“They’re paying monthly.”
Wu Xiufang interjected, her voice steady.
“One hundred a month, settled in eighteen months. The contract’s already signed, can’t back out now.”
The three of them clutched the remaining five hundred yuan and rushed to the hospital without stopping, hurriedly paying part of Qiao Rongwei’s hospitalization fees and surgery deposit.
At the hospital lobby, Qiao Dehai charged straight to the payment window and handed the money over.
Once the doctor saw the funds were in place, he immediately arranged the surgery.
The nurse wheeled Qiao Rongwei into the operating room.
In the final moment before the doors closed, Qiao Dehai reached out as if trying to grab something, but in the end, he only clenched his fist.
He crouched by the operating room doors all night, without drinking water or eating anything.
Occasionally someone would come out to update him on the progress, and he would just nod.
Only when the doctor came out and said it went smoothly did he finally relax his shoulders that had been tense the whole time.
The next afternoon, Qiao Rongwei opened his eyes.
The anesthesia was gradually wearing off, and consciousness was slowly returning.
As soon as his vision cleared, he saw Qiao Dehai, Wu Xiufang, and Bai Wanwan gathered around his bed.
He couldn’t help but feel overjoyed inside.
This just proved it—he really did hold a special place in this family.
“Dad, Mom, Sister Wanwan, why are you all here? I’m fine, just a little bump. No big deal.”
He put on a carefree tone.
“Still saying it’s no big deal! The doctor said if you hadn’t been brought in so fast, your face would’ve rotted away!”
Qiao Dehai’s voice trembled with urgency the moment he heard that.
He stood by the bed, both hands gripping the bed rail tightly, his knuckles turning white.
Bai Wanwan went straight to bring a cup of water, her eyes still a bit red.
She handed the cup to Qiao Rongwei, her fingers trembling slightly.
She said, “Rongwei, are you feeling better now? It’s all my fault—if it weren’t for helping me, you wouldn’t have gotten hurt…”
“It’s not your fault, Sister Wanwan. I did it willingly.”
Qiao Rongwei’s heart felt sweet as honey, though his words came out sincere and earnest.
He turned and asked, “By the way, where did the money for treatment come from? Don’t tell me that cold-hearted Qiao Qingyan suddenly came to her senses and pulled out the money she earned from selling her position?”
Qiao Dehai sighed and spilled everything about selling the house.
The smile on Qiao Rongwei’s face immediately froze.
“You sold the old house?!”
He bolted upright in bed, but ended up pulling at his wound and gasping in pain.
One hand pressed against his cheek, the other braced on the bed, sweat beading on his forehead.
“Dad! Are you out of your mind? Who said you could sell the house!”
“Rongwei, don’t get worked up. We really had no other choice.”
Bai Wanwan urged him softly.
She stepped forward and gently pressed down on his shoulder: “The money already paid off Rongze’s debts and covered your hospital fees. Now we don’t even have a place to stay… Sister Qingyan is family after all. She has money—she can’t just watch us sleep on the streets. She has to take care of this.”
Qiao Rongze chimed in from the side.
“That’s right! Qiao Qingyan sold her position for a thousand yuan and took off with the things Mom left behind! Now we’re homeless, and it’s all her doing! She has to take responsibility!”
Qiao Rongwei slammed his palm on the edge of the bed, the sharp sound making everyone in the room turn.
“Sister Wanwan is right! Let’s go! We’ll find her right now! Make her arrange a place for us to stay, and she has to cover our living expenses from now on!”
The family discussed it in a flurry of voices, then set off with the just-discharged Qiao Rongwei, heading straight for the dormitory at Qiao Qingyan’s workplace.
Qiao Qingyan had just reached the bottom of the building when several people suddenly rushed out from the corner and surrounded her.
“Qiao Qingyan! You still dare to show your face?”
Qiao Rongwei raised his voice.
“The family’s gone now—are you feeling pretty pleased with yourself?”
Qiao Qingyan didn’t answer, only quietly surveyed the people before her.
She asked, “What do you want?”
“What do we want?”
Qiao Rongze jumped in front of her, his finger nearly poking her nose.
“The old house was sold by Dad! The money went to pay off Rongze’s debts and fund Second Brother’s surgery! We have nowhere to live now, and it’s all thanks to you!”
Qiao Qingyan listened, her expression unchanged.
The room fell silent for a moment, with only the occasional wind outside rustling the old curtains.
“How much did it sell for?”
The moment those words came out, Qiao Rongze’s curse got stuck in his throat.
Qiao Dehai opened his mouth, then closed it again.
Qiao Rongwei froze for a second, then blurted out, “Two thousand three hundred! The buyer said the thirteen hundred would be paid in installments later. Why?”
“Nothing.”
Qiao Qingyan nodded, her gaze sweeping over each of them.
“I’m a Qiao too, and I count as part of this family. From the house sale money, I should get four hundred sixty yuan.”
“Qiao Qingyan! You still have the nerve to ask for money!”
Qiao Rongze was the first to jump up.
“We don’t even have a place to go, and you’re thinking about splitting the money? Do you have a heart of stone?”
Bai Wanwan’s nose tingled, and tears immediately fell.
She grabbed Qiao Dehai’s arm and sobbed uncontrollably.
“Sister Qingyan, how can you be so heartless? All the money went to paying off Rongze’s debts and into Rongwei’s surgery. Our family is so broke now we don’t even have a place to rest our heads.”
Wu Xiufang was also sniffling on the side, wiping her eyes with her sleeve and letting out sigh after sigh.
The mother and daughter played the good cop and bad cop routine, both subtly shifting the blame onto Qiao Qingyan.
But Qiao Qingyan simply smiled.
The curve at the corners of her mouth was slight, yet it was a genuine smile—not a cold one, nor a mocking one, but the kind of relief that came from seeing things clearly at last.
“Cruel? Me taking back what’s rightfully mine—how is that cruel?”
“Besides, it wasn’t me who made you sell the house. Whoever made that call, go ask them. Don’t pin it on me.”
Then she turned her head to look at Qiao Rongwei and Qiao Rongze, a cold sneer curling at her lips.
The two felt their hearts tighten under her gaze and instinctively lowered their heads.
“Weren’t you both bragging about how amazing you are? One says he’ll be the richest man in the country someday, the other claims to be a top student at the capital’s prestigious medical school. Since you’re so impressive, why are you here begging me—the one you kicked out—for help?”
They stood rooted to the spot, clenching and unclenching their fists, wanting to argue but finding no excuse.
Qiao Qingyan didn’t give them a moment to catch their breath. She continued, “Funny thing is, I’m out on the streets now too, without even a roof over my head. If you’re really that capable, do me a favor and help me find a place to stay, won’t you?”
Her tone lightened as she said this, even carrying a hint of amusement.
“You—!”
Qiao Rongze trembled with rage.
“You woman really have a heart of stone! Let’s go! No point wasting our breath here!”
He turned to leave, but Qiao Qingyan sidestepped smoothly and planted herself firmly in the doorway.
“Leaving? It’s not that easy. When you needed me, you called me your dear sister; when there was trouble to solve, you called me family. Now that I’ve got nowhere to go, you think you can just walk away?”
“I’m not asking for much—just split the money from the house sale evenly. I only want my fair share. That’s reasonable, and it’s only right.”
Qiao Dehai looked at the cold-faced, cold-eyed daughter before him, his body trembling slightly, his voice shaking: “Yanyan, it’s not that Dad doesn’t want to give it to you… it’s that there really is no money left…”