She had waited a long time for this opportunity, so naturally she didn't want to miss it easily.
After Chen Ji got married, he encountered several setbacks, and Cheng's father had already lost his temper several times when he returned home.
This engagement was arranged by her parents without her knowledge, directly with Lu Lei's parents.
Lu Lei even called it a surprise for her.
It wasn't a surprise at all; she had no desire to marry Lu Lei!
The thought of sleeping in the same bed with that man made her feel disgusted.
But at her age, her family kept pressuring her to get married. Her father even threatened her that if she didn't get married soon, she shouldn't leave the house or work anymore.
Cheng Dan felt that if it weren't for Xu Ruantang, she wouldn't have ended up being pressured to get married.
She could have been very happy. Chen Ji's kindness to Xu Ruantang was originally hers; she stole something from her!
Xu Ruantang and the Xu family went to the alley first, picked up Xu Qian at the courtyard, and then the whole family went to the hospital.
On the way, Xu's mother berated Xu Ruantang relentlessly, but Xu Ruantang remained polite throughout.
Xu's mother kept nagging, but Xu Ruantang smiled and comforted her. Even though they didn't mention it, she took the initiative to explain why she hadn't gone to see them these past two days.
After saying that, she smiled gently and said, "Dad, Mom, ordinary people are not allowed to go into the military hospital for treatment. If we go there, we should just do whatever the doctor tells us to do. Otherwise, if they are unhappy, they may refuse to treat our child."
Mr. Xu, who hadn't said much until now, finally spoke up: "Why didn't your husband come?"
"He was supposed to come, but something came up at the military base," Xu Ruantang explained. "Let's settle him in at the hospital first. He said he'd take leave tomorrow to come see you."
Xu Ruantang drew a huge pie in the sky.
After she helped them settle in at the military hospital, she made an excuse that she needed to go home to take care of her parents-in-law before leaving.
Xu's mother didn't want her to leave at first, but once she was admitted to a single ward and saw how spacious and clean it was, she was speechless.
They simply couldn't afford to stay in such a high-class place.
Mr. Xu didn't say anything more. It seemed that his daughter had really been looking for a hospital these past two days and was worried about them. He felt that Mrs. Xu had scolded their daughter a bit too harshly.
Not long after Xu Ruantang left, the doctor called Xu Sheng over.
Xu's father went with him, and the doctor told Xu's father and Xu Sheng about Xu Qian's condition, saying that the child was still too young and it was impossible for him to fully recover.
However, intervention and treatment can be carried out, and any recovery will be beneficial.
This process will be lengthy, so the Xu family should be mentally prepared.
Mr. Xu was holding a pipe and wanted to take a couple more puffs, but the doctor stopped him.
After the conversation, Xu's father came out with a disdainful expression. "Pah! The doctors at the military hospital are no good either; they're all heartless bastards."
Xu Sheng was originally heartbroken because of his son's illness.
Thinking about what the doctor had just said, that his son's condition was largely due to not seeing a doctor sooner when he had a high fever, he felt a little resentful towards his father.
If it weren't for his father, his son wouldn't have turned out like this.
Xu Sheng grew up under the oppressive education of his father. Although he was the only boy in the family, he was always given preferential treatment in terms of material things.
However, under the absolute patriarchal family, Xu Sheng was also suppressed and could not hold his head up.
He had almost no say, even though he was married with children and lived with his parents; Xu's father still made the decisions in the family.
With the power of housekeeping in his hands, nothing Xu Sheng said mattered.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have just stood by and watched his child get a fever.
"Dad, what do you mean?" Xu Sheng looked at his father in confusion.
Mr. Xu tapped his pipe on the wall, let out a deliberately deep sigh, took a slow puff of his pipe, and then said, "Don't listen to his nonsense. Qianqian's illness isn't that serious. In my opinion, she'll get better as she grows up."
They didn't have hospitals back then, but they still lived perfectly well.
Xu Sheng clenched his fists, his heart filled with resentment. "Dad, he's a doctor, you're not! We're already at the hospital, who else are we supposed to listen to but the doctor?!"
He spoke with a sharp tone, and the thought that his son would become a cripple when he grew up, and might even resent his father like he did, made Xu Sheng's anger rise.
Xu's father glared at Xu Sheng and raised his voice, "You brat, how come you've learned to talk back to your father now that you're in the city?! If you don't listen to your father, who do you listen to?"
"I've seen more people than you've eaten salt! Am I your family, or is that heartless doctor your family?"
After shouting, Xu's father softened his tone: "Sheng, you are my only son. When I am gone, everything in the house will be yours. If I don't think about you, who else will I think about?"
Do you know why that doctor said that?
Xu Sheng shook his head. "The doctor said that because Qianqian's health is like that, right?"
"Bullshit!" Xu's father said with a profound look. "He just wants money, he wants us to give him red envelopes, otherwise he won't treat us properly. You should learn these social skills from your father."
Xu Sheng nodded as if suddenly realizing something, "So that's how it is. Then, Dad, let's slip some money to them too."
He thought his son's leg was important; he only had this one precious child, and if he didn't spend the money on him, who else would he spend it on?
"Do you think our money grows on trees?" Xu's father glared. "No need to give it to us. When your sister comes tomorrow, have your brother-in-law put in a good word for her. He's an official, so his words carry weight."
Xu Sheng looked at his father with admiration, "Dad, you're so thoughtful. If I let my brother-in-law ask about the situation, the doctor definitely won't dare to say anything carelessly."
So that night, none of the Xu family members returned to the small courtyard. It was dirty and messy there, nothing as comfortable as staying in the hospital.
Xu's mother harbored many grievances, but she forced them to be suppressed after being scolded by Xu's father.
Her grandson is important.
Once her grandson is cured, she'll see how she deals with that ungrateful wretch!
When Xu Ruantang returned to the compound, a large crowd of onlookers had gathered at the entrance.
The woman in the center of the crowd looked very unhappy, a stark contrast to her smug demeanor at noon.
Cheng Dan's legs were being held tightly, and she couldn't shake them off.
She stared coldly at the girl hanging on her lap. "Let go! I'm calling the police if you don't!"
"Sister, I beg you, please give Brother Lu back to me, please, I'm begging you, I'm kneeling down."
"Sister, I would die without Brother Lu. My child and I wouldn't be able to survive. You wouldn't want to see us die together, would you?"
The girl, who looked quite young, was wearing a simple cotton dress, her belly slightly protruding, and she was crying with tears streaming down her face.
The onlookers chimed in with their own opinions.
"Brother Lu? Dr. Cheng's partner seems to have the surname Lu."
"That's right, he's from the Air Force compound. I've seen him several times, arguing and pulling with Dr. Cheng on the roadside."
"Who is this woman? Oh, why is her belly so big? Could it be...?"
"Oh my god, weren't the Cheng family and the Lu family supposed to get engaged? It's only a few days away, and now it's probably going to fall through."
"What a disgrace! The Lu family's son has questionable conduct, yet the Cheng family still agrees to a marriage alliance with them? The Cheng family really has terrible taste."
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