No matter what kind of tricks Ding Jiayi and Qiao Zijin were playing, she would join them. All her sacrifices for the Qiao family and the money that she gave to her parents out of filial piety was enough to pay for an entire pond’s worth of turtles, let alone one wild turtle.

  “Nan Nan, I didn’t mean to discuss this so early. I wanted to wait for you to get better to discuss the matter. But since you brought it up today, I have no choice but to talk about it. Nan Nan, you must know that you and Zijin are the closest kin you both have in this world. Zijin was unlucky that something like that happened to her. You have to help her!”

  When he had first heard that they would have to take one of his younger daughter’s kidneys for his elder daughter, Qiao Dongliang had disagreed. The problem was that Ding Jiayi had flown into a rage and questioned Qiao Dongliang for disagreeing. Qiao Nan had two kidneys. They only wanted one. It was not as though Qiao Nan would die from it.

  But it was different with Qiao Zijin. Qiao Zijin had gotten uremia. Each day’s delay would only increase Qiao Zijin’s risk of dying. Without Qiao Nan’s kidney, Qiao Zijin would definitely die!

  Was there anything more important than a life?

  Hearing Ding Jiayi’s reasoning, Qiao Dongliang thought about it and agreed. It was only natural for Qiao Nan to feel aggrieved. If a moment of suffering could save his closest relative’s life, he would definitely do it if he was the one in that position. “Actually, Zijin is our daughter. Nan Nan is still young and has a long way ahead of her. Why don’t both of us get ourselves tested? If it’s possible, we can donate our kidneys to Zijin instead. How’s that?”

  “No!”

  “No way!”

  \r \r \r

  Ding Jiayi and Qiao Zijin unanimously rejected his suggestion. Ding Jiayi’s reasoning was simple. Qiao Dongliang was still working and was the breadwinner of the family. For a man, losing a kidney was a huge matter.

  What would happen to their family if Qiao Dongliang’s health were to be affected after he lost a kidney?

  Qiao Zijin’s reasoning was even simpler. She did not even care for Ding Jiayi’s kidney, even though Ding Jiayi was a full-time housewife. She disdained Ding Jiayi’s kidney for being old and useless. So how could she possibly want a kidney from Qiao Dongliang, who had been striving so hard for the Qiao family all these years? There was no way it would be better than Qiao Nan’s. Qiao Nan was even two years younger than Qiao Zijin herself!

  Having a kidney that was younger than her original one created the illusion for Qiao Zijin that she would be the same age as Qiao Nan and be two years younger as long as she had Qiao Nan’s kidney.

  “Dad, you already work so hard. I’m sure it’s taken a toll on your body. What will you do if you donate a kidney to me? If that’s the case, I’d rather die than undergo a kidney transplant.” Qiao Zijin’s eyes brimmed with tears, and her words sounded genuine and sincere.

  Anyway, Qiao Zijin had already practiced these same words on Ding Jiayi earlier. Now that Qiao Zijin was saying them for the second time, it was nothing more than a walk in the park.

  “That’s right.” Ding Jiayi nodded frantically, somehow feeling as though Qiao Zijin’s words sounded familiar. “Zijin is just feeling sorry for you as her father. Don’t let Zijin down. This may sound harsh, but you treat Qiao Nan so well. Do you think Qiao Nan has no conscience at all and would rather you donate your kidney to Zijin than make such a sacrifice? If that’s the case, it means she doesn’t even feel sorry for you, her dad. In that case, why are you even trying to give so much to her?”

  In short, the final result was that the kidney had to be donated by Qiao Nan. Neither Ding Jiayi’s nor Qiao Dongliang’s would do.

  Qiao Dongliang was only one person against Ding Jiayi and Qiao Zijin together. Under the persuasion of the mother-and-daughter pair, Qiao Dongliang eventually gave in and agreed to this matter.

  Donating a kidney should not have any impact on Qiao Nan’s life, and neither would it threaten Qiao Nan’s life. But Qiao Zijin needed this kidney to save her life!

  Weighing the costs and benefits, Qiao Dongliang quickly made a decision.

  He knew that Qiao Nan had run out of the hospital unhappily and had been knocked down by a car because she had heard about Ding Jiayi’s and Qiao Zijin’s plan. But in the face of his elder daughter’s imminent death, there was no way Qiao Dongliang could judge the matter fairly. It was only natural for him to be biased in this matter.

  However, doing was another thing. Qiao Dongliang told Qiao Nan about it in her face, but he was not Ding Jiayi and was not as bold or thick-skinned as Ding Jiayi was to say: “Yes, I do have such a plan. I want you to donate a kidney to Qiao Zijin so that she can be saved. The only contribution you’re making toward our family now is donating your organs. When Qiao Zijin needs them, you’ll have to give them to Qiao Zijin without expecting anything in return so that Qiao Zijin will be able to live a long life.”

  “Dad, your culinary skills are improving. They’re almost better than Mom’s.” Seeing how Qiao Dongliang’s face had become so flushed that it resembled a pig’s liver and that guilt was written all over his face, Qiao Nan smirked in her heart.

  This was different from what had happened in her dream. In her dream, her dad had done some practical things and had tried his best to correct his heart that leaned toward Qiao Zijin. That had given her the opportunity to live a normal life.

  But in this life, her dad was only good to her in his words. His heart was not for her, let alone his actions. If Ding Jiayi had not allowed him to do so, her dad would never have the guts to take all that money that belonged to Qiao Nan in the first place to buy some wild turtle to nourish her body.

  Qiao Nan knew exactly why Ding Jiayi and Qiao Zijin were being so generous to her all of a sudden.

  They were trying to get her kidney in exchange for a few good meals. There were truly no better or shrewder businesspeople than Ding Jiayi and Qiao Zijin in this world.

  Qiao Dongliang felt as though his face was on fire and could not even raise his head up in front of Qiao Nan. “Good. It’s good that you like it. I’ll make some more for you tomorrow. Nan Nan, do you have anything in particular that you want to eat? I’ll make it for you.”

  His younger daughter might have been smiling and her tone might have sounded cheery, but her deep and dark gaze sent a chill down Qiao Dongliang’s spine. There was something amiss. Could it be that this car accident had not only injured his younger daughter physically? Why did he feel as though his younger daughter had suffered a blow to the head?

  Nan Nan seemed to have completely transformed into a different person.

  “No, Dad. I’m not picky. I’ll eat whatever you cook. I believe that you’ll take good care of me while I’m in the hospital.” If he did not take good care of her so that she could recover and be discharged, where would Qiao Zijin get a kidney for her kidney transplant from?

  Did they really take her for a fool? Did they think that she had no idea what this turtle soup was for?

  “Are you all right, Nan Nan? If you have anything on your mind and feel aggrieved, shall I stay with you for a chat? I’ll listen to whatever you have to say.” Qiao Dongliang felt exceptionally uneasy and wanted to stay behind to have a heart-to-heart chat with Qiao Nan to counsel her.