Chapter 119: A Sum of Money

Chapter 119: Chapter 119: A Sum of Money

"Blood oxygen is more critical than the mother’s nutrition. Sometimes, if the mother experiences chest tightness and shortness of breath, she’ll have to come to the hospital for oxygen therapy once or twice a day. Over time, that gets expensive."

The doctor’s implication was clear.

He was leaving it to Su Wan and her family to consider their options carefully.

"We understand, Doctor. We’ll go home and think it over." Su Jue saw Su Wan’s brow knitted in worry. Afraid that more questions would upset her, he decided to stop.

"Wanwan, let’s go."

Su Jue reached out to help Su Wan, and they walked out of the hospital.

Meanwhile, Aunt Zhao, carrying their bag and luggage, went to pick up the prescription from the hospital pharmacy.

Su Jue had Su Wan sit on a bench near the entrance to wait.

"Wanwan, you need to discuss this with your husband, but no matter what, your safety comes first." Su Jue frowned as he shared his thoughts.

Su Wan’s eyes reddened as tears streamed down her face. She placed a hand on her belly. "Third Brother, I don’t want to give up on either of my babies."

"Can you help me keep this from Lu Zhengchuan for now? He’s at a competition and unreachable. What if he finds out and it affects him so much that something happens?" Tears dripped from Su Wan’s eyes, and Su Jue’s heart ached watching her.

He said angrily, "Wanwan, are you being foolish? You’re suffering so much right now, and you still want to hide it from Lu Zhengchuan? If he thinks carrying these two babies is easy, how can he ever appreciate what you’re going through?"

"Third Brother, I’m starting to panic, but no matter what, I won’t give up on either baby. It’s just taking medicine and getting treatment. I’m willing to pay for it."

Su Wan’s mind felt hazy. The overwhelming grief made it feel like her head and chest were about to burst. All she could do was repeat the same sentence over and over, trying to make her position clear.

Su Jue clenched his fists.

"Wanwan, I know. Don’t be scared. Your third brother will support you."

"Wanwan, Ajue, I’ve got the medicine," Aunt Zhao called out as she returned, holding some money and ration coupons. "This is a month’s supply. It cost fifteen sixty."

’That’s a very high price.’ If Aunt Zhao had heard that number in her younger days, she would have had an abortion without a second thought. Some families in even worse situations would just tie a rope tightly around the woman’s belly until, after a long time, the baby was lost.

’Poverty was to blame for it all. Fortunately... Wanwan’s family had the money to come to the hospital.’

As Aunt Zhao thought about it, she didn’t feel it was good news at all. She was just afraid of how much Su Wan was about to suffer.

"Wanwan, don’t you worry. I’m here to take care of you. I’ll make sure to cook you the best food." There wasn’t much else Aunt Zhao could do to help.

They took a tricycle cab back home.

Aunt Zhao went straight into the kitchen to steam an egg custard and mix up some protein powder.

"Wanwan, I heard the Yu family’s sister-in-law down the alley bought some kind of milk that isn’t gamey at all and is very nutritious. I’m going to ask where she got it." With a basket containing some mung beans on her arm, Aunt Zhao told the two of them before heading out.

Su Wan sniffled and managed a small "mhm." Su Jue nodded and added, "If you can get it, order some, no matter the cost."

"Alright."

Worried she wouldn’t be able to get any, Aunt Zhao hurried out the door.

Su Jue went into his room. A moment later, he returned with a bankbook and a wallet.

"Wanwan, this is the money I’ve earned lately. It’s about two hundred sixty-five yuan, seven mao, and two fen in total."

"You take this for now. The bulk of it, two hundred yuan, is in the bankbook."

Su Wan’s heart melted when she saw the money.

"Third Brother, I still have money. I have over seven hundred yuan left." Su Wan shook her head, refusing to take his money.

"If I need more money later, I’ll definitely let you know. What I have now should be enough. Even if I need oxygen therapy, it’s about two to three yuan a day. That’s around sixty to one hundred yuan a month."

"Lu Zhengchuan gives me an allowance of one hundred yuan a month. With that and my savings, it’s enough."

Su Wan explained, essentially laying out her entire financial situation.

Su Jue shook his head. "The expenses you mentioned only cover the monthly medicine and oxygen. You haven’t factored in the check-ups. Today’s examination alone cost seven or eight yuan. If you need frequent monitoring, the examination fees will probably be even higher."

"Then there are the delivery costs. If the babies are born too small, they’ll need injections, medication, and have to stay in one of those special observation units. All in all, it’s going to require a substantial amount of money."

"We need to prepare for all these costs. Lu Zhengchuan is in the military, so his stipend is fixed, and he can’t run a business. The only way he could get a large sum of money quickly would be to borrow from his commanding officers or comrades. There’s no other way."

"His stipend isn’t bad for normal times, but when you need cash in a hurry, you have to do business to earn it."

Su Jue mused, "Wanwan, I’m thinking of asking Second Brother or Eldest Brother to go on a business trip with me. I can take leave from school and go back to my classes in half a month."

"No," Su Wan refused without a moment’s hesitation.

"Third Brother, you can always earn more money later. You can’t neglect your studies."

Her heart, which had been fraught with anxiety, eased somewhat knowing that Su Jue supported her decision to keep both babies.

She knew her third brother was right; the biggest problem now was raising money.

"Third Brother, how about this? You were right the other day. We can ask Mom to come," Su Wan said, having racked her brain. "When Mom gets here, she can start a little business selling fried dough sticks and tea eggs."

"It’s a small-scale business. Our startup costs would be around a few dozen yuan. If it goes well, we could probably earn ten to twenty yuan a day. That would be a few hundred a month, which would be more than enough. It would just be hard work for Mom. After the babies are born and I’ve recovered enough to work, I’ll pay her back."

Su Wan didn’t want to use her mother’s money, but the real issue was that they were short-handed for the business.

It was better to have a family member do it than a stranger. That way, they could earn some money too.

If she hired a stranger, what was to stop them from taking the profits for themselves once they started making money? There weren’t any contracts or rules to speak of back then.

"Alright. I’ll call Mom."

Su Jue agreed it was a good plan.

"Third Brother, don’t rush into your business plan. Let’s first figure out whether Eldest Brother or Second Brother will get the driver job. Whoever doesn’t get it can come here once our situation is more stable."

"But..." Su Wan’s thoughts turned to her second sister-in-law, who was also due to give birth soon.

"Second Sister-in-law is about to give birth. If Mom isn’t home to look after her, Second Brother won’t be able to learn to drive without worrying."

Su Jue said, "That’s simple enough. Mom won’t be there, but Eldest Sister-in-law will. She’s very capable. We can rest easy with her there."

"Third Brother, you should send some money back to Eldest Sister-in-law, then. With Mom gone, it will be a big change for them. It doesn’t have to be a lot of money, but..."

"Wanwan, we’ll talk about the money later. First, I’m going to call Mom and tell her what’s happening," Su Jue interrupted. "Don’t you worry about all this. I’ll take care of it."