’re one family — how can you be so heartless?”
“Dad, Mom, did Eryou and Sanyou show any family feelings? Duoduo’s injury—”
“What injury?” Old Madam Xu interrupted sharply. “How old are Eryou and Sanyou? I think this injury is all fake. She’s pretending just to harm them!”
“Second Son, don’t be foolish,” Old Xu added, trying to brainwash him. “When you grow old, you’ll still need these four nephews to support you.”
“Mother, didn’t the nurse just say Duoduo’s injury is serious? Even the doctor said there might be permanent complications. And Eryou and Sanyou are still ‘young’? They’re older than Duoduo!” Zhou Rong snapped.
She had always known these two old monsters were rotten to the core.
“Bah! You shameless fox spirit!” Old Madam Xu spat thickly onto the floor. “An unfilial slut! When elders are talking, who allowed you to interrupt? If it weren’t for you, my son wouldn’t have ended up without descendants! One day I’ll make him divorce you!”
“Grandpa… Grandma… don’t insult my mother…”
Xu Duoduo weakly tried to speak—
“Pfft!”
A mouthful of blood suddenly sprayed from her lips.
“Doctor! Help! My sister’s coughing blood!”
Xu Bu leapt up and sprinted toward the ward entrance while screaming.
“What happened? Why is the patient coughing blood?” The doctor rushed in from the consultation room after hearing Xu Bu’s panicked cries.
“Did you people cause her to vomit blood too? You’re murderers yourselves!” The nurse had just returned to the station when she heard the commotion and came rushing back again.
This was endless.
She should’ve thrown these two old monsters out earlier.
“Doctor… my head feels very dizzy…” Xu Duoduo murmured weakly.
“What happened in the room just now?” the doctor asked after hearing the nurse’s accusation.
“These two — her grandparents,” the nurse answered angrily. “They were screaming and fighting in here earlier. I only got them to stop by threatening to call security. And now they’ve upset the patient so badly she’s coughing blood.”
The nurse had privately heard about the situation already.
The little girl’s injury had been delayed for two days because her grandmother refused to let her come to the hospital.
She had no desire whatsoever to save face for these vicious old people.
“This is only the county hospital,” the doctor said helplessly after examining Xu Duoduo. “Our medical facilities are limited compared to the city hospital. I can’t determine why she’s coughing blood. She’ll need to be transferred to the city hospital.”
“What? Transfer hospitals?” Old Madam Xu exploded instantly when she heard it would cost more money. “Dream on! We don’t have money. We’re not transferring anywhere. We’re discharging her!”
“Grandma, no! My sister’s badly hurt!” Xu Bu burst into tears.
“My second sister can’t die!” Xu Ting cried too.
“Mother… Duoduo is your granddaughter too.” Xu Ergen had finally become completely disillusioned with his parents.
At this moment, regret nearly consumed him.
He had been foolishly filial all these years, never standing up for himself.
He should never have handed over all his wages every month, leaving himself penniless and completely controlled whenever money was needed.
“If I die,” Xu Duoduo said pale-faced, staring directly at Old Xu and Old Madam Xu, “then Xu Sanyou is an intentional murderer, and Xu Eryou is an accomplice. Neither of them will escape punishment.”
“Nurse, go get security and throw this old woman out,” the doctor ordered coldly.
“N-No! Please don’t! I promise I won’t make trouble anymore,” Old Madam Xu hurriedly begged the moment she heard she might be thrown out.
“Fine. Once the family has made a decision, come find me.”
The doctor had intentionally used the situation to pressure the vicious old couple before leaving with the nurse.
“Old woman, what matters now are Eryou and Sanyou,” Old Xu muttered darkly.
If his wife continued screaming and caused Duoduo to die, things would become truly troublesome for his grandsons.
“That’s right! Second Son, hurry and go bring Eryou and Sanyou back from the police station!” Old Madam Xu immediately remembered the more important matter after being reminded.
“I’m not going.” Xu Ergen’s tone became unexpectedly firm. “Duoduo needs to transfer hospitals for treatment. If anything happens to her, I won’t let those two little bastards off.”
For the first time in his life, he truly hardened his heart.
From now on, he would stand up for himself.
He would no longer hand over his wages to his mother.
He would make sure his three daughters could eat their fill and never suffer abuse again.
And if Duoduo died…
He would absolutely avenge her.
“You little bastard, you’re so vicious! If I’d known earlier, I should have—”
Old Madam Xu jumped up to hit him again.
“If you’d known earlier, you should’ve drowned me in the piss bucket!”
Xu Ergen suddenly roared the words directly into her face.
Looking at her second son’s bloodshot eyes, Old Madam Xu froze in shock.
For the first time, it felt as though she had lost control over something important.
“Second Son, you’re being unfilial! How can you speak to your mother like that?” Old Xu immediately stepped in when he saw his wife faltering.
“So many people in this family, yet only my wife and my three daughters work every day. My wife and I hand over thirty-six yuan to the family every month.”
“And now Eryou and Sanyou have injured Duoduo this badly, and you still want me to watch her suffer without even letting her receive treatment?”
“Dad… Mom… wasn’t I born from you too?”
Xu Ergen suddenly squatted down, covering his face as he broke into sobs.
He hated himself for being so useless.
His entire family had suffered because of him.
“Husband, we’ll borrow money. We’ll definitely cure Duoduo.”
Zhou Rong crouched beside him, hugging him as she cried too.
The honest man who had spent his entire life obediently enduring everything had finally learned to resist.
And because everything he said was true, Old Xu and Old Madam Xu found themselves speechless.
“…Ask the doctor later how to transfer to the city hospital.” After a long silence, Old Xu finally spoke. “Old woman, give the child five yuan for medical treatment.”
In truth, Old Xu’s thoughts were simple.
He couldn’t completely chill Xu Ergen’s heart yet.
Getting Eryou and Sanyou out of the police station was the most important thing.
Once the boys were released, even if Duoduo later died, what would there be to fear?
“Grandpa, you’re really so good to me,” Xu Duoduo said sweetly while waving the five yuan Old Madam Xu reluctantly handed over.
Five yuan?
Was that enough for a city hospital?
She was determined to expose this old man’s fake kindness.
“If not you, then who should I be good to?” Old Xu forced out stiffly. “If it’s not enough, I’ll have your grandma give your father more.”
“I’ll go ask the doctor about transfer procedures.”
Xu Bu wiped away her tears and hurried out of the ward.
“Second Son, since the eldest girl has gone already, don’t delay any longer. Hurry to the police station. If good boys stay there too long, people will gossip,” Old Xu urged.
“I’m not going.” Xu Ergen was completely awake now. “We’ll wait until Duoduo fully recovers. Those two bastards can stay inside longer.”
“You unfilial son! I’ll beat you to death!”
Old Madam Xu lunged at him again.
“If you want Eryou and Sanyou released,” Xu Duoduo suddenly interrupted before things escalated further, “then we have conditions.”