Chapter 23 - It's Fine To Pay, But Mom Must Make an IOU

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

If she was blind, she should be treated. One day, she would be cured. Her thoughts were simple and pure.

“Little brother, there are some things that I have to make clear. Treating Mom’s illness is our responsibility, but she has to pay for it herself,” Chu Wei said.

Chen Ji was stunned. He put down his bowl and chopsticks. “I send some allowance to my family every month. I have saved some for myself. Although it’s not much, it should be enough to treat Mom’s illness. Hence, I will pay for it.”

“How can we do that? Your money belongs to our family too. When we split the household, we made it very clear that our mother would be with Chen Hu. She gave the rest of her life to his family and gave up everything for them. Now that she’s sick, it’s time for Chen Hu to repay Mom. If you really feel bad, we can pay too, but Mom has to write an IOU. After she recovers, she can just return the money to us.” Chu Wei shook her head and said.

Chen Ji was silent. He stared at Chu Wei for a while and said in a pleading tone, “Xiao Wei, you…”

God damn, this man had become really good-looking. His eyes were big and black, and his eagle eyes were fierce and domineering. He was extremely handsome.

Before he returned, Chu Wei had been mulling over these words for many days. She mustered up the courage to say them just now. If it was Chen Ji from six years ago, he would have flipped the table when he heard such disrespectful and disloyal words. Regardless of whether they were separated or not, she was still his biological mother. How could he let his biological mother write an IOU?

There was a reason why Chu Wei dared to say it. Firstly, Chen Ji had changed a lot when he came back today. Secondly, it was said in her dream that after his military career, Chen Ji had completely changed. He had a gentle personality and rarely lost his temper. He was patient when handling matters.

The dream came true again. Strictly speaking, this was a test for her. Although Chen Ji was supposed to explode with thunder, he had no intention of losing his temper.

“Money can be paid first, but Mom has to return the money to our family. All these years, you have been in the military and didn’t know much about the family situation. Let’s not talk about how Chen Hu’s family treats me. When our mom was doing well, she helped your brother take care of their children and cooked for their family. She even had to manage the business of the small store. All day long, she did all the hard work and devoted all her attention to that family. Now, she is blind. Did she now think of our family when she needed to treat her illness? Why?” Seeing that Chen Ji was indeed different from before, Chu Wei mustered up her courage and said.

He had been away from home for six years and focused on the war. His family was completely managed by Chu Wei. She was the one who built the small courtyard and brought up the children. His brother’s family was not only stingy but also liked to stir up trouble. Although Chen Ji was not at home, he could imagine how difficult it was for Chu Wei and how she would be bullied by the other family.

Back then, when they separated from the family, it was very clear that whoever the old lady gave to would be responsible for the old lady’s retirement and death. Chu Wei’s words did not sound humane, but they were reasonable.

“I’ll listen to you!” After thinking for a moment, Chen Ji nodded.

They had reached an agreement to treat her mother-in-law’s illness. The couple continued to eat. The tradition of the army was not to talk while eating, and not to talk when sleeping. Furthermore, when marching to war, everyone had to eat very quickly so as to not delay the march.

Chu Wei had not even eaten half a bowl of rice when Chen Ji had already finished. He even picked up a vegetable leaf and wiped it in his bowl before he was done. There was not a single grain of rice left. The good habit that Chen Ji had since he was young was that he was poor and afraid of hunger!

Chen Ji didn’t drink. Chu Wei made a cup of tea for him. Just as he was savoring the tea, he heard the sound of pants rubbing against the plants outside the fence.

Although the sound was very low, the two of them still heard it clearly. Chu Wei chewed her beef and gave him a look. Chen Ji nodded slightly and stood up. He walked to the fence and looked out. The two of them were childhood sweethearts. There was no need to talk. One look was enough.

Outside the fence, Mrs. Chen stayed at the turnpike and walked slowly towards the big house. Although it was already dark, it did not affect her. In any case, she could not see. Mrs. Chen walked carefully, her walking stick constantly probing the front. It took her a long time to find the right direction, turn the corner, and enter the gate of the big house.

The evening breeze blew past, bringing with it the rustling sound of the grass and trees. It made Mrs. Chen’s back look especially desolate as her figure was gradually swallowed by the pitch-black hut.

“You knew?” Chen Ji asked after a while.

Chu Wei gently smiled and nodded. “Yes, Mom was already here when you were setting the table.”

Chen Ji was dumbfounded. It turned out that Chu Wei had said those words on purpose for Mrs. Chen to hear. When she mentioned treating her illness, Mrs. Chen would flare up and chase them away. In her opinion, this illness cost a lot of money and she was not sure if she could cure it. It was really a burden on her children. Moreover, their sister-in-law usually did not treat her well, so even if she wanted to die, she had to die in Chen Hu’s home.

When they split from the family, she was biased and gave more Chen Hu. After Chu Wei gave birth, she took care of the family alone, without help. Now that she was sick, she had no reason to look to Chen Ji for help.

Chu Wei knew very well that, based on what she had experienced in her dream, her mother-in-law became paralyzed on the bed not long after. Although Chu Wei volunteered to stay and take care of her, her mother-in-law, who had always been headstrong, could not accept the fact that she was paralyzed. She did not want to burden the Chu Wei, so she chose to commit suicide.

In order to stop her mother-in-law from being despondent and give her confidence that she could cure her illness, Chu Wei said those words without any humanity so that her mother-in-law could eavesdrop on them..