My daily work as a doctor: My treatment value is increasing.

Chapter 104 Discussion (4,000 words)

Wang Lili slammed the red and white checkered apron, which she hadn't had time to tie, onto the stool. The crisp sound of the fabric rubbing together was particularly jarring in the living room.

Her words were filled with deep grievance and sadness, and she cried out, "You're all ganging up on me! I can't live like this anymore! I don't want to live anymore!"

She covered her face tightly with her chubby right hand and rushed headlong into the bedroom.

With a "bang," the bedroom door was slammed shut, cutting off the view from the living room.

Before long, suppressed sobbing could be heard from the bedroom, intermittently mixed with accusations against everyone: "I work myself to the bone serving this whole family and nobody cares. I get yelled at for saying a word to my daughter-in-law. God, is there any justice in this family?!"

Xia Xiaohong remained indifferent, nestled on the sofa playing on her phone, the screen's light illuminating her expressionless face.

She wasn't worried at all that her mother-in-law would actually do something rash; she'd seen plenty of this kind of dramatic scene of crying, making a scene, and threatening suicide since she married into the family.

Hearing the noise from his home, Li Aijun's already bad complexion darkened further. He felt the veins in his temples throbbing and his liver area aching slightly.

Since his son got married, this kind of thing, this kind of argument, happens every few days, and he's long since become numb to it.

Xia Xiaohong rolled her eyes and looked at her father-in-law, saying, "Dad, you should really keep an eye on Mom. She's getting more and more pretentious these days."

Her tone was sarcastic and unconvincing, showing no fear whatsoever of her mother-in-law who was throwing a tantrum.

Let her make a fuss, anyway, she'll still have to obediently come out and serve her in the end.

Moreover, from the moment she entered the house, she realized that the real person in charge of the family was not her mother-in-law.

Despite her loud and boisterous demeanor, she is merely an appendage; her father-in-law firmly controls the family finances.

As long as her father-in-law can tolerate her, everything will be fine.

When they were young, Li Aijun and Wang Lili had a very good relationship, but as they grew older, Li Aijun gradually became indifferent and even annoyed.

He doesn't intend to ruin his relationship with his son and daughter-in-law because of his spouse, since he will still need his son to support him in his old age.

But out of consideration for his reputation, Li Aijun still reluctantly defended his wife, scolding her with a stern face: "Say less. She is still your mother-in-law. Don't go too far in your actions."

Although he maintained a stern expression, Li Aijun's tone softened noticeably when he was alone with Xia Xiaohong.

Xia Xiaohong was willing to listen to her father-in-law, after all, he was the breadwinner of the family.

However, he is also the one who usually ignores arguments and remains uninvolved.

Since Li Aijun actually tried to stop her, Xia Xiaohong just pursed her lips, nodded, and remained silent.

With the meager earnings of her husband, Li Xiaofeng, it would be difficult for him to support himself without the help of his parents, let alone her and the child in her womb.

Not to mention her family back home always seems to want her to help them out, and besides, she still has to support that person—

Thinking of that person, Xia Xiaohong's originally shrewd and calculating heart softened, and she couldn't help but gently stroke her belly, her eyes revealing tenderness: "My child with him, this is his bloodline."

After calming her excited emotions, Xia Xiaohong secretly reminded herself that she must not be discovered by others.

Of course, she didn't know that someone had already noticed something was wrong.

"I still have to appease this family and find a way to get some more money out of them," she resolved in her heart.

Li Aijun, dragging his frail body, staggered into Wang Lili's room. He said something, and eventually managed to coax Wang Lili out.

However, when she came out, her eyes were slightly red. She rubbed her eyes and wiped away the tear stains with a tissue, trying to pretend that nothing had happened.

Xia Xiaohong didn't get up and remained lying on the sofa, not even thinking of apologizing or breaking the ice, and didn't even give her a glance.

It was too late to cook dinner, so Li Aijun could only call Li Xiaofeng, who had just finished get off work, and ask him to bring some good dishes from the restaurant on his way back.

When the whole family was sitting around the dining table, he thought he would take a bottle of wine from the wine cabinet and have a couple of drinks to soothe his agitated mood.

After standing up, I remembered that my liver was failing and the doctor had repeatedly told me not to drink alcohol.

So she sat down again, her face full of sorrow, and solemnly informed her son and daughter-in-law: "I haven't been feeling well these past few days, and I was thinking of going to the hospital for a checkup. The doctor said I have cirrhosis and need to be hospitalized."

Li Xiaofeng, who was engrossed in eating, was startled when he heard the news. His chopsticks stopped in mid-air, and he couldn't help but look up at his father.

He chewed the food in his mouth, and after swallowing, he asked hesitantly, "Is the doctor sure? Haven't you always been healthy?"

He never imagined that his father, the pillar of the family, would be so vulnerable as to fall seriously ill.

In his memory, his father, Li Aijun, was always like a mountain pressing down on him, dignified, powerful, and unshakeable.

When he was a child, his parents were not particularly close to him because they disliked that he was too noisy and would cry at the drop of a hat, so they often left him alone at home.

Only his aunt, Li Ailan, was willing to coax him and take him home when no one else could take care of him.

He was free and lively at his aunt's house, but because he was too close to his aunt, his parents were not happy about it. They always felt that his aunt was trying to win him over, which made him less close to his parents.

Therefore, as he got older, he visited his aunt's house less and less often.

Li Xiaofeng's grades were not good, and the most common criticism he heard about his studies was: "We pay for your schooling every year, and this is the score you get?"

"Spending money on you is a waste; look at so-and-so—"

In such an environment, Li Xiaofeng chose to shut himself off. He became increasingly cowardly and incompetent, with accusations weighing heavily on his mind.

He couldn't understand why his parents always praised him highly in public, showing him special importance and portraying him as both filial and sensible.

But when he got home, all they did was criticize and complain. They complained that he was always hunched over, timid and not upright enough, and that his grades were bad and he hadn't brought them any honor.

As Li Xiaofeng grew older, he finally understood that his parents' attitude towards him at home was their true opinion of him.

In front of outsiders, they pretend to be nonchalant and flaunt what they have just to save face for others, enjoying their praise: "You're living the good life."

1

"My son is so filial."

Li Xiaofeng became increasingly silent. He obeyed his parents' orders and had no thoughts of his own. Apart from marrying Xia Xiaohong, he accepted his parents' arrangements for everything.

Actually, meeting Xia Xiaohong was just a coincidence.

Xia Xiaohong was arguing with someone at the time. Others thought she was shrewish and unreasonable, but Li Xiaofeng thought she was cute.

Perhaps because he was more attracted to complementary people, he fell in love with Xia Xiaohong at first sight.

Actually, his parents did not agree to their marriage at the time, but Li Xiaofeng gritted his teeth and refused to budge, which was the first time he had ever insisted on such a thing.

In the end, his parents couldn't change his mind and chose to accept this daughter-in-law.

Li Xiaofeng was extremely excited and happy when he heard the news.

It wasn't just because his feelings were accepted, but also because he successfully defied his parents' arrangements for the first time.

Furthermore, he was finally able to marry Xia Xiaohong, who seemed like an angel.

He was looking forward to life with his wife after marriage, and his parents promised to buy them a house for their wedding.

Li Xiaofeng had already decided that he would no longer live with Li Aijun and Wang Lili. He and Li Aijun would live a life of their own, and life would be wonderful.

However, not long after the two moved into their new house, Li Aijun and Wang Lili moved in without any pretense, claiming they were there to take care of them, and that's how they ended up living there.

Li Xiaofeng was unwilling to return to a life of being controlled, but he was too proud to speak up.

He knew his own incompetence and wanted to change himself, but he was powerless to do so.

Even after marriage, Xia Xiaohong always found various reasons to argue with her parents and complain about him.

But Li Xiaofeng felt guilty towards her, and the promised time together between the two of them didn't come to fruition.

Xia Xiaohong was understandably angry, since he hadn't spoken up during their arguments after they got married, and he hadn't kept his promises.

As the parents have grown older and realized they need to rely on their son, their attitude has gradually changed over the years, but it is still a domineering and oppressive one, only now they try to move the son with their emotions.

Will it really move him? Li Xiaofeng was confused. He still remembered the trauma from his childhood, the pain and struggle, and the painful moments from his childhood kept replaying in his mind.

But the weight of filial piety weighed heavily on his shoulders, and he still couldn't completely sever this family bond.

Li Xiaofeng, who was usually silent at the dinner table, rarely spoke up and asked, "Cirrhosis, huh?"

He knew the name, but he didn't know the specifics of his father's condition. He could only continue to inquire about his father's test results at the hospital.

He shoveled rice into his bowl, forced down the food in his mouth, and finally said, "If it needs treatment, it needs treatment."

He had barely finished speaking when he felt someone kick him hard under the table. Looking in that direction, he saw Xia Xiaohong rolling her eyes and looking disgusted.

Her eyes flashed with murderous intent, her meaning crystal clear: We'll talk about this when we get back to our room tonight!

The atmosphere at the dining table was strange; no one spoke anymore, only the clinking of bowls and chopsticks could be heard.

At night, the couple lay on the double bed in the master bedroom with the lights off, the room was pitch black and very quiet.

Li Xiaofeng's idea was that since Xia Xiaohong wouldn't speak first, he wouldn't either.

Under this stalemate, Xia Xiaohong finally couldn't help but speak up first.

She cleared her throat, breaking the silence: "What are your thoughts on your father's condition?"

Li Xiaofeng's voice sounded slightly muffled, perhaps because he was lying down. He turned over and said to his wife with his back to her, "What else can I think? The old man is sick, so we still have to take him to the doctor."

Xia Xiaohong was furious: "You make it sound so easy! Do you even know how much it will cost him?"

She shoved her newly bought phone in front of Li Xiaofeng, and immediately noticed the three prominent words: "Cirrhosis of the Liver".

Below is a densely packed page explaining cirrhosis.

Xia Xiaohong looked displeased: "Look what they said! Cirrhosis at your father's level requires a long hospital stay. What will my child and I do if we run out of money?"

"I'm about to give birth soon, and your dad had to get sick right when I'm about to give birth. Of all times, he didn't get sick, but he did it right when I'm about to give birth."

Her words were so vicious that Li Xiaofeng couldn't stand them and interrupted, "The timing of illness isn't something my dad can decide. Who wants to be sick!"

"You—" Xia Xiaohong didn't expect that Li Xiaofeng, who was usually so quiet, would dare to talk back to her today, and she was about to start a fight.

But then I thought, these are his own parents. If I say something too harsh, it might trigger his rebellious streak and make him listen to them again, which would be a loss.

So, she patiently coaxed, "I'm only thinking about our little family. Think about it, we only have so much money. If it all goes to your dad, what will happen to me and your child?"

"You promised to give me a good life." As she spoke, Xia Xiaohong forced out a sob.

Li Xiaofeng was easily swayed by her charm and couldn't resist his wife's tears, so he comforted her again, going along with Xia Xiaohong's idea: "Let's see how it goes. If my father's illness can be cured, we'll continue treatment."

He paused, then gritted his teeth and said, "If it doesn't work, we'll see."

She still couldn't win him over, and Xia Xiaohong could only remain silent. After sulking for a while, she heard even breathing sounds coming from beside her.

That heartless person is already asleep.

The next morning, Li Aijun and his wife got up to pack their luggage, as they had arranged to be admitted to the hospital that afternoon.

When the two of them tiptoed out, afraid of waking their sleeping son and daughter-in-law and triggering another round of arguments, they saw Xia Xiaohong busy in the restaurant.

She had been thinking all night and woke up early, quietly lifting the covers.

Using the dim light filtering in from the window, she glanced at her husband's unguarded sleeping face, a complex emotion flashing in her eyes.

There was disdain, there was helplessness, but more than anything, there was a calculation of being about to take control of the situation.

After putting on her coat, she quietly slipped out of the bedroom and gently closed the door.

The living room was quiet, and the in-laws' bedroom door remained tightly closed.

Xia Xiaohong's lips curled into a barely perceptible cold smile as she walked into the bathroom and carefully examined her face in the mirror.

"Cirrhosis—" she murmured, her eyes devoid of any sympathy, as if scrutinizing a check about to be handed to her.

Li Xiaofeng's words last night, "If it needs treatment, it should be treated," made her furious.

No matter what, they are his parents. If Li Xiaofeng refuses to stand with her, she is unwilling to give up.

Does this good-for-nothing really think she's the kind of foolish woman who would empty her family's savings for her in-laws? Medical treatment costs money, and it's a bottomless pit.

But after thinking it over repeatedly last night, Xia Xiaohong felt that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

My father-in-law holds the reins of the family finances, so it's very difficult to get more money out of him.

Now that he is sick, his psychological defenses are at their weakest.

If you just show a little bit of filial piety, even if it's just an act, you might be able to squeeze some real benefits out of him.