Chapter 44: Poor He Yushui

Because Silly Zhu was in all likelihood an accomplice who helped administer the family-ruining poison, Yi Zhonghai, despite still wanting to rely on Silly Zhu to support him in his old age, could not clear the mental hurdle in his heart. Consequently, he refused to help pay Silly Zhu's medical expenses this time.

More importantly, Yi Zhonghai really did not have much money left. Although Silly Zhu's treatment cost was not exorbitant, he genuinely begrumbled spending the money now.

Left with no alternative, Yi Zhonghai arranged for someone to fetch He Yushui back.

He Yushui had rather delicate facial features. While not exceptionally pretty, she was the kind of girl whose looks grew on you.

The only drawback was that due to long-term malnutrition, her entire body was skin and bones, as thin as thin could be.

At that moment, He Yushui stood with red-rimmed eyes, looking at Yi Zhonghai and pleading pitifully, "First Uncle, I beg you, please lend me five yuan! I really have no money to pay for my older brother's medical expenses!"

By now, He Yushui's heart was filled with utter disappointment toward her brother. Not only had he been neglectful and frequently left her to starve through three meals a day, but even her tuition fees had been earned entirely through her own work-study programs.

Yet, no matter how much she looked down on her brother, he was still her flesh and blood, the very person who had raised her. She had no choice but to step forward and take care of Silly Zhu at a time like this.

Had she not been driven to desperation, she would never have asked Yi Zhonghai for money.

She had long known that this Yi Zhonghai utterly despised her. He put on one face in public and an entirely different one behind closed doors; if Silly Zhu were not around, she wouldn't even be able to borrow a single strand of salted vegetable from him.

Yet now, she had truly reached the end of her rope.

It wasn't that she hadn't considered asking others for help, but the things her brother had done this time had made everyone in the courtyard hate him to the core. The only person left she could turn to was Yi Zhonghai.

Seeing He Yushui humble herself and plead with Yi Zhonghai, Qin Huairu, Lou Xiaoe, and Chen Xueru all wore expressions of pity.

Qin Huairu looked pitifully at Wang Lin and interceded on He Yushui's behalf, saying, "Brother Lin, look at how pitiful that little girl is. Why don't you help her out?"

Wang Lin had actually intended to help He Yushui all along. After all, the girl was simply a pitiful child, and since she had been living at school for extended periods, she had not yet been tainted by the vicious beasts in the courtyard; her character was still quite decent.

"Alright."

With that, Wang Lin stood up and walked toward He Yushui.

"Little girl, get up quickly. You must remember: in this life, a person only kneels to heaven, earth, and parents."

Wang Lin pulled He Yushui to her feet in one swift motion and handed her a handkerchief to wipe the tears from the corners of her eyes.

He Yushui sobbed, "B-b-but my brother is still in the hospital, and without money, he'll..."

At this, she wept even more bitterly.

Hearing this, Wang Lin felt his head swell with a headache, and he quickly spoke up.

"Alright, stop crying. I'll lend you the money."

Helplessly, Wang Lin pulled out a large ten-yuan bill and handed it to He Yushui.

Looking at the large ten-yuan note offered to her, He Yushui stood there in a daze.

For as long as she could remember, this was her first time seeing a large ten-yuan bill. In the past, her foolish brother would give her at most five yuan a month; usually, it was two or three yuan, and sometimes not even a single cent.

"Th-thank you."

Wang Lin smiled gently and said lightly, "Go on, your brother is still waiting for you at the hospital."

"Mmm, I will pay you back."

Clutching the large ten-yuan note Wang Lin had given her, He Yushui bolted like a wisp of smoke toward the Red Star Affiliated Hospital.

Wang Lin turned his gaze toward Yi Zhonghai and mocked sarcastically, "First Uncle, didn't you always say that people in the courtyard should help each other out? How come you aren't even willing to lend Yushui five yuan now?"

Yi Zhonghai let out a cold snort and offered an explanation.

"You should be well aware of what Silly Zhu did. He is a bad element in this courtyard. What? Is there something wrong with me refusing to pay his medical expenses? Go ahead and ask everyone in the courtyard if I've done anything wrong!"

Yi Zhonghai had thought the matter through thoroughly long ago.

Silly Zhu had offended every single resident in the courtyard; for him to help Silly Zhu at a time like this would be akin to poking everyone else in the eye. He was no fool.

Moreover, he really didn't have much money left, and spending it on Silly Zhu genuinely pained him now.

"Haha!"

Wang Lin burst into hearty laughter, pointing at Yi Zhonghai as he said, "How is it that you always assume everything is tied to Silly Zhu? Don't forget that in our courtyard, you are the one closest to the Deaf Old Lady. If anyone is most likely to have helped the Deaf Old Lady administer the poison, aside from you, who else could it be?"

Hearing Wang Lin's words, Yi Zhonghai's expression turned panicked.

The other residents in the courtyard began to gaze at Yi Zhonghai with scrutinizing eyes, as if they were seeing through him for the very first time.

"Don't talk nonsense! I was poisoned myself too. If I were the one who administered it, would I have poisoned myself?"

Wang Lin wore a look of utter disdain and pressed his advantage.

"Everyone has seen your medical examination report. Aside from yours, which was poisoned by someone else quite early on, everyone else was poisoned only within the past few years."

At this point, Wang Lin changed the subject, setting the gears turning in the minds of the surrounding people.

"The Deaf Old Lady was an enemy special agent, but Jia Dongxu was just an ordinary person. How did he manage to make contact with an enemy agent? How was he brainwashed by them?"

Without continuing further, Wang Lin turned around and walked straight home.

As luck would have it, this exact remark happened to be overheard by Mrs. Jia. Instantly, Mrs. Jia's eyes turned bloodshot as she glared at Yi Zhonghai and roared, "Yi Zhonghai, I want you to pay for my son's life!"

Lowering her head like a crazed, charging bull, Mrs. Jia lunged straight at Yi Zhonghai.

Yi Zhonghai had been feeling thoroughly unsettled by the probing gazes of the courtyard residents, leaving him momentarily distracted as he pondered how to defend himself. As a result, he failed to notice Mrs. Jia charging toward him at all.

"Aiyo!"

It had to be said that Mrs. Jia's wild boar charge packed an extraordinary amount of force. Crashing squarely into Yi Zhonghai's lower back, she sent his body airborne.

Because of the family-ruining poison, Yi Zhonghai's kidneys and lower back were already extremely frail. Taking such a fierce blow from Mrs. Jia made him feel as though his back no longer belonged to him, and the excruciating pain caused his eyes to roll back repeatedly.

"S-save me! Quick, quick, take me to the hospital!"

Realizing it was time to stop watching the show, Liu Haizhong and Yan Bu gui hurriedly stepped forward.

"Guangtian, Guangfu, quickly take your First Uncle to the hospital!" Liu Haizhong was the first to speak.

Yan Bu gui waved his hand and addressed the gathered crowd, "Alright, alright, nothing more to see here, disperse."

Seeing that the entertainment was over, the crowd scattered.

Mrs. Jia, however, did not leave. Instead, she blocked Liu Guangtian and Liu Guangfu as they attempted to carry Yi Zhonghai off to the hospital.

"No way! This old exterminator-of-families cannot leave; he has to pay compensation! It was him who turned my son into an enemy agent! It was definitely him and that Deaf Old Lady who hoodwinked my Dongxu. My Dongxu was so honest and obedient—if not for Yi Zhonghai and that old deaf hag, how could he ever have become a special agent?"

Liu Haizhong puffed out his large belly and strode over.

"Mrs. Jia, if anything happens to the First Uncle, you're the one who'll end up facing criminal charges! Get out of the way immediately. As for the matter concerning Jia Dongxu, you can discuss it with the First Uncle after he is discharged from the hospital."

Upon hearing the word "hospital," Mrs. Jia shrank her neck back, and in the end, she had no choice but to step aside and clear the path.