Chapter 19: Quarrel – Daily Drama at the Courtyard: The Sickly Sister-in-law’s Routine

Chapter 19: Quarrel - Daily Drama at the Courtyard: The Sickly Sister-in-law's Routine

Cen Xi carried Lin Qing princess-style all the way to the hospital, with Mother Li and the others closely trailing behind.

Seeing this group of people barging in, a nurse immediately came forward.

"Oh my! Nuan'nuan, what brings you back here again?" the nurse blurted out.

Both Cen Xi and Mother Li, who was following behind, couldn’t help but feel their eyebrows twitch at the nurse's familiar remark. It was clear that Lin Qing had been here so often that even the nurses felt like they knew her well.

"Aunt Liu!" Lin Qing, weakly leaning in Cen Xi's arms, called out softly.

Nurse Liu had practically seen Lin Qing grow up from birth. Lin Qing was born in this hospital and frequently ended up here due to her recurring health issues. She practically lived here, spending four to five days a week at the hospital. The doctors and nurses, fond of her delicate and adorable appearance since childhood, were all quite familiar with her, Nurse Liu being one of them.

Nurse Liu led them to the ward.

"You were just hospitalized for a fever not long ago, right? What happened this time?" Nurse Liu asked, concerned. She was worried that Lin Qing wasn’t taking care of herself and might end up ruining her health. With her already weak condition, continuing like this would only lead to more problems in the future.

Cen Xi listened to Nurse Liu’s words. Although her tone was a bit stern, it was filled with concern.

Not wanting his wife to be misunderstood, Cen Xi explained, "My wife got upset and isn't feeling well, so we came here."

"Your wife? When did you get married, Nuan'nuan?"

"Ahem, just recently."

"Alright, let's set that aside for now. You said she was upset. Who upset her? Hmm?" Nurse Liu’s sharp eyes scanned the room.

When her gaze landed on Mother Gu and Mother Jiang, the two flinched, immediately giving themselves away.

Nurse Liu was around the same age as them and had already become the head nurse. When she got serious, she could be quite intimidating.

Mother Gu and Mother Jiang were so frightened by her gaze that they were trembling, not daring to say a word.

Nurse Liu decided to clarify their identities first, just to be safe.

Cen Xi answered on behalf of Lin Qing, "Neighbors."

Nurse Liu easily picked up on his signal. "Neighbors? Great, not family, just some unfamiliar faces," she thought, which meant she could handle this as she saw fit.

"What’s going on with you two? Didn’t you know she’s not in good health? And yet you upset her. Do you know how tough it was for her growing up, constantly in and out of this place as if it were her second home? I watched her grow up bit by bit, and now you’ve gone and upset her?" What Nurse Liu didn’t say was, with how pretty she is, how could they bear to upset such a beauty?

Every word from Nurse Liu implied that Lin Qing’s health was really, really poor. She had been in and out of the hospital since she was young, and even now that she had grown up, her health was still fragile.

Mother Gu and Mother Jiang were so terrified by the scolding that they broke into a cold sweat, shaking like leaves, not daring to utter a word.

In their minds, they were calculating that Lin Qing’s frequent hospital visits were like a daily routine. So, what she said earlier wasn’t just empty words!

If only they had known earlier… If only they had…

They couldn’t even begin to imagine how much this would cost.

Just thinking about it made their hearts ache!

Gu Hang had been hiding behind the aunts, listening to Nurse Liu’s scolding. He didn’t dare to step forward.

He used to envy Cen Xi for having a great job and marrying such a beautiful wife. Now, all he felt was a twisted sense of satisfaction. So what if you’re an engineer, Cen Xi? Your wife is still so sickly!

With Nurse Liu's confirmation, it was clear that Lin Qing's earlier words had some basis. Mother Li felt a chill down her spine!

If Lin Qing really got worse because of this anger, wouldn't she, as the one in charge of the courtyard, be considered negligent?

The more Mother Li thought about it, the more anxious she grew. Looking at Mother Gu and Mother Jiang being scolded in front of her, she gave them a fierce glance. Those two troublemakers sure knew how to stir up trouble!

Lin Qing lay on the hospital bed, watching this scene with great joy in her heart. They deserved it! Who told them not to learn their lesson? Ha!

Cen Xi stood quietly by the bedside the whole time, holding Lin Qing's hand. Even though he knew Lin Qing was just acting, he still felt a bit uneasy, fearing that her body might really be affected by the anger. He couldn't help but feel a little afraid.

"Be more careful in the future. Don't bother her when she’s sick for no good reason. Today it looks okay, but if one day you really anger her to the point of fainting, you'll be in big trouble! Humph!" Nurse Liu couldn't help but add a few more words of admonishment.

Mother Gu and Mother Jiang nodded repeatedly, agreeing, "Yes, yes, yes."

"Alright, go to the payment office and settle the hospital and medical fees." Although Lin Qing didn't have much interaction with Nurse Liu, Nurse Liu directly attributed these costs to the two who angered her.

"Yes, yes, yes." Mother Gu and Mother Jiang had bitter expressions on their faces. They were unwilling in their hearts, wanting to throw a tantrum, but they were afraid that Lin Qing would get even more upset, leading to more expenses. That's not what they wanted, so after weighing the options, they begrudgingly went to pay the fees.

When they came out, Mother Jiang didn’t have much cash on her and asked Gu Hang to cover it first, but Mother Gu wasn't willing. She was afraid that Mother Jiang wouldn’t repay her after going back.

"No, what if you don't acknowledge it after going back?" Mother Gu stopped Gu Hang from paying.

"We're neighbors. Is there no trust between us?" Mother Jiang didn't expect her to think of her this way.

"No way, you have no credibility at all." Mother Gu doubted Mother Jiang's character. After living in the same courtyard for so long, who didn't know what kind of person she was?

"You..." Mother Jiang was so angry that she started cursing.

……

Mother Sui watched them argue even while trying to pay the fees and felt exasperated.

Mother Li was in the ward watching the doctor check on Lin Qing. She wouldn't feel at ease until she saw the final results of the examination, so she handed the task of taking them to pay to Mother Sui.

Luckily, the doctor said her condition wasn’t too serious after the exam, although her body was indeed very weak and needed to be well taken care of.

From the moment the doctor entered the ward to the final result, Mother Li's expression gradually relaxed from seriousness.

After the doctor gave the results, she didn't stay in the ward any longer and planned to go back first.

"Cen Gong, since Lin Qing isn’t feeling well, let’s have her stay overnight at the hospital! Go back tomorrow!"

Cen Xi and Lin Qing thought about it. Although they knew Lin Qing's body was fine, in order to teach Mother Gu and Mother Jiang a lesson, staying one more night was okay.

"Alright! Mother Li, you should go back too! I'll take care of things here!"

"Alright!" After worrying all this time, Mother Li was indeed a bit tired now that she could finally relax.

As Mother Li walked past the payment office on her way out, she saw Mother Gu and Mother Jiang arguing.

"What's going on with them? Why are they arguing? Aren't they supposed to be paying?"

Mother Sui summarized it succinctly: "Mother Jiang didn’t have much cash on her and asked Gu Hang to cover it first, then return the money to him later, but Mother Gu wasn't willing, so they started arguing."

Even Mother Li felt exasperated at this point.

The two started arguing about borrowing money and now were cursing each other's ancestors.

"Enough, stop arguing! This is a hospital, not a market!" Nurse Liu's stern reprimand put an end to it.

She had just walked past here when she heard the noisy chaos—nothing but filthy curses, interspersed with occasional warnings from Nurse Liu, but these did nothing to stop them.

She walked over and found that she actually knew these people.

Mother Gu and Mother Jiang instinctively paused at the familiar shout.

When they looked up and met Nurse Liu’s stern gaze, the familiar feeling made them instinctively stand properly.

"What in the world are you trying to do? First, you angered the neighbor, and now you're going to cause a scene in the hospital? Wow, you sure have some skills!" When it came to sarcasm, Nurse Liu was top-notch.

Mother Li and Mother Sui couldn’t help but grimace at her words.

Filial son Gu Hang had already stepped back when his mother and Mother Jiang started arguing in the hospital hall. He didn’t want anyone to associate him with those two arguing women.

"Pay up and get lost! If you want to argue, go argue somewhere else!" Nurse Liu had no intention of leaving. She intended to watch them pay the money before leaving, afraid that they might cause more trouble otherwise.

Mother Gu and Mother Jiang nodded timidly, too scared to say a word. If they could have paid the money smoothly, they wouldn't have argued in the hall.

Now, with bitterness in their mouths, Mother Jiang had no money, and Mother Gu was unwilling to help. But under Nurse Liu’s stern look, Mother Gu begrudgingly had Gu Hang pay the full amount.

"Alright, get out of here!"

"Yes, yes," Mother Gu and Mother Jiang quickly scurried off.

Eager to leave after paying, they rushed towards the hospital exit, hearts heavy with regret. Gu Hang, Mother Li, and Mother Sui followed closely behind them.