Zeng Hui and the man walked towards the ward, exchanging names along the way.
The man said he was called Dong Jian and was 28 years old.
As they had only just met, Zeng Hui felt it was inappropriate to ask why he had been in prison or how he had injured his leg. She politely accompanied him to the ward.
On the bed lay a woman who was gaunt, with a head full of white hair.
Dong Jian called out "Mom," and the woman slowly opened her eyes. Upon seeing Zeng Hui, the dullness in her eyes instantly ignited with a spark.
"You're here, Xiao Jian. And who is this?"
Zeng Hui stepped forward first, carrying the fruit to the woman.
"Hello, Auntie. I'm Dong Jian's friend. I heard you were sick and came to see you. How are you feeling today?"
The woman was very emotional.
Perhaps it was because Dong Jian hadn't had a girlfriend for a long time, or perhaps in her eyes, her son's prospects were too poor for him to ever find a girlfriend.
Seeing the beautiful and clean Zeng Hui, she was so moved and satisfied that she didn't even need an injection; her condition improved tenfold instantly.
The two women held hands and, as if they had known each other for years, sat on the hospital bed chatting intimately.
Dong Jian looked at his gentle mother and the kind and virtuous Zeng Hui, feeling a long-lost warmth in his heart.
He began to fantasize, wondering if heaven, finding his life too bitter and difficult, had sent an angel to save him.
After a while, Zeng Hui asked Dong Jian to go out and buy dinner. Her instructions were gentle and casual, as if they were a couple who had been married for years.
Dong Jian naturally obeyed her words and turned to leave.
Zeng Hui coaxed Dong Jian's mother to eat fruit. Shortly after, a chief physician entered the room with a nurse for a check-up.
They approached and performed a basic examination on Dong Jian's mother. The doctor then scanned the room.
"Why isn't your son here today? Didn't we say he absolutely had to come today?"
Before Dong Jian's mother could speak, Zeng Hui stepped forward.
"I'm Dong Jian's friend. He had something to attend to and stepped out. Is there anything you need to say? You can tell me."
The doctor looked Zeng Hui up and down, assuming she was Dong Jian's girlfriend, and seemed surprised.
"You can tell me too?"
"Yes," Zeng Hui said, sensing the doctor's hesitation. She proactively led him outside.
"Is there anything inconvenient to say? Is her condition very serious?"
Standing in the corridor, the doctor told Zeng Hui that Dong Jian's mother's condition was indeed very serious. She suffered from uremia, and by the time it was diagnosed, it was already in the advanced stage.
Dong Jian had sold everything he had, including the house they had lived in for over 30 years, to bring his mother to the hospital. After only two months of dialysis, he ran out of money.
Based on the current situation, a cure was impossible, but he couldn't just watch his mother die.
However, Dong Jian couldn't come up with any more money.
He had to choose between ceasing treatment or continuing to pour money into a futile effort.
Today's purpose was to discuss this with him.
In that instant, Zeng Hui seemed to be transported back to the days when she was caring for Dou Bao.
The doctors' words were all too similar; they were all dealing with unfortunate people.
Either they lacked the money for treatment, or they managed to raise the funds only to be diagnosed with an incurable disease.
In the past, she could only offer sympathy and sigh. But today…
"We will continue the treatment. Didn't our mothers work hard to raise us so that we could support them one day? How can we stand by and watch them die? How much money is needed? I will pay."
When Dong Jian returned with dinner, Zeng Hui looked at Dong Jian's mother, her mouth opening and closing several times, unable to speak.
Dong Jian knew she had something to say, so he deliberately dropped his chopsticks on the floor. Zeng Hui helped him pick them up.
"I'll wash them before we use them. Please wait a moment."
He went to find water to wash the chopsticks. Dong Jian asked his mother what was wrong. "What did you want to tell me?"
Dong Jian's mother said, "The doctor came when you went out. It seemed like they had something to tell you. Later, Zeng Hui talked with the doctor, but I don't know what they discussed. She wouldn't say.
"But I know it must be about my illness or about paying money. Xiao Jian, you mustn't take advantage of her. It's rare to find a girl who likes you; we can't live off her."
"My illness is incurable anyway, so don't waste money on it. Discharge me from the hospital. Save your money for when you get married and have children."
Dong Jian's heart was heavy. He knew what the doctor had called him for.
In fact, he had been struggling with this decision for days and had already mentally chosen to give up.
It wasn't that he was unfilial, but rather that he was powerless.
So, after his mother finished speaking, he immediately went to find Zeng Hui.
When Zeng Hui finished washing the chopsticks and turned around, she saw him waiting at the corner with a troubled expression. She walked towards him.
"What's wrong? Did you want to tell me something?"
Dong Jian asked, "Did the doctor ask you to pay money just now?"
She answered frankly, "Auntie is still sick, so if the money ran out, we had to pay for the continuation of treatment."
"How much did you pay?"
"Two hundred thousand."
Dong Jian's shock was palpable.
They had only met by chance, and Zeng Hui seemed to be dressed ordinarily. How could she be so wealthy as to pay 200,000 yuan for a stranger?
How could he ever repay such a great kindness?
Thanks to Chen Dong Yang, Zeng Hui could afford to play the part of a wealthy person.
In the past, 200,000 yuan would have been a life-or-death sum for her, so she understood Dong Jian's feelings at that moment.
She patted his shoulder. "Don't be too surprised. I can see you're a good person, and I really like Auntie. I'm not afraid you'll run away. Consider this money a loan."
That was far too generous.
With his current salary of fifteen hundred yuan a month, how long would it take him to repay two hundred thousand yuan?
Dong Jian stammered, "Miss Zeng, I..."
"Don't say so much. Go let Auntie eat first. We can talk more when we have time."
They returned to the ward. Zeng Hui, knowing Dong Jian's mother was worried, spoke in a deliberately lighthearted tone.
"The doctor asked me to step out just now to discuss your condition. Your treatment has been going well recently. If you continue like this, you'll be able to leave the hospital soon."
Dong Jian's mother didn't believe her. "I know my own body. Everyone says this illness is incurable..."
Zeng Hui said, "It is incurable, but as long as you have a good mindset and cooperate with the doctor, you can live for many more years."
"It's like cancer; some people cooperate with treatment and still live well for over ten years. You haven't even seen Dong Jian get married and have children yet. Can you bear to leave like this?"
Her words struck a chord with the elderly woman, and tears immediately fell. She held Zeng Hui's hand and said,
"This child is so troublesome. For him, I've suffered so much in my life, shed so many tears, and my eyes are almost blind from crying."
"He was always sick when he was little, and his father was a scoundrel, always idle, drinking and fighting. I worked hard, and often took him to the hospital late at night."
"After finally raising him, I hoped he would achieve something. But because of a girl, he got into a fight, went to prison for a few years, and injured his leg."