The next morning, the heavy snow had stopped, and the hospital windows were adorned with a layer of frost patterns, quite beautiful to behold.
The smell in the ward wasn’t particularly pleasant.
Qin Lie was on an IV drip, his hand immobilized. The medication was cold, sending shivers through him that he fought to suppress.
He turned his head to look at Li Jiao, who was dozing lightly by the bedside, and gritted his teeth against his discomfort, a layer of worry clouding his eyes.
His leg was a bottomless pit. Over five hundred yuan had been spent without even a ripple of improvement, and he had no idea how they would get through the next few days. They were already out of money.
Just then, the ward door was cautiously pushed open a crack, and with a creak, a figure squeezed in timidly.
The newcomer was a teenager of about seventeen or eighteen, wearing a tattered cotton-padded jacket. His exposed wrists were covered in purplish-red chilblains from the cold.
The cloth shoes on his feet, with their layered soles, were long worn through, his big toe awkwardly poking out, blanched white from the snow and water.
Qin Lie was taken aback—it was Da Niu.
Da Niu was the child of another “bad element” family in the village. Due to his poor class background, he endured constant disdain in daily life.
Only Qin Lie never looked down on him. Whenever Qin Lie went to work in the black mines, he took Da Niu along, protecting him like a younger brother.
“L-Lie… Lie Ge,” Da Niu stammered, his eyes reddening instantly upon seeing Qin Lie awake.
His gaze swept over Li Jiao, and he immediately fell silent, afraid of waking her. Tiptoeing, he approached the bedside.
“What are you doing here? On such a cold day, is that twenty-mile mountain road easy to walk?” Qin Lie frowned, his voice weak but stern.
Da Niu sniffled but said nothing, instead reaching into his chest and rummaging around for a long while.
An old handkerchief, stained with a bit of grease, appeared in his hand.
With trembling hands, Da Niu carefully unfolded it layer by layer.
Inside lay a pile of crumpled money.
The largest denominations were two one-yuan bills, while the rest were all smaller notes—five jiao, two jiao, and one jiao—along with a handful of one-fen and two-fen coins.
Nestled among the money were two boiled red-shelled eggs, clearly kept warm by being tucked carefully against his chest the whole way.
“Lie Ge, I heard you need imported medicine for your leg, and that stuff costs a fortune,” Da Niu said, his voice choked with tears as he pushed the handkerchief toward Qin Lie’s pillow. “This is money my ma saved up by selling eggs from our laying hens, plus my wages from carrying sacks at the grain station. It’s fifteen yuan and three jiao in total. It’s all here.”
For a family like Da Niu’s, fifteen yuan and three jiao was a huge sum, saved up over half a year.
No one knew what might happen during such a harsh winter—that money was meant for emergencies.
Qin Lie looked at the pile of scattered change, his face burning with shame.
It wasn’t because he had to rely on his younger brother for help, but because Li Jiao was right there watching.
The stark contrast and overwhelming humiliation made the veins on Qin Lie’s temples bulge. “Take it back!” he snapped, turning his head away sharply, his voice cold and hard. “I’ve got money. I don’t need yours. Take it away!”
“Lie Ge…” Da Niu grew anxious. “You’re in this state and still putting on a tough act?”
“I said get out!” Qin Lie roared, his eyes bloodshot.
Suddenly, a slender, pale hand reached over and boldly picked up the grimy handkerchief.
“Silly big guy, is this pile of small change burning your hands? What are you shouting for?” Li Jiao had woken up at some point, unnoticed.
She held the handkerchief, not minding the dirt, and in front of Qin Lie, carefully smoothed out each crumpled corner bill, neatly folded them, and tucked them into her own pocket.
“Da Niu, right?” Li Jiao turned around and, with a bright smile, grabbed a handful of White Rabbit milk candies from the military-style satchel hanging on the wall.
Last night, when Qin Lie refused to take his medicine, she had bought these luxuries specifically to coax him into taking it.
Without waiting for a response, she stuffed the candies into Da Niu’s hands, her smile radiant and generous. “Sister-in-law will accept this money on behalf of your Brother Lie. We’ll remember this kindness, but consider it a loan from me. When we earn money later, I’ll pay you back double. Take these candies and enjoy them—don’t make things difficult for your Brother Lie.”
Her self-proclaimed “sister-in-law” left Da Niu stunned and made Qin Lie stiffen all over.
Da Niu held the handful of milk candies, staring at this woman who looked as beautiful as if she had stepped out of a poster, and stammered, “Ah, th-thank you, Sister-in-law! Brother Lie is really, really lucky to have you.”
With that, his face flushed red, and he turned and hurried away—partly out of embarrassment, partly out of fear that Qin Lie might scold him again.
The ward was suddenly left with just the two of them.
Qin Lie stared at the yellowed ceiling overhead, his voice hoarse. “You shouldn’t have taken it. That’s Da Niu’s hard-earned money.”
“If I hadn’t taken it, I’d have been slapping him in the face and hurting the bond between you brothers.”
Li Jiao sat back down by the bed, gently patting the money in her pocket, her tone soft. “Qin Lie, I know you’re hurting inside, but right now, we’re crossing a dangerous pass. Someone lending a hand is a sign of their affection for you. If you really feel indebted, then get better quickly. Later, take Da Niu and live a good life—that’s what a big brother should do.”
Before Qin Lie could fully digest her words, the door to the ward was pushed open again.
A stern-faced middle-aged nurse walked in, holding a payment reminder slip. “Bed 3, Qin Lie, right? The 550 yuan you paid yesterday is almost gone. The imported penicillin and cephalosporin you’re using cost several yuan per injection, plus the surgery and bed fees—there’s not much left.”
“Go and pay another 200 yuan as a deposit. Otherwise, we’ll have to stop the medication tomorrow.”
“What? Over 500 yuan gone just like that?”
Qin Lie’s pupils contracted sharply. Even though he had mentally prepared himself yesterday, it was clear he hadn’t prepared enough.
Nowadays, a worker only earned thirty yuan a month. Five hundred yuan was a huge sum, yet it hadn’t even lasted two days!
This wasn’t treating an illness—it was burning money.
Qin Lie took a sharp breath.
“I’m not getting treated anymore!” Qin Lie abruptly sat up, ignoring the blood flowing back into the needle in the back of his hand, and reached to pull it out. “Recuperating at home is just the same. This medicine is too expensive—I can’t afford it. I’m checking out right now.”
“Smack!” Li Jiao pressed her hand firmly over his, her almond-shaped eyes wide open. “What are you pulling out? Do you not want this hand anymore?”
She half-pressed herself against Qin Lie, making it impossible for him to move. “Qin Lie, listen to me. This leg cost me five hundred yuan to save—it’s my private property now. As long as I haven’t given up, not even the heavens can let you check out.”
“But the money…”
“Don’t worry about the money,” Li Jiao cut him off directly. “I’m your wife. I’ll figure out the money. Your job right now is to lie here obediently and let your bones heal.”
The nurse shook her head, unfazed, and left with a final reminder to pay as soon as possible.
Li Jiao released Qin Lie, felt the few dozen yuan left in her pocket, along with the stack of small bills Da Niu had just delivered, and her heart sank.
Living off dwindling savings was definitely not an option. The hospital was a money-devouring beast, and to save Qin Lie’s leg, relying solely on this limited cash wouldn’t last more than a few days.
She had to find a way.
Li Jiao turned her gaze to the county town streets outside the window, her eyes sharpening. She was, after all, a daughter raised by the Li family of the capital. Even in her reduced circumstances, the knowledge and skills in her mind remained intact.
How could a living person be defeated by a lack of resources?
This county town was so vast—there had to be a way to make money!