His family had to rely on Google Translate just to make sense of the itemized bill.
General Anesthesia: 14,250 USD. Attending Physician, Assistant Physician, and Anesthesiologist’s Professional Fees: 25,335.12 USD.
’Where the hell did that 12 cents co from? Are they billing by the second?’
Operating Room Fee (3.5 hours) Supplies: 62,400 USD!
’Is my dad part of so space shuttle project? Over 60,000 USD for a surgery that was just over three hours long!’
Staring at the endless list of other charges, although he was loath to admit it, for one fleeting mont, Wang Haoran truly wished that Wang Qiang wasn’t his father.
’If a middle-class white guy with insurance were his dad, he’d never be in this ss!’
’Just great. Now they had to move!’
"Alright," Ms. Palr said, shifting her massive fra. "I have to remind you, um... while the rent in Sunset Park is much cheaper, and it’s a hub for the Chinese community just like Flushing, the living conditions really can’t compare."
"I know," Wang Haoran said, still angry. "It’s just... my father just had surgery, and he’s paid weekly, with no insurance, so..."
"God bless you. I hope your father has a speedy recovery," Ms. Palr said, giving him a sympathetic look. "So, your landlord is refusing to renew your lease?"
"Yes," Wang Haoran said with a frown. "Once the landlord found out about the bills, he refused to renew our lease. We had no choice but to find a temporary place in Sunset Park."
He didn’t ntion that it was a small basent apartnt for 850 USD a month, utilities not included, where the humidity was constantly over 75% and the ceiling was a crisscrossing ss of exposed cast-iron drainage pipes.
"Oh, dear, that’s awful," Ms. Palr said, looking at him with pity. "What’s your father’s credit score now? Is it even 500?"
"It hasn’t changed," Wang Haoran shook his head. "It’s still 720, which is barely in the ’excellent’ range."
"I figured as much," Ms. Palr couldn’t help but ask. "Normally, it would take at least a month for the score to change. How did your landlord find out? You know, son, if you’re running into trouble, the school can arrange for a lawyer to help you."
"That’s not it, Ms. Palr," Wang Haoran explained, forcing himself to remain calm. "Our landlord is a doctor. He found out about my father’s bill through the hospital’s system."
’Damn that landlord. We’re both Chinese, why couldn’t he cut us so slack?’
"Well..." Ms. Palr said as she updated his information in the system. "Good luck. I hope your father gets well soon... And if you need to find a part-ti job, you can co see ."
...
When Li Wei got ho from his part-ti job that evening, he found Don Quixote drinking with Jose.
"Hey, nephew," Don Quixote said, raising his glass. "Co on, have a drink with us."
"You know I have to be 21 to drink legally, right?" Li Wei said with a smile as he joined them. "You’ll never get custody of this way."
"Fack! Who cares about them!" Don Quixote slurred. "I’m telling you, Susan bought that building in the Bronx today! It’s officially under our asset managent company’s na now!"
"Congratulations!" Li Wei said, grabbing a can of beer and tapping it against Don Quixote’s. "How much of a stake did you get again? 5%? Does that an you’re suddenly worth 50,000 USD?"
"Fifty thousand?" Don Quixote wagged a finger. "Dead wrong. I’m worth 126,000 USD! Susan spent 1.26 million USD to buy out all the remaining units in the building, and she gave a 10% stake in the end!"
"But I’m telling you," he said, "in less than six months, that 1.26 million USD will appreciate to 4 million, maybe even more."
"By the ti you’re ready for college next year," he said gloatingly, "I can cash out my stake, and your tuition will be paid for, just like that."
"I have to thank Don for the opportunity, too," Jose said, also raising his glass. "He’s willing to give my wife and a job, and he’s teaching how to get a work permit by applying for asylum."
"But you have to be careful," Don Quixote reminded him. "You need to stay clean for at least 180 days, with absolutely no criminal record. Otherwise, you won’t get the work permit, and if you don’t have a work permit, I can’t get you on the insurance."
"And during those 180 days, I need you to get clean," he said. "No more using from now on."
"I swear on my wife’s life and mine," Jose imdiately vowed. "I’ll do whatever you say."
"You should thank Susan; she’s the one giving you a chance," Don Quixote said with a smile. "By the way, I’m now a Senior Manager at ’Apex’ Asset Managent."
After Jose had left, Don Quixote privately told Li Wei that his monthly salary had jumped from 3,500 USD after taxes to 15,000 USD before taxes.
Susan had also agreed to hire him as a full-ti employee, providing him with dical and various other types of insurance.
While it wasn’t a top-tier salary in New York, it was certainly more than respectable for the ti being.
Of course, after factoring in the 19% federal inco tax, 6.2% FICA payroll tax, 6.2-6.5% New York State inco tax, and 3.4-3.6% New York City inco tax, the 15,000 USD would co down to a little over 9,700 USD take-ho.
And that was before deducting another 2,000 USD in alimony, which took the 15,000 USD pre-tax salary down to 7,700 USD take-ho, effectively cutting it in half.
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