when he saw Cao Er inflicting self-mutilation on himself, although it made him feel extremely uncomfortable, the thought of Cao Er receiving his due punishment stirred excitement within him."Senior B...Chapter Thirty-Nine Father and Son

The car sped up, and within less than five minutes, it roared into the Capital City Hospital. The moment they entered the hospital, the small package at Grandpa Zhong’s chest area, which was surrounded by Xiang Yu's acupuncture needles, suddenly began to violently twitch as if it were trying to break through Grandpa Zhong's skin and fly out.

At the entrance of the hospital's outpatient building stood a group of white-coated doctors anxiously awaiting something.

Seeing a large crowd of doctors, Grandpa Zhong turned his head towards Zhong Jianguo and Zhong Tao and asked, "Who made the call"

Although the pain from his illness had given Grandpa Zhong's face a pale hue and left him looking very haggard, his long years of holding a high position still endowed even such an ordinary question with an irresistible authority.

"G-Grand-G-grandfather... It was m-me..." Hearing Grandpa Zhong’s questioning tone, Zhong Tao shivered all over, his face showing fear as he stammered out the words.

"Tell them to leave!" Grandpa Zhong stared at Zhong Tao with narrowed eyes and spoke in a stern voice.

"B-But... Grandfather..." Without thinking, Zhong Tao’s neck involuntarily recoiled as if he wanted to say something else.

"Alright, Mr. Zhong, with these doctors helping to search, we'll be faster!" Xiao Yu has a fiery temperament and never fears authority figures. Thus, he spoke in a calm tone.

Hearing Xiao Yu's words, Old Tai爺 Zhuo merely smiled and nodded his head; however, the members of the Zhong and Zhuo families were taken aback, then showed expressions of disbelief. Zhuosi Miao even wiped sweat from his forehead with his sleeve. He thought to himself, Only Xiao Yu would dare speak to Old Man Zhong in such a manner!

Old Man Zhong nodded and said, "Then we'll follow Dr. Xiao's advice!" With that, he turned to Zhong Tao and instructed, "Let them help find a 74-year-old critically ill patient named Yang Ni or Yang Guohua at the hospital."

"Okay!" Zhong Tao replied with a nod as he walked towards the group of doctors. Before leaving, he smiled and nodded at Xiao Yu.

About twenty minutes later, Zhong Tao, drenched in sweat and gasping for breath, ran over: "Found her! Found her! She's in critical care at the neurosurgery ward!"

Xiao Yu looked at Zhong Tao as he approached, feeling rather disdainful. 'How clever—just make a phone call instead of running around like this.'

In the waiting area outside the neurosurgery critical-care ward sat three people on long benches: an approximately fifty-year-old man, a middle-aged woman, and a young man in his late twenties or early thirties. They appeared to be a family trio chatting together. When the group arrived at the neurosurgery critical-care ward, their voices echoed loudly throughout the empty space.

"Ah Hua, Tianming, I want to sell the house we bought on loan. Damn it, our medical expenses are gone again! We've already sold all of our valuable possessions; now the only thing left is this home which still has some value!" As the man in his fifties spoke, tears welled up silently in his eyes.

"But, dear husband, it was meant for Tianming's wedding!" The woman also started to cry.

"Mom, listen to dad and sell it first! I'm still young; there’s no harm in delaying the marriage a few more years!" A man in his late twenties held his mother's hand and said solemnly.

"But what if Xiaomiao's family doesn't agree Her parents already look down on us, thinking we're poor and have no status. If we sell our house too… " The woman cried as she hugged her son.

"Mom, it'll be fine; I think Xiaomiao will understand! Besides, do you really fear your son might end up a lifelong bachelor Rest assured, the line of people chasing after this excellent son of yours stretches from the Forbidden City to the Bird's Nest!" The young man stifled his urge to cry and comforted his mother with a smile.

In fact, he knew that if their house was sold, his girlfriend would definitely break up with him. His girlfriend Xiaomiao’s parents were civil servants; it was rumored her father held the position of Chief Clerk. On the other hand, his own mother was jobless and his father only worked as a taxi driver while he himself merely drove public buses.

When recalling how they met, it had been an accident—Xiaomiao encountered a thief on his bus one day, which he spotted and stopped. As their relationship grew through further interactions, her parents disapproved due to his family's poverty. Despite Xiaomiao’s persistent resistance, she ultimately threatened suicide to convince her parents to agree temporarily, with the condition that regardless of what means were used, they must buy a house. If it involved loans, Xiaomiao wouldn't be responsible for repayment; and if the property was sold, her parents would definitely force her to break off their relationship. But without selling the house, his grandmother's medical costs couldn’t be covered. Thinking about this, he felt bitter in his mouth, though he didn’t regret selling the house to save his grandmother at all.

After crying for a while, the woman continued: "Even if we sell the house, how many days can it support us The intensive care ward costs over ten thousand yuan per day!"

The man hugged his head tightly and buried it low, rubbing his hair vigorously before looking up with resolute eyes: "Let’s see how long it lasts! It wasn't easy for Mom to raise me alone; we can’t just watch her die from illness!"

"Woo... woo..." The woman threw herself into her son's arms and burst into tears.

When Xiao Yu and his group heard the conversation, they all silently lowered their heads. Xiao Yu glanced at the bowed heads of everyone present, took a deep breath, looked towards the distance, and said in a solemn voice: "This is reality. The lives of ordinary people are roughly like this; falling ill can lead to bankruptcy as medical expenses may be too high to afford, even then there's no guarantee that one will recover. Therefore, most ordinary folks with terminal illnesses usually choose not to seek treatment and just endure the pain at home until they die. This is something you in power never see!"

Xiao Yu's words echoed like morning and evening bells in everyone’s ears. Zhong Jianguo showed a look of shame, while even Zhong Tao, who led a life of debauchery and knew nothing about the hardships of common people, lowered his head to reflect upon all he had done before. Old Zhong sighed with regret and said, "I've spent my whole life in politics, and I can say with certainty that I have no regrets, but it seems like what I did was still far from enough!"

Xiao Yu's group walked slowly down the corridor of the intensive care unit, weighed down by a heavy sense.

"Grandpa, this is where they are, Room 707!" Zhong Tao led everyone to the room where the family trio was staying and said to Old Zhong.

Zhong Jianguo and Zhong Tao supported Old Zhong as he walked to the door of Room 707. As he stood at the entrance, Old Zhong’s hands trembled uncontrollably, his eyes filled with tears looking at the room just a few steps away, hesitating for a long time without entering.

"Who are you looking for" A family trio sitting nearby saw a group of people stop outside their mother's ward and couldn't help but stand up to ask.

Old Zhong turned his head to look at the questioning family trio. When he saw the middle-aged man in his fifties, the expressions on several members of the Zhong family were momentarily stunned. Although this man was only in his fifties, the pressure from life had already caused some of his hair to turn white and made him look much older than his age. Even so, when the Zhongs saw the man, they all felt a sense of familiarity. out of their pockets and, using only the faint light from their screens, cautiously moved towards each room to turn on all the lights. After about ten minutes, all the lights on this floor were turne...