In the court, the two spoke well of each other. The wife said she would take him even if she remarried.
"Over six years, the wife has never left her paralyzed husband. Now the paralyzed husband sues for divorce to give his wife freedom, which is touching," said Ma Jianbo, the presiding judge of Ningxiang County People's Court on the morning of November 30 when talking about a special divorce case he recently handled.
"For her happiness, I want to get divorced."
"Judge comrades, are you about to leave? My husband and I want to mediate our divorce, can we?" At 5 pm on November 25, a woman who hesitated for a long time at the court gate finally gathered up the courage to walk into the judge's office. Then she pleaded again: "Please help me, my husband is paralyzed in the lower body, it is inconvenient for him to move around, and he also gets carsick. He is waiting outside now. If we don't get divorced, he won't feel settled."
It turned out that this woman was named Xia Jianhua, and her husband Ma Fuyu was from Shiwu Village, Longtian Town, Ningxiang County. They had been married for 11 years. In a car accident in 2006, Ma Fuyu became paralyzed from the neck down and could not take care of himself. Xia Jianhua took good care of him without leaving. Ma Fuyu felt that he should not drag her down anymore, so he came up with the idea of "forcing" his wife to get a divorce.
"She is still young, and I cannot fulfill my duties as a husband, so I have to get a divorce." When the court staff asked for verification on the car, Ma Fuyu said.
"This is not the first time he mentioned divorce."
"It's not the first time he brought up the topic of divorce. I know what he's thinking, but I can't match his stubbornness. But even if we get divorced, I will still take care of him!" Xia Jianhua said in court.
In the six years since Ma Fuyu became paralyzed, Xia Jianhua did not choose to escape, but instead took on the heavy burden of the family. On the day of the incident, relatives quietly advised her to find another way out, "Ma Fuyu won't get better soon, you're still young, and the child is small. How will you two survive if you keep following him?" However, Xia Jianhua never thought of abandoning her husband.
During the recuperation period after the injury, Ma Fuyu was often irritable and would curse at Xia Jianhua, "You get out of here." Nevertheless, Xia Jianhua silently took care of the household. When relatives mentioned remarriage again, Xia Jianhua firmly stated, "Even if I remarry, I will take Ma Fuyu with me!"
After the accident, Ma Fuyu received compensation of more than 400,000 yuan. Xia Jianhua didn't hide a single cent from her husband regarding the expenditure of this money. After using it for her husband's daily medical expenses and physical rehabilitation, Xia Jianhua didn't spend any money on herself, and after six years, there was still more than 200,000 yuan left, which she wanted to save for her husband just in case. All of this made Ma Fuyu both moved and guilty.
"Even if we get divorced, I won't leave home."
"She has a fiery temper, she speaks up when she sees something wrong, and she is very stubborn. She never asks for help with things she can handle herself. But she is also soft-hearted, one is my injury, and the other is the hardship of the child. Thinking about these two makes her cry. For all these years, she has always taken good care of me. Over these six years, we have gotten along warmly and harmoniously, like close siblings," This is how Ma Fuyu views his wife.
"He is honest, straightforward, and has never quarreled with me over these many years. Even our young daughter says, 'Dad cares about you in his heart, he just doesn't know how to express it,'" Xia Jianhua said.
In the courtroom that day, the two spoke highly of each other. After understanding the situation, the judge persuaded them not to divorce, but Ma Fuyu disagreed: "I don't want to drag her down anymore. She is still young and should have her own new life. She shouldn't be tied down by me, a paralyzed person. I want to give her freedom so she can find her own happiness."
Finally, the court issued a civil mediation document allowing the two to divorce. "Even if we get divorced, I will often come back to take care of them. There is him and our daughter here, there is a responsibility and attachment I can never let go of!" Xia Jianhua said, "I have never thought of leaving him, not before, nor will I in the future."
■ Reporter Wang Zhifang Correspondents Zhou Ying Gao Yudong
The Judge's Words
We also feel their love
Judge Ma Jianbo, who was responsible for hearing the case, said in an interview with reporters: "In grassroots courts, we encounter numerous divorce cases, but most trials are filled with arguments. Both parties blame each other and recount their grievances. Only this couple has shocked us with their attitude. The couple understands and pays for each other silently. We can feel their love for each other and their gratitude towards life and family." (To protect the privacy of the parties involved, all names except for the judge are pseudonyms.)