She had to buy herself another phone and replace her phone card. Then, she dialed a number but paused when she was done. She still remembered the number.
It seems that not everything could be forgotten; neither could everything be recalled.
“Chu Lui, it’s me.” She placed her phone by her ear and tightened her clothes. It seemed to have gotten colder.
“What’s wrong?” The man on the other end of the line seemed to be in a good mood, his voice not as cold and distant.
“Nothing.” Xia Ruoxin took out the card. “Did you make a mistake with the compensation money? Isn’t it five thousand?”
“Five thousand?” Chu Lui suddenly laughed coldly. “My wife and my daughter are worth much more than that. Even five million is too little. If you’re not happy, I’ll go liaise with them again.”
Xia Ruoxin kept quiet as she put her phone back into her purse. She decided to go home and clean things up. After all, she had been away for half a month.
When she passed by the mall, the burnt building was covered in canvas. It seemed like it was under renovation. Even now, she could still remember the screams, the cries, and the sound of broken bones. There was also the sound of her phone falling to the ground. Everything was fresh in her mind, and she shuddered as she looked down and walked away.
When she touched the shoe rack as she opened the door, there was barely any dust. Who did that?
She only understood what was going on when Rainy returned.
Rainy tiptoed as she looked up. “Mommy, Uncle and I tidied the house together. Rainy cleaned the table.”
She blinked, her expression clearly expectant of praise from her mother.
“Good girl, baby’s great.” She pinched her daughter’s face, but she could not imagine how a man clad in a suit could clean.
…
It was another weekend, and Xia Ruoxin brought Rainy to the studio. They finally saw Lin Qing and Guo’er after half a month.
“Auntie, are you okay?”
Guo’er asked Xia Ruoxin worriedly, “Will auntie go to a faraway place like Daddy and Mommy and leave us behind?”
“Auntie’s fine. Aren’t I here now?” Xia Ruoxin patted Guo’er.
The child smiled shyly while Lin Qing held his sister’s hand. There was a card hanging around his neck. It was from Xia Ruoxin. She said that the money for the treatment for his sister’s leg was to be saved inside.
What she did not say was that she had already put in the money. Guo’er could try physiotherapy when she grew up. She could also put on prosthetics, but they were still young now. They would know when the time came.
However, she would never know that no matter how reachable everything seems, there was never really any hope.
…
Chu Lui just arrived home. He had cast his villa aside. He liked where he was living now. It seemed more like a home with his wife and daughter, but he was not acknowledged… not yet.
He got out of his clothes and was about to take a shower when his phone started ringing.
Not a lot of people knew his private phone number so there were only a handful of people who would be calling him. He picked his phone up from the table and took a look.
It was his mother, Song Wan.
He picked it up and placed his phone by his ear as he undid his buttons. Before he could say anything, he heard Song Wan’s cries coming over the phone.
He paused and immediately walked out as he picked up his clothes.
Knock, knock. He knocked on Xia Ruoxin’s door.
The woman opened the door and looked at her watch.
“It’s not dinner time yet.”
“No.” The man grabbed his hair. “Ruoxin, I have to take a trip back. Chu Xiang is sick.”
“I understand.” Even though Xia Ruoxin did not like Chu Xiang, she would not gloat. After all, she was just a child… though she was still not very fond of the child who had schemed against her daughter.
In the hospital, Song Wan had lost her voice from all the crying. She was the closest to Chu Xiang in the house. They ate and slept together, and she treated Chu Xiang like her own grandchild. After all, it was the child she brought home and brought up. The child was even closer to her than her own granddaughter.
Chu Lui opened the door and walked straight in.
“What’s wrong? What disease is it?”
Song Wan’s eyes were filled with tears, and she cried before she could answer. It was the doctor on the side who was explaining Chu Xiang’s condition to him.
“Both of the child’s kidneys are failing. Plus, she’s young so there’s no way of treating it. The best solution is a transplant.”
“En, kidney transplant?”
Even though Chu Lui was not a medical student, he still had the basic knowledge.
“Yes, exactly.” The doctor nodded. “Mr. Chu, the child’s illness is too urgent. Most general treatment won’t really work on her. We need a transplant as soon as possible. Besides…” The doctor trailed off, picking up after a while.
“Because of her young age so the best bet would be a kidney from a child around her age.”
“Ah Lui,” Song Wan clung to her son’s sleeve. “You have to save Xiang Xiang; you have to save my Xiang Xiang.” She was a little hysterical because of the shock.
Kidney, it was just a kidney, right? The Chu family was rich, they could afford a kidney.
However, Chu Lui begged to differ.
After all, this was an organ, not a random thing. Everyone only had one set of organs. No one had any extras, not to mention a small child’s.
However, he could not leave Chu Xiang in the lurch. No matter what, she was his daughter in name.
“Doctor, please arrange for surgery as soon as possible. I can offer you a good price for it.” He had money to buy a kidney for Chu Xiang’s treatment.
“I understand. Please be rest assured, Mr. Chu.” He knew the Chu family’s situation. An adopted daughter was still a daughter. Everything just depended on Chu Xiang’s luck to see if she could find a suitable kidney now.
