When they came in, Ji Xiaowen was staring blankly out the window.
Hearing the sound, she turned her head and looked over, "Dad, Mom."
Han Chunli, though a selfish person, was genuinely good to her husband and two children. She quickly took two steps to her daughterâs bedside, "No rush, Mom will help you."
Ji Xiaowen, being frail since childhood, deeply wished for a normal body but was also an extremely sensitive person. She actually disliked her mom treating her like a patient, "Itâs okay, I can do it myself."
Seeing the food in the lunchbox, Ji Xiaowen looked up at Ji Linfeng, "Dad, did you make this?"
Seeing Ji Linfeng nod, she turned to Han Chunli, "Mom, didnât Aunt make food today?"
Han Chunli didnât want her daughter to feel uncomfortable, "No, she did. Your second cousin brought someone back to the city today, and what your aunt cooked was a bit greasy. Itâs not suitable for you to eat. It was getting late, and I was afraid youâd go hungry. I was going to get some food from the hospital cafeteria, but I didnât expect your dad to bring some over, so eat a bit more."
Ji Xiaowen said nothing, but she didnât look pleased. She took the spoon and lowered her head to eat.
Ji Linfeng went to fetch water with the thermos from the ward. Only then did Ji Xiaowen speak, "Is it that Aunt and them are also tired of us?"
Han Chunli took a deep breath and smiled at her daughter, "Your aunt, uncle, and other uncle have loved you the most since you were little. How could they be tired of you? Today is an exception. Besides, itâs been a while since youâve had your dadâs cooking, so itâs a nice change."
Ji Xiaowen did not believe her mother at all. She understood that even if Aunt didnât mind, her cousins were not close to her. They had disliked her since they were young, only being nice to her because of pressure from their parents, she could feel it.
Sometimes she wondered why it was her who had to be unwell, why not them?
Ji Xiaowen was in a bad mood, so she didnât eat much. Han Chunli coaxed her to eat a few more bites, but seeing that her daughter really couldnât eat more, she had to give up.
After eating, Ji Linfeng stayed at the hospital to take care of Ji Xiaowen, while Han Chunli headed straight to her second brother Han Jingchenâs place.
Han Jingchen naturally knew why she had come, but he didnât bring it up directly. He just asked blandly, "Not at the hospital taking care of Xiaowen, why come to me?"
Speaking, he poured himself a cup of tea and slowly sipped it.
Before coming in, Han Chunli was feeling incredibly guilty. But thinking that Xiaowenâs illness couldnât be delayed any longer, she took several deep breaths to calm herself down.
She placed her bag aside and found a place to sit, "Second Brother, you certainly already know about Xiaowen. She finally found a suitable kidney match, and I thought itâd be best to do the surgery promptly, it really canât be postponed any longer."
Han Jingchen stared at her with deep eyes for a long time, long enough for beads of sweat to form on her forehead, before she heard Han Jingchen speak, "Then what is it you came to see me for?"
Han Chunli muttered to herself: pretending not to understand while knowing everything.
But she dared not say it out loud. After all, the surgery fees for her daughter had to come from him, "Second Brother, you know about Lin Feng and my situation as well. Besides the daily expenses, Xiaowen has been in and out of the hospital frequently, leaving us with no savings. So, I was hoping to see if Second Brother could lend us some first?"
Han Jingchen put down the teacup in his hand, his cold voice coming through, "Youâve previously taken more than a thousand yuan here, right?"