"Certainly, they won't honor it! Just, just when we arrived, they, they asked us to inspect the goods, and we inspected them ourselves. They said if we were satisfied, they, they definitely wouldn't, wouldn't admit it."
"After so many years of kinship, they're even trying to trick us. They're not human! They just bully us, an orphan and a widow!"
"Zhu Zi, it's all my fault for implicating you. Your father left early. Your mother and you worked hard for so many years, saving up 60,000 yuan, only to have it all swindled away like this. What can we do now!"
Zhu Zi steadied her emotions.
"First, first, stop crying. I, Aunt Zhang, what she said makes sense. What if she's lying?"
"Whatever she, she says is what it is. What if..."
Zhu Zi's mother realized something. "Then hurry and invite Doctor Zhang from Shili River to come and see her, to see if she's really sick."
"Look at me, so anxious, I've forgotten everything!"
Zhu Zi hurried out again.
Melody waited a long time in the room. After a while, Zhu Zi returned with a middle-aged man wearing glasses, who looked somewhat refined.
Zhu Zi's mother rushed to greet him, offered tea, and then called for Melody to come out.
In rural areas, there were few medical facilities. Doctors relied on experience, and the most advanced diagnostic tool was feeling the pulse.
Melody cooperated fully, extending her wrist to him. Everyone held their breath, watching him as he sometimes frowned and sometimes pondered.
After feeling Melody's wrist for nearly a minute, he withdrew his hand.
"How is it?"
Zhu Zi and his mother eagerly pressed him.
"The condition is not good."
"Ah? She's really sick?"
The doctor shook his head. "Her pulse is very weak and irregular. I can't treat this illness. You should take her to a hospital."
So serious?
It seemed Melody wasn't lying.
The mother and son fell into despair.
Naturally, Zhu Zi didn't dare to touch her that night.
Unable to bear the thought of spending tens of thousands of yuan on such a jinx, Zhu Zi's mother didn't give Melody food that night and didn't provide her with a place to sleep.
Zhu Zi's mother lay on the bed, while Melody sat on the floor.
However, this was much better than the previous night.
Seeing her tossing and turning, unable to sleep and filled with worry, Melody kindly offered a suggestion.
"Seeing as you and your son have had a hard time, spending a lot of money to buy me, and you're still not satisfied, I feel quite embarrassed too."
"How about this, tomorrow you take me to the county town to find a bank. I've saved some money from my previous work. I'll withdraw it and give it to you as compensation for your losses, and then you can let me go."
Such a good thing?
Zhu Zi's mother sat up abruptly.
But she quickly found a flaw.
"Where is your card? How will you withdraw money for me? Stop lying."
"Let me tell you, even if it's useless in our home, there are plenty of widowers who like women like you. Tomorrow I'll discuss with Old Man Li about reselling you to him. Don't try any tricks on me."
Melody hurriedly cried out in injustice.
"Who's playing tricks? I'm telling the truth."
"Banks now have facial recognition systems. You can withdraw money without inserting a card. As long as you agree to let me go, I'll give you all the money in my card."
"All the money? How much?"
"200,000 yuan. Enough for your son to marry three new brides. What do you say?"
"Really?"
"If it's true or not, you'll know when you see it tomorrow, won't you?"
Zhu Zi's mother feared she was playing games. "What if you're lying to me..."
"Then tie me up and only untie me when we get there. Sister, I truly feel you've had it tough. Anyway, I won't live much longer, and the money is useless to me."
Zhu Zi's mother's eyes lit up.