Chapter 2

As a face fanatic, Gu Jiao had collected many handsome men in her previous life, but none of them... to be precise, all the handsome men combined were not as impressive as the one before her now.

This man had a very clean face, with delicate features that resembled jade carvings. His eyes were cold and deep, like a cold, dark pond.

His face was pale, but a rosy flush appeared due to embarrassment, making him even more alluring.

Considering his age, Gu Jiao felt that he looked more like a young man than a grown man.

"Have you had enough?" Xiao Liulang asked through gritted teeth.

"Not yet, but..." Gu Jiao glanced at his body, her phoenix eyes narrowing slightly, "I'm afraid I might crush you."

With that, Gu Jiao pretended to get up.

However, although she stood up, her eyes still lingered on him with a meaningful gaze.

"Gu Jiao, you..." Xiao Liulang was infuriated by her gaze.

"Need help?" Gu Jiao smiled and extended her hand.

"No need!"

Xiao Liulang turned his head coldly and stood up by leaning on a chair nearby.

It was clear that he had difficulty moving, but he still refused Gu Jiao's offer.

Then he ignored Gu Jiao and limped out of the house.

At this moment, Gu Jiao remembered who he was: Xiao Liulang, the husband of the original owner.

Xiao Liulang was picked up by Gu Jiao. After he woke up, the Gu family asked about his situation and found out he was an orphan with nowhere to go. They immediately decided that since men and women should not be too close, and their daughter had saved his life, they should get married to preserve her reputation. Thus, they forced Xiao Liulang to marry Gu Jiao.

Although it was called a marriage, it was more like a赘婚 (a marriage where the husband moves into the wife's family). The dilapidated house they lived in and the land they farmed were provided by the Gu family, and they were the worst.

Gu Jiao did not know that Xiao Liulang was a cripple when they got married. After finding out, she gradually began to despise him and turned to "flirt" with Mr. Qin from the town.

The villagers all felt sorry for Xiao Liulang, saying that a beautiful flower had been stuck in cow dung, with Xiao Liulang being the flower and Gu Jiao the cow dung.

Gu Jiao did not know what Xiao Liulang thought, but his indifference to her current pitiful state clearly showed his disgust for the original owner.

Gu Jiao opened the cabinet door, intending to change out of her wet clothes, but sadly found that there was not a single clean garment inside.

"Xiao Brother, are you there?"

A sweet voice suddenly came from outside the door.

A young woman in a purple floral robe appeared. She had a shiny bun and was wearing makeup, carrying a basket covered with a floral cloth, making it impossible to see what was inside.

Gu Jiao quickly recalled this person from the original owner's memories—Xue Ningshen, the young widow of Qingquan Village.

Xue Ningshen was their neighbor and often visited their house, usually when the original owner was not around. Occasionally, the original owner would catch her. The original owner, being naive, had suffered many losses at Xue Ningshen's hands.

The news of Mr. Qin's visit to the village was also revealed to the original owner by Xue Ningshen.

"Hey, isn't that Sister Ningshen? What are you doing at my house in broad daylight?"

Xue Ningshen was startled by Gu Jiao's sudden appearance and then said disappointedly, "Why is it you?"

Gu Jiao smiled and lightly knocked on the door, "This is my house. Is it strange to see me? What are you disappointed about?"

Xue Ningshen was speechless, of course, she was disappointed not to see Xiao Liulang.

Xue Ningshen looked at Gu Jiao again.

The person was still the same, but something seemed different. She was no longer as wooden as before, and her eyes had a spark of life. Even though she was drenched, she did not look pitiful; instead, she had an intimidating presence.

It must be my eyes playing tricks on me; how could a fool change?

Xue Ningshen raised her chin and said, "I'm here to see Xiao Brother!"

Gu Jiao smiled faintly, "You call him 'Xiao Brother' so affectionately. Are you very familiar with my husband?"

"Move!" Xue Ningshen ignored her.

"What if I don't move?" Gu Jiao blocked her.

Xue Ningshen did not take Gu Jiao seriously and pushed her with her hand.

Gu Jiao lightly dodged and hooked her foot.

"Ouch—"

Xue Ningshen fell to the ground with her basket, landing on her face.

"Gu Fool! You tripped me!"

This kind of tripping had happened many times before, but this time the one who fell was Xue Ningshen.

Gu Jiao crossed her arms and leaned against the door, as if to say, "So what if I tripped you? Try to trip me back if you can."

Xue Ningshen seriously doubted her eyes.

Actually, Xue Ningshen and the original owner had been at odds for a long time—two women in the village who were often gossiped about, one being the fool Gu Jiao and the other the widow Xue Ningshen. However, Xue Ningshen was beautiful and hardworking, so she felt she was more respectable than Gu Jiao.

When Xiao Liulang fainted at the village entrance, Xue Ningshen and the original owner found him. Xue Ningshen, fearing trouble, went to call for help, while the original owner directly brought him home.

After it was confirmed that Xiao Liulang was a clean and honest scholar, Xue Ningshen regretted her decision.

Xue Ningshen raised her voice to scold, but Xiao Liulang walked out with a cold expression.

Seeing him, Xue Ningshen's face changed, and she cried weakly, "Xiao Brother, she bullied me! She tripped me with her foot!"

Gu Jiao looked at Xiao Liulang and raised her hands innocently, "She pushed me first."

Xue Ningshen immediately became agitated, "Xiao Brother, listen, she admitted it—"

"Is there something you need, Sister Ningshen?" Xiao Liulang interrupted her.

Xue Ningshen was taken aback.

She looked at Xiao Liulang, then at Gu Jiao, and picked up the basket, "I... I... You helped me read a letter last time, and I haven't thanked you properly. Your family doesn't have much food, so I dug up some sweet potatoes for you..."

Xiao Liulang said, "No need, Sister Ningshen. We still have cornmeal. You take these back and eat them yourself."

Xue Ningshen bit her lip, "But..."

Gu Jiao raised an eyebrow, "I said take them back. Didn't you hear?"

Her voice was not loud, but her half-smiling, half-serious eyes carried a chilling aura.

Xue Ningshen's scalp tingled, and she dared not stay any longer, leaving with the basket.

Gu Jiao smiled at her husband, "I didn't expect a little cripple like you to be so popular with women."

Xiao Liulang glanced at Gu Jiao coldly and limped back into the house.

"Ouch—"

The wound hurt again.

Gu Jiao held her head and returned to her room.

She sat on a stool and touched the wound. It was a large cut, not too deep, but if not disinfected in time, it would likely get infected. But this was ancient times; where could she find disinfectants?

"If only I still had my medicine box."

As soon as the thought crossed her mind, her head throbbed painfully, and she fainted.

When she woke up, she found a box on the table in front of her.