Si Xiaohui did not believe it, "You're lying." Lijuan witnessed Tong Yao and Jia Qing going on a date.
Si Boyi spoke up as a witness, "She's not lying, my mom and I personally saw her donating the money."
"Really, really donated?" Si Xiaohui felt somewhat guilty. She had been tolerating Tong Yao until she found out that Tong Yao was stealing money, that's when she lost patience.
Gu Hongwei's mother passed away early and his father was paralyzed. Now that he'd been accepted into university but had no money to go, Tong Yao had stolen the money and there was no cash at home to donate, so she became anxious and agitated.
Now they were telling her that Tong Yao had donated the money?
Tong Yao declared with self-assurance, "If you don't believe it, you can go ask Hongwei now."
If it wasn't to clear her name for stealing money and running away, Tong Yao would have given the money to Si Xiaohui to donate.
Second elder brother had spoken, so there was no need to ask, it must be true.
Great, Gu Hongwei can go to college now.
Before Si Xiaohui could be happy, she felt like crying in panic, "It's over, I just called my brother, and said his wife ran away with Jia Qing. Before I could finish, Lijuan's home phone ran out of credit..."
The more Si Xiaohui spoke, the quieter her voice became. Lin Fengying and Si Boyi's faces changed, knowing Si Chen's temperament, they feared that he might return to get a divorce now.
"You stupid girl."
Lin Fengying nervously paced around in circles, urging Si Boyi to quickly call Si Chen and explain everything.
Tong Yao stood still, dumbfounded. Was Si Chen on his way home with a 40-meter long knife?
...
Li City First People's Hospital.
Si Chen, who had just received a call from home, was sitting in his office. His eyes as dark as obsidian stared at a photo on the desk, his thin lips pursed, his expression unchanged for a long time.
On the wedding day, an emergency surgery was suddenly required. A patient needed an operation, and the more experienced doctors had gone to the capital for training. The doctors in the hospital did not dare to perform the operation and called him back.
The operation was a great success, but the subsequent 48 hours for the patient were also important and needed him to monitor constantly.
After a few hectic days, he was exhausted.
A doctor is different from other professions. Mental state is important.
A moment of distraction during surgery can be a matter of life and death. He rested for a day and returned to his routine of moving between the office, canteen and dormitory.
He had initially planned to go home this weekend, but... then Si Xiaohui called.
She said, "Your wife has eloped with Jia Qing from the neighboring village."
He had heard the name Jia Qing before. The son of the village chief in the neighboring village.
He looked at the photo again, his lips pressing tighter.
The photo was sent by Tong Yaohui two years ago. In the picture, the girl was beautiful with fair skin, her hair tied in a ponytail, appearing vibrant and attractive, a typical city belle...
"Dr. Si, I've been looking everywhere for you. Why didn't you rest in the dormitory, and instead came straight to the office?" Yu Shiya pushed the door and walked in. She spoke with Si Chen in a familiar tone. When her eyes met Si Chen's, she flinched, nervously avoiding eye contact with him.
Si Chen was the most talented and youngest handsome doctor in the whole hospital. According to her father, Si Chen's ability would exceed expectations in the future. He was like a young eagle with immature wings, who would one day soar high above everyone else.
Si Chen, without a change in expression, put the picture back in the drawer.
"Not much," Noticing his action, Yu Shiya looked curiously at the drawer, "Doctor Si, whose photo are you hiding in your drawer?"
Si Chen dodged the question, "What did you come to find me for?"
Yu Shiya laughed, "I heard you got a call from home. Are you taking a leave? I'm also going to my relatives' home, I don't know how to ride a bicycle. Could you give me a ride?"
Si Chen opened the medical book on the table, saying indifferently, "I haven't set a time yet."
"Dr.Si, the patient in ward 209 of the inpatient department is not in a good condition." A young nurse rushed in, looking somewhat anxious.
Si Chen frowned, picked up his medical tools and walked out severely. That was him, always serious and unsmiling when it came to matters of importance, exuding maturity beyond his age.
Yu Shiya, who was left behind, gradually lost her expression. Hearing the sound of their footsteps fading away, she curiously glanced at the drawer, hesitated a little, and then pulled it open.
A picture of a beautiful girl instantly came into view.
The girl in the photo looked about seventeen or eighteen years old. She was wearing a light blue dress and a high ponytail. Her skin was as white as jade, she had bright eyes and white teeth, along with a pair of cute dimples on her cheeks—truly a great beauty.
Even as a girl herself, Shiya found it hard to look away.
The background of the photo was a school; could this be Dr. Si's classmate?
No wonder Dr. Si has been married for so long without going home, turns out he has such a beautiful girl in his heart.
Yu Shiya pursed her lips, feeling a little uncomfortable.
...
Shanghe Village approximately has over eighty households. Only Zhang Lijuan and the head of the village have a telephone. Since the head's house was crowded and making calls there would bring about a lot of gossip, Lin Fengying decided to wait until Zhang Lijuan's telephone expenses were paid off.
"Yaoyao, don't worry. Even if Xiaochen returns now, he can clarify things with him and it could be a nice opportunity to go to the city with him."
Tong Yao said openly, "Mom, I'm not worried. A clear conscience laughs at false accusation." Although she was acting nonchalant, in her heart she was genuinely worried. If the two were to divorce because of this, old antique Tong Yaohui would break her legs.
"Right, right, right." Lin Fengying kept nodding.
Si Xiaohui, sitting to the side, pouted without saying anything. After all, it was all caused by her and she was somewhat guilty.
That night, Lin Fengying cooked a pot of rice porridge, prepared a plate of pickles, and specially boiled an egg for Tong Yao. This was the last egg left in the house.
"Yaoyao, make do for a couple of days. Once Xiaochen comes back and takes you to the city it will get better. It's convenient to buy things in the city, and Xiaochen's salary is alright too, it can cover your expenses."
Tong Yao nodded, finished eating, and pulled out two hundred yuan from her pocket and handed it to Lin Fengying, "Mom, about the money stealing thing, it was my mistake. I shouldn't have secretly taken the money and decided to donate it on my own. Thank you for forgiving me graciously. Here's the remaining two hundred yuan."
Actually, Tong Yao had money. When she got married, Tong Yaohui ended up giving a dowry of a thousand yuan. But it was all kept in a bank book.
Before her wedding, Wen Yun specifically told her not to use the money in it unless absolutely necessary. It was a part of her daughter's future livelihood security.
Stealing the money was simply a kind of revengeful and rebellious mindset.
"Take this money to the city to use, there are many places in the city where you might need money." Lin Fengying refused to accept it, "You're suffering a lot after marrying to this place, but rest assured, things will gradually get better."
Si Xiaohui sarcastically added, "So, after having a daughter-in-law, you have forgotten about your own daughter. She takes the money and leaves for the city to enjoy herself, what about us three?"
"Xiaohui." Si Boyi glared at her, "What kind of talk is that?"
"You all favor her." Si Xiaohui, feeling aggrieved, her eyes turned red, she bit her lip and challenged, "Did I say anything wrong? Don't the three of us need to eat and drink?"
Facing her daughter's aggrieved expression, Lin Fengying felt very guilty. To marry off her eldest son, she had also emptied their family's savings. Indeed, it was somewhat unfair to her younger son and daughter.
Tong Yao looked around at the three of them, finally resting her gaze on Lin Fengying, and forcefully stuffed the money into her hands, "Mom, you take this. If you don't, I won't feel good about it."
Lin Fengying hesitated for a while, but eventually accepted it. The family indeed needed the money at the moment.
"Feigning kindness." Si Xiaohui muttered unhappily.
Tong Yao ignored her, finished her bowl of porridge, and went back to her room.
That night, she wanted to take a bath. Upon hearing this, Lin Fengying hurriedly instructed Si Boyi to heat up a large pot of water.