MGASC -Chapter 126 Visiting the Male Specialist

“You… you damn—”

Zhang Qiao interrupted Xu Liang again. “It’s fine. Health comes first. If my brother-in-law doesn’t have enough money for the check-up, Tianyue and I can cover it for my sister first.”

Faced with the sisters’ insistence, Xu Liang completely lost his nerve.

Why did he go home last night? It wasn’t anything but because he ran into Lin Tianyue at school. He deliberately went back to see if Zhang Ling had heard anything.

Unexpectedly, she didn’t come back all night. His mother kept whining about her discomfort, complaining that Zhang Ling was lazy and didn’t cook for her, and that her legs were killing her.

Xu Liang suggested going to the hospital, but the old lady was worried about the cost and refused. He couldn’t go against the elder, yet he couldn’t bear to see her suffer, so he came early this morning to confront Zhang Ling.

In Xu Liang’s eyes, since he had entrusted the household affairs to Zhang Ling, she should manage everything properly.

Seeing Xu Liang falter, Zhang Qiao tightened her hold on Zhang Ling’s arm. “Sister, just listen to me and go to the hospital with brother-in-law. After checking on aunt, you and brother-in-law should get a proper check-up too. I can tell he doesn’t look well. Look, he’s flushed, his eyelids are yellowish, irritable, and quick to anger—his liver fire is obviously high.”

Xu Liang huffed angrily: “I’m not sick!”

“Brother-in-law, don’t be stubborn. Just by looking at your face, it’s obvious your liver isn’t healthy. Have you been feeling down lately, having trouble sleeping, bitter taste in your mouth, thirst, ringing in your ears, dizziness, and frequent irritability? Liver issues shouldn’t be ignored. If serious, things like ascites, high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, or infertility could all happen to you.”

Lin Tianyue listened to his wife spouting nonsense, rubbing his chin with one hand, turning his face away, trying hard not to laugh.

But Zhang Qiao sounded so serious that she actually managed to fool Xu Liang.

Lately, he had indeed been dizzy, experiencing tinnitus, and a bitter, burning mouth. Could there really be something wrong with his body?

Half believing, half suspecting Zhang Qiao was teasing him, Xu Liang hesitated.

Meanwhile, Zhang Qiao was already pushing Zhang Ling out the door. She had originally wanted to bring a couple of chickens for her sister, but judging by her sister’s mood, no matter how tasty, it wouldn’t enter her stomach.

Then why bother!

“Alright, sister, go with brother-in-law quickly. Don’t delay our aunt’s treatment!”

Zhang Ling realized Zhang Qiao was deliberately teasing Xu Liang. Half amused, half angry, she said through gritted teeth: “That’s right, we need a proper check-up! Otherwise, I’ll be the one taking the blame for everything.”

Seeing Xu Liang trailing behind, Zhang Qiao lowered her voice: “Sister, if you really want to check, make Xu Liang see a male specialist too.”

“Huh?”

Zhang Qiao’s voice dropped even lower: “Having children isn’t just one person’s job. You know what I mean…”

Zhang Ling parted her lips slightly, remembering what Qiao Qiao had told her last night.

She had said that infertility isn’t necessarily the woman’s fault; the man could have health issues too. She even suggested Zhang Ling have Xu Liang checked.

Before Zhang Qiao’s reminder, Zhang Ling had never doubted Xu Liang’s health. After all, what kind of illnesses could a man have? But now, feeling wronged and angry, Zhang Ling wanted to get to the bottom of it—who really had the problem?

Why was she taking bitter Chinese medicine every day, facing her mother-in-law’s disdain, Xu Liang’s blame, and having her household allowance cut to almost nothing?

She felt frustrated.

Infuriatingly frustrated.

At the front gate, Zhang Ling, eyes red, stood waiting for Xu Liang.

Xu Liang, feeling slightly guilty from the sisters’ pressure, still maintained a stern face but had lost the arrogance he had when entering the house.

Lin Tianyue and Zhang Qiao accompanied them outside. A gust of wind blew past, and Zhang Qiao thought her sister was so thin that even a strong wind could blow her away.

“Sister, brother-in-law, you two should go now.”

Lin Tianyue added, “Yes! Find out what’s wrong and treat it quickly. If money is an issue, just say so. Brother-in-law doesn’t earn much, but Qiao Qiao and I can help. For your sake, we’ll see it through.”

Zhang Qiao and Lin Tianyue stood side by side, looking surprisingly harmonious.

Zhang Ling realized her sister and brother-in-law were backing her up and sniffled in gratitude.

What is family?

It must be like this—always there to support you when it matters, unlike her parents, who were selfish, cold, and without warmth.

For the first time, the usually timid Zhang Ling felt a bit empowered.

She had family on her side.

As the gate closed behind them, Zhang Ling ignored Xu Liang and strode forward, sniffling but determined.

Xu Liang followed patiently, grabbing her sleeve from behind: “Come on, let’s go home!”

But Zhang Ling didn’t move, stubbornly staring at him with her reddened eyes.

Xu Liang felt uneasy. “What? You really want a check-up?”

“Of course! Why not? If there’s something wrong, it must be treated!”

Xu Liang’s eyes flashed impatience: “Zhang Ling, that’s enough. Don’t learn your sister’s nonsense…”

“Nonsense? Xu Liang, who’s nonsense, you tell me?” Zhang Ling ground her teeth and tried to twist his fingers.

Xu Liang had never seen her this stubborn; his fingers were almost twisted off.

“Alright, alright. Mom had leg pain yesterday, I made her breakfast this morning, she took her medicine, and she’s much better. Isn’t going to the hospital more trouble? I’m busy at work and can’t take care of her. Won’t it all be your responsibility then?”

“What about you? Aren’t you going to check your own health? With your temper, what if it’s really a liver problem?”

“Zhang Ling, just hope for the best! If something really happened to me and I left you a widow, you’d cry to death!”

Zhang Ling imagined that scene.

After all these years together, she realized she couldn’t accept something happening to Xu Liang.

Then Xu Liang said, “Besides, I know a traditional Chinese medicine doctor, I sometimes consult him. But you, hurry home—didn’t you take yesterday’s medicine yet?”

“I…”

“Zhang Ling, our current task is having a child. Look at your sister, so proud of being pregnant. Aren’t you envious? If she didn’t have a child, do you think Lin Tianyue would treat her the same way? In the end, it’s her belly doing all the work!”

Zhang Ling was again silenced by her husband’s words.

Xu Liang was more educated, came from a better background, had a better job, and had used this superiority to dominate her from the start.

Seeing the situation, Zhang Ling knew she couldn’t persuade him to the hospital today.

But this wasn’t urgent.

After so many talks with her sister yesterday, Zhang Ling’s mind was more active.

Now there was something more important she needed to handle: separating her living arrangement from her parents-in-law.

In the countryside, separate living after splitting the household wasn’t uncommon. Zhang Ling, being traditional, thought that if she didn’t live with her parents-in-law, there would be less meddling, and her relationship with Xu Liang would improve.

With a better mood, maybe she could even conceive.

Of course, if she proposed splitting the household, Xu Liang would definitely disagree, and it would cause chaos.

But she could think of a plan—for example, telling her mother-in-law that she wants to earn money to contribute to household expenses.

This family was extremely stingy, counting every penny. If they knew she could earn, they wouldn’t keep her trapped at home.

Leaving home was the first step; everything else she could plan later.