Chapter 3: The Month-End Spender 3
Zhao Qianqian stood frozen for a long time before asking, “Why didn’t you say anything earlier?”
Yun Luo replied, “Because the host told me not to speak, to pretend I don’t exist.”
So, whenever the host asked something, she would answer. When the host didn’t ask, she acted as if she didn’t know.
“Cancel that! Forget what I just said!” Zhao Qianqian hurriedly corrected herself, “From now on, if I do something wrong, or if you think of a good idea, don’t hesitate—just remind me immediately.”
She would rather be startled by the little voice suddenly speaking than be overwhelmed by feelings of hopelessness and helplessness again.
Yun Luo nodded to show that she understood.
After a moment, Zhao Qianqian asked again, “Why did you appear this time?”
Yun Luo looked up. “Didn’t the host ask me why the transfer amount was 3,100 yuan?”
Zhao Qianqian, somewhat embarrassed, nodded, “Yes, I did ask.”
Yun Luo replied, “So I appeared to answer.”
Zhao Qianqian encouraged her, “Helping others is a good habit. Make sure to keep it up!”
Yun Luo didn’t respond, and in the next second, she disappeared.
“Where did she go?” Zhao Qianqian was startled.
“The matter is resolved, so I’m going into sleep mode,” Yun Luo said with a yawn.
Sleep mode?!
Zhao Qianqian became anxious. “Wait! Wait a minute! Please explain clearly—how do we claim the medical expenses?”
Yun Luo lazily responded, “It depends on the region, depends on the hospital.”
“For some payments, you swipe the medical insurance card, and it’s directly deducted. For example, if the medical fees are 10,000 yuan, you only need to pay 3,000.”
“For others, you pay upfront, and after the claim, you get reimbursed. For example, if the medical fees are 10,000 yuan, you pay the full amount first, and then take the materials to the local medical insurance center to apply for reimbursement of 7,000.”
“If you need to pay upfront, you can take the house deed to the bank and apply for a mortgage loan. The loan amount is not large, and if the property is free of loans, it could be processed in as little as 3-5 days or up to 15 days before the bank disburses the loan.”
“Wait! Wait! Let me take notes.” Unable to find paper and pen at that moment, Zhao Qianqian took out her lipstick and started writing on the mirror.
“Direct deduction… pay upfront… take the house deed to the bank for a mortgage loan…”
After jotting down the key information, Zhao Qianqian asked, “How long will the sleep mode last? If something comes up, how do I find you?”
Yun Luo replied, “Just call my name, and I’ll appear when I hear it.”
Zhao Qianqian felt reassured.
Before long, the silence returned, and the system no longer made a sound.
Zhao Qianqian stared at the haphazard, hurriedly written notes on the mirror, feeling a mix of emotions.
For the first time in her life, she felt like she should take some time to learn about financial management. She didn’t understand anything, couldn’t do anything, and whenever something happened, she felt as clueless as a child. This wasn’t a sustainable way to live.
—
Once she knew what to do, she didn’t feel like (())a headless chicken running around aimlessly.
Zhao Qianqian tidied herself up, wiped the mirror clean, and went to consult the doctor for further advice.
When she asked about social security, the doctor responded without hesitation, “If you have social security, you won’t have to bear all the costs. The portion covered by the social security fund will be automatically deducted when you make a payment, you only need to pay the remaining balance.”
So, it’s directly deducted, and no need to pay upfront?
Zhao Qianqian’s heart raced. She held her breath and asked again, “In that case, how much of the cost will I need to bear?”
The doctor answered, “Class A examinations and medications are fully reimbursed, Class B examinations and medications are reimbursed at 80%, with 20% out-of-pocket, Class C examinations and medications are fully out-of-pocket.”
“As long as it doesn’t affect the recovery, try to use medications covered by social security. With the surgery and hospitalization fees, you can save about 80% of the costs.”
“Of course, this is just a preliminary estimate, the actual situation depends on the details.”
“If, in addition to social security, the patient has purchased commercial insurance, the reimbursement amount will be higher, and it’s possible that neither the patient nor their family will need to pay any extra out-of-pocket costs.”
A 20% out-of-pocket cost was even better than Yun Luo had expected.
Zhao Qianqian’s brows relaxed, and she let out a sigh of relief. “I understand. I’ll discuss it with my mom and see when we can schedule the surgery.”
—
When she heard that the savings were enough to cover the surgery, and it could proceed immediately, Wang Yan was overjoyed. She grabbed her daughter’s hand, repeatedly asking, “We can reduce the medical expenses with social security? You’re not joking with me, are you?”
“It’s true.” Zhao Qianqian comforted her gently, “I asked. Everyone who pays into social security can enjoy this benefit. We didn’t know before, so we thought we’d have to pay for everything ourselves.”
60,000 yuan was a significant sum for their family. Now that everything was looking like it would work out smoothly, Wang Yan kept muttering, “Thank you, Bodhisattva.”
With the matter mostly settled, Zhao Qianqian felt much lighter.
In just this short span of one day and one night, no one could imagine how much mental turmoil she had endured!
She had always thought that being young meant spending her monthly salary and not bothering her mother was enough.
Now, however, she realized that doing just that was far from enough. Her mother was aging, the family’s situation was average, and if something minor happened, without any savings, they wouldn’t be able to cope.
These problems had always existed.
It was just that she hadn’t thought much about them before, because she hadn’t faced them. Now that she was facing them, overwhelmed and nearly unable to keep up, she finally realized the importance of saving money.
—
After discussing it, the mother and daughter agreed to proceed with the surgery as soon as possible, the sooner the better.
After informing the doctor, the response was, “The soonest will be the day after tomorrow afternoon.”
Zhao Qianqian felt the time was a bit late, but there was nothing she could do. She had to follow the hospital’s schedule.
Back in the hospital room, she told her mother about the surgery time.
As soon as she finished speaking, Wang Yan urged, “There’s nothing for me to do here, you should hurry back to work.”
Zhao Qianqian refused, “How can I do that? You’re here alone in the hospital, with no one to take care of you. If you’re thirsty and need water, or hungry and need food, who will run errands for you?”
“I’m here to be hospitalized, not to enjoy myself. It’s not a big deal,” Wang Yan said indifferently. “If I’m thirsty, I can get up and get water myself, and if I’m hungry, I’ll eat the hospital’s boxed meals. It’s very convenient.”
Zhao Qianqian wanted to say something, but the words caught in her throat.
If she had money, she could ignore the salary deduction, continue to take leave, and stay in the hospital with her mother until she recovered.
If she had money, and the company didn’t approve her leave, she could hire a caregiver to help look after her mother.
If she were really, really rich, and the company didn’t approve her leave, she could quit her job and stay in the hospital for one or two months without a worry.
But she didn’t have money, and she had even advanced next month’s salary.
—
Zhao Qianqian’s lips moved, but in the end, she said, “I’ll go to work. I’ll come to see you after I get off.”
Money is only truly regretted when it’s needed. A life trapped by poverty is full of helplessness.
“You work so hard, why bother coming over after work?” Wang Yan waved her hand in dismissal, “Just go home and rest after work. I’ll be lying here in the ward, nothing’s going to happen.”
Her mother was sick, and as her child, she couldn’t even offer the most basic company!
Zhao Qianqian felt a pang of sadness and wanted to cry.
Unable to argue with her mother, and with finances tight, Zhao Qianqian ultimately chose to return to work.
When she arrived at the office, a colleague asked about the situation, and Zhao Qianqian briefly explained.
Her colleagues expressed their sympathy.
“That’s why they say when one person in the family gets sick, the whole family falls into poverty. In today’s society, you really can’t afford to get sick.”
“As the saying goes, don’t catch a disease, and don’t run out of money. Normally, it’s fine, but when something happens, it feels like someone’s choking you, suffocating you!”
“So no matter what, you have to save money. At a critical moment, that money can save your life!”
“I think you also need to have insurance. Commercial health insurance, only a few hundred a year, not expensive. If nothing happens, it’s like buying a meal or a piece of clothing. But if something does happen, insurance can save you tens of thousands!”
These were things her colleagues had said before, but Zhao Qianqian never really paid attention. She always thought that accidents happened to other people, not to her.
However, after experiencing her family member’s hospitalization, she suddenly realized that her colleagues’ words were invaluable advice.
It’s probably only after experiencing the hardships of not having money, and the suffering that comes with it, that you can truly understand how much blood, sweat, and tears are behind such simple advice.
Zhao Qianqian didn’t want to discuss it further, so she just said, “It’s good that she’s fine.”
As customers walked in, her colleagues scattered to attend to them.
Zhao Qianqian went to the finance department to complete the application—when she had advanced her salary earlier, the department had specifically told her to fill out an application form once she was back at work.
While filling out the form, the finance officer asked, “You had something this morning and took half a day off. How should we handle that?”
If it were before, Zhao Qianqian would have waved it off grandly and said, “Just deduct half a day’s pay.”
But now, calculating the little money in her pocket, she kept a neutral expression. “I’ll make up for the half day on Sunday.”
It was already a one-day weekend, and having to come in specifically to make up for the absence was frustrating for anyone. But reality was cruel: either you made up the hours, or they deducted money. There was no other choice.
Compared to the salary deduction, Zhao Qianqian would rather work harder.
“Okay, remember to clock in and make a record,” the finance officer reminded.
“I know,” Zhao Qianqian replied, then left the office.
—
Before she knew it, it was almost noon.
There were very few restaurants near the 4S store, and the food was both expensive and unappetizing. Zhao Qianqian habitually took out her phone, ready to order takeout.
She quickly selected a bunch of items, and just as she was about to submit the order, she noticed the total amount: 36.
Zhao Qianqian fell silent.
She returned to the order page and deleted some items.
After reviewing the new order, she found that if she spent just two more yuan, she could get more discounts, so she added a couple more items.
After a few minutes of adding and subtracting, she finally submitted the order and paid.
The total amount of the order successfully dropped from 36 to 24.
Putting down her phone, Zhao Qianqian felt a wave of melancholy.
The thought of having to live like this, constantly budgeting and cutting corners, terrified her. But if she didn’t do it, how could she save any money? How could she stop her mother from considering going back to work?
She was still young, and it was better for her to endure hardship than for her mother to do so.
Zhao Qianqian made up her mind that she had to be frugal, and that she had to save as much as possible.
—
After work that evening, Zhao Qianqian went to the hospital to visit her mother.
As soon as she entered the room, she saw Wang Yan having dinner.
A quick glance made Zhao Qianqian furrow her brows—the meal was a box of hospital food, with three kinds of vegetables, barely any meat, and the rice was hard and dry.
She couldn’t stand it and immediately stepped forward, saying, “Mom, don’t eat that. I’ll go out and get you something else.”
“No need,” Wang Yan insisted. “I’m not feeling well, so I need to eat something light. I can’t have any meat or greasy food.”
Zhao Qianqian knew this wasn’t true. Her mother loved meat, and she wouldn’t be able to eat properly without it.
“You’re going to have surgery in a couple of days. You should eat something good to help you recover faster,” Zhao Qianqian said, moving to take the box of food.
Wang Yan quickly protected the meal, not letting her daughter take it, “I’m fine with this. No need to trouble yourself.”
“You don’t need to save this little money,” Zhao Qianqian said firmly.
Wang Yan blurted out, “After the surgery, all the savings in the family will be used up! How can we not save some now?”
—
The author has something to say:
Different diseases, regions, hospitals, and medications affect social security reimbursement rates, which range from 60% to 90%.
Also, policies vary by region, so each situation should be analyzed accordingly.
—
Reading Notes:
1.Derivatives of financial history from countries like the U.S., Japan, the Netherlands, etc.
2.Quick Transmigration, all about financial dungeons. The dungeon settings are fictional.
3.The female protagonist is a financial big shot, guiding novices to escape poverty.
4.There will be a couple in the final world, but no romance during the quick transmigration process.
Reader’s Knowledge Sharing:
Tumors can be benign or malignant. Malignant tumors are commonly referred to as cancer, but not all malignant tumors are called “x-cancer,” such as osteosarcoma, lymphoma, or leukemia.
Malignant tumors also vary in severity. The higher the malignancy, the more likely it is to metastasize, and the prognosis worsens.
Tumor location is also important. Tumors in the brainstem, regardless of nature, are dangerous, and surgeries on them are risky. Tumors that invade or press on the spinal cord, whether benign or malignant, can easily lead to paralysis.