Chapter 21

“How did he suddenly fall ill like this? Do you have enough money? Although Xiao Qinqing and I don’t earn much, we’ve saved up a bit over the past two years. If it’s not enough, take this first.” Lin Xiaoshu said as he pulled out a bank card and handed it to Father Lin.

Father Lin waved his hand and was about to speak when a woman’s voice called out, “Big Brother, you’re home!”

“Xiaoshu, Xiaoye, you’re here! Come in, have a seat. Get some water for your great-uncle and great-aunt.” Father Lin quickly greeted them, the latter part of his words directed at Lin Nanzhi and the others.

Lin Nanzhi got up to fetch some cups and make tea. Father Lin took out a cigarette and handed it over, but the man quickly waved his hand and smiled.

After placing the tea on the table, Lin Nanzhi greeted them briefly and left them alone.

She naturally recognized the visitors.

They were a married couple, also members of the Lin family, from the same lineage as Father Lin. The man’s father and Father Lin’s grandfather were cousins. The man looked to be in his forties, with an honest and simple expression. The woman was plump, short, with some scars on her face and small, squinted eyes.

After sitting down, the woman exchanged pleasantries with Father Lin. After a while, he finally asked about the purpose of their visit. The woman smiled awkwardly and said, “It’s a bit embarrassing to bring this up.

You see, part of the old house at the back collapsed, and since Xiaomei is pregnant, Xiaobinbin was worried it might fall and hurt someone. So, he’s planning to build a new house.

Since we have several daughters, we thought of making it a bit bigger, but we’re short on money. We heard that you’ve earned quite a bit and saved up a lot, so we wanted to ask if you could lend us some.”

A loan.

The moment they stepped in, Lin Nanzhi already knew why they had come.

Recently, their family had been buying land, building houses, and purchasing forests. Now, after buying even more land, plenty of people were envious. Naturally, some relatives would come looking for money or help. Lin Nanzhi had been thinking about how to handle this situation when Lin Nanye’s illness interrupted her thoughts.

She looked at Father Lin, wondering how he would respond.

Given his personality, if he had money, he would definitely lend it. But she wanted to see if, under the circumstances—where the money was hers and Lin Nanye was sick—he would still lend it out.

If he did, then he was truly beyond saving, and she would never tell him about her future earnings again.

Unexpectedly, before Father Lin could speak, Lin Xiaoshu spoke up first.

“Uncle, Aunt, my big brother probably can’t lend you any money.”

Their expressions stiffened, their initial excitement fading. “Oh, so he lent it to you?”

Lin Xiaoshu shook his head and continued, “You may not know, but Lin Ye is sick and in the hospital. My sister-in-law is taking care of him there. We’re not even sure if there’s enough money for his medical expenses.”

“Lin Ye is sick?”

Father Lin nodded repeatedly.

“These past years, Taozi and I have saved some money, and Lin Ye and the others have also been capable and earned some. So, we all went for a medical check-up. That’s when Lin Ye was diagnosed with early-stage cancer.

The doctor said the chances of a full recovery are low, and he can only take medication.

The medication is expensive—more than ten thousand yuan a month. With other costs, the expenses add up quickly. The money we have may not be enough. If the treatment doesn’t work, we might have to sell the house and take him to a bigger city for treatment.”

Father Lin sighed heavily.

Hearing the word “cancer,” the couple’s expressions changed drastically. Even Lin Xiaoshu looked deeply concerned as he hurriedly pushed his bank card forward, saying he had saved two to three hundred thousand yuan, which could help for a while.

Only Lin Nanxuan and Lin Nanzhi exchanged glances, blinking in understanding.

More than ten thousand yuan a month for medication?

The medicine was expensive, but not that outrageous.

However, neither of them said anything.

Lin Nanzhi thought to herself, this might actually be a good thing.

That so-called “great-aunt” was the most gossipy person in the village. If she knew about something, the whole village would know within a day.

At least this news would deter other people from coming over to ask for loans.

It wasn’t that Lin Nanzhi was stingy or unwilling to help neighbors in need. The problem was that these people were simply envious and had found an excuse to ask for money. They weren’t truly in urgent need. If she lent them money, they would probably take seven or eight years to pay it back—if they even did.

Especially this great-aunt, who was always looking for ways to take advantage of others!

As expected, after hearing Father Lin’s words, the couple immediately gave up on borrowing money and quickly found an excuse to leave.

Only Lin Xiaoshu remained seated on the sofa, still trying to hand the bank card to Father Lin.

“Take it back. You saved this for building your house. How could I take it?”

“Right now, isn’t Lin Ye’s treatment more important?”

“I’m not short on money.”

“Your sister-in-law has earned a lot from embroidery, and Lin Ye started a small studio with his university classmates, making over two hundred thousand yuan. Even Zizi has been earning money from writing. For now, we have enough.

The fruit trees on the mountain are about to be planted. By next year, we should be making a profit, so we shouldn’t need extra money.”

After all, the family still had plenty of money.

Of the fifty million yuan Lin Nanzhi won from the lottery, they had only spent five million on building the house and buying land and forests. Even if they spent another five million on Lin Nanye’s treatment, it would still be more than enough.

There was no way he would take Lin Xiaoshu’s hard-earned money.

Lin Xiaoshu and his wife were still young, with two children in school and an elderly parent to care for. How could he take their money?

“Big Brother…”

“We really have enough. Take it back.”

“Well, alright. But if you ever need more, be sure to let me know. We siblings will always help each other.”

Father Lin nodded, visibly moved.

After Lin Xiaoshu left, Father Lin looked at Lin Nanzhi and said, “Zhi Zhi, your big brother’s illness will take time to heal, and the expenses are high. Let’s use your money for now. Once he recovers, he’ll earn it back and repay you.”

Lin Nanzhi hadn’t expected to hear this at all!

The Father Lin she remembered was vague in her childhood memories. But as she grew older, she realized that aside from being traditional, he also had outdated beliefs.

He believed that having sons was important for carrying on the family name. Naturally, family assets, like land and houses, belonged to the boys. The daughters received nothing. Even the family’s money—aside from dowries—was off-limits to them.

She never really cared about whether the money would be repaid or not. But hearing these words from Father Lin did bring her some comfort.

Sure enough, with that gossiping great-aunt spreading the news, it took less than a day for the entire village—no, the entire town—to know that Lin Nanye was seriously ill with a difficult-to-treat disease.

Close neighbors came by to check in, some even discreetly slipping money to Father Lin and offering to visit Lin Nanye in the hospital, though he declined.

Those who weren’t on good terms with the family, however, were filled with schadenfreude, eager to spread the news far and wide.

Regardless, the village’s jealousy and resentment toward the Lin family had mostly dissipated, replaced with sympathy.

After all, even if they built a new house, they might never get to live in it. If their son had an incurable illness, they might end up selling everything at a loss anyway.

For days, visitors streamed in and out of the Lin house.

But Lin Nanzhi returned to school that very afternoon, undisturbed by the commotion.