The Poor School Heartthrob Was Secretly a Financial Titan - Chapter 24
When Han Xuetao returned home that evening, he found the lights were off.
He was stunned for a moment.
At this hour, both parents should be home. Even if Father went out drinking with his apprentice and hasn’t come back, Mother would definitely be knitting in the living room, the TV on, and food warming in the pot.
He strode into the kitchen. The stove was cold, the pot was empty, and there wasn’t even a single vegetable leaf on the cutting board.
Han Xuetao frowned, his hand instinctively reaching into his pocketâempty.
He was stunned for a moment before he realized what was happening.
It’s 1996 now, there are no cell phones. He doesn’t have one, and neither do his parents.
A sense of foreboding suddenly surged into my heart.
He turned and walked out, and just as he reached the door, there was a knock on the door.
When I opened the door, it was Grandpa Li from across the hall.
When Grandpa Li saw him, he breathed a sigh of relief: “Xiao Tao, I’ve finally waited for you. I heard your door open, so I figured you were back.”
Han Xuetao’s heart tightened: “Grandpa Li, what’s wrong?”
âYour dad got beaten up and is in the hospital now. Your mom went there too,â Grandpa Li said, then pulled him back. âHave you eaten? Come over and have something to eat before you go over.â
Han Xuetao’s mind went blank, and he no longer cared about eating.
“Thank you, Grandpa Li. I’ve already eaten out. I’ll go now!”
He turned and ran downstairs.
Grandpa Li shouted from behind, “Slow down! It’s the Second Municipal Hospital’s emergency room!”
…
Han Xuetao hailed a taxi and headed straight for the Second Municipal Hospital.
He spotted his mother immediately in the emergency room corridor.
Zhao Xiurong sat on the bench, her eyes red.
“mom!”
Zhao Xiurong looked up, saw her son, stood up and grabbed his arm: “Xiao Tao…”
“Where’s my dad? How is he?”
“We just finished a consultation, and he needs to be hospitalized.” Zhao Xiurong pulled her son’s hand and led him inside. “He’s inside; your dad got beaten up today!”
Han Xuetao didn’t say anything and followed his mother into the emergency observation room.
Han Defu lay in the hospital bed, his left leg in a temporary splint, his face bruised, and a cut on the corner of his mouth that had scabbed over. When he saw his son come in, he tried to sit up, but Han Xuetao held him down.
“Dad, lie down and don’t move.”
Han Defu stubbornly insisted, “It’s nothing, just a superficial injury.”
Han Xuetao didn’t respond to that question, but turned to his mother and asked, “Mom, what’s wrong with Dad?”
Zhao Xiurong wiped her eyes and explained the whole story.
This afternoon, Han Defu went to the factory to catch up with two of his apprentices. He hadn’t properly said goodbye to them after completing the buyout procedures. His apprentices insisted on treating their master to a meal, so he went.
As a result, he ran into Ma Desheng, the workshop director, at the factory gate.
Ma Desheng stopped him and said sarcastically, “Old Han, when you handed over to the factory, there was a set of imported electrical tools that you didn’t return. It’s on the books. When are you going to return it?”
Han Defu was furiousâon the day he bought out his years of service, he had meticulously handed over everything to the warehouse, signing and affixing his seal, leaving no tools unpaid. How could this new accusation of not returning anything have surfaced?
Ma Desheng said, “Anyway, there’s no signature on the books. If you don’t pay, you’ll have to compensate the factory.”
Han Defu was so angry that he cursed at him, and Ma Desheng immediately threatened him: You dare to curse me? I’ll break your legs sooner or later!
Han Defu didn’t take it seriously. After drinking with his apprentices, he headed home. Halfway there, three or four men jumped out of an alley and started hitting him without saying a word. They were specifically targeting his legs and were carrying sticks.
Han Defu was no match for them and was knocked to the ground. After they finished beating him, they ran away, leaving behind the words: “Serves you right for being so foul-mouthed!”
By the time passersby found him and took him to the hospital, his leg was already swollen badly.
As Zhao Xiurong spoke, tears welled up in her eyes again, “Those damned bastards, they were so ruthless…”
Han Xuetao stood by the bed, his face cold.
At this moment, a middle-aged doctor in a white coat walked in, holding X-ray films. He looked at Han Defu, then at Han Xuetao and his mother: “The family has arrived?”
Zhao Xiurong quickly stood up: “Director Yan, this is my son.”
Director Yan nodded, inserted the X-ray into the lightbox, and pointed it out to the mother and child: “Midshaft tibia fracture, comminuted, with significant displacement. This kind of injury requires surgery to fix it with a plate, otherwise the child will limp in the future.”
Han Xuetao stared at the white cracks on the film, his fingers slowly clenching.
Director Yan continued, “Our hospital can perform the surgery, but to be honest, our orthopedic technology is limited. For this type of comminuted fracture, we can’t guarantee a full recovery. Howeverâ”
He paused for a moment, then said, “The day after tomorrow, Director Qu from the Orthopedics Department of the Provincial People’s Hospital will come from Ninghai to perform a ‘flying knife’ procedure. He’s my teacher, and he’s one of the top orthopedic surgeons in the province. If you’d like, I can talk to him and arrange for an additional surgery. The cost will be a bit higher than at our hospital, and with Director Qu’s fee, it will total around two or three thousand.”
Upon hearing this, Han Defu panicked: “Two or three thousand? No need! My leg will heal with rest, there’s no need to spend that money!”
Director Yan glanced at him and said, “If that’s what you’re saying, we’ll respect the patient’s opinion. But I have to remind you, if he doesn’t recover properly, he’ll be a cripple in the future.”
Han Xuetao immediately said, “Director Yan, we’ve made up our minds. We’ll have the experts from the Provincial People’s Hospital perform the surgery on my father. Thank you for speaking up for us.”
Han Defu tried to stop him, saying, “Xiao Tao! You need money for school!”
Han Xuetao turned to his father and said in an unquestionable tone, “Dad, if your legs don’t heal, Mom will have to take care of you for the rest of her life. Can you bear to see Mom suffer like that?”
This sentence choked Han Defu, leaving him speechless.
Han Xuetao put his arm around his mother’s shoulder: “Mom, we’ve decided on this together. Let’s do it this way.”
Zhao Xiurong nodded repeatedly, “Yes, yes…” She held her son’s hand, as if her son was her pillar of support at this moment.
Director Yan watched this scene and patted Han Xuetao on the shoulder: “Young man, not bad.”
Wiping away her tears, Zhao Xiurong couldn’t help but say, “My son is about to go to university.”
Director Yan laughed and said, “That’s great! With such a good son, why don’t you hurry up and get your leg healed? Are you just waiting to enjoy your son’s blessings in the future? If you delay and end up limping, you’ll be too embarrassed to meet your in-laws when your son finds you a wife!”
Han Defu lay on the hospital bed, sighed, but a slight smile appeared on his face.
Director Yan gave a few instructions on surgical precautions and then turned and left.
Han Xuetao sat down by the bed, looking at his father’s leg, which was in a splint, with a deep look in his eyes.
After being transferred to the orthopedic ward and settled in, it was already past nine o’clock at night.
Han Xuetao persuaded his mother to leave: “Mom, go back and get some sleep. You have to come back tomorrow. I’ll take care of things here.”
Zhao Xiurong refused: “You have to go to work tomorrow.”
“I’ve already asked for leave,” Han Xuetao lied without batting an eye. “You should go back quickly; you still have to bring Dad food tomorrow.”
Zhao Xiurong thought it made sense, gave a few more instructions, and then left, turning back every few steps.
The ward quieted down. The two beds in the same room were empty, with Han Defu as the only patient. He lay there, watching his son bustling around, feeling a pang of sadness.
“Xiao Tao, you should lie down for a while too.”
“I’m not tired.” Han Xuetao sat down on the edge of the bed. “Dad, you go to sleep. I’ll watch the IV drip.”
Han Defu sighed and closed his eyes.
I had just dozed off for a while when the ward door was pushed open.
Han Xuetao looked up and saw his uncle Zhao Guangrong walk in.
As soon as Zhao Guangrong entered the room and saw Han Defu on the hospital bed, his face immediately darkened. He pointed his finger at Han Defu and launched into a tirade:
“You’re just making a fuss! You’ve ended up in the hospital! My sister is incredibly unlucky to have met you, and I’m unlucky too. Our whole family will be tormented to death by you, you old hag!”
Han Defu’s face flushed red, his lips trembled, and he couldn’t speak.
Han Xuetao stood up, his face turning cold: “Uncle, what kind of attitude is this?”
Zhao Guangrong glanced at him, then walked out without saying a word.
Han Xuetao followed him out.
In the stairwell outside the ward, Zhao Guangrong lit a cigarette and took a deep drag.
âXiao Tao,â Zhao Guangrong said, exhaling smoke, âitâs not that your uncle has a problem with your dad, itâs just that your dad brought this on himself.â
Han Xuetao narrowed his eyes: “What do you mean by that?”
“He offended someone, didn’t he?” Zhao Guangrong flicked his cigarette ash. “Xiao Tao, I arranged everything perfectly for you regarding the change of school registration, and you even took the money. But this old man just said he wouldn’t change it and gave the money back! Is he playing with people’s feelings? Anyone would be angry, let alone someone with power and influence!”
A cold glint flashed in Han Xuetao’s eyes.
My mother said that she thought the workshop director had hired someone to beat him up.
Now it seems that the real issue behind it all is related to my changing my student registration!
He even laid a hand on his own parentsâ
A strong killing intent surged within Han Xuetao.
Zhao Guangrong was still fuming, saying, “I’m caught in the middle and I’m suffering too! The supplier sued me for no reason, saying I owe them money. The court summons has even been sent to our factory! Isn’t this deliberately targeting me? It’s all because of your old man, your father! He won’t listen to reason, so he’ll have to suffer the consequences. Do you think it’s been easy for my factory to get this far?”
Han Xuetao looked at him and suddenly smiled.
âUncle, I donât understand why youâre so indignant. Would you have acted as the middleman if there hadnât been any benefit for you?â He said calmly. âOf course, in business, itâs not shameful to make connections with influential people. But now that thereâs a risk, itâs a bit unreasonable to shift the blame onto my father.â
Zhao Guangrong was taken aback: “Xiao Tao, what do you mean?”
âWhat Iâm saying is,â Han Xuetao looked at him, enunciating each word clearly, âI got into Ninghai University through the entrance exam. I studied hard for three years to get this score, and I wrote every single question on the exam paper myself. This university is mine, and itâs my right to give it to someone else. So what if you have power and influence? You want to force me? Try it and see if Iâll give it to you.â
Zhao Guangrong glared at him: “Why do you have the same temper as your father?”
âThatâs just my temper,â Han Xuetao said. âYou can sever ties with us. Or I can help my mother publish a notice in the newspaper to sever our sibling relationship, and then we can all stay out of each otherâs business. I wasnât going to inherit a single penny of your assets anyway.â
After saying that, he turned and walked towards the ward.
Zhao Guangrong opened his mouth: “Youâ”
Han Xuetao paused and turned to look at him.
âUncle, if you came here to pass on a message, then you can go back and tell them: Ninghai University is out of the question. He should practice more sports; maybe he can even participate in the Paralympics in the future.â
After saying that, he pushed open the door and entered the ward.
Zhao Guangrong was left standing alone in the corridor, dumbfounded.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE
