Zhang Zhaodi rushed anxiously to the village entrance where the transaction was supposed to happen, only to find no one there.
Su Yaoguang was worried about her health and followed her closely. Seeing that Qian Yaren had left, she felt secretly relieved.
"Oh my, Lady Yaoguang, who are you looking for?" A charming woman walked over, smiling and holding a handkerchief.
Zhang Zhaodi looked at her with disgust.
"None of your damn business, unless you're looking for a scolding."
"Why are you still so rude? You've always had a bad temper, both when you were young and now. By the way, I heard your daughter bought a live-in son-in-law. I bought someone too, but not as a son-in-law; just a long-term worker. After all, I have a son, so I don't need a live-in son-in-law. My Hui'er needs to study, and there has to be someone to do the chores at home."
Disinclined to listen to that woman's prattle, Zhang Zhaodi grabbed Su Yaoguang and headed back, cursing as she went, "I'll deal with you when we get home."
Su Yaoguang looked back at Zhong Lanhua.
"What kind of worker did your family buy?" She hadn't seen Zhong Lanhua earlier; could it be that after she left, Xiao Yanci was bought by her?
"Why are you talking to her?" Zhang Zhaodi pinched the soft flesh on Su Yaoguang's arm. "Useless thing, haven't I told you not to speak to their family?"
Zhong Lanhua said something from behind, but Zhang Zhaodi's shouting was too loud for Su Yaoguang to hear. Yet, she already had an inkling.
Zhang Zhaodi was extremely angry. As soon as she returned home, she complained of a headache and went to her room to rest.
Su Yaoguang promptly made sure she was comfortable and then sought out the village barefoot doctor to check on Zhang Zhaodi and treat that injured young man, prescribing some medicine.
The young man seemed badly hurt, but at this stage, he wouldn't die. If he were dead, he wouldn't have been forced into such dire straits by that madam.
As for whether he would stay or leave after waking, it was up to him. Su Yaoguang wouldn't force anyone.
In her previous life, Su Yaoguang hadn't forced Xiao Yanci either; she asked him if he wanted to leave, but he chose not to go. She thought they were mutually affectionate, but it turned out she was just fantasizing.
"The boy's external injuries are severe, but fortunately, there are no internal injuries. With good care, he should be able to get out of bed in ten days to two weeks," the doctor said. "I heard you bought a live-in son-in-law; I assume that's him."
"Thank you, Uncle Lin. But Uncle Lin, how is my mother's health?"
"Your mother is simply overworked. If she worries less and takes it easy, she won't deteriorate day by day. It's a heart condition; you must help her relax."
After seeing off Doctor Lin, Su Yaoguang heard Zhang Zhaodi coughing and quickly went in to pour her a glass of water.
Zhang Zhaodi glared at her, and she returned a sweet smile.
"Mother, don't be angry. Uncle Lin said he may look badly injured, but it's not serious at all. In ten days to two weeks, he'll be out of bed. Just think, I bought him for ten cents, and the medical consultation and medicine cost only one hundred cents—what a huge profit. I'm definitely your daughter, so good at saving money." Su Yao'er nodded to herself with self-congratulatory approval.
Zhang Zhaodi wanted to scold her but seeing her daughter's pleasing smile, she couldn't bring herself to do it. Since her husband didn't return from the army, she'd relied on her daughter all these years. This time she fell seriously ill and kept dreaming of that dead husband, feeling increasingly worried he'd take her away, leading her to instruct her daughter to use all their savings to buy a live-in son-in-law.
Under current laws, a live-in son-in-law is registered under the wife's family, where the wife is the head of the household.
"If he recovers, forget about it. If not, see how I'll punish you," Zhang Zhaodi said, poking her forehead.
Su Yaoguang knew Zhang Zhaodi was bluffing; ultimately, she would still do as she liked. Hugging Zhang Zhaodi's waist, she leaned on her shoulder: "Mother, I only need you."
Sadness flickered in Zhang Zhaodi's eyes.
This foolish daughter—could she be with her her whole life?
She was a midwife, a job considered unclean by others, so her daughter, though fifteen, hadn't yet received any marriage proposals.
After Zhang Zhaodi fell asleep, Su Yaoguang went to the woodshed and sat by the bed, gazing at the youth bandaged up like a rice dumpling.
Suddenly, the closed eyes snapped open, sharp like a sword being unsheathed.
"Who are you?"
Su Yaoguang pointed to the side: "I'm Su Yaoguang; this is my home, and you're now in Anning Village. Today I bought you for ten cents. Once your injuries heal, you can leave if you wish. If you have nowhere to go, we can stay as brother and sister and call each other as such."
In her previous life, not long after he was caught and taken back, news of his death spread, claiming he was severely mistreated, unwilling to serve guests. That moment had shocked her.
She thought, such a stubborn young man, desperate to protect his dignity, surely couldn't be inherently bad.
Since a person is needed to pacify her mother's heart, he would temporarily serve as her shield. Once her mother's health improved, she would explain that she didn't need a man.
"What's your name?"
"..."
"If you don't say, I'll give you a name. I have to address you somehow; I can't just call you Little Mute, can I?"
"Zhou Wangshu."
"Alright, Wang Shu." Su Yaoguang knew he would be wary, so she forewarned him. "You can't move now, so I'll feed you your medicine."
Zhou Wangshu watched as Su Yaoguang fed him the medicine with a spoon.
Different from Xiao Yanci's gentle looks, his features were distinctly sculpted, with a high nose and thin red lips, eyes like peach blossoms. A red mole at the corner of his eye gave him an alluringly seductive air, even in weakness.
No wonder the madam took an interest in him.
Su Yaoguang spent ten cents to buy a nearly dead person and then called a doctor for him. The villagers, always eager for gossip, were keenly curious about the developments.
She carried the basin to the river, where her appearance drew attention from those already washing clothes.
"Yaoguang, is that little husband you bought still alive?"
Su Yaoguang replied with a cheerful smile: "Of course he's alive. Not just today; he'll live on in the future. Uncle Lin checked on him and said he won't die."
"Then you really got a great deal."
A slender figure maneuvered a laundry basin over.
Su Yaoguang looked at the figure with a cold gaze.
Jiang Yihuan.
Zhong Lanhua's daughter.
Her arch-nemesis.
Since their mothers, Zhong Lanhua and Zhang Zhaodi, had been at odds since youth, she and Jiang Yihuan had clashed from a young age. Or rather, Jiang Yihuan had always cunningly outmaneuvered her.
Jiang Yihuan, always delicate as a willow, could faint on cue if touched, casting Su Yaoguang as the villain who bullied her in the village.
She thought marrying Xiao Yanci was a victory, but she ultimately lost completely.
Jiang Yihuan came to wash clothes beside her on purpose.
"Huanhuan, I heard your family bought a long-term worker—handsome and literate—is that true?"
Jiang Yihuan spoke shyly: "I suppose so; he seemed rather pitiful, so my mother took him in."