China wife asks mother-in-law to reimburse her after paying hospital bills for ailing husband
Mother of son who suffered heart attack says she feels ‘confused and disappointed’ after his wife asks her to ‘go Dutch’ on the medical bill
A woman in eastern China who complained about her daughter-in-law wanting to split the medical bill after her son suffered a heart attack has gone viral on mainland social media.
The mother-in-law, surnamed Zhou, from Jiangsu province, shared her family’s story online in April, reigniting a heated discussion about going Dutch.
She said her son and daughter-in-law have been married for 18 years and have always split the bills.
Zhou said she had supported their lifestyle until the beginning of this year when her son developed heart disease and was hospitalised.
When her son was undergoing surgery, her daughter-in-law used his bank card to pay the hospital bill.
Zhou said she then received a message from her daughter-in-law which read: “There is not enough balance on his card. I have paid for him. Please remind him to reimburse me as quickly as possible.”
Zhou said she was confused and disappointed and felt as if cold water had been thrown on her.