Not getting Wei Zhao’s answer, Yu Tingwan felt very regretful.
The window was propped open a crack, wind poured in.
She put down the scissors, packed up all the big and small xi characters, afraid they’d be blown all over the ground, and still didn’t forget to use the stone that Wei Zhao had thrown to her earlier to press them down.
She was just about to go out and ask Hui Niang if there was anything she could help with.
The little girl had just walked a few steps, when she heard rustling sounds behind her. She suddenly sensed something was wrong, turned her head and saw that Wei Zhao, who not long ago had been playing dead, was now half-sitting up.
His face was pale, his arm powerless, turning sideways to reach for the scissors Yu Tingwan had forgotten on the wooden table by the bed.
Wei Zhao met Yu Tingwan’s death stare, yet there wasn’t the slightest bit of embarrassment at being caught on his face.
His arms were long, but after all, the distance was far. Wei Zhao slowly shifted toward the bedside. But before he could touch the scissors, Yu Tingwan directly moved them away.
Yes—moved.
She didn’t take the scissors. She directly moved the whole wooden table away.
Wei Zhao wasn’t persistent. Slowly, he retracted his hand.
Yu Tingwan walked back to the bedside, her eyes hard to read, her tone indifferent.
“I know you’ve been away from home for too long, the people in the village have all forgotten clean, certainly wouldn’t remember the Li family at the entrance of the village.”
“But I’ve heard Aunt Hui say, when you were young you were closest with that family’s son.”
“That Li family’s son fell ill with a strange illness last year, held his head all day saying it hurt, the county doctors couldn’t see where the illness lay, but he vomited whatever he ate, and didn’t last half a year before he was gone.”
“Before the burial, the village people went to take a look, all got quite scared, some even stumbled back and fell to the ground. Everyone said the Li family’s son didn’t look human anymore, so thin only skin wrapped bone was left, they could even count every bone on his body.”
“He wanted to live and forcibly endured for half a year. Who knows how much pain he suffered, yet didn’t get to see the hope of living. But you, you just don’t want to live.”
Yu Tingwan said blandly: “I know your injuries are serious. I also can’t share even a bit of your pain. I have no way to lightly blame you, saying you shouldn’t. But Wei Shen, if something happens to you…”
She pressed her lips together: “What am I supposed to do?”
Wei Zhao looked out the window.
A vast stretch of white, everything between heaven and earth was heavily smeared with a desolate gloom.
His unrestrainedness, his nobility, his high-spiritedness—had long been hollowed out, with nothing left behind. The heart was already dead, how could it still feel the joy, anger, and warmth of the human world?
He never thought of marrying a wife. Yu Tingwan’s words also failed to stir even the slightest ripple in him.
Wei Zhao gave a faint laugh, but in his eyes there was not even a trace of emotion: “You’re afraid something will happen to me?”
“But you don’t even know who I am.”
“Don’t know my nature, nor my past. You moved out of the Hu family, which shows you’re not someone indecisive. You and I have only been together for a few days, I dare not think there’s anything in me worth your high regard. Deciding to marry into the Wei family, you’ve weighed the pros and cons, and I’m merely the best choice for the young lady.”
“What the young lady should fear isn’t something happening to me, but that before something happens to me, you haven’t married in yet.”
Yu Tingwan blinked.
She didn’t expect Wei Zhao could say so many words.
It must be that before, he was too stingy with them, so now Yu Tingwan was somewhat caught off guard by the unexpected favor. More caught than favored—caught by surprise.
“Thoughts are clear, speech is sharp… doesn’t seem like your brain got broken from the fall.”
Wei Zhao: …
So many words—didn’t listen to even a single one, huh.
Yu Tingwan said in a muffled voice, “I never thought…”
The young lady’s words paused.
Saying she’s not indecisive—that’s praising her for having ideas in her actions.
Saying she knows how to weigh pros and cons—that’s praising her for being smart!
“I never thought that the me in your eyes was so outstanding.”
Wei Zhao: ???
He almost laughed from anger.
Even someone without a temper would be angered into growing one by Yu Tingwan!
They say husband and wife share the same bed in life and the same grave in death. He even wanted to drag Yu Tingwan to die together!
Wei Zhao’s expression darkened.
If his trusted subordinates saw this, they’d definitely be so frightened they’d kneel on the ground, reflecting on who made the general displeased.
Let alone his trusted men—even those young masters in the capital who admired him would be filled with righteous indignation, scrambling to expose the culprit and get justice for him.
But the culprit, witnessing the change in Wei Zhao’s mood, wasn’t scared at all.
The little girl stepped forward and pressed him down. The movement could count as gentle—at the very least, it didn’t tug at Wei Zhao’s wound.
“I don’t know what you’ve gone through. If you don’t bring it up, I won’t ask. But having too much on your mind isn’t a good thing.”
Wei Zhao didn’t have even a thought of resisting.
His expression faint, he watched as Yu Tingwan tidied the creases on his sleeves, then watched her pinch and straighten the bedding.
Even though these days she had applied ointment, hadn’t touched cold water, the frostbite had healed quite a bit. But in Wei Zhao’s eyes, it was especially jarring.
Wei Zhao had always kept himself clean, never indulging in the pleasures of brothels or courtesans. The women he came into contact with were few.
But the Madam of Duke Shun by his side, the imperial consorts in the palace—who among them didn’t have slender fingers, well-maintained? Even the elderly servant women in Duke Shun’s household were better than Yu Tingwan…
However, this had nothing to do with him.
Wei Zhao found it meaningless.
But right at that moment, a chill touched his neck—something had been pulled off.
It was his ping’an fu [平安符 – safety talisman].
Wei Zhao suddenly looked at her coldly.
Yu Tingwan slowly clenched the ping’an fu into her palm bit by bit.
“As for the scissors thing, I still have to take that seriously. You’re not willing to listen to good or bad words—seems like you don’t learn your lesson.”
Fortunately, Wei Zhao was someone who had things he cared about.
“When you’ve truly repented, and won’t hurt yourself again, I’ll give it back to you. For now…”
Yu Tingwan said seriously and by the book: “Confiscated.”
Wei Zhao narrowed his eyes.
You dare, huh.
The little girl, however, didn’t look at his expression and walked straight out, but in that instant she was about to exit, she stopped in her tracks.
Her voice was calm and quiet: “I admit, marrying into the Wei family, I had ulterior motives—just to seek a bit of stability. I am indeed afraid something will happen to you.”
“A few days ago, your life or death, Wei Shen, had nothing to do with me.”
“But since we’re going to be married, your honor and disgrace are tied with mine—even if you die, we’re still bound.”
“You say I don’t know your nature, but when have you ever known what I like?”
Her voice was very light:
“Since I’ve prepared to live days with you properly, I’ve already made ready to suffer hardship. You and I will become the closest people in the world. I’ll even bear children for you—how could there still be any calculation in that? I want to be good to you, it’s sincere and genuine. How could I be willing to see something happen to you?”
As the final word fell, her figure vanished at the doorway.
Inside the room, only Wei Zhao remained, emotions unexplainable.
He had thought Yu Tingwan was avoiding what he’d said. Who would’ve known—she was pretending to be confused while actually understanding everything.
She said the two of them would become the closest people in the world.
Right. Between husband and wife, there’s the ritual of Duke Zhou [周公之礼 – a euphemism for sexual relations].
She said she would bear sons and daughters for him.
Wei Zhao’s emotions were complicated.
Why would Yu Tingwan think that he would touch her?
He couldn’t even muster strength for anything now. What gave Yu Tingwan the idea that, in his current state, he even had the ability to touch her?
Even Wei Zhao himself didn’t have that confidence.
She said she wanted to be good to him.
But it’s always those people who say they want to be good to him—who hurt him the most.
Wei Zhao even forgot to take back his ping’an fu.
He dazed out for a long time.
No one knows how much time passed before Wei Zhao furrowed his brows.
He finally realized—the little girl had just now kept calling him Wei Shen, not him, Wei Zhao.
Wei Zhao: ……