Inside a hospital ward.
Jia Dongxu stared at the ceiling, utterly dejected, feeling as if he had lost all his energy and spirit.
The house burned down.
Not only did I lose all my money this month, but I also ended up with a mountain of debt because of diarrhea.
Thirty-odd yuan is an astronomical sum for the Jia family now.
There are still 20 days until the next payment, but even with the money from selling the workstation in installments, it's not enough to pay back Yi Zhonghai, let alone repair the house.
The most important thing right now is to make money, otherwise the family of three will go hungry for three days and nine meals a day.
The adults are okay; they can endure being hungry for a few days, but the dog can't. It's already making a huge fuss because it's so hungry.
As the head of the family, Jia Dongxu had run out of ideas, so he looked utterly hopeless.
"Dongxu, you said Yi Zhonghai helped us pay the medical expenses, is it because he wants to mend his relationship with our family?"
Qin Huairu, who was on the next hospital bed, comforted Banggeng and tentatively asked.
Yesterday, the three of them were all exhausted from diarrhea and thought they would have to stay at home, but unexpectedly, Xu Damao saved them by accident.
If it weren't for such a big conflict with Xu Damao, no one would have gone to their house yesterday.
"What a pipe dream! That damned Yi Zhonghai made me sign an IOU first thing this morning, as if he's afraid we'll renege on the debt!" Jia Dongxu sneered. "Do you think I, Jia Dongxu, am that kind of person? He's so fixated on a few dozen yuan. Do you really think he wants to help us?"
Qin Huairu was also a little confused for a moment: "Then why did he pay for us?"
"It must be for his reputation!" Jia Dongxu stroked his chin, feeling that he had seen through everything: "Yi Zhonghai was stripped of his position as the manager before, and someone as concerned about his reputation as him definitely wants to get it back."
"They seem to be helping us by paying our medical expenses in advance, but it's actually just for show for the hospital staff. Damn it, they use us without giving us anything in return. They're really scumbags."
To be fair, Jia Dongxu, whose body had been completely drained, surprisingly had a high IQ and actually figured out Yi Zhonghai's intentions.
But no matter what, the debt has already been incurred, and we have to find a way to pay it back.
Otherwise, given the circumstances of the initial falling out between the two families, Jia Dongxu would definitely not be able to afford to lose face.
But where will the money come from?
Currently, the only source of income for the family is the monthly installments from selling their workstations; there is no other source of income.
Jia Dongxu is unable to work, and Qin Huairu, although capable of working, has no job.
There used to be a valuable sewing machine at home, but he messed it up and lost it.
"Dongxu, should we ask the doctors and nurses for some food?" Qin Huairu didn't delve into Yi Zhonghai's purpose. She was starving, and the aroma of steamed buns wafting from the next bed made her eyes practically glow with envy.
"You go if you want, I'm not going!" Jia Dongxu glanced at Qin Huairu with a hint of disdain in his eyes.
This is a hospital, not a charity. Who will give you food if you don't pay?
It's fine if food isn't mentioned, but Jia Dongxu gets even more annoyed when food is brought up.
Paying back the money, repairing the house, eating—none of these issues can be resolved.
Thinking of this, Jia Dongxu wished he could commit some crime and be sent to a labor camp, so that at least he would have something to eat.
"Then what are we doing here? We might as well go home." Qin Huairu sighed helplessly. If they went back to the courtyard house, they might be able to act pitiful and get some food. But no one would pay attention to them at the hospital.
Thinking that there were at least a few kind-hearted and easy-going neighbors in the courtyard, Qin Huairu wanted to go back even more.
"But my pants aren't dry yet!"
Jia Dongxu simply ignored Qin Huairu.
But as soon as he finished speaking, Jia Dongxu suddenly seemed to remember something and abruptly sat up, supporting himself with his hands.
"Why!"
"How much do you think it will cost to repair the house?"
Qin Huairu didn't understand why Jia Dongxu suddenly asked this, but she still replied, "I heard Liu Haizhong say that it will cost at least a hundred yuan, since the roof and walls need to be repaired, and we also need to buy new cabinets and such."
"One hundred yuan..."
Jia Dongxu stroked his chin, then slapped his thigh: "Let's not fix it! Let's sell the house!"
"If it costs so much money to repair a house, then what's the point of repairing it? We might as well sell the house to pay off the debt and at least we can get through this period."
Given the Jia family's connections and reputation, it would be almost impossible for them to survive until the next pay season on their own. Moreover, their house was messy and smelly, making it difficult to even live there.
So Jia Dongxu gritted his teeth and made up his mind to come up with the idea of selling the house.
"What, you want to sell the house?"
Qin Huairu was startled, but considering that Jia Dongxu dared to sell even his workstation, selling a house seemed to fit his current behavior as well.
After all, Jia Dongxu has mental issues.
"Yes, sell the house. If we sell the house, we'll have money to eat, rent a place, and pay off Yi Zhonghai's debt."
"This will not only solve the immediate problem, but also save money on house repairs."
Jia Dongxu thought his idea was absolutely brilliant—it killed four birds with one stone!
With money, why worry about not having a place to live?
At worst, we can just keep renting. There are plenty of people renting these days, it won't make a difference if they're the only ones who need to.
"Will Mom... agree?" Qin Huairu was unsure.
She wasn't present when the workstations were sold, so she had a reason to explain herself when Jia Zhangshi caused trouble.
Selling a house is a more serious matter than selling a workstation. Jia Zhangshi might not be willing to punish Jia Dongxu, but she would definitely be willing to punish her.
"I'm the head of the household, so my word is law!"
Having made up his mind, Jia Dongxu immediately waved to Qin Huairu: "Go, bring back the pants and stuff, let's go to the street office now."
"Your pants aren't dry yet!"
Jia Dongxu's eyebrows shot up: "You can wear it before it's dry? What time is it and you're still being so fussy?"
have to!
Seeing Jia Dongxu's firm stance, Qin Huairu stopped talking and went to the balcony in her hospital gown to collect the clothes that were still damp.
After getting dressed, Jia Dongxu started clamoring to be discharged from the hospital.
Hearing the commotion, the nurse entered the ward and said, "What are you shouting for? This is a ward area; you need to keep quiet."
"I want to be discharged, right now."
The nurse frowned upon hearing this: "You are severely dehydrated and need to receive intravenous fluids at the hospital. In addition, you paid for three days of hospitalization when you were admitted."
"If you are discharged now, our hospital will not be responsible for any problems that arise."
Um?
Upon hearing that Yi Zhonghai had paid for three days of medical expenses, Jia Dongxu's eyes lit up: "We need to be discharged now. Can we get a refund for the remaining fees?"
"You can get a refund!" the nurse said.
"Retreat, retreat now. We have urgent business to attend to at home and can't stay in the hospital any longer."
Urged by Jia Dongxu, the nurse led Qin Huairu to complete the discharge procedures. Jia Dongxu glanced at the few yuan refunded and waved his hand dismissively.
"Let's go, let's make a big bowl of meat noodles first, and then we'll go sell the house."
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