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Chapter 465: Chapter 465: Right! This Is Retribution.
These past few months, there had been no income at home. Due to Si Weimin’s decision to sell Song Yu’s property, they were unable to farm the fields anymore. Both he and Zhang Lijuan had been relying on their previous savings to get by.
The money they’d saved was enough for several years. But Lin Fengying’s hospitalization had already consumed one-third of it. If her bed-ridden condition were to extend, it would only add to the hardships of their already impoverished family.
Tong Yao nodded, "It does sound serious. You should hurry to the hospital to see her! I suspect she won’t be pleased to see me even if I went, so I won’t accompany you."
Now that Tong Yao had divorced his brother and was even willing to help with the medical expenses, Si Boyi was incredibly grateful. How could he dare to ask her to accompany him to the hospital?
After bidding farewell to Tong Yao, he gloomily rushed to the Inpatient Department. Si Xiaohui was feeding Lin Fengying breakfast. As she fed her, she complained about Fengying eating too slowly.
The old lady in the next bed chastised Si Xiaohui for being unfilial, saying that her daughter was a waste of upbringing. This comment infuriated Xiaohui, almost causing her to angrily throw her chopsticks and break the bowl.
Finally, when Si Boyi arrived, Si Xiaohui vented her anger at him without holding back.
"Second Brother, our mom has broken her back and is hospitalized! Why are you only arriving now? Everyone says ’Raise sons for old age’, but you and Elder Brother are so great; one of you is abroad and the other in Li City. When mom is in trouble, it’s only me, her daughter, who’s taking care of her in the hospital, yet people still call me disobedient."
The mention of these words made her glare at the old woman in the next bed. To her surprise, the old woman shot back fearlessly, "You are indeed disobedient."
"You..."
In reply, Si Xiaohui was left in a state of speechless anger.
Si Boyi merely cast an annoyed glance at her, ignoring her complaining. After all, it was evident to everyone else that Si Xiaohui was indeed disrespectful. So, what point was there to argue?
Upon seeing her younger son, Lin Fengying too felt a bit upset. She said angrily, "Who told you to call Tong Yao? Even if the hospital were to throw me out onto the streets, I wouldn’t need her money to pay for my medical bills."
She was the one who had insisted on Tong Yao divorcing her elder son. Now that they were in this situation, wouldn’t having to see Tong Yao be just like embarrassing her in public?
As soon as Si Boyi arrived, he was scolded by both Lin Fengying and Si Xiaohui. This made his face turn even more sullen, as he replied sharply, "With Elder Brother not in the hospital, if we don’t call her, do you think the hospital wouldn’t actually kick you out?"
Lin Fengying wanted to retort, but Boyi continued, "Now that your back is broken, the doctors said that you would have to spend the rest of your life bedridden. When you are stable enough to leave the hospital, I’ll take you back home to Li City. We can’t afford the high expenses of this hospital for a long stay. Xiaohui should also return to take care of you. Lijuan is busy with the children and doesn’t have the time. I will find some work in the city."
Before he came, he had promised Zhang Lijuan that he would bring Fengying home for Si Xiaohui to take care of, while he and Lijuan would find work in the city. It was after this promise that Lijuan had allowed him to come out.
"Can’t my back be healed anymore?" Lin Fengying’s world went dark as she almost fainted at the news, feeling as if the sky had fallen. Even Si Xiaohui was dumbfounded, not expecting Lin Fengying’s condition to be so severe.
"It can’t be healed." Si Boyi replied coldly.
Looking at Si Xiaohui’s face, he felt a profound hatred and revulsion in his heart.
Si Xiaohui felt as if all her strength had been sapped away. She slumped onto the bed, her face instantly turning pale. Her immediate thought was of how she could not return to take care of Fengying.
"Second Brother, I can’t go back. If I go back, the Song Family will kill me."
This time, Si Xiaohui was truly frightened and regretful.
She should not have disobeyed or eloped with Song Yu, or treated Tong Yao and Si Boyi with contempt after meeting her little uncle. If none of these had happened, she would not have ended up in her current predicament.
"If you don’t go back, our ties will be severed. Even if you starve to death in Kyoto, I won’t care." Si Boyi had already considered that Si Xiaohui might refuse to go back and had prepared himself.
"Second Brother, when did you become so heartless?" Si Xiaohui’s tears fell like broken water pearls, gushing out endlessly.
Having enjoyed a good life in Kyoto for so long, to return to their stricken condition would be worse than death for her.
Si Boyi didn’t bother to entertain Si Xiaohui’s complaints, and said bluntly: "Mom, Xiaohui is either going back with you or not, you two decide by yourselves. If she’s doesn’t want to go back, from now on, I will give Mother Lijuan 10 yuan each month to help with your care. If Xiaohui is at home to take care of you, I will give her 5 yuan each month."
"Why do I only receive 5 yuan for taking care of her?" Even though Si Xiaohui had no intentions to return to take care of her, she couldn’t stand Si Boyi’s bias.
"It’s because she is your mother too." The multitude of experiences over this period had helped Si Boyi mature considerably.
With his elder brother not being in the country, Si Boyi, as the only man in the house, had no choice but to find a way to hold up the family.
"..."
Si Xiaohui sat silently weeping, left without a reply. She did not want to go back, but knew that without somebody’s help, she would not be able to survive in Kyoto.
After some thought, she started to negotiate with Si Boyi, "If you want me to go back and take care of mom, that’s fine, but you have to rent a house in the city for us."
Si Boyi glared at her in return, "How much would it cost to rent a house and live in the city every month? What kind of job do you think I can find to support you two?"
Si Xiaohui couldn’t find the words to respond, but she refused to go back. Thus, she started crying all over again.
When Lin Fengying heard that she would never be able to stand again, she went into a daze. Only after a long while did she recover her senses. However, she was so shocked that she could hardly utter a word.
Recalling that her husband had died bedridden, the words of Tong Yao and her hospital roommate flashed through Fengying’s mind: Retribution.
Yes! This was retribution.
It was retribution for the wrongs she had done in the past. n𝚘𝚟𝚙u𝚋.co𝚖
Lin Fengying was unable to stir up any more trouble. She was immobile, and her children would have to take care of her eating and drinking. She would become a burden and invalid at home.
"Mom, say something!" After crying for so long without hearing a word from Fengying, Xiaohui shook her gently.
Now, she could only hope that Fengying would stand her ground about living in the city.
Of course, Lin Fengying didn’t want to live in the countryside either. Having gotten used to living in the city, how could she endure a mud house? But before she could open her mouth, Si Boyi interjected,
"Mom, if you don’t want to destroy our family, be quiet. If it weren’t for you forcing Elder Brother to divorce, our family could have built a real house by now. You wouldn’t be living in a broken home now. If you hadn’t brought Xiaohui up to dote on her and insist on her coming to take care of your little uncle, Xiaohui wouldn’t get married or divorced as she pleased. Now, you two can’t even go back to the village."
"Haven’t you realized yet, having brought such ruin upon us from our once good lives?"
"I already know all the things you’ve done. If you continue to make a mess of things, don’t blame me, as a son, for being heartless."
Si Boyi did not mince his words, and spoke them out directly. After all, he had come here to give Lin Fengying and Si Xiaohui just two choices.
Either Si Xiaohui goes back to the village to take care of Fengying, or their relationship would be severed.
As for Fengying, she would have no choice but to live in the village. If she wanted to blame someone, she could only blame herself for turning their once good lives into what it was now.
