Witty Wife, Better Life

Chapter 393: Chapter 383: Rescue the Urgent, not the Poor

"Yunfang, thank you." Li Hongjun walked side by side with Shen Yunfang on the way back to Ma Liguo’s home and suddenly spoke up.

Shen Yunfang cocked her head and glanced at him sideways. "Thank me for what? There’s no need for your thanks. Don’t think that just because you say that, I won’t settle accounts with you when we get back. I’m telling you, there will be a reckoning."

"Fine, if you say we settle it, then we’ll settle it," Li Hongjun replied good-naturedly.

"Don’t brush me off. I’m asking you, why didn’t you give me a heads-up before bringing someone over? You must have been sure I’d cough up the money," Shen Yunfang was somewhat upset, not because Li Hongjun was willing to pay for Jiajia’s medical treatment, but because he didn’t consult her beforehand. Although the matter was urgent, she was still a bit petty — frankly, she just wanted to be coddled by Li Hongjun and wished for him to sweet-talk her.

"No, it was an emergency at the time, and I couldn’t get in touch with you immediately, so I thought I’d better bring them over first. We couldn’t delay the child’s treatment, could we? Besides, I know my wife has a sharp tongue but a soft heart; she definitely wouldn’t stand by and watch a child be sick without helping," Li Hongjun was quite certain of this.

"Cut it out, don’t flatter me. I don’t fall for that nonsense," Shen Yunfang’s mouth curved slightly, but her words still held a tough stance. "It’s only because it was your eldest sister that I both gave money and helped out. Your sister is the only one in your family who’s decent and honest, not following your mother or being like your brothers and sisters. If it had been one of your brothers, would I have bothered at all?"

Li Hongjun didn’t respond. He was aware that his wife and his family didn’t get along, and he knew it wasn’t his wife’s fault, so he never thought to ask her to accommodate his family. However, he understood his wife to be someone with a soft exterior but also a soft heart; despite her talk, when it came down to life-and-death situations, she would help anyone.

He liked that about her, that she had her own principles but wasn’t overbearing, kind and generous.

"Seriously though, seeing your sister like that made me feel bad, and seeing how sensible Jiajia is, my heart ached. Thankfully, we’re now in a position to help, and a few hundred bucks might just save a child’s life. No matter how you do the math, it’s worth it," Shen Yunfang spoke harshly but quickly became reflective. "Today your sister kept thanking me, holding my hand so much that I got embarrassed."

"We’re married, and you’ve only seen my elder sister a couple of times, so she’s not very familiar with you. That’s why she’s so polite," Li Hongjun explained to his wife. He understood his sister’s feelings; after all, Yunfang was his younger sister-in-law. If Yunfang had refused to help pay for Jiajia’s treatment, then there might have been no treatment at all for Jiajia’s illness, so she was doing her best to ingratiate herself with Yunfang.

"I know, am I the type to quibble over every little thing?" Shen Yunfang turned her head and glared at Li Hongjun. "Li Hongjun, did you see that? Your sister’s family is really poor. When their child is sick, they can’t even scrape together enough money for treatment, even if they try their utmost. How sad is that?"

Li Hongjun remained silent, also reflecting over the past few days.

"This is a failure of parental responsibility, and it’s a wake-up call for us. I don’t know what others think, but to me, once you bring a child into this world, you have to take responsibility for them, at the very least until they’re adults. As parents, we should provide a good environment for our children to grow up in. It’s not about giving them the best food or clothes, but about creating the best conditions for learning, so they can learn the skills to support themselves in the future. Plus, ensuring the child’s health — when they are sick, we as parents should be able to afford their medical treatment. These are our responsibilities as parents.

Now that Jiajia is sick, your sister and brother-in-law can’t afford her treatment, which shows they haven’t fulfilled what parents should."

"Sigh, they say fortune and disaster are unpredictable. I helped your sister today, not looking for her thanks — I just think, if one day in the future our own children need such help, I hope someone will offer them the same kindness," Shen Yunfang continued, followed by a heavy sigh. No one could predict the future, and she hoped that her good deeds now would accumulate blessings to protect her children throughout their lives.

"But let me tell you, I don’t mind you doing a good deed, but there’s a fundamental principle: help in a crisis, not in poverty. If they’re hiding their own little nest egg and then expect me to foot the bill for this and that, I’m telling you, no way, not even a window," she insisted. Doing a good deed should also be principled; otherwise, it’s not a good deed at all but nurturing some people to be lazy and entitled instead.

Shen Yunfang had only to nod as Li Hongjun said his piece, and the two chatted all the way to Ma Liguo’s house.

Mu Huazhen had anticipated Li Hongjun’s visit today, and had made a special effort to come home from work early and prepare a table full of delicious dishes.

It was a bit exaggerated. The table wasn’t big to begin with, and a "table full of dishes" comprised only six, but in times like these, these were considered quite a feast, almost akin to a New Year’s spread.

The children were already gathered and sitting at the table, just waiting for the two of them to return.

As soon as Li Hongjun entered the house, he saw his two precious little ones. Perhaps stirred by Jiajia’s situation, he didn’t bother with anything else but scooped up both children with one hand each, hugging and kissing them fiercely.

"Babies, did you miss Daddy?" Li Hongjun’s eyes were slightly moist as he looked at his daughter, suddenly thinking, if his own daughter was the one lying sick in bed, perhaps he would bawl just like his brother-in-law.

"Missed you!" both children replied loudly.

"You’re both Daddy’s good kids. Come on, let’s go wash our hands," Li Hongjun knew he was getting a little emotional and needed to calm down.

"Your husband, Li Hongjun, really loves his kids," Mu Huazhen said, noticing Li Hongjun’s reddened eyes and mistaking it for his longing for the children.

Shen Yunfang understood what her husband, Li Hongjun, was feeling, but she didn’t explain it to Mu Huazhen, simply agreeing, "Yeah, all his tender feelings go to his little girl."

"I heard from Liguo that your cousin’s child is sick, is that true? How is it going now?" Mu Huazhen asked concernedly.

So Shen Yunfang briefly updated Mu Huazhen on Li Xianglian’s situation.

As she listened, Mu Huazhen clucked sympathetically, then said, "That really is a blessing from heaven, having a place that can cure the illness is better than anything else."

"That’s true, that’s how I comfort my cousin. As long as the child can get better, everything else is secondary," Yunfang said as she arranged the chopsticks.

"Yunfang, you know what kind of person I am; I won’t stand on ceremony with you. If there’s anything you need help with, just let me know," Mu Huazhen offered.

"Okay, sister-in-law, I know. If we need anything, we definitely won’t be polite," Shen Yunfang replied.