TPMBW 02

Episode 02

Husband

As someone who appreciated beauty above all else, Gu Jiao had collected her fair share of handsome men in her previous life.

But none of them—

To be precise, all of them combined—

Could compare to the young man before her.

He possessed an exceptionally clean and refined appearance. His brows and features seemed carved from jade itself, every line perfect and elegant. His eyes were cold and distant, like a deep, frozen lake whose depths could not be seen.

His complexion was unnaturally pale from illness, yet a faint flush of embarrassment colored his cheeks, adding an unexpectedly alluring charm.

And judging by his age…

Rather than calling him a man, young master seemed more appropriate.

“Have you finished staring?” Xiao Liulang asked through gritted teeth.

“Not yet,” Gu Jiao replied honestly.

Her gaze swept leisurely over his frame.

“Though if I keep sitting here, I might crush you.”

With that, she finally stood up.

Well…

Her body stood up.

Her eyes remained firmly glued to him.

“Gu Jiao, you—”

Xiao Liulang’s face darkened with embarrassment and anger under her unabashed scrutiny.

“Need help getting up?” she asked with a cheerful smile.

“No!”

Turning away coldly, Xiao Liulang ignored her outstretched hand.

Using a nearby chair for support, he slowly rose to his feet.

It was obvious that moving was difficult for him, yet he stubbornly refused her assistance.

Afterward, he didn’t spare her another glance and limped out of the room.

Only then did Gu Jiao fully remember who he was.

Xiao Liulang.

The original owner’s husband.

Back when Xiao Liulang had been brought home, he had been starving and unconscious.

After waking up, the Gu family learned that he was an orphan with nowhere to go.

The family immediately seized the opportunity.

Claiming that their daughter had saved his life, that a man and woman should not share such close contact without propriety, and that marriage was necessary to preserve Gu Jiao’s reputation, they pressured him into marrying her.

Calling it a marriage was generous.

It was closer to becoming a live-in son-in-law.

The shabby house they lived in had been provided by the Gu family.

Even the farmland they worked had been assigned by the Gu family.

Naturally, both were the worst available.

At the time of the marriage, Gu Jiao hadn’t known he was crippled.

Once she found out, her attitude toward him gradually soured.

Instead, she became obsessed with chasing after Young Master Qin from town.

Because of this, nearly everyone in the village sympathized with Xiao Liulang.

People often said:

“A flower planted in a pile of cow dung.”

And in their eyes, Xiao Liulang was the flower.

Gu Jiao was the cow dung.

As for what Xiao Liulang himself thought, Gu Jiao couldn’t say.

But judging from how indifferent he had been to her miserable state earlier, it was clear he had little affection for the original owner.

Gu Jiao opened the wardrobe, intending to change out of her wet clothes.

Then she discovered an even greater tragedy.

There wasn’t a single clean outfit inside.

At that moment, a sweet, delicate female voice drifted in from outside.

“Brother Xiao, are you home?”

A young widow walked into the courtyard.

She wore a bright purple padded jacket decorated with large flowers. Her hair was carefully styled and coated with fragrant oils. Powder and rouge adorned her face.

A basket hung from her arm, covered with a patterned cloth.

Gu Jiao immediately recognized her.

Xue Ningxiang.

The young widow next door.

According to the original owner’s memories, Xue Ningxiang frequently found excuses to visit their home.

Usually when Gu Jiao wasn’t around.

The few times they had crossed paths, the simple-minded original owner had often ended up suffering losses at her hands.

Even the news that Young Master Qin would be visiting the village today had come from Xue Ningxiang.

“Oh?”

Gu Jiao leaned against the doorway.

“Isn’t this Sister Ningxiang? What brings you to my house in broad daylight?”

Xue Ningxiang jumped in surprise.

Then disappointment flashed across her face.

“Why is it you?”

Gu Jiao smiled.

“This is my home. Is it strange that I’m here? And why do you sound disappointed?”

Xue Ningxiang choked on her words.

Of course she was disappointed.

She had come hoping to see Xiao Liulang.

Looking more closely, she suddenly felt something was different about Gu Jiao.

The face was the same.

Yet somehow not.

Gone was the dull, vacant look she once carried.

There was intelligence in her eyes now.

Despite being soaked from head to toe, she didn’t appear pathetic.

Instead, she carried an inexplicable aura that made people instinctively wary.

Impossible.

How could a fool suddenly change?

Lifting her chin, Xue Ningxiang declared:

“I came to see Brother Xiao!”

Gu Jiao smiled faintly.

“Brother Xiao? That’s quite intimate. Are you and my husband very close?”

“Move aside!”

“And if I don’t?”

Gu Jiao blocked the entrance.

Xue Ningxiang had never taken the village fool seriously.

Without hesitation, she shoved forward.

Gu Jiao casually stepped aside.

At the same time, her foot hooked forward.

“Ahhh!”

Xue Ningxiang tumbled to the ground face-first, basket and all.

“Gu Fool! You tripped me!”

These little tricks had happened countless times before.

The only difference was that today, Xue Ningxiang was the victim.

Arms folded, Gu Jiao leaned lazily against the doorframe.

Her expression clearly said:

Yes, I tripped you.

What are you going to do about it?

Truthfully, the two women had never gotten along.

They were the subjects of the most gossip in the village.

One was the fool, Gu Jiao.

The other was the widow, Xue Ningxiang.

But Xue Ningxiang was attractive and hardworking.

In her own mind, she was far superior.

Back when Xiao Liulang had collapsed at the village entrance, both women had discovered him together.

Xue Ningxiang had worried about trouble and gone to fetch help.

The original Gu Jiao had simply dragged him home.

When it was later revealed that Xiao Liulang was an educated and respectable scholar, Xue Ningxiang regretted it immensely.

Just as Xue Ningxiang was about to explode in anger, Xiao Liulang emerged from the house.

Instantly, her expression transformed.

Her eyes reddened.

Tears appeared.

“Brother Xiao! She bullied me! She tripped me!”

Gu Jiao raised both hands innocently.

“She pushed me first.”

“Brother Xiao, listen! She admitted—”

“Did Sister Ningxiang come here for something?”

Xiao Liulang interrupted her calmly.

Xue Ningxiang froze.

She glanced between the husband and wife before awkwardly lifting her basket.

“Well… you helped me read a letter last time, and I never properly thanked you.”

She lowered her head shyly.

“I heard your family has no food left. I dug up a few sweet potatoes and brought them for you.”

Xiao Liulang didn’t even glance at the basket.

“Thank you, but there’s no need. Please take them back.”

Xue Ningxiang bit her lip.

“But—”

“He told you to take them back. Didn’t you hear him?”

Gu Jiao’s voice wasn’t loud.

Yet the smile in her eyes carried a chilling edge.

A shiver ran down Xue Ningxiang’s spine.

Without another word, she grabbed her basket and fled.

After she left, Gu Jiao looked at her husband with amusement.

“Who would’ve thought? A little cripple like you is quite popular with women.”

Xiao Liulang merely shot her a cool glance.

Then he turned around and returned to his room with his cane.

“Hiss—”

The wound on the back of Gu Jiao’s head throbbed again.

Holding her head, she returned to her own room.

Sitting down, she carefully felt the injury.

The cut was large.

Not especially deep.

But if it wasn’t disinfected quickly, infection was almost guaranteed.

The problem was…

This was ancient times.

Where was she supposed to find disinfectant?

A sudden thought crossed her mind.

“If only my medical kit were still here.”

The instant the thought appeared—

A violent pain exploded inside her head.

“Ugh!”

Everything went black.

She fainted on the spot.

When Gu Jiao finally opened her eyes again, she found herself lying in her room.

For a moment, she thought it had all been a dream.

Then her gaze landed on the table.

She froze.

There, sitting quietly in front of her—

Was a box.

A box that absolutely, positively should not have existed in this world.

Her medical kit.