Peach Blossoms in Chang'an

Chapter 242 Starting over

Wu Tao took a deep breath, tried to calm her emotions, and opened the door. A man in a suit stood outside the door. He smiled and asked politely, "Excuse me, are you Miss Wu?"

Wu Tao nodded slightly, stepped aside, and motioned the man to come in. Behind the man followed a young man in casual clothes. Wu Tao recognized him at a glance. It was Hu Bugui, whom he had not seen for many days.

When their eyes met, time seemed to stand still. Wu Tao's eyes instantly turned red, and a thousand words came to her mind, but she didn't know where to start. Hu Bugui's eyes were full of guilt and heartache. He opened his mouth and wanted to say something, but found that any words seemed pale and powerless at this moment.

"Taoer..." In the end, it was Hu Bugui who broke the silence.

Wu Tao turned her face away, not wanting him to see her vulnerable side. She held back her tears and said calmly, "Didn't you leave? Why are you back?"

"Tao'er, I'm sorry. It's my fault." Hu Bugui took a step forward and tried to hold Wu Tao's hand, but she dodged him. "During this period, I have thought a lot, and I realized how selfish and irresponsible my escape was. I can't leave you when you need me the most. I want to stay by your side and face all the difficulties with you."

Wu Tao couldn't hold back her tears any longer, and they slid down her cheeks. She choked and said, "But we no longer have a home. I can't even keep my last home..."

"Tao'er, don't say that. If we lose the house, we can buy another one. As long as we are together, anywhere is home." Hu Bugui gently hugged Wu Tao in his arms and whispered to comfort her.

Wu Tao leaned in Hu Bugui's arms, feeling his warm embrace and firm tone, and her heart gradually calmed down. She knew that no matter how difficult the future would be, as long as Hu Bugui was by her side, she would have the courage to face it.

"Tao'er, let's start over." Hu Bugui held Wu Tao's face, gently wiped away the tears on her face, and said with a firm gaze, "Let's analyze the reasons for our previous failures together. We will definitely be able to find a solution to the problem."

Wu Tao looked at Hu Bugui's determined eyes, and a glimmer of hope ignited in her heart. She nodded and said, "Okay, let's work hard together."

When they returned to the living room, Wu's mother had already poured a glass of water for Hu Bugui. Hu Bugui took the glass and said to Wu's mother sincerely, "Aunt, I'm sorry. I was too impulsive before. Please forgive me."

Mother Wu sighed and said, "My child, let the past be the past. The most important thing now is to think about what to do in the future."

"Yes, you are right." Hu Bugui nodded and turned his gaze to Wu Tao, "Tao'er, we..."

"Knock, knock, knock," a knock on the door suddenly sounded, interrupting Hu Bugui's words. Wu Tao looked at the door in confusion, and the voice of the real estate agent came from outside the door: "Ms. Wu, hello, sorry to bother you, how are you thinking about it?"

Wu Tao took a deep breath, suppressed the surging emotions in his heart, turned around and shouted to the door: "Let's discuss it again and give you an answer later."

The real estate agent's voice came from outside the door: "Okay, Miss Wu, take your time to think about it."

After sending the agent away, Wu Tao and Hu Bugui returned to the living room. Wu's father and mother also came in. The four of them sat around the coffee table. The atmosphere was a bit heavy.

"Tao'er, how about we sell the house..." Mother Wu spoke hesitantly, her eyes slightly red.

"No!" Wu Tao refused without even thinking, "Mom, this is my parents' life's work, how can you just sell it!"

"But..." Mother Wu wanted to persuade him again, but Father Wu held her hand.

"Tao'er is right. We can't sell the house." Although Father Wu was weak, his tone was very firm. "Let's think of other ways."

"Dad, Mom, don't worry, I will find a way." Wu Tao held his parents' hands with a firm tone.

Hu Bugui looked at the scene in front of him with mixed feelings. He knew that now was not the time to escape, he had to take on his responsibilities and protect this family together with Wu Tao.

"Taoer, let's analyze the reasons for our previous failure first." Hu Bugui suggested.

Wu Tao nodded, and the two began to review the previous process of raising money for Wu's father's surgery. They found that they were too impatient in solving the problem and did not make full use of the resources of modern society.

"I remember you said that there are many new ways of fundraising in modern society, such as..." Wu Tao tried hard to recall.

"Crowdfunding!" Hu Bugui added, "We can try to raise funds for uncle's surgery!"

Wu Tao's eyes lit up. This was indeed a feasible solution. Hu Bugui immediately turned on his computer and began to search for information about crowdfunding. While studying, he explained to Wu Tao the operation process and precautions of crowdfunding.

Wu Tao listened attentively, raising her own questions from time to time, and Hu Bugui patiently answered them. The two of them taught and learned, and before they knew it, the night outside the window had deepened.

"Taoer, we will definitely succeed." Hu Bugui closed the computer and looked at Wu Tao with hope in his eyes.

"Yeah!" Wu Tao nodded heavily, his heart filled with strength.

The next morning, Wu Tao contacted a professional crowdfunding platform and began to prepare for the crowdfunding. Hu Bugui ran around, taking photos and recording videos for the crowdfunding project. The two were very busy, but they enjoyed it.

At the same time, Wu Tao was also thinking about another question: How could she raise more funds in a short period of time? She remembered that her friend had mentioned investment and financial management before, so maybe she could give it a try...

Wu Tao remembered that her friend Chen Lu used to work in the financial industry, so she contacted her, hoping to get some guidance. After Chen Lu learned about Wu Tao's family situation, she agreed to help without hesitation.

"Investment and financial management won't work in a short time, you have to be mentally prepared." Chen Lu said as she looked through Wu Tao's financial situation, "But it's not too late for you to start learning now, at least you can make plans for the future."

Wu Tao listened carefully and kept Chen Lu's words in mind. Under Chen Lu's guidance, she began to learn some basic investment knowledge and tried some low-risk investments. Although the returns were minimal, this gave Wu Tao hope. She believed that as long as she persisted, she would definitely gain something.

At the same time, Wu's father's condition was temporarily stabilized under the control of drugs, which made Wu Tao and Hu Bugui feel relieved. They devoted more time and energy to solving the problem and were no longer as panicked and helpless as before.

At night, Wu Tao and Hu Bugui sat side by side in front of the computer, browsing various information on the web. Sometimes they discussed in a low voice, sometimes they smiled at each other, and the tacit understanding and trust between them grew unconsciously.

"Taoer, what do you think of this project?" Hu Bugui pointed to a crowdfunding project on the screen and asked Wu Tao for his opinion.

Wu Tao read the project introduction carefully, frowning slightly: "This project looks good, but the information on risk assessment doesn't seem to be very..."

Before she finished her words, her cell phone suddenly rang. Wu Tao picked up the phone and saw that it was a call from the hospital.

"Hello, hello, are you Mr. Wu's family member?..."

Wu Tao's heart suddenly sank, and an ominous premonition came over her. She hurriedly picked up the phone, her voice trembling: "Hello, hello, this is..."

A nurse's urgent voice came from the other end of the phone: "Ms. Wu, your father's condition has suddenly worsened and he needs surgery immediately. Please come to the hospital as soon as possible!"

Wu Tao suddenly felt a black screen in front of her eyes, and her phone almost slipped out of her hand. Seeing this, Hu Bugui held her and asked anxiously: "Tao'er, what's wrong? What happened?"

Wu Tao took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down, and said in a trembling voice: "The hospital... the hospital said that my father's condition has worsened and he needs surgery immediately..."

Hu Bugui stood up without hesitation and said, "Let's go to the hospital now!"

The two rushed to the hospital, where Wu's mother was already waiting anxiously. When she saw Wu Tao, her tears immediately welled up, and she choked up and said, "Tao'er, your father..."

Wu Tao held back her tears and comforted her mother: "Mom, don't worry, we will find a way, and everything will be fine."

The operation lasted for five hours, and Wu Tao, Hu Bugui, and Wu's mother waited outside the operating room anxiously. Every minute seemed extraordinarily long, and the air was filled with tension and anxiety.

Finally, the door of the operating room opened and the doctor walked out tiredly. Wu Tao and Hu Bugui hurried over and asked anxiously, "Doctor, how is my father?"

The doctor took off his mask, sighed and said, "The operation was successful, but..."

"But what?" Wu Tao's heart was in his throat, fearing that he would hear some bad news.

"But the patient is still in a very weak physical condition and needs to be observed in the intensive care unit for a period of time. The subsequent treatment costs..."

Before the doctor finished speaking, Wu Tao and Hu Bugui understood what he meant. The huge surgery fee had already drained all their savings, and the subsequent treatment costs were even more astronomical for them.

Looking at her father lying unconscious on the hospital bed, Wu Tao felt unprecedented powerlessness and despair. At this moment, a big warm hand held her hand, and Hu Bugui's firm and gentle voice rang in her ears: "Tao'er, don't be afraid, I'm here, let's find a solution together."

Wu Tao raised her head and looked at Hu Bugui's determined eyes, and a glimmer of hope ignited in her heart. Yes, with him, they had gone through so many ups and downs together, and they would definitely be able to overcome the difficulties before them.

The two returned home and immediately began to review their crowdfunding plan without taking a rest. Previously, they focused on introducing the disease and raising funds, but ignored the appeal of the story itself.

“We need more touching details,” Wu Tao said as he flipped through the previous copy, “so that people can truly feel our plight and our determination.”

Hu Bugui nodded, and after thinking for a moment, he said, "We can also add some photos and videos to make the story more vivid and more touching."

Wu Tao's eyes lit up and he said excitedly, "Yes, why didn't I think of that? We can..."