Chapter 21 Discharge

After everyone had slowly left, only Ma Aning and his wife, and Qian Daniu and her husband remained in the room.

At that moment, Qian Danu was beaming as she stuffed the wad of banknotes into her pocket, seemingly having completely forgotten everything else.

Ma Aning looked at her seriously and said, "Mom, you see, Shan Ge's medical expenses haven't been paid yet. Can we use the money the factory sent over to pay the medical expenses first?"

Upon hearing this, Qian Danu's smile vanished instantly, replaced by a look of utter distress.

She frowned and said plaintively, "San'er, look, your leg is already in a cast, but it's not a big deal. Why don't we just get discharged and go home to recuperate? The hospital expenses are so high every day, our family really can't afford it!"

As she spoke, she clutched the bag full of banknotes tightly, as if afraid someone would snatch it away.

Seeing this, Ma Aning felt a surge of anger rising within her.

She raised her voice and said, "Mom, which is more important, this mere 200 yuan or Brother Shan's health?"

"If Shan Ge's leg develops a chronic condition due to a lack of timely treatment, it could be a lifelong problem! Can you really bear to see Shan Ge suffer from pain for the rest of his life?"

In the end, Ma Aning felt only injustice and felt that Shen Zishan had been treated unfairly.

"San'er, look at your leg, it's all in a cast! It's nothing serious at the hospital, you'll get better as long as you rest and recuperate at home for a while."

"There's no need for us to stay in this hospital any longer, after all, the situation at home is really very difficult right now."

"Besides, you've lost your job now, and all you have is 200 yuan. You can't afford to spend like this!"

He looked at his son with a heavy expression and said in a somber tone.

Hearing his father's words, Shen Zishan slowly raised his head, his eyes filled with confusion and sadness. He never expected that his parents really wanted to give up on him.

He opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end he only softly called out, "Father..." Then, as if he had completely resigned himself to his fate, he silently lowered his head and said nothing more.

His slightly trembling shoulders seemed to reveal the endless sorrow and helplessness deep in his heart.

Ma Aning felt very sorry for Shen Zishan. Holding her belly, she boldly stepped forward and said, "Father and Mother, I don't agree. If his leg doesn't heal properly, it will be a lifelong problem. We can work hard to earn 200 yuan."

"Who gave you the right to speak here? Hmph, you think you can make two hundred dollars so easily? Even if I sold you, you wouldn't make that much!"

Qian Danu stood with her hands on her hips, glaring angrily at the other person and began to curse. Her fierce and menacing appearance made it seem as if she wanted to devour the person in front of her alive.

Shen Zishan, standing to the side, looked pained. He gritted his teeth and said to the person beside him, "A Ning, stop talking. I... I agree to go home."

After saying that, he deflated like a punctured balloon, looking utterly listless.

Seeing Shen Zishan like this, Ma Aning felt a pang of sorrow in her heart. She knew that Shen Zishan was heartbroken to the extreme.

"In that case, you should go find the nurse to complete the discharge procedures." Shen Zishan lowered his head, his voice so low that it was almost inaudible, and he did not say another word after that.

Seeing this, Qian Danu's face lit up with joy. Without saying a word, she walked happily toward the nurses' station to complete the discharge procedures.

However, not long after, Qian Daniu's shrill and piercing shouts came from afar: "What did you say? One hundred and twenty-three yuan and forty cents? This is blatant robbery!"

The sound was so loud that it drew the attention of the surrounding patients and medical staff.

"How dare you talk like that? This is a legitimate hospital, we don't rob people. When your son was brought here, his shinbone was broken. The doctor had to operate to remove the bone fragments and fix it. The surgery alone took six or seven hours, and all the equipment and other things cost money."

With each item of expense the nurse listed, Qian Danu's heart would skip a beat.

The nurses were used to handling these things and readily rattled off a long list of charges: "Okay, that's all the fees."

"Okay, here's a total of 93 yuan and 4 mao. Keep it safe! My old man already paid 30 yuan last night, right?" Qian Daniu was the type to bully the weak and fear the strong.

The nurse nodded. "That's right, 30 yuan was paid last night."

The nurse took the money and counted it carefully. After confirming that everything was correct, she nodded and smiled at the couple, saying, "The money is correct, no problem. You can proceed with the discharge procedures now."

The couple had no idea that since they arrived at the hospital that morning, Shen Zishan hadn't even received a single injection. They wondered if this was reasonable.

Just then, the nurse made an excuse to check the ward, and in that brief moment, she quickly and quietly slipped the 120 yuan into Ma Aning's pocket.

Ma Aning understood immediately and deliberately expressed her gratitude to the nurse loudly: "Oh, thank you so much, nurse. Thanks to your meticulous care, we're being discharged now."

The elderly couple standing nearby mistakenly thought that Ma Aning was simply thanking the nurse for her thoughtful care, completely unaware that the money had quietly returned to their own pockets.

After leaving the hospital, Ma Aning suggested, "Dad, Mom, why don't we call an oxcart to go home?"

No sooner had he said that than Qian Danu glared at him, her eyes widening, and snapped, "What are you yelling for! Doesn't it cost money to call an oxcart? Anyway, we can't start working right away when we get back, so we can just walk back slowly!"

“Mom! How could you do this! Shan’s leg just had surgery yesterday! The doctor clearly said that he needs to stay in the hospital to rest for a while, but you just wouldn’t listen and insisted on letting him go home.”

"That's bad enough, but you even made him walk when he got home! Do you really want him to become a cripple from now on?"

Ma Aning's face was full of anger, her chest heaving violently, as she angrily shouted at Qian Daniu.

Hearing her daughter-in-law criticize her like that, Qian Daniu felt a little guilty, but she still stubbornly said, "I was just trying to save money..." However, before she could finish speaking, she was interrupted by an angry roar.

"Enough!" Zhong Chen, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke. His face was gloomy, and his eyes were fixed on Qian Danu with a gaze that seemed to penetrate one's soul, sending chills down one's spine.

"Go and call an oxcart to pick them up!" the command was given in a heavy, cold tone.

Qian Danu was so frightened that she trembled all over and dared not say another word. She quickly turned around, strode away from the hospital entrance, and went to look for the oxcart.

She felt heavy-hearted and wanted to start a conversation, but seeing her son and daughter-in-law's indifferent expressions, she didn't dare to speak. She also knew that she was letting her son down and might ruin his life.

Qian Danu was very efficient; she returned in a short while in an oxcart.

Ma Aning and Shen Zhong carefully helped Shen Zishan onto the oxcart.

After everyone was on board, the oxcart slowly started moving.