Chapter 68: He's Injured
At dinner time.
With the seat next to her now empty, Ning Tang felt a little sad for a while.
But then I thought, instead of wasting time grieving over the autumn moon, I might as well go upstairs and into my spatial dimension to read medical books.
With Xu Qiaofeng's abilities, he will definitely return safely from the mission.
Moreover, the most important thing now is the review exam from Zhou Hairong after this month ends.
Whether she could stay in the Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine depended entirely on her word.
Ning Tang never fights a battle he is unprepared for.
After finishing his meal, he put down his bowl, said goodbye to his grandparents, and went back into his room.
Time is frozen in space.
Ning Tang didn't know how long she stayed inside, but she finally left reluctantly because she felt sore and her back ached.
When I came out, the time was eight o'clock.
It was the same time she went in.
I picked up my clothes, ready to take a shower, when there was a few soft knocks on the door.
Ning Tang thought it was Su Ying, so she raised her voice and said, "Sister-in-law, come in if you need anything."
There was a few seconds of silence outside the door.
Then Xu Qiaoyan's nervous voice rang out: "Sister-in-law, it's me."
"Second Brother?"
"I'm sorry to bother you so late, but Qiaofeng is on a mission and not home. I can't come in. Could you please come out for a moment?" Xu Qiaoyan said politely.
Ning Tang: "I'll be right there."
Open the door.
Then I saw Xu Qiaoyan leaning against the door frame.
He was also very tall, with a pretty boy-like appearance, completely different from his two brothers.
With slender fingers holding an unlit cigarette, he looked preoccupied under the light.
Seeing Ning Tang come out, he subconsciously straightened his back, put the cigarette in his hand back in his pocket, and his face was even more tense than before.
Xu Qiaoyan asked, "Sister-in-law, what's the name of that female colleague who came home from get off work with you this evening?"
Ning Tang was stunned for a moment.
I never expected him to come looking for me so late at night just to ask me this, so I answered truthfully:
"Her name is Wang Yingying. She is a nurse in the Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Today, we went to the supply and marketing cooperative together on our way home from get off work. It was a bit late when we came back, and she was worried about me, so she brought me back."
"Wang Yingying..." Xu Qiaoyan repeated the name in a low voice, his brows furrowing even more.
A complex mix of emotions, which Ning Tang couldn't decipher, surged in his eyes.
This second brother, who usually doesn't show much emotion, now had a face full of panic and tension that he himself didn't even realize.
"Doesn't she look a little chubby, have a soft voice, and a small red mole below her ear?"
Ning Tang thought about it carefully: "Yes, there is a mole. It's not very noticeable unless you look closely, but Yingying is very thin, unlike what Second Brother said about her being chubby."
"Second brother, do you know her?"
Xu Qiaoyan's Adam's apple bobbed.
Instead of answering directly, she pressed further: "How does she usually seem emotionally? Has she talked to you about anyone?"
“I never said that.” Ning Tang shook her head.
"Yingying is usually like a little sun, she talks a lot, mostly about hospital matters, and she hasn't talked about any particular people."
Upon hearing the word "not," Xu Qiaoyan's eyes darkened, and he remained silent for a few seconds.
Under Ning Tang's suspicious gaze, she managed a forced smile: "It's nothing, it's just that he looks a bit like a friend I used to know, and I was afraid I'd mistake him for someone else."
He didn't ask any more questions, but gave a few more instructions.
After saying, "Qiaofeng isn't here, I'll take you to work tomorrow," he turned and left.
Ning Tang watched Xu Qiaoyan's hurried departure and felt that something was not quite right.
When Wang Yingying was mentioned, my second brother's reaction was very unusual; it wasn't as simple as he made it sound.
Back inside.
Ning Tang stopped dwelling on the matter and went to bed after washing up.
On the other side.
The Zhang family.
The news that Zhang Jiaman had been dismissed from the military hospital for personal misconduct quickly spread around her family.
Zhang's parents usually don't dare to go out during the day.
I'm terrified that my backbone will be exposed.
Just when Zhang Jiaman thought that if she hid, the matter would pass, police officers from the local police station and staff from the neighborhood committee came to her door late at night.
The evidence is conclusive; they are spreading rumors about military family members and disrupting military marriages.
In the 1970s, this was considered a very serious crime.
When Zhang Jiaman saw the evidence handed to her by the police, she instantly collapsed to the ground, her face deathly pale.
Mr. and Mrs. Zhang panicked.
Ignoring the crowd of onlookers at the entrance, he grabbed the police officer's sleeve and kept begging for mercy, eventually even kneeling down.
They said their daughter was still young and didn't understand, and begged for another chance.
The neighborhood committee staff were rude and rolled their eyes at the question: "Military marriages are protected by law. Spreading rumors and disrupting military marriages are crossing a line. There's no room for discussion!"
"Do you know who that military wife's husband is? He's the grandson of Commander Xu from Shengjing City. Going back three generations, his family has been known for their loyalty and bravery!"
Ultimately, the police took Zhang Jiaman away in accordance with the law.
Watching her daughter being taken away, Zhang's mother sat on the ground and wailed. Zhang's father knew there was no turning back, and he looked as if he had aged decades.
but.
This matter is not over yet.
Before they could even go to work at the factory the next day, late that night, Zhang's parents received a call from the factory, the implication being that they shouldn't come to work.
At this point, families associated with disrupting military marriages are likely to have their political background checks affected.
Nobody wants to take this unnecessary risk.
Zhang Jiaman was unaware that her parents had been implicated because of her.
At this moment, she was sitting casually on the stool, facing questioning from the neighborhood committee, and knew nothing about the matter.
They thought this would lessen their charges.
Then, a phone call came in.
Before answering the phone, the staff member from the neighborhood office had a slight smile on his face.
But after the call ended, their expressions toward Zhang Jiaman were nothing but indifference and disgust.
"Is it that bitch Ning Tang?"
Upon realizing something, Zhang Jiaman instantly became excited.
"She must dislike me and is afraid I'll steal Captain Xu away! She's deliberately whispering in Captain Xu's ear. She's the one who sent you to arrest me, isn't she!"
The staff member opposite rolled their eyes.
That's incredibly narcissistic.
She doesn't even know her own place; how dare she try to extort money from the commander's granddaughter-in-law.
"Shut up!" The staff member slammed his hand on the table, his voice icy.
"The evidence is conclusive. Instead of confessing and seeking leniency, you are still framing Comrade Ning. You are incorrigible!"
"I'm giving you one last chance. Honestly confess who else you've spread rumors with, or your punishment will only be more severe!"
Zhang Jiaman shuddered in fright, but still stubbornly argued back.
"I didn't spread any rumors!"
"Ning Tang is not good enough for Captain Xu. She's just a newcomer to the hospital. Why does the whole hospital value her so much? Why is it that out of all the people in the world, I can't marry into the Xu family, but she can?"
The jealousy and resentment in her words were even heard by Jinlong, who was standing outside the door.
The staff inside didn't bother arguing with Zhang Jiaman and simply took out the documents.
"You won't confess, huh? Fine, then wait for the process to begin. You need to understand that disrupting a military marriage here means at least re-education through labor, and if your attitude is bad, the punishment will be even more severe."
These words struck a nerve with Zhang Jiaman.
She didn't want to be locked up; she wanted to go back and expose Ning Tang's ugly true colors so she could save Captain Xu!
His face turned ashen, and he looked in a panic at the street office staff who had already opened the door and were about to leave.
"No, don't go!"
"I'll tell you everything!"
The people from the neighborhood office didn't react when they heard this.
Instead, he subconsciously glanced at the old man standing at the door, who had a bandit-like air about him.
Jinlong had been on the battlefield and truly faced death. The murderous aura that had accumulated over many years made everyone instinctively afraid to look him in the eye.
He didn't go in; his sharp eyes swept over Zhang Jiaman, his face full of authority.
"Little girl, it's too late."
"You only get one chance. If you don't seize it, you'll have to accept the punishment."
After saying that, he turned and left.
Seeing that the person had left, the person who had been keeping their head down immediately relaxed and couldn't help but ask, panting:
"Just who is this Ning Tang? The commander's daughter-in-law, and she's even connected to Old Jin."
"You know, Old Jin never meddles in other people's business!"
"Another one who's either rich or powerful. They're completely different from us, and the one in the house."
Hearing the staff's assessment of Ning Tang as someone they couldn't possibly be worthy of, Zhang Jiaman was so angry she was about to explode.
He couldn't help but yell, "She's just a dog kept by capitalists, what right does she have to be rich and noble!"
Upon hearing this...
Everyone thought she was insanely jealous.
Not wanting to listen to her yelling and screaming, he grabbed a dirty rag and rudely stuffed it into Zhang Jiaman's mouth.
...
For three or four days in a row, Xu Qiaoyan picked up and dropped off Ning Tang at get off work.
No matter how strange his family felt, he pretended not to see it and continued to pick them up and drop them off.
Strangely enough, Ning Tang has hardly run into Wang Yingying on her way to and from get off work these past few days.
Sometimes when I call her from a distance, she runs away in a panic, like a mouse seeing a cat.
Then Xu Qiaoyan, who was standing next to him, also looked unwell.
It looks like I've spotted some heartless man.
It's pretty strange anyway.
Ning Tang didn't plan to think about it too much. She would ask her second brother if he had any gossip about ex-girlfriends when she called Xu Qiaofeng tonight.
These past few days, it wasn't just Xu Qiaoyan who was suffering.
Ning Xin and Wen Ya, who had been secretly following Ning Tang from the shadows, were also extremely distressed.
Wenya watched Ning Tang walk into the hospital with a gloomy face.
Anyone with a modicum of sense would know she was angry at that moment and wouldn't want to make a fool of herself.
Unfortunately, Ningxin just doesn't have any sense of perspective.
She clicked her tongue and pointed at Xu Qiaoyan, saying, "Isn't this your ex-husband? Why does he drive Ning Tang around every day? Anyone who didn't know better would think they were a young couple."
Wenya was already holding back her anger, and Ningxin's words provoked her so much that she suddenly turned around and glared at her.
"Shut your dog mouth!"
"When did Xu Qiaoyan become my ex-husband? We're not divorced yet!"
"Why don't you go back to the Xu family if you're not divorced? You'll still get divorced eventually, it's just a matter of time." Ning Xin was startled and muttered softly.
"Try saying another word?"
Wenya's eyes were as cold as knives; if she was unhappy, then no one else could be happy either.
As if struck by a sudden thought, he said sarcastically, "Now I finally understand why Zhang Yanfei always beats you up."
"Why?" Ning Xin asked instinctively.
"Because your mouth is so foul, it's an eyesore if I don't hit it!"
Neither of them would give in, and they ended up having a falling out and going their separate ways.
With nowhere else to go, Ningxin had no choice but to return to the family dormitory building.
As soon as I got downstairs, the military wives chatting below saw this unlucky face from a great distance.
They exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with amusement and anticipation.
"Hey, do you guys know my husband's younger sister? She ran off with someone last year, and the guy beat her up. She came back a couple of days ago, covered in bruises!"
Everyone knows that the man who is speaking has no parents and is an orphan, so where did this sister-in-law come from?
Someone immediately chimed in.
"This is really embarrassing for their parents. They raised their child all these years, and now he's just running off with someone else."
"That's right, you wouldn't pity her even if you beat her to death."
The voice was neither too loud nor too soft, just loud enough for Ning Xin to hear.
Her face turned ashen instantly.
These words were ostensibly directed at someone else, but implicitly implied that she was living with Zhang Yanfei without any status or recognition, and that she didn't run away even after being beaten, suggesting she had eloped and was too afraid to go home.
Ning wanted to rush up and give him a good scolding.
But remembering Zhang Yanfei's warning, he could only forcefully suppress his anger.
With her head down, she walked quickly into the stairwell, pretending not to hear the pointed remarks.
I just entered the house.
A bottle came crashing down on his face.
Ning Xin had gotten used to being beaten during this period of time. She instinctively dodged, and the wine bottle shattered on the ground.
Zhang Yanfei walked towards us, reeking of alcohol.
He pointed at her and yelled, "How dare you come back?"
"Do you know that because of you, I was even rejected when I applied for a task this time!"
Just thinking about how Xu Qiaofeng and his men stood under the tree and glanced at him with that indifferent look...
Zhang Yanfei was so angry that she trembled all over.
He grew angrier the more he thought about it, grabbed Ningxin by the hair, and slammed her against the wall.
"It's all your fault, you jinx! Getting involved with you has affected my political background check, and I can't get anything!"
Unfortunately, the team leaders already knew about his relationship with Ning Xin.
He can neither abandon her nor marry her now.
Caught in a dilemma.
Zhang Yanfei was filled with regret; how could she have been so indiscriminate in her choices back then!
Having grown up together, Ning Tang is truly stunning.
Just thinking about Ning Tang's face and perfect figure, especially since she's pregnant now and has fair and tender skin...
Zhang Yanfei couldn't control her breathing and felt feverish.
He released his hand and gently touched Ningxin's face.
He said in a hoarse voice, "I'm giving you a chance to show yourself."
As she spoke, she pressed her red lips hard.
Ning Xin, a seasoned veteran, immediately understood what it meant.
He immediately knelt down.
She slightly parted her red lips.
If Ning Tang knew that Zhang Yanfei dared to have such disgusting thoughts about her behind her back...
She was determined to punish him severely with the latest researched pills!
She saw the pill in the medical book in her spatial dimension last night.
If a seriously injured person eats it, it can temporarily stop the bleeding.
It may not save a life, but it's enough to buy time for rescue.
However, if used on someone like Zhang Yanfei, who harbors ulterior motives but is otherwise healthy, it can cause blood and qi to flow in reverse, resulting in numbness throughout the body for several months.
They won't die, but they'll suffer terribly.
If such a thing were handed over to the higher authorities, one can imagine the sensation it would cause in China.
Ning Tang thought about it and decided to discuss it with Xu Qiaofeng when he returned.
After all, he was in the military, so he must know some inside information that I don't.
Thinking of Xu Qiaofeng, Ning Tang felt somewhat downcast.
They seem to be very busy these days; they haven't called in a long time.
She couldn't sleep soundly; as soon as she closed her eyes, she couldn't help but think of bad things.
Just then, the dean suddenly appeared and called her to his office to answer a phone call.
Ning Tang felt a sudden tightness in her chest.
Upon arriving at the office, Xu Qiaofeng's deep voice reached my ears: "Tangtang?"
Ning Tang's eyes instantly turned red.
She obediently hummed in agreement.
I don’t know what happened over there. Xu Qiaofeng’s voice was very soft, as if he was speaking in a breath.
Even after hanging up the phone, Ning Tang's eyes were so red they were practically bleeding.
Knowing the situation, the hospital director couldn't bear to watch any longer and, against his conscience, advised, "Dr. Ning, don't worry, Captain Xu will definitely be alright."
Ning Tang shook her head.
"He's injured."
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