"My son, I'm so glad I finally reached you. Where have you been these past few months? Mom couldn't contact you. This must be the last call Mom makes to you. Mom isn't doing well, you... you need to take care of yourself... It's a shame Mom won't see you get married and have children..."
Li Se, still in prison, was stunned when he answered his mother's call and heard her weak voice.
Three months ago, he was supposed to marry his girlfriend Zhang Yunyun. His family had scraped together, borrowing a lot of money from relatives, to gather the 300,000 yuan for the bride price.
Li Se thought his happy life was about to begin. But then his mother fell ill, and the surgery cost 300,000 yuan!
He had no choice but to ask Zhang Yunyun for the 300,000 yuan. But at that very moment, Zhang Yunyun's brother had gotten into a fight and was facing jail time. Zhang Yunyun's mother said that if he was willing to serve the sentence in his brother's place, they would cover the surgery costs.
Li Se thought it would only be a few months, so he agreed. His mother didn't know that he had gone to prison for three months in place of Zhang Yunyun's brother, and today was the day he was supposed to be released.
He had expected his mother to have recovered by the time he got out, and he would then marry Zhang Yunyun. He never imagined he would receive this call from his mother.
Had Zhang Yunyun never actually produced the 300,000 yuan for the surgery?
"Get out of the ward immediately! Still hanging around the hospital with no money? Do you think this is a charity?"
*Snap!*
The call was disconnected.
Li Se's expression changed drastically. His mother was being kicked out of the hospital for not having money for treatment. His body trembled, and he yelled into the phone, "No, Mom, I'll be right back! Wait for me, Mom, just wait for me..."
He tried to call back, but there was no answer.
Li Se went mad. His mother was his only family in this world. To get Zhang Yunyun to return the 300,000 yuan, he was willing to go to jail for Zhang Yunyun's brother, all so his mother could receive treatment.
But it hadn't happened!
Zhang Yunyun hadn't produced the 300,000 yuan!
"Zhang Yunyun, why are you doing this to me?" Li Se roared.
Anger, disappointment, and other emotions surged through him.
Li Se touched the jade pendant around his neck. During his three months in prison, he had been beaten several times early on. Once, he bled, and his blood dripped onto the jade pendant, allowing him to inherit his ancestral legacy.
He was now proficient in all aspects of medicine, destiny, astrology, and divination!
When he got out this time, he would make Zhang Yunyun's family regret everything!
"Li Se, you can go out now."
At that moment, a prison guard walked over and told him.
Li Se lingered no longer. He just wanted to see his mother as quickly as possible. After leaving prison, he ran all the way to the hospital.
Soon, he found his mother, who had been driven out to the corridor.
"Mom..." Li Se's voice was hoarse, his eyes slightly bloodshot, especially when he saw his mother's thin, sallow face. She looked nothing like she did three months ago.
"My son, Mom finally sees you... Mom is content to see you one last time," his mother Chen Xiulian said with a smile.
"Mom, where's Zhang Yunyun?" Li Se asked.
Chen Xiulian sighed, "Sigh, ever since you disappeared, she never came again. I even asked the nurses to help find her, but they weren't willing to come. They said you were in jail. My son, tell Mom, have you been in jail these past three months? Did you do something wrong?"
Zhang Yunyun's family not coming made Chen Xiulian feel cold, but her son being in jail was heartbreaking.
Li Se didn't know how to explain his past three months. He clenched his fists; he felt like killing someone. To scrape together the 300,000 yuan for the bride price, his mother had worked tirelessly day and night and even swallowed her pride to borrow from all their relatives. To get that 300,000 yuan back, he went to jail for Zhang Yunyun's brother. And what did he get in return?
From the day he entered prison, Zhang Yunyun had never reappeared!
"Where have you been these past few months?" Chen Xiulian asked, tears streaming down her face. "Were you really in jail?"
"Mom, I..." Li Se didn't know how to explain.
"Sigh!" Chen Xiulian saw Li Se's demeanor and knew that Zhang Yunyun's family was right. She sighed, "Although Zhang Yunyun hasn't come, her mother visited once. She said you were in jail and that you could never marry her daughter. She said she would absolutely not marry a convict. As for the 300,000 yuan bride price, it's impossible to get back. She said it was your fault. I didn't believe her at the time..."
As she spoke, Chen Xiulian sobbed.
Li Se truly hadn't expected Zhang Yunyun's family to be so despicable. He had gone to jail in place of Zhang Yunyun's brother, yet Zhang Yunyun's family not only failed to care for his mother but didn't even pay for her medical expenses. They even called him a convict.
Damn them! They were truly damned!
He would make Zhang Yunyun's family pay the price!
"Mom, everything will pass," Li Se took a deep breath. The most important thing now was to get his mother treated.
After acquiring his ancestral legacy, his medical skills had reached their peak. Even without examining his mother, he immediately knew her physical condition.
*Tap tap tap...*
Just then, footsteps sounded in the corridor.
"Li Se?"
A familiar voice called out.
Hearing the voice, Li Se's face immediately darkened. The person who had arrived was none other than Zhang Yunyun.
"Zhang Yunyun!" Li Se gritted his teeth. He truly had the urge to kill Zhang Yunyun.
"Why didn't you tell me you were getting out of jail in advance?"
Zhang Yunyun walked over quickly, her face full of concern. "It's good that you're out. Come with me and transfer the house to me quickly."
"Transfer the house to you?" Li Se found it absurd.
Zhang Yunyun said, "You promised to transfer the house to me when you got out. Come with me now. Your house is a bit small, but it's barely usable for my brother's wedding."
Li Se laughed, a grim laugh. "Transfer the house to your brother for his wedding, then where will I live?"
Zhang Yunyun smiled and said, "You can earn more later. I believe in your abilities."
Earn more?
To scrape together the 300,000 yuan for the bride price and this house, his mother had emptied all their savings. Yet now, she was casually told to earn more.
Li Se felt he had been blind to have fallen for this woman. His eyes turned red as he said, "Zhang Yunyun, before I went in, you promised to pay my mother's medical expenses. Why didn't you? And my mother just said that you haven't even visited her once in these three months. Your mother even came and said she couldn't possibly marry you to me. Tell me, why is this?"
Zhang Yunyun felt a bit guilty but still said righteously, "What are you shouting about? You're a convict now. Do you think I can still marry a convict? Besides, your mother is already waiting to die. The money spent on her might as well be spent on me."
"Of course, if you transfer the house to me now, I'm still willing to give you a chance."