Chapter 3: Xiaoxi’s Wounds Finally Revealed

Chapter 3: Little Creek's Wounds Finally Revealed

Suddenly there was no sound, and Li Wan, finding it strange, went over to check uneasily. The sight startled her. She helped the person up while shouting loudly, "Father, Mother, come quickly! Third Brother's husband has fainted."

Chen Lanfang's brow twitched at the news. Her youngest son was already in such a bad state, and now the husband he married turned out to be just as frail.

One invalid in the house was already hard enough to bear; she didn't have the strength to care for another.

But no matter how displeased she felt, she wasn't heartless enough to ignore Wen Xi's condition. After having her two daughters-in-law carry Wen Xi back to his room, she told her eldest son, Yan Wangchun, to hurry and get the village doctor.

On the large bed in the bridal chamber lay two figures, one big and one small. The larger one had furrowed brows and lay unconscious.

The smaller one had flushed cheeks and mumbled vaguely about hurting.

The more Chen Lanfang looked, the more her heart ached.

If he's crying out in pain, he must be injured somewhere. There was no one else in the room besides the women of the family, so she said, "Jin Geer, take off his clothes and see where he's hurting."

He Jin did as she said. The moment he pulled open the front of Wen Xi's clothes, he let out a small gasp.

Wen Xi's body was covered in scars and fresh wounds of all sizes. The most severe was at the center of his chest, which was still swollen and bruised in a large patch of black and purple—a terrifying sight.

His thighs and back also had injuries of varying severity. He Jin looked carefully and found not a single spot of healthy skin on Wen Xi's body.

Feeling both pity and anger, he said, "That Wen couple are real animals. Even if the kid had done something terrible, they shouldn't have beaten him like this."

Chen Lanfang's heart also ached. Her three sons had been wild kids, but no matter how naughty they were, she and Yan Shichang had never hit them that hard.

These were their own flesh and blood—who could bear to hit them like that?

She had long heard that the Wen couple played favorites, treating their eldest and youngest sons like night and day.

The elder was raised like a young master, while the younger was treated like a servant. But she never imagined the younger one was treated even worse than a servant at home.

If any family dared beat a servant like that, the authorities would have arrested and fined them long ago.

But a parent's kindness is as vast as heaven. Even if parents accidentally beat a child to death, no one outside the family could say anything about it.

Thinking it over, Chen Lanfang knew exactly how Wen Xi got those new injuries.

It must have been because he was unwilling to marry into their family that the couple beat him in a fit of anger.

Anger welled up in Chen Lanfang. If their Fengan hadn't been injured, he could have married any bride he wanted—the Wen family's two boys wouldn't have had the luxury of being picky.

Wen Xi didn't want to marry into the family, and the Yans didn't want him either. They were all from the same village, so everyone knew each other's business. The Wen couple were shallow and cold-hearted, and having in-laws like them was really bad luck.

And that Wen Liu—though he was the best-looking young man in the village, Chen Lanfang couldn't stand him at all.

He came from the same peasant stock as everyone else, yet the Wen couple raised him like one of those pampered city gentlemen. They wouldn't let him do any heavy work inside or outside the house—he had clothes put on him and food brought to him, and he just waited for others to serve him.

Their Fengan needed to study and didn't do much around the house either. If he married someone like that, how would they get by?

If it weren't for her son insisting on marrying him and no one else, Chen Lanfang would never have agreed to this match.

Last month, after Yan Fengan was injured falling on the mountain, Wen Liu only came to visit once and never showed his face again.

Chen Lanfang was already dissatisfied with him, and his cold-heartedness made her even more upset. Seeing that he didn't seem willing to marry into their family, she wanted to take this opportunity to call off the engagement.

The condition was that the Wen family had to return the thirty taels of betrothal gifts the Yan family had given.

But the Wen couple was utterly shameless—they neither returned the betrothal gifts nor let their eldest son marry into the family, and instead offered their youngest son as a substitute spouse.

Chen Lanfang knew that with how cold-hearted those two were, even if the Yan family refused, they'd probably pull a bait-and-switch on the wedding day anyway.

If it came to that, the Yan family would certainly be in the right.

The marriage contract clearly had Wen Liu's name on it, so even if it went to the county court, the Yans had nothing to fear.

But Yan Shichang and Chen Lanfang were used to holding their heads high in the village. Yan Fengan's accident was already troubling enough; if something went wrong on the wedding day, they'd be too embarrassed to show their faces.

Besides, Wen Liu was lazy and scheming. If he married in, he'd turn the household upside down. Wen Xi was more timid, but he was hardworking and honest. Between the two, Chen Lanfang definitely preferred him.

After weighing their options, she and Yan Shichang gritted their teeth and agreed to this ridiculous arrangement.

The swap was agreed upon by both families, yet the Wens insisted on making things so disgraceful. Chen Lanfang was boiling with anger and had nowhere to let it out.

But when she saw the shocking wounds on Wen Xi's body, her tough heart softened again.

...

When Wen Xi groggily woke up, he felt someone place a cool cloth on his forehead.

Opening his eyes, he saw Chen Lanfang sitting by the bed. Remembering how his parents had beaten and scolded him whenever he was sick in the past, Wen Xi was terrified. Without even knowing what he'd done wrong, he immediately started apologizing: "I'm sorry, Mother. I... I didn't mean to faint..."

As he spoke, he tried to get up from the bed to kneel down in front of her.

Chen Lanfang eased him back down and said, "There's nothing to be sorry about. Whether a person gets sick isn't something they can control. You've got a chill and a fever, and with all those wounds on your body, it's no wonder you passed out."

Wen Xi started to speak, but Chen Lanfang went on, "The village doctor just came to check on you. Besides your external injuries, he said your body is weak and run-down. You need proper rest and care, or it could leave lasting damage."

Wen Xi didn't pick up on what she was really saying. He was only thinking about how the Yan family had spent thirty taels of betrothal gifts to bring him into the family.

That money, no matter who it was meant for, was really spent by the Yans. They had brought him in to take care of Yan Fengan, but instead he was so useless he fainted after doing a little work. If the Yan family felt they had gotten a bad deal and sent him back, wouldn't he be left with no way to survive?

Wen Xi didn't know if the Yan family was a good place to land, but he knew he absolutely could not return to the Wen family.

So he rushed to explain to Chen Lanfang, "I've always been in good health. Even when I get sick, I recover quickly and it doesn't keep me from working. If this happens again, just let me rest a bit—no need to waste money on the doctor."

"That's ridiculous!" Chen Lanfang bit back her anger but couldn't help poking Wen Xi's head. "I really don't know how your parents raised you. Who treats themselves like that?"

A child this big, treated worse than livestock at home—no wonder he turned out so timid.

Chen Lanfang was furious and silently cursed Wen Shishan and his wife again.

Wen Xi could tell she was sticking up for him. He covered his head and ducked it to hide his red-rimmed eyes.

Chen Lanfang sighed and said, "Enough. Your father-in-law and I have never mistreated anyone in this house. Don't do any work around the house for the next few days. Once you've recovered, you can focus on taking care of your husband—that's the most important thing."

Chen Lanfang's kindness and consideration made Wen Xi grateful. He knew why the Yan family had brought him into the family. As long as the Yans gave him food and didn't beat him, he'd take good care of Yan Fengan.

Only one thing made him uneasy: would Yan Fengan really lose his mind and hit people?

Wen Xi was too embarrassed to ask directly. After turning his words over in his mind for a long time, he cautiously spoke up: "Last night before sleeping, Scholar Yan called me Xi Geer. He didn't seem like a madman to me. I don't think his illness is as serious as the rumors outside say."

Chen Lanfang said bitterly, "Those gossiping bastards just love spreading rumors. My son is a proper scholar—how could he go mad and hit people?"

Wen Xi nodded, watching her face: "I don't think so either."

Chen Lanfang's gaze shifted from him to Yan Fengan, her eyes filling with a mother's concern and love: "Fengan takes the medicine the city doctor prescribed every day. He's conscious more and more often. As long as you take good care of him, he'll recover soon. Then you two will be as happy as can be, and those wretches outside will be green with envy."

Sweet and loving, her and Yan Fengan?

Wen Xi couldn't help but imagine that scene, and he got goosebumps for no reason.

If Yan Fengan were awake at this moment, he would probably feel the same way. Under normal circumstances, the two of them would absolutely, absolutely never be as sweet and loving as other couples.

Wen Xi dared not show these emotions in front of Chen Lanfang, so he just echoed a few words of agreement. It wasn't until Chen Lanfang left that he finally let out a long breath, his nerves shot.

At that moment, another sigh suddenly sounded in the room. Realizing it came from the man beside him, Wen Xi's hair stood on end, and he scrambled off the bed like he'd seen a ghost.

Earlier, with other people in the room, Yan Fengan had been so still he might as well have been dead, so much so that Wen Xi hadn't even registered that they were lying in the same bed.

That sigh nearly scared him out of his skin, and he lay on the floor for ages, too shaken to get up.

The rustling from the bed grew louder, and before long, Yan Fengan, clad in a white undergarment, slowly sat up. His deep-set eyes looked down, calmly taking in the flustered Wen Xi sprawled on the floor.

Less than ten feet apart, they stared at each other. It felt like ages before Yan Fengan finally spoke: "Why is it that every time I see you, you look like a wreck?"

The calming medicine from the night before had worn off, so it wasn't surprising that Yan Fengan was awake now. The fact that he could say such a thing proved that his mind was at least clear at the moment.

This guy still thought he was some high-and-mighty scholar. He should take a look in the mirror—didn't his scrawny, haggard look seem just as pathetic?

Wen Xi could only grumble to himself. He had to survive under the Yan family's roof now, so whether Yan Fengan was crazy or sane, kind or cruel, he had to take it in silence.

Rubbing his sore waist from the fall, Wen Xi slowly rose from the ground and turned to go outside to call for someone.