People around started pointing and whispering. "The first wife is so pitiful; it seems like what they're saying is true."
"Of course! Look at that guy, living the high life, having a lavish meal with another woman. That meal must have cost a fortune!"
"More than that, this whole table is full of good food, it must cost at least eight hundred yuan!"
"Did you see that? There's over 50,000 in that savings account. That's a huge sum of money!"
Chen Jianing was shocked when she saw the balance in the bankbook; she never imagined that the man had accumulated so much wealth.
Hearing the crowd's discussion, Song Weidong panicked and reached out to grab the passbook. "Give me the passbook!" Lu Zhixia stepped back, not expecting him to react so violently. His eyes seemed to want to devour her, so she realized there was definitely something wrong with the money. She was so frightened that she turned and ran away.
She hadn't run more than a few steps when Song Weidong grabbed her shoulder and pushed her backward, causing her to fall and hit her head on the corner of the table, her vision blurring instantly.
Gu Lingxiao arrived a step too late and hurriedly helped Lu Zhixia up from the ground. He saw that her forehead was bleeding and her eyes were closed; she was already unconscious.
"Comrade! Don't sleep!" he shouted several times.
Song Weidong ignored the need to save people and quickly snatched the deposit slip from Lu Zhixia's hand, stuffing it into his pocket.
Gu Lingxiao looked up, his gaze turning icy as he looked at Song Weidong. "Hurry up and save them!"
Song Weidong then became frightened and shouted to the waiter in the distance, "Take her to the hospital!"
Gu Lingxiao touched Lu Zhixia's wrist and felt her heartbeat getting weaker and weaker. The situation was not good, so he quickly picked her up and said to Xiao Liu next to him, "Go and get the car quickly!"
Xiao Liu turned and ran, wondering to himself if what they were doing was against the rules since they were there to investigate a case. Seeing this, Song Weidong said a few words to Chen Jianing and also hurriedly left.
In the hospital, Lu Zhixia vaguely heard some sounds.
The doctor entered the ward and said seriously to Song Weidong, "Family, the surgery will cost five thousand yuan. Make a decision as soon as possible. The chance of the surgery being successful is fifty percent. If we opt for conservative treatment, the patient's chances of survival are very low."
Song Weidong frowned and said impatiently, "We don't have any money. Let's try conservative treatment." The doctor shook his head helplessly, looked at Lu Zhixia who was unconscious on the hospital bed, and sighed softly.
Lu Zhixia's son, Song Yaozu, stood to the side, never looking at his mother on the sickbed, as if she were an insignificant person.
Song Lingling, the younger sister-in-law, walked into the ward, glanced at Song Weidong indifferently, and then said to him, "Mom said we don't have any money. If your sister-in-law's illness doesn't work, then don't continue treatment."
Song Weidong nodded casually, "I understand, tell Mom not to worry."
As Lu Zhixia lay in her hospital bed, a single tear silently slid down her cheek.
She couldn't understand why, after giving everything for this family, she received only betrayal from her husband, indifference from her son, and heartlessness from her sister-in-law.
She thought of her bedridden mother-in-law; if it weren't for her daily acupuncture care, how could she have survived until now? But now, this family was treating her like this—what had she done wrong?
Suddenly, the electrocardiogram machine emitted a sharp buzzing sound, shattering the oppressive silence of the ward. Upon seeing this, the doctor immediately shouted, "Quick, prepare for resuscitation!"
——
When Lu Zhixia opened her eyes again, the clicking sound of a sewing machine was penetrating the thin wall.
The smell of camphor balls mixed with burning coal wafted into her nostrils, and a corner of the celebrity calendar on the wall was lifted by the draft, revealing a red slogan that read "Labor is Glorious." She stared at herself in the mirror—the collar of her blue cotton shirt was frayed, the cuffs were patched upon patched, and there was still coal ash from last night's medicine for her mother-in-law stuck under her fingernails.
Looking at the calendar on the wall, which showed May 6, 1980, Lu Zhixia realized that she had been reborn ten years in the past.
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