Forced to marry a disabled man in the countryside? I'll repay you tenfold!

"Although there's no such thing as 'divorce,' there is such a thing as 'widowhood'... cough, that's not what I meant."

She paused for a moment, then said, "What I mean is, since you can't get a divorce right now, just consider yourself 'widowed,' and continue living your life as usual. Sometimes, there are ways to live without a divorce."

Li Honghong's eyes lit up, and she said, "Dr. Su, do you have any ideas?"

Su Wanqing coughed, her face stern. She couldn't just hand over her experiences like that; she couldn't say anything. So, she changed the subject: "Perfect timing, come with me on a house call to see a paralyzed patient."

Li Honghong was a little confused, but she still picked up the medical kit and followed Su Wanqing out the door.

Su Wanqing locked the door of the clinic and led Li Honghong to Qiaocui's house.

Two weeks ago, this place was lifeless, the yard littered with chicken droppings and a complete mess. But now—

The eldest son was cleaning the chicken coop and mixing the chicken feed, the second son was chopping firewood, the third son was hanging clothes to dry, and even the youngest child was pulling weeds by the vegetable patch. The yard was spotless, with clothes neatly hung on the line, creating a peaceful atmosphere.

As Li Honghong walked, she sighed, "These kids are so well-behaved! Isn't this Er Mazi's family? When I came back last year, these were the most troublesome kids in the whole village... I always heard Er Mazi beating his wife; the whole village could hear the noise. Later, I heard that they ate something wrong, and the old man and her brother-in-law both died, leaving Qiaocui to raise her paralyzed husband and four children alone. How hard their lives must have been!"

Li Honghong couldn't help but feel sorry for Qiaocui; this woman had suffered much more than him.

As she was speaking, she suddenly perked up her ears: "Huh? I heard screams coming from inside! Who's being beaten?"

Su Wanqing knocked on the door, and the shouting inside stopped abruptly. After a while, Qiaocui straightened her clothes and came out. Seeing that it was Su Wanqing, her face immediately lit up with a smile: "Dr. Su, you're here! Come in and sit down—Niu Dan, pour some water for the guest!" She turned her head and saw Li Honghong, and was taken aback, "Honghong? What brings you here too?"

Niu Dan, who was working, shivered slightly, then immediately forced a smile: "Okay, Mom!"

Qiaocui and Li Honghong had worked in the same production and construction corps before, a place with hundreds or thousands of people, so they knew each other well.

Li Honghong held up her medical kit: "I'm helping Dr. Su carry her things."

The three entered the main room. In the center of the room hung black-and-white portraits of Er Mazi's parents and eldest brother, directly above Er Mazi's kang (heated brick bed), looking somewhat eerie. Su Wanqing remained expressionless and walked straight to the edge of the kang.

Su Wanqing walked straight to the kang (a heated brick bed) without looking to either side, to the side of Er Mazi, who was completely paralyzed. Er Mazi looked much the same, except that his body was covered in bruises, and he was trembling with fear in his eyes.

Su Wanqing took his pulse and asked, "How are you feeling lately, Er Mazi? Are you still talking nonsense? Is anyone beating you every day?" Er Mazi lay slumped on the kang, his body covered in bruises, his eyes filled with fear, and he was trembling all over.

Er Mazi shook his head, trembling: "No, no! Doctor, I'm not talking nonsense anymore, no one hit me... I bumped into things by accident. Qiaocui, Qiaocui... she's been very good to me, she's taken very good care of me."

Su Wanqing nodded: "That's right. A family should live a good life together. Qiaocui supports five of you all by herself, it must be so hard for her! It's normal to have some complaints sometimes. You're a grown man, so be more tolerant and bear with it."

Anyway, men can just tolerate being hit by women, and women can just tolerate being hit by men, right? It can't be that men can tolerate being hit by women, but men can't tolerate being hit by women, can it?

Li Honghong watched in stunned silence.

She remembered clearly—for the past ten years or so, Er Mazi's wife was the "most obedient" role model in the whole village. When the men scolded their wives, they would say, "Am I not good enough to you? Look at Er Mazi's wife, if she doesn't listen, I beat her, if she doesn't do her work well, I beat her too! She's so capable, serving the whole family without complaint!" Er Mazi used to be in charge of some things in the team, and he was very arrogant. The noise of him beating his wife could be heard throughout the whole regiment.

All the men in the group were envious, while all the women remained silent.

Now the tables have turned. Er Mazi is paralyzed, his body covered in wounds, and recalling his earlier screams—what else is there to misunderstand? Qiaocui is paying back, bit by bit, for all the suffering she endured before.

"Does he deserve it?" Li Honghong thought to herself. "He deserves it! If Er Mazi hadn't bullied his wife so much before, he wouldn't be in this state now that he's paralyzed."

Er Mazi pleaded in a trembling voice, "Doctor... I... I want to apply to move somewhere else... I left all my assets to Qiaocui, she's worked so hard... Can I go to the regimental welfare home? Or... or I want a divorce... is that alright?"

Su Wanqing shrugged: "Er Mazi, you need to report to the organization for a divorce, telling me won't help. Moving to another place isn't my responsibility either. I just come for regular check-ups to see how you're doing—this is already the organization taking care of your family."

Qiaocui walked over with a smile and tucked the blanket around Er Mazi—in this sweltering heat, she had actually covered him with a thick blanket. "Er Mazi, have I not taken good care of you? You still want a divorce? It's so shameful to be divorced... I can't bear to divorce you."

Su Wanqing nodded, feeling that Qiaocui had become much more normal recently, and her complexion was much better. After beating Er Mazi, she couldn't let innocent people be killed indiscriminately anymore.

Er Mazi was almost in tears: "I won't leave you, I won't leave you! I was just kidding... Doctor, I want some water... and I want something to eat..."

Qiaocui's smile deepened: "If you want to eat or drink, just tell me. It's not like I'm starving you. Come on, eat and drink!"

She brought over some porridge and half a cup of water. Er Mazi wolfed it down, then gulped it down: "Give me some more water..."

"Drinking too much will make you wet the bed," Qiaocui said through gritted teeth with a smile. Normally, she only gives this man half a cup of water a day, just enough to keep him from dying of thirst, so she doesn't have to keep bringing him a chamber pot. She also gives him very little food, so he doesn't have to poop.

"I won't drink anymore, I won't drink anymore..." Er Mazi shrank back. He only dared to ask for another sip when Su Wanqing was around.

After the follow-up appointment, Su Wanqing left with Li Honghong. She had only come to make sure Er Mazi wasn't killed; it seemed he was quite resilient, his pulse indicating he could live for several more decades. Moreover, Qiaocui looked much more normal and radiant.

Tell me, isn't it a worthwhile trade to sacrifice one person to allow countless others to live normal lives? Perhaps this is what important people consider worthwhile.

Li Honghong seemed to suddenly have an epiphany, her eyes shining: "Dr. Su, I understand what you mean... I'm going home right now and I'll cripple Li Yu too! Not getting a divorce? Ha, after seeing Er Mazi, I think not getting a divorce is pretty good—turns out, a sip of water and a bite of food a day are enough to feed her. Thinking back to before, that old hag drank cup after cup, and I had to empty the bedpan three or four times a night..."

Su Wanqing quickly coughed, "Cough cough! I didn't say that! Look, although Er Mazi is in a bad state, Qiaocui has taken good care of him. There's no strange smell in the room, and he hasn't wet the bed..."