Leaving them to slowly digest it all—one was a person who had lived for decades under others' thumbs, never having their own opinions or desires.
The other was someone who had been disliked by the family since childhood, left to fend for themselves and treated as a discard, never imagining they had a future.
Suddenly, someone told them that all of this was wrong—that they weren't dragging others down, but rather, they deserved better.
It was only natural that they couldn't accept it all at once.
Brainwashing was never something that succeeded in a single attempt.
Yang Yiyang thought, They’ll still be in the hospital for several more days. I’ll just keep reasoning with them during this time.
That way, when they really have to face those Jiang Family wolves, they won’t end up siding with them.
Before she knew it, she had fallen asleep.
Jiang Zihao and his mother couldn’t fall asleep for a long time, especially Mother Jiang.
She kept feeling that stealing her husband’s money for her son made her a sinner—that she should bear all the guilt herself.
As long as her death could buy her son happiness for the rest of his life, it would be worth it.
But tonight, her daughter-in-law told her that the money rightfully belonged to her and her son.
So, who should she believe?
After dinner, the Jiang Family also held a meeting.
Eldest Sister-in-law Jiang said, “Should we go to the hospital tomorrow to see Mother-in-law? If there’s nothing serious, we can just bring her back to recuperate.”
Second Sister-in-law Jiang chimed in, “Yes, how much does it cost to stay in the hospital for a day? Dad was just too angry and hit a little too hard. Staying for a day or two should be enough.”
Eldest Brother Jiang and Second Brother Jiang were both preoccupied with the thought that as long as the two of them returned and handed over the money, their father would give them the 50 yuan each he had promised.
But what if those two unlucky wretches spent all the money in the hospital? If their father recovered less money and didn’t give them as much, what then?
Jiang Dad thought the same. “Bring them back sooner. Even if they spent 20 yuan on treatment, there’d still be 180 yuan left, right?”
If they kept staying in the hospital, not only would they spend money, but they’d also have to pay for meals every day. What if 20 yuan wasn’t enough and they went to the Women’s Federation to withdraw more to spend?
That was his money. That wretched woman—who would have thought, seeing how honest and hardworking she usually was, that she’d dare to be so bold?
How dare she touch his money? Every time he thought about it, he felt he hadn’t hit her hard enough.
“Alright, you go see them tomorrow. If there’s no major issue, bring them back together.”
Not one of them suggested bringing any food, because it wasn’t necessary.
That wretched woman who dared to steal the family’s money to spend elsewhere was their enemy.
The next day, Yang Yiyang only woke up when the doctor came for rounds.
Seeing the two of them with huge dark circles under their eyes, she said, “You didn’t sleep all night, did you? Was it really that serious?”
The doctor checked Mother Jiang’s injury recovery and asked, “When did you wake up last night? Are there any areas where you feel uncomfortable now?”
Mother Jiang didn’t want to trouble the doctor too much. This was her first time staying in the hospital in her entire life.
In the past, she would endure minor illnesses, and only if it was absolutely necessary would she come to the hospital to get some medicine to take at home.
“Doctor, I’m much better. It’s just that my whole body still hurts a bit, and I feel weak.”
The doctor said, “That’s to be expected. If you had been brought in any later, it’s hard to say whether you would have woken up again.”
“With injuries this severe, including internal ones, you’ll need to stay in the hospital for at least a few more days.”
Mother Jiang’s first thought was, A few more days in the hospital—how much more money will that cost?
The doctor then asked about the issue with her head, "Does your head still hurt? Do you have any other sensations?"
Mother Jiang thought for a moment and said, "It hurts a little, and I feel a bit dizzy."
The doctor then turned to Jiang Zihao and said, "The patient's body is severely depleted. If possible, it's best to eat better."
Jiang Zihao quickly agreed.
Compared to Mother Jiang, Yang Yiyang was doing much better. Today, she could even get out of bed and walk around, with only a slight discomfort in her head.
After examining Yang Yiyang, the doctor said, "You just need one more day of IV drips, and then you can take some medicine home for a few days."
After the doctor finished rounds, Jiang Zihao was about to go buy some food. As soon as he opened the ward door, he heard Eldest Sister-in-law's voice.
"Excuse me, which ward is Liu Xiaocao in?"
He quickly stepped back inside and closed the door, whispering to the two women in the ward, "My eldest sister-in-law is at the hospital. I just heard her asking about Mom's ward."
Yang Yiyang thought for a moment and said to her mother-in-law, "Mom, pretend to faint. No matter what we say, don't wake up."
Afraid she might not be able to resist, she added, "Remember, don’t open your eyes no matter what."
Then she said to Jiang Zihao, "Later, ask them if they came to bring food. Make them wait here for Mom to wake up so they can help her to the bathroom."
After saying this, she also pretended to sleep and closed her eyes.
Although Mother Jiang didn’t understand why she had to pretend to faint, she had spent her whole life accustomed to following others' instructions.
Habitually, she listened to her daughter-in-law and closed her eyes.
Soon after, they heard the sound of the ward door opening.
"Little brother-in-law, you’re here! We’ve been looking all over for you."
Following his wife’s advice, Jiang Zihao pretended to be distressed. "Eldest Sister-in-law, Second Sister-in-law, you’re here. Did you bring breakfast for us?"
Eldest Sister-in-law Jiang looked a bit embarrassed. "We thought you would have eaten early at the hospital, so we didn’t bring any to avoid wasting it."
Second Sister-in-law Jiang added, "Yes, and now there’s not enough food at home anyway."
The implication was: Did you really think we’d bring you food? Dream on!
Jiang Zihao knew they hadn’t come with good intentions, but he hadn’t expected them to be shameless enough to say such things.
"Then why are you here?"
Coming empty-handed definitely meant they were up to no good.
Eldest Sister-in-law Jiang said, "Well, Mom is in the hospital, so we came to check on her."
"What did the doctor say? Nothing too serious, right?"
Jiang Zihao put on a pained expression. "The doctor said if we had brought Mom any later, she wouldn’t have made it. When she’ll wake up depends on fate."
"My wife opened her eyes once and then fell back asleep. She hasn’t woken up since."
"The doctor said we won’t know if there are any lasting effects until she wakes up."
Eldest Sister-in-law and Second Sister-in-law exchanged a glance. "If your wife woke up, it shouldn’t be too serious, right? It was just a bump."
Yang Yiyang thought to herself, the original host had already lost her life, and in the mouths of these cold-hearted people, it was just "a bump."
The original host’s death was truly worthless.
Eldest Sister-in-law Jiang and the others had originally come to pressure them into leaving the hospital, but since the person hadn’t even woken up yet—
How could they bring it up?
"If Mom wakes up, come home early! You know how much Father Jiang misses her when she’s not around."
Yang Yiyang thought to herself, they talk better than they sing. If he really couldn’t do without her, it was only because he’d lost his old servant.
Jiang Zihao still remembered what his wife had said: "Eldest Sister-in-law, thank goodness you're here. Please stay and help take care of my mother. If she wakes up and needs to use the bathroom or anything, it's not convenient for a man like me."