Chapter 81

Chapter 81

Raising Money

Even if the final outcome remained unchanged, he’d made peace with it—as long as his family didn’t give up and Lin Nannan stayed by his side, he saw no reason to despair.

So when Lin Nannan suggested saving up for his medical expenses and even asked Grandma how much was still needed for the hospital visit, he was the calmest one in the room.

The Lu family, however, were on edge, fearing Lu Hang might feel disheartened.

"Grandma, Dad, Mom," Lu Hang explained, seeing their worried expressions, "I wasn’t being pessimistic before. It’s just that the hospitals I went to were the best, and they said recovery was impossible. I didn’t want to burden you financially, so I refused. That’s all—no other reason."

He felt they were overthinking it. Since the accident, he had felt despair but never to the point of giving up on life.

Before, it was his family’s love that kept him going. Now, with someone special in his heart, he wouldn’t—and couldn’t—allow himself to be a coward and escape.

Zhang Xiaofeng’s eyes reddened at her son’s words.

"We have to try," she said, wiping her tears. "I’ve heard of masters of acupuncture. Maybe it’ll work. We can’t just give up."

Lu Hang didn’t discourage her. Instead, he asked, "But we still don’t have enough money, right?"

"It’s fine! Once we sell this batch of grain, we’ll have enough!" Zhang Xiaofeng replied with a smile through tears.

Lin Nannan glanced around before speaking up. "I still have a hundred yuan—wrested from the Lins!"

"That’s your money. You should keep it," Zhang Xiaofeng gently refused. "We’ll have enough after the harvest."

"But I don’t need it, and you won’t let me go hungry. Besides, the sooner we go, the sooner A Hang can recover, right?" she countered.

The Lu family still hesitated, but Lu Hang said, "I still have some savings too. This time, we’ll just go for a check-up and hear the doctors’ verdict. If there’s hope, we can figure out the money later. No need to wait for the harvest."

His proactive attitude delighted Lu’s grandmother and the others, easing their worries.

In the kitchen, Lu’s grandmother tended the fire while Zhang Xiaofeng cooked and Pan Xiaoping chopped vegetables. As they chatted, their eyes welled up, but their smiles spoke of joy rather than sorrow.

"You should treat Nan Nan better from now on," Lu’s grandmother told Zhang Xiaofeng. "If not for her, A Hang wouldn’t have opened up to us like this."

Zhang Xiaofeng laughed. "Mom, Nan Nan is my pride and joy now—no one ranks above her!"

Pan Xiaoping teased, "Sis, if A Yuan heard that, she’d bawl her eyes out!"

"No way! A Yuan is obsessed with her sister-in-law now—even her big brother takes second place," Zhang Xiaofeng chuckled.

Lu’s grandmother joined in the laughter. "It’s funny, isn’t it? So many people used to mock us. Now, seeing how amazing Nan Nan is, they’re eating their hearts out. The Lins were humiliated today—they lurked in the crowd, watching, but people kept asking why they didn’t like eating meat. They were so mad they almost brawled!"

"Serves them right!" Zhang Xiaofeng snorted, remembering how the Lins had abused Nan Nan. "If I had the time, I’d cook a whole pot of meat just to make them green with envy."

With renewed hope, knowing her son wouldn’t do anything reckless and that he had someone to live for, Zhang Xiaofeng relaxed, her old fiery spirit returning.