Courtyard House: I, the eldest son of the Jia family, have returned from the battlefield.

But her gait was strange; her body swayed slightly, as if her feet weren't firmly planted on the ground. "This girl...could she be ill?"

He muttered to himself, and his pace involuntarily slowed.

After leaving the grain station, Yu Li went to find several of her close friends from the past.

But in those days, no family was well-off. The girls searched through their pockets and scraped together every spare change, but they only managed to save up a little over six yuan.

She was still more than twenty yuan short of the surgery fee, and her heart felt heavy and suffocated, as if a soaked quilt was pressing down on it.

Thinking of her mother lying in the hospital bed, she gritted her teeth and decided to go to the hospital again, determined to fill the financial hole no matter what.

Perhaps it was the exhaustion from days of running around, or perhaps it was the anxiety that drained her strength, but Yu Li felt dizzy, her throat was dry and sore, and her steps were becoming increasingly unsteady.

Just as she was looking for a place to lean against, a bicycle quietly stopped beside her.

"Yu Li?"

Jia Dongming, straddling the car, frowned as he looked at her pale face. "What happened to you? You look so bad. Should I take you to the hospital?"

Yu Li looked up and saw Jia Dongming. A glint suddenly lit up in her eyes, like a night traveler suddenly spotting a lamp.

She didn't bother with formalities and hurriedly said, "Director Jia... could you... could you lend me twenty-nine yuan? I'll definitely pay you back after I start working, not a penny less!"

These words came suddenly, and Jia Dongming was taken aback for a moment before saying gently, "Don't rush, speak slowly."

What happened? I'll help if I can.

Yu Li seemed to have grasped at a lifeline, and spoke hurriedly: "This morning, my mother suddenly fainted while cleaning the house."

When they arrived at the hospital, the doctor said it was a tumor in their brain and they needed to have surgery immediately... But the surgery was expensive, and their family's savings totaled just over a hundred dollars, which was not enough at all.

I just asked my girlfriends to chip in, and we only managed to raise 6.3 yuan... I'm still short 29 yuan.

"Director Jia, please help me. Once my mother recovers, I will do anything to repay you..."

Brain tumors—even decades from now, they will be a serious illness, let alone in today's world where medical care is rudimentary.

Upon hearing this, Jia Dongming reached into his pocket and pulled out a stack of banknotes—a full hundred yuan—which he then handed to Yu Li's trembling hand.

"Take it first."

His voice wasn't loud, but it was deep and steady: "Come find me if you need more."

Yu Li stood there, stunned, her fingertips unconsciously clenching the hem of her clothes.

The dark green 100-yuan bill lay quietly in Jia Dongming's outstretched palm, like a sudden spring leaf that unexpectedly fell into her frozen heart.

These days, she has experienced the harsh realities of life.

Beside her mother's sickbed, the medicine dripped down like sand in an hourglass, slowly draining away her last bit of hope.

When she stepped into the Yan family's house, she still carried a pitiful warmth in her heart—after all, they were relatives by marriage.

But the old woman crossed her legs, didn't even lift her eyelids, and her words were like poisoned needles: "Money thrown into a bottomless pit will never make a sound. It's better to buy two pounds of meat, at least you'll have a full belly in the end."

Father-in-law Yan Bugui fumbled in the inner pocket of his Zhongshan suit for a while, then picked out a crumpled one-yuan bill with his index finger and thumb. When he handed it over, his eyes darted away as if the bill was too hot to handle.

Yu Li noticed that the pocket of the inscription contained a dark green corner and an even thicker stack of paper.

She didn't take it; that meager one yuan felt more shameful than a slap in the face.

Where was her husband, Yan Jiecheng? Amidst the swirling dust at the grain station, he merely dusted off his sleeves impatiently: "No."

"Earning two cents isn't even enough for my own living expenses."

Twenty-nine pieces.

For just 29 yuan, she could have a chance to survive on the operating table.

But obtaining these twenty-nine pieces was harder than climbing to heaven.

The person in front of her, Jia Dongming, was not related to her at all; they had only met a few times among neighbors.

She mustered her remaining courage, stammered out the number.

He seemed not to have heard the "twenty-nine".

He handed over a hundred-yuan bill without hesitation.

The action was swift and decisive, without the slightest hesitation, and the banknotes were not even given a chance to be displayed, as if they were not a huge sum of money that could crush a family, but merely a glass of water handed out casually.

"This... Director Jia, how can this be..."

Yu Li hurriedly waved her hand, her throat choked with emotion, "Thirty, thirty is enough..."

"Take it."

Without a word, Jia Dongming folded the money and stuffed it into her coat pocket, his movements gentle yet firm. "The surgery is the priority. But the recovery, medication, and nutrition all cost money. This is just to get you out of this situation. We can talk about it later if you need more."

His words were like a blunt hammer, gently unlocking Yu Li's thoughts that had been frozen by anxiety.

Yes, the scalpel falling is just the first hurdle overcome.

The long road to recovery ahead, and the costs she dared not think about in detail, now weighed heavily on her mind with the weight of this banknote, yet strangely, it also brought a sense of support.

Tears welled up in her eyes, and she lowered her head, her voice trembling, "Director Jia... I really don't know how to thank you..."

"What section chief or not?"

Jia Dongming smiled, a smile that dispelled some of the heaviness in the air. "We're all neighbors, just call me Brother Dongming."

Money gives people courage; once you have it, your heart is half at ease.

"Hurry up, which hospital? I'll take you there by bike; we can't afford to waste time at this crucial moment."

"People's Hospital".

Yu Li no longer declined.

I sat on the back of that old bicycle, my fingers gripping a piece of fabric at his waist. The wind whistled past my ears, and the plane trees lining the street rushed past me.

The bumpy wheels seemed to crush her shattered hopes of the past few days, and a mixture of grievance, lingering fear, and the bitterness of her sudden rescue broke down the dam.

"Brother Dongming..."

Her voice was muffled, carried away by the wind, "If I hadn't met you today, I... I don't know what I would have done."

The hospital is pressuring us like crazy…

Jia Dongming gripped the handlebars, staring straight ahead, and casually asked, "Yan Jiecheng... hasn't he thought of a solution? What about Uncle San's side?"

The name was like a thorn, piercing the peace that Yu Li had barely managed to maintain.

She took a deep breath, the icy air stinging her lungs and freezing the last bit of warmth in her voice: "I found it."

Why didn't you look for it?

She recounted, her tone flat as if she were recounting a famous story, from her mother-in-law's sarcastic remarks to her father-in-law's meaningful mention of a single yuan, and then to her husband's avoidance and evasiveness. "I just don't understand," she said.

She finally let out a trembling glint of hatred, "Mingming borrowed it, we signed an IOU and he put his fingerprint on it, that's all! How... how is it harder than taking their lives? I was so blind to have entered this kind of place!"

Jia Dongming silently pressed the pedal.

He had some idea about Yan Bugui's family background.

A new car, a radio, a buzzing television set—aren't they all dazzling brands? But these words can't be spoken at this moment, nor need they be.

Any agreement or consolation would seem inadequate at this moment.

He could only pedal the bike more steadily.

The gray-white gatehouse of the People's Hospital came into view.

Jia Dongming braked the car and braced himself on one foot.

Yu Li jumped down, her eyes and nose red, like a little sparrow that had been battered by the rain.

"Yu Li,"

Jia Dongming looked at her, his tone calm yet carrying a heavy weight, "Life is full of ups and downs."

But no matter how difficult the road, as long as you can still take steps and keep looking forward, there is no road you cannot overcome.

Don't be afraid, keep moving forward, things will pass one by one.

Yu Li looked up at him.

Sunlight pierced through the clouds and fell on the steps at the hospital entrance.

What she held in her hand was not only the life-saving banknote, but also this simple yet powerful sentence.

She nodded heavily, turned around, and strode toward the heavy glass door.

This time, though my steps were still tired, they were no longer unsteady.

Yu Li was touched by those words, her nose tingled slightly, and she replied softly, "Okay, Brother Dongming, I'll remember."

Jia Dongming smiled gently and gestured with his chin toward the hospital entrance: "Go quickly and settle the bill first."

Don't worry about money. If you need more, just come to me anytime.

She nodded, gripped the cloth bag in her hand tightly, turned around and strode into the hospital.

At the emergency room entrance, Yu Haitang was anxiously looking around. As soon as she saw her, she came up to her: "Sister! Why did you take so long? The nurse came to urge you again, saying that if you don't pay soon, the surgery will have to be postponed."

Yu Li didn't explain much, and directly took out a stack of banknotes wrapped in old newspapers from her bag: "How much more do you need? Go and make up the difference."

Yu Haitang's eyes widened when she saw the thick stack of ten-yuan bills: "So many...where did you get them? Could it be from the Yan family...?"

"Don't ask those questions yet."

Yu Li interrupted her, her voice tinged with barely perceptible weariness, "Taking care of Mom's matter is the most important thing."

Yu Haitang then came to her senses, grabbed the money, and ran to the payment window.

Yu Li followed for a few steps, then suddenly stopped and asked, "Which floor is Mom having surgery on?"

"Second floor!"

Yu Haitang turned around and called out, "Wait for me, I'll be up as soon as I'm done!"

Yu Li didn't wait and went straight into the stairwell.

The second-floor corridor was so quiet that you could hear your own footsteps. My father and younger brother sat side by side on a bench, their backs hunched over.

She ran over, her voice trembling slightly, "Dad, how is Mom?"

Mr. Yu raised his head, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes appearing even deeper: "It's been inside for a while now."

The doctor said it was fortunate they were brought in not too late; if they had waited another half a day, the situation would have been unpredictable.

She let out a long sigh of relief, her fingertips unconsciously clutching the hem of her clothes, murmuring repeatedly, "That's good...that's good..."

At this moment, Yu Haitang also came up, stuffed the remaining money back into her sister's hand, and couldn't help but lower her voice to ask, "Sister, where did this money come from? Yan Bugui, that miser, even charged me for half a bowl of rice when I visited you. How could he be so generous this time?"

"Begonia!"

Mr. Yu's face darkened as he reprimanded, "That's your brother-in-law's house, watch your words."

"Dad, did I say something wrong?"

Yu Haitang raised her chin defiantly, "If Yan Jiecheng truly considered me family, would he be so stingy as to not even part with a hot meal?"

Yu Li was silent for a moment, then a very faint smile appeared on her lips: "Haitang is right."

"It's better to disown a brother-in-law like that."

These words stunned Yu Haitang.

She leaned closer, lowering her voice even further: "Sister, this money... really wasn't given by the Yan family?"

Mr. Yu also noticed something was wrong, his gaze falling on his daughter's pale face: "Xiao Li, tell Dad the truth, have you been wronged?"

Yu Li turned her face away, staring at the glaring red light on the operating room door, her voice as cold as if it had been doused with water: "I went to see my mother-in-law, and she said that the money in the house was not under her control, and implied that she thought our family had too many problems."

I went to the school to find my father-in-law again. He searched his pockets and only pulled out one yuan, but I clearly saw that there was a stack of small change inside.

Finally, I went to Yan Jiecheng. When he heard I needed money, he turned around and said he didn't have any, without even asking what illness my mother had.

Yu Haitang's chest heaved as she listened, her teeth grinding together: "This family... Sister, you really went down a dangerous path!"

"Begonia!"

When her father stopped her, he turned to look at his eldest daughter with worry in his eyes. "No matter how wrong the Yan family is, they are still your husband's family."

Who...borrowed this money?

Yu Li did not answer immediately.

A breeze blew from the end of the corridor, lifting a few stray hairs from her forehead.

The smell of disinfectant in the hospital corridor was so strong it made my nose sting.

Yu Li clutched the stack of small bills, the sweat on her palms making the edges of the banknotes soft.

Her father's withered hand suddenly pressed down on her wrist, his voice low: "Where did this money come from?"

The image of that sharply defined face immediately flashed through her mind—the man who had intercepted her halfway, his military green satchel slung across his shoulder, standing against the setting sun, his shadow stretching long. "I went to look for Juanzi and the others..."

He changed the subject at the last minute, saying, "I ran into my neighbor on the way; he's the one who gave it to me."

"Neighbor?"

Yu Haitang, who was squatting beside the bench, suddenly looked up, her ponytail swinging in an arc. "Isn't that the one I ran into at the gate of the compound last time? The one surnamed Jia?"

"It's Director Jia."

Yu Li only realized the form of address had changed when she blurted it out.