Unconventional [Rebirth] - Chapter 11

Wang Xiaorui’s father’s name was Wang Zigang, and her mother was Liu Min. Wang Zigang’s parents had passed away early, and he had no other siblings. Shortly after Wang Xiaorui was born, he went to the big city of JiaHai to work. At first, he would frequently send money and letters back, but later, the money became less and less, and the letters stopped coming. Finally, there was no news for many years.

Liu Min’s initial worry turned into despair. As a wife, she had a premonition that Wang Zigang might have another woman in JiaHai and would no longer care for her and their daughter.

Liu Min poured all her heart into her daughter. She would work herself to death to put her daughter through school. She was ready to depend on her daughter for the rest of her life, but she didn’t expect Wang Zigang, who had disappeared for many years, to suddenly return.

Wang Zigang had long changed his identity in JiaHai. He had remarried, and his son was almost eight years old! This time, he came back mainly to find a suitable heart for his son, Wang Xiao, who had a heart condition.

Wang Xiaorui was Wang Xiao’s half-sister, and there was a high chance that she could save him.

Liu Min didn’t know Wang Zigang’s true motive. After hearing his repentance and his promise to take them to JiaHai to live a good life, she softened. She really couldn’t afford to send her daughter to college by herself. After thinking it over, she took her daughter and got into Wang Zigang’s car.

Before leaving Qing City, Liu Min’s appendicitis flared up again, which delayed their train. Wang Zigang took them to the hospital, and the doctor said she needed immediate surgery. The mother and daughter didn’t have the money for the surgery, so Wang Zigang had to pay for it himself.

Now, Liu Min and her daughter, along with Wang Zigang, were still at the hospital.

At the hospital.

Wang Xiaorui was peeling an apple for her mother on the bed, all the while thinking about how to escape from Wang Zigang once Liu Min was discharged. She grew up without a father and was very wary of people. She didn’t trust Wang Zigang, who had suddenly appeared, from the very beginning. As expected, she discovered his real intentions. She also found out that he hadn’t even gone to arrange for her to take a leave of absence from school. The past two days he had been running around for their sake were all an act.

In Wang Zigang’s eyes, there was no need to arrange a leave of absence for someone who was about to die.

Wang Xiaorui had never met Wang Zigang before and had no affection for him. To her, her so-called biological father was just a stranger, not to mention that this stranger was trying to use her life to save someone else’s.

Even if Liu Min hadn’t been delayed by appendicitis, she would not have left with a stranger like Wang Zigang.

She hadn’t told Liu Min the truth, not because she was afraid of worrying her, but because she was afraid that Liu Min wouldn’t be able to control her temper and would reveal their plans to Wang Zigang. Moreover, Liu Min was pinning all her hopes on Wang Zigang to take them to JiaHai to live in a big house and have a good life. Even if she told her, Liu Min might not believe her.

Liu Min looked at her silent daughter and sighed. “We’ve been delayed for so many days. I don’t know if you’ll be able to keep up with a good school in JiaHai, and with your quiet personality, will you be able to get along with your new classmates…”

Wang Xiaorui was silent for a while and then said, “Mom, the town is great. Can’t we just not go to JiaHai?”

Liu Min glared at her daughter. “How can the town compare to a big city like JiaHai? Didn’t you see your dad just spend hundreds of yuan? It would take me a year of mending shoes to save up that much money.”

Wang Xiaorui said nothing else. Her expression became even colder.

It was almost one in the afternoon. Wang Zigang, who had gone out to buy lunch before twelve, still hadn’t returned.

Liu Min was a little worried. “Rui Rui, go outside and look for your dad. Maybe he got lost. After all, he hasn’t been back for so long and isn’t familiar with this area.”

Wang Xiaorui frowned. “He goes out every day. How could he get lost?”

Liu Min saw that her daughter wasn’t getting up and said angrily, “That’s your own father. Is it so hard for you to go out and look for him?”

Wang Xiaorui didn’t say anything else. She handed the peeled apple to her mother, got up, and went out.

She had only walked a few steps from the hospital room when she heard someone calling her from behind.

“Xiaorui! What are you doing here?”

Wang Xiaorui turned around in surprise and saw Jiang Rui running toward her with a gift box in his hand.

“My mom just had her appendix removed and is in the hospital. What are you doing here?” Wang Xiaorui asked him.

Jiang Rui thought to himself, I’m here to find you, of course.

“I’m also here to visit a relative for my mom, but my relative was discharged, so I was about to leave. Is Auntie doing okay? I heard that although appendicitis isn’t a serious illness, the pain can be terrible.”

Wang Xiaorui didn’t think much of it. “It’s nothing serious. After the surgery, she’ll recover quickly after a period of rest.”

Jiang Rui handed the gift box to her. “My relative was discharged anyway, so this is useless to me. You should take it to help Auntie recover.”

Wang Xiaorui didn’t know what was inside, but she could tell from the packaging that it was not cheap. She immediately pushed it back. “No, no. This is too expensive. You should take it back, or your parents will scold you.”

Jiang Rui had brought the gift box specifically for Liu Min, so he couldn’t possibly take it back. He insisted that she take it.

Wang Xiaorui couldn’t argue with him and could only accept it.

Jiang Rui then asked, “Were you about to go out?”

Wang Xiaorui nodded. She had known Jiang Rui since they were young, and their relationship was very close. She didn’t hide anything from him and told him about Wang Zigang.

Jiang Rui frowned after hearing her story. “Xiaorui, don’t mind me being direct, but after what you just told me, I feel like your dad has another purpose for coming back. He’s doing well outside, so why would he suddenly have a change of heart after so many years and want to take you to JiaHai? He seems so impatient about it, too…”

This time, Wang Xiaorui didn’t say anything.

“I know you’re smart. I’m just giving you a heads-up. It’s always a good thing to be careful. Your dad is a grown man. He won’t get lost. Come with me; I’ll go see Auntie.”

Wang Xiaorui didn’t want to get involved with Wang Zigang, so she took him back to the hospital room.

Liu Min was unhappy that her daughter hadn’t brought her husband back, but with an outsider present, she couldn’t show her frustration, especially since Jiang Rui had something in his hand.

Liu Min had seen Jiang Rui a few times. Although he wasn’t as good at school as her daughter, he was more sensible, well-behaved, and knew how to talk. So she liked Jiang Rui very much and kept asking him a lot of questions as if she were interrogating him.

Wang Xiaorui wanted to interrupt her mother’s questioning several times, but Jiang Rui’s look told her not to.

The two of them talked for a long time, but Wang Zigang still didn’t return. In her anxiety, Liu Min couldn’t help but worry. Did her husband leave her and their daughter again?

Liu Min was uneasy, but Wang Xiaorui was calm and detached. Jiang Rui took in the expressions of the mother and daughter, and a smile appeared on his face.

Wang Zigang had spent nearly a thousand yuan on Liu Min and her daughter in the past two days. His wife in JiaHai had already used up her allowance for the month and was also pressuring him for money so she could go shopping with her sisters in Xiangcheng. His son, Wang Xiao, was also in the hospital in JiaHai, and the problems on both sides were making him irritable. He had planned to find a place to have a meal and relax, but he accidentally rear-ended an Audi on the way.

The Volkswagen he was driving was bought for him by his father-in-law in JiaHai. He couldn’t afford a car with the meager salary he was making at his father-in-law’s company. His wife spent money like water, and the allowance her father gave her was not enough for her. He had to use his salary to supplement her spending.

Wang Zigang didn’t want to pay the Audi owner for the damages, so he refused to take responsibility. The two of them got into a loud argument on the street and soon began to fight.