Yuan Zhibang snorted and turned his head away without speaking.
"Auntie, since I have chosen Yuan Shanshan, I will accept everything about her, including her family and her relatives. You just focus on recuperating with peace of mind. Fortunately, I earned some money in business in my earlier years, so you don't have to worry about the medical expenses."
"Easier said than done. Do you know how much a heart transplant surgery costs? Two million! Do you have that much money?"
Yuan Zhibang said with sarcasm, thinking that Hao Jian dared to speak only because he was unaware of the pressure their family was facing.
Once he knew, he would choose to leave them without hesitation.
"Two million, I can still come up with it," Hao Jian said with a smile, as it just so happened he had two million on hand.
"No, how can I accept your money? You should save that money to get married, buy a house, and give Yuan Shanshan a home."
The old lady's head shook like a rattle drum, feeling that it made more sense to use the money to take care of Yuan Shanshan than to save her, someone who was about to die.
"Auntie, what makes a 'home' home isn't just having a house. It's the people inside it. If there are no people left, even the biggest house cannot be called a home," Hao Jian said with a smile. He hadn't done many good things in his life, but now he wanted to do some.
"And to Yuan Shanshan, you are the 'person' who is essential to this 'home,' so you definitely cannot die. Even if we live in a rented apartment or even a garbage dump forever, as long as we have each other, what does it matter?"
Hearing this, everyone felt touched, and the old lady's eyes moistened as she smiled and said:
"I didn't expect someone as young as you to be so mature. Your parents must be extraordinary people to bring up a son like you."
Clearly, the old lady was very satisfied with Hao Jian.
And the reason Hao Jian had matured so much was that he had been through a great deal, which taught him the value of cherishing what's truly important. Wealth and power were fleeting; only simplicity was real.
"All talk, looking as pretty as a flower. Show me when you actually do it," Yuan Zhibang said teasingly.
He recalled his college professor telling him, if you want to understand what someone is like, do not listen to what they say, but look at what they do.
"What's with you today? From the moment your brother-in-law came here, you've been nitpicking on him non-stop. Did he offend you?" the old lady said angrily.
"He's not my brother-in-law!" Yuan Zhibang said angrily.
At that moment, Yuan Shanshan noticed that Yuan Zhibang had some bruises on his face and asked:
"What happened to your face? Did you get into a fight?"
"No, I accidentally scraped myself," Yuan Zhibang explained hastily and then walked out of the room with his crutches.
"I'm sorry, Hao Jian, I don't know what's gotten into him today."
The old lady looked embarrassed; she hadn't expected Yuan Zhibang to be so disrespectful.
"It's okay, I'll go talk to him," said Hao Jian with a smile. Then he followed Yuan Zhibang out, seeing through the lie—there was no way the scar on Yuan Zhibang's face was from a mere scrape.
The scar was on the side of his nose. If it was a scrape, the cheek or nose itself would be scraped first, but neither had any marks.
If Hao Jian was not mistaken, those marks were likely caused by a fist.
Leaving the ward, Hao Jian wandered around the hospital until he finally found Yuan Zhibang in a corner.
Yuan Zhibang was there, a cigarette between his fingers, taking deep drags, with a gloomy expression on his face.
"If your mom and your sister knew you smoked, they'd be heartbroken, wouldn't they?" Hao Jian said mockingly.
Startled by the sudden voice, Yuan Zhibang nearly reflexively threw the cigarette behind him.
Seeing this, Hao Jian's smile grew. He was still a kid, after all.
When he saw it was Hao Jian, Yuan Zhibang's expression soured:
"Do you really need to meddle? Do you actually think you're my sister's husband?"
"You might not see me as your brother-in-law, that's your business, I can't stop you. And I could tell your sister about your smoking, and you can't stop me," Hao Jian replied with a chuckle.
Anger flared across Yuan Zhibang's face; this guy was just a rascal.
"Cut the crap, and call me brother-in-law to see how it sounds!"
There was no way Yuan Zhibang could bring himself to call Hao Jian, this rascal, his brother-in-law.
In Yuan Zhibang's eyes, only a truly exceptional person could be worthy of his sister, Yuan Shanshan. Certainly not a rogue.
"Then I'm going to find your sister," Hao Jian turned to leave.
"You're not allowed!"
Yuan Zhibang immediately blocked Hao Jian's way, hands spread wide, like a hen protecting her chicks.
"What's the matter, you plan on hitting me?" Hao Jian saw the fierce expression on Yuan Zhibang's face and teased him.
"You're not allowed to tell my sister." Yuan Shanshan didn't know about his smoking; if she found out, she would certainly be furious.
"Fine, then call me brother-in-law," Hao Jian said playfully.
"Why do you insist on me calling you brother-in-law?"
Yuan Zhibang was at a loss. Was this guy sick or something?
"No reason, I just think you're stubborn, so I don't like you," Hao Jian said bluntly.
Then Yuan Zhibang's face darkened; he never expected Hao Jian to be so direct.
Hao Jian was not the kind to return hatred with kindness. Yuan Zhibang had just shown him great disrespect, and Hao Jian was quite vindictive.
"Are you going to call me or not? If not, I'm leaving," Hao Jian started to take a step away, ready to leave.
"Brother-in-law!" Yuan Zhibang shouted with a dark expression, feeling extremely humiliated.
"Aye, that's my good boy."
Hao Jian laughed heartily, then came over and patted Yuan Zhibang on the shoulder:
"Alright, I promise I won't tell Yuan Shanshan."
Yuan Zhibang pulled away, his face expressionless, "Can I go now?"
"Hold on, first tell me how you got the wound on your face," Hao Jian pointed at Yuan Zhibang's face.
Yuan Zhibang's expression became unnatural, subconsciously covering the wound with his hand, annoyed: