Chu Wei took it and was shocked. Her mother-in-law had spent 5,000 dollars on the operation, and she had saved up less than 7,000 dollars over six years. She had spent a few years of savings in one go. It seemed that the hospital was really a ruthless place.
"No problem!" Chu Wei said.
Granny nodded and took back the IOU. She looked at it carefully again and put the ink aside. She dipped her thumb and made a thumbprint. Then, she took out a bankbook and a stack of cash from her pocket and handed them to Chu Wei along with the IOU.
"Girl, it's all thanks to Chen Ji and you that I was able to treat my eyes this time. Don't worry. As long as I'm still breathing, I will definitely return the money to you. Although the treatment cost a lot of money, the money was not wasted. The treatment is very effective," said the mother-in-law as she held Chu Wei's hand.
Chu Wei flipped open the passbook and took a look. Her balance went from 6,950 to 1,950 dollars. This money was all that their family had. Before they went to the hospital, Chu Wei gave it to Chen Ji and told him to use it first. If it was not enough, they would think of another way.
Although she had heard that surgeries in big hospitals were very expensive, she did not expect the operation to cost so much. However, this was the first time she had heard of this minimally invasive surgery. She was very surprised to see that her mother-in-law only had gauze wrapped around her neck.
Initially, Chen Ji wanted to find some connections to get Li Jinhuan to go to the military hospital for treatment. However, the military hospital didn't have any specialists in this area. Moreover, the rules were strict. They only treated the soldiers for free and family members had to pay for themselves. Hence, he brought her to the largest hospital in the capital city. However, the cost was higher.
After putting away the IOU and bankbook, Chu Wei closed the door and returned to her mother-in-law. She looked at her for a while and took out the jade pendant from her pocket.
When she saw the jade pendant, her mother-in-law was shocked. Chu Wei wanted to say something but hesitated. She was very conflicted in her heart. There were some things that she had to tell her mother-in-law. Otherwise, she would always be kept in the dark and be played like a fool by others. She was also afraid that she would not be able to take it. There was no more money left to pay for hospital bills if she were to fall seriously ill again.
Li Jinhuan was a smart person. From the change in Chu Wei's expression, she knew that the latter had something to say. Therefore, Li Jinhuan only looked at the jade pendant quietly and asked Chu Wei to say it.
Chu Wei took a deep breath and calmed herself down. She was not a person who would stir up trouble, but after thinking about it, she had to tell her mother-in-law everything and try to be objective.
"Mom, please listen carefully to what I'm about to say…" Chu Wei said.
She told her the conversation that she heard from the backyard that night. She also told her about how Zhao Jinli came to the courtyard in the middle of the night to bury the jade pendant and how she went to the Ding family's wine shop to sell the jade pendant when she heard that Mrs. Chen could be cured. She told her everything that she knew. However, she only spoke a few sentences before Chen Ji returned.
Chen Ji had a fiery temper. After understanding all these, he might tear down Chen Hu's family. However, there was no turning back. Since she had decided to tell the truth, she had to tell it from the beginning to the end. As Chu Wei related what had happened, she leaned towards Chen Ji, standing between her husband and the door. She was afraid that he would get angry and confront his brother's family. The villagers had just changed their impression of him. She could not let him damage his image again.
Chu Wei's guess was right. After hearing what she said, Chen Ji's face turned extremely black. He looked at the jade pendant that had been returned to the old lady's hand and gritted his teeth so hard that they almost broke. He was really angry this time. The restless genes in his body were throbbing.
Unexpectedly, even though he was like a volcano that was about to erupt, he did not rush out to beat someone up like he did six years ago. Instead, he sat on the chair in silence.
The most excited person was not Chen Ji or Chu Wei, but Li Jinhuan, who had just regained her sight. She was not excited because she was happy, but because she was extremely sad. Her body was trembling uncontrollably.
When Chu Wei mentioned that her sister-in-law might have tampered with the fence, causing her to fall into a smelly ditch, Li Jinhuan's heart went completely cold. Although it was summer, but she felt as if she had fallen into an ice cave.
Li Jinhuan rubbed the jade pendant with one hand and clutched her heart with the other. Her face was pale, and even her lips were trembling. She wanted to be strong for the rest of her life, but in the end, she was blind to have raised such an unfilial son like Chen Hu. After all, Zhao Jinli was her daughter-in-law and unrelated by blood, so it was still understandable for her to behave like this. However, Chen Hu had tacitly agreed with her actions and framed Chen Ji's family together with her. Was this still the child she raised?
Back then, her man didn't do his job properly and was idling around all day. He drank and hit her. If it wasn't for Chen Hu, she would have left Peach Blossom Town and returned to the south long ago. She had just brought Chen Hu up when she got pregnant with Chen Ji. Her heart ached for her two children who wouldn't have a mother if she left. That was why she gave up on returning to her hometown.
"Pack up your things. If there's nothing else, you can return to the capital. This is between me and Chen Hu's family. Don't get involved in this mess," said the mother-in-law after a long while.
Chu Wei frowned. Her mother-in-law's attitude made her angry. "I don't agree. What would happen to you if we leave and you fall sick again?"