Chapter 73: A White Lie

But before leaving, she went to the next door and asked the neighbor to keep an eye on the old man. Otherwise, if something happened, she wouldn’t be able to explain herself. She also asked about Mingzhi’s home address.

Mingzhi’s parents and in-laws were both from the same village. Ming’s father was the captain of the militia, and her father-in-law was the deputy captain. The two families had a good relationship and their children had grown up together, which led to this marriage.

After much deliberation, Jiang Nian decided to go to Ming’s house.

Compared to Yan’s father’s vigilance and rudeness, Ming’s parents were much more polite when they heard that Jiang Nian was the little miracle doctor from Zhoujia Village.

However, when they heard that Mingzhi was injured, the old couple immediately became anxious, and Ming’s brother and sister-in-law were also very concerned. It was clear that Mingzhi was a beloved daughter at home.

Jiang Nian had come by bicycle, so she was faster than them.

When she returned to the courtyard, she saw Zhang Er carrying buckets of bathwater outside.

She went back to the house, and Ye Zhiqiu was applying medicine to Mingzhi’s scalp. She was wearing Jiang Nian’s clothes, which were a bit tight and didn’t fit perfectly, but they were passable.

“Teacher, you’re back…” Ye Zhiqiu stood up after finishing applying the medicine.

Jiang Nian nodded. “You go out first. I need to talk to Comrade Mingzhi for a moment.”

“Oh.” Ye Zhiqiu obediently put her things away and went out.

“Your family should be here soon. How are you?”

Mingzhi was a little nervous but insisted, “I’m fine. Thank you, Dr. Jiang, for your help.”

Fortunately, she had arrived quickly. Although she was still dirty, she hadn’t suffered any more serious harm, so her injuries weren’t too obvious.

As long as she was careful, she shouldn’t be… discovered by her husband.

Mingzhi knew that perhaps doing this was immoral and unfair to her husband, but if she didn’t, she would have no way out.

In other words, even if he could accept her like this, there would inevitably be a rift in his heart.

She also had a pair of children and had to consider them.

Moreover, this was not something she wanted. Mingzhi wanted to erase this memory from the bottom of her heart.

“Go back and rest well. Come find me if anything happens.” That was all Jiang Nian could do.

Soon, Mingzhi’s family arrived, along with her in-laws.

After a round of inquiries, they learned that Mingzhi had only suffered minor injuries, and they all breathed a sigh of relief.

“It’s thanks to Dr. Jiang that we came back together. I just took a hot bath here and rubbed some medicine on myself. I feel much better. It’s just that my clothes were torn when I ran away. Dr. Jiang even lent me her clothes to wear.”

Ming’s mother quickly said, “Dr. Jiang is a good person. We were in a hurry today and didn’t have anything to show our gratitude. We’ll come over again another day to apologize formally.”

“You’re welcome. As long as everyone is okay.” Jiang Nian quickly changed the subject. “Comrade Mingzhi’s injuries have been treated. She might be a little scared mentally. Just rest more for the next two days. It’s late, so I won’t keep you any longer.”

Mingzhi’s family quickly said goodbye, and the room was quiet again.

Ye Zhiqiu came in from outside, carrying food. “Master, when Comrade Mingzhi was taking a bath, I saw pinch marks on her thighs…”

The little girl was already sixteen years old and understood some things.

Moreover, it was winter, and they were in that place. It was impossible to leave such deep marks without taking off their clothes.

So, she vaguely guessed something but didn’t dare to jump to conclusions.

“Zhiqiu, no one wants to be hurt, and no one is born to be hurt. But there are always bad people in this world, and some innocent people inevitably get hurt. But it’s not her fault, and she shouldn’t have to bear the blame for others. As a normal person, we can choose not to help others, but at least we shouldn’t add insult to injury.”

Jiang Nian didn’t tell the child what she shouldn’t ask, like other adults. Because sometimes, people’s curiosity is unstoppable. The more you don’t want her to know something, the more she wants to explore it.

Since she had already seen it, Jiang Nian couldn’t deny it just because she said it wasn’t there.

“Oh, Master, I know. It’s like my mother. She didn’t do anything wrong, but in the mouths of others, she seems to have become a victim of her own making.”

She even thought that if Zhou Shugen hadn’t gone to the city, their family would have been like other families in the village, poor but warm.

But everything changed. He went to the city and came back not long after to tell his mother that a woman had fallen for him. If he didn’t get a divorce, he would lose his job, and their family wouldn’t have a good life. The woman was powerful, and they were just peasants who couldn’t fight back. Besides, if they got a divorce, his mother could stay at home, and they could live like before.

After a while, he knelt down and said that the woman was pregnant. If his mother didn’t agree to a divorce, he would be charged with hooliganism and sentenced to death, and the child would be fatherless.

Actually, no matter what the reason was, it was just an excuse.

Her mother was naive and was fooled. She always thought that as long as they had a place to live and could make ends meet, it would be fine. After all, in that situation, even if they didn’t get a divorce, he wouldn’t come home, and it wouldn’t make much difference to her.

Ye Zhiqiu still remembered that her mother was initially a smiling and gentle woman. But later, after she broke down, she became silent and spoke less and less. She was always busy, afraid to let herself idle. She didn’t like to go back to her parents’ house or gather with people and talk. Gradually, she became a haggard and bitter woman.

When people talked about their family, they would say that Zhou Shugen was heartless and that her mother was also to blame. Why was she so weak and indecisive? She deserved to be bullied.

They would also say that if they were in her shoes, they would have done this and that, making their whole family miserable.

But that aunt who said those words had been beaten up by her in-laws during a fight with her husband two years ago. She went back to her parents’ house for a few days and then came back with her luggage, dejected.

She didn’t feel happy or anything. She just felt that women had such a hard life, and she would grow up to be a woman too.

In the future, would she also live the life she hated, suffering in this disgusting world?

Ye Zhiqiu boldly burrowed into Jiang Nian’s arms.

Now she was sure that she wouldn’t. Because she had a very powerful master who would teach her skills.

She would never, ever let herself live like that.

Jiang Nian could feel Ye Zhiqiu’s dependence. She didn’t like being close to others, but this time, she didn’t push her away.

Although she was only two years older than her in terms of physical age, Jiang Nian, who had experienced a lot, had always been in a parental role towards her.

At the city hospital, Yan’s mother and Wang Juan’s condition had stabilized and they were transferred to a regular ward for observation.

Because the incident had alarmed the police and was considered a major event, it also alarmed the hospital director.

During the ward rounds, the director finally asked his curiosity.

“Comrade, these two comrades had already undergone simple bandaging before they came to the hospital. Can I ask who did the treatment?”