Sujin sat in the yard, sunlight pierced through the sparse cloud layer on his handsome yet slightly melancholic face.
He gently touched his leg that was lame due to an accident, feeling extremely dissatisfied.
Although he came from a poor family, he studied hard from a young age, hoping that one day he could pass the imperial examination and bring honor to his ancestors.
But this accident destroyed his future prospects.
When his leg was initially broken, he never imagined that he would become lame.
He was in his prime of life, had strong bones, and just needed proper care to recover quickly.
During his recovery period, he did not go out, nor did he make excessive movements; he spent each day confined in the house, reading books.
Really feeling stuffy, he would only venture out to the courtyard in a wheelchair for some fresh air.
The lady YU also took good care of him, various nutritional and nourishing bone soup, meat soup, chicken soup and medicinal diet never ran out.
He didn't know exactly how much silver was spent, but it must have been quite a sum.
Sujin also secretly kept it in mind.
He couldn't understand why such meticulous care had resulted in his leg being lame.
Could it really be that it was his destiny? That he would have to live the rest of his life confined to Sujia Village? That he was a failure?
At this moment, YU Yao brought over a steaming bowl of medicinal soup. The aroma was soothing and seemed to be able to dispel all diseases and shadows.
"Big brother JIN, it's time to take your medicine."
Her voice was soft as water, but her eyes held a depth that was not known to others.
Su JIN raised his head and looked into those eyes that seemed to be able to see through one's heart, feeling extremely complicated inside.
"YAO, my leg...I'm afraid I can't go on the imperial examination road anymore."
His tone was tinged with a touch of helplessness and melancholy.
YU YAO smiled slightly, but the smile did not reach her eyes, "Brother JIN, there are countless paths in the world, not just one through the imperial examination. With your aspirations for the world and your abundant talents, you will certainly be able to achieve your goals through other means."
She gently handed him the bowl of medicine, looking at him with encouragement in her eyes.
Su Jin took the medicine bowl and drank it all at once, the bitter medicine juice seemed to transform into a stream of warmth, warming his heart.
"YAO, if I cannot be an official in this lifetime, will you regret following me?"
His words reveal uncertainty about the future and his deep affection for YU YAO.
Of course, he also feared that she might leave him.
YU YAO gently shook her head, looking at Su JIN with eyes full of emotion, as if she really liked this man.
"Big brother JIN, all I want in this life is to be with the person I love until we are old and white. Whether you are a high official or a hermit in the countryside, I will accompany you, never leaving nor forsaking you."
However, behind this heartfelt conversation, there was a sense of chill.
"YAO, you are so good. Being able to have you is my fortune."
Su Jin's eyes were full of tenderness, tightly holding her hand as if she was his only support and his only true love.
"YAO, you're right, there are countless paths in the world, not just one through the imperial examination. Though I can't continue with the imperial examinations to become an official, my knowledge will still allow me to provide a good life for you."
YU YAO maintained a gentle smile on the surface, but her heart was filled with ridicule.
If Su JIN had been so sincere to the original owner in his previous life, the original owner would probably have been happy to eat barley and swallow food.
Unfortunately, she is not the original owner, and these words have no effect on her.
"Big brother JIN, I believe in you."
She smiled gently.
But the smile did not reach her eyes, hiding coldness within.
She took the empty medicine bowl from Su JIN and was about to step into the house.
Just then, Su JIN's gaze fell on her abdomen, full of appraisal and fixation, "YAO, I feel like your waist has gotten thicker recently."
YU YAO jumped in surprise upon hearing his words, lowering her eyes to her abdomen.
Although the loose clothes made it not very noticeable, it can still be faintly felt that her waist has become rounded.
She and Xuan Jing had a spring encounter by the river of Zhou Village, and the next day she took a Dragon Phoenix Dan.
Xuan Ji, having broken his vows, went into seclusion to atone for his sins on the back mountain of the Thousand Buddha Temple.
She herself, then came to Sujia Village to find Su JIN, to seek revenge for the original owner.
Before she knew it, three months had passed, and her belly naturally began to show.
YU YAO felt that she had stayed long enough with Su JIN and confirmed that the man had fallen in love with her.
If she chose to leave at this time, or let Su JIN discover that she was pregnant with another man's child, it would definitely be a heavy blow to him and he would become demoralized from then on.
But she did not immediately leave. She still felt that something was lacking and needed to do something else.
She playfully glared at Su JIN, "It's all because of you. Every time I made those nourishing soups for you, you deliberately said you couldn't drink them. I didn't want to waste them, so I had to finish them every time, which is why my waist has gotten thicker."
She made a charming and cute expression, which made Su JIN laugh, but he did not doubt it, happily saying, "I really can't drink it, but it's not that I intentionally want your waist to become thicker."
After speaking, his eyes were fixed on YU YAO's abdomen again, "Your waist used to be like a willow branch. A slight effort and it would break, which is fine."
"You're just trying to comfort me, aren't you? No, I'm not eating tonight. I want to lose weight."
YU YAO pouted and said, "I'm not eating tonight. I want to lose weight." She took the medicine bowl and turned to enter the house.
She said that on purpose. Even if she didn't want to eat, she wouldn't let her child in her belly go hungry.
Su JIN heard her say things like "I'm not eating tonight, I want to lose weight," and found it amusing.
He also regretted saying her waist had thickened, and thought it was unreasonable not to eat dinner. What if she got hungry?
He planned to talk to her seriously later.
Days went by one after another.
Su JIN seems to have been encouraged by YU YAO, and gradually started to regain his spirits, and his mood was not as melancholic and defeated as before.
He bought the old house in the village, of course, YU YAO paid for it, Su JIN had no silver.
He then hired several craftsmen to renovate it, planning to transform it into a private school to teach the children in the village to read.
Since he cannot take the imperial examination and become an official due to his disabled leg, he has only one option left: teaching.
Su JIN was determined to become a renowned scholar with students everywhere.
If he can't seek office, then he would seek fame instead.
With fame, benefits will naturally come.
But he didn't know if it was the wrong choice of location or the Feng Shui of the old house was bad.
Every time the craftsmen were ready to begin the renovation, it would be accompanied by strong winds and heavy rain, causing the project to be delayed repeatedly.
In fact, because of the consecutive storms, the entire old house was blown down.
Along with the old house, Su JIN's family's yellow mud brick house was also blown down.
But curiously, no one else's houses in the village were affected.
Even the several grass huts that were built on the west side of the village were fine.
It was late at night when the houses collapsed.
Su JIN was sleeping in the house at the time, with no sense of premonition; he was buried under the earth without any protection.
It was still the villagers in the annex who heard the noise at night and knew something had gone wrong, who rushed to help and pulled him out of the mud.
Although he was pulled out in time, it nearly took his life, and he was barely alive.
But Su JIN was incredibly lucky; he did indeed survive.
Although he survived, both of his legs were broken and couldn't be put back together. That meant he was completely paralyzed.
Su JIN's house collapsed and he was currently living with his uncle Su DQIANG to recuperate.
When his uncle's wife found out that Su JIN was paralyzed and would have to rely on others for the rest of his life, she threw him out of the house in the middle of the night.
Su DQIANG, although reluctant, didn't want to have a useless person at home, so he didn't say anything.
But still feeling the kinship, he moved him to a dilapidated grass hut at the west end of the village that no one wanted, left half a bag of grain, and then left.
And YU YAO disappeared just like that. From the day of the house collapse, she has not appeared again.
Su JIN was worried that she might have had an accident. He asked people he met about it, but everyone said they didn't see Ms. YU's figure in the collapsed house.
They said she must have left.
"You didn't see her? Then how did she disappear?"
Su JIN was stunned. He would rather believe that YU YAO was hiding somewhere to recuperate or that something happened to her, than accept that she had left him.
He went crazy, searching the site of the collapsed house.
It doesn't matter that his legs were broken and couldn't move. He will crawl on his hands.
He crawled on the ground like a dog.
With every step, he was accompanied by immense pain, as the sharp stones and other pointed objects on the ground pierced his skin.
His hands tightly grasped the ground, and his fingertips were filled with dirt. He crawled forward, slowly and painfully. His body was scraped and bleeding from the sharp stones and rough ground.
But he felt nothing, neither did he hesitate. He just stubbornly crawled towards the ruins of the collapsed house.
After what felt like an eternity, he finally reached the ruins.
"YAO, don't be afraid. I'm here to save you."
He murmured to himself with deep affection in his eyes.
He then started to frantically dig through the rubble with his hands. Sharp objects pierced his skin, but he felt no pain. His expression was dull as he dug through the dirt.
YU YAO had not gone anywhere; she was hidden in the shadows watching, her eyes calm and expressionless.
Su JIN's deep affection was more worthless than grass in her eyes.
Once, the original owner loved him just as much, giving everything and even losing her life in the end.
Now, it's just one thing repaid for another.
