Chapter 505: Merchant
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Xue Xi could not figure it out. After all, she knew nothing about doing business. She simply opened the door and went to the living room.
The sky had already darkened.
Ye Lai was taking a nap on the balcony. Song Wenman and Ye Li accompanied Ah Fang in the kitchen as they prepared a family dinner.
Song Wenman brought out a plate of snacks. When she saw Xue Xi, she handed the plate over. “Xixi, are you hungry? Do you want to eat something first?”
Xue Xi nodded and ate a piece.
After she took a piece, Song Wenman walked over to Ye Lai with the snacks and handed him the date cake. “Old man, have a piece!”
Ye Lai looked over in a daze and shook his head. “No!”
He tilted his head again and looked outside.
Song Wenman sighed and returned with the plate.
Seeing that Xue Xi was still standing there, she complained to her. “Don’t be fooled by how he’s not eating this now. In the past, he begged me to make him date cakes every day!”
The two of them sat down. It was rare for Xue Xi to have the time, so Song Wenman was also filled with hope for the future. She smiled and said, “When I first got together with your grandfather, he was a poor lad. He came from a humble background and later started researching. He didn’t earn much money. However, our family is well-educated and we don’t despise him. Your grandfather had this taste back then. Every time he stayed up late to do research, he was too hungry to eat anything else, so he got me to make date cakes for him.”
She put the plate down and looked at the date cake on it. “He once told me that he wanted to eat the date cake I made for him for the rest of his life, but now he’s annoyed. Sigh!”
Without waiting for Xue Xi to speak, Song Wenman continued, “But I don’t blame him. He’s sick. I originally thought that I would spend the rest of my life with the crazy him, but now, I just hope that when I wake up one day, he will say, ‘Wenman, make me some date cake to eat. If I don’t eat your date cake, I can’t think of how to proceed with this project!'”
As she spoke, Song Wenman’s eyes turned red.
Tears rolled down her cheeks.
They had agreed that they would grow old together and live happily ever after. However, when she reached middle age, her husband suddenly became senile and had mental problems. He no longer knew her.
All these years, although Ye Lai had always been by her side, this was only physical companionship. The mental companionship was long gone.
Ye Li also walked out of the kitchen. When she saw this situation, she hurriedly handed over a piece of paper. “Mom, it’s fine now. Dad’s illness will be treated. In another three months, he will recognize us!”
Only then did Song Wenman nod. “That’s right. Luckily, we developed a new drug. Otherwise, I might never have the chance to hear your father call me Wenman again.”
She smiled and stood up, then sighed again. “Our family is at least a lot happier than everyone else’s. Did you guys see that movie a while back?”
Ye Li asked, “Which one?”
Song Wenman said, “There was this movie. I forgot the name, but when I’m in a bad mood, I would think of that movie. There was a mentally ill child. His mother passed away, and his father was old. He was even diagnosed with cancer. The child was in his twenties, but his IQ was only that of a two-year-old. His mind wasn’t complete, so his father ruthlessly reprimanded him. He also found a job with dolphins at the aquarium so that he could take care of himself after he’s left alone.
“Sometimes, when I feel like I can’t hold on anymore, I’d think of this movie, and I’d feel that life hasn’t reached such a difficult stage yet. Look, if I’m no longer around one day, your father would still have you and Xixi to take care of him, right?”
Ye Li nodded. “Yes, alright. Mom, let’s not talk about such sad topics. Xue Sheng should be getting off work soon. Let’s prepare for dinner!”
“Okay, okay.”
The two of them walked toward the kitchen. Just as Xue Xi was about to follow them, she realized that the door was slightly ajar. Through the gap, she saw Xue Sheng standing outside.
Their eyes met. Xue Sheng opened the door and walked in. He smiled bitterly at Xue Xi.
…
After dinner, Xue Xi returned to her room to read. However, she could not read the books today. After a while, she stood up and opened the door. Just as she was about to go to the living room to get some water, she suddenly heard a voice coming from the study.
When she walked over, she realized that the door was not closed properly. Through the opening, Xue Xi could clearly hear the two people inside.
Xue Sheng said, “Back then, I knew that investing so much money to develop this drug was actually very unusual, but I did it for you.”
Ye Li nodded. “I know.”
Xue Sheng said, “In the beginning, when I was working at the pharmaceutical factory, other than curing Dad’s illness, I also wanted to earn a huge sum. After all, which businessman doesn’t want to earn money? But today, I saw that short video. Sigh, I even especially went to their house to take a look. Their family is a normal family. After being burdened by this child for so many years, they weren’t rich to begin with, but now that they can’t treat the illness, they don’t even dare to think about the exorbitant medical fees. After I went there, I gave them three bottles of medicine. That family knelt down to thank me and even said that the video wasn’t targeted at our company. They only posted it because they felt helpless.”
Ye Li sighed. “You did the right thing. Although three bottles of medicine are worth a million yuan and might save a family, what you did is a good thing.”
Xue Sheng shook his head. “But I can only save one or a few families. Wifey, you don’t understand.”
Xue Sheng rested his head on Ye Li’s lap. “I knew that I needed to earn money since I was young so that my family could lead a better life. However, when I saw them, I felt that I was very useless. The medicine for treatment is clearly placed here, but they can’t afford it… I risked losing the patent fee and the initial investment in research and development, but I still don’t have the ability to lower the price. I really feel that I’m very useless.”
Ye Li slowly said, “Actually, the pharmaceutical industry is meant to have the world in its heart. Doctors are benevolent. If you enter this industry, you will definitely be different from other industries. Tell me, what do you want to do? I’ll help you! How much do you need? I can draw a few more paintings and also hope to save more families.”
These words made Xue Sheng smile bitterly. He said, “There’s no need. I’m still a businessman in essence, and the root of this matter is that the cost price is too high. The raw materials used to make nerve acids were imported from M Country. I can do charity, but the premise is that my family is rich. It’s impossible for me to make a loss. The key to this matter is the raw materials. I want to meet the person in charge of M Country for a chat.”
Xue Xi, who was standing outside, also blinked.
She returned to her room and was thinking about something when her phone suddenly rang. It was an unknown number. She picked it up and heard a familiar English voice. “Hi, Xue Xi. I’m Thor. Do you remember me?”