Chapter 99 - 099 Regret buying a car

Words : 1609 Updated : Sep 12th, 2025

The man Du Heng had diagnosed with a tumor never showed up. Even by the next day, there was still no news. Du Heng didn’t want to wait any longer; besides, he had a decent understanding of the clinic’s situation now. On the afternoon of May 4th, he decided not to stay at the clinic. Instead, he called Wang Shuqiu to go car shopping with him. After a visit to her home, Wang Shuqiu was gradually showing a slight tendency towards being a homemaker, a complete contrast to her mother. Buying a car was fine, but it couldn’t be too expensive. After all, it was just a means of transportation; as long as it could be driven, it was enough. Du Heng, however, felt that this was his first car and it had to be a good one. Besides, he wasn’t short of money now and could afford installments. But Wang Shuqiu wouldn’t have it. If they couldn’t get a nice, cheap new car, she wanted Du Heng to buy a better second-hand one. The two of them argued, each with their own reasons, and were bickering before they even set foot in the car dealership. Du Heng couldn’t out-argue Wang Shuqiu. He wanted to tell her she was meddling too much—they weren’t even married yet, and his finances were his own business. But he swallowed his words, not daring to voice them. After all, Wang Shuqiu had a point, and she was thinking of their well-being. Wei Kaida, who had tagged along, was getting extremely impatient. He had originally skipped work to hang out, meet his friend’s girlfriend, and offer Du Heng some advice on buying a car. But who would have thought the couple would start arguing before even entering the car dealership, with Du Heng losing the argument? "A second-hand car, huh? I have one, a two-year-old Honda. I just traded it in last week, and it’s still in good condition. If you want a second-hand car, you can buy mine." Wang Shuqiu’s face lit up for a moment, but she quickly composed herself. "How much? If the price is right, we’ll buy it." "I bought the automatic luxury model; it cost 115,000 yuan new. Since Du and I are brothers, 70,000 yuan will do." Wei Kaida offered a friendly price. He had checked with a second-hand car dealership, and they had quoted him 75,000 yuan. Du Heng felt a pit in his stomach. My first car, and it’s second-hand... It feels like marrying a second-hand wife—damn uncomfortable! But Wang Shuqiu was determined to spend as little money as possible for the best outcome. There was nothing he could do. However, Du Heng knew Wei Kaida’s car. It hadn’t been in any accidents and was in good condition. Aside from being a bit small, it didn’t have any significant problems. Just as he was about to grit his teeth and agree, Wang Shuqiu spoke up again, "That’s too expensive. How about 50,000 yuan? Since you and Du are brothers, you can give us a discount." Wei Kaida’s face turned green. He couldn’t just be the good guy and take a loss on top of it. "Hey now, you still remember Du and I are brothers, huh? Seventy thousand yuan isn’t asking for much, you know. Go and ask around; if I were to sell my car on the second-hand market, I’d definitely get a lot more than that." "Oh, come on, you guys are brothers. Just make it a bit cheaper. How about 55,000 yuan? What do you think?" Du Heng was a bit surprised. This woman, who’s usually a bit aloof, actually knows how to haggle! Recalling their various experiences together, Du Heng concluded that she could be indifferent about many things, but she definitely took money very seriously. Not in a stingy way, but in a practical, knows-how-to-manage-a-household kind of way. She would spend when necessary and not waste a single penny when it wasn’t. She tried to save as much as possible for herself but was never stingy with her family, especially Du Heng. In the past, Du Heng would casually buy clothes, usually costing between tens to a couple of hundred yuan. But in the last two months with Wang Shuqiu, she had bought him clothes three or four times. As she put it, she just happened to see something she thought looked good on him while passing by, so she bought it. The clothes weren’t overly expensive, but they weren’t cheap either; each item cost around 500 or 600 yuan. The leather shoes he was wearing right now, priced at 880 yuan, made Du Heng feel awkward with every step. I’ve never worn shoes this expensive in my entire life. My feet just don’t deserve them! Shouldn’t I cherish and listen to such a woman? On one hand was his girlfriend, trying to save him money; on the other was his good brother. This haggling was straining their goodwill. He couldn’t let his girlfriend feel awkward or angry, causing her to lose face. Nor could he let his brother suffer a real loss. So, he decided he would have to bear the difference himself. Seeing Wei Kaida was about to argue again, Du Heng quickly shot him a look, signaling him to agree. It was unclear if Wei Kaida understood the look, but upon seeing Du Heng’s gesture, he changed his tune and sighed, "Du, you’ve struck gold finding a wife who knows how to save money." Looking at Wang Shuqiu, he said, "Alright, I agree. Let’s go to my place, and I’ll give you the keys. You can drive the car away now. When the Vehicle Management Office opens, we’ll go transfer the ownership." In the end, Du Heng transferred 70,000 yuan to Wei Kaida, and Wang Shuqiu happily took the keys to drive the car. As for me, Du Heng thought, I really regret suggesting we buy a car today. I don’t even want to touch it, let alone drive it. But Wang Shuqiu was elated. However, as she slowly drove the car out of the garage, an alarm inside kept sounding. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. Wang Shuqiu, looking at the garage’s indicators, said, "Du, put on your seatbelt. Can’t you hear the alarm?" Du Heng glanced at his own seatbelt, then at Wang Shuqiu’s, then at the handbrake. Finally, he silently released the handbrake. Du Heng recalled a saying he had once read: "Don’t argue with a woman, especially one who loves you." Although Wang Shuqiu hasn’t been unreasonable with me yet, I still think there’s a lot of truth to that. Wang Shuqiu felt him release the handbrake. She quietly glanced at the expressionless Du Heng and chuckled, "Oh my, I was so excited I forgot. You’re not mad at me, are you?" Du Heng instantly felt his previous decision had been very wise. "Of course not," he said. "How could I be? Just watch the road and drive carefully." "You’re so kind." Good, that’s all that matters! Du Heng silently sighed. With nothing much to do in the city, the couple decided to head back to the mountain first. This would allow Wang Shuqiu to familiarize herself with the car and the route, making it easier for her to commute to work later. Halfway on their drive, Du Heng received a call from Song. "Xiao Du, are you at home?" "I’m on my way home. What’s up, Dean Song?" "Leaders from the Shanghu District are holding a field office meeting in Shang Ling Village tomorrow. Would you like to attend?" Du Heng was puzzled. A field office meeting? What does that have to do with me? That’s for the leaders to handle, surely. "Dean Song, I’m just a TCM doctor. Isn’t it inappropriate for me to attend?" "There’s nothing inappropriate about it; the leader specifically asked for you to join." "Specifically asked for me?" Du Heng’s heart skipped a beat. Have I done something wrong recently? he quickly wondered. Song chuckled on the other end. "Yes, they asked for you by name. Be there at 10 o’clock sharp tomorrow morning." Du Heng was baffled and quickly asked, "Dean Song, why?" "Zhang Xi, the patient with the intracranial hemorrhage, has now stabilized. Your treatment prevented his condition from worsening and bought valuable time for further medical care. This is your achievement, our Health Clinic’s achievement, and indeed, an achievement for the entire Shanghu District Health System." Du Heng felt somewhat repulsed upon hearing the grand, official-sounding jargon. Treating one patient and blowing it up into an achievement for the entire Health System... Aren’t they afraid of looking ridiculous and making a fool of themselves? However, thinking about it more deeply, for the district-level Health System to have any presentable achievements, they probably can’t afford to be too concerned about ’face’ or modesty. Li Qingde’s actions were still fresh in my memory. I’ve seen even more despicable and exaggerated tactics than this before. However, I think the likelihood of the leaders specifically inviting me is low. It’s more probable that Song is stirring things up on his own to grab credit. Considering his track record of claiming credit as soon as he took office, he definitely wouldn’t let an opportunity like this slip away. After all, district-level leaders are holding a field office meeting in Shang Ling Village. It must be related to people’s livelihoods and post-disaster reconstruction. I’m just a low-level employee in the Health System with no official position. What does this possibly have to do with me? And to think there’s even a hint of commendation involved... It’s unbelievable.

Chapter 99 - 099 Regret buying a car

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