She once resorted to selling her blood to earn some money. However, each time she did so, she only received eighty yuan. This meager income was like a drop in the ocean compared to the enormous surgery fees, utterly insufficient.
Furthermore, she had gone everywhere, trying to borrow money from her relatives. But those relatives avoided her, as if she were a plague, fearing they would be implicated. Faced with such coldness and rejection, she felt incredibly desperate and helpless.
Just when Yan Yan felt cornered, fate seemed to open a window for her. One day, while picking up water bottles in the hospital's Underground Garage, she overheard someone on the phone saying they were looking for a marriage partner for their son. Regardless of family background, as long as the girl herself was suitable, and after a genetic test, there were no other requirements. The dowry would be Two Million!
This sentence was like a thunderclap in Yan Yan's ears. Her heart rate instantly accelerated, and the number "Two Million" echoed in her mind. Two Million was an astronomical figure for her, wealth she couldn't even imagine. She quickly jotted down the license plate number.
That night, the ward was unusually quiet, with only Father's respirator making rhythmic sounds, rising and falling, as if it were the countdown to Father's life. Yan Yan sat quietly by the bedside, her eyes fixed on Father's pale face, her heart filled with endless worry and unease.
She knew that Father's condition was already very serious, and the daily medical expenses were a huge expense. And she herself was just an ordinary worker, whose meager salary simply couldn't afford such high costs.
Xiao Chuan was lying on the table, already fast asleep. His little hand was still tightly clutching half a cold baked bun, the remains of his dinner. Yan Yan looked at Xiao Chuan's thin body, and a wave of sorrow washed over her. She knew that Xiao Chuan had never enjoyed good living conditions since he was a child, and could only eat simple food every day.
Yan Yan's heart was filled with conflict and struggle. On the one hand, she desperately needed the money to save Father's life; on the other hand, she felt disgusted by this marriage arrangement. She didn't know how to choose, and the inner pain made it almost impossible for her to breathe.
In the quiet of the moment, she gently opened her Mother's old photo album, flipping through the faded photographs one by one. Suddenly, a small piece of paper slipped out. She picked it up, and though the handwriting was blurred, she immediately recognized her Mother's script.
The note read: "Yan'er, don't be afraid of poverty, don't be afraid of hardship. As you live, you must have integrity." This simple sentence struck her like a hammer, and tears instantly streamed down her face.
She remembered her Mother's lifelong hardships and her strength, the expectations and teachings she had instilled. Though her Mother was gone, her words were like stars in the night sky, always illuminating her path.
Her tears flowed like a broken dam, soaking the note and her own broken heart. Each drop carried endless pain and struggle.
Yan Yan clutched the note tightly, her fingers trembling slightly. She knew what the content meant; it was her Mother's final words, the last connection between them. Yet, reality was like an insurmountable mountain, standing before her.
The shackles of morality bound her tightly, preventing her from making an easy decision. Her heart was filled with conflict and pain, torn between her deep longing and love for her Mother, and the helplessness and fear of reality. She didn't know how to face this cruel world, how to continue living.
Lost in her inner turmoil, Yan Yan seemed to see her Mother's figure, her eyes full of love and forgiveness. She told herself that her Mother surely wanted her to live strongly, to bravely face all difficulties.
Finally, Yan Yan slowly folded the note and put it back in the photo album. Her movements were gentle but resolute, as if expressing her determination to her Mother. She knew this was the most precious relic her Mother had left her, the source of her motivation and courage.
In the days to come, Yan Yan would carry her Mother's love and expectations, striving to live on.
The next morning, sunlight streamed through the window, falling on her face. She slowly opened her eyes, already firm in her resolve. Her hand clutched her phone tightly, trembling slightly as if it were an unbearable weight. A hint of confusion and pain flickered in her eyes, her lips pressed together as if struggling to contain an inner turmoil.
She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself, but her fingers involuntarily slid across the phone screen, as if searching for a final surge of courage. Finally, she decided to go to the Underground Garage to find the car. Her heart rate suddenly quickened, as if she could hear the pounding of her own heart.
She searched for three days without finding it. But on the fourth day, while she was collecting cardboard boxes, she finally spotted the car. She didn't even have time to tidy herself up, fearing she wouldn't find it again later. Without hesitation, she went to knock on the car window. The window rolled down, revealing the woman who had called that day. Her hand trembled slightly, and her body leaned forward slightly, as if to project her voice further.
"I heard you on the phone that day. I want to try. I'm in a bit of a bind right now, and I want that Two Million. Even if it's not Two Million, just enough for Father's medical expenses will do."
Her eyes were filled with conflict and anguish, tears welling up but stubbornly held back.
The woman sized up Yan Yan and took her to an office in the hospital.