Chapter 340 — Tang Zhi's Cousin
The Blossom Guardian · Page 2 of 2
The family was still talking when the sound of knocking came from the courtyard. Tang's mother set down the bowls and chopsticks in her hands, walked out the door into the little yard, and called, "Who is it?"
"Auntie, it's me and Xiaowei…" From beyond the courtyard gate came the voice of a young girl.
"Is that Xiaodan? What brings you here so late?" Mother Tang recognized the girl's voice—it was Xiaodan, the childhood sweetheart of her nephew Xiaowei. As she spoke, she opened the courtyard gate.
Xiaodan, looking frantic, was pulling along a boy with a rather stubborn expression on his face. The moment she saw Mother Tang, it was as though she had laid eyes on a savior: "Auntie, please talk some sense into Xiaowei—he's going to sell his kidney!"
"What?" Mother Tang was badly startled by what Xiaodan said. "What's going on? Xiaowei, you're going to sell your kidney?"
"Auntie, just leave it alone. Xiaodan insisted on dragging me here so you could talk me out of it, but talking won't do any good—no matter who tries, I still have to sell my kidney!" Xiaowei said with a look of absolute resolve, his tone brooking no argument.
Tang Zhi had heard her cousin's voice from inside the house too, and when she caught that he meant to sell his kidney, she was just as alarmed and came running out: "Xiaowei, what are you saying? What do you want to sell your kidney for? What kind of nonsense is this?"
"Big sis, you don't need to get involved—and you couldn't stop me even if you tried! I have to sell my kidney, or Xiaodan will be in danger!" Xiaowei said.
"Xiaodan, you take Xiaowei inside first and let's talk. Tell me first—what on earth has happened? How can you go selling a kidney without so much as explaining why?" Mother Tang could see that her nephew was not joking, and she grew anxious too. Selling a kidney was no laughing matter—how could anyone just up and sell one?
Xiaodan pulled Xiaowei into the house, on the verge of tears from worry: "Sister Tang Zhi, please talk some sense into Xiaowei. No matter what I say, he won't listen—he's set on selling his kidney..."
"Xiaowei, tell me—why do you want to sell your kidney?" Tang Zhi was at a loss, thrown off balance by the news. She had thought it was a joke at first, but from the look of Xiaowei, he was not joking at all!
"Sis, even if I told you, it wouldn't help. I need money right now, but your family's circumstances aren't much better than mine—if I don't sell my kidney, how else am I supposed to raise the money?" Xiaowei shook his head.
"Is there anything that can't be solved? We can find a way to borrow the money—there's no need to go selling a kidney!" Mother Tang had come over by then as well and tried to reason with him: "Xiaowei, how much money do you need?"
"A hundred and fifty thousand! Where would we even borrow that? Uncle's sick in the hospital, and we haven't even scraped together enough for his surgery—if we could borrow, wouldn't we have borrowed long ago?" Xiaowei sighed. "Auntie, big sis, I know you mean well, but I've got no other choice!"
"A hundred and fifty thousand?" Mother Tang and Tang Zhi were both shocked! How had Xiaowei come to need so much money?