Back to the 1980s: Becoming the Villain's Lucky Wife

"When Xiao Tao goes stealing, you let him. When Xiao Tao gets into fights, the first thing you ask is if his hand hurts, without ever disciplining him. It’s all your fault he’s turned out this way."

Mr. Qin’s eyes bulged. "You! You wretched girl, are you trying to kill me with anger?!"

"Have some confidence, Grandpa. You’re tougher than you think. My uncle got locked up for robbery, Xiao Tao stole from you, he goes out brawling... and all that did was make you sick with anger. It hasn’t killed you yet, has it?"

"After the way you treated my parents, the way you treated our family, we were still soft-hearted enough to rush back the moment we heard you were sick. Aren’t you happy to see us? If not, then I guess it’s our fault. We shouldn’t have shown up at all."

Mr. Qin was left completely stunned. He felt he should argue back, but he didn’t know what to say.

The old man who had spoken up at the beginning fell silent.

’Every family has its own problems.’ That saying was certainly true.

Besides, it wasn’t like his sons weren’t taking care of him. They’d rushed back from so far away, hadn’t they?

As for the grandson, they didn’t know the full story there either.

Just then, Qin Zhonghui and Qin Bogang followed the doctor into his office. "Frankly, your father’s condition isn’t good," the doctor said. "He looks fine right now, but he’s in the late stages of lung cancer, and the cells have metastasized. You can take him to a bigger city for treatment, or you can take him home. The decision is yours."

Qin Zhonghui and Qin Bogang glanced at each other. Qin Zhonghui asked, "If we take him to a big city, can he be cured?"

The doctor shook his head. "But it could give him a few more years. Of course, the treatment isn’t just expensive. The patient also has to be willing to undergo chemotherapy."

That process can be very painful, and some patients can’t endure it.

Qin Zhonghui and Qin Bogang left the office in silence. The two brothers walked out onto a terrace and lit up cigarettes.

Qin Zhonghui lit Qin Bogang’s cigarette for him. "Brother, what are your thoughts?" he asked.

Qin Bogang sighed. "What can we do? He’s our dad. If he’s willing to cooperate, we have to get him treated. But my family’s financial situation..."

Qin Zhonghui said, "I can figure something out for the money. And I agree with you, he’s our dad. We have to get this treated. Even one more year would be good. But, Brother, will Dad even agree to the treatment?"

Qin Bogang fell silent.

They knew better than anyone just how obstinate and stubborn their father could be.

Then there was the issue of who would look after Xiao Tao.

Finally, Qin Bogang said, "Let’s check Dad out of the hospital for now. The doctor here said there’s nothing more they can do. Then we’ll call Second Great-Uncle and the other clan elders to discuss this all together."

If worse came to worst, they would have to sell the family house. After all, the cost of treating cancer was immense; neither Qin Zhonghui nor Qin Bogang could afford it on their own.

Qin Zhonghui nodded. For now, it was their only option.

Meanwhile, Mr. Qin, though his legs wouldn’t move, was still full of vigor and had no desire to keep spending money in the hospital. He was worried about his precious grandson, so he urged Qin Bogang to get him discharged as quickly as possible.

The group hired a car and took Mr. Qin back to Three Families Village together.

With more and more people leaving to find work over the years, the village was exceptionally quiet outside of the holidays.

A closer look revealed that the only people on the roads were either young children or gray-haired elders. Qin Jiao glanced around, knowing this would be the reality of rural life for the next decade or more.

The young and able-bodied would slowly leave to find work, and the village would be left with only children and the elderly.