Before Zhao's mother could speak, Zhao Yuzhou's voice rang out, his tone revealing obvious tension and unease.
"Yes, your leg can definitely be healed!"
Trying his best not to arouse suspicion, Zhao's father twitched the corner of his mouth and replied to Zhao Yuzhou.
Just then, Song Jiaojiao wanted to leave. She felt that the ward was too oppressive, and if she didn't go out for some fresh air, she might faint from suffocation.
"Dad...you, are you sure you're not lying to me?"
Although Zhao Yuzhou was happy, he still had some doubts about what his father had said.
"No."
Zhao's father responded.
Having been married to Zhao's father for many years, Zhao's mother could easily see the hidden emotions in Zhao's father's eyes. Her heart tightened, and she had already considered the worst-case scenario. For a moment, she wished she could tear Song Jiaojiao to pieces.
Just then, she shifted her gaze to Song Jiaojiao and saw her move to leave the ward. Instantly, anger surged within her. She released her grip on her son's hand, stood up from the bedside, and strode over to Song Jiaojiao. Once again, she grabbed Song Jiaojiao's hair and slapped her several times, gritting her teeth as she said:
"Where do you think you're going? Instead of staying here and taking good care of my son, where do you think you're going?"
"Auntie, Auntie, please don't hit me. I just want to go to the bathroom. Auntie... please, let go of my hair. It hurts so much..." Tears welled up in her eyes as Song Jiaojiao looked at Zhao's mother with pleading eyes.
"You know pain? Does my Xiaozhou not know pain? Let me tell you, don't even think about abandoning my son. Xiaozhou's father and I will talk to your parents about your marriage. If you dare to go back on your word, I'll make sure you never get married in your life!"
Zhao's mother spoke harshly. Upon hearing this, Song Jiaojiao looked at Zhao Yuzhou, her tearful eyes filled with grievance.
"mom……"
Zhao Yuzhou called out to his mother. When he saw the tears in Song Jiaojiao's eyes, he felt a pang of heartache. He said to his mother, "Mom, I've said that liking Jiaojiao is my own business, and saving her was my own choice. Whether she likes me or not is her own business. Please don't hit Jiaojiao because of me again!"
These words were easy to say, but Zhao Yuzhou felt as if his heart was being ripped out. Yet he had no choice but to say them... because he couldn't bear to see the girl he admired suffer even the slightest grievance.
"Small boat!"
Zhao's father said painfully, "Who did your mother do all this for? She's an ungrateful wretch, is she worth you going against your mother for her sake?"
"I...I didn't..."
Despite the intense pain in his injured leg, Zhao Yuzhou spoke in a hoarse voice with difficulty: "Jiaojiao is fine. I like her... but liking her is just wishful thinking on my part."
Save her… I'd save her because she's someone I love, but if anyone else were trapped in the fire, I would… I would rush in and rescue them too!
"you……"
Zhao's father's expression froze for a moment. After a long while, he pointed at Zhao Yuzhou, but hesitated to say anything more.
"Tell me, what's your name, where are you from, and what do your parents do?"
With a loosening of her grip, Song Jiaojiao was once again thrown aside by Zhao's mother. However, Zhao's mother did not let her off the hook, but instead asked her for relevant information.
"My name is Song Jiaojiao. I'm from Beijing. My parents work in a steel factory, one of them is..."
Song Jiaojiao didn't want to answer, but Zhao's mother was watching her closely, so she had no choice but to respond. After she finished speaking, Zhao's mother said with a hint of disdain, "Your family's conditions are alright, but compared to my Zhao family, they are still a long way off."
"Auntie, forced relationships are never happy. If you insist on tying me and Zhao Yuzhou together, we'll just become a miserable couple, and Zhao Yuzhou won't be happy that way!"
Song Jiaojiao shook her head and backed away. She was going to marry Chen Dongze, and absolutely not Zhao Yuzhou. Seeing Zhao's mother's confident expression, Song Jiaojiao shifted her gaze to the ward:
"Zhao Yuzhou, say something! You know I've always only considered you a friend, and I've never had any romantic feelings for you. Are you going to listen to your mother and ask me to marry you because we both hate each other?"
Upon hearing this, Zhao Yuzhou remained silent. He stared intently at Song Jiaojiao, his eyes filled with disappointment and pain… Did she only consider him a friend? If she truly only considered him a friend, why did she take the initiative to approach him and get to know him?
Why did you say such ambiguous things to him?
Even when they were alone together, she held his hand and hugged him.
He kissed her again...
He closed his eyes, and soon opened them again, but all the emotions in them had vanished, replaced by a deathly calm. He looked away from Song Jiaojiao and said to his mother:
"Mom, Jiaojiao is right. You can't force a relationship to be happy. I don't want to see a sad face every day. It's too unlucky!"
He paused, then said, "I'm sleepy and need some quiet." The implication was that he didn't want to hear any more noise in the ward.
Zhao's mother glanced at Zhao Yuzhou, then turned her gaze back to Song Jiaojiao: "Do you two dislike each other? It's alright, you'll develop feelings for each other after marriage by spending more time together." She seemed not to have heard what Zhao Yuzhou said, and instead spoke up about what Song Jiaojiao had said. Upon hearing this, Song Jiaojiao's hands, which were hanging at her sides, clenched into fists.
Damn it, does she really have to spend her whole life on this?
That old woman, that damned old woman! Did she dig up that old woman's ancestral grave?
Suddenly, Song Jiaojiao seemed to have an idea. Her eyes lit up, and she said to Zhao's mother, "If I find someone to heal Zhao Yuzhou's leg and restore it to its previous state, so that he can walk normally like before, Auntie, would that be alright?"
"What do you mean 'always okay'? You don't think I'm taking advantage of your kindness, do you? Well, let me tell you directly, I only made this decision because you two are in love."
Besides, you're a girl, and you've been dating my son for a while now. If he doesn't marry you, you'll be branded as a "loose woman," which isn't good for you. So, my suggestion is purely for your own good.
In Zhao's mother's view, Song Jiaojiao's sudden ability to find someone to heal Zhao Yuzhou's leg and enable him to walk normally made her have a plan.
Let's see how the treatment goes. If Zhao Yuzhou can truly recover his normal walking ability without being left with a disability, then it's not impossible for him to not have Song Jiaojiao as his daughter-in-law.
After all, as a mother, I don't want my son to marry a troublemaker!
Furthermore, no mother wants her son to be disabled and have to endure strange looks when he goes out... Since there is a chance for her son to walk normally, she cannot give up this hope!
But how she says it is undoubtedly up to her to decide.
Thinking of this, Zhao's mother looked at Song Jiaojiao with a scrutinizing gaze for a moment, and then said, "However, if you can really find someone to cure Xiaozhou's leg and restore him to normal, my Zhao family doesn't necessarily need you as our daughter-in-law. But let me make this clear: if my Xiaozhou is left with even the slightest disability, you'd better be prepared to take care of him for the rest of your life!"
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