Just then, a series of hurried footsteps came from outside the office.
Then Wang Mingming hurriedly pushed open the door and went straight to the doctor to ask.
"Doctor, could you tell me where the patient in bed number five is?"
Then Wang Mingming saw Lu Yuan.
The other party immediately stepped forward excitedly.
"Brother Lu! I'm so glad you're alright! I'm so glad to see you!"
A slight smile appeared on Lu Yuan's lips.
"No! It's alright, our family is all fine! Thank you for your hard work these past few days!"
Wang Mingming scratched his head sheepishly: "It was all just busywork! I'm really grateful for Uncle Chen's guidance!"
Then Wang Mingming continued, "Um...where's Brother Zhou? Wasn't he in bed number five of ward number three? Why haven't I seen him? Has he already been taken away?"
The doctor then said, "Um... I have something I need to tell you!"
Upon hearing what the other person said, they all looked at each other.
"Zhou Tong's health is not good! It's best to let him receive treatment! Even if we don't have the money, he still needs treatment! If all else fails, we can ask Commander Chen to approve a special care quota!"
Lu Yuan nodded: "Thank you, doctor, we understand!"
After saying that, Lu Yuan turned to Wang Mingming and Shen Hu and said, "Let's go! Let's go check on Old Zhou! He's probably run into some trouble!"
So the group headed toward where Zhou Tong lived.
Upon arriving at Zhou Tong's residence, Lu Yuan's face immediately showed a solemn expression.
"Isn't Lao Zhou a high-ranking official? Why is he living in a place like this?"
Wang Mingming sighed, "His house was sold! So he moved here!"
After listening, Lu Yuan showed a puzzled expression.
"Sold the house? Why?"
"Maybe...maybe they're short of money!"
Wang Mingming then recounted everything that had happened, and after listening, Shen Hu immediately understood why.
"Sigh! That's true. Liu Qian is currently unemployed, and she has two children at home. Child support alone is a significant expense. How can Lao Zhou, who only works, possibly support so many people?"
Upon hearing this, Lu Yuan sighed helplessly.
"Let's go! Let's check on Old Zhou! By the way, didn't he mention it to you?"
However, Lu Yuan immediately understood after she finished speaking.
"That's true, Old Zhou is such a proud man, how could he possibly tell you about this! Alright! Let's go!"
After saying that, the group headed towards the seventeenth floor.
When we arrived at Lao Zhou's place, the corridor was crowded with people. There was a strong smell of sweat, foot odor, and various other unidentified odors mixed together, which made people feel nauseous.
Just as Lu Yuan reached the door and was about to knock, he heard Zhou Tong's angry roar coming from inside.
"Enough! Please stop talking! Of course I know what you mean! Do you think I don't want to make more money? But that's a red line! I can't cross it! As a public official, I can't break the law!"
Then, Liu Qian's crying could be heard from inside.
"Old Zhou, could you please take a look at our current living conditions? We really have no other choice! If all else fails, I'll go out and find some work! Just go and talk to someone and ask them to let me work! That way, we can at least supplement our income!"
"No! I'll figure it out myself! Don't say anything more! Also, I'll figure out what to do about our son's illness!"
After she finished speaking, Liu Qian cried even louder.
Zhou Tong plopped down on the sofa, ignoring the child inside, and started smoking.
His expression was so helpless and desperate that it almost distorted his features.
Just then, there was a knock on the door.
Liu Qian quickly wiped away her tears and hurried over to open the door.
The moment the door opened, I saw a familiar person standing outside.
"Lu...Lu Yuan?"
Upon hearing Liu Qian's voice, Zhou Tong suddenly stiffened, and then the cigarette in his hand burned his lips.
"Damn it!"
After saying that, Zhou Tong ignored the pain, stubbed out his cigarette, and got up to go to the door.
Looking at Wang Mingming, Lu Yuan, and Shen Hu standing outside the door.
A look of surprise immediately appeared on his face.
"Lu Yuan? What brings you all here?"
Lu Yuan looked at Zhou Tong's pale and bloodless face, sighed, and pointed inside.
"Aren't you going to let us in?"
"Of course! Of course!"
Zhou Tong quickly stepped aside.
Suddenly, there were three more people in the house, making the already small room even smaller.
When Zhou Chen saw Lu Yuan arrive, he rushed over with a joyful expression.
Lu Yuan spun Zhou Chen around in the air and said, "Little girl, did you miss your uncle?"
Zhou Chen smiled sweetly, but a hint of sadness flashed in her eyes.
Lu Yuan sighed helplessly after seeing this.
After a moment of thought, Zhou Tong said to Liu Qian, "Go to the market and buy some meat and bring it over!"
Liu Qian gritted her teeth and nodded.
Seeing this, Lu Yuan quickly said, "Sister-in-law, don't bother! No need! I brought everything! We'll just make do here! By the way, could you borrow a few stools for us?"
Liu Qian nodded quickly: "No problem! I'll go borrow a few stools from next door!"
After saying that, Liu Qian secretly wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes.
Then, Lu Yuan took out several hundred-yuan bills from his pocket and handed them to Zhou Chen and the somewhat timid boy.
"Go buy some snacks! And while you're at it, get us some appetizers to go with our drinks!"
Zhou Chen nodded, then took the money Lu Yuan handed over and left the room with the timid boy.
Lu Yuan gave Wang Mingming a look, and the other party immediately understood, turned around and followed Zhou Chen away, closing the door behind him.
Then, Lu Yuan picked up the crumpled cigarette box from the table, took out a cigarette, and lit it.
Zhou Tong looked at Lu Yuan without saying a word and suddenly felt a little nervous.
Then, he quickly and deliberately took out a wad of banknotes from the drawer and handed them to Shen Hu.
"Brother Tiger, I'm so sorry to have troubled you with all this! I'm perfectly healthy. Those people at the hospital just want to make some money! It's not as serious as they made it out to be! I've already refunded the medical expenses! I'll pay you back the rest when I get my salary next month!"
After hesitating for a moment, Shen Hu accepted the banknotes.
Then, the room fell silent once again.
After Lu Yuan finished half a cigarette, his throat felt sore from the spiciness.
He then stubbed out his cigarette, looked at Zhou Tong for a while, and then spoke.
"Old Zhou, are we still brothers?"
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