Chapter 35: Lu Zhixing Has No Money Either

Zhou Xinyue rummaged through her home for a long time and finally managed to gather thirty yuan. It was still more than half a month before the next salary payment. If she took all the money now, what would she spend later?

After thinking it over, she kept fifteen yuan for herself and then headed to the hospital.

Starting this month, Lu Zhixing hadn’t given her a single cent. Zhou Xinyue, as an ordinary nurse, only earned forty yuan a month. If she lived like an average woman, this salary could support their small family.

After all, the hospital provided good benefits — monthly oil and food coupons were issued. In addition, doctors and nurses on duty also received meal tickets, so in reality, there weren’t many expenses they needed to pay for…

But Zhou Xinyue didn’t think that way. Before, when she stayed at Lu Zhixing’s home to recover, she ate, drank, and used everything with great care — spending the whole 50 yuan a month on herself, naturally living comfortably. Now, she had to work every day and only had 40 yuan a month. She couldn’t accept such a sharp drop in living standards.

Especially since she knew that all of Lu Zhixing’s money would eventually go to Xie Yunshu, her heart burned with jealousy and couldn’t tolerate it!

Why? After Lu Zhixing divorced Xie Yunshu, all that money would be hers! How could he spend it on another woman?

At the hospital, a young nurse was changing medicine on Xiao Wei.

His thin little arm was almost covered in scars…

The nurse frowned: “How did you get these? And you’re so thin — doesn’t your mother give you enough to eat?”

As a pediatric nurse, she had seen many children, but it was the first time she’d seen one as thin as Xiao Wei. Looking at him, no one would believe he was five years old; some might even think he was only three! Besides, some scars on his body didn’t look old — they looked recent.

Hadn’t Zhou Xinyue taken care of him at Dr. Lu’s home for nearly a year? She herself looked fine, so why did the child look like this?

Xiao Wei only shook his head silently, refusing to say anything.

The nurse sighed. She knew the boy was brought out from the mountains and assumed maybe he had some psychological trauma from severe past wounds. No matter what, Zhou Xinyue was his biological mother — if she didn’t want him, she could have left him there. Since she brought him out, it meant she still loved the child.

What could an outsider say?

The blisters had fully subsided, and the pain wasn’t as intense as before. After changing and bandaging the medicine again, she patted Xiao Wei’s head: “As long as it doesn’t get wet, there shouldn’t be a risk of infection. You have to protect yourself, okay?”

Xiao Wei nodded vaguely, still silent, secretly watching the nurse.

At that moment, Zhou Xinyue came in. Her eyes were red as if she had just cried: “Sorry, I just started working not long ago. Xiao Wei is always sick, and now I only have fifteen yuan…”

“Fifteen yuan?”

The nurse’s pity for the boy immediately vanished, her face turning sour: “Nurse Zhou, it’s only been a short time since we got paid, and you can’t even come up with thirty yuan?”

Zhou Xinyue’s face looked embarrassed and pale. She deliberately stood at the door, looking as if she had been deeply wronged: “Sorry, it’s really hard for me to raise this child alone…”

???

The nurse was almost furious. Hard or not, how could she just ignore medical expenses? Even though they worked in the same hospital, everyone was responsible for different departments. Zhou Xinyue was clearly making things difficult for herself.

The nurse was also just paid and still had thirty-eight yuan left at home! And whenever Xiao Wei came to the hospital these days, it was always Lu Zhixing who paid. Where was the hardship?

“I don’t care if it’s hard for you. The medical fees must be paid. If not, go find the director to sign off. If he allows you to hold the fees, then I won’t interfere!” The nurse rolled her eyes and shoved the medical bill into Zhou Xinyue’s arms, giving her no face at all.

Zhou Xinyue’s tears welled up but didn’t fall: “Director Lu Zhixing is a chief physician. Would he really not pay this small amount? Why are you being so aggressive?”

Who exactly was being aggressive?

The nurse sneered coldly: “Then have your Director Lu pay! Is refusing to pay money reasonable these days?”

Ridiculous! Using Lu Zhixing to threaten her? Did they think she was Xie Yunshu, easy to manipulate?

Biting her lip, Zhou Xinyue ran to Lu Zhixing’s office with red eyes. She wanted to settle this matter. A single mother with a hospitalized child, being treated badly because she couldn’t pay medical bills — this would surely make any man feel sympathy!

Near the end of the workday, Lu Zhixing looked uneasy.

For the first time in his life, he felt embarrassed and helpless because of money. When he handed the salary card to Xie Yunshu, besides his unwillingness to divorce her, there was also a willingness — he never cared about money.

Handing over the salary card was to show his attitude: He gave most of the salary to Zhou Xinyue purely out of pity. A few hundred yuan a year meant nothing to him.

Indeed, Dr. Lu Zhixing had always been noble and aloof, never associating with money. Besides his salary, he got a generous annual bonus and, with family connections, hardly had expenses requiring money.

He even thought that Xie Yunshu’s anger was because she cared too much about money! Coming from a poor family, thousands of yuan were a huge sum to her.

But he never imagined that one day he would have no money at all. Not a single cent!

Zhou Xinyue entered crying, not even knocking, throwing herself into Lu Zhixing’s arms: “Zhixing, I have no way out… After all that happened, does everyone look down on me, look down on my child? But Xiao Wei is only five. What mistake did he make to be treated this way?”

Lu Zhixing took a deep breath and pushed her away gently: “Xinyue, what happened?”

Wasn’t Xiao Wei staying in the hospital? He knew everyone in the pediatric department was responsible and attentive. How could anyone target a child?

“I only failed to pay fifteen yuan of medical fees. That nurse named Lin Xiaozhao wanted to kick Xiao Wei out of the hospital and said many harsh words.”

Zhou Xinyue lowered her head and used her usual pity-play: “Zhixing, I know she looks down on me, but I didn’t mean to hold back on money. Besides, she knows you’re here — how could she not pay the medical fees?”

Usually, if she moved Xiao Wei out and cried a bit, Lu Zhixing would have caredlessly taken out money. But this time, Zhou Xinyue waited for a long time with no response from him, and she nervously looked up: “Zhixing?”