Asking for Money

Thank heavens, Grandpa Gu Ning's surgery went smoothly. The doctors also said his condition is quite good now, but he hasn't completely emerged from the critical period yet. These days, he needs to be closely monitored, and follow-up treatments must be continued.

Gu Ming's tightly stretched heart finally relaxed a bit. Looking at Grandpa Gu Ning lying on the ventilator with a pale complexion, she couldn't help but lean to the side and shed tears like rain.

Because Gu Ming insisted on staying overnight on the first night, her second uncle and aunt had returned home, agreeing to come back the next day to take over their duties.

Before Aunt Peng Jia left, it seemed like she wanted to say something, but was pulled back by Gu Rong and could only shut her mouth and follow them out.

At this moment, Gu Ming's mind was still in turmoil and she didn't pay much attention to her second uncle and aunt's situation. Instead, Ji Yun, who had returned after consulting the doctors about the precautions, noticed it. However, since they hadn't spoken, she didn't bring it up proactively.

A night passed, and Grandpa Gu Ning's condition was relatively stable without any complications. He remained in a deep sleep without waking up.

Gu Ming called the school to explain the situation and took a day off. After dawn, she began handling the house matters. Every extra day Grandpa Gu Ning stayed in the hospital meant more medical expenses.

Yesterday, she had already calculated with Ji Yun that, aside from some necessary daily expenses, the remaining money could only last about ten days at most. Rapidly raising funds was the most important task at hand.

The house that her grandfather and mother had bought her was in a great location with convenient transportation—two bedrooms and a living room, perfect for newlyweds or families with children.

Gu Ming consulted the recent housing prices and calculated the amount Grandpa Gu Ning might need. She set a relatively reasonable price and entrusted a real estate agency to sell the house. However, it wasn't the peak season recently, and Gu Ming requested full payment upfront, fearing the house wouldn't sell in such a short time.

A week ago, Gu Ming was filled with anticipation for this house, but a week later, she felt nothing at all. She just wanted to sell the house quickly to raise funds for her grandfather's medical bills.

After handling the matter, Gu Ming first went to the hospital to see her grandfather. Then, persuaded by Ji Yun, she returned to school for classes.

When Gu Ming received a call from her second uncle, Bai Fangfang happened to be beside her. Seeing Gu Ming arrive at school looking exhausted, she hurriedly inquired about the situation.

"Grandpa had a sudden cerebral hemorrhage and was rushed to the hospital. The surgery went smoothly, but he still needs to be monitored," Gu Ming briefly explained.

"Do you need any help?" Bai Fangfang moved her lips slightly but didn't say anything, instead giving Gu Ming a comforting hug.

"If you have time, please help me take good notes. I might need to take frequent leaves recently," Gu Ming pointed to her textbooks.

Bai Fangfang patted her chest, "I can't say much, but leave-taking is on me. I'll make sure to take neat and beautiful notes for you. But don't forget the assignments the professor gave you—they've been piling up for a long time."

Speaking of the professor's assignments gave Gu Ming a headache. Last time at Ji Bao Shan Fang, Professor Wang had specially assigned her an essay, saying she should submit it after returning from the training. But until now, she hadn't written a single word.

"Don't worry, I'll remember," Gu Ming thought, knowing she'd have to burn the midnight oil again to catch up on her assignments tonight.

For the next week, Gu Ming shuttled back and forth between the hospital and school, losing weight rapidly. Ji Yun felt heartbroken and cried bitterly seeing her.

During this period, she didn't see Du Hao or anyone related to him. Her relationship with Du Hao seemed completely severed after she refused to accept his check the second time.

Breaking it off was for the best, to avoid unnecessary troubles.

Grandpa Gu Ning eventually woke up safely. The good news was that, although he still couldn't speak, his consciousness was clear. When he saw Gu Ming, there was no blame in his eyes—only concern for his granddaughter.

He wanted to reach out and touch Gu Ming's head, but couldn't lift his hand. Instead, Gu Ming placed Grandpa Gu Ning's hand on her own head.

Grandpa's warm, large palm resting on Gu Ming's head filled her heart with a bittersweet feeling. She silently vowed to ensure her grandfather's recovery.

Ji Yun watched this scene and couldn't help but shed more tears.

The doctor mentioned this was a good sign. Grandpa Gu Ning even had the hope of recovering to a normal state.

Hearing this, Gu Ming felt much more at ease. Her biggest fear was that Grandpa would be confined to bed, as he loved going fishing with old friends and enjoyed morning exercises in the neighborhood.

Grandpa's health was gradually improving, but the issue with the house remained unresolved. Over the past week, several families had come to view the house, but none ended up purchasing it for various reasons.

Seeing the money in hand dwindling, Gu Ming grew increasingly anxious. Meanwhile, Ji Yun had already decided that if the house didn't sell in the next two days, she would cancel the insurance and sell the jewelry she had accumulated over the years.

"Big sister-in-law, I have something to tell you," that night, when it was Ji Yun's turn to stay overnight, she was pulled aside by Gu Rong and Peng Jia.

Luckily, Gu Ming didn't have classes the next morning, so she came along, wanting to stay up with Ji Yun to watch over Grandpa Gu Ning.

"What is it?" Ji Yun recalled Peng Jia's hesitancy over the past few days. Looking at Grandpa Gu Ning sleeping, she said, "Grandpa is sleeping here; it's not convenient to talk. Let's go to the garden to discuss."

"Mm." Gu Rong nodded.

Seeing the atmosphere was a bit off, Gu Ming anxiously followed them to the garden.

Watching her second uncle and aunt walking in silence, Gu Ming felt a sense of unease. With Grandpa's condition not fully recovered, she wondered what business her second uncle and aunt had to discuss.

"Big sister-in-law..." Once they reached the garden, Gu Rong was still very hesitant. After lingering for a while, she couldn't bring herself to speak.

"Just say what you need to say. It's best to have someone by Grandpa's side," Ji Yun calmly encouraged, looking directly at Gu Rong.

Being looked at like that, Gu Rong felt her heart beat faster. She remembered that although her big sister-in-law was usually mild-mannered, she was very capable in times of crisis. Their niece, Gu Ming, was also opinionated, making her second uncle think of retreating.

Peng Jia and Gu Rong had been married for over ten years, and it was obvious what her husband was thinking. Feeling anxious, Peng Jia took a step forward and boldly said, "If you can't say it, let me say it!"

"Wife..." Gu Rong tried to pull Peng Jia back.

Peng Jia shook off Gu Rong's hand and addressed Ji Yun, "Big sister-in-law, Dad is ill and in the hospital. We're all equally worried, but despite our worries, life must go on!"

"Life must go on," Ji Yun replied gently.

Gu Ming frowned slightly, looking at Aunt Peng Jia with a sense of foreboding.

"Our family situation is as you know. The surgery fees we paid for Grandpa took up more than half of our money, and then we paid additional treatment fees. I know this money needs to be spent, as Grandpa's health is paramount. But our son Gu Nan is about to enter high school. We've chosen a school for him, and his grades are good. The school has agreed to accept him early, but we need to pay three thousand yuan first," Peng Jia paused, looking up at Ji Yun.

"And then what? What are you trying to say?" Ji Yun's tone slightly wavered, but no one else besides Gu Ming noticed her concern.

Seeing that Ji Yun wasn't immediately angry, Peng Jia gathered her courage and said, "Our family's money has almost been spent on Grandpa's hospitalization. The school is urging us, and I don't know if big sister-in-law can lend us three thousand yuan? Grandpa had mentioned that Gu Nan's school fees are his responsibility."

Ji Yun's face darkened, not responding.

Gu Ming knew exactly how much money they had left. If she gave her second uncle and aunt three thousand yuan, Grandpa's medical bills would become problematic.

"Second aunt, you know Grandpa's condition. The family's money is almost gone. If we really can't come up with the money, can you try to borrow from someone else? Once Grandpa stabilizes, we can repay you," Gu Ming grabbed Ji Yun's arm, smiling at Peng Jia.

Gu Nan's schooling was very important, as was Grandpa's health. Gu Ming calculated that once the house was sold, she would immediately give the money to her second uncle and aunt, as Grandpa had promised before.

"That's not possible. Why borrow from others if we have our own money? I don't know how much savings Grandpa has, but we do know a bit. How could we spend it so quickly?" Peng Jia's face fell instantly, looking sternly at Ji Yun and Gu Ming. "Don't you all want to keep the money? Are you deliberately saying this?"