“If Qiao Nan’s willing, your surgery can still proceed once Qiao Nan recovers.”
“Doesn’t that mean I still have to wait for a long time? Qiao Nan will probably need another few more months to recover after this car accident, so she’ll only be able to donate her kidney in a few months’ time?” She hated that she had no choice but to be hospitalized. Looking at herself in the mirror, her face was only getting worse by the day. Her skin had turned yellow and pale, and she felt that she had become so ugly that she could not bear to look at herself in the mirror.
Thinking about the debauchery and luxury in her life previously, and thinking then again about how the smell of perfume had been replaced by formaldehyde, Qiao Zijin’s mood fell to rock-bottom. She questioned once again why Qiao Nan had been knocked down but had not died!
To her, Qiao Nan would only be the slightest bit useful in this sense in her entire lifetime. But it turned out that Qiao Nan was so useless and could not even be put to good use. She could not understand the point of people like Qiao Nan staying alive. She was already an old woman of almost forty. She was neither married nor with a child. She did not have money or a house. To Qiao Nan, life was a pain.
Her wish for Qiao Nan’s death was for Qiao Nan’s own good. Death would relieve Qiao Nan of such a hard life. She would burn more paper money for Qiao Nan and hire someone to conduct funeral rites for Qiao Nan so that Qiao Nan would be able to be reincarnated to have a fresh start and lead a better life. This would be a mutually beneficial situation. She would benefit, Qiao Nan would benefit, and everyone would benefit. So why was Qiao Nan still alive and not dead?!
“I guess three months at the very least.” Ding Jiayi answered hesitatingly. It was said that one had to rest for a hundred days after injuring their bones and tendons. This time, Qiao Nan had sustained multiple fractures from the car accident.
Thinking about what the doctor had told her frustrated Ding Jiayi greatly. “We don’t really understand all those medical terms. When Qiao Nan was hit by the car, her bones were the ones that were affected. Her kidney was not injured at all. In that case, why can’t she undergo surgery to donate her kidney to you?”
They already had the sum of money from the compensation in addition to Qiao Nan’s kidney that would be voluntarily donated. Curing Zijin’s illness no longer required them to fork out two hundred thousand, as was the case in the past. With money and a kidney, all they were lacking now was time. Sigh. Zijin was suffering so much. Why did she have to suffer so much at such a young age?
“Another three months?” Qiao Zijin’s eyebrows were knitted together. “Can’t you discuss it with the doctor and try to push the surgery forward?”
“No matter how early he manages to push it to, Qiao Nan has to fully recover. I don’t think the doctor will be willing to give in on this matter.”
Qiao Zijin ground her teeth. It was really too hard to endure the pain and suffering of living with an illness. The thought of having to wait another three more months before getting a kidney transplant filled Qiao Zijin’s heart with unease. Who could guarantee that she would still be alive in three months for a recovered Qiao Nan to donate her kidney to her?
Moreover, she knew that with Qiao Nan alive now, her mom would not have any say in Qiao Nan donating her kidney. What would happen if Qiao Nan refused to donate her kidney to her?
“Mom, how about this? Why don’t you spend more time with Qiao Nan these few days? Qiao Nan needs someone beside her to take care of her now that she’s gotten into a car accident. Besides, we still need her approval for the kidney donation. Ask Dad to make some nice and nutritious food to nourish Qiao Nan. This will be good for both Qiao Nan and me. Mom, do you understand what I’m saying?”
Ding Jiayi stared wide-eyed at her. “You can’t be alone. You don’t have to care about that wretched girl. I understand what you mean. I was the one who gave birth to her. Without me, she wouldn’t even be alive. She’ll have no choice but to listen to me if I ask her to donate her kidney to you. Just look at her. She’s never once gone against me since she was young. There’s no need to waste your energy worrying about this. Don’t worry. One of her kidneys will definitely be yours. As for the other thing that you said, it should be feasible. I’ll get your dad to make more delicious food to nourish that wretched girl. As long as she recovers well, you might not even have to wait for another three months.”
People who were sick already had bad temperaments to begin with.
She had only instructed Ding Jiayi to take care of Qiao Nan for the sake of that kidney in Qiao Nan’s body, so Ding Jiayi’s words were especially pleasing to Qiao Zijin’s ears. “Mom, I listen to whatever you say. I’ll do whatever you ask me to.”
“What a good girl.” Ding Jiayi caressed Qiao Zijin’s head and helped Qiao Zijin lie down to rest. Following that, she made another call to Qiao Dongliang, asking him to nourish Qiao Nan’s body so that she would be able to recover. She had placed all of the family’s money in the drawer. Ding Jiayi clearly told Qiao Dongliang to purchase whatever was good for Qiao Nan’s body and whatever would help Qiao Nan recover earlier. He did not have to worry about the prices at all.
Her heart ached for that money?
Ding Jiayi knew that she would have at least a few hundred thousand yuan that would be deposited into her bank account once this matter was settled. All these things to nourish Qiao Nan only cost a few thousand yuan. Besides, she had her sights set on one of Qiao Nan’s kidneys. No matter how one looked at it, Ding Jiayi was the one who was gaining the most out of this deal. It was all worth it. She was not at a disadvantage at all.
As for Qiao Nan, she had no choice but to let Qiao Nan take advantage of her. After all, she had given birth to Qiao Nan.
“Nan Nan, smell this. Doesn’t this turtle soup smell nice? This is a good turtle! It’s a wild one that’s especially nourishing. I didn’t buy those that grew up eating turtle feed. Wild ones are better. One turtle alone cost me two to three hundred yuan! I made some soup for you. Be sure to drink more of it.” Qiao Dongliang was elated over having made something good for Qiao Nan.
He had always felt guilty toward his younger daughter, Qiao Nan. Unfortunately, Ding Jiayi had the final say in their family. They were both his daughters. Since Qiao Nan was sensible and was willing to make sacrifices for their family, and since his elder daughter always encountered different problems from time to time, Qiao Dongliang had no choice but to help Qiao Zijin get her life together first.
It was rare for Ding Jiayi to let loose and allow him to treat Qiao Nan kindly. As such, Qiao Dongliang was overjoyed. He finally had this rare opportunity to make it up to his younger daughter. “Nan Nan, your mom specially instructed me to buy this wild turtle for you to nourish your body. Your sister is still sick in bed and can’t come to visit you, but you must know that she cares about you as well. You know how stubborn your mom is. She listens to only one person in our entire family, and that is your elder sister. We’re all a family. Even when the bone is broken, there’ll still be blood. Blood is always thicker than water. Let bygones be bygones. Look at how we’ve come together in such a critical moment. This is truly a family!”
Qiao Nan had been drinking her turtle soup with a clear conscience. Upon hearing Qiao Dongliang’s lecture, Qiao Nan finished her soup and asked, “Dad, do you know what happened before the car accident that day?”
Qiao Nan’s casual words caused Qiao Dongliang, who had just been thinking about having peace in the family and being able to live harmoniously together, stiffen.
Qiao Nan wiped her mouth before continuing. “Oh, based on your reaction, I guess Mom must have told you about it. Dad, your turtle soup is really delicious. Is there any more? I would like another bowl of it.”