“Cough! Cough! Cough!”
Once Xie Hong started coughing, he could not stop. It seemed as if he was about to cough out his lungs. Blood stained the blanket.
Zhu Mingyue walked to the bed and stood a pillow upright behind him so he could sit more comfortably.
Xie Hong’s sudden illness surprised all of his drinking buddies who came to visit.
They sighed at his bad luck.
He had married a man as beautiful as a fairy, yet he could only look at him. He had not enjoyed a single day of married life and had spent all his time lying in bed.
Among these friends were several people from the village where Xie Hong’s uncles lived.
After returning home, they told everyone exactly what had happened.
They said that Xie Hong had coughed up blood on his wedding night.
They said the medicine was not helping.
They said he was getting worse every day.
One person even claimed that Xie Hong looked like he was close to death.
When these rumors reached his two uncles and grandmother, it caused a huge stir.
That very noon, his fierce-tempered grandmother stood outside the rumor-maker’s house and cursed him for nearly half an hour.
The family suffered through the scolding but dared not argue back.
After all, saying someone looked like they were dying was considered very unlucky.
However, the man who said it was not completely wrong.
He had once worked as an apprentice in a medical clinic.
Although he later lost the job for secretly selling patients’ medicine, he had still seen many dying people during those years.
The moment he saw Xie Hong, he thought he looked exactly like some of those patients.
That afternoon, Xie Hong’s grandmother arrived at the Xie family home.
Bent with age but full of energy, she marched into the yard.
The moment she saw Zhu Mingyue, she glared at him.
“Seductive troublemaker! Bad luck, star!”
Zhu Mingyue was speechless.
What a ridiculous society.
How was Xie Hong’s illness his fault?
Yet everyone wanted to blame him.
“Grandmother.”
Hearing the noise, Xie Hong poked his head out from behind the curtain.
His voice was weak.
“Oh my!”
The old woman was shocked.
“How did you end up like this?”
She had lived a long life and seen many things.
The moment she saw his face, her heart sank.
The villagers had not been completely exaggerating.
He had looked fine on his wedding day.
How had he become so weak in just a few days?
It was unbelievable.
“Look at the person you married! He’s a disaster! He ruined you as soon as he entered this house!”
The old woman cried loudly beside the bed.
She cared deeply for this grandson.
During the years of famine, most of her children had died, leaving only two sons and one daughter.
Because she favored boys, she valued this grandson far more than her granddaughters.
Now that he looked half-dead, she was heartbroken.
Unfortunately, Xie Hong did not appreciate her concern.
His chest already felt tight, and her loud crying only made it worse.
Annoyed, he turned his back toward her.
“Stop crying. I’m not dead yet. Can you let me rest?”
The old woman immediately stopped crying.
Feeling embarrassed after being scolded by a younger family member, she quickly redirected her anger.
Straight at Zhu Mingyue.
“It’s all your fault, you bad luck star!”
Zhu Mingyue had been quietly daydreaming in a corner.
Before he realized it, the old woman was already standing in front of him.
She even stood on her toes to reach higher.
Then—
Slap!
The sound echoed through the room.
Zhu Mingyue had no time to dodge.
A burning handprint immediately appeared on his pale cheek.
He covered his face in disbelief.
He had suffered many hardships growing up, but nobody had ever slapped him before.
The reason was simple.
He always behaved properly and believed nobody had the right to hit him.
This time he was truly angry.
Everyone seemed to think he was easy to bully.
Where was the fairness in that?
The old woman was short, but surprisingly strong.
After one slap, she raised her hand again.
This time, Zhu Mingyue was ready.
He grabbed her wrist and pushed her backward.
The old woman stumbled several steps before catching herself against a table.
When she realized he had fought back, she became furious.
“You…!”
She pointed at him with trembling fingers.
“You dare fight back?”
Zhu Mingyue looked at her coldly.
“Why shouldn’t I?”
He had been cautious because he was alone and powerless in this unfamiliar place.
But if someone wanted to use him as a punching bag, why should he tolerate it?
“Why? Because you’re married into the Xie family! You should obey the proper rules for women!”
The old woman was used to being feared.
Her daughters-in-law had never dared talk back.
Being beaten by elders was considered normal in many ordinary households.
Many people simply accepted it as part of life.
In her mind, Zhu Mingyue should also accept it.
But Zhu Mingyue came from a different era.
He had no respect for such outdated ideas.
The more he thought about it, the angrier he became.
Finally, he exploded.
“If you love those rules so much, then follow them yourself! Make your sons follow them too!”
The old woman was stunned.
Her face twitched.
Her lips shook.
“You… you…”
She could not find the words.
Finally she shouted,
“You’re shameless!”
Then she pointed at Zhu Mingyue and complained to Xie Hong.
“Look at what kind of person you married! Divorce him! Throw him out immediately!”
At this point, Xie Hong could barely breathe.
He was exhausted and wanted to sleep.
Instead, he was forced to listen to their argument.
He no longer had the strength to get angry.
Using the last of his energy, he squeezed out one word through clenched teeth.
“Get out.”
Only then did Zhu Mingyue remember there was still a patient in the room.
Feeling slightly awkward, he rubbed his nose.
Before leaving, he shot the old woman one final glare.
The old woman nearly fainted from anger.
She had lived for decades and never met someone like him.
His sharp tongue seemed poisonous.
Outside in the yard, Zhu Mingyue sat heavily on a tree stump.
Over these past days, he had quietly gathered information.
There were three neighboring households nearby.
Between here and the village entrance were nine homes in total.
Two of those families were close friends of Xie Hong and had promised to watch him.
This was all the information he had collected for his escape.
He had been searching for a chance to run away.
During the day there were too many people.
At night there were fewer people, but Xie Hong slept lightly and woke at the slightest sound.
Escaping seemed impossible.
Meanwhile, Xie Hong grew weaker every day.
Rumors that Zhu Mingyue brought bad luck to husbands had already begun spreading through the village.
He estimated that if Xie Hong suddenly died, the old woman would definitely encourage everyone to punish him.
Voices arguing came from inside the house.
Actually, it was mostly the old woman shouting.
Although Zhu Mingyue could not hear every word, he understood the situation.
She wanted Xie Hong to divorce him.
Xie Hong refused.
In truth, Xie Hong no longer felt any desire toward Zhu Mingyue.
When people become seriously ill, romance and lust often become unimportant.
Even if Zhu Mingyue stood naked before him, he probably would not feel anything.
But Xie Hong was naturally stubborn.
The more people told him to divorce Zhu Mingyue, the less willing he became.
After all, he had spent his own money to buy him.
Whether Zhu Mingyue stayed or left should be his decision alone.
A flash of hatred appeared in Xie Hong’s eyes as he looked at his grandmother.
Then he could no longer stay awake.
He lost consciousness.
“Oh no!”
The old woman panicked.
She had only spoken a few harsh words.
How had he suddenly fainted?
Hearing her scream, Zhu Mingyue looked up.
The old woman rushed out of the house in confusion.
This time she did not even glance at him.
She practically fled.
Entering the room, Zhu Mingyue found no movement on the bed.
Only weak breathing remained.
After checking carefully, he confirmed that Xie Hong had indeed fainted from anger.
Shaking his head, Zhu Mingyue thought:
Was she trying to harm him or her own grandson?
She failed to anger him but succeeded in knocking Xie Hong unconscious.
The corners of his mouth lifted slightly.
Remembering the old woman’s panicked escape almost made him laugh.
Still, laughing beside a sick person’s bed felt inappropriate, so he forced himself to stop.
That night, Xie Hong woke up once.
Surprisingly, he looked much better.
His face had color again.
His voice sounded strong.
The first thing he said was:
“I’m hungry.”
He ordered Zhu Mingyue to cook rice porridge.
And he specifically wanted two eggs in it.
In the darkness of night, Zhu Mingyue made his way to the kitchen and cooked a fresh pot of porridge.
After Xie Hong finished eating the porridge, two fragrant boiled eggs appeared at the bottom of the bowl.
Zhu Mingyue stared so hard his eyes nearly popped out.
He swallowed repeatedly.
But he did not dare steal any.
Eggs were valuable food.
Xie Pei probably knew exactly how many remained in the house.
If any went missing, it would be difficult to explain.
So Zhu Mingyue could only watch helplessly as Xie Hong swallowed both eggs in a few bites.
Afterward, Xie Hong burped happily.
His breathing was smooth.
His chest no longer felt tight.
He looked healthy enough to live another hundred years.
Watching this scene, Zhu Mingyue felt both relieved and worried.
Relieved because nobody could call him a husband-killer anymore.
Worried because if Xie Hong recovered, escaping would become much harder.
The next morning, Xie Hong looked almost normal again.
Although he still remained in bed, his appearance was no different from a healthy person.
Early that morning, the old woman returned.
The moment she saw Xie Hong’s condition, she suddenly burst into tears.
Her crying was even louder than the day before.
Zhu Mingyue scratched his head in confusion.
He had absolutely no idea what was going on.