Chapter 32: Self-Interest

Ying Yun nodded and accepted Jiang Yining’s suggestion, bringing the matter up with Du Yingzhe.

Du Yingzhe refused. “Mom, I can’t take NingNing’s money.”

Ying Yun handed him the bank card and said, “Take it. NingNing understands everything. No one knows how much longer your father can hold on.”

“ Du Yingzhe, your uncle only has eyes for that youngest son of his now. If your father passes away, the only family who might truly care about NingNing could be you. You need to be her support. NingNing is thinking of you—you should do the same for her.”

Du Yingzhe still didn’t want to accept it.

Ying Yun asked, “Do you still want to get married or not? Gu Xiaoyue has been pregnant for more than a month. Her family wants a wedding and a home. Time waits for no one. You can’t let her walk down the aisle with a big belly.”

She sighed. “You and Gu Xiaoyue both have jobs, and I have to take care of your father. How will I have the strength to help with your child, too?”

“If your dad and I move in with you, Gu Xiaoyue’s parents won’t be able to come help, and then I’ll be the only one left to take care of both your father and the baby.”

Du Yingzhe lowered his head, ashamed of himself. He wasn’t much of a man—almost thirty, yet still relying on his parents in every way.

Ying Yun patted him on the shoulder. “Yingzhe, don’t overthink it. You just graduated this year. You’re a medical PhD, and you’ve just started working at the best hospital in Lincheng. Your career is only beginning, and now everything is piling up all at once.”

“Besides, Gu Xiaoyue’s a civil servant. Both of you have good jobs. Just consider this money a loan from Ning Ning. Once things settle down, figure out a way to pay her back.”

Du Yingzhe accepted the card. He went to find Jiang Yining, but seeing her chatting with his father, he changed his mind and sent her a message instead: [NingNing, your cousin will repay you.]

Jiang Yining read the message, looked up at him, and nodded.

That afternoon, Jiang Yining took He Chi to visit her mother’s grave.

Seeing that her uncle wasn’t in the best state, she didn’t want to take him along. Ying Yun also tried to help persuade him for a while, but it didn’t work.

Du Sheng said, “It’s been a long time since I visited A’Ruo too.”

Ying Yun said no more.

From the photo alone, one could sense that Du Ruo had been a gentle person in life. Both mother and daughter shared a similar temperament, but Jiang Yining carried a faint air of cool detachment that set her apart.

Jiang Yining said, “My mom used to say that she was a vain person—she wanted to leave behind her most beautiful photo for us.”

He Chi nodded.

He said, “Mom, Yining and I are married now. We’ve come to visit you. Don’t worry—I’ll take good care of her.”

Both Jiang Yining and Du Sheng wanted to stay a while on their own, so Ying Yun told He Chi and Du Yingzhe to wait outside for a bit.

Ying Yun pushed the wheelchair and stepped aside with Du Sheng.

Jiang Yining spoke to her mother for a while and still wanted to stay longer by herself, but knowing her uncle was waiting, she stood up and walked away.

Ying Yun wheeled him over, then pulled Jiang Yining aside to talk privately.

She’d been worried about something for a while. “Ning Ning, your aunt is really concerned about you and your cousin. From what I’ve seen, your maternal grandparents both passed early—before sixty, due to illness.”

“Your mother didn’t even make it to forty-five…”

Seeing Jiang Yining’s eyes darken, she didn’t go on about Du Ruo. “Your uncle also had a serious illness in his early fifties. I don’t know if he’ll make it to sixty.”

“I’m worried it’s something hereditary. I’m not trying to scare you, and I’ve said the same thing to your cousin. I just want you two to be mindful of your health while you’re still young.”

Jiang Yining reassured her, “Aunt, my cousin and I get health check-ups every year. Maybe it’s not what you think. My mom had cancer, but my uncle didn’t. As for my grandparents…”

She couldn’t bring herself to finish—her grandfather had also died from cancer.

The two of them fell silent. Ying Yun regretted bringing it up, but if she didn’t, she feared they’d get too caught up in work to pay attention to their health.

Ying Yun squeezed Jiang Yining’s hand. “Ning Ning, don’t overthink it. Look at your grandfather—he lived a long life. He and your grandmother didn’t have your dad until they were in their thirties, and he still lived to almost ninety.”

“My parents are still alive too. Maybe the genes balanced out, and you and Yingzhe will both be fine.”

Ying Yun was comforting Jiang Yining—but she was also reassuring herself.

At the cemetery, He Chi saw the photo on the gravestone. It must have been taken when she was young—color, not black-and-white—with a bright, sweet smile. Jiang Yining’s features were very similar to Du Ruo’s, both sharing the same delicate face.

“I mentioned it to your cousin last time,” Ying Yun said. “He said maybe it was related to genetics, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you inherited your grandparents’ genes.”

Jiang Yining responded with a soft “mm.” “Aunt, I understand. I know what you’re saying. My cousin and I will take care of ourselves, don’t worry. You have to take care of yourself too.”

Ying Yun replied, “I will. Taking care of myself is also a way to lessen the burden on you younger ones.”

Thinking of how Du Yingzhe worked in a hospital, she remembered how she and her husband had disagreed with his career choice back then. Clinical work was too exhausting, especially considering their family’s health history.

Du Yingzhe was gentle and thin, and because of his nearsightedness, he wore glasses all the time. She and her husband constantly worried about him. Seeing He Chi today—just by standing next to each other—it was obvious how different the two men were.

Jiang Yining’s constitution wasn’t great either. She used to get sick often as a child, and even now, she didn’t have a particularly robust constitution.

So Du Sheng and Ying Yun’s concerns weren’t without reason.

Outside the cemetery, He Chi asked about the apartment. “Have you decided where to buy?”

“Han Jun Mansion.”

That was the place Xiaoyue and her parents had scouted first. He’d only had time to check it out yesterday.

The residential complex had a great environment and excellent nearby facilities.

But a 110-square-meter, three-bedroom apartment cost over six million yuan in total. Fortunately, the units were already fully renovated with high-quality materials, saving them the cost and hassle of interior work.

With the housing market in a slump, the future remained uncertain. But given their current situation, they really needed to buy.

Their family’s self-built home was too far from both of their workplaces. Xiaoyue’s family also had a younger son still in university, yet her parents were still willing to chip in to help them buy a new place, offering an additional 300,000 yuan as a down payment—and they weren’t asking for any bride price at all.

It was rare for in-laws to be this considerate.

Du Yingzhe’s parents had already sold almost everything of value at home and emptied their savings to give him a million, with 200,000 set aside for the wedding.

Because of his father’s poor health, they wanted to keep some savings on hand. Du Yingzhe was thinking of choosing a more modest complex to reduce the financial strain.

But the Gu family wasn’t keen on that idea—they had their eyes on Han Jun Mansion because of its prime location and complete infrastructure. There were top-rated elementary and middle schools nearby, making it convenient for the grandparents to help with school pick-ups and drop-offs in the future.

Now, with Jiang Yining’s contribution of 900,000 yuan, the total down payment could go up to two million. Even though both he and Xiaoyue had housing funds, the mortgage would still be a burden.

And Du Yingzhe didn’t want to take the entire one million from his parents.

Han Jun Mansion… If He Chi remembered correctly, that was also one of the Chen family’s properties.

The Chen Group owned many luxury residential developments. The most famous were Lake Half-City and Imperial Garden—the latter being an exclusive villa community.

After thinking for a moment, He Chi said, “I think that might be owned by a friend of mine. I’ll check. If it is, I’ll ask them to give you a discount.”

Du Yingzhe didn’t bother with false modesty. He said excitedly, “He Chi, if you really can get us a discount, we’ll owe you and Yining big time. If you ever need anything from us, don’t you dare be polite.”

He Chi chuckled. “Don’t say that. Honestly, I’m doing this with a bit of selfish intent too.”