Chapter 143

Chapter 143

Ye Qing was almost driven to tears by the old lady's utter ignorance.

This old lady must have gone mad with the desire for a grandson. As long as someone said it could help with fertility, she would feed her daughter-in-law anything, no matter how absurd!

Ye Qing felt a surge of frustration welling up in her chest, stuck and unable to vent, and almost cursed on the spot.

She took a silver needle and stabbed it into the blackish substance.

Sure enough, in the next second, the silver needle quickly changed color.

Seeing the needle turn black, Zhang Jianguo immediately understood.

His face turned ashen, and his hands began to tremble involuntarily, as he was overwhelmed with anger.

He knew that all his mother ever thought about was holding a grandson, but could this be forced?

Moreover, he had warned his mother time and again to stop giving his wife those crazy remedies. Once, Fang Xiaotao had eaten some traditional remedy from who knows where and ended up so weak from diarrhea that she couldn't even stand.

Because of that, he had a huge fight with his mother, smashed and threw away all the medicine jars and remedies.

After that incident, his mother had promised him that she would never again engage in these superstitions. He had believed her, thinking that the old lady had truly learned her lesson.

But who would have thought that his mother was just paying lip service, pretending to change to deceive him, only to continue her nonsense behind his back, even more brazenly and outrageously than before!

Seeing his wife lying weakly against the head of the bed, Zhang Jianguo felt an overwhelming sense of guilt and pain, and tears welled up uncontrollably.

If it weren't for him, Fang Xiaotao wouldn't have had to suffer like this. If she hadn't married him, she'd probably have a family of her own by now and be living a much happier life. Such a good girl had been ruined by him!

Zhang Jianguo had been avoiding this reality, unwilling to face it, but at this moment, he realized just how despicable his actions had been and how wrong this marriage was.

He was nearly ten years older than Fang Xiaotao. It was already an unequal match from the beginning. Fang Xiaotao, so young, didn't understand love. It was because of his age and the fact that he had saved her life that he had led her to fall for him, taking advantage of her innocence.

But in reality, their union had been a mistake from the start. Fang Xiaotao had always been filled with self-doubt in this marriage, never seeing herself as his equal.

Blinded by her admiration and love, he became completely consumed by the emotional side of the marriage, ignoring Fang Xiaotao's feelings and needs, causing her to waste twelve years of her life.

If this continued, Fang Xiaotao's entire life would be destroyed by his mistakes, held back by his selfishness!

With this realization, Zhang Jianguo made an instant decision.

He could no longer allow Fang Xiaotao to pay the price for his mistakes and become a victim of his choices!

Upon realizing that Fang Xiaotao had been poisoned by the "elixir" given to her by her mother-in-law, the onlookers were stunned.

Before this, everyone had been entertaining various conspiracy theories, suspecting that DT operatives had infiltrated again. Never in their wildest dreams did they expect the situation to take such a turn.

The crowd exchanged glances, speechless.

Zhao Yuliang had been watching the entire time and now couldn't help but darken his expression, glaring at Zhang Jianguo as he spoke in a low, serious tone:

"Zhang, how do you explain this?"

With everyone watching, the matter had become public knowledge. Zhang Jianguo knew that since the Colonel had asked, there was no point in making any more excuses for his mother.

Moreover, he had already made up his mind, so he decided not to try to cover for his mother anymore. He looked up, his expression difficult and somber, and said:

"Colonel, I will go and bring my mother here. I will ensure that both Comrade Fang Xiaotao and you receive a satisfactory explanation."

Actually, even before Zhang Jianguo could send someone to inform her, someone had already reacted quickly and voluntarily run to the family quarters to notify Old Mrs. Zhang the moment Fang Xiaotao got into trouble. That’s why, when Zhang Jianguo said he would give Fang Xiaotao an explanation, Old Mrs. Zhang was already being dragged into the breeding farm.

When she arrived at the breeding farm, Old Mrs. Zhang realized that Fang Xiaotao’s abdominal pain and vomiting of blood were due to poisoning. She was taken aback, and her eyes immediately became evasive. Zhao Yuliang questioned her about what she had given Fang Xiaotao, but she was incoherent, dodging the question and claiming that Fang Xiaotao had eaten something unclean out of her own curiosity. In short, she refused to admit that the "elixir" she had forced Fang Xiaotao to take was the problem.

Zhang Jianguo was already extremely angry that his mother had been secretly doing these things behind his back. Seeing that she was still being stubborn and refusing to tell the truth, he lost his temper and, regardless of how many people were watching inside or outside, shouted at his mother in fury:

"Mom, if you don’t stop this nonsense and refuse to tell the truth, don’t blame me for being ruthless. I’ll take off this uniform, apply for discharge, and return to our hometown to farm. You can forget about retirement at the military farm, and come back with me to do farm work in our hometown!"

Ever since she had followed her son to the military farm, Old Mrs. Zhang had been living a life of leisure, far removed from the hardships of farming. If she were really forced to return to her hometown and resume the backbreaking work of farming, how could she bear it?

So, Zhang Jianguo’s words immediately stunned her.

Looking up at her son, she saw the cold, determined expression in Zhang Jianguo’s eyes, a look of desperation and resolve. As someone who knew her son best, Old Mrs. Zhang suddenly felt a sense of panic.

She realized that her son wasn’t joking this time; he was serious!

Her face turned pale with fear. She didn’t dare to make any more random excuses, afraid that her son might be pushed too far and actually do something as foolish as resigning from the military.

She confessed everything about how she had encountered a wandering Taoist priest outside and spent a large sum of money to buy a few so-called "miraculous elixirs" from him.

However, after finishing her explanation, she still didn’t think she was in the wrong and defended herself defiantly:

"I just wanted a grandchild. What’s wrong with that? Other women my age are surrounded by grandchildren, dandling them on their knees. And you two aren’t getting any younger. If you don’t have children, who will take care of you in your old age? I did this for your own good!"

Perhaps realizing that she couldn’t avoid today’s situation, she decided to throw caution to the wind.

But she didn’t dare vent her anger at her son. Instead, she picked on the easier target and glared at Fang Xiaotao, cursing angrily:

"You little wretch, what are you pretending for! You said you were poisoned and vomiting blood? Where is it? I don’t see anything. You’re obviously fine. You’re just pretending to make me look bad because you don’t want to take the medicine!"

"Do you know how much effort and money I spent to get that elixir from the master? That master is a wandering Taoist with profound skills. If it weren’t for my good luck, ordinary people wouldn’t even get a chance to meet him!"

"I went through so much trouble to get the elixir for you. Who’s the one who can’t have children, you useless hen? You’ve caused my son to be without an heir for so many years. I didn’t make my son divorce you, and yet you dare to play tricks on me?"

"When my son started dating you, I already disapproved. If it weren’t for the fact that my son liked you, do you think I would have agreed to this marriage?"

"Do you know what people in the community have been saying about me these years? They say I married my son off to a country girl who can’t even step onto a proper stage, someone who was blamed for her parents’ deaths, and is now coming to bring misfortune to my son! Because of you, my Zhang family is going to die out!"

"As a mother, do you think my heart feels good hearing those things?"

"It’s just taking some medicine. What’s the big deal? Others can handle it, so why can’t you? Even if the elixir causes some suffering, you got what you deserved. Younger couples around you are having babies one after another, but your body isn’t cooperating. Isn’t it your own fault?"

Old Mrs. Zhang’s words were so vicious that Fang Xiaotao, who had just managed to calm down, was so angered that she choked out another mouthful of blood.

Seeing this, Ye Qing had no choice but to take out a few more silver needles and insert them, while patting Fang Xiaotao’s back, signaling her to let out her emotions and cry if she needed to.

Perhaps not expecting Fang Xiaotao to actually vomit blood again, Old Mrs. Zhang was dumbfounded. The stream of insults stopped abruptly, and her expression became one of panic and guilt as she looked helplessly at her son.

Zhang Jianguo was trembling with anger. He never expected his mother to be so superstitious and ignorant, resorting to Taoist priests and elixirs, and even blaming Fang Xiaotao for bringing bad luck to her husband. She had openly displayed her outdated superstitious beliefs, something that had been officially discouraged for decades.

The country had been promoting scientific and materialistic views for so long, and the military, in particular, emphasized lifestyle conduct and ideological awareness. His mother, as a military family member, had clearly crossed a major line with her absurd statements and actions, especially in front of military leaders and so many colleagues. Even with his two elder brothers’ meritorious service to the country, the military’s tolerance had its limits, and his mother was pushing those limits.

Zhang Jianguo closed his eyes.

He had only intended to use the threat of resigning from the military to scare his mother, but now, after hearing her senseless words, he knew that he wouldn’t need to take the initiative to apply for discharge. His military career was likely coming to an end.

Zhang Jianguo couldn’t help but laugh bitterly to himself, along with a sense of relief.

After thinking carefully, the past decade in the military since his injury has been an extension of his service, only possible because of his brothers' sacrifices.

But it's probably for the best. He had no idea his mother resented Fang Xiaotao so much. Even though marrying him was a hardship for Fang Xiaotao, in his mother's eyes, it was all Xiaotao's fault.

Fang Xiaotao has shouldered the blame for not having children for over a decade, and he couldn’t let his mother keep blaming her for things beyond her control.

It just so happened that he definitely couldn't stay in the military anymore. It would be better to take this opportunity to give Fang Xiaotao her freedom, and then he would take his mother back to their hometown. As long as he stays away from Qing Shan Town and the military farm, it wouldn't affect Fang Xiaotao's chances of finding a suitable man to remarry.

With this thought in mind, Zhang Jianguo’s eyes snapped open, his expression clear and resolute:

"Mom, I've told you before not to cause trouble, but you wouldn't listen. Did I not make myself clear?"

"Well, let me be clear with you now. The reason we don't have children is not Fang Xiaotao's fault, but mine!"

"When I was on the battlefield, I was hit by shrapnel. Not only were my legs seriously injured, but I was also left infertile. After I recovered, I went for a follow-up exam, and the doctors said it was highly likely that it would affect my ability to have children."

"So, you need to accept that. You won’t have any grandchildren from me!"