Xu Daqiao turned his face away, his voice a little unnatural. "What does this have to do with you? Don't overthink it, I just can't go on with her."
Xia Yanfang glared at him, hands on her hips, angrily pointing at Xu Daqiao, "How can you say that! I've worked hard for three years taking care of you, there's no credit, at least there's hardship, right? Didn't I ask you to talk to your daughter? Am I wrong? Isn't it for her good? She just got divorced, how is she going to support this whole family?"
Xu Daqiao was an honest and kind man, unable to say anything harsh. His face turned pale with anger, his hands gripping the wheelchair's armrests tightly. "You didn't say that earlier!"
Such disgusting words were unbearable for any father.
Xu Yansang didn't want her father to be troubled, so she walked over and pushed his wheelchair. "Dad, you go back to your room. I'll talk to Aunt Fang."
Xu Daqiao grasped her hand, his usually honest eyes filled with determination. "Yansang, don't feel burdened. I can take care of myself. If she doesn't want to stay, let her go. I don't want to see you sacrifice yourself."
His rough hand felt warm to her like never before.
Xu Yansang forced a light smile. "Dad, it's fine. Don't worry. I had a misunderstanding with Aunt Fang this noon. She's angry with me, but it'll be fine once we talk."
Xu Daqiao sighed deeply but said nothing more, allowing his daughter to push him back to his room.
After closing the door, Xu Yansang came out and Xia Yanfang's face was sharp. "It won't do you any good to beg me. Either you apologize to the Zhou family and beg them to let you go back, or you sue them for a large sum of money. Otherwise, I won't stay in this house!"
Xu Yansang looked at her. "You think it's that simple? Zhou Muchuan will never remarry me, otherwise, the Zhou family would lose face. For them, face is more important than life."
Xia Yanfang furrowed her brows, unwilling to relent. "Then ask them for money! Zhou's family fortune is shared by both of you, so getting a few billion shouldn't be a problem!"
Xu Yansang shook her head. "I can't get anything. Before the marriage, we had a prenuptial agreement, and Zhou Muchuan advanced ten years' salary. In the future, he will only earn a hundred a year."
This was the condition Zhao Jiali agreed to in the past to prevent her from claiming anything.
So, legally, after the divorce, she was entitled to nothing.
"And," Xu Yansang looked at Xia Yanfang, "Do you know what happened to the last person who caused a scene at the Zhou Group's gate? They were sued by Zhou Group and had to pay 1.2 million."
Xia Yanfang's face turned pale.
She didn't have 1.2 million!
Only then did Xia Yanfang realize that Xu Yansang's divorce was a dead end.
She darkened her face, her gaze bitter as she looked at Xu Yansang. "Don't blame me for being ruthless. Over the past three years, you've seen how well I've taken care of your dad. Now that you're divorced and have no proper job, your dad only earns five thousand a month, Jun'an earns four thousand a month at school, and that's about ten thousand a month. Then add food and drink, it's at least fifteen thousand a month. What are you going to provide? I don't want to be dragged down by your family!"
Xu Yansang understood why Xia Yanfang was so desperate.
Her only son, Xia Jun'an, was studying in a private high school, but his grades were at the bottom, and he often caused trouble. Xia Yanfang had to worry about his future college, job, marriage, and children—everything needed money.
And now, the Xu family obviously couldn't provide that.
She had once relied on the Zhou family, but now the Zhou family was gone.
But Xu Yansang had no other options. She had no bargaining chips but still needed Xia Yanfang to take care of her father.
She could only negotiate. "I'll pay you fifteen thousand a month as agreed, and I'll give you three months. Can you wait that long? After three months, if there's still no change, I'll give you an extra ten thousand, and you can leave at any time."
This was, in any case, a good deal.
Xia Yanfang calculated in her mind. Fifteen thousand a month meant she could take seven thousand herself, totaling twenty-one thousand after three months. Plus the extra ten thousand from Xu Yansang, that would be thirty-one thousand.
What's more, Xu Yansang didn't restrict her from finding another man in the meantime.
She was already tempted, but thinking about the request from the other parents at school in the afternoon, she gritted her teeth and said, "I need to see your sincerity first. Give me one hundred thousand as a deposit, and I'll return it after three months!"
Xu Yansang frowned. "One hundred thousand? That's too much."
The terms Xu Yansang had offered were already the most she could afford.
Xia Yanfang's face darkened, and she crossed her arms, coldly saying, "If you don't give me one hundred thousand, then there's nothing to discuss!"
Xu Yansang bit her lip and pleaded, "Aunt Fang, please help me..."
Before she could finish, Xia Yanfang interrupted with a sneer. "Help you? I'm not a charity! If I help you, who's going to help me?"
"Aunt Fang..." Xu Yansang squeezed her fingers, feeling helpless for a moment. "I really can't raise that much money."
Xia Yanfang sneered. "I don't care about that. I'm giving you three days. If you can't come up with the money in three days, I'll pack my things and leave!"
With that, she got up and walked toward her bedroom, slamming the door behind her.
Xu Yansang sat in the living room, her mood heavy.
She only had a little over fifty thousand left, and she had to spend it on her father's care, plus expenses for the children she supported. Every penny had to be carefully accounted for.
Xia Yanfang wanted one hundred thousand. She said she would return it in three months, but who knew if she would actually pay it back?
Hiring domestic help was expensive. Xu Yansang had inquired about it three years ago. For someone who needed full-time care like her father, it would cost at least thirty thousand a month. Plus, there were rehabilitation expenses she couldn't afford.
And domestic help wasn't necessarily reliable. Frequent replacements of help were inevitable in the first few months. Even if she could afford it, she couldn't afford to keep changing help.
Both paths were blocked.
After a long time, Xu Yansang let out a deep breath and forced a smile as she walked into her father's room.
Xu Daqiao was sitting at the desk, staring blankly at a family photo. It was taken three years ago, with the three of them as a family.
In one night, a car accident had torn their world apart.
"Dad."
Xu Yansang suppressed the sourness in her heart and called out casually.
Xu Daqiao seemed to snap out of some terrifying memory, his body shaking slightly. When he saw Xu Yansang, he quickly regained his composure and asked, "Did you finish talking?"
Xu Yansang smiled. "It was just a small misunderstanding. I've apologized to Aunt Fang, and she promised she'll take good care of you. We'll get through this together."
Xu Daqiao breathed a sigh of relief and patted her hand. "Take care of yourself too. I know you're struggling, don't put too much pressure on yourself. If it's really difficult, we can sell the house. In my heart, you will always be the most important."
Xu Yansang's nose tingled, and she nearly burst into tears but managed to hold them back. "Dad, don't worry, I'm fine."
Afraid her father would notice something wrong, she quickly found an excuse and left.
Xu Daqiao sat at the desk, staring at the photo of the three of them smiling sweetly...
He looked at it for a long time, closed his eyes, and a tear fell from the corner of his eye...
Yansang, I'm sorry...
But some things, I can't say, I dare not say...