Chapter 2271

The thought of Qiao Zijin’s temper made Ding Jiayi’s head hurt. She had worked hard the whole day, and in the end, she had ruined Qiao Zijin’s plan. Leaving aside how she had worked in vain, she might even get a good scolding from Qiao Zijin. How terrible!

No wonder Old Qiao had remained indifferent even after hearing that Zijin had fallen ill. Perhaps, Old Qiao had already guessed that Zijin had faked her own illness.

Obviously, Qiao Zijin had no intention of answering Ding Jiayi’s question. She had already made such a huge sacrifice, but Qiao Nan hadn’t even taken the bait! In that case, how was she ever going to meet Qiao Nan, convince Qiao Nan to settle with Wang Yang, give up her inheritance, and not pursue the lawsuit?

If she didn’t get to meet Qiao Nan, she wouldn’t even be able to tell Qiao Nan all that.

“Mom, did you tell Qiao Nan that I contracted pneumonia? Mom, I’m so seriously ill. Just make a call and tell her to visit me.” Qiao Nan would probably feel better seeing her in such a sorry state. Then, it would be even easier to discuss the matter.

“No, I’m not calling them.” Ding Jiayi refused. “While you were ill, I kept calling the Zhai family. That family is really vicious. They knew that I have a Ping Cheng card, and they picked up every time but refused to say anything. Do you know that I have less than ten yuan in my phone card now?”

It would just be giving those people another opportunity to waste her money if she made another call.

She had intended on getting Qiao Nan to pay for all of her expenses this time, including Zijin’s medical expenses and whatever she would need to nourish herself afterward. But Ding Jiayi couldn’t even get through to Qiao Nan! She even had to fork out a hundred yuan to top up her phone card!

“Mom, just try making a call. I think they might have thought that we were lying. They might not have known that I was really sick with pneumonia. We’re all relatives. How could Qiao Nan not visit me when I’m so seriously ill? Mom, I know that it’s hard on you, but try to tolerate it for my sake. Qiao Nan’s living so well now. After you and Dad pass away, I’ll have to rely on Qiao Nan. I can’t afford to have a strained relationship with her. We’re sisters, after all.”

Before making this trip to the capital, Qiao Zijin had already made up her mind. She would try her best not to provoke Qiao Nan. That way, there would still be room for discussion. Just as she had said, Ding Jiayi and Qiao Dongliang were already advanced in age and might pass away at any moment. Then, Qiao Zijin wouldn’t have many relatives left.

Amongst them, Qiao Nan was the one who gave her the most security, and Qiao Nan was the only one whom Qiao Zijin felt that she could rely on.

That was why Qiao Zijin had decided to hurt herself instead of stirring up trouble for Qiao Nan. She was counting on her younger sister, Qiao Nan, to take care of her once Qiao Dongliang and Ding Jiayi passed on.

As for her son, Chen Feng, she wanted him to live well. So, there was no way she was going to become a burden to him. Supporting him would be Qiao Nan’s responsibility. Qiao Nan probably wouldn’t refuse to spend a little money on her once she grew older. After all, she couldn’t possibly leave her sister to starve to death.

“I can’t do anything.” Ding Jiayi refused without any hesitation. “Qiao Nan doesn’t even think of herself as my daughter or as your sister anymore. I think Qiao Nan might burst out in laughter if she hears your ideas. Sisters? A daughter? Qiao Nan is not acknowledging any of us now. If not for the blood ties between us, Qiao Nan wouldn’t even bother about us now. Zijin, you’d better sober up. None of your dreams will become reality.”

Ding Jiayi’s head hurt. “Qiao Nan is doing well for herself now. She has no use for her poor relatives like us. We never had a close relationship with Qiao Nan in the past anyway. It’s really no surprise that she’s chosen to abandon us now. Zijin, we’ll only be able to benefit from her if she’s willing to let us do so. It’ll be difficult for you to take advantage of her. It’s practically impossible. Zijin, you’d better return to Ping Cheng with me. The five million yuan will never be ours. Qiao Nan is really different from us now.”

Common folk like them would never even earn five million yuan in their entire lifetime. But Qiao Nan could easily give someone five million yuan! She was different now! The most infuriating part was that she had always looked down on Qiao Nan, and yet, it was Qiao Nan who had risen up and entered the circle!

If Qiao Zijin was in Qiao Nan’s place now, Ding Jiayi would have gone crazy from joy.

“Mom, have you gone mad?” Qiao Zijin shook Ding Jiayi’s hand away. “Weren’t you the one who taught me that nothing is impossible as long as one has the will? It’s five million yuan! Not five hundred yuan. I’ll be able to get that huge sum of money with just a little bit of effort. Why should I give it up? Mom, help me. As long as I succeed, I’ll give you a million yuan. With a million yuan, you can cajole Dad in any way you please. With a million yuan, you won’t need to worry about having no one take care of you when you’re old. You can always hire someone to take care of you and Dad.”

“What about you?” Ding Jiayi realized that Qiao Zijin had never made mention of herself. “When your dad and I are immobile, Qiao Nan, who is married and lives in the capital, won’t be able to come back, but what about you? If your dad and I hire someone to take care of us, where will you be? Are you not going to take care of us?”

Qiao Zijin laughed. “If you have a million yuan, why would you still need me around? Mom, I’ve always been rather clumsy since I was young. It’s not that I don’t want to take care of you and Dad. But look at me. I can’t even take good care of myself. How could I possibly take care of you and Dad? I might make everything worse! It’ll be much better for you to hire a professional to take care of you!”

Was there even a need to ask such a question?

Knowing what others had to do while taking care of her parents, her parents might not even agree to her taking care of them, even if she was willing to do so.

Ding Jiayi remained silent for a while. Qiao Zijin’s words had made Ding Jiayi come to a realization. Once she and Qiao Dongliang could no longer move around, Qiao Zijin didn’t intend to fork out money or effort to take care of them. She would leave them in the lurch and leave them to fend for themselves.

Perhaps, Qiao Zijin had never considered her or Old Qiao in her future plans.

If she and Old Qiao were useful, they would be considered her parents. Once they were useless to her, they were two old foggies who had better scram!