Shen Xingyao couldn’t tell, but Pei Yanqiu immediately sensed that it was his mother crying.
Because Mother Pei was in poor health, all the recent troubles had been kept from her.
Why was she crying now?
Seeing Pei Yanqiu’s grim expression, Shen Xingyao also guessed that Mother Pei was crying.
Just as she was about to say something, the door to the hospital room opened, and a middle-aged woman walked out.
She glanced at the two of them and said to Pei Yanqiu, “Mr. Pei, your mother has just fired me.”
“But I won’t be returning the wages for the remaining half-month—that’s my compensation.”
She had lost her stable job as a caregiver, and asking her to refund the money would be too much.
Pei Yanqiu didn’t dwell on the half-month’s wages. Instead, he frowned and asked, “What happened to my mom? Why did she suddenly fire you?”
The caregiver was also furious about this: “How would I know? She fired me just like that!”
In truth, Mother Pei’s condition wasn’t so severe that she couldn’t take care of herself. She could manage meals and washing up on her own. Hiring a caregiver was simply Pei Yanqiu’s way of being filial, ensuring she was comfortable in the hospital.
So, for the caregiver, Mother Pei was an easy patient to look after, requiring little effort.
Usually, all she had to do was bring meals on time and help wash Mother Pei’s undergarments. There was nothing else to do.
It was an easy, well-paying job that others envied. Now, being fired without a clear reason, how could she be happy about it?
Seeing Pei Yanqiu’s agitation, Shen Xingyao handed him the bouquet of flowers. “Go in and check on your mom first. I’ll talk to the caregiver.”
Distracted, Pei Yanqiu took the flowers and walked stiffly into the hospital room.
Shen Xingyao invited the caregiver aside and asked, “Auntie, do you know if anything unusual happened these past two days?”
The caregiver looked down on Shen Xingyao, knowing she was a woman who had latched onto Pei Yanqiu because he had some money.
It was a pity that her employer was so foolish, thinking this woman was decent. No matter what bad things the caregiver said, she couldn’t convince Pei Yanqiu to dump her.
If she had known Pei Yanqiu was so undiscriminating—even a woman from the countryside with no education could be his girlfriend—she would have sent her own daughter instead.
Too bad. Now that he was nearly bankrupt, it was useless for her daughter to come now.
The caregiver rolled her eyes. “How would I know? I’m busy every day. It’s not like I can attend to her 24/7!”
“She’s had it too good for too long, getting all high and mighty~”
Her tone and expression showed she had no respect for Shen Xingyao, nor even for Mother Pei, who had hired her.
Shen Xingyao was genuinely amused by the audacity and sneered, “Can’t attend to her 24/7?”
“As far as I remember, Pei Yanqiu paid you for full-time care, didn’t he?”
“Twenty thousand yuan a month, and this is how you take care of her?”
This was mentioned in the original text—when Pei Yanqiu’s financial situation improved later, the caregiver he hired was also paid this amount.
Sure enough, the caregiver immediately grew guilty: “Well… I couldn’t possibly work 24 hours…”
Because the job was so easy, she had also taken on some short-term gigs lasting ten days to a month, earning an extra one or two hundred yuan a day.
Pei Yanqiu and his mother were unaware of these tricks, but Shen Xingyao wasn’t so easily fooled.
She immediately pulled the caregiver aunt toward their company’s management station: “Since you haven’t fulfilled your responsibilities as stated in the contract and made my aunt feel uncomfortable, it’s only natural to dismiss you.”
“Not only should you return the remaining half-month’s wages, but we’ll also hold you accountable for your previous irresponsibility. You must compensate us for the money!”
That absolutely wouldn’t do!
When she signed the agreement, she was also working a long-term side job, and this matter was fully documented.
If the Pei family didn’t pursue it, the company would turn a blind eye since they took a commission.
But now, if she went to the company, she would not only have to compensate but also face fines, even being fired!
The caregiver aunt panicked instantly, desperately refusing to go: “You… can’t I just return the remaining half-month’s wages to you?”
“That’s their family’s business. You’re not even married into the family yet, why are you meddling?”
Hmph╭(╯^╰)╮.
Wasn’t the money coming back now?
Shen Xingyao didn’t want to argue with her further either; her goal was simply to get back that ten thousand yuan caregiver fee.
After all, they were truly short on money now, and in the original text, this was only mentioned briefly. She only knew that Pei Yanqiu had endured a long period of hardship.
So, not knowing how long this difficult time would last, that ten thousand yuan should be reclaimed—it couldn’t just be given away for nothing.
If it had been a diligent and responsible caregiver, that would have been one thing, but she was not only irresponsible but also the champion of slacking off and cutting corners.
Why should she get to take advantage?!
Shen Xingyao showed her payment QR code, instructing her to transfer the money back, and even added a note stating it was a refund for the second half-month’s caregiver fee, leaving no room for her to backtrack later.
After returning the money, the caregiver aunt was heartbroken and grumbled: “Pah! Do you think Pei Yanqiu is still the wealthy man he used to be?”
“Someone came yesterday and said he’s bankrupt now. You’ll have plenty of hardships following him!”
She might have spoken out of resentment, but her words struck a chord in Shen Xingyao’s heart.
Someone had come to talk about Pei Yanqiu’s situation?
Could it be that Mother Pei was worried he had no money, which was why she dismissed the caregiver?
.
Inside the hospital room, Mother Pei’s eyes were red-rimmed, but when she saw her son arrive, she forced a smile at the corners of her mouth.
She didn’t even notice the flowers in his hand, her gaze first searching behind him, but she didn’t see the figure she hoped for.
Her heart sank, fearing that even that woman had abandoned her poor son.
Although during their limited interactions recently, after stripping away the bias of being fellow villagers, Mother Pei had come to understand what a shallow and materialistic woman Shen Xingyao was.
But now that her son was in trouble, and she didn’t know how much longer she had to live, if Shen Xingyao ran away too, wouldn’t her son be left all alone?
Even though she had anticipated this day yesterday, she still felt somewhat disappointed now.
Pei Yanqiu placed the flowers by her bedside: “Mom, why did you dismiss the caregiver all of a sudden?”
Mother Pei suppressed all her sorrow, trying to speak calmly: “Mom is usually perfectly fine, able to get around on my own. Hiring a caregiver is just a waste of money.”
“She just delivers meals and then runs off, yet you pay her so much. It pains me to think about it.”
She hadn’t known how much the caregiver was paid until last month when the other person slipped up during a conversation, and she found out.
But by then, the caregiver had been working for a long time, and after hesitating, she still didn’t bring it up.
Now that her son was facing difficulties, they should save money wherever possible.
“Isn’t she supposed to be with you all day?” Pei Yanqiu was genuinely speechless.
Because whenever he came to the hospital to visit Mother Pei, he would always contact the caregiver first and had never seen her absent before.
Who would have thought she was so good at slacking off!
So the complaints she had made to him earlier, speaking ill of Shen Xingyao, were likely quite questionable too!