Chapter 14 U Peng Returns Home

Wu Peng returned home to find the old man sitting on the sofa watching TV.

Ever since the Lin teacher incident, even though it was resolved, the old man didn’t like going out anymore. He stayed cooped up at home all day. If Wu Peng wasn't still working on Jia Wenjun's case and he wasn't worried, he probably would have left the city already.

Seeing his grandson return, the old man got up to prepare dinner. Wu Peng washed his hands and helped bring the food from the kitchen. The two sat down at the table to eat.

"Your father called me today," the old man said as he served his grandson some soup.

Wu Peng swallowed the rice in his mouth. "If he asks for money, don't give it to him."

The old man sighed. "I don't have any to give."

The Lin teacher incident had cost the old man a lot, and his original savings had already been almost completely squandered by his son. He had to leave some security for his grandson and himself, so no matter how much his son cried poverty, he couldn't give him any more.

Wu Peng put a piece of meat on the old man's plate. "My dad is over fifty years old, and he's never earned a penny himself in his life. He's been spoiled by you. Just let him earn his own money; he won't starve. Keep your money and use it for your own retirement. Don't give it to anyone who asks."

The old man knew he was easily softened by his son's coaxing, so he discussed it with his grandson. "Then I'll put the money with you. You can manage the family property from now on. You won't spoil your father."

"Okay." Wu Peng didn't refuse. His father was extremely irresponsible; he had never earned money himself and didn't know how hard it was to come by. He didn't want his father to squander all the old man's savings.

After the two reached an agreement, the old man thought for a moment and asked, "Did Jia Wenjun get out today?"

"Yes."

The old man was silent for a few seconds, then asked, "Can Zhao Di wake up?"

"We don't know yet."

The old man didn't speak. He had been convinced that Jia Wenjun was the one who pushed Zhao Di, but too many things had happened recently, especially the incident where he was pushed when he was holding a knife, which made him realize that what the eyes saw wasn't necessarily the truth.

"I saw Bai Ma Shan and Lin Yang together when I went out to buy groceries the other day," the old man said suddenly.

Since Bai Ma Shan had called him first and then cleared his name with the police, the old man remembered Wu Peng telling him not to get too close to Bai Ma Shan. Whether Bai Ma Shan was involved in Zhao Di's matter or not, the old man realized that Bai Ma Shan wasn't as simple as he seemed.

The old man hadn't recognized Lin Yang at first, but after Zhao Di came back, Lin Yang had brought the media over to report and raise medical funds, and the property management in the community had launched a fundraising event. Now he could be considered a "household name" in the community.

Wu Peng stopped eating. He had suspected Bai Ma Shan before. If Bai Ma Shan was really involved in Zhao Di's matter, then he was approaching Lin Yang probably to find out about Zhao Di.

Thinking that those hiding in the dark were also watching Zhao Di, Wu Peng couldn't sit still any longer. He hastily finished his meal and went back to his room to check the schedule of Zhao Di's attending physician. He had gotten close to a young nurse before, and she had helped him get Dr. Tan's schedule. With this schedule, it was easy for him to go to the doctor's office to understand the situation. Of course, he avoided the Lin Yang family when he did this.

Moreover, every time he went, he carefully inquired about the condition. Compared to the Lin Yang family, the doctor thought Wu Peng, this "cousin," was not bad, at least he cared about the patient, so he was very comprehensive and detailed with him.

Before, Dr. Tan had mentioned to the patient's husband that related surgeries could be performed in large hospitals in Jing City, which gathered the top neurologists and the most advanced equipment in the country. If Zhao Di was sent there, the success rate of the surgery would be higher, but relatively, the costs would also be unaffordable for the average family. Moreover, even after the surgery, Zhao Di might not improve. With such great uncertainty, Lin Yang rejected it before even hearing everything.

But Wu Peng privately listened carefully to Dr. Tan's analysis and even got the contact information of his teacher at the Jing City hospital.

After Jia Wenjun and Wu Peng contacted the doctors there, the doctors there also gave suggestions and risk warnings after reviewing Zhao Di's condition. Jia Wenjun knew that the success rate was not high, but as long as there was a chance, she didn't want to waste it.

Moreover, the doctors there also said that the sooner the surgery was performed, the better the recovery would be.

Without delay, Jia Wenjun didn't want to wait any longer and told her parents about her plan. She thought it would take some persuasion, but her parents immediately agreed.

Jia's father gave his daughter the family's card. "The savings we've accumulated in our lives are all for you. As long as you're okay, anything is fine."

Jia Wenjun pushed the card back. "Dad, you and Mom keep this money. I plan to sell this house. If Zhao Di can be cured, I will leave this city after I'm free. If she's not cured, and I eventually have to go in, then I won't live in this house in the future, so selling it is the best option."

It was enough for her to take a gamble; she couldn't empty her parents' pockets as well. If she really had to spend the rest of her life inside, then her parents could at least have some savings to rely on.

Jia's parents knew her thoughts, so they didn't say anything more. They were their daughter's backing, and they would help her without hesitation whenever she needed them. Now they were just waiting for Wu Peng to help them persuade Lin Yang.

At a barbecue stall in the evening, Wu Peng finally met with Zhang Lin.

Zhang Lin's time was precious, so Wu Peng didn't waste any words and directly told Zhang Lin about his going to Jing City Hospital to inquire about Zhao Di, and Jia Wenjun's willingness to pay for the high cost of surgery.

Zhang Lin was stunned for a few seconds, his expression somewhat complicated.

Jia Wenjun wasn't worried that Zhao Di would wake up and accuse her. On the contrary, she was willing to pay for Zhao Di's treatment. This behavior made Zhang Lin feel even more uncertain.

Had he really arrested the wrong person?

Zhang Lin took a big gulp of beer and looked at Wu Peng. "This is a large sum of money. Are you sure Jia Wenjun will pay?"

Wu Peng placed a handful of skewers in front of him. "If you're worried that Jia Wenjun will go back on her word halfway through the treatment, she can transfer the money to a bank account that you can supervise first to ensure that Zhao Di's treatment is worry-free."

Zhang Lin's face became even more serious. Wu Peng continued, "You know what kind of people Lin Yang's family are. I'm worried that if they know Jia Wenjun is paying the money, they will use Zhao Di's treatment as an excuse to create all sorts of trouble. It's not convenient for me to come forward in this matter. If I show up, they will definitely guess that it's related to Jia Wenjun, so I want to find A Le to donate this money to Zhao Di on behalf of Jia Wenjun."

A Le was one of the members of their band before. Zhang Lin was naturally familiar with him.

Wu Peng continued, "Legally speaking, a donor donating money to Zhao Di is a civil gift. The funds are donated for Zhao Di's treatment, not for her family. But with the way her family is, they will probably try to misappropriate Zhao Di's life-saving money. I would like to ask the police to testify and help A Le sign a contract with Zhao Di's family to ensure that the money is used exclusively for Zhao Di's treatment. Do you think that's possible?"

Zhang Lin certainly hoped that Zhao Di would receive treatment so that the case could be solved. But he couldn't decide this matter and could only say ambiguously, "I'll go back tomorrow and discuss it with the leader before giving you an answer."

Wu Peng clinked his glass with Zhang Lin. "Thanks. If the surgery is successful, the case can be solved. If it's not successful, Zhao Di's situation won't be any worse than it is now. So this matter needs to be done as soon as possible. The sooner the surgery is performed, the higher the success rate."

Seeing Zhang Lin drink the wine in his glass in one gulp with a tense face, Wu Peng knew that Zhang Lin would do his best to do this.