Su Yun pushed open the slightly ajar door.
Entering in the dark, she nearly tripped over someone lying on the ground.
“Xiao Yuan?”
Thinking he had fallen, she quickly crouched down and felt around the man on the floor.
“Xiao Yuan?”
“I’m fine.”
In the darkness, the man’s voice was low and steady.
Completely unlike his hesitant tone from the daytime.
A pair of large hands gently pressed down on her wandering hands.
Hearing his voice, Su Yun didn’t dwell on the difference between day and night. She let out a sigh of relief.
“Why are you lying on the ground? I thought you fell.”
Xiao Yuan then explained a bit awkwardly.
“There’s only one bed at home. You sleep on the bed, I’ll sleep on the floor.”
“Sleeping on the floor” simply meant laying a thin blanket down and covering himself with a military coat.
Su Yun frowned.
“Where are your crutches?”
“Comrade Su Yun…”
Xiao Yuan sounded confused.
Su Yun was already feeling around for them.
“Do you really think anyone would believe that an unmarried man and woman living under the same roof are sleeping separately like this?”
“It’s winter. Your leg is already injured. Sleeping on the ground will let cold air seep in. Even if it heals, you’ll end up with chronic pain.”
She found the crutches and handed them to him.
“Use the crutches for support. I’ll help you up to the bed.”
“Su—”
“Enough. Don’t be so fussy. I’m not worried, so why are you?”
Without waiting for his response, Su Yun reached out to help him up.
He wasn’t ready.
They both fell back onto the ground.
Fortunately, Xiao Yuan was underneath; otherwise, she would have hit the hard floor.
Her head knocked into his bony chest, bringing tears to her eyes from the pain.
“I might have a concussion,” she muttered, holding her forehead.
Xiao Yuan quickly apologized.
“I’m sorry, I—”
“Stop talking. Just hold the crutches.”
Afraid she might fall again, he gripped the crutches and, with her help, finally made it onto the bed.
“Your leg is injured, so sleep inside,” she said, helping him onto the bed and arranging things before lying down on the outer side.
Suddenly sharing the bed with someone made Xiao Yuan extremely uncomfortable.
He lay stiffly, not daring to move.
In contrast, Su Yun had no trouble at all.
Not long after lying down, she fell asleep.
A professional doctor like her—especially someone used to operating room shifts lasting hours—was accustomed to exhaustion and irregular sleep.
So as soon as she had a chance to rest, she fell asleep quickly.
She slept soundly and didn’t do any of the cliché “female protagonist rolling into the male lead’s arms” trope.
All night, she didn’t move even once.
Meanwhile, the man beside her spent half the night unable to sleep.
The next morning, Su Yun woke up on time as usual.
The sky was still a little dark, but she knew it was around seven o’clock.
As soon as she moved, Xiao Yuan woke up too—or rather, he had barely slept at all.
Su Yun sat up and put on her worn cotton jacket.
“I’m going to the commune later. Are you coming?”
Xiao Yuan glanced at his legs with a bitter smile. His voice was hoarse from lack of sleep.
“I won’t go.”
“Alright. I’ll bring you something good to eat.”
After speaking, she got out of bed and opened the door.
The morning village air was cold.
She hugged her arms and hurried across the courtyard into the kitchen to light the fire, boil water, and cook porridge.
Not long after, Xiao Yuan came in from outside, walking with two crutches.
His legs were severely injured and unable to bear weight, so he could only move with support.
He walked over to her and took out a faded handkerchief from inside his worn cotton coat.
Inside was a small bundle of scattered cash and ration tickets.
About fifty yuan in total, along with some vouchers.
Sitting on a small stool, Su Yun looked at him in surprise.
“Are you planning to buy something?”
Xiao Yuan shook his head.
“For you.”
“For me?”
She frowned slightly. “Why are you giving me money and ration tickets?”
He looked a little uncomfortable and averted his gaze.
“Last night… you were right. No matter what, people won’t believe there’s nothing between us.”
“Since your reputation has already been tied to mine as my wife, I’ll try my best to let you live better here.”
“At least while you’re here, you should live better.”
Su Yun blinked and smiled lightly.
“So… this counts as acknowledging our relationship?”
Xiao Yuan turned his face away and didn’t answer.
She chuckled, taking the money and tickets from his hand.
“Thanks. I’ll use them where they’re needed most.”
She was straightforward and not the type to be shy or hesitant.
After putting the money away, she washed her face with hot water and started cooking the porridge.
“Cooking is fine,” Xiao Yuan said quietly from the table.
“We’re out of grain. Old Wu will send some later.”
“No need. This rice tastes bad if cooked dry. It’s perfect for porridge.”
She worked quickly, cooking sweet potato and coarse rice porridge for both of them.
She even used two straight reeds she had picked up from the mountain the day before as chopsticks.
Watching her eat happily, Xiao Yuan spoke again.
“Go to the commune and buy whatever you need. I’ll find a way to get the money.”
She looked up at him. “You have a way?”
He avoided her gaze again.
She smiled but didn’t take it seriously.
“Don’t worry. We won’t starve.”
“I’m here now. Life will only get better.”
She finished eating quickly.
When she went to wash the bowls, he stopped her.
“You should head to the village entrance. There might be a tractor going to the commune—you might still catch it.”
As for the bowls, he would wash them.
She smiled more deeply.
“Do you really think someone would be willing to share a tractor ride with me?”
“Don’t forget—I still have the reputation of seducing my brother-in-law.”
His expression grew serious.
“I’m sorry… if I had been able to take you away that night…”
If he had had the strength to move her, her reputation wouldn’t have been ruined, and she wouldn’t have been tied to a cripple like him.
She didn’t care at all.
Her tone was calm.
“What are you thinking about? This life is exactly what I want.”
“If you had taken me away, do you think the Su family would have accepted me? Or would they sell me again—to some old widower in the mountains?”
He wasn’t very familiar with the Su family, but Old Wu was.
He planned to ask him later.
After washing the dishes with hot water, she dried her hands and checked his pulse before heading out to the commune.
Coincidentally, just as she left the house, she ran into Qin Xiao and Qin Jiao coming out from the Qin family.