She forgot where she heard it, but she said that a marriage without love is immoral!

She wholeheartedly agreed with this statement. Yu Hai's marriage to his ex-wife was devoid of love, and she never felt ashamed for interfering in it.

She saved Yu Hai from a repressive married life; she was the person he loved most!

But now, Yu Hai is blaming her, feeling that everything is her fault. Yu Hai wasn't like this before; he was a reliable, hardworking, gentle, and considerate man!

Now, looking at Yu Hai's face, why does she feel like she's almost not recognizing him anymore?

She couldn't tell whether it was him who had changed or herself.

The reason was beyond her comprehension; she couldn't fathom it. Despite only having a junior high school education, Liu Lan keenly sensed that something seemed to have changed.

The three people in the ward remained silent, the atmosphere inexplicably oppressive. Only the beeping of the electrocardiogram monitor and the continuous gurgling of the oxygen cylinder indicated that the patient was still alive.

Yu Hai coughed lightly, breaking the silence in the room. "Ahem!" He saw Liu Lan staring blankly at the trash can in the corner, seemingly lost in thought.

"Um, Liu Lan, I didn't have the heart to ask Chen Hong for money. If the old man needs surgery, we'll be short a lot of money."

I asked the doctor, and the surgery alone will cost over ten thousand yuan. Dad's health is very poor; he'll definitely need long-term hospitalization, and that expense might even exceed the surgery cost!

It's easy to ask for money, but how will we pay it back? I thought and thought, but I didn't dare to ask. Chen Hong wouldn't let Yu Yang into the ward, and I didn't get a chance to speak to my child in front of her.

Or, I should call my cousin and ask him! I heard from my dad that my cousin worked with Chen Hong last year and made a lot of money.

I opened my mouth, "No more, but I should be able to lend you a few tens of thousands of yuan. He and my dad are old buddies; he definitely won't stand idly by."

Seeing that he had returned to normal and was speaking in a more consultative manner, Liu Lan said uncertainly, "I think it's unlikely. It's just a small inn in a village. How much money can it make in a year? Your uncle is just letting Chen Hong manage it; he's not giving the inn to his family."

No matter how generous Chen Hong is, how much salary can she pay him? The elderly couple can only earn a maximum of fifty or sixty thousand a year!

Don't you realize that you work at the Jinan Grand Hotel and only earn around four thousand yuan a month? Do you think they earn more than you?

Didn't Wang Guoqing buy a house in Jinan before the Lunar New Year? House prices have risen quite a bit this year, and since they haven't separated their households, the elderly couple has to use any money they have to help their son with the house purchase.

Your uncle is already being kind by not asking you for money; he probably doesn't have much left either.

"What should we do? Aren't we going to try to borrow money? I really can't think of anyone else who could lend me that much money. Should my dad have the surgery or not?"

Liu Lan fell silent for a long while before whispering, "Even if we manage to borrow the money, what will we do to pay it back? Will we still be able to make a living?"

It seemed like she was talking to herself, yet it also seemed like she was asking the man a question.

Yu Hai fell silent. Yes! He was in a difficult and conflicted situation.

I desperately want to borrow money for my father's surgery, but I also worry that I might not be able to get it...

There are some things he dares not think about deeply right now!

Liu Lan went home that night, leaving Yu Hai alone to keep watch over his father, who lay alone and in pain on the hospital bed.

For a fleeting moment, Chen Hong's words inexplicably echoed in his mind: "If you pull out the tube, you won't have a father anymore! If you pull out the tube, you won't have a father anymore!..."

"Hey! What are you doing?" the nurse asked, puzzled, as she pushed open the door and entered the room.

Yu Hai was startled and immediately forced a stiff smile. "I think I saw sweat on my dad's forehead. Let me wipe it off for him!"

"Then please be careful with the instruments on the patient, don't knock them off. The patient's temperature is still fluctuating frequently, so family members need to pay close attention. If anything happens, press the call button immediately..."

The nurse chattered on about the precautions for taking care of the patient, changed the IV bag, and then turned and left.

Yu Hai raised his arm, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead with his sleeve, and plopped down on the wooden stool in front of the hospital bed, his heart pounding rapidly.

He covered his face, lay on his father's hospital bed, and sobbed uncontrollably. Life was too hard, it was too hard for him! Who could help him?

Perhaps it was a father's heart that was connected to his son's; Yu Hai's weeping woke those who were asleep.

Old Yu was physically weak and spent most of the day in a daze. Sometimes he could hear the noises in the ward, but he couldn't open his eyes.

He struggled to raise his hand and touched Yu Hai's head as he wept.

Yu Hai suddenly raised his head, wiping away the tears on his face. "Dad, you're awake? How are you feeling? Are you still in pain?"

Old Yu struggled to raise his hand, trying to remove his oxygen mask; he wanted to tell his son something. He tried several times, but couldn't manage it—he was too weak!

Yu Hai understood his father's meaning and asked, "Dad, is there something you want to tell me?"

Old Man Yu nodded slowly and wearily, indicating that his son had guessed correctly.

"Let's talk about it tomorrow! Look, all this fussing has even changed your electrocardiogram."

"Wait until tomorrow when you're feeling better and we can take off the oxygen mask, then you can talk to me properly, Dad. There's no rush!"

As he spoke, he wiped the tears and snot from his face with a shovel. Old Man Yu was so anxious that tears streamed down his face; he didn't want to continue treatment and didn't want to put his son in a difficult position.

In his dazed state, he overheard his son and his wife talking, saying that if they needed surgery, it would cost at least tens of thousands of yuan!

A house only costs around 300,000 yuan now. With that much money, half of it would be enough to buy a house for my grandson.

What a waste of money on him!

He knows his own body best. Even if he has surgery, how many more years can he live? It's not worth it!

Besides, his son doesn't have much money right now; he has to borrow all this money. When has his son ever suffered such hardship?

He was an old bachelor who had a hard time raising his son alone. Fearing that his son would be mistreated by a stepmother, he refused to remarry. Father and son depended on each other for survival, and his son was the apple of his eye!

His son was in a difficult position, and it broke his heart! He was really suffering!

He gestured to his son with his eyes, indicating that he wanted to be discharged from the hospital, he wanted to go home, and he didn't want to waste his son's money anymore.

Yu Hai understood the helplessness and pain in his father's eyes, as well as his father's love and reluctance to part with him.

Finally, he made up his mind!

After his father got tired and fell asleep again, Yu Hai left the ward, walked to the end of the corridor, and dialed the village chief's number: "Hey Uncle, I'm calling you so late, am I disturbing your rest?"

Yes! My dad's condition worsened during his hospitalization, and the doctor recommended heart surgery.

The surgery will cost over ten thousand yuan, and I don't have enough money on hand. Could your family lend me some?

The village chief listened quietly: "...Can you fully recover after the surgery? You know how much money you need to borrow. Before the Lunar New Year, your brother Guoqing just bought a house, and it's still being renovated."

Several of us have partnered up to lease a stretch of sea, and we're currently engaged in aquaculture. We've invested all our money, and we don't have much cash left.

"Name your price first, and I'll figure something out for you. As long as your father can be saved, we won't just stand by and do nothing."