Chapter 3: The "Irritable" Wife Knows How to Show Affection (3)

Su Qiruo looked at the bottom of the empty pot and turned her head, looking displeased.

"Why didn't you make your own food?"

Although her tone was stern, this time Yun Zimu did not feel afraid.

Was his wife not suspecting him of stealing food, but rather caring for him?

But why had she suddenly started caring about him? Could it be that she really intended to sell him to someone else?

Thinking of this, Yun Zimu suddenly became frightened.

Last night, when his wife had beaten him with a carrying pole, she had said that he was a jinx, that she had spent all the family's money to buy him, and that she would rather sell him to an eighty-year-old woman as a concubine than continue to support him.

"Wife, I eat very little, please don't sell me."

Yun Zimu did not know where he found the courage, but he lunged forward, grabbed Su Qiruo's arm, and knelt down, begging for mercy incessantly.

Su Qiruo used a little strength in her hands to prevent Yun Zimu's injured knees from hitting the hard ground again. Looking at him with tears streaming down his face, she felt puzzled.

The book had never mentioned that the original owner intended to sell him!

Why would he say such a thing?

In truth, the original owner had felt some pity for Yun Zimu; otherwise, she would not have refrained from forcing him when he was unwilling, choosing instead to drown her sorrows in alcohol every day.

If the original owner had truly wanted to do something, how could someone as thin and frail as Yun Zimu have resisted?

"You are not allowed to kneel to me again, or I really will sell you."

Worried that Yun Zimu's wounds would affect his ability to walk in the future, and unable to break his habit of kneeling at every turn, Su Qiruo had no choice but to threaten him this way.

Although the words were harsh, they were effective.

Yun Zimu stood up abruptly, looking at Su Qiruo with red eyes, silently telling her that he would be obedient.

"Go eat first."

Sighing helplessly, Su Qiruo took an old bowl from the dilapidated wooden cupboard nearby. She looked back at Yun Zimu and, seeing him obediently following her, walked forward with peace of mind.

Dividing the majority of the thin porridge in the bowl into another, Su Qiruo pushed the fuller bowl toward Yun Zimu.

"Eat."

The house was so poor that there wasn't even a single piece of pickled vegetable. Fearing that her own mouth would become bland, Su Qiruo drank the thin soup in two gulps and wiped her mouth casually.

"After you finish eating, stay at home. I'm going out to find some food. Don't cook tonight."

Having said that, Su Qiruo pointed to Yun Zimu's leg and added, "If you walk around carelessly with that leg, it might leave a permanent injury. If you don't want to end up a cripple, stay in bed obediently. I'll see if I can find some herbs for you."

Su Qiruo remembered that plantain could treat external wounds. This herb was common everywhere, and she could pick some later.

"Mm."

Yun Zimu held the warm rice bowl in both hands and nodded obediently.

However, Su Qiruo's instruction to "stay in bed obediently" still made Yun Zimu feel afraid.

Knowing that Yun Zimu would feel uneasy with her there, Su Qiruo stood up first.

Yun Zimu hurriedly followed suit, but was stopped by a wave of Su Qiruo's hand.

"You sit and eat."

After circling the room, the kitchen, and the courtyard twice, Su Qiruo left the yard with a hemp rope and a sack.

She didn't forget to close the fence gate tightly as she left, an action that made Yun Zimu's heart skip a beat.

Yun Zimu watched Su Qiruo's retreating figure, his eyes full of confusion.

His wife seemed different from before, yet also the same.

He couldn't quite put his finger on what was different, but such a wife made him feel flattered and overwhelmed.

Once Su Qiruo left the house, she headed toward the mountains. The villagers she encountered along the way, who were gathering firewood, looked at her with surprise; they had likely never seen this version of Su Qiruo before.

Now that she was clean, Su Qiruo looked quite respectable, making it impossible to associate her with the slovenly person from the past.

The straw sandals under her feet were a bit uncomfortable. Thinking of Yun Zimu's exposed toes, Su Qiruo secretly told herself that she must find a way to earn some money; she couldn't let Yun Zimu suffer along with her.

Even if Yun Zimu met someone he wanted to marry in the future, she couldn't let others look down on him; she had to prepare a generous dowry for him.

This child had suffered too much; she had to add some sweetness to his life.

Just as she thought of sweetness, Su Qiruo saw a wild fruit tree not far away. The small, bright red fruits on it were adorable, looking just like Yun Zimu's cheeks.

The lower fruits had already been picked by others, leaving only the good ones high up.

Setting down the rope and sack, Su Qiruo hugged the tree and scrambled up to the branches in a few movements.

To think that the self-defense skills she had learned in her previous life were now being used to pick fruit for her little husband—it wasn't a total waste after all.

Picking a bright red fruit and rubbing it against her palm, Su Qiruo carefully took a bite. It was sweet and tasted just like an apple, so she began to eat heartily.

Thinking that a young boy like Yun Zimu would surely love these, Su Qiruo used her clothes as a pouch and picked all the larger fruits she could reach.

With a light leap, she landed on the ground, poured the red fruits into the sack, and popped another one into her mouth before heading contentedly into the mountains.

"Bitter lettuce? Dandelion?"

Su Qiruo happily crouched down to gather the wild vegetables, thinking that she could finally change up their diet tonight.

No wonder the ancients often said to rely on the mountains for food if you live by them; the mountains were full of treasures!

After the effects of the alcohol wore off, Su Qiruo felt much lighter and walked at a brisk pace. Seeing that it was still early, she considered heading deeper into the mountains.

But remembering the fearful look on Yun Zimu's face when he first saw her after her bath, she abandoned the idea.

She would head deeper into the mountains early tomorrow morning instead.

If it got dark and she hadn't returned, Yun Zimu would likely be terrified at home alone.

After gathering some wild vegetables, Su Qiruo didn't forget to pick a few handfuls of plantain. Yun Zimu's injury was quite serious, and until she could earn enough money to hire a doctor, she would have to make do with applying plantain to it.

"Little pheasant, although you are still young and shouldn't be caught, I have an injured husband at home who needs to be fed, so I'm afraid you'll have to be reincarnated a bit early."

With a blade of grass in her mouth, Su Qiruo muttered to herself before putting down her sack to catch the pheasant.

The pheasant wasn't large, but it would be enough for her and Yun Zimu to have a full meal.

It was the law of the jungle; for the sake of survival, she couldn't afford to be too soft-hearted.

After breaking the pheasant's wings and tying it up, Su Qiruo stopped heading deeper and turned back toward home.

On the way back, Su Qiruo also found a nest of rabbits that hadn't even grown their teeth yet. She thought about raising them at home, having Yun Zimu cut some grass to feed them, and then stewing them once they grew up.