chapter 184
**Chapter 184**
The hospital bills were currently covered by the savings of Old Mr. and Mrs. Hunt. Old Mr. Hunt mentioned that his children and grandchildren should contribute to the expenses once Mrs. Hunt was discharged from the hospital. As for the costs already incurred by Old Mr. and Mrs. Hunt, their children and grandchildren were expected to reimburse them. It didn’t sit well with the elderly couple to continue living without any money on hand.
While the old folks might seem financially motivated, they understood that their children and grandchildren would not be as generous if they had nothing left to their names. It was wiser to rely on a substantial amount of cash rather than solely on their biological children. With several hundred thousand dollars in savings, if divided equally, each family would receive about a hundred thousand dollars. Nonetheless, no one would refuse free money.
When the nurse entered with the previous day’s charges, Old Mr. Hunt took a look at the bill. Frowning, he remarked, “It hasn’t even been a few days, and we’re nearly out of money.” He turned to his children and said, “Discuss among yourselves how much to contribute. Pool your funds and pay the bill to me before the hospital starts pressing for payment.”
“Dad, have you spent all your money?” asked the oldest son.
Old Mr. Hunt shot him an angry glare. “What? Are you unhappy about paying? Do you think your mom and I can waste cash like this? How many of you have contributed since your mom fell ill? Your mom and I raised you and helped you get settled. Now that she’s sick, shouldn’t you be responsible for the medical expenses?”
The oldest son quickly replied, “Dad, we’re not saying we won’t pay, but we just don’t know how much it’s going to cost.”
The hospital stay has been draining finances for the past few days. Even though they were relatively well-off now, their mother’s hospitalization was depleting their resources. The oldest son felt a deep sense of distress at the thought of covering the expenses. It’s no wonder people say it’s fine to be poor, but never to fall ill; it’s all your fault for not getting those kids to contribute. You wouldn’t have to pay if you could get them to help out. If anyone is to blame, it’s those kids. I don’t care how you do it, but the only way to avoid paying is for Serenity to cover the costs.
John had asked a friend to find out about Serenity and discovered that she owned a large bookstore near Wiltspoon School. Her business seemed to be thriving, and he also heard that her online venture was quite successful as well. Serenity’s monthly income could reach tens of thousands, as John mentioned. Liberty, who had once been the most assertive, was now in a challenging marriage. She was a stay-at-home mom with no money to her name. Old Mr. Hunt believed Liberty should have anticipated this outcome, as she had refused to give her relatives a lump sum for family support when she got married. That was karma. Now she must lie in the bed she made.
Silence filled the room. It was agonizing when it was their turn to pay. The Hunts may have previously abandoned the idea of making Serenity foot the bill, but now they were brainstorming ways for her to take on the cost. “That reminds me. Is John still suspended from work? Is there still a big fuss online?” Old Mr. Hunt asked Chris. The old man didn’t browse the web, so he had no way of knowing.
Access to the negative comments online did not affect him in any way. A few individuals came to the hospital and confronted the Hunts during the first two days, but the hospital’s security guards quickly escorted them away. The Hunts had contacted the police, which led to the angry netizens exercising self-restraint now that law enforcement was involved. The most harm they inflicted was sending hate messages online to the family. Since that time, no one has come to the hospital to confront them. Regardless of the situation, Old Mrs. Hunt was a patient who had just undergone surgery. The netizens claimed that the Hunts were something else entirely. If anything were to happen to Old Mrs. Hunt as a result of their tirade, the Hunts could take the netizens to court. The netizens would face severe financial repercussions if they were required to compensate the family for damages.