After returning to her room, Gu Qingqing tucked the house deed safely into the bottom of her trunk. Feeling dejected, she had no desire to do anything.
She took off her clothes and lay on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. She had no idea how much time had passed when she drifted into a drowsy haze. Just as she was about to fall asleep, someone knocked on her door.
She had no intention of answering that icy-faced man.
She remained motionless on the bed. After a while, the knocking stopped.
He must have left, she thought.
No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t understand why he was so angry.
Once she calmed down and looked at things from his perspective, she realized that if she had been deceived, she probably would have been even angrier than he was.
Forget it. I’m the bigger person. I won’t stoop to arguing with him. He can do whatever he wants.
She rested a hand on her stomach, wondering if she had successfully conceived.
Her monthly bleeding was due in another two days.
I’ll just wait another two or three days.
The thought eased her mind a little. Her eyelids grew heavier and heavier, and before she knew it, she had fallen asleep.
It was not a peaceful sleep.
Her dreams were filled with memories from her previous life.
She relived the loneliness and helplessness of giving birth, the heartache of being forced to part with her child immediately afterward, and the despair of watching her own son call another woman “Mother.”
Each memory slowly devoured her heart.
By dusk, Gu Qingqing jolted awake from a nightmare.
Once again, she had dreamed of the day she was forced to drink poisoned wine.
She awoke drenched in sweat, her clothes clinging uncomfortably to her body.
She got up and stepped into the courtyard.
It was eerily quiet.
No lamp burned in the eastern room. Shrouded in darkness, it looked especially lonely.
Gu Qingqing went to the kitchen, heated a pot of water, then ate some of the food that had been left for her in the pot.
At least that man still has some conscience, she thought.
He remembered to leave me dinner.
She carried the hot water into the bath room and soaked herself in it, her mind filled with thoughts of what the future might hold.
If he chose to stay, she would naturally be delighted.
Although they had only spent a short time together, she could tell that Lin Heng was a good man.
Aside from being quiet and wearing a perpetually cold expression, he had no bad habits.
He was exactly the sort of man one could build a life with.
He knew martial arts, could hunt, wasn’t afraid of cooking or doing laundry, and, most importantly, he was hardworking. He always noticed what needed to be done and did it without being asked.
Life with him wasn’t tiring.
On the contrary, it made everything easier.
But…
If he truly wanted to leave, she wouldn’t force him to stay.
Once his injuries healed completely, giving him some money and letting him go wasn’t unreasonable.
After all, his current condition and the wounds covering his body had everything to do with her.
She ought to take responsibility.
She owed him compensation.
After bathing, she returned to her room and took out the money box from the cabinet.
Over the past month, they had saved quite a bit.
The money had come from selling medicinal herbs, game, and the embroidery she’d done.
She counted everything carefully.
There were about forty-two taels of silver in solid ingots, along with several strings of copper coins and loose cash worth another five or six taels.
She packed thirty taels of silver into a money pouch, added one full string of copper coins, and placed it on the table.
If he decided to leave…
This money would serve as his traveling expenses.
No matter where he went, it would be enough for him to live comfortably for quite some time.
As she sat there thinking, darkness quietly settled over the world.
It was late.
Enough. Time to sleep.
She comforted herself.
Money could always be earned again.
Lin Heng was a good man.
Whether he remained in Peach Blossom Village or went elsewhere, she only hoped he could live well.
…
In the eastern room, Lin Heng lay awake.
He had heard everything.
From the moment Gu Qingqing woke up, to her heating water, bathing, and eating dinner—he knew it all.
His internal energy made his hearing far sharper than that of an ordinary person.
Only after he heard her return to her room and go to bed did he slowly sit up.
After half a day of thinking…
He had finally made his decision.
The past…
He no longer cared about it.
Since Heaven had already given him a second chance, what reason did he have to refuse it?
After spending a month together, he knew Gu Qingqing wasn’t the shameless woman he’d once believed her to be.
Quite the opposite.
She was gentle, kind, and considerate.
She wasn’t vain like many servant girls, nor did she possess the arrogance of a noble young lady.
She was the finest woman he had ever met.
He didn’t want to let her down.
After all…
She was already his wife.
What more could he possibly ask for?
The moment he came to terms with it, the weight pressing on his heart suddenly lifted.
He undressed, lay back down, and soon fell into a deep sleep.
…
Before dawn the next morning, Lin Heng quietly got out of bed.
After washing up, he grabbed several steamed buns that had been warmed for him, slung his bow over his shoulder, and left the courtyard, heading into the mountains.
By the time the sun had climbed high into the sky, Gu Qingqing reluctantly crawled out of bed.
She opened the door and realized the day was already well underway.
It had been a long time since she’d slept in.
The eastern room was silent.
The courtyard was empty.
A sense of panic gripped her.
She hurried to the eastern room and knocked on the door.
No answer.
She knocked again.
Still nothing.
She pushed the door open.
The bed had been neatly made.
She opened the wardrobe and found that none of his clothes were missing.
Then she rushed into the kitchen.
Inside the pot were two warm steamed buns and a bowl of porridge.
Where was Lin Heng?
Where had he gone?
She ran frantically, stumbling several times and nearly falling.
She searched in front of the house, behind it, throughout both courtyards, the nearby fields, the orchard behind the house, and even along the creek.
There was no sign of Lin Heng anywhere.
“Did he leave…?”
“He didn’t even say goodbye…”
She walked home in a daze, mumbling to herself.
“Why?”
“You rotten man… You left without saying a single word.”
“Do you hate me that much?”
“You heartless block of ice! I took care of you for so many days, and not even a word of thanks. You just left whenever you pleased.”
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became.
Tears streamed uncontrollably down her face.
Why?
Why did this hurt so much?
Isn’t it better that he’s gone?
From now on, I’ll live by myself.
I’ll earn my own money and spend it myself.
I won’t have to wait on that icy-faced lord of the manor anymore.
Then why…
Why did her heart feel so empty?
As though something important had been ripped away.
The ache became unbearable.
She returned to her room and threw herself onto the bed.
The more she thought about it, the worse she felt.
She buried herself beneath the blanket and cried her heart out.
Maybe once she’d cried enough, she’d feel better.
She didn’t know how long she cried.
Eventually she fell asleep again.
When she opened her eyes, it was already dark.
She had awakened from hunger.
Slowly, she climbed out of bed.
The moment her feet touched the floor, her vision went black, and she nearly collapsed.
Fortunately, she managed to catch herself on the bedframe.
It took a long while before she regained her balance.
She lit an oil lamp, carried it outside, and discovered that the eastern room was still empty.
He still hadn’t returned.
She went into the kitchen, set the lamp on the stove, struck a fire with flint, heated some water for a bath, then prepared something simple to eat.
She was too upset to cook anything elaborate.
She made a pot of salted rice porridge, reheated the steamed buns from that morning, ate a little, then went straight back to bed.
Her lower abdomen throbbed with pain.
Beads of sweat formed on her forehead.
Her monthly bleeding had begun.
What a truly miserable day, Gu Qingqing thought.
The man had run away.
The baby hadn’t come.
She sighed.
A terrible day.
That useless man…
In her heart, she cursed Lin Heng over and over again.
With those muttered curses lingering on her lips, she gradually drifted into sleep.
Outside, the night grew darker and darker.
The entire courtyard lay swallowed by darkness.
The wind howled beneath the moonless sky, thick clouds blotting out the moon until the whole world seemed consumed by blackness.