radicalducati Chapter 242: Borrowing money from Yi Zhonghai?
Chapter 242: Borrowing money from Yi Zhonghai?
In the dim ward, the atmosphere was so depressing that it made people feel breathless.
Sha Zhu's face darkened, like a sky covered with dark clouds, his brows were tightly twisted into a knot, and the deep wrinkles seemed to hide endless worries and resentment.
His eyes were like two cold rays, filled with extreme vigilance and deep displeasure.
At this moment, he seemed like a trapped and provoked beast, staring at Cao Wei and Xu Damao standing in front of him with a fierce and resolute look.
He clenched his teeth tightly, his lips almost pressed into a straight line, and his tone was extremely stiff when he spoke, as if two extremely cold stones were violently colliding with each other. Every word was squeezed out from between his teeth with great difficulty: "Humph! I have never asked you to help me pay the bills. You are really meddling in other people's business! Stop meddling in other people's business here!"
After hearing this, Cao Wei raised the corner of his mouth slightly. Although the amplitude of the movement was not large, the sarcasm contained in it was obvious.
At the same time, a hint of extremely cold light flashed across his eyes, making people shudder.
He responded in a sarcastic tone, "Hey, don't be so stubborn! Regardless of what kind of conflicts and disputes exist between the two of you, at least for now, Xu Damao really wants to get along with you. He paid the fees for you out of kindness, but you didn't appreciate it and bit people like a mad dog. Isn't this a typical case of 'a dog biting Lu Dongbin - he didn't know the kindness of a good person'!"
After saying this, he even glanced at Sha Zhu beside him with a half-smile. However, behind his seemingly harmless smile, there was actually a gloating expression that was difficult for others to detect.
At this time, Xu Damao was nodding and bowing hurriedly, with a smile on his face that looked particularly sincere, but anyone could see the falsehood and affectation hidden behind this smile.
However, his eyes were as vague and uncertain as a candle in the wind, and they moved cautiously on Sha Zhu's face, as if he was trying to explore something, or as if he was nervously testing Sha Zhu's reaction.
As he spoke, he touched his pocket, as if he wanted to take out more money, but in the end he just shook his head helplessly and continued, "Yes, to be honest, I wanted to pay more from the bottom of my heart. Who doesn't want things to go more smoothly? But there is no way. I'm really tight on money recently, and I can't live well, so I scraped together this twenty-something yuan. Don't think it's too little, Shazhu."
After hearing these words, Sha Zhu's originally tense face relaxed a little, and his expression was no longer as cold as before.
After all, Xu Damao's sudden payment of money was like a timely help to him, and it really solved his urgent problem.
He knew clearly in his heart that if it weren't for Xu Damao's seemingly generous assistance, the scene would be unimaginable if the nurse came to urge payment. He might be forced into a desperate situation, and the embarrassment and awkwardness at that time would be beyond words.
So, Sha Zhu snorted softly. Although the tone still sounded a little stiff, the sharpness in it had obviously faded a lot.
He raised his head slightly, looked straight at Xu Damao, and said slowly: "Okay, since things have come to this, I owe you a favor this time. But I will say it in advance, I will pay you back the money sooner or later, not a penny less."
Several people sat together, and the air around them seemed to be frozen by the depressing atmosphere, just like the suffocating depression before a storm.
Cao Wei was the first to break the deadlock. He just laughed dryly twice. The laughter echoed in the originally silent ward, and it seemed extremely abrupt and harsh.
He cleared his throat and said, "Hey, brother Shazhu! We are old neighbors living in the same yard. Let's let all the bumps and grudges in the past go with the wind! As a person, you have to look forward to have a future, right?"
Upon hearing this, Xu Damao, who was standing aside, nodded hurriedly. His face, which was already full of smiles, now smiled even more like an over-blooming gorgeous chrysanthemum. However, that smile looked not only extremely flattering, but also false and artificial, as if there was no life at all.
Then, Xu Damao quickly agreed, "That's right, Cao Wei is right! From now on, we neighbors must take care of each other and help each other. There is still a lot of time to live! Look, Shazhu, your cooking skills are famous. When you recover, you must show us your cooking skills so that we can also benefit from your cooking skills!"
After hearing this, Sha Zhu, who had been silent all the time, finally moved the corners of his mouth slightly, but the smile that he forced out was uglier than crying.
He snorted coldly and responded indifferently: "Hmph... let's see when the time comes."
Seeing the atmosphere was a little awkward, Cao Wei quickly tried to smooth things over, "Okay, okay, stop standing there, come sit down and have something to eat."
As he said that, he took the lead and walked forward, opening the food that Xu Damao had brought one by one.
Everyone took a closer look and found that the food prepared by Xu Damao looked really good!
Afterwards, they ate together what Xu Damao brought.
While eating, several people sat together, but the atmosphere was still a little subtle, like a taut string that could break at any time.
Xu Damao smacked his lips lightly, with a look of seeming regret on his face, and slowly said, "Shazhu, you've been through so much, and everyone in our hospital would feel bad if they knew about it. Because of this incident, your current situation is really difficult."
As he spoke, he gently shook his head, but his eyes were secretly observing Sha Zhu's reaction like a thief. There was an indescribable cunning and calculation in his eyes, as if he was waiting for the perfect opportunity to further advance the conspiracy that had been hidden in his heart for a long time.
Cao Wei immediately added, "Yes, Shazhu, your illness must have put you under a lot of financial pressure. I think when we return to the courtyard, we should talk to the people there and ask them to raise some donations to help you through this difficult time."
As he spoke, he casually fiddled with the food in the bowl with his chopsticks, seemingly nonchalantly, but in fact his eyes were fixed on Sha Zhu, like a hunter staring at his prey, not missing any slight change in expression.
There was a strange light flashing in the eyes of Xu Damao who was standing aside. There was a kind of pretended concern, but also hidden malice and intention, as if he was planning an elaborate trap, waiting for Sha Zhu to fall into it accidentally.
When Sha Zhu heard this, his body suddenly stiffened, as if he was struck by a sudden lightning. His eyes widened instantly, like a cat whose tail was stepped on, with fear and anger intertwined in his eyes.
He said hurriedly, "No, I don't want to be famous in the hospital anymore. I will find a way to make the money myself, so you don't have to worry about it."
His tone was as firm as a rock, his eyes revealed unquestionable stubbornness, and his hands unconsciously clenched the corners of his clothes, his knuckles slightly whitening from the force, as if he was venting his inner tension and anxiety, and as if he was showing his determination to the two people in front of him that he would never easily succumb to the ill intentions hidden behind their seemingly well-intentioned proposals.
Sha Zhu knew clearly that his reputation in this courtyard was already bad enough. If he was talked about for accepting donations from everyone, he would really lose face.
He knew very well that the interpersonal relationships in this courtyard were complicated and everyone was secretly watching everyone else's every move. If one was not careful, it would become a topic of conversation among everyone after dinner.
He would rather endure it all silently than become a laughing stock or a pitiful person in the eyes of others. Even if he has to face this financial difficulty alone, he will stick to his only remaining dignity and pride.
Seeing Sha Zhu's firm attitude, Xu Damao and Cao Wei looked at each other. There was a tacit understanding in their eyes. They didn't want to force it. However, everyone had their own thoughts during the meal, and the atmosphere became increasingly awkward and depressing, as if the air was filled with this depressing atmosphere, making it difficult for people to breathe.
The entire ward seemed like an airtight cage, trapping them all inside. Everyone was struggling and calculating in their own thoughts.
Cao Wei rolled his eyes, as if he was suddenly struck by an evil inspiration. A cunning look flashed in his eyes. He raised his head and told Sha Zhu: "I have a way to help you raise money."
Sha Zhu raised his eyes, looked at him puzzledly and asked, "What method?"
Cao Wei put down his chopsticks, leaned forward slightly, moved closer, and said mysteriously: "You can ask the old man to borrow it. You have such a good relationship with the old man, he will definitely lend you some. Think about it, the old man now earns several dozen yuan a month, and he has saved it for so many years. Lending you two or three hundred yuan is just a drop in the bucket, it's nothing."
After hearing this, Sha Zhu frowned slightly, and the wrinkles between his brows seemed to reflect his inner entanglement and hesitation.
After a moment of silence, he slowly said, "Uncle has helped me so much, I am too embarrassed to ask for help."
There was a hint of hesitation and embarrassment in his eyes, and his mind could not help but recall the various ways in which the old man had taken care of him.
However, precisely because of this, he felt that he could not open his mouth to borrow money again, as if once he opened his mouth, it would break a certain delicate and precious balance between them. This balance was like the thin layer of ice on the lake in winter, which looked calm and beautiful, but was actually extremely fragile. It would break if you were not careful, and once broken, it might never be restored to its original state.
Xu Damao heard this and joined in: "Silly Zhu, you are being so polite. The uncle is so good to you, how could he not help you when you are in trouble? Besides, just think of it as an emergency loan and return it to him when you have more money. If you feel embarrassed, I can go with you to give you courage."
He had a seemingly sincere smile on his face, but his eyes were flickering slightly, like the twinkling stars in the night sky, making them hard to read.
He had his own plan in mind, thinking that if Sha Zhu really went to borrow money from the old man, whether he succeeded or not, if the matter spread in the courtyard, it would change Sha Zhu's image.
Maybe people will think that Sha Zhu has fallen to the point where he needs to borrow money from everywhere, thus affecting his prestige in the courtyard; or maybe it will trigger some new conflicts and speculations about the relationship between Sha Zhu and the old man, and he can hide in the dark, watch the fight between the two tigers, and profit from it.
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