Chapter 144 Chapter 144
As soon as these words were spoken, there was an uproar all around, and everyone looked towards Zhang Jianguo in surprise.
It is true that these days, it takes a lot of courage for any man to openly admit in public that he has physical defects.
Zhang Jianguo has exposed his weakness now, and it won't be long before the whole army farm knows about it. Even if he was injured on the battlefield, this matter will definitely become the focus of discussion after dinner, and he may even be ridiculed and looked down upon in private.
In short, once this matter is exposed, Zhang Jianguo will inevitably be pointed at and criticized in the military farm, and he will no longer be regarded as a normal person.
Unexpectedly, Zhang Jianguo would be so bold. Old Lady Zhang's face suddenly changed, and she immediately shouted at her son:
"Zhang Jianguo, what are you talking about? Are you crazy?!"
Even Fang Xiaotao's face turned pale.
She had vaguely realized what Zhang Jianguo was going to do, so she quickly shook her head and kept signaling to her husband with her eyes, trying to stop him from saying anything else.
But Zhang Jianguo seemed not to notice the pleading in Fang Xiaotao's eyes. Instead, he gave her a soothing smile, glanced at the people around him, and continued:
"I'm not talking nonsense. I haven't told you this explicitly, but I've been hinting at you over the past few years and discussing with you that if you really want a grandson, Xiaotao and I would go to the welfare home to adopt one. It was you who never agreed, so this matter has been dragged on and has not been resolved."
"Why do you think I couldn't find a suitable partner when I was nearly 30? It was because I couldn't have children. I didn't want to harm innocent girls. But after Fang Xiaotao knew I had this defect, she told me she didn't mind. She was a good girl. It was me who was selfish and shameless. I saved her life in exchange for her willingness to marry me."
"In order to save my face, she has kept this a secret all these years. No matter how much you tortured her, she always cooperated. I don't know how much grievance she has endured for this!"
"I was stupid and thought that the things you gave her were really tonics and would not harm her body, so I did not force you to stop me. I did not expect that this would harm her and cause her to be tortured in various ways at your hands. She suffered so much for no reason!"
At this point, Zhang Jianguo's face showed an expression of indescribable pain and embarrassment.
"I'm sorry to Fang Xiaotao, and I can't take advantage of her feelings for me to ignore the pain and hard work she has endured in this marriage. She is kind-hearted and treats others well. I am no longer a human being, and I can't tie her to my side and let her live a lonely life with me!"
"Since you don't like this daughter-in-law anyway, that's perfect. It's rare that we both agree on this. I'll go back and file a divorce report with my superiors. From now on, Fang Xiaotao will have nothing to do with our family, and you don't have to bother bullying her anymore. I, Zhang Jianguo, am suitable to be a bachelor for the rest of my life, and you don't have to worry about having children. Just give up on this idea!"
The old lady of the Zhang family was dumbfounded.
Looking at her son who had lost all hope in life and didn't care about anything, her mind went blank, her face turned pale, and she stared at her son with dull eyes, her lips trembling as if she wanted to say something.
But at this point, anything else to say is redundant.
It took a long while for Old Lady Zhang to regain her ability to think. She slowly fell to the ground, looking desperate and panicked.
At this time, she realized that she had messed up everything. Her son's family, marriage and bright future were all ruined by her! Her good days of staying in the army farm to retire were also completely over!
Fang Xiaotao's face was already covered with tears. She looked at Zhang Jianguo:
"You want to divorce me? I don't feel wronged or miserable during these years of marriage with you. How can I be alone and helpless all my life? I have a husband. I am happy even if we don't have children. What right do you have to make the decision for me? I tell you, I will not agree to a divorce! If you retire from the army, I will go back to my hometown with you to farm the land!"
Normally Fang Xiaotao stuttered and couldn't say a word, but at this critical moment, she spoke more fluently than anyone else. She stared at Zhang Jianguo stubbornly and was completely opposed to the divorce he mentioned.
Zhang Jianguo looked at Fang Xiaotao's pale, haggard but stubborn face and couldn't help but smile bitterly:
"Xiao Tao, don't talk nonsense. You are still young. Why do you waste your life with a cripple like me? You deserve better. Listen to me. Divorce me and find a man who loves you. You are healthy and you may give birth to a big fat boy next year. Don't you always think that you have few relatives and no blessings? When you have a few more children, they will all be your relatives. In the future, your children will love and protect you. They are much more reliable than a concubine like me."
Fang Xiaotao immediately burst into tears:
"When I got married with you, you promised me that you would be my family and treat me well for the rest of my life. Now, before half of my life is even over, you want to abandon me again. Zhang Jianguo, you liar, why don't you keep your word?!"
Zhang Jianguo knew that he was going to break his promise, and he also knew that he was sorry to Fang Xiaotao, so no matter how Fang Xiaotao scolded him, he remained silent.
But when Mrs. Zhang heard that Fang Xiaotao did not agree to divorce, she suddenly came to her senses. She realized that there might still be room for redemption, so she immediately stumbled to the side of Fang Xiaotao's bed, grabbed Fang Xiaotao's arm and said anxiously:
"Xiao Tao, Xiao Tao, it's my fault. I really didn't know that the elixir given by the Taoist priest was poisonous... I didn't mean to hurt you. If you forgive me this time, I won't dare to do that again. You and Jianguo, as long as you don't get divorced, I won't care whether you have children in the future. I swear! Don't you want to adopt a child from an orphanage? I agree. You can go tomorrow. When you bring the child back, I will help you take care of him. I will live a good life and never make trouble again!"
At this point, Mrs. Zhang seemed to remember something and staggered towards Zhao Yuliang again. She knelt at Zhao Yuliang's feet and was about to kowtow:
"Captain Zhao, leader, today's incident is all my fault. I am an old lady with feudal and conservative ideas. I have harmed my daughter-in-law, but my son is completely unaware of it. If you want to punish someone, punish me. Don't blame my son. My son is a very good person. He cannot leave the army or get divorced, otherwise his life will be ruined. Please, Captain..."
Zhao Yuliang was so scared that he kept dodging. To be honest, he had come into contact with many difficult military families during his years on the military farm, but this was the first time he had met someone like old lady Zhang who was so good at singing, reciting, acting and fighting.
This is not the old society. This old lady kneels down and kowtows to people at every turn. Who can stand this?
When Zhang Jianguo saw Zhao Yuliang's face turn pale, he quickly ran forward and forcefully pulled his mother up from the ground:
"Mom, what are you doing? If you really know you are wrong, just stop it. Aren't you ashamed enough?"
As he said this, he glanced at Fang Xiaotao who was crying uncontrollably on the bed, and said with a determined heart:
"Let's go. Don't delay Doctor Ye's treatment of Xiao Tao. She has been seriously poisoned by you this time. We can't delay any longer!"
Seeing that Zhang Jianguo was about to drag his mother away, Fang Xiaotao became anxious. She didn't care about the silver needles stuck in her body and rushed out of bed to stop Zhang Jianguo:
"Do you really want to divorce me?"
Zhang Jianguo was anxious: "Why did you come down here? Let's cure the poison in your body first. We can talk about other things after you are well!"
Fang Xiaotao was unwilling to be evaded by Zhang Jianguo in such a vague way. She was afraid that while she was still undergoing detoxification treatment, Zhang Jianguo would take the initiative to submit a divorce report, so she needed Zhang Jianguo to give her a definite answer.
Zhang Jianguo had already made up his mind. It was impossible for him to lie to Fang Xiaotao at this moment. He could only say:
"Don't worry, before I leave the army, I will take good care of you and leave all the things in my house to you. If you have any other requirements, just ask. As long as I can do it, I will do my best to compensate you!"
Fang Xiaotao was almost pissed off by Zhang Jianguo's attitude. She stared at him and said with gritted teeth:
"Okay, didn't you ask me if I had any other requests? Then I have only one request, that you ask Dr. Ye to help you take a look!"
"If even she says your condition is incurable, then I'll do whatever you say. I'll sign your divorce report without saying anything. How about that?"
Zhang Jianguo was stunned, as if he had not expected Fang Xiaotao to agree so readily.
However, Fang Xiaotao had made up her mind. Since she was able to chase Zhang Jianguo into Qingshan Farm back then, she could also chase Zhang Jianguo back to his hometown now. Even if they were divorced, so what? She would just pester him when the time came. She didn't believe that Zhang Jianguo would be so cruel as to drive her away!
Thinking of this, Fang Xiaotao no longer had anything to be afraid of. She just looked towards Zhang Jianguo as if she would let him do whatever he wanted as long as he agreed to her conditions.
Zhang Jianguo believed it to be true and actually thought that Fang Xiaotao had been persuaded by him. He felt mixed emotions for a moment, but he was afraid that Fang Xiaotao might change her mind at any time, so he did not dare to think about it or hesitate. He could only seize the opportunity and quickly nodded to agree to Fang Xiaotao's request.
As soon as he nodded, Fang Xiaotao looked towards Ye Qing:
"Doctor Ye, he——"
Ye Qing had seen the quarrel between the couple just now, so how could he not know what Fang Xiaotao was going to say?
She sighed inwardly, and she didn't know what to make of Fang Xiaotao, the female comrade.
I feel sorry for her life experience and marriage experience, but I also feel a little disappointed with this girl. I don't know what's good about saving the relationship with this lousy man who has ignored her being bullied by her mother-in-law for more than a decade. Just get a divorce. The world doesn't revolve around him alone. Whoever gets divorced will be left with nothing to live on?
But Ye Qing was just thinking this in his heart.
After all, Fang Xiaotao loved this man terribly at first sight. Even though she suffered a lot in this marriage, she was obviously still happy with it. Honey to one may be poison to another. The man that Ye Qing looked down upon may be the best person Fang Xiaotao has ever met in her life, so she was reluctant to let him go easily.
People at that time firmly believed in an old saying that it is better to destroy a temple than to break up a marriage. As an outsider, Ye Qing could not interfere in the affairs of a couple.
Although she didn't like Zhang Jianguo and his mother in her heart, this man was injured on the battlefield, which led to the current situation. He is still a hero after all. So when Fang Xiaotao looked at her for help, Ye Qing felt that it would not be good for her to just reject her coldly.
"Okay, I'll get rid of all the toxins in your body first, and then I'll take a look at him, okay? Hurry up and lie down, I'm going to bleed you!"
Fang Xiaotao then stopped talking and went back to bed obediently.
Ye Qing moved quickly, using flying needles to force the poison in Fang Xiaotao's body through the tendons and veins to his fingertips. Then after a few cuts, all the black blood gushed out.
Seeing that Zhang Jianguo and his mother were displeased, Ye Qing ordered Zhang Jianguo and the old lady Zhang around, asking for eggs, milk, and soy milk. He urged the two to find a solution as soon as possible. When all the things were obtained, he asked the two to separate the egg white and yolk carefully, cook the soy milk, and make a large bowl of egg white, soy milk, and milk mixture, and asked Fang Xiaotao to drink it.
Knowing that Mrs. Zhang still had a few "magic pills" in her hands, she instructed her to go home and get them.
In fact, Ye Qing had already guessed why Fang Xiaotao was poisoned from the remaining pill that she vomited out before.
Taoist priests usually use materials such as cinnabar and realgar when refining elixirs. Unfortunately, after heating, these two materials will produce hydrogen sulfide and mercury, one will produce □□, and these ingredients are both highly toxic. Therefore, the so-called "magic medicine" finally refined is actually a death warrant.
This is why those emperors in ancient times who pursued immortality did not live long in the end. It was all because of the harm caused by the elixirs refined by the alchemists.
The poison in Xiao Tao's body right now is mainly those three types. Fortunately, she was only forced by Old Lady Zhang to take one pill. After Ye Qing induced vomiting and bloodletting for her to detoxify in time, the toxins left in her body were very trace. The rest can be effectively relieved by eating egg white, soy milk, milk and other foods. Ye Qing will then prescribe a Chinese medicine prescription for clearing away heat and detoxifying to correct the imbalance of electrolytes and acid-base in the body, and basically there will be no big problem.
Maybe she was really afraid that her son and daughter-in-law would get divorced because of her, so this time, despite being tormented by Ye Qing, Mrs. Zhang just did as Ye Qing said without any complaints. Even when Ye Qing instructed her to give Fang Xiaotao more egg white, milk and animal food, and to boil medicine on time every day so that the patient could get enough rest, she honestly wrote down all the precautions one by one.
However, it is difficult to change a person's nature. Ye Qing did not think that just because she vented Fang Xiaotao's anger, Mrs. Zhang would really change for the better. If Zhang Jianguo's condition really reached a point where it was difficult to treat, and the couple had no children, the old lady would definitely be upset. Even if this matter could be resolved peacefully, there would definitely be many conflicts in the future. The marriage between the two would probably collapse in the future and would not be able to be maintained sooner or later.
Therefore, after Ye Qing dealt with Fang Xiaotao's matter, he still showed some kindness and said to Zhang Jianguo in a bad mood:
"Show me your hand!"
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