Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

  “If you’re not selling your house, we won’t sell this quad. I have a quad and a large house. Our family has two houses. If I can’t stay in the other house after selling one of them, why should I sell the quad?!”

  How would Qiao Dongliang be softhearted after knowing about his elder daughter’s wishful thinking? She had really treated him and Ding Jiayi as burdens. His elder daughter had not recovered from her illness yet and needed her parents to do everything for her. However, she was already thinking of how to get rid of the two of them after she had recovered. Qiao Dongliang felt that he shouldn’t be concerned about his elder daughter now but his livelihood in the future instead.

  Based on Qiao Zijin’s plan, Qiao Dongliang didn’t feel that Qiao Zijin would find a job to earn money and lead a good and honest life once she had recovered from her illness. Since Qiao Zijin didn’t work but loved to spend money, where would the money come from? Of course, it would come from selling the quad.

  Seeing how Qiao Zijin was idling at home, even if the quad was sold for a high price, it would not be able to withstand Qiao Zijin’s spending. At that time, not only would he and Old Ding not be able to enjoy their old age in peace, but they might even have to sweep the streets and earn a meager income of slightly more than a thousand yuan a month in their seventies and eighties.

  “Dad, you……” She didn’t expect her father to be as bad as her mother. Both of them wanted to live in her house. Although her house had been around for several years, hardly anyone lived in it after it had been renovated and it was considered brand new. How would she let her parents live in such a good house?

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  Qiao Zijin despised Qiao Dongliang and Ding Jiayi and felt that the two of them would dirty the house if they stayed in it. “Dad, don’t be angry. I’m thinking for you and Mom so that you could live your lives alone. Dad, I’m really doing this for the both of you.”

  “That’s right. It’s fine that you don’t appreciate Zijin’s good intentions, but how can you throw temper at her? Zijin, don’t mind your dad. He’s ill-tempered and doesn’t know right from wrong.” Ding Jiayi supported Qiao Zijin. She felt that her elder daughter’s arrangement was pretty good.

  With a living room and a bedroom, it was at least much better than the days when they had to sell the quad for the first time.

  After glancing at the stupid Ding Jiayi who couldn’t even tell right from wrong but had the cheek to tell others off, Qiao Dongliang refused to communicate further with her. Anyway, the quad was under his name. If he disagreed, nobody could sell it. “I’ve said it before. Since I’m not willing to sell this house and Zijin is not willing to sell the big house, then we have to resort to the third method, which is for Zijin to stay at home every day and see if God is willing to give us a miracle so that she doesn’t need to undergo surgery or could get better just by taking medicine.”

  The truth was that the first suggestion Qiao Dongliang put forward was already the biggest sacrifice he could make for Qiao Zijin as a father. At his age, would Qiao Dongliang not have known how big an impact undergoing a huge surgery like a kidney transplant would have on his health?

  He would rather sacrifice his own health and shorten a few years of his life so that his daughter could live for a few more years. It was a pity that although he wasn’t afraid of shortening his life, his daughter was worried that his kidney wouldn’t work well and couldn’t let her live for a few more years. Not only was his elder daughter not touched, but she even disdained him. Qiao Dongliang felt that this was his and Ding Jiayi’s misfortune as parents.

  The proposed solutions were rejected repeatedly. Qiao Dongliang’s fatherly love and patience were gone.

  Qiao Dongliang’s words shocked Ding Jiayi and Qiao Zijin. Qiao Zijin turned pale. “Dad, by the third method, do you mean for me to wait for death?” For an illness like hers, how was it possible for there to be a miracle?

  The doctor had said very clearly that even if she accepted the kidney transplant, her illness wasn’t fully free from recurrence. She might not fully recover from the illness even if she went for treatment. Then, wouldn’t it just be waiting for death if she didn’t?

  Did she hear wrongly or did her father say wrongly? How could her father say such cold and ruthless words to her?

  “Old Qiao, are you confused? Do you not know what you have just said?” Ding Jiayi was shocked. Old Qiao and she were only left with one child, Qiao Zijin. If Qiao Zijin was gone, there might not even be someone to plan for their funerals when they passed away in the future. “Zijin, don’t be mistaken. Your father is just too anxious about your illness and he’s ill-tempered. No matter what, he doesn’t mean it that way.”

  Ding Jiayi didn’t repeat the words ‘waiting for death’ to persuade Qiao Zijin and help Qiao Dongliang ‘clear his name’.

  Qiao Dongliang completely didn’t want to accept Ding Jiayi’s ‘good intentions.’”I’ve already been home for an hour. Old Ding, go and prepare a meal. After the meal, I want to rest earlier today.”

  He didn’t say anything wrong, and neither was he joking. His words couldn’t be more serious. As to what his elder daughter and Ding Jiayi wanted to think, Qiao Dongliang couldn’t control them.

  Qiao Zijin’s life was hers. The right to choose was also in Qiao Zijin’s hands. The doctor said that it was rare for them to have a kidney source. If their family couldn’t make a decision as soon as possible, then sorry, the hospital wouldn’t drag this on as other patients needed it urgently as well. Once the time was up, this kidney source would be arranged for other patients.

  For the sake of money, Qiao Zijin would rather miss out on this kidney source than to care for her life. Qiao Dongliang felt that there was no use in him worrying so much. If Qiao Zijin wanted to survive, she had to fight hard to do so. If Qiao Zijin didn’t want to continue living, there wasn’t any way for an old man like him to prevent her from seeking death. He wasn’t a doctor, and Qiao Zijin wasn’t willing to accept his kidney.

  “Why are you in a daze? Didn’t you hear me asking you to prepare a meal? Do you want to starve me to death as well? When that happens, Ding Jiayi, you’ll be the only one left in this house. Nobody would care about you after you pass away. Are you happy then?” Old Ding could no longer be described as foolish. If Old Ding continued this way, he and Old Ding might not be able to continue living together.

  As long as Old Ding was around, no matter what idea his elder daughter came up with, it would only cause trouble and unrest to all. Nan Nan was already so frightened that she went into hiding and didn’t dare return. At his age, he would only be more afraid of trouble than Nan Nan. If he couldn’t continue living with Old Ding, then so be it.

  After being yelled at by Qiao Dongliang, Ding Jiayi, who was still being stupid, could only stand up and go to the kitchen. It wasn’t until she finished preparing dinner did she recover and realize what had just happened.

  The Qiao family ate this meal in silence. Nobody was talking. Qiao Zijin pulled a long face and returned to the room expressionlessly after having a few mouthfuls of rice.